The Pop Corporation

WORDS ABOUT MUSIC + POP CULTURE

  • BARRETT STRONG RIP

    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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  • GULP YOURSELF DAFT

    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 POLACHEK 2023?

    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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  • ROB MAZUREK FUTURE SHAMAN

    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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  • SAM SMITH VERSUS SAUCEPAN

    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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  • BJORK’S DAUGHTER RELEASES MUSIC

    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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  • NEW PET SHOP BOYS DUE

    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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  • INNER CITY WERE GREAT

    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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  • DANIEL JOHNSTON DEBUT ON VINYL FOR FIRST TIME

    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…

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STOP HOARDING TUNES


  • SHABAZZ PALACES FUTURE WONNK

    Shabazz Palaces don’t exactly make straight-ahead hip hop, but this latest one is some supreme wonkiness and it sounds great. The track is called ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ and it features on their new LP ‘Exotic Birds of Prey’. You’re probably not reading these words because your eye has already been caught by the…

  • JAMES BLAKE HITS OUT AT STREAMING

    Streaming eh? What a mess. Super convenient and all that, and great for sharing tunes and making playlists – but it isn’t perfect is it? For starters, you have to listen to people complaining about it all the time, but when those complaints are valid, it’s enough to make you go grey. And so, to…

  • MDOU MOCTAR: ELECTRIC TUAREG

    When Tuareg musicians pick up electric guitars, something psychedelic and spectacular happens almost every time. This track we’re sharing is brand new and called ‘Funeral For Justice’ and comes from the brilliant Mdou Moctar. It’s firebrand stuff and taking names and numbers and kicking all kinds of ass. We love it. The track is from…

  • DREAMY, NU AGE JAPANESE PSYCH MIX FROM MARI*

    My Analog Journal is, as anyone with even the vaguest interest in record collecting, DJing and the culture, one of the finest channels around. Deep cuts, obscure stuff, amazing collectors playing inventive and super interesting sets. The latest that caught our ear is Mari*, who hails from Japan but now based in London, and produces…

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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.