Say It Loud! 100 Timeless Protest Songs
PopMatters has scoured the musical spectrum for the best examples of protest songs, including anthems of great popularity and obscurity that resonate today.
PopMatters Picks
Hardcore’s Gouge Away Grow on ‘Deep Sage’
Gouge Away’s Deep Sage delivers heavy hooks that recall 1990s alternative greats without losing that hardcore fury that put them on the map.
Ariana Grande Sees Heartbreak in a New Light on ‘Eternal Sunshine’
Throughout Eternal Sunshine, Ariana Grande investigates the concept of ignorant bliss, asking the question, is it better to remain unaware of great pain?
JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of Winter 2024
PopMatters presents the best new jazz recordings from the winter of 2024 and reflects on the relationship of the Grammys to jazz.
Punk Rockers CNTS Offer ‘Thoughts & Prayers’ to the Hypocrites
Punk rockers CNTS have created a tight album that brings the hothouse vibe of a crammed club: bare concrete walls, bodies slamming in from all angles, and crowd surfers.
Elbow Bend with the Times on ‘Audio Vertigo’
Guy Garvey and company return with renewed energy, a punchier attack and infectious grooves on Elbow’s tenth studio album, Audio Vertigo.
Rosie Tucker Wants ‘Utopia Now!’
Rosie Tucker’s Utopia Now! effortlessly counterbalances its pop tendencies with broader cultural critique, wry intellectualism, and lots of melancholic humor.
Yard Act’s ‘Where’s My Utopia?’ Suits Our Post-Pandemic Moment
Yard Act’s Where’s My Utopia? is a mother lode of cool sounds, critiques of late capitalism, meditation on fame’s futility, and a forecast of apocalyptic change.
MIZU Creates an Experimental Masterwork with ‘Forest Scenes’
As a composer and performer, MIZU embraces uncharted territory with her cello not so much in hand but working fully as an extension of her body and voice.
‘Fire Escape’ Is Alena Spanger’s Thorny, Soaring Solo Debut
Alena Spanger’s music is full of odd twists and unconventional choices, but that’s what makes Fire Escape so enjoyable and undeniably beautiful.
Kacey Musgraves Returns to Her Roots on ‘Deeper Well’
Kacey Musgraves, like all of us, is just trying to learn how to sway in the face of life’s challenges, and she chooses to gift them to us in the form of songs.
Biography of ‘Rolling Stone’ Co-Founder Ralph J. Gleason Rocks and Swings
‘Rolling Stone’ co-founder Ralph J. Gleason predates that golden era of music journalism when Lester Bangs and Robert Christgau thrived.
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