20 of the Best New Wave Albums by Rock/Pop Artists
As the 1980s dawned and punk began to morph into new wave, many established artists altered their style to reach new audiences. We look at 20 of them.
Featured: Top of Home Page
How Nirvana Destroyed Rock’s Toxic Masculinity
Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain despised rock music’s posturing machismo, mocked its fundamental assumptions, and then utterly destroyed the genre.
Natalia Lafourcade Gains New Perspective with a Powerful Alter Ego
By adopting a new persona, Natalia Lafourcade delves deeper into her folkloric sonic landscape, uncovering new perspectives along the way.
The 10 Best ’80s and ’90s Love Songs For Wounded Idealists
These ten love songs, marked by devotion, candor, emotional intensity, and touches of pain, invite perceptive listeners to unearth the simmering drama.
BottleRock Napa Valley Is Blissful with Musical Fireworks
“Music is a great healer, it’s straight to the divine, it’s beautiful,” Anders Osborne says summing up what makes the annual BottleRock weekend so special.
Kid Rock’s Trumpian Roots and Branches
In southern rock, Kid Rock, and bro-country, do we see the building blocks for a future state-sponsored rock culture?
The 15 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015
No year in the best hip-hop was as eclectic as 2015, representing various gender identities, sexualities, geographies, worldviews, and genre infusions.
Is Superman Jewish?
Marketplace expectations and cultural norms around race and the body in America explain why Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave Superman a specific identity.
The 12 Best Brian Wilson Songs
From massive hits to experimental pop compositions, Brian Wilson’s music is always thoughtful, idiosyncratic, and as thrilling today as it was in the 1960s.
‘Rotten Legacy’ and Morality in Child-Rearing
Netflix drama Rotten Legacy explores the often contradictory and haunting lessons in morality our children inherit.
Music/Feature Sub Head/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Lists/Music Features/Pop Past/PopMatters Picks
The 15 Best Americana Albums of 2015
The best Americana albums of 2015 spoke to our collective nature, furthering the examination of the human condition while adding their own new touches.
Music/Feature Sub Head/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Lists/MetalMatters/Music Features/PopMatters Picks/Reviews
MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of May 2025
In May’s best metal albums, Pelican turn back the clock, Drouth ascend to black/death glory, and Obsidian Tongue relish the early Agalloch-ian teachings.