The Pop Corporation

WORDS ABOUT MUSIC + POP CULTURE

  • THE STORY OF KING CURTIS

    To many, King Curtis is the emotional saxophone at the start of Withnail & I, as his take on ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ drifts over the two unfortunate souls in ’60s London. To others, he’s the blistering sound that made Aretha’s ‘Respect’ pop so hard, as well as ‘Yakety Yak’ by The Coasters and…

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  • ELLIOTT SMITH’S TEENAGE BAND

    Elliott Smith has basically become something of an American Nick Drake – gone too soon and a voice for sensitive and introverted around the world’s bedrooms. Of course, there’s joy in both of their music and so much to love, but it’s the downer, depressed element that made both artists so enigmatic. And when you…

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  • MORE UNEARTHED STEELY DAN

    By now, you’re probably aware of the unearthed and lost track ‘The Second Arrangement‘ by Gaucho-era Steely Dan seeing the light of day. This new bit of news isn’t quite that level, but it’s still fun stuff! A performance of ‘Reelin’ In The Years’ from the Midnight Special has turned up online and finds the…

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  • CHECK OUT THE VEGAS SPHERE // PURE MADNESS

    Venues are every bit as interesting as the bands that play them, and there’s a new one over in Vegas which is psychedelically odd. It’s fun, even if a bit of a mind melter. Technically, it’s called the MSG Sphere (that’s Madison Square Garden, not the stuff you put in food) and it’s innards are…

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  • BOMBINO BACK WITH NEW TUAREG HOT SHIT

    You may not know Bombino, but listen to the song below and you’ll wish you did already. Bombino is a Nigerian artist who sings in Tamasheq and was the subject of the movie ‘Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion’. It’s heavy political music, but also joyful and psychedelic in places, and his music sprung out…

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  • IF THERE’S A FARAWAY LOOK IN YOUR BARISTA’S EYES, THIS IS WHY

    Listen, there’s been a lot of heartache in the service industry of late, and that’s because Taylor Swift tickets are nigh-on impossible to get hold of. Obviously, we haven’t tried because 1. We’re too cynical to enjoy her music 2. We’re too cynical to even join a Ticketmaster queue 99% of the time. This month,…

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  • NEW SAMPHA

    Sampha is back with new music and seeing as he’s one of the most interesting and unique voices in UK pop, that’s good news isn’t it? That’s rhetorical. Yes it is. This is his first single in six years, and it’s called ‘Spirit 2.0’. He’s not been lazy in the interim though – he’s been on…

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  • LIVE // ROISIN MURPHY // TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

    It’s kind of annoying to refer to any musician by comparing them to someone else, but there’s this unavoidable thing with disco and dance music that makes you look at certain performers like they’re carrying the torch for the scene. Sure, there’s a lot of people who have employed house and whatnot into their music,…

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  • ELIZABETH FRASER GOES KOSMICHE

    Cocteau Twin Elizabeth Fraser has teamed up with Damon Reece who is Massive Attack’s drummer for a project called Sun’s Signature and there’s a new thing to lend your ear to. The track is called ‘Bluedusk’ and has been remixed by Lump. The band’s debut LP came out last year, but now, there’s an extended…

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  • KEIRON HEBDEN X WILLIAM TYLER

    Hey Four Tet fans! Keiran Hebden and William Tyler have released a new single called ‘Darkness, Darkness’ and we’re going to share the b-side from it because it’s a great piece of Hauntological Creepcore, and yes, we know saying things are ‘hauntological’ is incredibly fashionable right now. But it is. It sounds like something from…

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STOP HOARDING TUNES


  • BAD BUNNY BROKE NO RULES (WHO MISBEHAVED?)

    In 2004, Kid Rock appeared at the Super Bowl halftime show, and performed a song called ‘Bawitdaba’, where he rapped “all the crackheads, the critics, the cynics and all my heroes in the Methadone clinics, all you bastards at the IRS… for the shots of Jack and the caps of Meth.” That was the same…

  • REVIEW / J COLE / THE FALL OFF

    It’s easy to think you’ll never forgive J Cole for one of the worst lines in rap history, when he delivered “dick so big it’s like a foot is in yo mouth”, but there’s so much more to pick apart. If you like vague philosophical generalisation passed off as being some kind of heir to…

  • DONNY BENET IS ALWAYS A GOOD TIME

    Donny Benet is a wonderful musician and seems like a swell guy to boot. Talented, good taste, well dressed and funny as well – what’s not to like? He’s just dropped ‘Midnight Appointment’ which is the fourth single from his upcoming instrumental album “il Basso”. Get your copy at donnybenet.com if you know what’s good…

  • REVIEW / THE BEACH BOYS / WE GOTTA GROOVE

    A lot of people talk about The Beach Boys like they’re the US equivalent of The Beatles, but that’s always missed the mark in what makes the Wilsons & Co such a fascinating prospect. Fact is, The Beach Boys were messier and weirder than the Fabs. The wheels frequently fell off and even die-hard fans…

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