Pop Culture

The British-American poet W. H. Auden, in his poem “The Age of Anxiety” (1947), highlights humanity’s isolation in an increasingly industrialized and failing world. Nearly 80 years later, the Sick Man of Europe is picking up the threads of the same discussion: how to navigate in a world that is diametrically opposed to our needs?

It was a “gigantic, derelict, empty, silent monolith” that sparked Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker’s imagination while composing one of the most memorable albums of the 2010s. Recently, Tame Impala’s acclaimed Currents turned ten. PopMatters celebrated Currents as a “pure alliance of vintage and modern sounds, psychedelic and dance sensibilities”. Rolling Stone has enshrined it on

Calling Eddington the greatest fictional film yet produced about the COVID-19 pandemic might seem like faint praise. It is not. True, the list of contenders is not robust. There were some gimmicky efforts that used 2020 lockdown policies as a framing device to isolate characters (Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi, Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion, both released in

Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Caroline Fraser’s latest work is a gripping, compelling, and frequently disturbing read. Well argued, thoroughly researched, and intricately connected,Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers makes a unique argument for the toxic concoction that led to the “golden age” of mass murderers. Fraser’s serial killer recipe has a lengthy and

Without a doubt, Brandee Younger is one of the most celebrated and unique jazz artists to emerge in the 21st century. Following in the footsteps of pioneering jazz harpists Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, this Grammy-nominee continues to redefine the harp’s potential in jazz and beyond, with a matchless style that marries this American-invented art

Home Is Where’s last record, the whaler, was a memorable iteration on 1990s emo touchstones with enough personality to stand on its own. Their live shows are the best way to get to know them, full of heart and joy. They completely won me over at last year’s Best Friends Forever festival. Blending a high-energy,

Anyone who knows Julian Cubillos as a multi-instrumentalist on other people’s records – Office Culture, Alena Spanger, and Christian Lee Hutson are among the artists who’ve enlisted his services – might be pleasantly surprised to know that he makes excellent records on his own, and that his latest release is his first in seven years.

If you have been keeping up with the news lately, you hope BettySoo is right when she sings, “Things are gonna get worse before they get better.” The singer doesn’t mean politically—or just politically—life, love, and anything that really matters seems to suck right now, but BettySoo is no pessimist. The self-proclaimed “Queen of the

Sci-fi and rock music have been intersecting genres for several decades now. At least since David Bowie emerged with the story of Ziggy, featuring its progressive applications and some well-placed glitter, the imaginations of audiences have been captivated by the growing sagas and myths that have evolved out of popular culture. Hip-hop (at least in

In the lyrics of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love (1985), a woman floats atop a sea, drifting in and out of consciousness as fear and exhaustion overtake her body and mind. She withers away in memories of a life filled with promise and regret, while also longing to run up a hill to fulfill an

Salsa de la Bahia Vol. 3: Renegade Queens Various Artists Patois Records 21 March 2025 In his liner notes to Salsa de la Bahia Vol. 3: Renegade Queens, renowned San Francisco Bay Area jazz DJ and music writer Jesse “Chuy” Varela offers crucial context. “As you listen to the music presented here,” he writes, “understand

It’s been nearly six years since we’ve heard from Sacred Paws, the UK guitar-and-drums duo consisting of Ray Aggs and Eilidh Rodgers. Following 2019’s Run Around the Sun, the duo were not particularly inspired by the COVID lockdowns. That may have had something to do with the London-based Aggs and the Glaswegian Rodgers preferring to

Perfect Teeth (30th Anniversary Edition) Unrest 4AD 28 March 2025 History loves to project the illusion of straight lines and clear boundaries. It’s appealing to think that the Renaissance started in 1300, ending the Dark Ages and the Black Plague. It’s attractive to consider the Roaring 1920s ended on 1 January 1930 with a black

A figure walks the shadowy streets of Berlin with a friend when they accidentally step into 2003. Holding their companion’s hand is like holding onto their former self. “Close to who I was,” Ronja Schößler confides, in a hushed tone, as if sucked in by the force of the memory. Another time, they hope a

It’s exciting to see a band reach another creative peak after following them for years, and the Ophelias are destined to reach an even wider audience with Spring Grove, which is their finest work to date. Produced by Julien Baker, the band has captured their dynamic live shows better than ever. “We have been reaching

All the films in Kino Lorber’s three-disc box Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XIX are highly visual and suspenseful treats. We’re going to focus on the often overlooked gem, Mitchell Leisen’s fascinating and fabulous No Man of Her Own (1950), inspired by Cornell Woolrich’s noir premise that happiness is always just beyond reach.

