A Salon article on Luaka Bop – sensible enough, though I’m really not sure about the Cornershop link (they came out of the hypey UK version of Riot Grrrl rather than out of any worldbeat thing). It reminds me that I owe Magnus a piece on […]

“I can’t find the Minutemen on Napster! Sob!”: as a non-Napster user (down to tech limitations, not ethics, alas) this is interesting mostly for what it says about the hip-hop hegemony.[…]

BRITNEY SPEARS – “Born To Make You Happy” (MP3)
Mr. Tim Finney swears by this one. On the other hand, Mr. Tim Finney is Britney’s age: for an old geezer like myself it’s a disquieting experience, a throatier-than-ever Br[…]

Kelis – Kaleidoscope
Well, first of all, you should buy it because it’s got the first classic single of the 21st Century on it. “Caught Out There” is perfect – you can get off on the ebullient gimmickry of the hook, you […]

DR. DRE feat. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG – “Still D.R.E.” (CD Single)
We learn a total of two things from “Still DRE”. 1) Eminem sells a lot of records. 2) Dr. DRE hasn’t changed his name in the last eight years. We learn th[…]

PRIMAL SCREAM – “Kill All Hippies” (7″)
After filleting “Swastika Eyes” in the Singles Bar I ended up really liking it. I doubt I’ll say the same of this footling effort, where Mani does his best to give the […]

BUZZCOCKS – “Spiral Scratch” (Reissued 7″/CD)
I know when to complain about the canon, and I know when to shut up. If that seems a cop-out, too bad: if it wasn’t for Buzzcocks’ status as a Great Band we’d not[…]

BLACK BOX RECORDER – “Weekend” (Free with Uncut, March 2000)
1998’s “Child Psychology” was an indie gimmick-hit, due to a sharp chorus and Sarah Nixey’s deadly pristine vocals (Hannibal Lecter as Roedean head[…]

How Exotica Conquered The ’90s
1. What is Exotica, anyway? (more…)[…]

This is a reply by Paul Pasquerella to the original “Smile Special” series of articles.
The current “hipness” of the Beach Boys, a total reversal from the time from about 1967 to 1985 (or so) when it was the kiss of death to b[…]