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Featured Article

Music

Chasing Honey Bees: The Jesus and Mary Chain and the Post-Masterpiece Struggle

[18.Apr.08] :. Their first album, Psychocandy, was a classic. And as new reissues of the Jesus and Mary Chain's first five records are released, we see the story of a band proving there is life after a masterpiece.

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Music

If You Can't Build a Whole, Build a Mosaic: An Interview with Jim White

[4.Mar.08] :. Jim White is changing the face of democracy, or at least taking the drunken poet approach to things. White talks to PopMatters about his new record, Transnormal Skiperoo.

Recent features

Music

Bowerbirds [Raleigh, NC]

[1.Aug.07] :. Rising up from under the mega-strip mall concrete, Raleigh, NC's Bowerbirds are the best folk act you haven't heard yet.

Recent features

Music

Scud Mountain Boys: How to Burn a Silo

[11.Jun.07] :. Matthew Fiander rediscovers the Scud Mountain Boys with his own move south, and realizes that stories are rightfully entangled in their settings.

Recent features

Reviews

Music

Annuals: Wet Zoo EP

[14.May.08] :. Annuals match big production with their big sound, improving on their already impressive talents.

Recent Short Takes reviews

Music

No Use for a Name: The Feel Good Record of the Year

[9.May.08] :. No Use for a Name's new record has the sound of their old record, without the strong songs they used to deliver.

Recent Short Takes reviews

Books

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

[8.May.08] :. Lahiri often confuses size with scope, hoping that by making her stories long they will achieve some sort of literary heft.

Recent Book reviews

Music

Jandek: The Myth of Blue Icicles

[8.May.08] :. Once again, Jandek makes us question our assumptions about what music is and what it can do on.

Recent Short Takes reviews

Books

Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead

[2.May.08] :. Spare, poetic lines render ghostly a world where death is too commonplace to haunt, but too pervasive to ignore -- the story of a boy learning a man's lessons.

Recent Book reviews

Music Sera Cahoone: Only as the Day is Long

Music Look Mexico: The Crucial Collection

Books Our Story Begins by Tobias Wolff

Music Good Riddance: Remain in Memory

Music Billy Bragg: Mr. Love & Justice

Music Neil Hamburger: Neil Hamburger Sings Country Winners

Music Panic Ensemble: Panic Ensemble

Music Colin Meloy: Colin Meloy Sings Live!

Books The House of Widows by Askold Melnyczuk

Music Lee 'Scratch' Perry: Lee 'Scratch' Perry at the Jazz Cafe

Music The Strugglers: The Latest Rights

Music Elf Power: In a Cave

Music Birds of Avalon: Outer Upper Inner EP

Music Grand Archives: Grand Archives

Music Flogging Molly: Float

Books The Future of Love by Shirley Abbott

Music Ladyhawk: Shots

Music Trembling Blue Stars: Exploring the Shadows EP

Music White Hinterland: Phylactery Factory

Music Ida: Lovers Prayers

Music Various Artists: Living Bridge

Books Refresh, Refresh by Benjamin Percy

Music Antarctica Takes It!: The Penguin League

Music American Music Club: The Golden Age

Music Glorytellers: Glorytellers

Music Robert Pollard: Superman was a Rocker

Books Arlington Park by Rachel Cusk

Music The Mountain Goats: Heretic Pride

Books Swordfishtrombones (33 1/3) by David Smay

Music The Loved Ones: Build & Burn

Music Fire on Fire: 5 Song EP

Music Cat Power: Jukebox

Music Jeffrey Lewis: 12 Crass Songs

Music Kate Tucker & the Sons of Sweden: Kate Tucker & the Sons of Sweden

Music MGMT: Oracular Spectacular

Music The Brother Kite: Moonlit Race EP

PopMatters Pick

Music

Black Mountain: In the Future

[21.Jan.08] :. In the Future is an expansive statement of an album, full of big guitars and cold space, a variety of sounds and a hard-earned and ever-present brilliance.

Recent Music reviews

Music Tullycraft: Every Scene Needs a Center

Music House & Parish: One, One-Thousand

Music Tim Hecker: Norberg

Music Golden Death Music: Ephemera Blues

Music The Motion Sick: The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait…

Music Aloha: Light Works

Books Tomorrow by Graham Swift

Music NOFX: Theyve Actually Gotten Worse Live!

