MetalMatters: May 2019 - Back to the Basics and Prepare for Takeoff

Masters of drone Earth return with their more minimal record to date, Full of Hell continue their rampage through power electronics and No Negative carry on bouncing around garage, punk and post-punk. Newer acts Vale, Suspiral, Onkos, and Verwoed take the next step and sound like veterans of the scene.

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Vivien Goldman's 'Revenge of the She-Punks' Doesn't Gloss the Reasons We Still Have to Rage

In her history of women in punk music, Revenge of the She-Punks, Vivien Goldman hefts the scene's virtues and the vices into one heap and concludes that some of it was necessary, some of it was fun, and some of it was evil.

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Mavis Staples Reminds Us That 'We Get By'

Mavis Staples has witnessed the great transformations that have been made in terms of race relations in American life. But she is not satisfied on We Get By.

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Newly Translated Mishima Work, 'Star', Offers Insight into His Pop Culture Persona

Posthumous work by celebrated Japanese author Yukio Mishima, Star, explores how celebrities struggle with their own lack of authenticity.

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Lee Ranaldo, Jim Jarmusch, Marc Urselli, and Balázs Pándi Settle in for a Dark Night

Producer Marc Urselli's quartet takes its time to explore the shadows on their self-titled debut.

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Drinker Build Songs From Almost Mirror-Like Parts on 'Fragments'

Whether it be the glassy synths or the gently finger-picked guitar notes that skim across the surface, Drinker build songs from shimmering, almost mirror-like parts. That results in a wonderfully accomplished and understated album.

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Joanna Hogg's 'The Souvenir' Is a Defiantly Autobiographical Domestic Drama

Director Joanna Hogg sheds nuanced light on a dysfunctional relationship similar to one of her own in The Souvenir.

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MetalMatters: May 2019 - Back to the Basics and Prepare for Takeoff

Masters of drone Earth return with their more minimal record to date, Full of Hell continue their rampage through power electronics and No Negative carry on bouncing around garage, punk and post-punk. Newer acts Vale, Suspiral, Onkos, and Verwoed take the next step and sound like veterans of the scene.

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Barb Jungr Finds Fresh Depths in the Work of Musical Legends in 'Bob, Brel & Me'

In her recent performance at the Southbank Centre, Barb Jungr shared perfect material for her own genre-defying artistry in the works of Bob Dylan and Jacques Brel.

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Lonesome River Band Takes Up the Murder Ballad With "Outside Looking In" (premiere)

Bluegrass veterans Lonesome River Band create a narrative complex enough to fill a novel in a harrowing tale of family discord and hidden lives on "Outside Looking In".

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Kate Vargas Basks in the Sensuous Jazz of "Nothing Turns My Lock" (premiere)

More known for her folk-rock sound, Kate Vargas turns a new key with the classic jazz inflections of "Nothing Turns My Lock".

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Trapped by Circumstance: 'Guantánamo Kid: The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani'

Jérôme Tubiana and Alexandre France have created a powerful work in Guantánamo Kid that brings attention to the humanity of people who are accused as terrorists.

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British Indie Rockers, Heavy Heart Return with Atmospheric New single "Dowsabel" (premiere)

The follow-up to "Bed Bug" finds indie rockers Heavy Heart stretching and bending their sound in a hauntingly brilliant, new direction on "Dowsabel".

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Carly Rae Jepsen, Pop's Cult Darling, Is the Queen of Love on 'Dedicated'

Carly Rae Jepsen's Dedicated lives in the explosive lift-offs and devastating crash-and-burns of coupling, those meaty emotionally hefty peaks of relationships that form the inverted bell-curve of the heart.

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'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Restored the Series to Its Former Glory

More than any previous X-Men film, Days of Future Past engages in deeply geeky, comic book-inspired elements resulting in the best cinematic representation of X-Men comics to-date.

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Howe Gelb's Latest Is a Welcoming Call to Gather Around

Listening to Howe Gelb's Gathered is like being at a dinner party with Gelb at the head of the table, telling stories, offering his sagacity, and taking the listener on clever lexical excursions.

