Kacey Musgraves Is Sad But Groovy on ‘Star-Crossed’
On Star-Crossed, Kacey Musgraves continues to make use of her signature wounded wit to expose the hypocrisy that often lies within heteronormative gender roles.
PopMatters Picks
Matthew E. White Takes Us on a Joyride on ‘K Bay’
Matthew E. White’s K Bay puts you on a sonic roller coaster ride of ups and downs and dangerous curves. It’s a series of constant thrills.
Daniel Romano Delivers Swagger and Scintillating Song Craft on ‘Cobra Poems’
Daniel Romano had a triumphant year of musical output in 2020, and with Cobra Poems his outfit delivers a sensational and poetic rock record.
The Gentle Eschatology of Suuns’ ‘The Witness’
Suuns’ The Witness is most easily described as gently terrifying. A creature that holds you and whispers sweet nothings in your ear about the end of the world.
Stigma Continues His Run of Doomy, Minimal Trip Hop on ‘Too Long’
Stigma’s Too Long is a seven-track vortex of sinister filter sweeps, bleary-eyed synths, and detonating rhythms. As his music gets darker and weirder, it gets better and better.
Cochemea’s ‘Vol. II: Baca Sewa’ Brings a Unique Point of View to Spiritual Jazz
Cochemea’s Vol. II: Baca Sew is an outstanding example of music and meaning working in tandem to produce an impactful record. This is soul music in every sense of the word.
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MetalMatters: The Best New Heavy Albums of August 2021
Normally, August is regarded as a slow month when it comes to new music. But this August dropped an abundance of metal, spreading across the spectrum.
‘The Afghanistan Papers’ Reveals How Not to Fight a War
Craig Whitlock’s searing Afghanistan war book is a jaw-dropping compilation of arrogance and stupidities that nobody wanted to see.
Be-Bop Deluxe’s ‘Live! in the Air Age’ Gets the Expanded Treatment
Everybody loves an excellent live album, don’t they? And Be Bop Deluxe’s Live! In the Air Age is one of the best.
Manic Street Preachers Reckon with an Uncertain World on ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’
Manic Street Preachers’ The Ultra Vivid Lament is as rich, melancholic, and intelligent as ever, but also riddled with doubts and anxieties.
Little Simz’s ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ Is a Dazzling and Insightful Opus
Little Simz explores familial and cultural themes, moving from stream-of-consciousness confessions to epigrammatic observations, volatile rants to equanimous self-examinations.