Pop Culture

K-pop has had its share of scandals, controversies, and accusations of unfair label practices. Yet, 2024 was when it felt like some of the industry’s darkest machinations became alarmingly visible. While the dissolution of LOONA and dismantling of 2023’s crossover rookies FiftyFifty in years prior felt like one-offs, few could’ve imagined that NewJeans, one of

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a lot of artists used to recording and touring with fellow musicians to isolate themselves and find new ways to create. Dave Mackay, a keyboard player whose credits include stints with Leon Bridges, Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox, and Rufus Wainwright, was thrown off – as so many were – by the

Under the moniker Field Medic, Kevin Patrick Sullivan has built a reputation as a profoundly earnest singer/songwriter whose music is unvarnished and deeply personal. His breakthrough album, Floral Prince (2020), found him singing candidly about his sex life and substance abuse, blending fully refined arrangements and rough, off-the-cuff demo recordings. Yet, boundless & true, his

Why go to shows? The common presumption is that when we see bands live, we are witnessing something closer to the actual truth of music: the musicians involved, the instruments and gear used, and the experience of seeing an audience respond to the music in real-time. In our self-isolating age of Spotify and earbuds, listening

When I discovered the National’s Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003), nobody could have imagined what an institution this Brooklyn-by-way-of-Cincinnati band would become. That was two years after their largely unheralded self-titled debut, two years before the transformational Alligator (2005), and just prior to Boxer (2007), which really put them on the map. I happened

In 1971, John Cale, the classically-trained Welshman who brought an avant-garde spice to the Velvet Underground, would find himself adrift in sunny Los Angeles. Immediately following his dismissal from the Velvets in the fall of 1968, he seemed to land on his feet. Cale would produce the Stooges‘ self-titled debut album and Nico‘s acclaimed Marble

It should be no surprise that many Washington watchers have labeled the dumbfounding cabinet picks for Donald Trump 2.0 “looney tunes”. As most television watchers know, this term comes from the actual Looney Tunes™, the popular slate of Warner Brothers cartoons produced in the 1930s. It is entertainment beloved by children and adults alike, and

During and immediately after the pandemic, the split in the Polish music scene became more evident than ever before – even larger crowds began to attend “star” concerts and mainstream festivals, and clubs and events related to independent music began to close. There was a lack of audiences, and fewer and fewer new, interesting projects

When many people think of music critics, certain stereotypes come to mind: e.g., hetero white men who are out of touch with most people’s tastes and make great music unforgivably dull. In the last decade, however, some excellent books have challenged conventions of music criticism, opening new paths and blazing new trails for future writers.

The 21st incarnation of To Save and Project, the Museum of Modern Art’s annual festival of newly restored international films from the world’s archives, has become one of cinema’s most important showcases for the diversity of restoration activities. This year’s selections run the gamut from silent masterpieces to neglected and forgotten films from India, Syria,

Alice Ivy is not one for social media. Sure, she retweets links to her radio listings, award nominations, and various interviews with PopMatters from throughout the years (hey there), but rarely does she play the popstar game of being snarky or posting stray observations. She has, on occasion, but you’d have to look back to

Few things must have bothered Alfred Hitchcock more (besides the studio heads and bluenoses telling him what was allowed on screen) than being put in a box. Many great mainstream directors face the same fate. Steven Spielberg? Total square, a kiddie popcorn guy (never mind Munich, The Post, and so on). Martin Scorsese? Gangster moviemaker

The proliferation of the so-called “content” we are witnessing has long been in the making. The decline of superhero blockbusters, the monumental small-screen budgets, streaming services enlisting some of the biggest names in film, auteurs scoring big in the awards seasons, or attempts at a revival of lower-budget indie filmmaking – there has indeed been

People who watch publishing can often do so without any need to read the books it produces. That’s because, like any industry, publishing is filled with narratives, drama, and mysteries, many of which are fueled by gossip and often contradict each other. As such, those engaged in the publishing business were caught up this year

Pop music is a mirror of its time. In Brazil, it’s hard not to connect the best music released in 2024 with the themes that dominated politics, culture, and social media discussions throughout the year. This was the year when Black Consciousness Day became a holiday across all Brazilian states, and pop music played the

More than a few descriptions of this Arizona-based, analog-ish, synth-obsessed band’s music reference similarities running from the vague, inaccurate catchall, “Krautrock”, to Italian horror or John Carpenter film soundtracks, Giorgio Moroder‘s desolate synth-scapes or private press ambient and New Age. If you know some or all of these styles or players, the first seconds of

