Mini iPods “available internationally on July 24”
NUM NUM
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Got one of those horrid oversize white iPods? Get a “Retropod” case to protect it. ;-)[…]

the JULIA LENNON PRINCIPLE revisited:
(recap: the debate is, who, in a JUST world, gets paid band-royalties for creative contribution? the guys on-stage, the guys on-record, the gals behind the guys? “who wrote the song?” vs “who m[…]

“Of his ability as a poet, however, there can be no reasonable doubt“:
hitchens is always SO way out of his depth talking abt matters popcult that i kind of assumed he just didn’t like rock (or any music at all, come to that) &#821[…]

THE PRODIGY – “Girls”
You know how you’ll sometimes be listening to some nu-electro track and the thought will cross your mind that this would be the GREATEST THING EVAH if only it had a smidgeon of bass in it? Apparently Liam[…]

Looking for an anesthetizing jab of teen-pop, I was drawn by Tom’s description of Smash Hits Radio like a kindly old man to a nursery. I don’t, however, “have digital,” as they say here in the UK (and as US people will no doub[…]

The new Dizzee Rascal single (“Stand Up Tall”) is very pop, very fast, pretty incoherent, more “Lucky Star” than anything else he’s done, and the backing reminds me more than anyone else of… Komatrohn![…]

Alas Hits: to while away a journey recently I bought a copy of Smash Hits. I am so far outside the target market for SH as to be on an entirely different archery range, so the following grumblings can, maybe should be dismissed as the drool of a sad […]

Vinyl Festishism vs Download Fetishism (Vol. Quite A Lot)
If odd bits found lurking in the name of Marie Curie or Sue Ryder are your thing, this is pretty indispensable. It’s a veritable online encyclopedia of charity shop nonsense.
The guys […]

The curious case of Daara J: Daara J, Senegal’s biggest-selling hip-hop crew, provide a neat illustration of what Alex below (and Marcello in the comments box) are complaining about. We stumbled on Daara J at Glastonbury, playing late on Sunday[…]

Look on our works… This confirms all my prejudices. Creators of the idea (I refuse to say “brand”) of “world” music ‘fess up: every record made to fit into that genre has been pants (which is not to mean that good […]