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Patrick SchabePopMatters Music Reviews EditorAbout Patrick Schabe Patrick Schabe is an editor, writer, graphic designer, freelance copyeditor, and digital content manager, depending on the time of day. He has also worked in a gas station, at a smoothie bar, as a low-level accountant, taught college courses online, and cleaned offices, so he considers his current employment a success. Under his unassumed identity, Patrick holds a BA in English—Creative Writing from Metropolitan State College of Denver and a Master of Social Science with an emphasis in Popular Culture Studies from the University of Colorado. He’s currently at work on a first novel and a non-fiction piece on cultural theory. Patrick lives in Littleton, Colorado, with his wife, Jessica, who makes everything worthwhile. Features
Celebrating the Celebration: Music’s Timeless CaptivationWe will always create it, always embrace it, and always find new ways to harness its power. [20 October 2009] Why Does PopMatters Matter?Pop matters because it is a reflection of how we collectively assign meaning and develop cultural responses to that meaning. Magazines like PopMatters give voice to those meanings and explore the natures of those cultural responses, allowing us all to share in them, and we open the doors for all who have the talent to express those ideas. [19 October 2009] The Joy of Sex: An Endless Smorgasbord‘Ingredients’, ‘Appetizers’, ‘Main Courses’, ‘Sauces and Pickles’ and yet more modernized recipes. Yes, there is another brand new edition of that 1970s classic, The Joy of Sex. [13 March 2009] After the Silicon RushIn the 20-plus years since cyberpunk threw down a gauntlet to science fiction and stormed the cultural gates, its vision has been praised, criticized, absorbed, and integrated into the mainstream. Does post-cyberpunk have something new to offer? [13 November 2007] The Boy Who Lives On: Harry Potter’s Place in Popular CultureHarry Potter flew so high in popular cultural consciousness not by some force of magic, but by the simple, sometimes thrilling machinations of pop culture. [31 July 2007] The Art of Everyday LivingThis American Life is the best thing on radio. In fact, This American Life might be the best reason to even own a radio. [29 November 2006] Hot IQs: “Let’s Inflate”Hot IQs have claimed a spot atop Denver's indie pile, helping add to the city's resurgent local music scene. And while they definitely have their sights set on the national stage, this band of music geeks-cum-musicians is more than happy to stump for their Mile High hometown. [14 November 2006] The Man Who Sailed Around His SoulHaving worked for years in a hinterland between obscurity and popularity, Andy Partridge has finally hit the fulcrum as he's gained his artistic freedom, and recognition of his band XTC's influence on pop history has suddenly blossomed. [27 October 2006] Rocky Mountain High Hopes: South Park Music Festival 2005Colorado loves its festivals, and it's world famous for its music festivals. [23 September 2005] Rediscovering DNAAs the big screen adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy hits theaters, Patrick Schabe takes a look back at the life and work of its iconic creator, Douglas Adams. [29 April 2005] ...And That’s the Way It Was (2004 Yearbook)PopMatters Music Editor Patrick Schabe reflects on the year in music and asks if music can remain consistent and familiar and yet still vital. And yep, he thinks Franz Ferdinand is the best of the year. [9 December 2004] Tony James and the ArgonautSSS[Tony James] suffered a great number of years being a pariah of the music industry while his vision withered away before him. However, in [Sigue Sigue] Sputnik's Internet rebirth, we have one of the great stories of rock and roll made even greater . . . [29 May 2003] ColumnsIt’s All About the PentiumsIt's getting to the point where you can't enjoy a simple hamburger these days. [29 May 2000] (more Popping Off) Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Globalization?: It's getting to the point where you can't enjoy a simple hamburger these days. [31 March 2000] (more Popping Off) In Loving Memory of the Car: In my last two columns, I have come dangerously close to setting a trend in which I consistently attack the 'hick' culture. Not wanting to make enemies among people I don't hate, this time I'm turning the microscope on a general suburban blight of conspicuous consumption: the SUV. [15 February 2000] (more Popping Off) As Cool as Calvin: I owe a great debt to Bill Watterson for bringing a seven-year-old boy and his stuffed tiger into my life. Calvin and Hobbes may be the best comic strip ever drawn, and even if that's debatable to the world at large, it holds true for me. [1 January 2000] (more Popping Off) Reviews
