Band of Horses’ ‘Everything All The Time’ Is Essential at 20
Band of Horses’ Everything All the Time was a declaration that rock music could be big without being dumb, sentimental without being saccharine.
John Bergstrom
John Bergstrom has been writing various reviews and features for PopMatters since 2004. He has been a music fanatic at least since he and a couple friends put together The Rock Group Dictionary in third grade (although he now admits that giving Pat Benatar the title of "first good female rocker" was probably a mistake). He has done freelance writing for Trouser Pressonline, Milwaukee's Shepherd Express, and the late Milk magazine and website. He currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and two kids, both of whom are very good dancers.
Lucid Express Lay on the Sweetness for ‘Instant Comfort’
Lucid Express might be restless and eager to defy pigeonholing and complacency. That’s good, but in the process, they’ve made an album that often feels overstuffed.
Musik Music Musique 1979: The Roots of Synth Pop
Based on the best tracks on this new synth pop collection, 1979 was a time that drew equally from traditionalist pop songcraft and new musical technology.
Steppin’ Out: The Roots of Garage Rock 1963-1965
Steppin’ Out: The Roots of Garage Rock 1963-1965 immediately becomes an efficient, economical alternative to all kinds of crate-digging and online scouring.
‘The Return of the Durutti Column’ Is Long Overdue
Listening to The Return of the Durutti Column is like being given the key to a world that, while not as secret as before, is well worth exploring.
Doves Celebrate Their Best on ‘So, Here We Are’
So, Here We Are: Best of Doves shows how their secret is making music that’s grandiose yet unpretentious. It’s big music with a small ego.
This Is Supposedly the Best of Everything But the Girl
As Everything But the Girl, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt were one of the most unique British acts of the 1980s and 1990s.
OMD’s ‘Crush’ Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary
OMD’s Crush is a self-contained, ultra-romantic package that both encapsulates and transcends the 1980s. They had never sounded this sleek, sexy, and cool before
Nation of Language Create a ‘Dance Called Memory’
Dance Called Memory is something of a pivotal album in its own modest way. It’s Nation of Language’s most introspective and darkest record.
Pop Academics Saint Etienne Say Goodbye with Final LP
With International, these pop academics have left us with one final lesson: if you must fade away, do so gracefully. Saint Etienne most certainly have.
Kenny Dorham Played Blue Bossa in the Bronx
In the years since his death in 1972 from kidney disease, Kenny Dorham has become one of those artists who are famous for not having been famous—for being underrated.
North American Power Pop of the 1980s Is Delightful
Power pop was always music for other musicians to like, or for people whose record collections eclipsed their social lives. The songs were catchy and poppy.