PopMatters

The attention economy is built upon passivity. Yet the Sick Man of Europe's music is a pail of cold water to wake us up in the age of complicity.

These ten books are not a poptimist syllabus, but they represent some of the best music writing of the 21st century on pop music.

Satyajit Ray's Days and Nights in the Forest deepens as you wander further into its bucolic details, where things aren't as serene and picturesque as they seem.

Yes, Deadheads came for the music, but also for the possibility of a life outside the bounds of straight society; something vaguely criminal and very American noir.

An exhilarating Friday featuring Wet Leg, Sierra Ferrell, Geese, Turnstile and Charli XCX brings rock back to San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival in a big way.

Distance in Static is like a conversation between two halves of Bonobo's brain. It's a bold statement and shows him finding new ways to connect with audiences.

A Place for Owls' new album demonstrates the fruitfulness of collaborating with others, whether that looks like leaning on them or borrowing from them.

Less energetic than Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver's Partita still captivates with its story of idealists waylaid by class and tragedy.

Emo Revival author Andrew Sacher discusses the importance of the 2010s emo explosion in his new scene history, which is a must-read.

Venice Film Festival's steamiest premiere, Primetime, does a filthy dive into the twisted minds of American reality television's apex predators.