Friday, January 27 2012
Different Flavored Skulls: An Intimate Chat with the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne
In speaking to PopMatters about the creation of the Flaming Lips' latest edible piece of insanity, frontman Wayne Coyne reveals how he turned mistakes into opportunities, gives much love to the major label he's signed to, and remains unshakably upbeat about what's next for one of the greatest bands working today.
Thursday, January 26 2012
Make-Believe Rock Star: An Interview with Anthony Green
“Everything that [people] think and everything that they see and everything that they say [about me] is just make believe. It’s all just made up. Most of it is just a projection of who they wish they could be and that’s a shame because I spend a lot of time trying to tell people that they already are amazing. They see nothing in me but themselves."
Wednesday, January 25 2012
Learnin’ to Ride: An Interview with Caitlin Rose
She's a young country hopeful with an incredible voice and even more incredible songs. Speaking with PopMatters, we discover how some of her new songs were originally written when she was 16, the "anti-folk" influence on her own work, and how she very well could've made it as a stand-up comedian ...
Circling the Sun Machine: Re-thinking David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’
Bowie's odd magnetism has long been interpreted as a function of his ambiguous sexuality, but could it be that he was transgressing more than just gender norms and heralding the rise of the man/machine?
Tuesday, January 24 2012
“You’re Afraid You’ll Hate Everything Within a Month”: An Interview with Lisa Hannigan
After scoring a Mercury Music Prize nomination for her first solo album after working with Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan returns with an effort more sophisticated and mature than before, and tells PopMatters all about it ...
Friday, January 20 2012
The Hippie That Wasn’t: An Interview with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips have spent the past year doing off-beat collaborations, releasing songs in skulls both Gummi and real, and creating songs that last up to 24 hours. In this extensive interview with PopMatters, frontman Wayne Coyne discusses all of this... as well as his peacocks.
Tuesday, January 17 2012
Traveling at Different Speeds: An Interview with Icebird’s RJD2
After producing countless underground-rap hits, scoring the Mad Men theme, and putting out iconic albums of his own, RJD2 decided to write songs with singer Aaron Livingston before they formed a band. RJ talks about the creation of the one and only Icebird.
Friday, January 13 2012
“Copying People I Like”: A Conversation with Eleanor Friedberger
The Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger tells PopMatters all about her breezy, gorgeous new solo effort, and also tells us why she doesn't like giving interviews, which Fiery Furnaces album she least enjoys, and how performing solo was a revealing experience for her.
Friday, January 6 2012
From Touring Carnival to Destination Festival: Lollapalooza at 20
When Lollapalooza disappeared from view in 1997, it seemed that a good idea had run its course. But the end of the road for Lollapalooza as a tour turned out to be just the first part of its story.
Thursday, January 5 2012
Somehow You Love Me: An Interview with Saves the Day
With the influential emo-rockers closing out a long-in-the-works album trilogy, Saves the Day's Chris Conley speaks openly and candidly to PopMatters about who he was, who he wants to be, and the event that changed everything for him ...
Wednesday, January 4 2012
“I Don’t Like There to Be Artifacts”: An Interview with DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow pieces together his sonic collages from a veritable mish-mash of samples and formats. His new album The Less You Know the Better is no less a compelling puzzle than his previous works. And so we set out to know more about this album by asking none other than Shadow himself ...
Tuesday, January 3 2012
“I’ve Never Been the Coolest Kid in School”: An Interview with Jack’s Mannequin
He graduated from high-school piano-rock outfit Something Corporate into a mature pop songwriter who also hangs out with Tommy Lee. Andrew McMahon sits down to talk with PopMatters, explains his blog posts, and why he recorded his most recent album twice ...
Monday, January 2 2012
The Best Hopes to Break Out in 2012
The year ahead looks to be an exciting one with the emergence of wealth of great new music waiting in the wings. Will Alabama Shakes be the toast of 2012? Will 2012 be a banner year for forward-thinking hip-hop and R&B? And let's not forget all the great new bands expected to break big in 2012.
Friday, December 30 2011
The Best New and Emerging Artists of 2011
The year's best new and emerging artists range across the musical spectrum from forward thinking R&B to classic soul, from a bevy of exciting new hip-hop talent to great new hopes for indie rock and Americana. 2011 shows that music is always pushing forward even as it dips into the past.
Thursday, December 29 2011
The 2011 Artists of the Year
This year's top artists are a diverse lot represented by two of the world's biggest pop divas, a plethora of critically adored indie faves, some new talents emerging from the hip-hop underground, a couple of veteran Americana acts, and a few alt-rock legends among many more.
Wednesday, December 28 2011
The 75 Best Songs of 2011
The year's best songs are headlined by an instant synth pop classic, the massive hitmaking of the planet's hottest new diva, the pristine harmonies of a young band headed for greatness, the return of the poster boys for indie rock, and an instant Americana classic.
Tuesday, December 27 2011
The 75 Best Albums of 2011
The year's best albums feature sophomore sets from two of indie's finest artists, a hardcore punk opera masterpiece, career highlights from four amazing women in the top 10 alone, new forward-thinking R&B and hip-hop, an electronic Big Album that shoots for the moon, and so much more.
Monday, December 26 2011
The Best Metal of 2011
PopMatters’ staff of metal experts present their top picks from a year that offered a standout work of Christian “progressive death metalcore”, a philosophical treatise on “Transcendent Black Metal”, and one amazing debut.
Thursday, December 22 2011
The Best Electronic Music of 2011
Our electronic music enthusiasts pick highlights from a year when the genre ranged widely and wildly from ADD dance music to the last great pure dubstep record to an industrial cacophony that's a proper soundtrack to a world in turmoil.
Wednesday, December 21 2011
The Best Indie Rock of 2011
A “Best of Indie Rock” list, by definition, will be an eclectic bunch. And the process of culling through what the genre had to offer is a task this year -- the indie world has had a banner 2011.
