Friday 17 June 2022

Akufen

A sweet Friday mix that I would say has contributed massively to my burst in productivity today.

Black coffee, bowl of cherries and Akufen.

Thursday 28 April 2022

Placebo

Long before I started the Pop Cultureddd blog I was voraciously listening to music.

My Dad used to have cable when I was a kid and when I would stay with him I could be found watching a lot of MTV2. The most potent and vivid memory was always the Placebo advert. It was powerful. It featured Nancy Boy and I was obsessed with Brian Molko's lyrics, style and vocals. The self-titled debut album was stunning from beginning to end.



Placebo's first three albums I had burned versions of and they were played frequently. Having almost accidentally stumbled upon them again recently I have been plunged back into a familiar soundscape of early teenage angst, but without the hormones and self-wallowing.

Being fairly hyper sceptical as a teenager of capitalism - and now hyper critical as an adult - the single Slave To The Wage from the album Black Market Music was a personal favourite to ruminate on.

Tuesday 5 April 2022

Sprints

"I swear to God I'm the only fucker in this place who isn't doin' fine
And I'm not fine
And I'm not fine, I'm not fine
And I'm not fine, I'm not fine
I'm not fine, I'm not fine, I'm not fine, I'm not fine, I'm not fine, I'm not fine, I'm not fine, I'm not fine"

Fucking love Sprints.

How Does The Story Go? plunges me back in my early 20s. Scary times. And whilst it might be too big a claim to say I am fine now, I wish I could soothe that 20-something version of me with the knowledge that they'll just get better at perseverence.

There is some catharsis in this song that I think is accessible to everyone if you just scream along loudly enough.

Thursday 17 March 2022

Paul Epworth

I have a playlist that I slowly add to and this track, whilst it has been on there for a while, has just utterly beguiled me in recent weeks and days.

Voyager by Paul Epworth is so sumptuiously epic that I lose myself for a wonderful 8 minutes.

Give yourself 8 minutes.

Tuesday 8 March 2022

M(h)aol

Happy International Women's Day.

Celebrate with M(h)aol whose post-punk songs are single-handedly reviving my hope in the power of resistance and protest.

Tuesday 25 January 2022

TOKiMONSTA

Having a flirtation with TOKiMONSTA currently.

As a producer her work is wide-ranging and she has such a gift with creating dark and sultry soundscapes that it is impossible not to find myself having a little bop whenever a track of hers pops up on a playlist. Inevitably I then ditch the mixed artist playlist and indulge in TOKiMONSTA for a while.

Realla featuring Anderson .Paak might be one of the finest examples of what she is capable of bringing together.

Tuesday 14 December 2021

Yard Act

D'yer ever find your bubble of intense loneliness and isolation momentarily burst by a flash of angry and wild solidarity?

That is what Yard Act do for me.

I must've heard Fixer Upper in 2020 and was utterly beguiled by the immaculate characterisation of the satirical protagonist in the song.

Somehow even now - or should I say, especially now - it seems even more vivid and real. And I guess in an odd way, it is nice to feel aligned with a shrewd and fun piss-take of this character who seem ten-a-penny.

Orite, Graham.