It can be disheartening to stumble upon a great band just as they’re folding, particularly a band like Matron, who just released their third and final EP. However, Sunken State is such an enjoyable ride, and it will undoubtedly inspire converts to check out their earlier releases, which combine the complex, zig-zagging musical avenues of

The latest album from Tucson, Arizona-based rock group XIXA (each “x” sounds like a “ch”) is an intentionally dramatic outing. Over nine tracks, XOLO tells the tale of Arcoiris, a young girl guided by Xolo, a hairless Xoloitzcuintli dog, through the nine levels of Mictlān, the nine-level underworld of Aztec cosmology. It’s a perfect story

A Blade Because a Blade Is Whole Alabaster Deplume International Anthem 7 March 2025 Leading up to his seventh studio album, Angus Fairbairn, better known as Alabaster Deplume, recorded an EP in Palestine with two local musicians: pianist Sami El Enani and Qanoun player Laith Albandak. The EP was created in solidarity with the Palestinian

Michael Mann’s films have become almost legendary for their authenticity, attention to detail, and realism. This mystique began with his first film, The Jericho Mile, a TV movie released in 1979. Although perhaps Mann’s least remembered film, it illuminates how a movie production can shoot for authenticity and challenge what authenticity means, especially for the

Momma have been one of indie rock’s brightest stars for a while now, and this seems like their moment to capitalize on the relentless touring in support of 2022’s Household Name. That record didn’t quite get them to the titular status, but they won over audiences all over with their fresh take on 1990s-inspired grunge

Mike White, the writer-director of the hit HBO series The White Lotus, doesn’t want you to think it’s formulaic. In an April 2025 interview with Lacey Rose andMikey O’Connell, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that he “bristl[ed] at the notion of any formula.” As the show’s creator, he has an incentive to distract viewers from its

Warfare Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland A24 April 2025 A tight and terrifying docudrama combat procedural, Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s Warfare tracks just one engagement in the Iraq War. The firefight was unremarkable enough to have almost certainly been forgotten by anybody not there. For the soldiers and civilians involved, however, it was likely a

Simon Reynolds wrote in his 2010 book of pop culture criticism, Retromania, “Nostalgia gets a bad rap….The past can be used to critique what’s absent in the present.” The Lemon Twigs get a bad rap, too, asterisked by critics who find their music too beholden to their primary influences: the Beach Boys and the Beatles.

Always Will Be Amy Irving Queen of the Castle / Missing Piece 25 April 2025 There’s a long history of popular actors using their celebrity status to make records. Some have been earnest attempts to present the artist as simply a talented figure who happens to be famous from film or television. Others are more

I Keep My Diamond Necklace in a Pond of Sparkling Water Gryphon Rue Independent 18 April 2025 “I became interested in the idea that recording is a bottomless medium,” explains multi-instrumentalist Gryphon Rue in the press notes of his new album. “You have a bag that can fit any sound; the room in the bag

Five years ago, duo Thaba emerged onto the global stage with cool electrosoul on Eyes Rest Their Feet. It was a bittersweet moment. Mere months before this debut, lead vocalist Khusi Seremane–half of Thaba, at the time–passed away after long-term health problems, leaving producer Gabriel Cyr with a host of unfinished pieces beyond the first

Tunde Adebimpe is best known for his work with TV on the Radio, a band he co-founded and serves as co-vocalist and principal songwriter. TV on the Radio are distinguishable from their indie rock peers, not just because the members are mostly Black, but due to the creative energy they bring to the process. Even

If you’ve visited a bookstore recently, chances are you’ll have seen displays filled with healing fiction titles such as Michiko Aoyama’s What You Are Looking For Is in the Library (2023, US) and Hwang Bo-reum’s Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop (2022, US). These are slim volumes with eye-catching covers that evoke the colourful symmetry of

In The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, a political tract from 1852, Karl Marxproposed that “the tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living.” Lately, the same could seemingly be said about the films of John Hughes, perhaps especially Pretty in Pink. Forty or so years after the