The 20 Essential Pavement Songs
These Pavement songs are a collection of Stephen Malkmus’ sharpest turns-of-phrases. It’s like a veritable Bartlett’s Famous Quotations for the indie set.
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MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of April 2025
In April’s best metal, Ancient Death tread into otherworldly death metal, Behölder stand firm on heavy ground, and Messa look beyond the doom confinements.
The 100 Most Memorable 1999 Albums
PopMatters recently turned 25, and these memorable 1999 albums celebrate the popular music that defined the year of our birth, for better or worse.
15 Albums to Help You Fall in Love With Poetry
Whether you’ve been a poetry lover for decades or never read a stanza in your life, you’re likely to find something to make you fall in love with poetry among the batch.
The 50 Best Albums of 2005
Journey back 20 years, listen to the best albums of 2005, and hear the state of the art. It was an era of brilliant veterans and bold, new innovators.
The 10 Quintessential Tame Impala Songs
Tame Impala’s deeply revealing songs disclose important details about Kevin Parker’s life and outlook and mark the cornerstones of his individuality.
The 11 Best Films of Stanley Kubrick
Each aesthetic leap along Stanley Kubrick’s way leads to one inevitable conclusion; as an oeuvre, few are more impressive. As a craftsman, none can match him.
The 10 Best Wilco Songs From Their First Era
Wilco are always full of surprises. Their lineup has changed frequently and reveals a group constantly pushing themselves into uncharted musical territory.
The 100 Best Alternative Songs of the 1990s
The best alternative songs of the 1990s highlight the “golden age” of indie/alternative rock. Britpop, grunge, art rock, shoegaze, and more came to the fore.
Music/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Lists/Music Features/Pop Past/PopMatters Picks/The Best Music of 2005
The 10 Best Electronic Albums of 2005
Jump back 20 years, listen to the best electronic albums of 2005, and hear the era’s state of the genre’s art. It was a highly innovative and influential time.
15 Breakup Songs That Are Vicious, Painful, and Bitter
A friend requested a hopeful, forward-thinking breakup playlist to help soothe their pain. We send these 15 bitter breakup songs instead.
10 Legendary Dance Rock Albums
Dance rock is so intricately involved with the two genres that it almost seems beside the point to mention their pairing. Yet, the style has been massively influential.