Posts by Mark Pursell

In 2014, upon Christine McVie’s announcement that she would be returning to Fleetwood Mac after many years away, Glide writer, Mark Pursell wrote an impressive list story about Christine McVie’s contributions to the band. With her sudden death today at age 79 (11/30) now is a good time to revisit the brilliant musician/songwriter/vocalist’s contributions that made her British twang so beloved…

In the five years since Elly Jackson’s debut album under the La Roux, moniker, she’s clearly gone through a bit of a transition.

If the lyric from “Oysters” of “working my way back to me again” was a goal and creative impetus for this project, one can say without reservation—imperfect as the record is—that Tori Amos has succeeded.

Lykke Li’s new album “I Never Learn” manages the contradictory feat of lingering in your mind without sonically overstaying its welcome.

You wouldn’t necessarily associate the word “wistful” with the name Sharon Van Etten.

If Volume I of Lars Von Trier’s erotic opus was too much, Volume II is a kitchen sink’s worth of misguided excess.

‘Nymphomaniac Volume 1,’ one-half of a four-hour X-rated opus, finds Lars Von Trier up to his old tricks.

It’s not that she’s never played with blues/soul before, but it’s the mission statement of Joan As Police Woman’s fourth album “The Classic,” and serves as the record’s unifying vision.

It’s a mob drama, dontchaknow?

Vibrate does contain some of his very best songs, and for the devoted fan, the deluxe edition is unbeatable. It’s a celebration of the unique, mournful, self-deprecating music of Rufus Wainwright, and, if you’re unfamiliar with his work, not a bad place to start.

Clark’s new album arrives with the same vigor, verve, and unique style that we’ve come to expect from a St. Vincent record, only here those qualities are turned up and carefully honed, resulting in a collection of songs that are among her most audacious and intriguing to date.

In early 2014, Fleetwood Mac announced that McVie would be rejoining the band after a long hiatus. There are plans to tour; some are even hoping for a new record. In the spirit of McVie’s return, let’s revisit fifteen of her most accomplished, most enduring contributions to Fleetwood Mac, and remind ourselves of what an integral strand she is in the band’s superstar DNA.

For the misanthrope, the cynic, the atheist, the solitary, and the anti-consumerist among us, there are some “Christmas” movies which encapsulate the spirit of the season while not shying away from its dark underbelly.

Some of them are mainstays of the mainstream fringe; some have mainstream popularity despite their fringe sensibilities. And some are only just beginning to gain recognition. Regardless: Give these records a listen.

Shirley Manson recently lamented the lack of excitement and eclecticism in modern female pop and rock music. Ironically, though, 2013 music has been dominated by females (from Neko Case to Miley Cyrus).

Mark Pursell takes a closer look at this schizophrenic Bollywood trainwreck.

In the spirit of Halloween, Mark Pursell goes long on 10 witches that have shaped our culture.