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Barry Adamson, The Black Angels, Ghislain Poirier...

PopMatters Staff

01 Apr 2008

Barry Adamson

(all tracks from Back to the Cat released 31 March)

Spend a Little Time [MP3]

Shadow of Death Hotel [MP3]

Psycho_Sexual [MP3]

Buy at Rhapsody

The Black Angels

Doves [MP3] (from Directions to See a Ghost releasing 13 May)

Ghislain Poirier

Blazin [Video]

Kanye West

Homecoming [Video]

The Old Haunts

Volatile [MP3]

New Bloods

Oh, Deadly Nightshade [MP3] (from The Secret Life releasing 8 April)

J. Spaceman and Sun City Girls

Mr. Lonely Viola [MP3]

Los Campesinos!

My Year in Lists [Video]

Sady Doyle Is a Witch. So What Are You Afraid Of?

You'll want to share Sady Doyle's Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers, a #PMPick, with the rest of your coven and all the little girls in your orbit.

Books

The Horror and the Humor in Liz Phair's 'Horror Stories'

In her music industry memoir, Horror Stories, Liz Phair has a knack for imbuing the ordinary with a weighty and relatable significance.

Books

Bruce Springsteen's 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' Calls Out to Us

Bruce Springsteen's 1995 album, The Ghost of Tom Joad, inherited and built upon some powerful 20th century American literary, political, and pop culture themes. Can we hear its haunting call in these times?

Music

The Sensational Barnes Brothers Build a Legacy with 'Nobody's Fault But My Own'

With their gospel soul, the Sensational Barnes Brothers kick off a new label with an old sound, providing good news for everyone.

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Michael Kiwanuka Journeys Into His Soul

Soulful British folk rocker Michael Kiwanuka brings listeners along for an evocative sonic journey on his new album, Kiwanuku.

Music

Patti Smith's 'Wave' Turns 40: Why the Punk Poet's Pop Album Is Also Her Greatest

Wave's status as Patti Smith's most unapologetically pop album reveals the most authentically "punk" gesture of her career: rejecting the idea that her genre capabilities begin and end with that four-letter word.

Music

London Singer and Producer, MEI Fights Back Against Invisibility on "DIM: Don't Ignore Me" (premiere)

South London's MEI shares her brilliant new single for "DIM: Don't Ignore Me", which showcases her intriguing blend of electronic, hip-hop, and soul. MEI is truly an artist to watch.

Music

David Dondero Goes Post-Apocalyptic With "Easy Chair" (premiere)

Folk artist David Dondero's upcoming album, The Filter Bubble Blues, is a harrowing account of modern times. His new single "Easy Chair" is in part about "the narcissistic society perishes after one last photo of itself".

Jedd Beaudoin

Music

Lost Dog Street Band's Benjamin Tod Readies Release of Second Solo Album With "Saguaro's Flower" (premiere)

A Heart of Gold Is Hard to Find marks first effort Lost Dog Street Band's Benjamin Tod has recorded completely sober. "Every song on this album," he says, "is for someone." Hear "Saguaro's Flower" ahead of the 22 November record release.

Jedd Beaudoin

Music

The Pressure Kids Tell the Tale of "No Land Left in Hollywood" (premiere)

Nashville's the Pressure Kids deliver a pop ballad that's perfectly elliptical and deeply understated.

Jedd Beaudoin

Music

Kris Baha and the EBM Revival

As a DJ and an artist, Kris Baha picks up on the most ideologically charged 1980s electronic dance music and introduces it to a new and growingly voracious audience.

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Sjöblom's 'Palimpsest' Is Visually Unlike Most Graphic Memoirs

The title of Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom's graphic memoir, Palimpsest, is an excellent metaphor for adoption generally and especially the literally erased and rewritten documents that define many Korean adoptions. But it is also a visual metaphor.

Books

Jazz, Soul, and a Whole Lot More with the Souljazz Orchestra

The Souljazz Orchestra confront current political realities with a mix of reggae, ska, disco, and punk -- plus some jazz and soul, of course -- on Chaos Theories.

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Stereolab Reissue Their Classics: 'Emperor Tomato Ketchup'

Now is the perfect time to reacquaint -- or acquaint -- yourself with Stereolab's landmark 1996 album, Emperor Tomato Ketchup.

Music

With 'Cape Disappointment' Aaron Semer Shows Why He Is the Singer-Songwriter We All Need

Americana/folk artist, Aaron Semer's second solo album, Cape Disappointment, is a blunt, direct work on living and loving in our turbulent times.

Music

Delush Reminds Us to Appreciate the Good Times on "The Greatest Gift" (premiere)

Joined by soul singer Tolü Makay, delush's latest track, "The Greatest Gift", is a tender and emotional reminder of the importance of self-worth.

Music

Noise Rock's Buildings Urge You to "Sit With It" (premiere)

Minneapolis noise rock band, Buildings return with a new album and a new cut that speaks to the frustrations we face every day. Buildings make boredom sound (almost) fun on "Sit With It".

Music

Face: A Visual Odyssey (By the Book)

By turns alarming and awe-inspiring, Jessica Helfand's Face: A Visual Odyssey offers an elaborately illustrated A to Z—from the didactic anthropometry of the late 19th century to the selfie-obsessed zeitgeist of the 21st. Enjoy this excerpt of Face, courtesy of MIT Press.

