Katy Perry Stumbles on Her Latest Album ‘143’
Katy Perry’s 143 sounds out of step with current pop, and there isn’t much here that is so eccentric and creative to justify the album’s relative mediocrity.
Music
Ambient Composer Rafael Anton Irisarri’s Dispersion of Belief
For a record conceived of following the 2016 US election and a global pandemic, ambient maestro Rafael Anton Irisarri is ready to soundtrack our downfall.
Punk Troubadour Manu Chao Returns After 17 Years
Latin alternative artist Manu Chao sings for a better future on his first album in 17 years, Viva Tu. This music is meant to be lived with.
Floating Points Returns to Electronic Music with ‘Cascade’
Floating Points’ Cascade is a bassy, minimalistic swirl of house, techno, and ambiance to be enjoyed on the dancefloor or as the backdrop to solo introspection.
Clinic Stars Blend 1990s Slowcore and Dream Pop on ‘Only Hinting’
Detroit’s Clinic Stars draw you into their gauzy, poetic interior world and weave a cozy afghan of 1990s slowcore and dream pop on their debut LP, Only Hinting.
Americana’s Shelby Lynne Writes Through the Pain
Americana singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne talks to PopMatters about her acclaimed new album, Consequences of the Crown, and the long road it took to get here.
Skank’s Postmodern ‘Calango’ Keeps Trippin’ at 30
Skank’s Calango mixes Jamaican reggae, Latin percussion, keyboards, and guitars into a blend that sounds very much from Brazil and yet completely alien.
Jamie xx Arrives Fashionably Late with ‘In Waves’
Nearly a decade after his debut, Jamie xx returns with a long-awaited sophomore LP that stylishly swells and retreats with danceable beats and moody romanticism.
Brainy Jazz Saxophonist Walter Smith III Returns to His Texas Roots
For his new jazz album, Walter Smith III discovers new inspiration in the Houston of his childhood to create his most fully realized work yet.
Swiss Duo Citron Citron Make Minimalist Art Pop on ‘Maréeternelle’
Citron Citron’s Maréeternelle is accessible avant-garde pop still edging toward highbrow. It highlights the ultramodern sounds coming from Geneva’s underground.
Otis Shanty Make Jangle Pop Magic ‘Up on the Hill’
With Up on the Hill, Otis Shanty have taken the guitar-based, dream pop template and reinvented it beautifully for a new era.
The Far-Reaching Legacy of Tonny Brasil’s Tecnobrega Song “Lana”
There are debates about technobrega’s origins, but tracking its history leads us to one artist and one song: “Lana” by Tonny Brasil.