It has always been hard for the priests of RockThink to deal with punk in any manner other than ideological; this is why the Sex Pistols go down in history as somehow more valuable than the Buzzcocks.) An almost unlistenable triple LP dedicated to a communist revolutionary government (The Clash’s Sandinista!) means more to those who write the histories than an unspeakably gorgeous #1 pop … Continue reading The Priests of RockThink
There was one brief and somewhat tarnished moment during my adolescence — somewhere around 1966-1967 — in which I couldn’t distinguish between the inherent value of the Velvet Underground versus the Monkees or Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention and Paul Revere & the Raiders. That confession is not alarming in view of my age (13 going on 14), but consider the circumstances and … Continue reading The last gasp of true Top 40
In truth, by criticising pop music NME are merely biting the hand that feeds them. Pop music as every person who’s gone from clutching a copy of Madonna’s Immaculate Collection to owning Sonic Youth’s Dirty can attest, is a gateway drug. Once you’re hooked by that excitement, that buzz and that joy of being fan you can go either way: maybe you’ll experiment, check out … Continue reading Buzz and Joy under the influence of
Radio has had a major role in the Hot 100 since its inception in 1958, and as long as terrestrial radio still exists, it should still have a role; it reflects what more passive music consumers are hearing, which is sometimes boring but still valuable. But in the last decade, digital music in all its forms has taken a greater role. Digital retailers were added … Continue reading Last Gangnam in Town
Someone emailed me on the weekend, with a link to Rick Moody’s recently published Salon piece about Taylor Swift, adding, “I’m interested in what others think about him calling out others on their published appreciation for Swift. I’m curious as to what those who read rockcritics think.” I’m curious, too. Whadd’ya got? Continue reading Just Another Moody Monday
Anthony Easton: At first I was sad that the production obscured her voice, but it’s in the same sub-genre as KLF and Tammy or Pet Shop Boys and Dusty, and those are some of my favourite things. It is less isolating than those examples, but incredibly intimate, the same otherness of Scott Walker, and perhaps the same rejection of pop history, but with the artifice stripped instead of … Continue reading Petulia
“There are many substantial reasons for linking disco with bubblegum; the comparisons, endless. Like [Kasenetz and Katz]‘s clapping sound, Euro- and pop-disco are essentially mediums for a producer’s special sound, whereas the performer’s role remains secondary. Disco combines a constant beat with simple lyrics; like bubblegum’s skip-a-rope dynamics, its function is strictly to provide rhythms for people entangles in the exercise of dance. Furthermore, many … Continue reading Disco Bubblegum
The only music review section in the world I give even a smidgen of a damn about these days is back! After an excruciatingly drawn-out hiatus of, um, two weeks. Continue reading Singles Jukebox
While we’re on the topic. A critical roundup, of sorts. Alfred Soto: “With Born This Way, Gaga aspires to become an all-purpose avatar for misfits and losers. Laughing at her for selecting the godawfulest album cover ever printed is part of the point. She accepts our derision; she invites it. That she succeeds three quarters of the time is testament to her development as … Continue reading A Gaggle of Gaga
In Defense of Gaga: Bill Holdship makes a case why she’s the greatest pop star on the planet (Metro Times) Sample: “It’s been both entertaining and rather curious to observe so many grown adults, some of them who should know better get so bent out of shape over Lady Gaga’s monumental success. And they get so angry that some of us seriously believe we do … Continue reading Goo-Goo for Gaga