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany BakerBaker's story doesn't race towards a tense conclusion, but instead telegraphs its punches and eases into the inevitable. [13 April 2009] 
The Crow Road by Iain BanksBanks allows images of the Scottish countryside to breathe, adding detailed colors, flowers, smells, and other textures without ever over-painting the scene. [17 December 2008] 
The Wonder Singer by George RabasaThere's something particularly pathetic about a desperate man in the throes of an existential mid-life crisis. [3 October 2008] 
The Cambridge Curry Club by Saumya BalsariBalsari's debut novel is gratefully returned to print, allowing its diaspora tale of intertwined lives to spread out around the world. [28 August 2008] 
Lady Lazarus by Andrew Foster AltschulLady Lazarus is a naked lunch. The circuit is closed. The simulacrum ironically, paradoxically, signifies everything. [19 June 2008] 
Dizzying Heights by Bruce DuckerDucker turns away from some of the more sorrowful themes of his past to have a little fun at money's expense, and in doing so highlights some of the contradictions of Colorado with a sense of charm and wit. [9 May 2008] 
SingStar ‘90sDon't confuse this with karaoke, or even with being a great singer, but for easy laughs, this is an out-and-out party game. [21 April 2008] 
A Heaven of Others by Joshua CohenThough Jonathan spends much of the story reflecting on his life on Earth, the afterlife he encounters is peppered with dangers that are amorphous and beyond anything to do with the living, including religious beliefs [3 April 2008] 
Vienna by Eva MenasseA work of skill, even daring in its ability to both sympathize with and indict those affected by events that have such symbolic weight. [21 February 2008] 
The Thrills: TeenagerThe Thrills return with a two-fold backwards glance: a reflection on adolescence, and a revisitation of a rougher pop sound. [26 October 2007] 
Strange Skies by Matt MarinovichIn Paul Mauro, writer Matt Marinovich may have created one of the most immediately unlikable antiheroes in some time. [19 October 2007] Monolith Festival feat. the Flaming Lips, Cake, the Decemberists, and SpoonDespite boasting “the Best Live Music Venue in North America”, Red Rocks Amphitheater has had a fairly poor track record when it comes to festivals. So, the question is: can Monolith really break the bad streak? [1 October 2007] 
FlightThe much-celebrated, illustrated short story collection returns with a typically gorgeous and captivating collection of art and narrative artistry. [28 September 2007] 
The Futurist by James P. OthmerOthmer keeps us engaged by scaring us about ourselves, satirically and sometimes even painfully putting us in the protagonist's shoes and seeing through his eyes the worst of a luxury economy in a global environment. [21 September 2007] Cyber NationsCyber Nations offers you the chance to craft a budding super-power or play as a rogue militaristic state. [20 September 2007] 
Amy Ray and the Volunteers: Live from KnoxvilleOn her own, Ray lets loose with a bit more rock rowdiness, always a hidden strong suit. [17 August 2007] 
The Electric Soft Parade: No Need to Be DownheartedBritish pop with a healthy dose of variety, and a persistent optimism that feels grounded and vital. [21 May 2007] 
Dirty Looks: Dirty Looks/Turn It UpOutside its own scope, this flash-in-the-pan reissue invites some broader rexamination of the post-punk years. [6 April 2007] 
You Suck by Christopher MooreSometimes when authors throw a bone to their fans, it sucks the life right out of the stories. That's far from the case for Christopher Moore, who manages to draw a lot of vitality out of some undead characters here. [26 March 2007] 
Ella Fitzgerald: Jazz Icons: Ella Fiztgerald Live in 57 and 63 [DVD]This previously unreleased archival footage gives audiences a rare look into the legendary live performances of one of jazz's all-time greatest vocalists. [1 March 2007] 
