Copyright or copywrong: the Shape of You case and its implications
We can only hope the decision results in a further backlash against the culture fostered by the Blurred Lines decision and a reduction in the number of frivolous lawsuits against musicians. They are bad for artists, bad for all genres of music, and fundamentally, bad for creativity.
In Harry’s House, there’s room for the romantic
‘Harry’s House’ is a house of several rooms. Of screaming elation, beautiful minutia, and doomed love, all of which make for a complex and emotive listen.
The Smile’s “slightly crazed and uncertain landscape”
The Smile is not Radiohead; they have a new name, a new line-up, and appear to see themselves to be doing something artistically different
Music beyond the M6
In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, musician Sam Fender discussed the importance of singing in a Geordie accent for his latest album...
In Defence of James Corden
"So where did it go so wrong? Well, there is no disputing his most incredible talent of worming his way into just about every corner of popular culture."
Why we should care about Warhol
"The growing demand for modern art from an increasing number of collectors is a cause of both celebration and lament for the rest of us."
Music for the end of the world: a Plastic Beach retrospective
"Plastic Beach serves as a poetic, wonderfully produced and musically brilliant reminder that the world is slowly ending, everything is artificial and no one seems to be doing very much about it at all."
Bad language: the value of non-standard English
In many classrooms, slang is something forbidden, a recent example being a London secondary school’s decision to ban words such as ‘bare’, and fillers...
P.S. I still love writing letters
"In searching for an activity to keep away the boredom, it was during lockdown that my love for letter writing was reignited."
Jewish reading recommendations
It is these expressions of Jewish life before the war - beset with jokes, neuroses, and anguish - which stay alive long after reading the texts. I would highly recommend.
‘Beckett on speed’: In conversation with Nocturne Productions
"[...] they descend into paranoia, and carnage unfolds in a network of marvellously-layered backstabbing."
Father John Misty’s “new world of old characters”
"In Chloë and the Next 20th Century, Tillman succeeds spectacularly at creating a new world out of old characters."
Upcoming cultural events in Oxford
Season Two of Bridgerton has given me a newfound desire to grab life by the mallet, so this term I have decided to sign up for Croquet Cuppers.
