PopMatters has joined the Upscrolled social media community. Please follow us there. ⁦‪

Grungegaze is a ubiquitous part of 2026’s rock underground. How did the genre grow from a small group of friends in the 2010s to blossom into a viral internet sensation?

Who knew post-hardcore punk rockers Fugazi were so tough? I’ll never forget the day they strode through my warehouse, and I laid down my tape gun.

Cat Clyde is immensely talented, but 'Mud Blood Bone' is a frustrating listen due to occasional missteps and a questionable cowboy-pop aesthetic. Out on 3/13.

Time doesn't heal all wounds, but we have music to help. Touché Amoré's 'Stage Four' is as raw a statement on grief as there has ever been. The 10th anniversary edition releases on 10 April via @epitaphrecords.bsky.social.

CBGBs was the Big Bang birthing centre for a revolution in rock, and this four-CD set reproduces what shot out of that dark, dank space. 'CBGB & OMFUG: A New York City Soundtrack 1975-1986' is a #PMPick out via @cherryredrecords.bsky.social.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s new LP is strengthened by communal tendencies, meeting bombs in Iran and executions in Minneapolis not with clenched fists of protest, but with hugs. 'We Are Together Again' is a #PMPick out now.

Karim Aïnouz’s films portray characters in states of displacement. In 'Motel Destino', that displacement becomes spatially literal.

Can you imagine the perpetually befuddled Jack Benny as a lothario? He tries his best in these saucy 1930s comedies, courtesy of @kinolorber.com.

The Black Crowes have leaned into the familiar: hard, bluesy rock with just enough acoustic accoutrements to pacify the fans they found touring 25 years ago. 'A Pound of Feathers' is a #PMPick out on Friday.

Lucid Express might be restless and eager to defy pigeonholing and complacency. That's good, but in the process, they've made an album that often feels overstuffed.

On their newest LP, German electronic stalwarts Modeselektor look back on their discography with a spirit of innovation rather than retrospection.

Grungegaze is a ubiquitous part of 2026’s rock underground. How did the genre grow from a small group of friends in the 2010s to blossom into a viral internet sensation?

Remembering Éliane Radigue: Godmother of Drone People say that there are four oceans, but one could reasonably argue that there’s a fifth: the one created by Éliane Radigue and her legion of cosmic drones.

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX half-time show is much more than a choreographic display; it’s a manifesto of political autonomy and joyful visual sovereignty.

Morrissey's 'Make-Up Is a Lie' is a love letter to Paris: schmaltzy, befuddling, arresting, but, most of all, Morrissey.

The Lowest Pair's new record is steady and confident. It sounds like both a journey and its end point, and in finding peace within turbulent seas. 'Always As Young As We'll Ever Be' is out now.

Everybody ought to dive into the wild, eclectic, joyful zydeco of Clifton Chenier. Even the accordion averse might decide they love it. 'King of Louisiana Blues and Zydeco' is a #PMPick out now.

Remembering Éliane Radigue: Godmother of Drone People say that there are four oceans, but one could reasonably argue that there’s a fifth: the one created by Éliane Radigue and her legion of cosmic drones.

Bruno Mars’ fourth solo album, 'The Romantic', is as impeccably crafted as ever, but says nothing new about his place in the world of pop.

The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis make fearless and non-smooth jazz fusion with the clarity and dynamism of post-hardcore that wasn't around in the 1970s. 'Deface the Currency' is a #PMPick out now.

Gloom, glorious gloom, permeates the musical catalogue of Swedish singer-songwriter Fågelle, and her new album 'Bränn min jord' overflows with it.

Connor Armbruster is not only a brilliant musician but a refreshingly restless one. 'Half My House' is a unique and tuneful spin on traditional Irish music. #PMPick

Jay-Z's 1999 Album 'Vol. 3' Is His Most Aggressive In Jay-Z's Vol. 3… Life & Times of S. Carter, the ever-undeterred MC, sounds anything but as he fulminates on one end and tightens his durag on the other. @longreads.com READ: tinyurl.com/Jay-Z1999

Recognizing ourselves within liminal spaces suggests that the self is liminal, fluid, and shifting; contradictory, and resistant to classification.

Herzog’s ‘Aguirre’ and Deodato’s ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ present the Amazon as a space of destruction, survival, and moral reckoning. Both approaches raise ethical questions.

Pop Past Music: Albums Released 15 Years Ago Lucinda Williams - 'Blessed' READ: www.popmatters.com/lucinda-will... Lykke Li – 'Wounded Rhymes' READ: www.popmatters.com/lykke-li-wou... The Rural Alberta Advantage – 'Departing' READ: www.popmatters.com/rural-albert...

