The Pop Corporation
WORDS ABOUT MUSIC + POP CULTURE
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If you missed it, Lil Yachty has gone psychedelic. Now, we’re not talking full mid ’70s German progressive cosmic rock psychedelic, so don’t get your hopes up. However, he is spreading his wings away from robo-pop/kindergarten-trap. That’s always fun isn’t it? His first new LP in ages, he’s released ‘Let’s Start Here’ and it’s taking…
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When you’re singing along to a song at the top of your lungs, sometimes you don’t know what you’re singing. Sometimes you can be singing the saddest lyrics imaginable, but you’ve not realised because you’re half-cut on a bottle of rum and some floor-drugs, and it’s Friday night. Ever danced to ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’ by…
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We’re not arsed if you already knew about this, because some of us didn’t. Below is a video of Nico (Velvet Underground/Warhol) playing in Preston, and that’s exciting. Nico’s time with the Velvets is well documented, but ever the Bohemian, she moved from romantic partner to country and was generally a nomad going where the…
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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…
STOP HOARDING TUNES
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FIRST DATES, FOLK, BRIAN PROTHEROE
First Dates has started a new series on Channel 4 and honestly, we don’t watch it anymore. Not because it’s bad – we’ve just got other stuff on. However, the mere mention of the show reminds us of one of our favourite songs – ‘Pinball’ by Brian Protheroe. Protheroe has been the narrator of the…
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EVIL NEW ISH FROM SKRILLA
While overground rap has been a bit off and a lot of the critic faves have been a bit Old Head, you know hip hop’s underground is always cooking something up. Philly’s Skrilla has just put something out that’s evil and drill hot, just how we like it. While many MCs have relied on a…
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DJ SABRINA THE TEENAGE DJ, BACK!
DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ – what’s to say other than they’re mysterious and the music is great? We’ll add that, in the brief correspondence we’ve had, they’re very funny and unswervingly lovely too. We can’t give you the gossip on their real identity though, because it’s all in the DMs. We considered writing a…
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DOCUMENTING REGGAE IN LONDON
David Corio kickstarted his career fresh out of university, freelancing for the weeklies and music rags in 1978. While in London, he began to take portraits and going to shows, and in part, he focused on reggae musicians. He’s no slouch – Corio’s portraits find themselves in the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A, the National…
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