Friday, May 25 2007
Arcade Fire
Though we've reviewed them recently, PopMatters' Lou Friedman takes Arcade Fire on post-record release, and, in keeping with a time-honored tradition, makes a pre-mature pronouncement.
Wednesday, May 23 2007
Modest Mouse—Part 3: We Still Have the Radio
In the final installment of PopMatters' immodest Mouse debate, Ryan S. Henriquez gets down to brass tacks, using a recent live show to examine the Good News and see if the ship's really sunk...
Tuesday, May 22 2007
Modest Mouse—Part 2: Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine
In section two of PopMatters' internal battle royale for critical supremacy, the gloves come off and the great debate begins... with a pox for foul-weather friends.
Monday, May 21 2007
Modest Mouse—Part 1: I miss you when you’re around
In section one of a three-part series chronicling recent chart topper Modest Mouse's rise and the fallout from their newfound flirtation with fame and fortune, PopMatters reexamines a pre-breakthrough concert bummer.
Friday, May 18 2007
Air
When asked to describe the type of music that French duo Air creates, I often find myself at a loss for words. It’s like trying to explain the concept of love to a child.
Wednesday, May 16 2007
Faithless
They may call themselves Faithless, but that doesn’t mean they don't know a thing or two about collective catharsis.
Tuesday, May 15 2007
Promising Developments: The Sixth Annual Tribeca Film Festival
The strongest films I saw came from overseas: Jia Zhang-ke’s Still Life, Shane Meadows’ This is England, David Volach’s My Father My Lord, and Li Yu’s Lost in Beijing.
Monday, May 14 2007
Amy Winehouse + Patrick Wolf
The sold-out crowd was clearly there to see Amy Winehouse wail about her demons while indulging them on stage -- they wanted a set equal parts bravado and booze...
Friday, May 11 2007
Björk
Since the singer tours infrequently and only stops in a handful of big venues (the American leg of the Volta tour included only five cities), catching Björk requires a hefty amount of legwork. But, is it really worth it?
Wednesday, May 9 2007
Andrew Bird + Apostle of Hustle
Apostle of Hustle might have stolen the show from the headliner -- had not they been opening for the inimitable Andrew Bird. He's, like, so talented.
Monday, May 7 2007
Smoosh + the Postmarks
They've earned their stripes with indie institutions like Rilo Kiley, Death Cab for Cutie, Sufjan Stevens, Sleater-Kinney, and Cat Power, but can Smoosh’s teen darlings transcend the awwwww effect on their own?
Friday, May 4 2007
Wednesday, May 2 2007
Iron Man at the Doom or Be Doomed Festival
Cataloging the highlights of Baltimore’s Doom or Be Doomed Festival would be a book-length project, so what say we start with the most mind-bending reunion of them all...
Monday, April 30 2007
Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid
Best known as Four Tet, Kieran Hebden is a man with the Midas touch: everything he gets his hands on turns to gold. But what happens when he meets his musical match?
Friday, April 27 2007
Heaven and Hell
While the band morphed so many times that it's tough to call anything a true Sabbath reunion, everyone and their stud-jacket granny is calling it that. Ozzy who?
Wednesday, April 25 2007
Tyrone Wells + Ernie Halter + Leigh Nash
A pair of pearly whites may look good on camera, but in the world of non-Idol pop and rock, the best back charisma and cuteness with something a little bigger.
Monday, April 23 2007
DJ Spooky’s Rebirth of a Nation
It's important to reexamine America's racist past, but is it enough to simply recontextualize the same old images? For better or worse, DJ Spooky throws down the gauntlet, remixing and recasting DW Griffith’s Birth of a Nation.
Friday, April 20 2007
V Festival feat. Pixies, Beck, Nouvelle Vague, Gnarls Barkley, Jarvis Cocker, and Phoenix
PopMatters' Nick Gunn takes on the crowds and craziness, to find out what happens when Virgin's V Festival pops up down under.
Wednesday, April 18 2007
Erase Errata
There are two kinds of bands in this world, those that shamelessly ride the gravy train and those that strive to make their own tiny permutative mark in music history. Which one will Erase Errata become?
Monday, April 16 2007
Pixies
The world needs another positive Pixies review about as much as it needs a new airborne super-virus, so what say we focus on sentiment instead of sound?
