I was probably one of the last kids to grow up with parents who reckoned, unequivocally, that pop music was trash. Being liberal types they never stopped me listening to it, but there was a clear and unbreakable aesthetic line between pop music and &[…]

This is footling: an essay/gripe about how sad the lead character in High Fidelity is, which promptly confuses fiction with reality and decides that a recognisable and amusing caricature of the collectormentality must actually stand for what all reco[…]

I thought it prudent to help Tom snag some more readers by pointing out that there are a few others contributing here, though since this is Tom’s baby it’s strongly Tom-oriented. :) Along those lines if you’re from westernhomes and […]

Hey Hey Hey! NYLPM seems to be getting hosts of (undoubtedly one-off) new readers thanks to a link from the mighty western homes. Come on in, you know you’re welcome here! But to find out whether or not you want to stick around, here’s a […]

PAUL VAN DYK feat SAINT ETIENNE – “Tell Me Why (The Riddle)” (Deviant Records CD Single)
Couldn’t have put it better myself, frankly. Saint Etienne’s output over the last couple of years has been desperately erratic, swi[…]

The Suit: theatrically written, but still misery-inducing look into the life of a record industry executive (thanks to Doug).[…]

When in doubt, head for the josh blog. Josh talks a bit about trip-hop, thus triggering my bonnet’s most implacable bee: I think in retrospect my mistake was to use a Massive Attack or Tricky review to address the subject at all – those a[…]

Sabattleco: music blogs? They’re old hat, man. Sabattleco (can’t figure out the title, no matter) is a music journal and it’s great.[…]

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: the very excellent, very indie western homes takes on Sergeant Pepper and OK Computer on the same day! Waaah! The struggle to say something new about Pepper’s is an unwinnable one, though wh’s […]

Songwriting of Merritt–and Distinction: a Washington Post feature on Stephin Merritt, and as good an opportunity as any to mention that 69 Love Songs, one of the grandest records ever made, is finally getting a UK release on indie label Circus.[…]