Colin McGuire is a columnist and the Music Reviews Editor here at PopMatters, as well as an award-winning blogger and copy editor for the Frederick News-Post in Frederick, Maryland. He has worked in newspapers for five years, writing columns, editing stories and trying to make sure the medium doesn’t completely fall off the Earth anytime soon. You can follow him on Twitter @colinpadraic.
Features
Friday, March 2 2012
In Defense of Patrick Stump: Why Elitism and Teen Angst Is Killing Popular Music
Fall Out Boy have become the most recent reminder of exactly how fragile a life in music can be. That particular type of life's instability is so unique that it has become nearly impossible to fully invest in an existence in, of, or around music itself.
Thursday, January 5 2012
Somehow You Love Me: An Interview with Saves the Day
With the influential emo-rockers closing out a long-in-the-works album trilogy, Saves the Day's Chris Conley speaks openly and candidly to PopMatters about who he was, who he wants to be, and the event that changed everything for him ...
Tuesday, January 3 2012
"I've Never Been the Coolest Kid in School": An Interview with Jack's Mannequin
He graduated from high-school piano-rock outfit Something Corporate into a mature pop songwriter who also hangs out with Tommy Lee. Andrew McMahon sits down to talk with PopMatters, explains his blog posts, and why he recorded his most recent album twice ...
Wednesday, May 11 2011
"You Can't Blame Those Who Have Tried": An Interview with Cedella Marley
In this revealing and open interview, Cedella Marley discusses her father's legacy, the planned bootleg series ahead, and what's currently missing in the current state of reggae music ...
Friday, December 24 2010
Our Lady Peace Look Back at 'Spiritual Machines' a Decade Later
The impact the release of Spiritual Machines had on the legacy of Our Lady Peace is simply immeasurable. PopMatters talks with the band ten years on about the difficult birth and curious life of their high-concept masterpiece.
Columns
Thursday, May 24 2012
In Defense Of... Rock Radio: A Force in Popular Culture
With Clear Channel recently purchasing Boston's WFNX, almost certainly with the intention of changing its format, we look at how important it is for alternative radio to exist -- and evolve.
Thursday, May 17 2012
In Defense Of ... Train Not Being Nearly as Bad as You Might Think
Sure, you may believe that it's not cool to like Train, but with the release of the unabashedly infectious California 37, the San Francisco trio brings fun back to pop music. And who ever said music can't -- or shouldn't -- be fun?
Thursday, May 10 2012
In Defense Of... Adele's Next Album, Whenever That May Come
As the singer just turned 24, we look back on how gigantic her star has grown while looking forward with an open mind at whatever her next move may be.
Friday, May 4 2012
In Defense Of ... David Simon and the Legacy of 'The Wire'
In light of David Simon's recent comments to The New York Times on its intent to 'stir actual shit', we revisit how important The Wire should be to both popular culture and American society.
Friday, April 27 2012
In Defense Of... Cutting the Cord on Conventional Cable Television
With more and more websites developing original programming and cable companies raising prices each year, there has never been a better time to turn away from your television and toward your computer.
Reviews
Thursday, May 10 2012
Peter Gabriel: Live Blood
The latest Peter Gabriel live set is a release best suited for only the singer's true-believer fans, leaving listeners hungry for a proper Gabriel tour.
Thursday, April 19 2012
Our Lady Peace: Curve
Canadian rockers' fourth album brings yet more change to a band that can't ever seem to stay put. The result is disappointing.
Wednesday, March 21 2012
The Fray: Scars & Stories
The Fray return with a record that is good enough to initially consider, yet forgettable enough to ultimately dismiss.
Wednesday, November 23 2011
Rufus Thomas: Do The Funky Chicken
Rufus Thomas's finest achievement gets the reissue treatment and proves to stand the test of time.
Friday, November 11 2011
Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Alone in San Francisco
A jazz classic that still stands today as one of a brilliant mind's best.
Blogs
Monday, August 8 2011
Hip-Hop’s Heartbreak: Kanye West – "Coldest Winter" and "Pinocchio Story"
808s & Heartbreak -- and this Between the Grooves series -- wraps up with a two-song tandem that exemplifies everything Kanye West's masterpiece-before-the-masterpiece is about.
Monday, August 1 2011
Hip-Hop’s Heartbreak: Kanye West – "See You in My Nightmare"
West consciously kept the guest spots and big-name collaborations at a minimum when constructing his fourth album. That mantra allowed this particular joint effort to stand firmly on its own among some of the best work he has ever been a part of.
Monday, July 25 2011
Hip-Hop’s Heartbreak: Kanye West – "Bad News"
Don't discount "Bad News" because of its placement on 808s & Heartbreak. It's still one of the best art-pop compositions of our time.
Monday, July 18 2011
Hip-Hop’s Heartbreak: Kanye West – “Street Lights”
Kanye kicks off 808s & Heartbreak's home stretch with a song often over-looked, though never discredited.
Monday, July 11 2011
Hip-Hop’s Heartbreak: Kanye West – “Robocop”
If 808s & Heartbreak is the lost Kanye West record, then the songs that make up the second half of the album are the true forgotten masterpieces. And, all things considered, there isn’t a better track than “RoboCop” to begin that undervalued stretch of criminally-forgotten tracks.
