The Pop Corporation

WORDS ABOUT MUSIC + POP CULTURE

  • VINYL SALES DOWN, VINYL SALES UP!

    If you’ve been reading the music press this week, there was some alarm or peevish glee (depending on where you were doing your reading) that vinyl sales had dropped. A Billboard piece stated that vinyl sales dropped by 33%, which is not insignificant. That’s selling 34.9 million units, down to 23.3 million in 2024. Are…

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  • DANIEL JOHNSTON REISSUE

    Daniel Johnston’s ‘Artistic Vice’ LP is going to be reissued and it’ll come with some new – or rather, previously unreleased – music attached to it as well, which is cool for fans! The redo will be out on October 18th, and it’s not just a case of one or two alternative versions of songs…

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  • IS IT KINDA OVER FOR AWARD BASHES?

    At the country music awards, they didn’t nominate Beyonce for anything despite her all-conquering country LP and while many shrugged, many were irritated by the whole thing. The irritation came from all sides, but more importantly, so did the shrugs – apart from something for the shelf in the spare toilet or a sticker to…

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  • MIX / THE LOT RADIO WITH SERAHBOO.M / PALESTINE FOREVER

    We haven’t heard a mix as original as this in quite a while. Glitchy electronics, free jazz, soundscapes and loads more. You don’t need us to wax lyrical about this. Press play if you like cool new things.

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  • DOOM ACTION FIGURE AND SPOON

    There’s something about golden era rap that just loves a fancy action figure, to place on your shelves next to your collected essays from hip hop journalism, tchotchkes, rap comics and high-end record middles and the like. It’s very wholesome, honestly. Well, Doom’s ‘Mm… Food’ is getting a reissue for its anniversary on November 15th,…

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  • THE RETURN OF TUNNG

    Once upon a time, music retreated away from the bombast of Britpop and US rap-rock, and all over the place, more introspective bedroom producers were making tricky electronic music and singer-songwriters gravitated toward the acid-folk of the ’70s, focusing more on cottage industries and community. Tunng managed to straddle both worlds, with critics dubbing their…

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  • 2ND GRADE’S POWER POP REVIVAL!

    Look, most bands put a song out to let you know new things are coming, but not 2nd Grade. The power poppers from Philadelphia have chucked THREE whole songs at our ears and mercifully, they’re all really fun and filled with skuzzy pop hooks and jangly guitars. The revival of power pop is very welcome…

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  • AMBIENT LENNON IS SURPRISINGLY GREAT

    Today is John Lennon’s birthday – he would have been 84 – and to celebrate this, we’ve been treated to something rather surprising. While a lot of repackaged music from musicians can feel a little exploitative at times, churning out old stuff without much new going on, that’s not the case with this latest Lennon…

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  • GULP ISSUE LAUNCH PARTY

    The excellent GULP are having a party for the 8th instalment of their broadsheet counter-culture magazine, which features all the wonderful words, tidbits, diatribes and cool design we’ve come to expect from them now. The issue drops on Friday 11th October and you can get down in person at The New Cross in Manchester’s Northern…

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  • HAVE YOU HEARD OF NICE BISCUIT?

    In another week, this would have been an album review – and maybe it still will – but sometimes you don’t want to read someone’s thoughts about what makes music work and how great a song is. Maybe you just want to listen to some tracks and make your own mind up? How are we…

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STOP HOARDING TUNES


  • YMO: YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI, RIP

    Yukihiro Takahashi from the trailblazing Yellow Magic Orchestra has passed away, so we’re taking the opportunity to remind you how great people can be. Takahashi sang and played drums with the legendary Japanese group, widely regarded to be the Japanese Kraftwerk (a bit lazy as comparisons go, but will do to encourage the casual listener).…

  • SONY WALKMAN IS BACK (MODERNISED)

    Sony Walkmans are an evocative thing, making oldheads and retro lovers hark back to a time when you could carry your tunes around on dedicated machinery. Well, phones replaced the need for that, as we saw the passing of various iPods and Zunes and whatnot and everything went to one device. Is there a need…

  • IS SKY FERREIRA BEING TOO DIFFICULT?

    It’s becoming increasingly loud in the pop world – pop stars being unhappy with their record companies pushing them in certain directions, unsure of what to do with their talents, and delaying releases due to some arbitrary bigger picture. The latest is Sky Ferreira, who is frustrated about the lack of action. Once upon a…

  • 25 YEARS OF MOON SAFARI

    Britpop was slowly being tipped into the landfill and the UK pop-loving populace were looking for something else. Something a little less brass and more cosmopolitan. While a lot of the lads traded their shell-toes for Airwalks and air-scratched their way through Big Beat, the flip was ushered in by two Frenchmen who went by…

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