The *CORRECTED* UK Music Magazine Poll.

HHC, easily.

I'll give Rock-A-Rolla it's only vote

sound on sound is probably the only one of any worth. mostly because the only music they talk about is rubbish i will never hear anyone else mention, ever

also mic reviews

You missed Straight No Chaser, btw, even though nobody would have voted for it.

It would have to be The Wire. Even if it can be pretentious, there are no other print mags out there i'd consider paying for these days. The latest cover pic of Luomo is pure dodgeville however.

FACT is a good read and it's free. Someone mentioned Jockey Slut in the old thread. Great mag until it went seriously off the boil in about 2000. 'Bring back Select' SECONDED! I loved that mag so much.

Muzik was also good for a while when I was discovering dance music for the first time.

is fRoots any good?

But which has given ILM the best thread fodder? NME, certainly.

Predictable vote for the Wire. It's the only music magazine I've ever paid money for.

Q. Forever and ever.

Mixmag

Scott - you're not allowed to purchase or read fRoots until you supply Ian Anderson (not the Tull-meister) with full and valid documentation of your having paid your dues...

If only this had been the WORST UK Music Magazine poll it would have been a lot more fun; so many to choose from...as it is I'm not inclined to vote for any at the moment.

I flick through the Wire in the newsagent but reading it is like going to school - a bad one. When they're not telling me things I already know they waste too much space with pretentious D&C photo spreads.

Q is always sealed up in the newsagent so I can't flick through that; not that I would want to from the look of the cover, these days more often than not the latest excuse to rejig the same list of 50 people/albums/songs.

Mojo's getting worse and worse. Uncut is probably beyond salvation. Living people on their covers might help matters.

Don't really look at Word magazine but their website links to my blog so maybe I ought to give it a read.

The rest are either not my bag or I'm too old to read them.

Plan B is OK but inconsistent.

OMM needs to sort itself out; more reportage (it's their strength and they should make the most of it), fewer lists, fewer dodgy school age themed issues, less nepotism.

Good article on the Wu-Tang Clan in Mojo. The one with the Smiths on the cover.

OMM seems to give every single album they review either 4 or 5 stars.

Usually in sharp variance to the reviews themselves (e.g. the second Scissor Sisters album was given four stars despite what was unmistakeably a two-star review).

How odd that Mojo didn't run a feature on Wu-Tang in 1993, when it mattered.

How odd that Mojo should prefer having the Smiths on their cover to Wu-Tang.

Not.

Who's going to be the Barack Obama of British music magazines?

I find it odd that Mojo chose to run a feature on Wu-Tang at all. None of Mojo's readers want to read about them. Never ever have Mojo gotten as many angry letters as when they had Destiny's Child on the front cover.

Whenever Mojo write about current music, they should concentrate on what people without musical taste tend to call "dadrock".

Mojo features a nice run down on On-U in the current edition, so there's some love flowing towards that corner i have to say (and thats not just cos yours truly gets a quote for the #1 spot), but the reality is HHC is the one i look forward to the most these days.

'Mojo readers revolt over Destiny's Child front cover'

What a horrible image.

Mojo like their black musicians safely old and/or dead.

None of Mojo's readers want to read about them

Geir, I do, so that's your theory blown out of the water. I'd rather read about them than The Smiths again.

Destiny's Child was on the NME cover fwiw.

Straight No Chaser ceased publication a couple of months ago.

Yeah, ditto.

Also, does the article not matter now, more so? An article on them 'at their peak' would be unnecessary and incomplete as too much about their story was 'in progress' and unresolved. They are issuing a new album, and it's sales potential is less assured.

I have more Smiths records than wutang, and I daresay I'll get around to reading the smithybits, but hay.

(Oh, and my first point on this subject was stated w/irony, but you knew that)

Whenever Mojo write about current music, they should concentrate on what people without musical taste tend to call "dadrock".

-- Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 08:55 (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

NO!

Nonononononono NO!

It's not that they should not write about 'dr', they should write about artists that are INTERESTING! It matters less if I like their music or not.

A band could have ogh etc, sigh and over&out....

Dom: Straight No Chaser folded last year.

I cast my vote for OMM, because - despite some massive irritations (Record Doctor, sheesh) - I find it the most useful/instructive/relevant to my own interests.

The Word is the only one that I buy regularly; it certainly ebbs and flows (think it's just pulling out of a dip at present), and the album reviews don't do much for me, but there's always plenty of personal interest in there each month.

Songlines and fRoots are occasional purposes, and some of the fRoots covermounts have been superb.

I respect Plan B, and should probably buy it more often, but the sheer weight of the unknown territory can feel a little daunting and it's not always too good at stimulating interest; there's a certain amount of assumed knowledge. Which is absolutely fair enough, of course.

I buy about one Mixmag per year, depending on the covermount. That M.A.N.D.Y. one from last year was great. It's better than it used to be, right?

