People in the Popular comments boxes are talking about “the canon”. I’m always quite curious as to which bits of the canon have ‘taken’ with a broadly pop-positive audience such as we have here. So here’s a poll, v[…]

The first round of games in Group B finished all square – draws all round. It’s a position to conjure with, as fancied outfits try to recover from the disappointments of points dropped, while outsiders find their confidence boosted by poi[…]

Well this is going to be a titanic struggle, if either France or Mexico lose this one they’re on the first flight to face the brickbats (and possibly bricks) of the fans back home. Tom and Alex will both be hoping it’s not their head the […]

Hello there, due to Tom’s ridiculously busy life and burgeoning media profile (you’ve all read Shiny Shiny, right?), Tim and I will be taking over putting the PWC tracks up for the next few weeks.
We start the second round of matches with[…]

With the first group games drawing to a close I’d like to highlight some of the best music we’ve discovered in the tournament so far (to draw some new listeners in, hopefully!).
So here’s a poll of all 32 of the tracks we’ve s[…]

a piece i’ve often wanted to write has been something about the switch from dourly puritan late-50s stasis (back-to-backs you will never escape) to slippy mid-60s mobility: this — possibly deluded — urgent new sense that you could g[…]

The last of our 32 teams take the field of pop: Spain open their campaign against Switzerland. Spain’s Alberto is new to pop management at this level: his opposite number in the Swiss dugout is Greg Fanoe. Good luck to them both!
Voting for thi[…]

Shiny Shiny is an Pitchfork column by me about a fictional “CD Revival”, consisting of interviews with four of the movers and shakers in said revival and some editorial around that. Fictional because the column supposedly dates from 2022.[…]

Group H begins with an intriguing clash between the relatively unfancied Chile and the relatively even more unfancied Honduras. Points on the board important here – both sides have experienced pop managers: Chile has turned to Jel, whereas Hond[…]

Group G’s second game sees Brazil take on North Korea. Brazil are the most successful side ever in the football World Cup – in pop competition they are more of a sleeping giant, and it’s down to Chris Ambrose to revive their fortune[…]