Kula Shaker Reflect on a Career Following Sanskrit
British psychedelic rockers Kula Shaker discuss their lengthy career and a stunning new album that reminds us of rock music’s power.
Interviews
Interviews with popular culture creators in areas that include music, film, TV, books, games, comics, and more.
Joyce Manor Talk Bars and Candy Bars
Pop-punk’s Joyce Manor have a new album that’s a fresh take on their patented sound. “Bands in our scene can have songs from a decade ago blow up on TikTok.”
It’s Funny How Complicated Coexistence Can Be
Activist-cum-stand-up comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi documentary Coexistence, My Ass! makes it painfully clear how complicatedly funny/not-funny coexistence can be.
A Conversation with Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard
The Guided By Voices machine is as well-oiled as they come, but Robert Pollard attributes quality and consistency to chemistry.
Girls Against Boys’ Scott McCloud Discusses Conversations
Girls Against Boys singer Scott McCloud goes solo for a compelling song collection focused on the passage of time and the memories that last, even as they evolve.
Guitarist Steve Tibbetts Creates Beautiful Chaos
The remarkably original Steve Tibbetts discusses his process and inspirations, and where he will take this guitar to conjure even more truly singular statements.
Translating Mothra Is Trickier Than Capturing Godzilla
Jeffrey Angles discusses the perils and pleasures of translating Mothra’s tri-authored origin tale, The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, into English.
Carminho Expands Portuguese Fado’s Boundaries
Carminho says Portuguese fado is, in some ways, analogous to punk because of its spontaneity and spilling over of raw emotions.
Maia Sharp on Testing Her Own Truths
For singer-songwriter Maia Sharp, every song is both a mirror and a map, a way of testing her truths against the larger, shifting world.
Rufus Wainwright’s Fascination for Kurt Weill’s Music
Long obsessed with classic idols, Rufus Wainwright talks about his fascination with Kurt Weill and his new album of Weill’s strikingly relevant music.
Cautious Clay’s New Album Is Evening Angst Distilled
For his current timeline-centric release, the R&B/pop polymath Cautious Clay navigates from dawn to dusk with sly ease, discussing his creative process.
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”.