Chris Conaton

Chris Conaton graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Michigan State University. After bouncing around in several different music teaching jobs as well as a stint working at Lowe's in Michigan, he moved to Houston, Texas. He now teaches elementary school music in suburban Houston. Aside from a couple of minor freelance gigs and keeping a blog specifically for writing reviews, PopMatters is his first regular writing gig.

Recent

Ohtis' Debut Album 'Curve of Earth' Is About Addiction and Recovery

Singer-songwriter Sam Swinson's raw honesty and Ohtis' musical creativity will win you over even as Curve of Earth is not an easy listen.

Music

The Suitcase Junket Pushes for a Bigger Audience with 'Mean Dog, Trampoline'

Mean Dog, Trampoline is a thoroughly enjoyable album that highlights Matthew Lorenz's skills as a songwriter. Having Steve Berlin along as a producer certainly helps bring out more color in the Suitcase Junket's music.

Music

No Win Shows Off Big Hooks and Big Guitars on 'Downey'

If you can tell the difference between indie rock, power pop, and pop punk you will likely enjoy No Win's Downey.

Music

'Made in Abyss: Journey's Dawn' Will Be Familiar to Those Who Know the TV Series

Made in Abyss: Journey's Dawn compresses the first eight episodes of the series into a two-hour film.

Film

Low Life's 'Downer Edn' Is a Mess

Low Life's Downer Edn is a punk album with endless noise and colorless, personality-free vocals.

Music

MC Frontalot Hates and Loves the Internet Now and 'Net Split' deals with That Dichotomy

MC Frontalot's perspective on Net Split as an internet elder statesman and old school nerd is valuable, especially as a person who has arrived at an anti-gatekeeping point of view.

Music

Golden Daze Get Chill and Mellow on the Folky 'Simpatico'

Golden Daze's second album, Simpatico, is good music for relaxing, maybe not as good for careful listening.

Music

'Traveling On' Is an EP of Decemberists Outtakes

And There Are No Surprises to be Found Here.

Music

Greensky Bluegrass Plug in and Jam Out on 'All for Money'

Greensky Bluegrass has always been a band prone to jamming, but in the studio, they have generally kept the songs briefer. But All for Money finds them confidently stretching out on multiple occasions. And they manage to make it work each time.

Music

The 1975 Try Everything on 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships'

A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships ends up being a middling mess of genre-hopping. The 1975 decided to try a bit of everything and the results are just completely scattershot songs.

Music

audiobooks Could Use Some Editing on Their Latest Synthpop Album

audiobooks is a London-based duo with a unique sound that ranges from catchy pop to minimalist accompaniment to oppressive layers of sound.

Music

Death Valley Girls Have a Cool Garage Rock Sound But Need Better Songs

Death Valley Girls' Darkness Rains is a stew of bad attitude, crunchy guitars, and simple, pounding drums. But occasionally the band throws in a twist, which at least perks up the ears a bit.

Reviews

Castlecomer Want to Make You Dance and Maybe Also Rock

Sydney's Castlecomer is a family band and their self-titled debut album is full of catchy dance-rock songs that range in quality from "pleasant and listenable" to "pretty darn good".

Music

Greta Van Fleet Are Not the Saviors of Rock Music

But if you're not a very discerning Led Zeppelin fan, they might be up your alley.

Music

Jenn Champion Combines '80s Synths and Minimalist Arrangements Into Great Pop Music

Jenn Champion's Single Rider is a strong, fascinating album that's exceedingly well written. No matter what instruments are being used, Champion puts the song first.

Music

The Goon Sax Are Having a Lot of Fun on 'We're Not Talking'

The Goon Sax's We're Not Talking is a fun, breezy listen proving they are really good with melody at this point.

Music

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