Three Japanese Horror Classics Haunted by Women’s Agony
If there’s an undercurrent throughout the Japanese horror in Daiei Gothic Vol. 2, it’s how women’s suffering is so embedded in Japanese folklore.
Matt Mahler
Gothic Nightmare ‘Malpertuis’ Seems Tailored for Orson Welles
In Harry Kümel’s newly restored, surreal gothic horror Malpertuis, Orson Welles gives a memorably cantankerous performance as a dying man bequeathing his estate to those he utterly loathes
‘Extended Stimulation’ Remixes Will Blow Out Speakers in Style
The epic Extended Stimulation set collects remixes of often overlooked 1980s songs, and you’ve never heard them this way before.
Indie Pop Legends Saint Etienne Discuss Their Retirement Party
Saint Etienne discuss their career and philosophy amidst the release of their final album, International. They move your body as much as your mind.
Reviews/Feature Sub Head/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Film/Film Feature/PopMatters Picks/Television
‘Israel Palestine on Swedish TV’ Is an Urgent History/Not History Lesson
Despite its flaws, Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 is a meticulously detailed study of conflict and hauntingly foreshadows the current moment.
A Perfect Portrait of Electronic Trailblazer Susumu Yokota
Bringing together these personal albums in one magisterial set, Skintone Edition Volume 1 is a beautiful, powerful study of Susumu Yokota in his own words.
Reviews/Culture/Feature Sub Head/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Film/Film Feature/Film Review/Politics/PopMatters Picks
Check Out ‘The Librarians’ Before It’s Banned
The Librarians is a vital David and Goliath documentary of the fight against book banning, a harbinger of fascism, in America.
‘Telepathic Fish’ Captures the Ambient Chill of the Early 1990s
Telepathic Fish: Trawling the Early ’90s Ambient Underground is a cleverly curated album that captures a unique DIY moment in UK electronica.
Cut Copy Sound Like a Muffled Echo of Themselves
Moments feels like a less effective, generic version of the addictive earworms that Cut Copy once prescribed to our ears with masterpieces.
‘Los Golfos’ Returns from Franco-Censored Purgatory
Carlos Saura’s once censored Los Golfos exists in a purgatory between the relatively plot-less freedom of some neorealist films and the excesses of delinquent youth melodrama.
New LP Expertly Continues John Tejada’s Evolution
Even with its darker tones and layered feedback, The Watchline features some of John Tejada’s most beautiful music. It’s an electric evolution.
Stax Records’ Fiery 1965 Concert Gets Remastered
Stax Revue: Live in ’65! captures an electric moment for the R&B label and for Los Angeles, and unearths a rowdy, earlier concert in Memphis.