Recent Features

Coming Soon: Tori Amos, A Collection of Collections

By Megan Milks

Tori Amos is a fascinating person and she will always be, among other things, the classically trained pianist who rebelled against her preacher father; sought inspiration from witch doctors and their drugs; made zany, unmediated statements in interviews; and proved that pianos are as liberating as guitars.

Metheny / Mehldau—On the Record

By Will Layman

With the release of their first collaboration, jazz musicians Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau talk to PopMatters.

The Art of Everyday Living

By Patrick Schabe

This American Life is the best thing on radio. In fact, This American Life might be the best reason to even own a radio.

Magnificently Not Defeated: An Interview with Jay Bennett

By Michael Franco

As a songwriter, musician, and producer, Jay Bennett has every right to be who we think he is. But he isn't.

Five Really Strange People: An Interview with TV on the Radio

By Eddie Ciminelli

As the band delivers its best record yet, at least one member wonders if there's something more to do.

Too Disturbing: After Dark Horrorfest, 17-19 November 2006

By Daynah Burnett

Women remain the victims of choice. This cliché indicates a lack of imagination visible throughout the festival's themes, characters, and plots.

CBGB’s and New York: “Thank You & To Hell With Nostalgia”

By Jason Gross

Leaving little but ashes in New York, the CBGB 'phoenix' may rise, again, like it or not... in the desert.

The Fuss About Pynchon

By John Carvill

Cast aside synthetic substitutes, junk food for the soul, and take a bite of the pungent, organic mushroom offered up by the man from Oyster Bay, Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr.

How Solomon Burke Got to Nashville

By Christian John Wikane

Few artists can attest to recording an album in eight days but Solomon Burke is unlike other artists. He's not just the "King of Rock and Soul", he's also a singer who's still learning how to perfect his craft, with a passion that fuels boundless creativity.

Thank You for Talkin’ to Me Africa

By Shain Shapiro

Three globally successful African hip-hop artists are spreading the word about change on a continent that is often overlooked.

Louise Brooks at 100: Interview with Peter Cowie

By John Davidson

"One learned to take with a pinch of salt some of her assertions about people from the silent period. Sometimes it wasn't just her memory failing, it was a liberal attempt to build history in her own image." PopMatters talks to Peter Cowie, author of Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever.

Hot IQs: “Let’s Inflate”

By Patrick Schabe

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.

Totem Role

By David Swerdlick

When will American sports teams stop using Indians as mascots?

A Memory of Music

By Christopher Tignor

When the technology that delivers pop music changes, our notions of what music is changes as well. Songs have already devolved into ring tones. How much further can they fall?

The L-Words: An Interview with the Cardigans

By Roger Holland

It was two years of hard work (both on and away from the music), but the Cardigans still made an album to last.

Our Story Is a Perennial One: An Interview with Pete Townshend

By Justin Cober-Lake

With a new Who album out, Townshend talks about connectedness, the joys and perils of technology, and his thoughts on songwriting.

An Imperfect World: An Interview with the Directors of Flushed Away

By Scott Thill

Would CGI's sparkle brighten Aardman's earthy touch? Would stop-motion puppetry's three-dimensional depth be flattened into two-dimensional popcorn?

A Sleek, Sporty European Roadster: Reconsidering Depeche Mode

By John Bergstrom

Throughout the 1980s, Depeche Mode built a consistent, hugely-influential body of work. And then they very nearly parodied it. These three luxury reissues tell that story in thrilling fashion.

CMJ 2006 Artist Showcases: Day 5, 4 November 2006

By Jennifer Kelly, Megan Milks, Dan Nishimoto, and Andrew Phillips

The final day of CMJ is a rat race for the finish.

CMJ Panels and Bric-a-Brac, Day 5: 4 November 2006

By Dan Nishimoto and Andrew Phillips