
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…

You look back at old shows from previous decades and bands of all sizes were all playing on pretty basic set-ups. Some flashing lights, big amps, maybe a smoke machine, and that’s about it. However, something changed. Metal shows started going larger, bands that were referred to as ‘indie’ needed big screens and props, and…

When you love a popstar, a rockstar, whoever, you hope that they feel the same way you feel about things. When you hear of a popstar you like, saying things contrary to your beliefs, it can tarnish the music. There’s separating the art from the artist, then there’s wanting to stop giving someone money because…

Hugely influential and inventive, Autechre are one of electronica’s elder statesmen (whether they like it or not). From goading government bills over ‘repetitive beats’ and forward thinking music for decades, it is always worth keeping an eye on what they’re doing. With that, they’ve just released 12 new live sets, and focusing on their fabulous…

Steve Albini is no longer with us, but his productions remain. And the last record he was working on was one with FACS, and you can hear some of the fruits of that labour right now. It’s a skuzzy, angular thing called ‘Wish Defense’ and there’ll be a new album of the same name out…
THERE’S NO MONEY IN THIS GAME ANYMORE, BUT IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SOMETHING FOR THE POP CORPS, YOU ARE WELCOME TO GET IN TOUCH. HAPPY HUNTING.
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