Gen X’s Nostalgia for 1980s Music Is a Memory Problem
Gen X nostalgia for 1980s music like Starship’s “We Built This City” and Toto’s “Africa” is built on old forgotten words and ancient melodies – and faulty memory.
Features
Features, interviews, and commentary about popular culture related topics, including music, film, TV, books, games, and more.
RosalÃa’s ‘Lux’ Is a Brilliant Act of FaithÂ
RosalÃa’s Lux may seem, at first, hard to read as pop, but it’s as pop as religion, one of its inspirations. The very act of calling it pop is an act of faith in the power of music.
10 David Gray Songs You Need to Hear (That Aren’t “Babylon”)
David Gray’s Life in Slow Motion is out in a new anniversary deluxe edition. We dig into his rich archive to recommend tunes that speak to songwriting brilliance.
MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of November 2025
In November’s best metal, Yellow Eyes are in their finest moment, Barren Path rise from the ashes of Gridlink, and Blut Aus Nord navigate dreamscapes.
The Jewish Immigrant Song
Jewish immigrants music-saturated synagogues and rich theater, flavored with humor and lament, were a magical formula for the birth of the American Songbook.
Music/All Things Reconsidered/Feature Sub Head/Features/Interviews/Music Features/Pop Past/Pop Past Music
Chubby Checker’s Unexpected Journey Into Psychedelia
Chequered! is an obscure, long-out-of-print “psychedelic” album from 1971 by the most unlikely musician: Chubby Checker, the man behind the 1960 hit “The Twist”.
Take a Dose of Winterpills and See ‘How We Dance’
With their first album in nine years and a music video premiere, indie rock quintet Winterpills sound like they’re ready to roll with This Is How We Dance.
Naked Eyes’ 1983 Debut Delivers Sincerity in an Ironic World
Naked Eyes’ 1983 debut, Burning Bridges, is a good album for reflecting on our ironic modern world, as it can’t help but wax nostalgic for the sincerity of the past.
Video Game Storytelling Is a World-Colliding Reinvention
Whereas the novel specializes in psychological interiority, video game storytelling allows players to experiment outwardly in world-colliding fashion.
Bob Dylan Rings in His Ears
Music theorist Steven Rings helps readers understand Bob Dylan the performer, not the lyricist or songwriter, in a welcome and indispensable addition to Dylan scholarship.
Can “No Kings” Protest Humor Shrivel Away Authoritarianism?
Besides billionaires—and without needing to beg or bribe—comedians and No Kings jesters may be the next highest demographic that is thriving during these Trump-led authoritarian times.
Greet Death’s Depression Anthems Are Suited to the Times
Flint, Michigan band Greet Death’s latest album is a triumph of accepting endings and appreciating life’s pleasures in their time.