The Stars in ‘And the Band Played On’ Almost Outshine Its Message
The starry cast in Aaron Spelling’s adaptation of Randy Shilts’ And the Band Played On makes this message film a Hollywood spectacle as much as a work of activist pop art.
Peter Piatkowski
Peter is a London-based writer, though he was raised in Chicago. He writes pop culture criticism and film criticism. His work has been published in various publications, including anthologies and journals.
Lydia Loveless Is Brutally Honest on ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again’
Lydia Loveless’ songs on her new LP tell a story of vulnerability, heartache, sadness, and yearning. She faces these issues with brilliant songwriting.
Kylie Minogue Scores Another Dance Pop Classic with ‘Tension’
Kylie Minogue understands that the best kind of dance-pop is pure, undiluted joy. With Tension, she’s shown that nobody does it better than her.
Róisín Murphy Makes a Valiant Attempt at Being a Soul Diva
On Hit Parade, Róisín Murphy takes her sound – a swirling cacophony of electropop, synthpop, and nu-disco – and looks to soul to elevate her music.
Jaboukie Young-White Shows Off Music Chops on Debut
Jaboukie Young-White’s clever wordplay, creative use of metaphor, and engaging storytelling prove he’s adept at applying his perceptive talents to music.
Shamir’s ‘Homo Anxietatem’ Is a Candid Work of Confessional Pop
Shamir’s gorgeous voice is a genderless, androgynous instrument, soulful, tight, airy, and jazzy, capable of lilting beautifully over shiny pop beats.
Georgia Channels Her Inner Pop Diva on ‘Euphoric’
Euphoric is a breezy, chaste recording that places producer/singer Georgia squarely into mainstream dance-pop. It’s love letter to 1990s pop.
‘Barbie: The Album’ Is a Spotty Yet Enjoyable Sugar High
Although there are some fantastic high points and some tacky low points, Barbie: The Album pulls through with a cheeky victory.
Celebrating Sylvester’s Greatest Hits for Pride 2023
Sylvester’s voice – an otherworldly sonic boom of a voice that climbed to dizzying heights – was a significant force in queer pop culture in the 1970s.
Paula Abdul Found Artistic Growth and Maturity with ‘Spellbound’
Paula Abdul confounded her critics with Spellbound, looking to expand pop hooks and catchy melodies with more esoteric sounds to festoon her state-of-the-art dance-pop.
Janet Jackson Came Into Her Own As a Significant Artist on ‘Janet’
Janet Jackson’s Janet, released 30 years ago today, embraces the maturity of her sexuality and political identity, and in the process, she creates beautiful music.
The TANK Center for Sonic Arts Find a New Way to Interpret Beethoven
National Sawdust Ensemble’s work on Slow Beethoven recasts Beethoven’s Opus 131 as something wholly new, recasting it as a contemporary classical dirge.