Everything Feels Alright: The Promise Ring’s ‘Very Emergency’
The Promise Ring’s Very Emergency succeeds by subverting expectations but delivering ten nuggets of power pop and a rebuke of the emerging emo tropes.
Music Features
Ionnalee’s Bilingual Gambit to Hear the End of Every Song
Ionnalee has electronic LPs under multiple monikers, but she uncovers her full songwriting prowess by dropping a double-album split between English and Swedish.
Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Lists/Music/Music Features/PopMatters Picks/The Best Music of 2014
The 15 Best Electronic Albums of 2014
The best electronic music of 2014 could be found in thoughtful experimentation and dancefloor-ready fun. But the ones who led the way were the pioneers.
Neil Young at World’s End: ‘On the Beach’ at 50
Neil Young’s On the Beach lodges not in the heart or brain but in the spleen. Perfect for depressed, alienated teenagers in the soft-rock days before punk.
Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Lists/Music/Music Features/PopMatters Picks/The Best Music of 2014
The 10 Best Indie Rock Albums of 2014
Jump back a decade to revisit the best indie rock of 2014, where newer acts did more than just fill the vacuum left by the usual suspects.
Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Lists/Music/Music Features/PopMatters Picks/The Best Music of 2014
The 20 Best New Musical Artists of 2014
Travel back ten years ago to 2014 and discover the best new musical artists that lit up the year, and hear their latest music to see how they’ve evolved.
Rock en Seine Sets the Bar High for Music Festivals
The 20th edition of France’s famed Rock en Seine sees ever-growing crowds, impressive performances, and an atmosphere to rival the highest of highs.
From Melville to Metal: The Conceptual Depths of Mastodon’s ‘Leviathan’
Mastodon’s Leviathan is a concept LP inspired by American novelist Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Think of it as sludge metal’s answer to Dark Side of the Moon.
Liza Minnelli and Pet Shop Boys United on the Camp Classic ‘Results’
Results is an incredible union of two seemingly disparate acts, yet the musical marriage of Liza Minnelli and the Pet Shop Boys is brilliant dance pop.
Jukebox Gallery: A Michael Goldberg Rock Photo Essay
Michael Goldberg shot his first photo of the Doors’ Jim Morrison at the first US rock fest in 1967. Enjoy this photo essay spanning his career as a photographer and critic.
The DNC Misses a Beat: A Political History of Migration through Latinx Pop Songs
What should we understand as the connection between politics, people, and places? Can Latinx pop songs be trusted to represent us?
Cursive’s Tim Kasher Discusses the Artist’s Life and ‘Devourer’
“I fit through a pinhole of success,” notes indie rock titan Tim Kasher on Cursive’s ninth full-length album. “I’m lucky as hell that I’m able to do this.”