The Pop Corporation

WORDS ABOUT MUSIC + POP CULTURE

  • OLDIES ARE STRANGLING NEW BANDS

    People are listening to more music than ever, which is great isn’t it? And we told you vinyl sales are up too. Interestingly, looking at the sales and graphs, 2023 saw women at the front, with huge sales from Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Ice Spice, and more. In the weeds of all the data, there’s…

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  • REST EASY, LES MCCANN

    Jazz legend and fusion pioneer Les McCann, has left the building. Jazzers loved him, and so to did hip hop royalty, being sampled by some of the greats on numerous famous works. He was 88 years old, so we’ll raise a glass and share some of his music so you can pay the greatest of…

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  • JUSTICE BACK WITH SKUZZ

    French house is great isn’t it? Rubbery filtered funk and head-mashing skuzz daftness! Well, if Indie Sleaze is threatening a comeback, and all things being cyclical, here come Justice right on cue and there’s going to be new music from the pair this year! We know this because we were looking at their social media,…

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  • HOPE FOR 2024?

    We’ve waved goodbye to 2023. It was weird. Now we’ve got 2024, which is shaping up to be just as weird and war torn. What does that all mean for pop culture and music? We’re hopeful. See, if anything, we’re all getting acclimatised to just how bleak everything is. That’s not to say there won’t…

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  • 2023/2024

    Goodbye to 2023, and hello 2024. It’s vital that you try and have a good time tonight, whatever that looks like. The world can be an impenetrably dark place at times, but there’s always a good record to lift the spirits. If you’re partying at home, going to a club, cosying up on the sofa,…

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  • VINYL / STILL GROWING

    In the UK, sales of vinyl just keeps on growing. That’s the 16th consecutive year that this has happened, and now we’re hitting the levels we saw in the early ’90s, which is great news. People just getting into vinyl are in for a lifelong love affair, and have just become the easiest person to…

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  • WATCH // SOVIET RAVE AS THE IRON CURTAIN FELL

    We’ve been trying to have a Christmas and it’s nearly NYE time, which means recreational things and good music. Speaking of raves, the mighty Bandsplaining channel have made a killer video about the ‘final party’ of the Soviet Union. Illegal raves, acid house music, fringe art and intellectuals, and amazing footage of the scene in…

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  • MERRY XMAS

    We’re having some time off now. It’s Christmas. You should have some time off too, hopefully. Get some presents. Eat well. Be merry. Raise a glass to those who can’t be with us. Give a squeeze to those we’re with. There may be some sporadic posts. There might not. This is not a slick operation.…

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  • BEST SONGS OF 2023 [AND MORE]

    A great song doesn’t necessarily appear on a great album. A great song might not be on any album at all. So with that, we’re rounding up our favourite songs of the year and there’s a variety of ways you can consume these. If you don’t like turning the volume up on your phone under…

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  • REST EASY, AMP FIDDLER

    One of the finest to do it, one of Detroit’s finest musicians, Amp Fiddler has sadly passed away, aged 65. He’s been described as “the king of the new era of Detroit soul”, and his music incorporated a number of influences and styles, from honey-dipped electronics, to hard funk, to soul, hip hop, house, collaborating…

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STOP HOARDING TUNES


  • ALBINI’S LAST PRODUCTION WITH FACS

    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…

  • QUINCY JONES, CHRIST WHAT A LIFE

    What is there to say about Quincy Jones that everyone hasn’t already said since his passing this weekend? What an extraordinary human and what a life! He produced ‘Thriller’, which is enough for any other mere mortal, but he worked for 75 glorious years, including 28 Grammies, collaborations with Sinatra, Ray Charles, helped shape ‘We…

  • PSB FINE CHINA ANYONE?

    The wonderful Pet Shop Boys have announced a new set of fine bone china, because why the hell not? They’re the Pet Shop Boys – they can do whatever they want. This set celebrates their first release and is part of the ‘Pet Shop Boys Since 1984’ range and was designed by Farrow, along with the…

  • SOMEONE TELL GWEN STEFANI WHAT YACHT ROCK IS

    Yacht Rock is, whether you like it or not, a very specific thing with a specific set of parameters. There’s a jazziness too it, a smooth groove, usually flashy musicians trying to keep it tasteful, and there’s a whole list of songs which help you learn what these songs are from the people who coined…

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