Best Albums of 2011

Best Albums of 2011

1. Katy B – On A Mission I played nothing else as much this year. Simple as that. 2. Bjork – Biophilia (iPad app) I haven’t actually listened to the album proper. I don’t really want to. This feels like some sort of future for music. It’s pioneering, often baffling,...
Why I enjoy the music of Coldplay

Why I enjoy the music of Coldplay

At the risk of being massively reductive (*sounds Massively Reductive Siren*), what is it, exactly, that separates Fake Plastic Trees from The Scientist? After much deliberation, I’ve decided this is the heart of the matter. Coldplay get quite a kicking, where Radiohead (Mk 1) do not, despite many similarities (before...
Unsung Heroes 1

Unsung Heroes 1

The Pop Story has never been about reviews or interviews or all the other stuff most music mags do. What’s the point? If you want to know what the latest release sounds like, fire up Spotify and listen to it. What we’re trying to do is take more of an...
Latest entries
The shrug of the new

The shrug of the new

I’ve been ranting on Twitter about Damien Hirst, my knickers twisted by a feature on this glorified taxidermist in today’s Observer. I kind of hate myself for it, because he doesn’t deserve my energy. Yet as I moaned, I realised I might come across as an art elitist. So I wanted to clarify a few...
Christian Ward: English Democracy

Christian Ward: English Democracy

Yes, this is a dreadful piece of self-promotion, but hey, it’s my blog. So my new album, English Democracy, is now available for free download over at Bandcamp (or you can pay what you like). Or you can stream it right here (check out the awesome HTML5 SoundCloud player below). It’s 8 tracks recorded over the...
St Vincent: Surgeon

St Vincent: Surgeon

As this video reveals, St Vincent is slowly but surely becoming one of those artists, like Bjork before her, who appears to have all the bases covered. She is but a radio-hit-producer away from superstardom, wouldn’t you say?
Willy Moon: I Wanna Be Your Man

Willy Moon: I Wanna Be Your Man

Bo Diddley-goes-modern-r’n'b with a Johnny Ray-a-like on vocals? Yes please. Willy Moon ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’.
Learning from the masters: part one

Learning from the masters: part one

A long time ago I wrote a blog called A Song A Day, where I discussed elements of classic songs that were relevant to todays music-makers, adrift in a world where distribution was solved but promotion wasn’t. Many of these posts are still relevant I think, so I’ve exhumed some of them, and present them...