Mothra Is Luminous as an Icon of Soft Power and Femininity Whether defending her eggs, the Earth, or the people and kaiju she values, Mothra has consistently demonstrated caregiving instincts that finally have a lucid source in her feminine creator, Ajigo. READ: tinyurl.com/MothraSoftFem

How the Beatles Hurt American Folk Music For many American musicians at the time, the Beatles and the British Invasion of 1964 detrimentally slowed the creative evolution of American folk music. @longreads.com READ: tinyurl.com/BeatlesFolk

Sonetos del Amor Oscuro adapt seven works by Federico García Lorca into six artful tracks that interpret not only his words but also the spirit of his final works to poignant effect. #PMPick

INTERVIEW: Girls Against Boys singer Scott McCloud goes solo with a compelling collection of songs focused on the passage of time and the memories that last, even as they evolve.

The 'Tron' film series is more than a sci-fi adventure: it is a modern, neon-drenched reinterpretation of Hellraiser's horror mythos, but with a more family-friendly vibe.

San Francisco's Magic Fig combine the gentler side of 1970s prog-rock with dashes of 1960s psychedelic folk and 1980s video game-style synths on 'Valerian Tea'. READ: tinyurl.com/MagicFig

Sassy 009 journeys between the conscious and subconscious on 'Dreamer+'. It's explored through a dynamic blend of twitchy hyperpop, rumbling acid techno, and 1990s trip-hop. #PMPick READ: tinyurl.com/Sassy009

The 25 Best Space Disco Songs of 1976-1986 These songs feature outer space on the dance floor, from the avant-garde to 'Star Wars' commercialism and beyond. #disco #scifi READ: tinyurl.com/SpaceDisco1

Director André Gaines’ thriller ‘The Dutchman’ is a playful meta-narrative with a strange, haunting presence that has the visceral feel of a nightmare. READ: tinyurl.com/DtchmnFD

Why Dua Lipa Is the Queen of Technopopulism? Dua Lipa doesn't just perform songs; she executes a glitch-free protocol of joy that mirrors the fantasies of modern technopopulism. READ: tinyurl.com/DLupaTechPop

The post-rock ambient instrumental quintet Pullman's first album in 25 years is a mysterious, rough-hewn delight. #PMPick out now via @westernvinyl.bsky.social

Indie institution Xiu Xiu transform the sound of a diverse set of tracks to emphasize the darkness and despair lurking within them. 'Xiu Mutha Fuckin' Xiu: Vol. 1' is a #PMPick out now via @polyvinyl.bsky.social

'Locket' is a slow-and-steady evolution of Madison Beer's best features. It's a highly satisfying, seductive, heartbreaking and heartbroken pop opus.

Talk Talk's Lost Chapter: 'The Colour of Spring' at 40 With its organic instrumentation and ecological visual and lyrical sensibility, Talk Talk's third album was a holistic concept rooted in the natural world. READ: tinyurl.com/TalkTalk40

THE 15 LANDMARK DANCE TRACKS OF 1991 These songs–some pure, some nearer pop–that tell the story of what the form was up to in 1991. #EDM #dance #electronic

THE BEST TV OF 2025 YOU MAY HAVE MISSED These include a show that’s ludicrously funny, one filled with scattershot mayhem, one that’s brutal and macabre, and a surreal comedy.

Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' 50th-anniversary deluxe edition is a perfect 10.

THE 15 LANDMARK DANCE TRACKS OF 1991 These songs–some pure, some nearer pop–that tell the story of what the form was up to in 1991. #EDM #dance #electronic

The Joker provides a keen understanding of the deleterious effects of American neoliberalism, which the authors dismantle in ‘Send in the Clowns’ with a mordant deadpan wit. READ: tinyurl.com/JokerNeo

At the half-century mark, 'Wish You Were Here 50' gives Pink Floyd the long-overdue royal treatment. The 'Wish You Were Here' 50th-anniversary deluxe edition is a perfect 10. #PMPick

Mike Mattison's third release as a band leader is a concept album based upon a novella he wrote about a fictional 1930s country blues act, Ted 'n' Turk. 'Turn a Midnight Corner' is out now.

