While I’m busy faffing with the new theme …
Read More
Come see a new Rocknerd theme!
test.rocknerd.co.uk is a temporary copy of Rocknerd as of about 9pm yesterday, currently featuring the Matata theme, as suggested by Lev. I’ve recategorised, tagged and excerpted the front page of posts and it took me all evening, so don’t expect anything before then to be done.
Read More
Reviews: Vanguard, Dark Narrows, Navvi (2016).
EBM, goth-aspiring new wave and dreampop.
Read More
Heaven 17 and Paul Morley: how to age.
Paul Morley interviews Glenn Gregory and Martyn Ware of Heaven 17 in 2010 on the joys of having been a pop band for over thirty years, and how to appreciate pop now we’re all old. It’s thirteen minutes that’s well worth watching.
Read More
Music designs by Arkady Rose. And more.
It’s shilling time! The loved one is an artist and sells quite a lot of the designs. Full catalogue on Redbubble and Spreadshirt. In particular the music selection.
Read More
Synthpop: BOO (Battery Operated Orchestra), Zürich ’81, Deerful (2016).
Three stone winners today. A pleasing selection.
Read More
How to slum as a rock critic, like generations of rock critics before you.
Sometimes you see a piece of modern music journalism and you wonder why these people are allowed fingers.
Read More
Watch Linsey Pollak making a carrot clarinet in five minutes.
You just need a thick carrot, a mouthpiece, an electric drill, a potato peeler and a funnel. Then, in five minutes, you can do this …
Read More
Spray: Enforced Fun (2016).
Spray are a couple of old goths doing semi-novelty synthpop straight out of The Manual. They do a brilliant job of it and you should listen to everything they have ever recorded.
Read More
Reviews: Dark Colour, The War Between, The Nursery, Selves (2016).
’90s-style sample-ridden indie dance rock, catchy amateur punkish indie pop, melodic pop songs in an indie band with synths, American Britpop.
Read More
Burning books is *wrong*. So we had it taken out and shot.
The above being a quote from Graham Clark, one of the literary assessors in question. He told me the story years ago (and I keep retelling it), but I finally found a decent writeup of this, from a 1994 interview with Iain (M.) Banks …
Read More
Dischord releases most of its catalogue on Bandcamp.
It’s the happening thing. Doesn’t appear to be everything they’ve ever released, but it’s a pretty fair chunk of it for you to try before you buy and give them your money.
Read More
Industrial singles: Mesh, Liquid Newt (2016).
A couple from the poppier end, on Dependent.
Read More
Movie links: The death of the VCR; new ways for 3D to suck; why men aren’t funny.
The last video recorder, 3D again, why men just aren’t funny.
Read More
Links: cultural markets in late capitalism, Patricia Morrison, the 1938 synthesizer.
Consumer markets, a nice Patricia Morrison interview and the 1938 Novachord.
Read More
More eyegouging eastern European rap video for your delectation.
After yesterday’s wonder of the pop video maker’s art, we have a couple more. Here’s Russian rap act Little Big, whose dick is very very big.
Read More
The worst video you will see today: “Winaloto” by Tommy Cash.
Estonian rap. The genre is “trap-pop”, apparently. The video itself is probably not worksafe, though technically within YouTube rules.
Read More
Strap On Halo: Altar of Interim EP, Prayers for the Living CD (2016).
Strap On Halo are a goth rock band from the goth scene. This is unfortunate, insofar as not even current goths are interested in current goth music — it’s a subculture of new clothes and old music.
Read More
Industrial reviews: Shiny Darkness, Psychicold, Alexander Fetuekow/2AF (2016).
Depeche Modeish EBM, sp00ky goth EBM, instrumental EBM.
Read More
The guy who called his band Suicide dies of old age.
Useful signage for the turntable.
Origin unknown.
Read More
Viv Albertine corrects British Library exhibition on punk.
Why does the history of punk rock seem so relentlessly white and male, when that’s nothing like how it happened? Well, you know why. And so does Viv Albertine of the Slits.
Read More
65daysofstatic: No Man’s Sky (2016).
Averaging one studio album every three years, the classic math rockers, 65daysofstatic are right on time with their latest release, the official soundtrack to the video game No Man’s Sky.
Read More
Industrial reviews: Psy’Aviah, Gamma 10, L.O.T.I.O.N.
Floaty EBM, instrumental EBM, industrial punk.
Read More
Suggest a new theme for Rocknerd!
Rocknerd uses Kubrick, the most tediously basic WordPress theme that was all the rage in 2008. It’s possible we could do with an update.
So! I would welcome your valued suggestions on how to make the site look more like an interesting and perspicacious music magazine. Free themes by preference, we’re not big on budget resources around here …
Read More
Industry links: YouTube, RIAA mathematics, Jay-Z’s Tidal.
YouTube, record company accounting, Tidal.
Read More
Reviews: nTTx, Foot Spa, Kites With Lights, Stars Crusaders, Kepler.
Two industrial, one post-punk, one synthpop, one indiest indie.
Read More
A nice interview with Alan Rankine of the Associates.
I named my old fanzine Party Fears after the hit single by the Associates, so I’ve always had a soft spot for them.
Read More
Links: Opinionated record nerds on Ringo Starr, Frank Zappa and Record Store Day.
Ringo Starr, Frank Zappa and Record Store Day evaluated.
Read More
Links: The lows and highs of the history of disco.
The Beach Boys’ worst record, the disco record that beats it, and when disco got good again with Jimmy Cauty and the KLF.
Read More