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.
Jack Walters
Jack Walters is a staff writer for PopMatters. His latest book is Bob Dylan: Song by Song: Volume 1: 1962–1969 (2026). 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
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.
The Golden Dregs Find Connections with Strangers
The Golden Dregs’ LP tells of ordinary people experiencing ordinary moments in London. It’s like Raymond Carver meets Michael Bracewell, narrated by Tom Waits.
Brown Horse’s ‘All the Right Weaknesses’ Hits All the Right Notes
All the Right Weaknesses finds Americana band Brown Horse galvanized and resolute, despite galloping in a phantasmagorical world of decay.
Roomer’s New Album Ironically Leaves Nothing to Chance
Roomer’s Leaving It All to Chance is too nuanced to be consigned to the straitjacket of shoegaze with its sultry melodies, neo-folk stylings, and earworm hooks.