When this one runs its course, I might do a "most missed" poll, but limited to mags which folded post-1990. Sounds, Record Mirror, Select, Muzik, Jockey Slut, Blues And Soul... sniff...

"Occasional purposes"... er, purchases. (?!)

Ah yes, Record Doctor, where world-famous iconic music writer Paul Mardles tries to fob off on a D list celebrity whatever Dog Day Press or Hearthen PR has lobbed at him this month.

With most of them they could reverse the roles of 'doctor' and 'patient' and it'd be more valid.

I'm quite tempted to vote for FACT in here cos no-one else will and aside from a suspicious lack of bad reviews they come off like they have a love for the game.

Wow, there's still a TOTP magazine?

What's the name of that "The Fly for urban music" thing that you get in all the record shops in the Midlands? It has JME on the cover, like, every third issue.

RWD ?

Yeah, that shit sucks.

Nuh uh, always worth a read for Hattie Collins' attempts to 'talk street' when this obviously comes about as naturally to her as Middle English

Mojo like their black musicians safely old and/or dead.

Mojo (readers, anyway) like their black musicians (and white musicians) to make proper songs with tunes and not too much empasis on rhythm.

they should write about artists that are INTERESTING!

Part of the problem here is that some of the best music ever has been made by really boring people.

That was partly the reason for the backclash against Dodgy. The music press had nothing to write about them that didn't have to do with the music itself, so they decided to hate them.

Nuh uh, always worth a read for Hattie Collins' attempts to 'talk street' when this obviously comes about as naturally to her as Middle English

-- DJ Mencap, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 10:44 (57 minutes ago) Link

This bitch turns up on message boards if you criticise her Hearts of Darkness approach to music journalism, so keep it on the DL.

Dodgy, their lead singer split because he was bored with his own music!

Anyroad, that's by the way....

Why would Mojo be 'better' if they wrote about Dodgy?

Has anyone here ever actually protested about a favoured magazine's choice of cover star, beyond just 'lol Tiny Ultrasound/Beth Ditto can't you see you're just playing into their hands by posing nude'?

Jockey Slut was the only music magazine, dance music or otherwise, that mattered for me. Genuinely ethusiastic and funny writing and their cover CD's ruled. Sadly they were cojoined to the wretched Sleazenation and when that deservedly went down the shitter so did the Slut. I haven't read another music magazine since as none come close. Some of their writers contribute to Spannered if anyone's interested.

A mate of mine reckons The Wire is for people who catalogue their record collections with their cocks. He's got a point.

You could buy Dodgy's complete back catalogue in mint condition with the £3 you'd get for one of those individual Saint Etienne fan club CDs. And still have enough change left over for the Evening Standard.

How could Dodgy's music be at all interesting to write or read about?

Credit to Hip-Hop Connection for surviving all these years. It helps that they've never had a major rival I guess. I remember the first issue I saw in '88 with a free LL Cool J 7" giveaway. But I haven't read it for about 17 years.

^^^You should, Pippo Mlynar is the best music writer in the UK currently.

Although apparently he once tapped Miss AMP, so, y'know, he hasn't got perfect judgement.

IIRC Mojo got an avalanche of protests when they featured Abba on the cover.

I regularly read : Mojo
I quite often read : guitarist, guitar and bass
About once a year I leaf through a copy of : Uncut, The Wire
I once read a copy of : The Word
I skip read and then chuck straight in the recycling : OMM (God, it's shite)

Your search - "pippo mlynar" - did not match any documents.

Results 1 - 10 of about 72 for "PHILLIP mlynar". (0.24 seconds)

Sorry, but I'm better.

for me it's a toss up between man like Lex and Emma Edmondson

^^^Has The Secret World Of weighed in on Vampire Weekend yet?

Sorry, but I'm better.

-- Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 12:12 (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

You're certainly the big man on ILX.

whoever they decide to out on the cover

not a typo BTW

I would say Lex is the best UK music writer at the moment.

Not afraid to shamelessly shoehorn his hatred of indie into everything he writes, even when it's not in the least bit relevant.

(See last week's Flm & Music Hot Chip review.)

Is Plan B a kind of freebie mag that you just pick up in bins on the street, in record shops etc?

I am asking because there is a Plan B in Oslo, which is exactly that.

The Lex is probably the worst music writer at the moment, with his irrational unwillingness to acknowledge that music has a history, and that said history has produced a lot of great music, in fact a lot greater than today's music.

no, plan B is a top-notch paid-for mag. easily the best-written on the market.

BTW, re: Lex, I should have included sarcasm tags.

And Geir, you are Lex. And Lex is Geir. Same dogmatic coin, two sides.

The Lex is probably the worst music writer at the moment, with his irrational unwillingness to acknowledge that music has a history, and that said history has produced a lot of great music, in fact a lot greater than today's music.

-- Geir Hongro, Friday, 8 February 2008 11:18 (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty.

