‘Pop smarts’. In pop music having that X-factor is a rare commodity. Gaga seems to have attained ownership of pop smarts. I like pop music. No... I love pop music. It’s blink-and-you-miss-it quality. Its insidious charm at managing to drill your brain with its candy coated exterior, no matter how maddening the toe-tapping will become.

It is best when it is fleeting. Pop music is ‘of ...

As front man for his band The Afghan Whigs, Greg Dulli flirted briefly with almost commercial success via the brilliant Gentlemen album. But as a part of that most vague of musical styles ‘Alternative Rock’, Dulli stayed true to his vision of being the passionate/aggressive troubadour to the lost, damaged souls frequenting smoky bar rooms.

He doesn’t have the best voice in the world, ...

Where does the time go? Thirty years ago GO4 released two of the defining post-punk albums in Entertainment and Solid Gold. Angular, mathy songs about anthrax, consumerism, personal politics and the alienation of being in the world where you just don’t buy the package being presented. They were a revelation.

Andy Gill is a genius guitar player. Jagged, harsh and clipped. He is one of ...

Seattle – it could breed ‘em. If Nirvana were the doper dropouts and Pearl Jam were the corporate rock straight-A preppy guys, then Soundgarden were the sullen, moody older brother. The one who had tattoos before anyone else. The one who had an attitude. The one with the best albums... most of them being by Black Sabbath.

While Nirvana and Pearl Jam (and every other ‘grunge’ band that ...

Pop music: It’s a curious entity and one that seems to flourish (and nourish) best when its life is brief. Stellar* had a wonderful career from 1999-2006, but the golden moment was from 1999 (Mix) through to 2001 (Magic Line).

Three years is a long time for a pop band. Hell, three months is a long time for a career in music now! For three years though, we had our own genuine, shiny, ...