Multi-instrumentalist composer Robert Stillman finds warmth and humanity among the weirdness on his striking new album, '10,000 Rivers'. #PMPick READ: tinyurl.com/RStillman26

Let's Eat Grandma's Jenny on Holiday captures love's emotions on an intimate, confessional record wrapped in a glossy, pretty synthpop package. #PMPick READ: tinyurl.com/JennyOnHol

The 20 Most Memorable Songs of 1991 Our 'Nevermind Nostalgia' special section revisits the music of 1991, when Nirvana launched grunge into the mainstream. READ: tinyurl.com/20songs1991

INTERVIEW: Guitarist Steve Tibbetts Creates Beautiful Chaos The remarkably original Steve Tibbetts discusses his process and inspirations, and where he will take this guitar to conjure even more truly singular statements. READ: tinyurl.com/Tibbetts25

Capitalism’s moral rot is tracked in three NYC films: from heroin dealers who risk arrest to insider traders who risk indictment to men in masks who risk nothing at all. READ: tinyurl.com/CapitalRotNYC

Jazz drummer Al Foster sounds like a miracle of melody, polyrhythm, and listening on this beautiful album, 'Live at Smoke'.

"Algeria’s Imarhan may be one of tishoumaren’s most dynamic contemporary acts, and on Essam, they only get more interesting." @popmatters.com Read the 9/10 review here: www.popmatters.com/imarhan-plug...

These 12 new self-penned tracks demonstrate that the James Hunter Six have found their niche and discovered how to exploit the groove. 'Off the Fence' is a #PMPick out Friday. REVIEW: tinyurl.com/JamesHunter6

Girls Against Boys' Scott McCloud shares his new single, the title track from his upcoming album, 'Make It to Forever', out on 30th January. 🎶 LISTEN: tinyurl.com/McCloud2026

Band of Horses share their new single "(Biding Time Is a) Boat to Row", a bonus track from the upcoming 20th anniversary edition of 'Everything All The Time' out 3/20 via @subpop.bsky.social. 🎶 LISTEN: tinyurl.com/BofHorses26

INTERVIEW: Guitarist Steve Tibbetts Creates Beautiful Chaos The remarkably original Steve Tibbetts discusses his process and inspirations, and where he will take this guitar to conjure even more truly singular statements. READ: tinyurl.com/Tibbetts25

Iconic 1960s ‘It Girl’ Jane Birkin Finally Gets Some Respect Biographer Marisa Meltzer accentuates the inner depth of her talented subject in her new book, It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin. READ: tinyurl.com/BirkinItGirl

Algeria's Imarhan may be one of tishoumaren's most dynamic contemporary acts, and on 'Essam', they only get more interesting. #PMPick [9/10] out Friday. REVIEW: tinyurl.com/Imarhan26

10 Best Hip-Hop Songs of 1991 These #hip-hop tracks lean more towards beat production than the era's popular gangsta genre because hip-hop’s militancy reinvents itself every few years. READ: tinyurl.com/HipHop1991

PREMIERE: Alternative country artist Aubrie Sellers goes "Subatomic" on new concept album and podcast. Sellers' new single is out today, and her podcast launches tomorrow. Her latest LP, 'Attachment Theory', is out on 20 March. READ: tinyurl.com/AubrieSellers

With 'Makaya', Wesli places Haiti on a deeply interconnected world map and underscores the power of creative acts of solidarity and revolution. READ: tinyurl.com/Wesli25

INTERVIEW: Translating 'Mothra' Is Trickier Than Capturing Godzilla Professor of Japanese Jeffrey Angles discusses the perils and pleasures of translating Mothra’s tri-authored origin tale, 'The Luminous Fairies and Mothra', into English. READ: tinyurl.com/MothraTrnsltn

INTERVIEW: Carminho says Portuguese #fado is, in some ways, analogous to punk because of its spontaneity and spilling over of raw emotions.

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of December 2025 READ: tinyurl.com/BestMetal2512

To Save and Project 2026 Nails Cutting-Edge Film Restoration The offerings include an early talkie that rivals Alfred Hitchcock and an overall fascinating glimpse of film and real history. READ: tinyurl.com/SaveFilmRestor

PopMatters returns to full publishing on 12th January.

Playlist: The Best New Holiday Songs: tinyurl.com/HolidayPL25 #holidays #Playlist #Christmas #Christmasmusic

Playlist: The Best New Holiday Songs: tinyurl.com/HolidayPL25 #holidays #Playlist #Christmas #Christmasmusic

The Best Books of 2025: tinyurl.com/BooksBest25

The Best Books of 2025: tinyurl.com/BooksBest25

As we nestle into our hibernation pods for the holidays this week, we got an early gift from @popmatters.com who listed an astonishing -SIX- of our titles on their Best DVDs of 2025 list! We are absolutely gobsmacked and honored to not only be listed here, but simply to be among some of

The Best DVDs of 2025 These are the works of serious auteurs whose films will stick in your brain like haunting melodies or shards of glass. READ: tinyurl.com/BestDVDs25

The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle is adept at carving patterns, often creating threads in his music by returning to idols that are both familiar and ever-evolving.