Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Some might say we found a brighter day

Love it or loathe it (and I'm most certainly in the latter camp), Britpop was a genuine pop culture phenomenon, one that extended across music, art and film. Its significance and enduring legacy is the subject of Episode 16 of Sounding Bored, for which host Rob is joined by Tom Sutton and Mike Gibbons, the latter the author of the Britpop-referencing book about England's experience of Euro '96, When Football Came Home.

Each contributor begins by focusing on a different album (Blur's Parklife, Super Furry Animals' Radiator and Oasis' Be Here Now) before they collectively go on to discuss Britpop's origins and influences; both the phenomenon's positive associations with optimism and the celebration of national identity and its negative associations with conservatism, xenophobia and mindless lad culture; and the best bands of the era, as well as those that were unfairly overlooked or overshadowed.

Album of the month is The Big Moon's Love In The 4th Dimension, which harks back to Britpop's heyday and prompts references to pastiche, Shine compilations and the nature of revivalism.

I now need to put together a Spotify playlist to accompany the podcast - please, please, PLEASE don't make me listen to it, though...

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