Patrick Gill

Ohio, United Kingdom

Journalist at PopMatters

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Articles

The Hold Steady's 'Separation Sunday' Remains a Dense and Brilliant Masterpiece " PopMatters

2 days ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

Separation Sunday Frenchkiss The first time I heard the Hold Steady’s Separation Sunday, I thought there must be some kind of mistake. This couldn’t be the band earning critical acclaim and making year-end lists. Who would want to listen to some guy scat-singing over bar music, especially this obscure kind that integrated blues guitar licks, organ notes, and tender piano chords as if it were all part of the same style?
Goose's Attempt to Solve the Studio Album Puzzle Is Superb " PopMatters

2 weeks ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

Everything Must Go No Coincidence The most popular jam bands have a tough go of it when it comes to studio albums. They will never capture the singularity of a live show, which varies not just in terms of setlist but in how each song is played. What ends up being featured, the length of a jam, or a nod to another work gets cemented in lore and shared amongst fans, like a badge of honor they wear just because they heard it or, God-forbid, they were there.
Beirut's 'A Study of Losses' Is an Impressive Feat " PopMatters

3 weeks ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

A Study of Losses Pompeii At nearly an hour runtime, Beirut’s A Study of Losses is Zach Condon‘s most extended release to date. Condon was approached by Viktoria Dalborg, director of the Swedish circus Kompani Giraff, and asked if he would create music for their next project, based on the novel (translated as) An Inventory of Losses by the German author Judith Schalansky. If you’re thinking that’s a very specific request and relatively obscure, you’re not alone.
Tunde Adebimpe's Rare Talent Comes Into Sharp Focus " PopMatters

3 weeks ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

Thee Black Boltz Sub Pop Tunde Adebimpe is best known for his work with TV on the Radio, a band he co-founded and serves as co-vocalist and principal songwriter. TV on the Radio are distinguishable from their indie rock peers, not just because the members are mostly Black, but due to the creative energy they bring to the process.
Bon Iver Finds Inner Peace on 'SABLE, fABLE' " PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

SABLE, fABLE Jagjaguwar Bon Iver purists may feel a familiar sense of frustration after listening to Justin Vernon’s fifth studio album, SABLE, fABLE. On the one hand, the record includes the SABLE EP (2024), which features three strong tracks, including the unmatched “S P E Y S I D E”. That offering hinted at a return to form, even if it included odd capitalization and punctuation choices (are those spaces in the song title?).
Okkervil River's ‘Black Sheep Boy’ Is Still Brilliant at 20 " PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

Black Sheep Boy Jagjaguwar In 2005, it would have been impossible for Will Sheff to believe that Black Sheep Boy would be Okkervil River’s high-water mark. He was on such a creative streak that Black Sheep Boy Appendix, released the following year, actually included a few songs (“No Key, No Plan”, “Another Radio Song”) that rivaled anything on the record.
Sharp Pins' 'Radio DDR' on Vinyl Is a Rewarding Lo-Fi Listen " PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

Radio DDR K Records / Perennial The expanded edition of Radio DDR puts Sharp Pins on the map and brings some welcome attention to this tight-knit Chicago scene. Kai Slater is not only the primary songwriter and multi-instrumentalist for Dwaal Troup, the guitarist for punk and noise rock band Lifeguard, and the creator of the Hallogallo zine, but he also releases music as Sharp Pins.
Japanese Breakfast Find Inspiration in the Past » PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) Dead Oceans For Michelle Zauner, it had to be hard coming down from the high she was on following Japanese Breakfast’s breakthrough album Jubilee (2021) and bestselling memoir Crying in H Mart, released that same year. While both were acclaimed triumphs, fans were less surprised by Jubilee’s success than that of her tender and heartbreaking story.
Jesse Welles Sounds Assured on the Multidimensional 'Middle' " PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

Middle Independent Chances are you have never heard of Jesse Welles. If you have, it’s likely because you’ve been pulled into his orbit filled with weekly viral videos and social commentary. If you’re still listening, one can assume your views align with his progressive politics. Even if Welles builds on a history of protest music, he has a way of pointing out imbalances in power, stupidity, and atrocities in a frank and darkly comical manner that feels refreshing.
Queens of the Stone Age Played Long Game with 'Lullabies to Paralyze' " PopMatters

2 months ago | popmatters.com | Patrick Gill

Lullabies to Paralyze Interscope Josh Homme formed Queens of the Stone Age from the ashes of the heavier stoner rock band, Kyuss, which broke up in the mid-1990s. The Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age Split EP contained the final studio recordings of his former group but also introduced the world to his new act with, most notably, “If Only Everything” (included on their 1998 self-titled debut as simply “If Only”).