Sir Sly Rise and Fall With Their Musical Influences
Sir Sly’s The Rise and Fall of Loverboy is an odd album whose musical styles and themes vary wildly from track to track but it ties everything together.
Music Reviews
‘Sound Storing Machines’ Boldly Assembles Some of the Earliest Japanese Recordings
A veritable rainstorm of temporal noise pours down between sounds of early 20th century Japan and the audience on Sublime Frequencies’ Sound Storing Machine.
Brian Charette’s Classic Jazz Organ Provides ‘Power From the Air’
Brian Charette combines jazz organ combo swing, rock grooves, and an impressionistic woodwind quartet mimicking the B3 sound on Power From the Air.
PopMatters Seeks Music Critics and Essayists
If you’re a smart, historically-minded music critic or essayist, let your voice be heard by the quality readership of PopMatters.
‘Mien’ Showcases Powerful Cascades of Canon Singing From Southeast Asia
Sublime Frequencies’ Mien Yao may be a work of preservation and posterity, education, or meditation. Its careful production allows for all of these things.
Tune-Yards ‘Sketch’ Out a Plan to Entertain and Instruct
Tune-Yards’ sketchy conceptually asks a lot of its listeners and does it right up front: should the purpose of music be to entertain or to instruct?
Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s Debut Is Quality Appalachian Music From Top to Bottom
For Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno, preserving tradition is paramount. Their debut LP is a hearty nod to the string bands and country-folk of old.
Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds’ Swingin’ Party
Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds’ Swing From the Sean DeLear is a much-needed breath of fresh air and a celebration of life here on earth and beyond.
Greta Van Fleet Are Unaware and Unexciting on ‘The Battle at Garden’s Gate’
Greta Van Fleet seem to lack even a passing familiarity with the last four decades of recorded music on The Battle at Garden’s Gate.
The Vintage Caravan Return with Retro Rock Excellence on ‘Monuments’
The Vintage Caravan’s Monuments is a pristine example of how to do retro rock right. It’s an essential listen with an invigorating take on those older styles.
Natalie D-Napoleon Delivers an Album of Handmade Tales with Poetic Poise
The poetic songs in Natalie D-Napoleon’s You Wanted To Be the Shore But Instead You Were the Sea give women an honest voice.