Masters of mystery, Radiohead’s modus operandi manifests into various fan theories—particularly Binary Theory—which becomes brilliant music marketing. tinyurl.com/Radiohead26

In Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It’s a Wonderful Life, America’s Most Beloved Holiday Film, we are reminded of what we need in our times. READ: tinyurl.com/WonderLife1

Heard amid aging, caregiving, and family violence, the Velvet Underground’s “Stephanie Says” captures how solitude confines Gen X women. tinyurl.com/GenXVU26

If the detective story assumes that exposure brings understanding, and understanding brings justice, it mirrors the liberal belief in open information and discourse. In 'Chinatown', however, the truth is often already visible. tinyurl.com/Chinatown26

Indianapolis indie poppers Wishy take their sound to a new level of craftsmanship and catchiness with 'Nature's Pill'. It’s one of the year’s best records. #PMPick [9/10] tinyurl.com/Wishy2026

Billy Strings is not your typical bluegrass picker. He blends rock, metal, blues, and psychedelia to seamlessly enter arena-rock territory. We cover his two-night Oakland bonanza. tinyurl.com/BStrings26

Calling Antonín from James Brandon Lewis’ Red Lily band is another rollicking but meaningful statement from one of the most vital artists in creative music. tinyurl.com/JBLewis26

V.V. Lightbody’s new LP sports shimmering guitars, warm production, gentle, infectious rhythms, and bits of flutes, synths, and strings that give the songs a lush feel. tinyurl.com/VVLight

On 'Through to Us', Matthew O'Neill names his more-than-human contributors by species and crafts an album that encourages deep listening. #ambient tinyurl.com/MONeill2026

“‘My mother wouldn’t let me play left-handed,’ he sighs. ‘A waste of time. Slim Whitman was an American singer who played on his left. I wrote to him [laughs uproariously]. I didn’t get a reply.’” popmatters.com/gilbert-osull…

“Drone footage hovers above blocks, if not miles, of destroyed buildings. Groups of people appear like small dots, walking along the streets cleared between the ruins. The images recall Japanese and German cities at the end of World War II. I thought, ‘It looks just like a movie.’” popmatters.com/american-doct…

'Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It’s a Wonderful Life, America’s Most Beloved Holiday Film' [@Hanover_Square] reminds us what we need in our times. tinyurl.com/WonderLife1

Clara Mann's 'Wishbone' posits that even if love isn’t predicated on chance, it doesn't lose its poetic appeal. That's why love is poetry: it chooses you. 'Wishbone' is a [9/10] out Friday. tinyurl.com/ClaraMann1

Ziemba's 'The Braid' is a sophisti-pop masterpiece She says the music "dances through genres while plumbing the crystalline caverns of the soul". I'd kill to have written that line; it's so accurate. #PMPick [9/10] tinyurl.com/Ziemba26

Cristian Mungiu’s hot-button legal drama 'Fjord' wraps messy arguments about religion and secularism into a provocative but too-tidy package. tinyurl.com/Fjord2026

North Carolina indie rock band Cor de Lux have released one of the year's essential indie rock records, and they did it their way. Dawn Moraga discusses their work. 'Year of the Horse' is a #PMPick out now via @IpecacRec. INTERVIEW: tinyurl.com/CorDeLux1