Thursday, February 9 2012
“Don’t Let Me Fall”: Hip-Hop in the Age of Austerity
Rappers have always wrestled with the question of how to succeed in a society where the odds are stacked against them. The biggest difference now is that their middle class listeners have the same worries.
Wednesday, February 8 2012
The Top 15 Madonna Singles of All Time
In the wake of Madonna'a ostentatious Super Bowl halftime performance, PopMatters presents a rundown of the Queen of Pop's 15 finest singles.
A Look to the Past, An Insight Into the Present: The Use of Gender in ‘Mad Men’
Looking beyond the aesthetic surface of the series, what is the true motivation behind Mad Men’s frank depictions of these troubled social times? Is sexism being used as some sort of nostalgic trope, or does Mad Men actually delve deeper and explore these issues?
Does Silence Speak in the Loudest Voice?: Misconceptions about Silent Protagonists in Video Games
Granted, Link does “hiyah,” “eyah,” and “ahh” his way through all of his post-64-bit adventures, but no amount of elfish interjections can change his status as a silent protagonist. Is a failure to communicate much, a failure to communicate?
Tuesday, February 7 2012
‘Driver: San Francisco’ and ‘Drive’
Two men dictated by driving: one driven by an intense focus on the calm precision necessary to master the physical science of it all, the other driven by the raw emotional power that a two ton extension of the self provides.
Monday, February 6 2012
Why Deathspell Omega’s Trilogy Has Changed the Face of Black Metal
The concept of a “trilogy” is such an overdone thing. Be it film trilogies, album trilogies, book trilogies, video game trilogies… we have all seen trilogies in various forms of entertainment media to the point of it becoming banal. At the end of the Deathspell Omega experience however, do not be alarmed if you wake up to find yourself in Silent Hill.
Nils Frahm: Felt
The felt itself is an additional instrument, a scrape of percussion as each key is played and released.
Friday, February 3 2012
Super Bowl XLVI: Commercial Success?
If you’re like me and are more jazzed about decorating chocolate covered strawberries to look like mini-footballs than about the big game, here is a list of some hotly anticipated things to look forward to when the ole’ pig skin is taking a breather.
The Barbaric (and Poetic) Yawp of Shelby Lynne
Shelby Lynne performs live for you on 6 February 2012.
