Oliver Ray Gets Darkly Political in “Black Budget”
Oliver Ray’s “Black Budget” is neither cheap nor chintzy but rather apocalyptic.
Jack Walters
Jack Walters is a staff writer for PopMatters. His book, Bruce Springsteen: Song by Song (2023), takes a close look at each track on Springsteen's 21 studio albums. His essay, “The Philosophy of Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour”, is published in The Dylan Review. He can be reached by email: jackwalters [dot] lc [at] gmail [dot] com
Bob Dylan Rings in His Ears
Music theorist Steven Rings helps readers understand Bob Dylan the performer, not the lyricist or songwriter, in a welcome and indispensable addition to Dylan scholarship.
Greil Marcus Tells His Stories About Others’ Stories
Greil Marcus talks with PopMatters about the art of listening not for what you want to hear, but for what is so richly there in others’ stories.
Greil Marcus’ Mystery Train Keeps on Rollin’
Certain books make you dream; Greil Marcus’ Mystery Train wakes you up to the blunt fact that you are alive and living in an ever-rollin’ mythology.
Freak-Folk Legend Peter Stampfel Remains His Zany Self
Song Shards will not be to everybody’s taste (thank God), but who other than Peter Stampfel could make 1940s jingles sound whimsically cool?
Suede’s Brutish ‘Antidepressants’ Is a Tour de Force
Suede turn the memento mori into a carpe diem. Yes, Suede are middle-aged, but they are refusing to lament, stagnate, or be nostalgic.
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Bruce Springsteen’s Extraordinary ‘Born to Run’ at 50
Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run is one of the great rock albums; it showcases youthful idealism’s shortcomings while keeping one enraptured with its false promises.
Lisa Harres Brings Poetic Vision to Debut Album
Lisa Harres’ debut strikes the right balance between skeletal piano-led ballads and baroque embellishments. It’s spellbinding with elusive beauty and staggering depth.
The Sick Man of Europe’s Music Is Succour for the Soul
The Sick Man of Europe highlights the adverse effects of complicity in the digital age, resulting in a Kafkaesque nightmare; this record serves as a clarion call.
Pulp Are at Their Mythopoetic Best on ‘More’
Far more than the themes of aging, sex, and loss, Pulp’s More straight-facedly spreads the word of love and it is the start of something new—a rebirth.
Lael Neale Delivers Lo-Fi Songs in Her Unique Style
Lael Neale delivers her near-apocalyptic songs with eloquence and sangfroid. If this record is Neale bidding adieu to Los Angeles, then it is an unforgettable farewell.
Scottish Psych-folk Group òrain Reside in the Abstract
òrain’s Hanging Fruit is a cornucopia of pastoral delight, offering dream-like vignettes, where the unknowing is the point.