No Slump Here: 10 Excellent Sophomore Albums
Every now and then, a promising act pulls it all together on their second outing. When careers are done, it’s these special second efforts we remember most.
Music Features
Off-Putting Problems with Contemporary Classical Music
Elitist snobbery, uptight attitudes, creativity-strangling academic strictures and more can sure put one off listening to contemporary classical music.
Musical Experimentalist Jessica Ackerley Is Blazing Trails
Ever-evolving experimental guitarist and composer Jessica Ackerley talks about – among other things – their eclectic and ambitious new solo album.
Manfred Mann, the Synthesiser Man, Hates AI in Music
Manfred Mann doesn’t think he’s the best synthesiser player in the world, but he brings a distinctive voice to the old technology. Just keep AI out of music, dammit.
Leonard Cohen’s ‘New Skin for the Old Ceremony’ Remains Its Divided Self at 50
Leonard Cohen courted the light as much as the dark—a duality at the heart of his existence and his 50-year-old album ‘New Skin for the Old Ceremony’.
‘143’ Is the Next Stage in Katy Perry’s Ex-Evangelical Spirituality
Will Katy Perry’s new “love frequency” spirituality on 143 suffer the same static interference we hear on the self-undercutting lead single?
Kylie Minogue Carries Us Away with the Power of Pop at Sziget
Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue dazzles in a fantastic, career-spanning show on a substandard opening night of Budapest’s Sziget festival.
Minnie Riperton’s ‘Perfect Angel’ at 50: Imperfectly Angelic
Soul singer Minnie Riperton made full use of her multi-octave voice and songwriting talent on 1974’s Perfect Angel, with her still-beloved hit, “Lovin’ You”.
JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of Summer 2024
PopMatters presents the best new jazz albums of the summer of 2024, and our columnist examines the recent recordings of Washington, DC, jazz phenom Anthony Pirog.
Metallica’s ‘Ride the Lightning’ Turns 40, But the Memory Remains
Yes, Metallica were singing about death—the cartoon skulls and swords I doodled in my notebooks rendered sonically. But they were also singing about life.
Robert Fripp and Gary Numan’s Journeys into Post-Punk
In the post-punk era, progressive rock figurehead Robert Fripp and synth pop pioneer Gary Numan would shape the future sound of alternative rock and metal.
The Best Artists of the Newport Folk Festival 2024
The esteemed Newport Folk Festival has consistently challenged the notion of folk music. The 2024 edition continued to defy traditions.