Jessica Helfand

Books

On Steve Almond's Feeling-Fueled Rant on John Williams' 'Stoner'

Sink into the metatextual delights of a touchstone ranting about his own touchstone with Steve Almond's Stoner and the Battle for the Inner Life.

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"It's OK to Not Be OK": An Unflinching Interview with Colin Dieden Formerly of the Mowgli's

Once of the Mowgli's, Colin Dieden's new Little Hurt project is unflinching in its rawness. "I used to think that meeting sadness head-on with happy songs was how I was going to move through it, but one day that stopped feeling honest to me."

Evan Sawdey

Music

'Morning Glory on the Vine' and Joni Mitchell's Amalgam of Craft

Joni Mitchell's latest book denotes the next step in the Joni evolution, and indicates that perhaps those different languages for her—of visual art, poetry, and music—will finally be held in equal regard.

Books

Quiet Desires in Allison Anders' 'Gas Food Lodging'

Allison Anders' Gas Food Lodging gives us such compelling characters that we cannot help but sit and observe them.

Film

'Cheap Queen' Establishes King Princess' Talent

Cheap Queen undoubtedly establishes King Princess' talent, but it encounters issues with contrived affectations and productions that show less experimentation than seen on previous singles.

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PM Picks

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Barry Adamson, The Black Angels, Ghislain Poirier...

You'll want to share Sady Doyle's Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers, a #PMPick, with the rest of your coven and all the little girls in your orbit.

In her music industry memoir, Horror Stories, Liz Phair has a knack for imbuing the ordinary with a weighty and relatable significance.

Bruce Springsteen's 1995 album, The Ghost of Tom Joad, inherited and built upon some powerful 20th century American literary, political, and pop culture themes. Can we hear its haunting call in these times?

With their gospel soul, the Sensational Barnes Brothers kick off a new label with an old sound, providing good news for everyone.

Soulful British folk rocker Michael Kiwanuka brings listeners along for an evocative sonic journey on his new album, Kiwanuku.

Wave's status as Patti Smith's most unapologetically pop album reveals the most authentically "punk" gesture of her career: rejecting the idea that her genre capabilities begin and end with that four-letter word.

South London's MEI shares her brilliant new single for "DIM: Don't Ignore Me", which showcases her intriguing blend of electronic, hip-hop, and soul. MEI is truly an artist to watch.

Folk artist David Dondero's upcoming album, The Filter Bubble Blues, is a harrowing account of modern times. His new single "Easy Chair" is in part about "the narcissistic society perishes after one last photo of itself".

A Heart of Gold Is Hard to Find marks first effort Lost Dog Street Band's Benjamin Tod has recorded completely sober. "Every song on this album," he says, "is for someone." Hear "Saguaro's Flower" ahead of the 22 November record release.

Nashville's the Pressure Kids deliver a pop ballad that's perfectly elliptical and deeply understated.

As a DJ and an artist, Kris Baha picks up on the most ideologically charged 1980s electronic dance music and introduces it to a new and growingly voracious audience.

The title of Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom's graphic memoir, Palimpsest, is an excellent metaphor for adoption generally and especially the literally erased and rewritten documents that define many Korean adoptions. But it is also a visual metaphor.

Could it be that the internet and social media is innately in sync with conservative, right-wing ideology? On Jen Schradie's The Revolution That Wasn't.

The Souljazz Orchestra confront current political realities with a mix of reggae, ska, disco, and punk -- plus some jazz and soul, of course -- on Chaos Theories.

Now is the perfect time to reacquaint -- or acquaint -- yourself with Stereolab's landmark 1996 album, Emperor Tomato Ketchup.

Americana/folk artist, Aaron Semer's second solo album, Cape Disappointment, is a blunt, direct work on living and loving in our turbulent times.

Joined by soul singer Tolü Makay, delush's latest track, "The Greatest Gift", is a tender and emotional reminder of the importance of self-worth.

Minneapolis noise rock band, Buildings return with a new album and a new cut that speaks to the frustrations we face every day. Buildings make boredom sound (almost) fun on "Sit With It".

By turns alarming and awe-inspiring, Jessica Helfand's Face: A Visual Odyssey offers an elaborately illustrated A to Z—from the didactic anthropometry of the late 19th century to the selfie-obsessed zeitgeist of the 21st. Enjoy this excerpt of Face, courtesy of MIT Press.

Sink into the metatextual delights of a touchstone ranting about his own touchstone with Steve Almond's Stoner and the Battle for the Inner Life.

Once of the Mowgli's, Colin Dieden's new Little Hurt project is unflinching in its rawness. "I used to think that meeting sadness head-on with happy songs was how I was going to move through it, but one day that stopped feeling honest to me."

Joni Mitchell's latest book denotes the next step in the Joni evolution, and indicates that perhaps those different languages for her—of visual art, poetry, and music—will finally be held in equal regard.

Allison Anders' Gas Food Lodging gives us such compelling characters that we cannot help but sit and observe them.

Cheap Queen undoubtedly establishes King Princess' talent, but it encounters issues with contrived affectations and productions that show less experimentation than seen on previous singles.