Wednesday, December 7 2011
The Best Bluegrass of 2011
While last year was distinguished by a heavy dose of newgrass, jamgrass, and progressive bluegrass, 2011 was defined by a return to traditionalism.
Tuesday, December 6 2011
The Best Indie-Pop of 2011
Perhaps some of the bands on this list aren’t indie-pop in a literal way, but they most definitely are in heredity, influence, or spirit. They prove that our most interesting musicians can express themselves within the essential form of a pop song, while also changing how we think about songs and what they do to us.
The Beauty and the Horror: Peter Jackson’s King Kong - Part 2
Jackson's film is as unwieldy and difficult as it is gripping and moving, expanding upon the exotic spectacle of the original while simultaneously steering the tale into the realm of tragic lament.
The Best Canadian Albums of 2011
Canadians seeking to understand the identity crisis which plagues the Great White North need look no further than the musical class of 2011.
Monday, December 5 2011
Ben Folds Does the Best Imitation of Himself: An Interview
When not reforming bands, judging a cappella groups on TV, or collaborating with Nick Hornby, Ben Folds somehow found time to not only look back on his entire career, but also sit down with PopMatters to tell us all about it ...
Friday, December 2 2011
The Best World Music of 2011
The best of this year's world music proves there's energy surging everywhere around music, this human-made fight to find an approximation of the inexpressible.
The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun
Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun signed and/or recorded many of the greatest musical artists of all time. Always hip, he lived in the grand manner but was never happier than when he found himself in some down-and-out joint listening to music late at night.
Thursday, December 1 2011
The Best Progressive Rock of 2011
In 2011, there were only a few high-quality progressive rock releases, but those that managed to stand out are some of the best the genre has seen in awhile.
The 25 Best Re-Issues of 2011
The year's best reissues are highlighted by a massive re-issue campaign for the kings of English prog rock, a soul giant, and the masterwork of one of America's finest ever pop bands.
The Beauty and the Horror: Peter Jackson’s King Kong - Part 1
This film is keenly aware of the myriad meanings embedded in its cinematic myth and sets about re-contextualizing and commenting upon the implied politics while offering extravagant thrills and tragic, classic romance.
Wednesday, November 30 2011
Contrary Opinions: An Interview with Rob Crow
Pinback co-founder Rob Crow dislikes dogs, the Beatles, and people who copy other people's songs, and he's not afraid to tell you about it.
Tuesday, November 29 2011
Money, Sex, and Power: Contemporary Adaptations in John Guillermin’s King Kong
The 1976 King Kong updates this modern myth’s meanings for a vastly different social, economic, and cultural milieu, but it does so with a leaden obviousness that undermines its conclusions.
The Past Is Calling: Reconsidering The Who’s ‘Quadrophenia’
Everything Pete Townshend did up until 1973 set the stage for Quadrophenia. It’s all in there: the pre-teen angst, the teenage agonies and the post-teen despondency.
Monday, November 28 2011
From Spectacle to Elegy: The Cinematic Myth of King Kong
Like many of the Hollywood blockbusters that followed in its footsteps, King Kong was a barometer for its troubled times, a clear crystallization of many lurking social anxieties in Depression-era America.
Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Again: An Interview with Vanessa Carlton
Removing herself as far from the impositions and constraints of the music industry machine as possible, Carlton relocated to rural England, and settled into Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio with legendary producer Steve Osborne.
Wednesday, November 23 2011
The Revolution Will Be Amplified: Is the Occupy Movement Liberating Music?
Forty years from now, people will be writing books on the art and music, literature and culture that came out of the Occupy Wall Street / Occupy Everything movements.
And Nothing but the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert
A funny and personal portrait of the comedian who became the headline-making, ground-breaking star of The Colbert Report.
Jung and the Restless: On Michael Fassbender’s Role as Carl Jung in ‘A Dangerous Method’
PopMatters has been counting down the days until David Cronenberg's newest film, A Dangerous Method hits theaters. Today it arrives in limited release and in the last piece of this cinematic puzzle, actor Michael Fassbender, talks to Christopher Sweetapple for the grand finalé.
Tuesday, November 22 2011
Mothers, Killers and Vampires: The Post-Familial Society in “True Blood”
True Blood suggests that a change in family structure within a society doesn't necessarily entail a downfall of traditional concepts of morals and values.
Adapting the Unconscious: Christopher Hampton’s Screenplay of ‘A Dangerous Method’
Lauded screenwriter Christopher Hampton speaks with David Lee Dallas III about adapting his own stage play.