Meat Puppet Cabaret by Steve BeardRight up your alley if experimental fiction with a sci-fi bent is your bag. Otherwise, you're in for a bumpy ride. [6 February 2007] 
The Sails: The SailsBeing an excellent power pop band is great and all, but is it enough anymore? [20 October 2006] 
Electronic: Get the Message: The Best of ElectronicElectronic may have only been a side-project of a supergroup, but for its brief life it provided some of the best dance-pop of the '90s. [9 October 2006] 
Chancellorpink: ChancellorpinkJust because it's possible to record and produce a CD alone doesn't mean you couldn't use a helping hand. [29 September 2006] 
Philosophy of New Music by Theodor Adorno; Translated by Robert Hullot-KentorFor Adorno, the opiate of the masses in late capitalism was not religion, but culture, and mass-produced culture was little more than a drug that served no other capacity than the reification and perpetuation of the dominance of capital -- culture as product that could only produce more product as culture. [19 September 2006] 
La Rocca: The TruthDespite a variety of touchstones in both the UK and the US, this Irish band's debut full-length is a fully self-realized pop acheivement that begs for repeated listens. [15 September 2006] 
The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker: An Erotic Memoir by Suzanne PortnoyTaking it back to the question of whether or not The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker is 'true' or not, you kind of hope it isn't, and sadly suspect that it is. [25 August 2006] 
The Wonder Stuff: Suspended by StarsWhile the Wonder Stuff's comeback was questioned last time around, this disc makes a case for both change and longevity. [10 August 2006] 
The Economics of Attention: Style and Substance in the Age of Information by Richard LanhamInstead of trying to force the idea of total paradigm shift, Lanham instead embraces the possibilities of paradigm oscillation. [31 July 2006] 
Sound Team: Movie MonsterA confusing but no less exciting debut from a band of indie-rock chameleons. If only it didn't blend in so well. [11 July 2006] 
World Party: Dumbing UpThis bit of recycling from one of pop's great environmentalists isn't quite a glorious return to form, but it's hopeful nonetheless. [5 June 2006] 
In the Miso Soup by Ryu MurakamiMurakami plays with space and culture, shedding light on the lack of personal space by drawing the reader into the claustrophobic world of the story's narrator, Kenji, then mimicking the desire to get away from the pervasive presence of a horrific American sociopath named Frank. [12 May 2006] 
Of Montreal: The Early Four Track RecordingsSeries of reissues offers recent fans a chance to turn back the clock to Of Montreal's formative years and explore the progression out of the garage and into indie pop brilliance. 
Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos: The Dust of RetreatWith a relatively meteoric rise, chamber-pop band Margot and the Nuclear So and So's are fast becoming one of those mythical indie rock basement-to-penthouse success stories. And it's all so well deserved. [11 April 2006] 
The Playwrights: English Self-StorageTired of treading water in the same shallow pools of post-punk past? Have we got a band for you.... [13 March 2006] Crème De Menthe: The Impossibility of Eroticism in the SuburbsEver wonder why they keep dance clubs so dimly lit? To hide the smirking. [8 February 2006] 
The Sons of Emperor Norton: The Putrid Minds Anthology: Battle Hymns for the Blue StatesIn which politics and humor prove to be self-negating. [18 January 2006] 
The Supahip: Seize the WorldTwo songwriters overcome self-imposed limitations to deliver a solid pop collection. [17 January 2006] 
We Are Scientists: With Love and SqualorAs another voice in the suddenly crowded milieu of retro-minded indie rock bands, We Are Scientists debut with an album that's strong for the scene, even if that scene may not survive much longer. [9 January 2006] 
Various Artists: International Pop Overthrow: Volume 8Exhausting compilation sums up the highs and lows of the associated festival. [3 January 2006] 
Popstar Assassins: ModerneThe determination and dreams of DIY bands are alluring, but indie rock will eat itself. [7 December 2005] 
Apollo Sunshine: Apollo SunshineInventive musical chameleons continue to mutate, flipping from psych-pop to Southern rock band with their usual reckless abandon, and refusing to sit still long enough to be labeled. [10 November 2005] 
