The Pop Corporation
WORDS ABOUT MUSIC + POP CULTURE
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It really is hard to imagine the shape of pop and soul music without Barrett Strong. While he may not have been the household name that many of his peers were, where would popular music be without his hugely influential and soulful powerhouse that is ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’? There’s more too – he…
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Imagine for a second, you’re driving past Abbey Road, and you nearly hit a pedestrian on that famous crossing. Imagine some more, that the pedestrian in question is Paul McCartney. The car in question is a Prius, so it’s kinda funny that he nearly got offed by a green motor. Also, let’s go with the…
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We all need cool stuff to read. Finding it in the soup of the algorithm can be tricky, with a bunch of former broadsheet sorts going solo, and trying to flog subscription content on their mailers and whatnot. No harm, no foul – but these things tend to skew toward the po-faced and overly earnest.…
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Caroline Polacheck’s is an adventurous pop star, and that’s always a good thing. She’s recently hit out at lazy comparisons to Bjork and Kate Bush, preferring to make music under her own steam, which is fair enough. She’s got a big voice and likes to be mildly awkward, which we say as a compliment of…
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Hey! Do you like new music and, not just new music, but slightly difficult music that’s fun? Well, you should check outy Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra newbie, ‘Future Shaman’. Apply here if you like wonky jazz and post-rock. It’s discordant, good stuff. Mazurek is a composer/trumpeter and the Exploding Star Orchestra features Damon Locks…
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We like a popstar making bold choices, and Sam Smith has been doing exactly that lately. It doesn’t matter whether you like the tunes or not, we should absolutely support a commercial artist when they lean into the experimental and off-kilter. Did you see them on SNL, with Sharon Stone draping themselves all over the…
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It feels kinda shitty referring to a new artist as ‘Bjork’s daughter’, but needs must. Isadora Bjarkardottir Barney is her name, and she’s released her debut solo work as part of a comp showcasing Icelandic music. The comp is called ‘DRULLUMALL 4’ and Isadora’s track – ‘bergmál’ – is really good, you’ll be glad to…
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The mighty Pet Shop Boys are all set to share some previously unreleased songs in April. It’s all part of a new thing they’re doing and that new thing is a book called ‘Annually’. The 2023 edition of the yearly release (hence the name) will be a 64-page hardback affair, containing journals, photos from their…
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You can try and be as clever as you want, deep diving on this, that, and the other… but sometimes it’s just worth reminding yourself how great a band were. From Detroit, America’s greatest music city, Inner City was the brainchild of the great Kevin Saunderson and Paris Grey. Saunderson of course, was one of…
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If you’re a fan of vinyl and Daniel Johnston – good news! His debut ‘Songs of Pain’ is going to appear on record for the first time and you can get your hands on it some time in March. There’s probably some pre-orders knocking around if you have a look. Originally, ‘Songs of Pain’ was…
STOP HOARDING TUNES
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CRITICISING BAND AID IS… WAIT… WOKE NOW?
There’s going to be a new version of Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ out this year and y’know, it’s a song that’s done a lot of good, even if it isn’t a perfect thing. There’s a lot to be said about it, the narrative of the lyrics, how much good is has actually…
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DRAKE WON’T ACCEPT DEFEAT SO HE’S GOT THE LAWYERS OUT
Rap beefs are often ugly affairs, but by and large, no-one acts like a total baby. Sure, people may wave the white flag with their tail between their legs, but they don’t snitch about it. However, not all rappers are Drake who, while still dizzyingly popular (don’t doubt that), is really taking this particular Kendrick…
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BRIGITTE CALLS ME INDUSTRY PLANT?
Look, no-one likes to besmirch anyone’s hard work, but when a band has a stratospheric rise and a bunch of massive support gigs with next to no information on them and their rise, in 2024, people are going to get suspicious. So, just like those awful podcasts that hur-de-hur-hur and say “look man, we’re just…
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JIMMY SOMMERVILLE / THE PEOPLE’S CHAMP
Anyone who knows anything about Jimmy Sommerville knows that he’s The People’s Champ. Always on the right side of history, and just so happens to be the writer of one of the most vital and important songs in pop history – ‘Smalltown Boy’. The song has found itself in a sticky place by people acting…
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