Michael Metivier

About Michael Metivier

Michael Metivier has lived and worked everywhere from New Orleans to Chicago to New York to Boston. He currently lives in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, with his bride-to-be and two hilarious guinea pigs. He records and performs original songs under the name "Oweihops".

Features

Music

The Lemonheads: It's A Shame About Ray: Collector's Edition

[28.Mar.08] :. This 1992 classic, a commercial smash and artistic peak for the Lemonheads, wants another bit part in your life. A walk-on would be fine.

Recent features

PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2006

Best Singer/Songwriter Albums of 2006

[20.Dec.06] :. Dry lyrical wit, verbal playfulness, and somber epiphanies for the reluctantly mature: they're all part of Michael Metivier's best singer/songwriter albums of the year.

PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2006

Reviews

Music

Greg Laswell: How the Day Sounds

[4.Apr.08] :. The contours of How the Day Sounds are pillowy soft and radio-friendly, pleasantly sung and arranged, straight-forward and benign.

Recent Short Takes reviews

Music

R.E.M.: Accelerate

[31.Mar.08] :. It’s up in the air whether or not Accelerate will reclaim any lost prestige after a disappointing decade for R.E.M.. But it’s hard to imagine what more the band could have done to revive itself than this terse, exceptional set of engaging rock.

Recent Music reviews

Music

The Grizzly Owls: By Night On My Bed

[26.Feb.08] :. The Grizzly Owls are a whole lot more iconoclastic than all that lack of jazz.

Recent Short Takes reviews

Music

Jed Speare: Sound Works 1982-1987

[4.Feb.08] :. Long-form musique concrete. I didn't know either before hearing it.

Recent Music reviews

Music

Orillia Opry: Lighthouse for Stragglers Eyes

[16.Jan.08] :. Lighthouse for Stragglers’ Eyes deserves a wider audience for its comfortable, confident, and adventurous mien.

Recent Short Takes reviews

Music Black Swans: Change!

Music The Pines: Sparrows in the Bell

Music Porter Wagoner: Legends of the Grand Ole Opry: Live!

Music Magnolia Electric Co.: Sojourner

Music Johnny Irion: Ex Tempore

PopMatters Pick

Music

Iron & Wine: The Shepherd's Dog

[27.Sep.07] :. As much for the beautiful distractions conjured by the musicians, the richness and creativity, bells and whistles, The Shepherd’s Dog should one day be regarded for how it reflected its time, timelessly.

Recent Music reviews

Featured Article

Music

Vic Chesnutt: North Star Deserter

[18.Sep.07] :. Featuring Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra, Guy Picciotto, and a host of others, Mr. Chesnutt's latest opus is a monument of haunted beauty, splintered fury, gloves off and gorgeous.

Recent Music reviews

Music Alina Simone: Placelessness

Featured Article

Music

Various Artists: Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook

[6.Sep.07] :. More songs to love and learn from Chicago's venerated Old Town School of Folk Music.

Recent Music reviews

Music Michelle Shocked: ToHeavenURide

Music Josh Ritter: The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

Music Great Lakes Myth Society: Compass Rose Bouquet

Music Percy Farm: The Ends in the Beginning

Music Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem: Big Old Life

Music Copper Kettle: Coal Rabbit

Music Meg Baird: Dear Companion

Music Spouse: Relocation Tactics

Music Ben + Vesper: All This Could Kill You

Music Tuatara: East of the Sun

Music Jenny Owen Youngs: Batten the Hatches

Music Track a Tiger: We Moved Like Ghosts

Music Chris Bathgate: A Cork Tale Wake

Music Mark Olson: The Salvation Blues

Music Steven Mark: Racing Grey

Music Robbie Fulks: Revenge!

Music Lewis & Clarke: Blasts of Holy Birth

Music Madagascar: Goodbye East, Goodbye West

Music Various Artists: Finest Worksongs: Athens Bands Play the Music of R.E.M.

Featured Article

Music

Wilco: Sky Blue Sky

[14.May.07] :. If you're prone to confusing honest musical maturity with banality, then you'll surely miss out on the treasures of Sky Blue Sky.

Recent Music reviews

Music Haunt: As Blue As Your Dying Eyes

Music Winterpills: The Light Divides

Music Lou Barlow: Mirror the Eye

Music Guy Clark: Americana Master Series: Best of the Sugar Hill Years

Music The Zincs: Black Pompadour

Music Grant-Lee Phillips: Strangelet

Music Low: Drums and Guns

PopMatters Pick

Music

Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha

[19.Mar.07] :. Time may be a crooked bow, but Andrew Bird is shooting for timelessness.

