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Friday, November 8th, 2024  

Album Reviews

Every Inch of Earth Pulsates

W.H. Lung
Every Inch of Earth Pulsates

Nov 08, 2024 Web Exclusive

On their third album, Every Inch of Earth Pulsates, W.H. Lung decided to adopt a more instinctive approach to songwriting, focusing on attempting to capture the electric energy of their remarkable live performances.

Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980)

Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980)

Nov 07, 2024 Web Exclusive

The fourth volume in Joni Mitchell’s Archives series spans a period that finds her evolving as the most daring popular artist of that time.

Cutouts

The Smile
Cutouts

Nov 05, 2024 Web Exclusive

Reviewing any album involving Thom Yorke, especially in conjunction with collaborator Jonny Greenwood, inevitably invites comparisons to their work with Radiohead.

Classic Interviews

Nate Kinsella on Birthmark’s “Birth of Omni”

Nate Kinsella on Birthmark’s “Birth of Omni”
Fatherly Advice

Jan 23, 2024 Web Exclusive

Major life events often give way to seismic perspective shifts, and for Nate Kinsella, the introduction to fatherhood in recent years has spilled over into not only new feelings and experiences but a new way of viewing his own artistry.

Comic Book Reviews

Second Hand Love

Second Hand Love
Drawn & Quarterly

Sep 06, 2024 Web Exclusive

Yamada Murasaki never received international acclaim during her lifetime. But now, thanks to Drawn & Quarterly’s excellent English language translations of her work, the groundbreaking manga artist is starting to get some of her much deserved recognition. Second Hand Love builds on the outstanding 2022 release, Talk to My Back, and contains two of the author’s most important stories: “A Blue Flame” and “Second Hand Love.”

Book Reviews

Fathers and Fugitives

S.J. Naudé
Fathers and Fugitives

Nov 05, 2024

In a brief 214 pages, Fathers and Fugitives feels like several novels in one. The stories blend together furiously, taking the reader on a wild, incomprehensible ride.

Interviews

Self-Portrait: Matthew Caws of Nada Surf

Self-Portrait: Matthew Caws of Nada Surf

Oct 29, 2024 Issue #73 - Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya

For our recurring Self-Portrait feature, we ask musicians to take a self-portrait photo (or paint/draw a self-portrait) and write a list of personal things about themselves, things that their fans might not already know about them. This Self-Portrait is by Matthew Caws of Nada Surf.

The Second Draft of History: Inside Elliott Smith’s Recording of “From a Basement on the Hill”

The Second Draft of History: Inside Elliott Smith’s Recording of “From a Basement on the Hill”

Oct 22, 2024 Issue #69 - 20th Anniversary Issue

In the fall of 2004, Rob Schnapf and Joanna Bolme didn’t really want to talk to the press. Having combed through 45 hours of material to assemble the final Elliott Smith album, From a Basement on the Hill, they were the only logical choices to field the questions Smith was no longer around to answer.

Pleased to meet you

The Pill Interview – Making Mischief and Embracing Fun

Oct 25, 2024

​In a lively interview, Lottie Massey and Lily Hutchings of The Pill, discuss the inevitable comparisons to Wet Leg, their fun and carefree approach to music, bad driving, dodgy builders, on line trolls and their recent record deal with AWAL

Lists

Seven Music Documentary Films and Series From 2024 to Watch (and Three to Skip)

Jun 16, 2024

Music documentaries and series are a sure thing, or so it seems. 2024 has seen quite a few of them hit theatres and even more turn up on streamers. Among these are the high-profile ones such as the newly restored 1970 film, The Beatles: Let it Be and Frank Marshall’s The Beach Boys, not to mention Taylor Swift|The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), all on Disney+. Lil Nas X released his interpretation of Madonna’s Truth or Dare with his behind-the-scenes tour film, Long Live Montero (HBO). There is also Eno, the groundbreaking generative documentary feature on Brian Eno. Just as fascinating as the biographical docs are topical ones such as the recently released How Music Got Free (Paramount+).

Coming soon is Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple (HBO), which shines a much deserved spotlight on the multi-hyphenate talent, and I Am: Celine Dion (Prime Movies), which shares the singer’s challenges with Moersch-Woltman Syndrome.

Whether or not you’re into the artists, subjects, or the music, there is a voyeuristic and vicarious thrill in watching musicians, both in their professional setting and personal lives. Music documentary films and series are often worth the time—except when they’re not. Here are seven must-watch music docs and series released in 2024, and three from this year that you can skip.—By Lily Moayeri

Live reviews

The Cure @ Troxy, London, Uk, November 1, 2024

The Cure @ Troxy, London, Uk, November 1, 2024

Nov 04, 2024 By Dom Gourlay

The Cure celebrated the release of their first new album for 16 years by playing it in full followed by two hours of greatest hits and deep cuts from the band’s glorious back catalogue.