Toy Dolls: Cheerio and Toodlepip: The Complete SinglesSunglasses and loony grins, one of punk's longest-running outfits gathers up its amassed chart attacks for a run through a relatively obscure but surprisingly solid history. [29 September 2005] 
James Kolchaka Superstar: Our Most BelovedThe recordings of James Kolchaka are a barometer for your expectations of what music should be. [15 September 2005] 
The Jessica Fletchers: Less SophisticationSunshine popsters return with another platter of bright and light psychedelic-era pop songs, much to the listener's delight. [12 August 2005] 
Goldspot: Tally of the Yes MenWhat do you get when Pop East meets Pop West? Unsurprisingly, a highly-melodic affair of the heart. [5 August 2005] 
Applied Communications: Uhhh Sort OfNoise collage artist Max Wood exhumes his own corpse, turning the death of his mother and his own existential crisis into a naked lunch. [11 July 2005] 
Dressy Bessy: ElectrifiedFor the last several years, if the Denver indie scene has had an It Girl, it's been Tammy Ealom. [27 June 2005] 
Reel Big Fish: We’re Not Happy ‘Til You’re Not HappyReel Big Fish put the final nail in the coffin of their recorded alter ego by reducing them to cinders of irony. [26 May 2005] The Wonder StuffIt's hard enough to be a has-been in your own country, let alone one where you were never very big. Thank God, Miles Hunt won't settle for that mantle. [10 May 2005] 
The Wonder Stuff: Escape from Rubbish IslandWhile time hasn't blunted Miles Hunt's anger much, it's definitely changed the band around him, altering the results of the return of one of England's finest. [18 April 2005] 
The Soundtrack of Our Lives: Origin Vol. 1TSOOL went back to the studio pumped up by years on the road and recorded a leaner, faster, and all-round more muscular set of songs. [14 April 2005] 
Fischerspooner: OdysseyWhile electroclash was lost at sea, Fischerspooner spend years finding their way back to the past. [1 April 2005] 
Toad the Wet Sprocket: Welcome Home: LiveThough seemingly untimely, this release lends credence to the belief that Toad was much more than the sum of its radio parts. [10 January 2005] 
Sukilove: You Kill MeThe latest Sukilove release amps up the sound, cranks the distortion, and washes everything in dense, compressed bass, yet still retains the pop and country elements that made Sukilove stand out on prior releases. [15 November 2004] 
Pink Floyd: The Final CutPink Floyd's The Final Cut is one of the most pointed and direct anti-war albums ever produced, and for all its faults and failures, its message is still as relevant and accessible today as it was those 20-odd years ago. [4 August 2004] 
They Might Be Giants: The SpineTwenty odd years on, the Two Johns are as vibrant as ever, and after having carved their own niche in music history, The Spine is bold for playing in the sandbox with TMBG’s contemporaries rather than staying safely in the room they’ve created for themselves. [9 July 2004]
“Weird Al” Yankovich: The Ultimate Video Collection [DVD]With radio typically turning a deaf ear to novelty music, limiting the chances Al had for taking his comedy to the public, video may have simply been a back door into the minds of audiences. [8 March 2004] 
Blue Man Group: The Complex Rock Tour Live [DVD]It's a great concept: a rock concert that is layered in such a way as to act as a meta-commentary about rock concerts. [1 March 2004] 
Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) (2003)With a Grammy, dozens of connections to other media, the best-selling album on the Internet, legions of fans, and a 20-year music career, it's hard to think of TMBG as anything other than gigantic. [4 December 2003] 
XTC: SkylarkingSo, as an album, Skylarking is beautiful and whole and just shy of perfection enough that it doesn’t come off as too clean. [21 February 2003]
The Green Pajamas: Through Glass Colored Roses: The Best of the Green PajamasThe soft and breathy approach quickly starts to feel bland over the long haul, and there are times when you find yourself wanting to tweak the knobs in the studio and spice the songs up a bit. [8 January 2003]
