PopMatters Associate Music Editor
Christel Loar is a freelance writer and editor, a part-time music publicist, and a full-time music fan. She is often an overreactor and sometimes an overachiever. When not dodging raindrops or devising escape plans, Christel is usually found down front and slightly left of center stage reveling in a performance by yet another new favorite band.
Features
Monday, June 1 2009
The Beautiful One: Prince and the Fashion of Purple Rain
Some people say that Purple Rain cemented Prince's image because of its music. Christel Loar argues it was that ruffled white shirt. In a personal tale, Loar shows us just how the influential fashion of Purple Rain defined herself and her friends, and what lessons a piece of big mainstream entertainment can teach us all.
Wednesday, June 4 2008
Pat Green's Dance Halls and Dreamers
Preserving the history, the music, and the good times (Texas' "holy trinity"), this is a big, beautiful love letter to the places and the people that make Texas music history
Reviews
Wednesday, February 1 2012
The Magnificent 'Coast'
Coast is a celebration of the British Isles, its neighbors, its peoples, their connections, and their relationships to the land and sea that shapes them.
Tuesday, January 24 2012
Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson: Live at the US Festival
The US Festival's "Country Day" in June 1983, featured both Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
Monday, January 23 2012
The Will of God: 'The Borgias: The First Season'
The Borgias: The First Season on Blu-ray introduces "the original crime family", and it wastes no time in getting to the dirty secrets of one of the most powerful and influential families of the 15th century.
Thursday, January 19 2012
Wilco: Speak Into the Rose
Speak Into the Rose is the perfect primer for Wilco.
Tuesday, January 17 2012
The Rise of a Star. The Fall of a Legend: 'Velvet Goldmine'
Velvet Goldmine isn't just a story of glam rock in the early '70s. It's a story about the places where dreams and memories overlap, where time is immaterial and images and impressions are everything.
A Contradictory Man, A Contradictory Text: 'Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music-A Definitive Life' [12.Jan.12]
The Hollies: Look Through Any Window 1963 – 1975 [15.Dec.11]
Procol Harum: Live At the Union Chapel [29.Nov.11]
'Directory of World Cinema: American Hollywood' Has a Wealth of Gorgeous Production Stills [22.Nov.11]
A River Called Titas (Titash Ekti Nadir Naam) [26.Oct.11]
Spin City: The Complete Fifth Season [25.Oct.11]
'Robert Plant's Blue Note': Chasing a Sound [20.Oct.11]
Hanging Five with the Girl That Inspired Gidget:'Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story' [16.Oct.11]
'Raising Hope: The Complete First Season': Where Mistakes are Funny; Lessons Learned, Even Funnier [5.Oct.11]
A Spray of Silver Bullets: 'NOVA: Power Surge' [13.Sep.11]
'MI-5 Volume 9': Spooky [8.Sep.11]
'Secret Diary of a Call Girl: The Final Season' Sex, Shopping, Arguments, Sex, Yadda, Yadda [17.Aug.11]
Weird Al Yankovic: Alpocalypse [10.Aug.11]
Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour '74 [10.Aug.11]
Public Enemy, Cee-Lo Green, Girl Talk & Others Talk About Sampling in 'Creative License' [27.May.11]
'The BBC Tudors Collection' Is a Staggeringly Complete Look at England's Royal Tudor Dynasty [26.Apr.11]
'Country Strong' Is Worth It for the Music Alone [12.Apr.11]
'Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Tale' Makes for a MST:3K-Style Bad Movie Night: Bring Friends & Booze [6.Apr.11]
Blow Your Mind: 'The Cosmos: A Beginner’s Guide' [28.Mar.11]
'The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Third Season': A Little Something for Little Whovians [31.Jan.11]
Rachel Schain: Happy Happy [15.Nov.10]
In 'Jane's Addiction: Live Voodoo', the Air Is Charged with an Electricity that's Felt Even on DVD [13.Oct.10]
'Hello, It's Me' Happily Chronicles Being in the Right Place at the Right Time, and Knowing It [10.Oct.10]
Squeeze: Spot the Difference [4.Oct.10]
Richard Barone: Glow [1.Oct.10]
Less Than Perfect: Season One [19.Sep.10]
More Smarts Than a Rattlesnake Whip: 'Heroes of a Texas Childhood' & 'What Would Kinky Do?' [13.Sep.10]
The Like: Release Me [25.Aug.10]
The Residents: Beautiful Eyes [17.Aug.10]
'Artois the Goat': When the Goat Talks, Listen [12.Aug.10]
Jonny Lang: Live at the Ryman [22.Jul.10]
Kylie Minogue: Aphrodite [8.Jul.10]
Smoke Fairies: Ghosts [7.Jun.10]
Paul Weller: Wake Up the Nation [1.Jun.10]
Jeff Beck: Emotion & Commotion [29.Apr.10]
Walking on the Moon: The Untold Story of the Police and the Rise of New Wave Rock by Chris Campion [9.Mar.10]
Simone White: Yakiimo [23.Feb.10]
Little Richard: The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll [16.Feb.10]
Thin Lizzy: Are You Ready [16.Feb.10]
Drop Dead Rock [9.Feb.10]
Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: The Dangerous Glitter of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed [8.Jan.10]
Life on Mars: Series 2 [14.Dec.09]
Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition [4.Dec.09]
The IT Crowd: The Complete Third Season [19.Nov.09]
Cherry Poppin' Daddies: Skaboy JFK: the Skankin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies/Susquehanna [17.Nov.09]
One Step Beyond by Terry Edwards [11.Nov.09]
Man Stroke Woman: The Complete Series [11.Nov.09]
The Chieftains - Live at Montreux 1997 [25.Oct.09]
Ringo Starr and the Roundheads: Live [18.Oct.09]
Heroes: Season 3 [13.Oct.09]
The Patty Duke Show [29.Sep.09]
The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle [17.Sep.09]
The Real Wizard of Oz by Rebecca Loncraine [10.Sep.09]
Adam Marsland: Go West [1.Sep.09]
The Mighty Boosh: Series 1, 2 and 3 [31.Aug.09]
Cheap Trick: The Latest [30.Jul.09]
Bewitched: The Complete Eighth and Final Season [29.Jul.09]
Life on Mars: Series One [27.Jul.09]
My Dinner With Jimi [25.Jun.09]
Sonic Boom by Peter Belcha [18.Jun.09]
8 Simple Rules: Season Two [17.Jun.09]
Colin Blunstone: The Ghost of You and Me [16.Jun.09]
Rhett Miller: Rhett Miller [12.Jun.09]
Jeeves and Wooster [27.May.09]
Okkervil River: Pop Lie EP [11.May.09]
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin [10.May.09]
Ian McLagan & the Bump Band: Never Say Never [24.Apr.09]
Anna Karenina [23.Apr.09]
Dana Gould: Let Me Put My Thoughts Into You [7.Apr.09]
Rory Gallagher Live in Cork [31.Mar.09]
Hunter S. Thompson: An Insider's View of Deranged, Depraved, Drugged Out Brilliance by Jay Cowan [30.Mar.09]
My Two Dads [29.Mar.09]
The Odd Couple [26.Mar.09]
Harlem Shakes: Technicolor Health [24.Mar.09]
Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks:Tangled Tales [23.Mar.09]
Portrait of Petula Clark [11.Mar.09]
Skatalites - Live at Lokerse Feesten 1997 & 2002 [10.Mar.09]
The Universe of Keith Haring [5.Mar.09]
Bewitched: The Complete Seventh Season [25.Feb.09]
B.B. King: Live in Africa '74 [24.Feb.09]
