From THE BANJO BOYS' beginnings as a "mini-doc" to its fruition as a feature film, Johan and Neil Nayar join musicians Yobu Maligwa and Yosefe Kalenkeni on their journey from simple craft to sensational art. INTERVIEW: tinyurl.com/NayarBanjo

We chat with jazz’s Dave Douglas about his new album, new band, recent record 'Four Freedoms' with a different group, and the road ahead. 'Transcend' is out tomorrow.

This tribute to 'Old No. 1' shows what made Guy Clark so special. The Texan wrote plaintive songs that used quotidian details to express elegiac emotions. 'Old No. 1 Revisited' is a #PMPick out now. REVIEW: tinyurl.com/OldNo1

'Weller at the BBC Vol. 2' is all the proof you need that Paul Weller is still a fiery, intense live act and a vital songwriter, as relevant as ever. #PMPick [9/10] out now.

Tomora's 'Come Closer' exists in its own world with a clear sense of identity forged from Aurora and Tom Rowland's distinctive musical journeys. #PMPick

Poison Ruïn have come closest to their original goal of embedding themselves in the lineage of early punk and post-punk. 'Hymns from the Hills' is a powerful listen. Out now via @relapserecords.bsky.social

We need your help to keep publishing PopMatters. Ads don’t even begin to cover our costs anymore. SAVE 20% on ANNUAL subscriptions right now during our SALE (4/28 - 5/27). No paywalls. No ads. COUPON: NEWSUB26 SIGN UP: tinyurl.com/PopMjoin

🎶 As alternative rock icons, the Afghan Whigs begin a 40th anniversary tour, they whet the appetite for a new album.

🎶 Ghost Hounds’ cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” evokes the feeling that we’re on the edge of something dangerous.

There is far more to the title and meaning of Peter Gabriel's song "In Your Eyes" than meets the eye, as it turns the lover's eyes into a dwelling of belief. Today's LONGREAD: "Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes' and the Love of Myth and Ritual" by Türkü Şahin

Master's Ashes' debut, 'How the Mighty Have Fallen', is a strong reminder of a forgotten time and metal scene, and how brilliant that was.

INTERVIEW: Built with an Old Hammer: Dale Watson's Honky-Tonk Truth The tools haven't changed much. The influences are still there. The approach is the same. Dale Watson is still building, as he puts it, with that old hammer.

Angélique Kidjo's spirits are remarkably high for 2026, and HOPE!! is ebullient against all odds. She faces the trials of the world and sings through them.

The emo institution American Football incorporate alternative rock touchstones like the Cure on their latest superb collection, 'LP4'. #PMPick releasing on 5/1 via @polyvinyl.bsky.social

When even Tori Amos – reliably bold, confrontational, disarming – has found her voice dampened by the ceaseless shock and awe of our daily life, we're in trouble. @toriamos.bsky.social soundtracks our era on 'In Times of Dragons'. #PMPick [9/10] Out on Friday.

Americana band Mildred show how our current ennui can be transcended by friends coming together to perform music, that boredom can be an impetus, not an obstruction, for creativity.

The beauty of this EP lies in Sarah Blasko's creative use of her personal demons to share deep feelings without being overwhelmed by them. 'Forgotten World' is a #PMPick out on Friday. #indiepop

When even Tori Amos – reliably bold, confrontational, disarming – has found her voice dampened by the ceaseless shock and awe of our daily life, we're in trouble. @toriamos.bsky.social soundtracks our era on 'In Times of Dragons'. #PMPick [9/10] Out on Friday.

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of April 2026 Iron Firmament return to lo-fi, Cascadian alchemy, Lividus set up progressive foundations, and Evil Warriors reach new heights. READ: tinyurl.com/Metal0426

Graham Nash's "Teach Your Children" makes a startling statement in complete contrast to the 1960s ethos: you "must have a code". tinyurl.com/GNashCode

We chat with jazz’s Dave Douglas about his new album, new band, recent record 'Four Freedoms' with a different group, and the road ahead. 'Transcend' is out tomorrow.

Frog play with convention, keeping their music genuinely weird, but with a generous helping of songwriting sophistication, and a lot of heart. tinyurl.com/FrogSale

INTERVIEW: Inside Shakey Shakey Graves' Wonderfully Weird World Somewhere between tape hiss and memory, between backyard shows and crowded rooms, Shakey Graves is still digging. tinyurl.com/Shakey26

Wesley Joseph creates a sweeping, ambitious collection of tracks that serves as a vivid self-portrait of a hugely talented new voice in British music. tinyurl.com/WesleyJ26

CHEERS' characters float side-by-side as if suspended in a mug of amber-colored beer, going nowhere and befriending no one, least of all one another. tinyurl.com/Cheers80s

Sound editing is crucial in the Chilean horror film 'A Yard of Jackals'. We see nothing, yet we can imagine everything in rich detail. tinyurl.com/YardJackals

'Live Forever' captures one of the best-sounding tours of 2025, revealing Hurray For the Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra as one of the leading musical voices of the 2020s. #PMPick out now in digital and releasing in physical form on 8th May via @Nonesuch. REVIEW: tinyurl.com/HFTRRLive

Buzzy Chicago band Friko go harder and prettier on their latest album, 'Something Worth Waiting For'. It's destined to be loved by their ever-expanding fanbase. #PMPick out tomorrow via @ATORecords. REVIEW: tinyurl.com/FrikoLP

Bristling with ideas and formations, Stephen Emmer's latest work is so malleable to interpret precisely because the tones and timbre are so universal. #ambient 'Asymmetrical Dot' is a #PMPick out now.

