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.
05.03.2026 16:32
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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.
@muterecords.bsky.social @awalofficial.bsky.social
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