Flashdance: I Love the 80's Edition [23.Feb.09]
Sabrina The Teenage Witch: The Fifth Season [17.Feb.09]
Children of the Stones [16.Feb.09]
Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.: Catnip Dynamite [16.Feb.09]
Dave's World: The Second Season [4.Feb.09]
Night Court: The Complete Second Season [3.Feb.09]
Ben Kweller: Changing Horses [3.Feb.09]
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor [1.Feb.09]
Axton Kincaid: Silver Dollars [29.Jan.09]
The Whore Moans : Hello from the Radio Wasteland [26.Jan.09]
The Story of the Yardbirds [7.Jan.09]
Howlies: Trippin' with Howlies [5.Jan.09]
Charmed: The Complete Series [18.Dec.08]
Waylon Jennings Live from Austin, TX '84 [4.Dec.08]
Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer: American Noel [3.Dec.08]
Make It Worse [13.Nov.08]
Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran [5.Nov.08]
James Brown: Double Dynamite [30.Oct.08]
This Is Radio Freedom: This Is Radio Freedom [28.Oct.08]
Jobriath: Jobriath/Creatures of the Street [17.Oct.08]
The Partridge Family: The Complete Third Season [14.Oct.08]
Elvis: Return to Tupelo [2.Oct.08]
Heroes: Season 2 [2.Sep.08]
Ferris Bueller's Day Off: I Love the 80s edition [27.Aug.08]
The Verve: Forth [25.Aug.08]
Arms: Kids Aflame [20.Aug.08]
Hotel Lights: Firecracker People [19.Aug.08]
Eddie Floyd: Eddie Loves You So [18.Aug.08]
Earth: The Biography [15.Aug.08]
Bill Monroe: Father of Bluegrass Music [31.Jul.08]
The Hard Lessons: B & G Sides [29.Jul.08]
Jason Falkner: Bedtime With The Beatles Part Two [30.Jun.08]
Cinderpop: A Lesson in Science [18.Jun.08]
Tell the Truth Until They Bleed—Coming Clean in the Dirty World of Blues and Rock 'n' Roll [12.Jun.08]
Shearwater: Rook [30.May.08]
Wake Robin: The Taker [15.May.08]
Norman Kelsey: A Talent for Loving [13.May.08]
Port O'Brien: All We Could Do Was Sing [12.May.08]
Switches: Lay Down the Law [1.May.08]
Gossip: Live in Liverpool [21.Apr.08]
The Autumns: Fake Noise from a Box of Toys [17.Apr.08]
Bearfoot: Follow Me [16.Apr.08]
Da Willys: Get Ugly [15.Apr.08]
Santana: Multi-Dimensional Warrior [2.Apr.08]
Lucy Bland: Down to Sea Level [21.Mar.08]
13ghosts: The Strangest Colored Lights [20.Mar.08]
Doctors & Dealers: Confessions of a Drunken Mind [11.Mar.08]
Bell X1: Flock [6.Mar.08]
Monade: Monstre Cosmic [21.Feb.08]
Jessie Lee Miller: Waiting [7.Feb.08]
Blogs
Tuesday, December 15 2009
Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition
Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition - BBC Video [$79.98]
Tuesday, December 8 2009
Life on Mars: Series 1 and 2 UK
Life on Mars: Series 1 and 2 [UK] - Acorn Media – July & November 2009, $59.99 each
Saturday, November 28 2009
Hank Williams Revealed: The Unreleased Recordings
Hank Williams - Hank Williams Revealed: The Unreleased Recordings - Time Life [$39.98]
Monday, December 8 2008
Roy Orbison: The Soul of Rock and Roll
Roy Orbison - The Soul of Rock and Roll - Legacy [$59.98]
Live From Abbey Road - Episode 12 (Sound Affects) [4.Sep.08]
Live from Abbey Road - Episode 11 (Sound Affects) [28.Aug.08]
Live from Abbey Road - Episode 10 (Sound Affects) [21.Aug.08]
Live From Abbey Road - Episode 9 (Sound Affects) [13.Aug.08]
Live from Abbey Road - Episode 8 (Sound Affects) [7.Aug.08]
Live From Abbey Road - Episode 7 (Sound Affects) [31.Jul.08]
Live from Abbey Road - Episode 6 (Sound Affects) [24.Jul.08]
Live From Abbey Road - Show 5 (Sound Affects) [17.Jul.08]
Live from Abbey Road - Episode Four (Sound Affects) [8.Jul.08]