Recent Music reviews

Music Rivulets: You Are My Home

Music Riviera: Capital

Music Northern Alliance: For the Grains of Sand

Music Six Parts Seven: Casually Smashed to Pieces

Music Paula Frazer & Tarnation: Now Its Time

Music Various Artists: Endless Highway: The Music of the Band

Music Eleni Mandell: Miracle of Five

Music Chicken on a Raft: Chicken on a Raft

Music Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter: Like, Love, Lust & The Open Halls of the Soul

Music Birch Book: Fortune & Folly

Music Paleo: Paleos Song Diary

Featured Article

Music

Julie Doiron: Woke Myself Up

[25.Jan.07] :. Reconnecting with former Eric's Trip bandmates, Doiron delivers a profoundly affecting account of the joys and difficulties of family and love.

Recent Music reviews

Music The Shins: Wincing the Night Away

Music Kristin Hersh: Learn to Sing Like a Star

Music Denison Witmer: Safe Away / Are You a Sleeper?

Music Dave Fischoff: The Crawl

Music Norfolk & Western: The Unsung Colony

Music Rick Brockner: Black Mountain Brew

Music Lewis & Clarke: Live On WPRB

Music Pit Er Pat: Pyramids

Music Anders Parker: Anders Parker

Music Third Wheel: On Account of the Atmosphere

Music Various Artists: Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 1

PopMatters Pick

Music

Joanna Newsom: Ys

[13.Nov.06] :. And we all fall down slack-jawed to marvel at Joanna Newsom.

Recent Music reviews

Music My Brightest Diamond: Bring Me the Workhorse

Music Rural Electric: The Road To Hell Is Paved

Music Congress of Starlings: Albedo

Music Wovenhand: Mosaic

Music Hairshirt: Lover Politician

Music All City Affairs: Bees

Music Catfish Haven: Tell Me

Music Paul Burch: East to West

Music Magnolia Electric Co.: Fading Trails

Music Kerosene Kondors: New American Standards

Music Logan Square: Pessimism & Satire

Music I Love You But Ive Chosen Darkness: According to Plan

Music Ponies in the Surf: Ponies on Fire

Music The Mountain Goats: Get Lonely

Music More Animals of the Arctic: An Appendix of Whaling Terms

Music Kaki King: ...Until We Felt Red

Music Counting Crows: New Amsterdam

Music The Happies: If We Were Really Here

Music Feist: Open Season

Music Mia Doi Todd: The Ewe and the Eye

Music Grant-Lee Phillips: Nineteeneighties

Music The Handsome Family: Last Days of Wonder

Music Ken Waldman: All Originals, All Traditionals

Music Jolie Holland: Springtime Can Kill You

Music Neil Young: Living With War

Music Deadstring Brothers: Starving Winter Report

Featured Article

Music

Pearl Jam: Pearl Jam

[1.May.06] :. Pearl Jam's best record in a decade.

Recent Music reviews

Music Jandek: Khartoum Variations

Music Canasta: We Were Set Up

Music Liz Durrett: The Mezzanine

Music Jason Collett: Idols of Exile

Music Loose Fur: Born Again in the USA

Music Half-handed Cloud: Halos & Lassos

Music Lanterna: Desert Ocean, Geoff Farina et al: New Salt

Music New Radiant Storm King: The Steady Hand

Featured Article

Music

Crosby, Stills & Nash: Crosby, Stills & Nash / Daylight Again

[18.Jan.06] :. Two fine reissues from the seminal trio of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, not the seminal trio of Crosby, Etheridge, and Cypher. Sorry, had to.

Recent Music reviews

Music Bob Dylan: The Best of Bob Dylan

Music Johnny Cash: The Legend of Johnny Cash

Music Iron & Wine / Calexico: In the Reins

Music The Love Hall Tryst: Songs of Misfortune

Music The Kennedys: Half a Million Miles

Music Poi Dog Pondering: The Best of Poi Dog Pondering (The Austin Years)

Music Blue Highway: Marbletown

Music Holopaw: Quit +/Or Fight

Music Various Artists: Putumayo Presents: American Folk

Music Jackson United: Western Ballads

Music Kevin Tihista: Home Demons Volume 1

Music Flatt & Scruggs: Foggy Mountain Jamboree / Foggy Mountain Gospel

Music Various Artists: Little Darla Has a Treat For You (Volume 23, Summer 2005)

Music Fruit Bats: Spelled in Bones

Featured Article

Music

Sufjan Stevens: Illinois

[1.Jul.05] :. A big enough album to support a senior thesis' worth of commentary/analysis/appreciation, the latest installment of Stevens' 50 States project is worth every minute of your time.

Recent Music reviews