
Blur announced some massive Wembley gigs and that was that, right? Wrong. They have surprised everyone by announcing a new album! It’s called The Ballad of Darren and is out July 21 via Parlophone. Their first since ‘The Magic Whip’. And there’s a new song too, called ‘The Narcissist.’ Damon Albarn: “This is an aftershock record, reflection and…

Donald Trump’s use of ‘YMCA’ (and to a lesser degree, ‘Macho Man’) by the Village People has been a curious thing. For someone who is, and represents everything virulently homophobic and a whole other bunch of phobics in the US, it’s particularly strange that he’d plump for a song that is not only very camp,…

You’ve invariably picked up a Beatle LP, seen that famous green apple, got an emorous sense of well-being, and got on with your day (unless you’re one of those terrible hipsters who think it’s fashionable to hate The Beatles – you do you, boo). Anyway, the famous split apple across two sides of a Beatle…

The late Japanese composer and Yellow Magic Orchestra founder Ryuichi Sakamoto’s management have shared the last playlist compiled by the late, great musician. Calling it ‘Ryuichi’s Last Playlist’, they wrote: “We would like to share the playlist that Ryuichi had been privately compiling to be played at his own funeral to accompany his passing. He…

When SBTRKT were around last time, they were known for their forward thinking dancefloor chuggers, designed for those kids who weren’t necessarily into dance music and a bit frightened of Techno Lads on pills, but still wanted to scuff their sneakers up on the dirty dancefloors. ‘Pharaohs’ and ‘Wildlife’ were solid gold bangers, but in…

He sold the idea of cooking to hipsters too cool to watch regular TV, he’s got a lot of tattoos, was in The Bear, is a restauranteur and all that jazz – now, Matty Matheson has announced he’s got a hardcore band called Pig Pen. He’s announced this on socials, so if you’re a fan,…

We’ve heard a lot about the woes of the working classes in art and music of late, and it’s true, that it is harder than ever for people from low-income backgrounds to make it to the big stages, lacking the financial cushion of wealthy families while they’re scrabbling to get heard. Wigan indie band The…

In the hardcore scene, one of the most interesting bands have been GEL, who managed to wear a myriad of influences in their music without being too reverential to any. Sadly, they are no more and it has all been levelled at one particular bandmate, Anthony Webster. Webster was given the boot from the band…

In the streaming era, the chart companies have reacted slowly to those who were able to fudge stats and wriggle in the margins to get more plays, or contribute to the data to give them inflated chart positions. Once upon a time, it was Payola, and now there’s something else going on. Overly long LPs…
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