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Gong Continue Their Stellar Revitalized Streak on 'The Universe Also Collapses'

The Universe Also Collapses is another singular victory for psychedelic rock masters Gong, chiefly due to its adventurous scope and cohesive ambition.

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Editors Release 'The Blanck Mass Sessions' for a Record Store Day Album

Editors return to original recordings with Blanck Mass for 2018's Violence and release a special set that improves and expands on the "original version" with more depth, darkness, and exploration.

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Perfection, Caffeinated: Director Rock Baijnauth on His Documentary, 'Baristas'

Director Rock Baijnauth talks with PopMatters about spending time with Barista Champions and their pursuit of coffee perfection for his latest documentary, Baristas.

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Brian Selznick Communicates Wordlessly with Walt Whitman in Abram's 'Live Oak, with Moss'

Language and image never combine in Abrams' Live Oak, with Moss; they are distant lovers, if you will, as divided as Walt Whitman and Brian Selznick are as collaborators.

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MetalMatters: May 2019 - Back to the Basics and Prepare for Takeoff

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In her history of women in punk music, Revenge of the She-Punks, Vivien Goldman hefts the scene's virtues and the vices into one heap and concludes that some of it was necessary, some of it was fun, and some of it was evil.

Mavis Staples has witnessed the great transformations that have been made in terms of race relations in American life. But she is not satisfied on We Get By.

Posthumous work by celebrated Japanese author Yukio Mishima, Star, explores how celebrities struggle with their own lack of authenticity.

Producer Marc Urselli's quartet takes its time to explore the shadows on their self-titled debut.

Whether it be the glassy synths or the gently finger-picked guitar notes that skim across the surface, Drinker build songs from shimmering, almost mirror-like parts. That results in a wonderfully accomplished and understated album.

Director Joanna Hogg sheds nuanced light on a dysfunctional relationship similar to one of her own in The Souvenir.

In her recent performance at the Southbank Centre, Barb Jungr shared perfect material for her own genre-defying artistry in the works of Bob Dylan and Jacques Brel.

Bluegrass veterans Lonesome River Band create a narrative complex enough to fill a novel in a harrowing tale of family discord and hidden lives on "Outside Looking In".

More known for her folk-rock sound, Kate Vargas turns a new key with the classic jazz inflections of "Nothing Turns My Lock".

Jérôme Tubiana and Alexandre France have created a powerful work in Guantánamo Kid that brings attention to the humanity of people who are accused as terrorists.

The follow-up to "Bed Bug" finds indie rockers Heavy Heart stretching and bending their sound in a hauntingly brilliant, new direction on "Dowsabel".

Carly Rae Jepsen's Dedicated lives in the explosive lift-offs and devastating crash-and-burns of coupling, those meaty emotionally hefty peaks of relationships that form the inverted bell-curve of the heart.

More than any previous X-Men film, Days of Future Past engages in deeply geeky, comic book-inspired elements resulting in the best cinematic representation of X-Men comics to-date.

After the biggest hit of their career, the indie-quirk all-stars JR JR return from a multi-year break with a new label and two new albums. As they count down their "Five Albums That Shaped My Musical Taste", we learn of how Josh used to call Sunny Day Real Estate band members at home.

Listening to Howe Gelb's Gathered is like being at a dinner party with Gelb at the head of the table, telling stories, offering his sagacity, and taking the listener on clever lexical excursions.

The Universe Also Collapses is another singular victory for psychedelic rock masters Gong, chiefly due to its adventurous scope and cohesive ambition.

Editors return to original recordings with Blanck Mass for 2018's Violence and release a special set that improves and expands on the "original version" with more depth, darkness, and exploration.

Director Rock Baijnauth talks with PopMatters about spending time with Barista Champions and their pursuit of coffee perfection for his latest documentary, Baristas.

Language and image never combine in Abrams' Live Oak, with Moss; they are distant lovers, if you will, as divided as Walt Whitman and Brian Selznick are as collaborators.