Politically and philosophically, Lucas Santtana's 'Brasiliano' demonstrates wondrous clarity of purpose and boasts consummate musicianship.

Dale Watson sings and writes about love, life, and liquor with equal fervour. He’s a passionate man, whether he’s crooning about yellow mustard or his own death. 'Unwanted' is a #PMPick out on 4/24.

Wesley Joseph creates a sweeping, ambitious collection of tracks that serves as a vivid self-portrait of a hugely talented new voice in British music. 'Forever Ends Someday' is a #PMPick out now via @secretlycndian.bsky.social

The jokes in MONTY PYTHON'S THE LIFE OF BRIAN bristle with ideas about the absurdity of dogma and obedience to power, but the Pythons didn't care about making audiences angry over religious hypocrisy. – Chris Barsanti

INTERVIEW: Inside Shakey Graves' Wonderfully Weird World Somewhere between tape hiss and memory, between backyard shows and crowded rooms, Shakey Graves is still digging. 'Fondness, etc.' is out on 15 May. READ: tinyurl.com/Shakey26

Thin Lear offers so much, from moral anguish and difficult truths to a sound steeped in the best qualities of pop, rock, and folk music from the last half-century. 'Many Disappeared' is a #PMPick [9/10] out on 4/24. REVIEW: tinyurl.com/ThinLear26

🎶 Keith Carne offers a laidback glide through smooth vocals and buoyant electronic horns, with its protagonist recognising the strange beauty of his current stage.

Mr Eazi and King Promise's 'See What We've Done' lands like a pulse check: messy, breathing, and defiantly human. #PMPick "Even at the height of their solo powers, these two are still each other's most effective foils."

The Charlatans' subsequent career has, in hindsight, rendered 'Some Friendly' more valuable than most anyone expected. It's one of their most important. 'Some Friendly (Expanded Edition)' is out now via @beggarsbanquetrecs.bsky.social

ITERAE sees two trailblazing musician-composers, Joseph Branciforte and Jozef Dumoulin, experiment with keyboards and electronics. "ITERAE is a stunning accomplishment." #PMPick

“Making records isn’t for the faint of heart,” notes singer-songwriter Salim Nourallah, who is in the middle of a year when five full-length albums are planned. INTERVIEW: tinyurl.com/SNourallah

It's the moments of calm and quiet that work best on Friko's 'Something Worth Waiting For', which is front-loaded with loud and crowded songs.

With hundreds of millions of record sales and multiple Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, Don Felder’s curious connections to the southern rock pioneers of northeastern Florida have been largely ignored.

Pop Past Music: Albums released 10 years ago Beyoncé – 'Lemonade' READ: tinyurl.com/BeyLimona Kevin Morby – ‘Singing Saw’ READ: tinyurl.com/Morby2016 PJ Harvey – ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’ READ: tinyurl.com/HopeSix SUBSCRIBE: www.popmatters.com/membership-t...

Why Is Tori Amos Thanking Rival Courtney Love? A long-running feud stemming from a 1990s love triangle seems to have cooled off as @toriamos.bsky.social name-checks Courtney Love in her new single, “Shush”.

🎶 Evil Island deliver catchy noise on "Tiger Baby". The group features three members of the Blood Brothers, and the rotting apple doesn't fall far from that tree.

Life spent in retreat and remembrance, darkness invited and dwelled in, despair soothed by melody: that's the Penny Arcade way. 'Double Exposure' is out now.

On 'Optimizer', Stuck crank up the intensity in melody and harmonic texture, layering dominant melodic lines over a foundation of chords and central themes. #PMPick

Jessie Ware is hornier on 'Superbloom' than its predecessors, and that alone makes it more assertive. It's quite possibly her gayest record yet. #PMPick

A Place to Bury Strangers resurrect lost obscurities for a record that paints a map of their past and future simultaneously. Oliver Ackerman describes the process. INTERVIEW: tinyurl.com/APTBS2026

Protest Music from Today’s Folk Troubadours Today’s troubadours travel through cyberspace, and artists like Jessie Welles, Dylan Earl, and Nick Shoulders are at the vanguard of protest music. READ: tinyurl.com/ProtestTrbdrs