Just reread that Hot Chip review, the weird thing about it is that Hot Chip *did* come from the 'indie scene' which is what you assume the second paragraph is gonna go on and tackle; instead it just goes "well at least it's not indie amirite?" which means that opening bit could be used as a review of basically any non-British guitar pop record ever made

And Geir, you are Lex. And Lex is Geir. Same dogmatic coin, two sides.

-- m the g, Friday, 8 February 2008 11:21 (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Hey, let's do a "Update "If the kids are united" " thread!

Where do they find people willing to interview 700 indie bands for what I assume to be either no money or a tiny amount?

Hey, see an indie band, throw a stone and you'll hit at least two people queueing to interview them for "no specific magazine"

(hang on, m the g?)

Hot Chip deserve the Lex.

Who deserves Geir?

Scottish Young Conservatives?

Uncut Magazine.

I've just had a word with Lex - you're up for the Ned's Atomic Dustbin retrospective in the next issue.

Hot Chip sound as though they have never so much as heard of the accepted pillars of indie. In interviews, they wax enthusiastic about Destiny's Child, Will Oldham, German minimal techno, R Kelly, Fleetwood Mac and Prince; while they have learned lessons from each of those acts, it's to their credit that they sound nothing like any of them.

lex's review of the awful hot chip is pretty weak marcello. i don't think he knows what the "accepted pillars of indie" are; but how is will oldham not one of them now? but anyway this is all kinda ilm c. 2003 -- lol indie not as good as pop. hot chip, who are awful, aren't particularly indie anyway. so where's all this coming from?

Hot Chip actively engage with the idea of pop as an aesthetic.

means precisely what?

Classic Rock did a retrospective on Mick Ronson in the latest issue to come out in the US that almost brought a tear to my eye. Very well done.

I think it means they nick interludes from Todd Rundgren albums (xp).

I've owned a copy of The Seven Pillars Of Wisdom for nearly 40 years and I still couldn't name one of them off the top of my head if a pub quiz depended on it.

Is that View review upthread real?

I was going to do a Pashmina but now I am laughing too hard at this:

The Fly: ghastly, like Brilliant Kid off The Fast Show sitting in a room of one-track promos
-- DJ Mencap

you missed two new magazines ive seen - woofah (reggae/JA stuff and dubstep/grime) and shook (straight no chaser type stuff but a bit edgier).

Friend of mine claims that he's seen a 2/5 review of an album in The Fly. I refuse to believe he's telling the truth.

im always amazed that hhc have managed to keep going. hope some big name rappers come out this year otherwise theyre going to be stuck covering ho-hum stuff like kidz n the hall all year.

Friend of mine claims that he's seen a 2/5 review of an album in The Fly. I refuse to believe he's telling the truth.

in the current issue.

The Jim Muir Slideshow : 1.5/5
One Night Only : 2/5

the fly and rwd are both good examples of how we are living in a golden age of music criticism.

That One Night Only score is still far too generous

It's early in the year, but Hot Chip have set a strong contender for Album of 2008; euphoric, quietly tender and equally progressive - the message now being ‘Come and have a go if you think you’re funky enough’.

lol

Haven't read a music magazine for years, though I used to enjoy Metal Hammer so I voted for that. It was edited by Krusher!

“Music magazines are uniformly crap,” says Tom Artrocker, a self-described “ragged trousered rock’n’roll philanthropist in Cuban heels”

Fatknocker really is the limits.

i voted for ucunt, because it's the most consistently readable, despite mostly covering dad music. i'd love to stick up for plan b or the wire but they both do my head in in different ways

"Bearded: unless this is in fact Beard that Stew sometimes of ILX does, no idea"

Nah, they done bit our name! No, it was probably perfectly innocent, but still, grrr!

Beard will be back soon...

As for mags...

Plan B and The Wire are my mainstays. Wire can be a bit dry and I can understand some of the objections to its current editorial policy, but nevertheless, it covers things few others would touch and has run some excellent cover features recently (Wyatt and Undeground Resistance spring to mind).
Plan B feels much more personal and engaging. It's not perfect but for what is ostensibly an indie mag it does a good job on metal, improv, noise and grime etc. Also Frances Morgan is one of the best music writers in the UK right now. Her Robert Wyatt feature was outstanding.

Was Artrocker dude the one who was all "lol asylum seekers"?

Yes - he used to include all these sub-Daily Mail rants in the email newsletter.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

tbf..

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

(wonders who voted for NME)

you guys sure do love your shitty music mags

Who was the one person that knew TOTPS Magazine still existed and voted for it?

Speaking as somebody who voted for a magazine I've never read, just for the lulz, well I doubt I'm the only one who did that.

Congratulations to the Wire and all its fans on a tremendous achievement.

I'm calling "jokes, bruv" votes on OMM, The Stool Pigeon, Classic Rock, NME.

Observer Music Monthly 1

^^^ithappens still lurks, I see.

God, you're a grudgy fucker, Dom!

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Grudge Reinhold