Category Archives: Music

Oh dear, Mötley Crüe tickets have already made it to Groupon. I don’t think any of us saw that coming.

As opposed to Tom Petty’s victory in his quest to be remembered as the author of a Sam Smith song. For those of you playing at home, Smith’s Stay With Me is a collaboration between Smith, Petty, James Napier, William Phillips and (oh dear, again) Jeff Lynne. Here, give it a listen… Continue reading →

We are but three weeks into 2015, but one thing has already become clear. Bloggers and critics who prophesize with their keyboards are speaking as one with regard to the state of contemporary music.

Their conclusion?

It all sounds the same. And it all sucks.

All of it. You might as well stop listening now, because scientists predict things will only get worse. Continue reading →

“It is not clear that I will ever play guitar again.”

That was today’s bombshell from Bono. And it raised two questions in the minds of music lovers the world over:

1) Could Bono play guitar before?

2) What role if any did Kim Jong-un play in the U2 frontman’s (evidently very serious) cycling accident?

I will not dignify the first question with a response. And shame on you for asking it. It’s 2015, people. Show some respect. Continue reading →

If there’s one thing the press have taught us, it’s that it’s never too soon to sum up a year’s worth of events. Logically, it is not possible to even attempt to reflect on the year of our lord 2014 until Jan. 1, 2015. Yet, list after list of the year’s highlights and lowlights began to appear as early as November of last year.

Hence, in keeping with the spirit of the times, I present my summary of the year in music for 2015.

You read it here first. Continue reading →

Friday was Record Store Day.

Well, one of an increasing number of Record Store Days. Soon, every day will be Record Store Day. As well it should be.

So far, there have been no reports of people being trampled to death while awaiting the opening of an independent record store Friday morning. Which is welcome news.

As is this timely endorsement, courtesy of the Beeb. It seems record sales (in the UK, at least) in 2014 have hit an 18-year high. That’s likely true in North America as well, given that 18 years ago it was all but impossible to find a shiny new domestic vinyl pressing.

So, fellow vinyl enthusiasts, let us rejoice. To a point. But consider this: the recent explosion in vinyl sales has seen the new Pink Floyd album fly off shelves. The top-selling vinyl release of the moment, the Floyd’s LP has reportedly sold a massive 6,000 copies to date. That’s enough to make it far and away the chart-topper of the moment, vinyl-wise. Continue reading →