Jack Bruce: The Thinking Man’s Golden God
Sean MurphyThe recently-departed Jack Bruce could have had no complaints. He made history, he made records that made people happy, and he made some money along the way. Still, as one-third…
Gary Clark, Jr.: Live Proves that Hearing is Believing
Over the years I’ve found myself defending bands who cover classic blues, ranging from the good (Yardbirds, Animals), to the occasionally good (Rolling Stones, Beatles), to the occasionally great (Led…
Hurricane Music, Sandy Style (Two Years Later)
Let's just get right into it. Some of Young's finest blistering guitar fury. Led Zep may have had the hammer of the gods, but there were four of them; Neil…
Rush’s Hemispheres: 36 Years Ago Today
Wow, 1978 was a long time ago, eh? I still vividly recall procuring this one on compact disc (!) on the last day of school, in 1987 (!) back when…
Lou Reed: Rock and Roll’s Dark, Beautiful Heart: One Year Later
EVERYONE WHO JOINS A ROCK BAND WANTS TO BE HEARD. The good ones want to be unique, while the pretenders tend to imitate what has already been done. The soulless…
Butch Warren, R.I.P. (One Year Later)
I know I sound like a broken record on these occasions but the simple fact of the matter is this: there are artists leaving our planet who can't --and in…
Sleater-Kinney: The Woods
Cont'd: PopMatters is doing some heavy lifting in the service of setting the historical record straight. Starting today, they are assessing the Top 100 albums of the last decade. I…
Iron And Wine: The Shepherd’s Dog
PopMatters is doing some heavy lifting in the service of setting the historical record straight. Starting today, they are assessing the Top 100 albums of the last decade. I contributed…
How About Some Unironic Love for Emerson, Lake & Palmer?
Here are three words that strike fear in the hearts of all those allergic to prog rock: Emerson. Lake. Palmer. Popular enough to have several songs still in the regular…
Love Is Old, Love Is New: Another Appreciation of ‘Abbey Road’ (Revisited, “New Shit” Edition)
"New shit," as the Dude said, "has come to light." I was unaware of this, but have now seen the light. Let it shine until tomorrow. Let it be. I…