Panda Bear and Sonic Boom Re-interpret ‘Reset’ with ‘Reset in Dub’
Reset in Dub marks another attempt by Panda Bear and Sonic Boom to arrive at a new alchemy between past and present musical traditions.
Christopher J. Lee
Christopher J. Lee is a contributing music writer at PopMatters. He spent some of his best years as a college radio DJ during the 1990s. Follow him on Twitter at @joonhai.
DeYarmond Edison’s ‘Epoch’ Is a Box Set Bildungsroman for Bon Iver
Bon Iver emerged from the ashes of DeYarmond Edison along with Megafaun. Epoch is an archaeological endeavor documenting the eventual success through devotion to craft.
Courtney Barnett Goes Quiet on Ambient ‘End of the Day’
End of the Day is purposefully quiet and forms a distinct meditative contrast with Courtney Barnett’s established indie rock oeuvre.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy Gets Domestic on ‘Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You’
Bonnie “Prince” Billy suggests the strangeness of life comes in how people silently consent to mainstream conformism like marriage without revision or reinvention.
Bettie Serveert Shine Again on the Re-released ‘Palomine’
Bettie Serveert’s Palomine is memorable after three decades. Flexing musically and tonally while maintaining a coherent sound, it merits a reissue.
Joni Mitchell Ages Gracefully on the Imperfect ‘At Newport’
Joni Mitchell has never needed anything more than an acoustic guitar to get her emotions, intelligence, and entire worlds across to her audience.
The Clientele Compose Their Masterpiece With ‘I Am Not There Anymore’
In this extensive interview, The Clientele’s Alasdair MacLean discusses the indie band’s new masterpiece, I Am Not There Anymore, and their lengthy career.
Man on Man Rock Out with Gay Love on ‘Provincetown’
Man on Man excel at delivering pop hooks in various ways across rock genres, and with ten tracks at 42 minutes, there’s plenty of playful joy on Provincetown.
Wye Oak Reinvent Themselves (Again) on ‘Every Day Like the Last’
Wye Oak speak to PopMatters about their experiment-or-die perspective and what it means to make music at their stage of career and life more generally.
The Punk Rock Sci-Fi of Izumi Suzuki’s ‘Hit Parade of Tears’
Though her fiction retains elements of future conjecture and civilizational prognosis, like punk rock itself, Izumi Suzuki is more committed to the sci-fi genre as an edgy social and emotional analysis tool.
Youth Lagoon Uncovers the Numinous on ‘Heaven Is a Junkyard’
Youth Lagoon reaches a new level of accomplishment with Heaven Is a Junkyard. The downbeat topics underscore a fallen world but also one that can be redeemed.
King Krule Grapples with the In-Between on the Introspective ‘Space Heavy’
King Krule’s Space Heavy is a wild listening experience, more muted and introspective than past outings and seemingly reflecting our pandemic moment.