Tori Amos: Scarlet’s WalkScarlet’s Walk cements Amos’s reputation, but it also seems like a homecoming from the more contrived work of her recent past. Complex, weighty, often brilliant, Scarlet’s Walk is the album that many a fan has been waiting for. [27 December 2002]Indigo Girls: 21 July 2002: KBCO World Class Rockfest - Winter Park, ColoradoWe came for the Indigo Girls, and we were not alone. Although some decided to beat the traffic by leaving early, it was obvious that a great deal of the crowd were aware of the great shows that the Indigos put on, and planned on sticking it out until the bitter end. [31 July 2002] 
XTC: A Coat of Many CupboardsCult status or no, XTC’s raw deal at the hands of Virgin Records is slightly rectified herein, and helps repair a rift of under-representation that spanned decades and resulted in a bruising industry battle. [6 May 2002]
Indigo Girls: Become YouBecome You is among the best they’ve ever done, and if this album doesn’t charm you, nothing will. [29 March 2002]
Green Day: International Superhits!Bands like Green Day are truly the heirs of punk, not because they emerged from a real independent, D.I.Y. scene, but because they’ve maintained the style and attitude that make punk so appealing. [13 November 2001]
New Order: Get ReadyOn 'Get Ready', New Order create a new sound out of their own past. Mining the subtleties of melody and rhythm that were so pronounced throughout their career, New Order seem to have crafted themselves anew out of nostalgia and the timelessness of pop sensibility. [15 October 2001] 
XTC: Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)Wasp Star is the kind of album that can reinvigorate the listener in the belief that pop music is wonderful and hasn’t degenerated into carbon copy boy bands. [23 May 2000]
The Televisionary Oracle by Rob BrezsnyBy the time 'The Televisionary Oracle' comes to an inevitable end, the reader is hooked into the un-sanity of our own world and the comparable sanity of kookdom. 
Synthetic Bi Products by Sparrow L. Pattersonit just winds up in places much like the teenage world of boredom and struggle for meaning that the novel depicts. 
The Man Who Grew Young by Daniel QuinnIf the universe expands and contracts like a yo-yo, what effect does that have on time and its relationship to humanity? We would all wind up living our lives in reverse. 
Mind the Doors by Zinovy Zinik[Zinovy Zinik's stories] seem to fall on the line where surrealism and magical realism collide, where the waking world is still the dream. 
In the Box Called Pleasure by Kim AddonizioWild women, alcoholics, sluts, masochists, the lustful and the ravaged populate these stories with a vengeance -- not necessarily a political one, but a human one that demands that these realities be exposed and explored. 
The Fast Red Road - a Plainsong by Stephen Graham JonesThe Southwest of 'The Fast Red Road' is similar to Burroughs's Tangier, a place filled with shady characters and a native magic that bends its inhabitants to the edge of reality. 
Interview with John ShirleyAlternately disturbing, depressing, bleak, and painful, these stories are bound together by an acute observation of the shadows of the human soul, which makes them so powerful and compelling. 
Darkness Divided by John ShirleyAlternately disturbing, depressing, bleak, and painful, these stories are bound together by an acute observation of the shadows of the human soul, which makes them so powerful and compelling. 
Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias by Peter LudlowEssentially, Ludlow is pointing out that an entirely radical social perspective on governance and freedom rests behind the more mundane facts of the Internet explosion. 
Michael Hutchence: Michael HutchenceIf you take the time to listen to Michael Hutchence with an open ear, you might remember that he was a singer with a sexy, cocky, rock star charm who was indeed truly talented. BlogsRe:Print: Achewood: The Great Outdoor Fight by Chris Onstad [23 September 2008]Consuming Consumables: Flight: Volume Four [graphic fiction] [$24.95] [3 December 2007]Notes from the Road: Monolith Festival - September 14 and 15, 2007 (Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver, CO) [19 September 2007]Mixed Media: Editors - Remixes [2 January 2007]Mixed Media: Nas - Hip-Hop Is Dead [7 December 2006]Mixed Media: Ghostface Killah - You Know I’m No GoodMixed Media: VIDEO - Damien Rice: “9 Crimes” [6 December 2006]Mixed Media: The Whigs [20 September 2006] |
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