I’m thinking a bit about childhood tastes at the moment*. What I’m quite interested in is the moment at which a kid gets the level of visual sophistication which allows them to identify a visual effect as ‘rubbish’. Be it a bi[…]

First vital step in the rehabilitation of Carter USM – a tribute album! Nay, two tribute albums. And what’s this down at the bottom….”Art Brut – Falling On A Bruise”!??!! Whoa.[…]

This week’s Stylus singles jukebox, with a mixed bag of comments from me. In not-commented-on news I gave high marks to Gwen S and Arcade Fire and a pretty good mark to Teedra Moses. In comments-not-printed because Stylus cannot take THE TRUTH,[…]

That odd time-lag between downloading a track way ahead of its US release and then its second coming as a real actual single over here. Witness “Milkshake”, “Get Low” and now “1 Thing”, it’s worked in Amerie&[…]

Not a great Eurovision, though it’s a reliable safe port if you want to escape the storm of the post-punk revival. (Doing the Stylus singles this week – I had no idea how widespread it was, Jesus H, it’s like the CGI gas mask plague[…]

Nominations are open for the I Love Comics best characters of all time poll.[…]

The science of Eurovision aka most desperate press release since the last one. Have you no shame, BBC Online? (rhetorical qn). Here – speak o revelator!! – are the ‘seven crucial elements’ to Eurovision success:
pace and rhyth[…]

Birgitta Haukdal – Open Your Heart The 2003 Eurovision song contest was notable for several reasons:
– TaTu completely fucking up the performance of their magnificent “Ne Ver Ne Bojsia”, and promptly disappearing forever.
&#82[…]

From China, international home of the quirky, a rare story which isn’t somehow related to eggs.[…]

Eurovision Day 2. Nowadays the Key Facts everyone knows about the contest is that it’s enjoyed by gay people and it’s a fit-up. In more innocent times what people knew about Eurovision is that it was always won by songs with nonsense titl[…]