Music Shocking Pinks: Shocking Pinks

PopMatters Pick

Music

Ghostface Killah: The Big Doe Rehab

[10.Dec.07] :. The Big Doe Rehab should come out now, as a year of solid hip-hop winds down and Ghostface asks where the culture is at.

Recent Music reviews

Music Tom Brosseau: Cavalier

Music Pants Yell!: Alison Statton

Music State Radio: Year of the Crow

Featured Article

Books

Like You'd Understand, Anyway by Jim Shepard

[5.Dec.07] :. With this brilliant book, Shepard has established himself as modern fiction's master of voice.

Recent Book reviews

Music Ahleuchatistas: …Even in the Midst

Music SNMNMNM: Crawl Inside Your Head

Music Six Organs of Admittance: Shelter from the Ash

Music Jana Hunter: Carrion EP

Music Grizzly Bear: Friend EP

Music Born Ruffians: Hummingbird

Music Working for a Nuclear Free City: Businessmen & Ghosts

Music Merle Haggard: Hag's Christmas

Music Kinski: Down Below its Chaos

Music Sandro Perri: Tiny Mirrors

Books Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

Music Champion Kickboxer: Perforations

Books Dead Boys by Richard Lange

Music Marissa Nadler: Songs III: Bird on the Water

Music Karate: Five-Ninety-Five

Music Castanets: In the Vines

Music The For Carnation: Promised Works

Music Emily Jane White: Dark Undercoat

Music Two Gallants: Two Gallants

Music The Bosch: Hurry Up

PopMatters Pick

Music

Radiohead: In Rainbows

[15.Oct.07] :. Put all the marketing talk aside, because what's going on musically on In Rainbows is the best we've seen from Radiohead in quite some time.

Recent Music reviews

Music Japanther: Skuffed Up My Huffy

Music Swivel Chairs: The Slow Transmission

Music Robert Pollard: Coast to Coast Carpet of Love

Music Band of Horses: Cease to Begin

Music The Fiery Furnaces: Widow City

Music The Weakerthans: Reunion Tour

Music Speck Mountain: Summer Above

Music Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores: The Blind Spot

Music Shepherdess: Shepherdess

Music Sea Wolf: Leaves in the River

Music Steve Earle: Washington Square Serenade

Music Dropkick Murphys: The Meanest of Times

Music Akron/Family: Love is Simple

Music Health: Health

Music Animal Collective: Strawberry Jam

Music Jason Anderson: Tonight

Books Right Livelihoods by Rick Moody

Music Ezra Furman & the Harpoons: Banging Down the Doors

Music Pelican: City of Echoes

Music Oh No! Oh My!: Between the Devil and the Sea

Music The Mendoza Line: 30 Year Low & Final Remarks of the Legendary Malcontent

Music Foreign Born: On the Wing Now

Music Jennifer Gentle: The Midnight Room

Music The Takeovers: Bad Football

Books New Stories from the South by Edward P. Jones (Guest Editor) and Kathy Pories (Series Editor)

Music Virgin of the Birds: Mixed Choir

Music Pissed Jeans: Hope for Men

Music The Foundry Field Recordings: Fallout Stations

Music Mirah and Spectratone International: Share This Place

Music Patton Oswalt: Werewolves and Lollipops

Music Mad Caddies: Keep It Going

Music Against Me!: New Wave

PopMatters Pick

Music

John Vanderslice: Emerald City

[24.Jul.07] :. Full of murky and beautiful songs, this should be the album John Vanderslice is remembered for.

Recent Music reviews

Music Rob Crow: I Hate You, Rob Crow

Music Robert Pollard: Crickets

Music Various Artists: Healing the Divide

Music Sean Na Na: Family Trees or: Must Cope We

Music KK Null: Fertile

Music Young Galaxy: Young Galaxy

Music Disciple: Come and See Us as We Are!

Music Whiting Tennis: Three Leaf Clover

Music Nick Drake: Family Tree

Music Shout Out Louds: Tonight I Have to Leave It EP

Music Electrelane: No Shouts, No Calls

Music Ramona Cordova: The Boy Who Floated Freely

Music Dizzee Rascal: Maths & English

Music My Morning Jacket: At Dawn and Tennessee Fire Demos Package

Music The Field: From Here We Go Sublime

Music Custom Made: Truth Be Told EP

Music The Comas: Spells

Featured Article

Music

Great Lake Swimmers: Ongiara

[5.Jun.07] :. Tony Dekkar has hit his stride with Ongiara, using the right combination of elements from the band’s earlier work to craft not only their best, but one of the best of ‘07.

Recent Music reviews