Essays on topics musical, personal, political – anything.
Illuminating the Void: EMA’s Past Life Martyred Saints at 10
‘What’s the deal with this image of a man being tortured to death perpetuated ad infinitum to a...
Essay
The paradox of Janis Joplin’s Pearl
Fifty years on, Janis Joplin's posthumous album remains a striking testimony of her ability to create beautiful things out of the pain the outside world inflicted on her
Farewell to a King: Rest in Peace DMX
DMX is gone. As shitty as these words are to write, as shitty as they surely are to...
I Am Connected: Loneliness, Depression, and Spencer Krug’s Take on the Tale of the Minotaur
I. On 2nd November 2018, Spencer Krug released his final album under his Moonface moniker. Clocking in at...
This is love that I’m feeling: PJ Harvey’s Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea and its Demos
Following the deep dives into the songwriter’s early work and the dark Is This Desire?, Matthew Barton continues...
Trouble Taking Place: Examining PJ Harvey’s Is This Desire? and Demos
Following on from last year's reissue of her early records and demos, PJ Harvey has just released an expanded version of her 1998 album Is This Desire? Matthew Barton revisits the record and its newly released demos, exploring the mind of a songwriter in artistic turmoil.
BPM Team’s Personal 2020 Round-ups
It’s been a year of many endings, but Beats Per Minute’s is one of re-birth. For those many...
Born To Chase A Dream: Joni Mitchell’s Archives – Volume 1: The Early Years (1963-1967)
With Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 1: The Early Years (1963-1967), the songwriter's early songs have been rediscovered, rescued, and reclaimed for a new audience. A sumptuous package collecting five discs of material that span the first four years of her career, together with a 36-page booklet featuring the aforementioned Crowe interview, photos from Mitchell's archive, and reproduced press cuttings, this is a mouth-watering and significant first entry in what promises to be an intriguing archival series.
Voodoo Working: Delving into PJ Harvey’s Demos and Reissues
With the expanded versions of Dry, Rid Of Me, and To Bring You My Love now released, Matthew Barton takes a deep dive into the singular auteur's early work.
“It’s [not] only rock’n’roll baby”: speaking up against abuse in music
The last few days have been crushing, reading about the atrocities committed by a lot of the musicians...