Erika Angell – The Obsession With Her Voice (Constellation) The Obsession With Her Voice by Erika AngellThe Obsession With Her Voice by Erika Angell In The Obsession With Her Voice, Erika Angell successfully dances between echoes of jazz, free improvisation, opera, and dark blues without ever being trapped in a single mode; her muse is sufficiently light-footed that

Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America Paola Ramos Pantheon September 2024 The most important lesson I took from my doctoral work was an understanding that empirical, results-driven research must first be conducted in a way that is free of bias. One of my mentors, Dr. Kent Jennings,

30. Alison Moyet – Key (Cooking Vinyl) Instead of abandoning the synthpop of her previous work, Alison Moyet simply revisits the sounds on Key. So much of current dance-pop is influenced by New Wave, so she doesn’t have to stretch too far when re-recording the tunes. There is an elegant sleekness to the remakes. “When

Anyone familiar with Phil Elverum and his extensive catalog knows his music is not exactly for the casual listener. His albums under Mount Eerie, and even earlier with the Microphones, are usually deeply personal, immersive, and often challenging, asking listeners for close attention and commitment. Following those same lines, Night Palace, his 11th release after

Africa Negra – Antologia Vol. 2 (Bongo Joe) África Negra – Antologia Vol. 2 by África NegraÁfrica Negra – Antologia Vol. 2 by África Negra São Toméan group África Negra were at the peak of their popularity in the 1980s, and that’s where Antologia Vol. 2 picks up. Featuring 13 of the group’s lesser-known tracks

Guitar maven Arlen Roth has released his 20th solo album, an acoustic set of ten classic folk-pop tunes and one new original (the title track). Playing Out the String is a blissful treat. The master guitarist delightfully picks and strums his way through songs well-known among to fans of 20th-century acoustic guitar music fans, such

Brassroots Democracy: Maroon Ecologies and the Jazz Commons Benjamin Barson Wesleyan University Press September 2024 A Nazi march in Columbus, Ohio. Flyers plastered in Northwest Indiana from the local chapter of the KKK. A policy mandate to infuse Christian nationalism into the federal government. These are not the headlines of old, but national news from

Do we even want to understand ignorance in these times? Does the ability to understand ignorance still matter when we are positively inundated with it from every direction? These are sincere questions that reasonable people may well have found themselves asking during the first Trump presidency when philosophy professor Daniel DeNicola’s systematic treatise on ignorance,

Jouer Annarella and Django We Are Busy Bodies / Sing a Song Fighter 25 October 2024 After meeting through their shared participation in the transcontinental music project Wau Wau Collectif in 2021, Swedish flutist Annarella Sörlin and Mali-born, Senegal-based ngoni player Django Diabate went their separate ways–at first. The creative spark was already lit; three

Heather Maloney could be the symbolic voice of Christmases past, present, and future. Even if her words and music during a career that unofficially began in 2009 with a self-released album aren’t usually tied to the holidays, the Massachusetts-based folk singer brings golden pipes, soothing thoughts, and a warm heart to the world through her songs,

PopMatters hereby presents a glorious cavalcade, a prestigious panorama, a scintillating smorgasbord of classic films (and one newbie) released on Blu-ray or DVD during 2024. Many titles are on Blu-ray only, while others offer the regular DVD format before it officially goes dinosaur. Some titles are also offered on the newest and more expensive 4K

It’s been a strong year for shoegaze. The genre rediscovery via TikTok during the first stages of the pandemic has been going on long enough that we might consider it a Shoegaze Revival Revival. All over the world, teens and 20-somethings are rediscovering the revolutionary power and possibilities of picking up a guitar, bass, or

Psychedelia is alive and vibrant in 2024. Musicians worldwide have been exploring the visionary potential of electrical instruments in all manner of new and novel ways, integrating shimmering production and stream-of-consciousness song structures into hip-hop, progressive rock, metal, jazz, and most other genres you can think of. Meanwhile, previously under-appreciated genres are being busted out

I’ve been covering the BFI London Film Festival for over a decade. Each has been its unique experience—like a combustible reaction, in which the films, their directors, and cast bounce off one another in ways you cannot anticipate. It’s difficult to articulate how 20-plus films emotionally and intellectually affected you. While you can say which