INTERVIEW: Born from a cover-song subscription model, Xiu Xiu's latest album unearths the raw humanity in pop confections. Jamie Stewart discusses this and more.

On her eighth album, 'Nothing's About to Happen to Me', singer-songwriter Mitski employs a country-folk sound to reflect peace found in isolation. #PMPick [9/10] REVIEW: tinyurl.com/Mitski2026

Legendary soul singer Mavis Staples draws on classics, old and new, to deliver her own State of the Union address. Her message is more relevant and urgent than ever.

Shane Parish thrives on conceiving projects that seem contradictory and overly challenging, yet come off as effortless and innovative, like his new album, 'Autechre Guitar'. REVIEW: tinyurl.com/ShaneParish26

Cyril Neville and King Youngblood serve up an inspiring gumbo on Fat Tuesday. It's a big year for the artists, a bonus for music fans who appreciate artists who speak out and inspire social change. – @gms111.bsky.social REVIEW: tinyurl.com/CyrilN2026

ALBUMS RELEASED 20 YEARS AGO Mogwai – Mr Beast READ: www.popmatters.com/mogwai-mr-be... Donald Fagen – Morph the Cat READ: www.popmatters.com/donald-fagen... Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood READ: www.popmatters.com/neko-case-fo... Stay tuned for more Pop Past Music later this week.

ElectroMatters: The Best Electronic Music of February 2026 Whatever flavour of electronic you prefer, you'll find something among the music of February 2026. LISTEN: tinyurl.com/ElectroFeb26

GORILLAZ at 25 Are a Cultural Force for the Good Assuming personal stability is necessary for collective betterment, it’s high time that Gorillaz share their newest, loving, bizarre journey with the rest of the world. READ: tinyurl.com/GorillazATR25

ALBUM RELEASED 20 YEARS AGO Elbow – ‘Leaders of the Free World’ www.popmatters.com/elbow-leader... Dilated Peoples – ’20/20′ www.popmatters.com/dilated-peop... The Prodigy – Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005 www.popmatters.com/the-prodigy-... Stay tuned for more Pop Past Music later this week.

'Watterson Hall' offers a glimpse into the mythical Texas that many consider their God-given heritage. William Clark Green personifies a good ol’ boy without any negative stereotypes.

Tōth's 'And the Voice Said' refines his knack for balancing introspection, pop warmth, and unresolved inner tension.

Jackie West grows from her immensely satisfying debut album into a follow-up that sees her taking chances while writing beautiful, emotionally striking music. #PMPick

While the idea of hard-core gringo rockers Mariachi El Bronx covering the hyper-emotional Mexican genre might seem like a goof, the musicians dove in and took it seriously. 'Mariachi El Bronx IV' is out now via @atorecords.bsky.social. INTERVIEW: tinyurl.com/ElBronx26

Japanese crime drama ‘Ichi the Killer’ transcends gangster archetypes, becoming a model of how agony can be elevated to art and self-destruction a powerful form of self-expression.

Squeeze were always ambitious, although never at the expense of fun. TRIXIES is imaginative, impressive, and most importantly, fun. @squeezeofficial.com's TRIXIES is a #PMPick out on 6th March. REVIEW: tinyurl.com/Trixies26

Meg Okura creates a unique musical blend, and her new album with the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble, 'Isaiah', is ambitious and lushly accessible. @MegOkura's 'Isaiah' is out now.

Based on the best tracks on this new synthpop collection, 1979 was a time that drew equally from traditionalist pop songcraft and new musical technology. 'Musik Music Musique 1979' is out now.

INTERVIEW: For Canadian #folk singer-songwriter Lynn Miles, yielding to songwriting is not passivity. It is discipline. Attention. Trust.

Al Stewart’s “Time Passages” Completes His “Year of the Cat” Going from “Year of the Cat” to “Time Passages”—continuing the saga, sort of—means journeying from innocence to experience, adolescence to maturity, the exotic to the philosophical. READ: tinyurl.com/AlStewart76

Massive Attack's 'Blue Lines' Changed Everything 35 Years Ago They provided the first truly viable British response to the then-rising—and stubbornly indigenous—sensibilities of American hip-hop culture.

If 'Love Is Not Enough' announces anything, it's a return to the stark architecture and the blunt-force grammar Converge helped codify. Out now via @epitaphrecords.bsky.social.

Over crafted, textured synths, palpitating rhythms and intricate soundscapes, Felsmann + Tiley's music sounds jaw-droppingly expansive. 'Protomensch' is out now via @muterecords.bsky.social.

Jazz trio the Setting have brought to fruition Eivind Opsvik’s love of 1970s and 1980s synthesizer music, ECM solo guitar albums, and experimental art pop.