Opinion & Essays
Clear-sighted and well informed opinion on the culture of our past, present and future
Anniversary
Innocence and Experience: Lisa Left Eye Lopes’ Supernova Turns 25
It was supposed to be the moment where the most misunderstood woman in pop got to explain herself and empower her audience: but the release was cancelled and within months she was dead. Angus Batey revisits Lisa Lopes's debut and rediscovers a forgotten treasure
Black Sky Thinking
Essays, investigation and opinion on today’s cultural landscape
Black Sky Thinking
What Midsummer Dreaming reveals about the Vitality & Fragility of BBC Radio
Jude Rogers salutes an inspired night of radio for this solstice: a vivid reminder of what we stand to lose thanks to BBC cuts and the threat posed by charter renewal
Black Sky Thinking
Strange Attraction: Why Olivia Rodrigo’s Love of The Cure is Pop’s Greatest Medicine
Jude Rogers writes in praise of Olivia Rodrigo and Robert's Smith's cross-generational mutual respect and collaboration; smashing away at falsely constructed barriers between pop and rock and at marketing department-led mainstream culture
Black Sky Thinking
Strange Attraction: Why Olivia Rodrigo’s Love of The Cure is Pop’s Greatest Medicine
Jude Rogers writes in praise of Olivia Rodrigo and Robert's Smith's cross-generational mutual respect and collaboration; smashing away at falsely constructed barriers between pop and rock and at marketing department-led mainstream culture
Low Culture Essay
Illuminating treasured cultural artefacts
Low Culture Essay
Low Culture Essay: Ledio Cakaj on Greek Laïko Music
Ledio Cakaj relates how the “romantic longing” of Laïko sustained him as an undocumented Albanian teenager, living and working in Patras and Athens in the mid-90s
Low Culture Essay
Low Culture Essay: Robert Barry on the Sea Organ at Zadar
Robert Barry travels to the Croatian coast, where the Adriatic Sea plays the pipes of an installation that gives lie to the idea that sound art is "difficult"
Low Culture Essay
Low Culture Essay: Mary Chiney on Stanley Okorie’s Nollywood Soundtracks
Stanley Okorie’s thousands of songs defined the Nollywood film industry, becoming “the vocalisation of the collective id” of a fast-changing Nigeria. Words and Subscriber Plus exclusive playlist by Mary Chiney
Low Culture Essay
Low Culture Essay: Mary Chiney on Stanley Okorie’s Nollywood Soundtracks
Stanley Okorie’s thousands of songs defined the Nollywood film industry, becoming “the vocalisation of the collective id” of a fast-changing Nigeria. Words and Subscriber Plus exclusive playlist by Mary Chiney
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Start Free TrialAnniversary
Spotlighting the impact of cultural landmarks
Anniversary
Food For Thought: An A To Z Guide To Melvins’ Stag
To celebrate the 30th birthday of Melvins' bonkers eighth album, JR Moores presents a users' manual to what the hell was going on
Beyond The Hits
A deeper dive beyond the charts
Beyond The Hits
Stronger Than Pride: Beyond The Hits Of Sade
Sade superfan Alex Macpherson celebrates the release of a career-spanning box set by selecting lesser known gems from their back catalogue
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