The Pop Corporation

WORDS ABOUT MUSIC + POP CULTURE

  • PLAY EARTHGANG NOW

    EarthGang are great – they’re about as psychedelic as hip hop gets in the current climate, mixing elastic funk with future trap, and generally, they’re making people who yearn for the times of Missy and OutKast very happy indeed. ‘Mirrorland’ is one of the great modern hip hop LPs and they’ve been releasing stuff since…

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  • CSS TOUR!

    Arguably the best group to come from the Indie Sleaze period are Brazil’s CSS, who managed to manage their spontaneity with fabulous grooves and playfulness. For the first time in over a decade, they’re going to be doing a European tour called ‘It’s Been A Number Of Years’, which it has! Remember how good ‘Off…

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  • OH HI SZA, NEW MUSIC WE SEE

    SZA is a unique little soul and there’s usually a lot of excitement when she springs music on everyone. With that, there’s new music from her on the back of a bunch of wins at the Grammys. She teased a new song during a Mastercard commercial (get paid, we guess) and now she’s put it…

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  • SUGABABES SINGLES, RANKED

    Oh, the fractured and chequered history of the mighty Sugababes. There’s been six members, and you could only really argue that four of them really count, and the puritans, three. Obviously, the holy trinity are Mutya, Keisha and Siobhàn, but Heidi’s tenure involves some of the group’s most iconic moments, even if deep in our…

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  • GREAT JAPANESE JAZZ BOOK

    BBE Music put out good shit, and if you’ve heard their J-Jazz compilations, you’ll know that they’re some of the finest, most adventurous comps around. In addition to that, they’ve put out a brilliant book chronicling Japanese jazz called J Jazz: Free and Modern Jazz From Japan 1954-1988, which is a look at some super…

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  • KHRUANGBIN EASING BACK

    Khruangbin are back everyone, and yes, they’re wigs! The new song is called ‘May Ninth’ and, for fans of the trio’s sound, it sounds like Khruangbin, so no worries – they’ve not pivoted to sounding like dubstep or anything. It’s taken from the imminent ‘A La Sala’ and it’s gently psychedelic, woozy stuff. The album…

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  • IRAQ, NAPSTER, BOOMER KICKBACK, STEELY DAN VS BACKSTREET + WHAT?

    It’s 2001 and the USA, UK and pals are carpet bombing the Middle East. January, George Dubya Bush is sworn in thanks to some hanging chads, Apple launches iTunes and, later that year, 9/11 would change everything forever. While US democracy looked shaky, while war saw people taking to the streets in protest, people set…

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  • HEAVY ’84 BOOGIE

    When Mr Bongo say they’ve got a record in and describe it as “a heavy Boogie-Funk gem from 1984”, your ears should really prick up. That track is ‘Take A Chance’ by Marshall Titus (re-issued by Peoples Potential Unlimited), and it slaps. If you’re into super hot, sleazy ’80s disco that’s got a whiff of the…

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  • WRITING ABOUT THE NME WRITING ABOUT WORDLE

    It’s tough out here in these music criticism streets. If you have staff that need paying, you need to get the clicks in so the ad revenue, revenues. Is writing reviews about up-and-coming artists who might be future superstars going to cut it? Well, you have to wait ’til they become famous, and then link…

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  • TEMPTED TO MAKE JOKES ABOUT LIL JOHN’S MEDITATION ALBUM

    Lil John is a genius. Let’s first get that on record. His Miami Bass and Crunk work, huge club bangers and scene-stealing guest spots make him one of the most loved MCs. He’s also a super good sport, which only makes us love him more. When Chappelle sent him up with ‘AHWHUT?‘ and ‘OKAAAY‘, John…

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STOP HOARDING TUNES


  • JEFF PARKER ETA IVTET LIVE

    We got very excited to the album from the Jeff Parker ETA IVTet, and gave it a great review on these very pages. You can read that review here. Well, if you’re not for reading words about albums you’ve not heard yet (what’s wrong with you?) but are in the market for new jazz, you’re…

  • THE HANGING STARS JINGLE JANGLE

    The Hanging Stars are a wonderful marriage of country, C90 indie, cosmic rock, psychedelic folk, power pop, and Laurel Canyon rootsy business – so it’s always good news when you hear that they’re back with new music! There’s a new album coming out on June 19th called ‘Just A Day’ and if you haven’t heard…

  • WHAT IS BLUE DOT FEVER, OR, IS THE BUBBLE BURSTING ON BIG SHOWS

    There’s a new phrase in the music industry – notably involving the touring circuit – called ‘Blue Dot Fever’. It references the amount of blue dots that appear on maps of arenas on the Ticketmaster website. Post COVID lockdowns, big artists were keen to get out and play massive shows, and fans were keen to…

  • THE NEW BOARDS OF CANADA TRACK IS AMAZING – YOU CAN BREATHE NOW

    There was no doubt that any new material from Boards of Canada was going to be great, but with high expectation, comes an unbearable worry you might be hyping it up too much and it’s destined to fail. No fear. There’s the first new, full track from the ‘Inferno’ album, and it’s amazing. Do you…

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