Music Reviews

Squid’s ‘O Monolith’ Is a Paranoid Post-Genre Maelstrom

Squid follow up 2020’s Bright Green Field with a tighter, leaner, more refined version of their signature melding of sonic chaos and compositional ambition.

Beach Fossils Commence Summer with the Excellent ‘Bunny’

Atmosphere’s ‘So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously’ Expands Their Palette

Brandy Clark Presents Herself With Brandi Carlile’s Help

Gia Margaret Perfects Her Voice on ‘Romantic Piano’

Beach Fossils’ Guitars Jangle and Sparkle on ‘Bunny’

Water From Your Eyes Glance at Stardom with ‘Everyone’s Crushed’

Music Features

30 Years of Slowdive’s ‘Souvlaki’

Slowdive’s seminal 30-year-old album, Souvlaki, transcends the negativity that followed its release and carries strength through emotional relatability.

Everything You Know Means Nothing: Problematic Art and Crystal Castles’ Legacy

The 15 Best Americana Albums of 2013

Sara Petite Has Fun “Bringin’ Down the Neighborhood”

The 10 Best Indie Rock Albums of 2013

Liberation Blues: Tinariwen Invoke the Sahel’s Complex History on ‘Amatssou’

No Sex Please, We’re British: Coil’s Subversively Overt Homosexuality

Jeff Buckley’s ‘Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk’ at 25

‘Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy DeVille’

Film

Andrea Pallaoro’s Trans Drama ‘Monica’ Has a Painter’s Touch

Andrea Pallaoro’s artful drama, Monica, is a reflection on how pain evolves, from the original words or actions to the silence and distance that hurts us more.

‘Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy DeVille’

Old-Fashioned Modernisation in Pakistani-Dubai Drama ‘Pinky Memsaab’

Dare to Compare Hideo Gosha’s ‘Violent Streets’ with Today’s Spandex Superheroes and John Wick

Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’ Film Series Keeps Chipping Away at Racism

Melodrama and Mystification from ‘Moment to Moment’

The ‘Master Gardener’ Is Another Paul Schrader Bad Guy with a Gun and a Past

Books

W. E. B. Du Bois’ Unfinished WWI History Speaks Volumes About America

W. E. B. Du Bois hoped that WWI would help Black Americans make gains at home after serving their country abroad. His work for racial progress, like America itself, remains unfinished.

Who Is the Monster in Claire Dederer’s ‘Monsters’?

No Sex Please, We’re British: Coil’s Subversively Overt Homosexuality

I Dream of Wires: Richard Evans’ ‘Listening to the Music the Machines Make’

W.E.B. Du Bois’ Prescient Masterpiece ‘The Souls of Black Folk: A Graphic Interpretation’

Television

Ranking the 34 ‘Ted Lasso’ Episodes

We dive into ‘Ted Lasso’ to see where the beloved AFC Richmond gaffer won and lost. Episodes were judged by their cohesion, heart, humor, and message.

It’s Too Hot to Hate in Climate Change Series ‘Extrapolations’

‘Silo’ Is the Smart Sci-fi Show We’ve Been Waiting For

Satirical Miniseries ‘White House Plumbers’ Is an Uneven Glimpse into Proximity to Power

Vince McMahon and the Damaging Impact of Failing Upward

Lists

The 15 Best Americana Albums of 2013

Jump back a decade and visit one of the best years for Americana albums ever, including Jason Isbell, Neko Case, the Devil Makes Three, and the Lone Bellow.

The 10 Best Indie Rock Albums of 2013

Ranking the 34 ‘Ted Lasso’ Episodes

JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of April and May 2023

Ranking the Sum 41 Albums: From Pop-Punk to Thrash Metal

Featured

30 Years of Slowdive’s ‘Souvlaki’

Everything You Know Means Nothing: Problematic Art and Crystal Castles’ Legacy

The 15 Best Americana Albums of 2013

Sara Petite Has Fun “Bringin’ Down the Neighborhood”