No Tags

This week, Henry Bruce-Jones joins us to run down the best music of 2024 so far.With the caveat that we didn't think it was worth revisiting the albums we've already discussed (and Brat summer's over anyway, babes), we start with the gaseous moods of Naemi, Bianca Scout and Chanel Beads. Are we in the midst of a brave new wave of shoegaze, or has the NTS early morning schedule pumped one too many Cocteau Twins songs into the water supply?We compare and contrast Erika de Casier and Clara La San’s throwback R&B styles, and dive into some of the year’s most interesting hip-hop records with both feet: They Hate Change, Jawnino, and Cooper B. Handy & Surf Gang.In club corner we celebrate recent releases by Facta, Parris, Emma dj, Verraco, Less-O, Jabes, SOPHIE and Actress (his best album in years?). We get into the various sides of Mica Levi and Henry goes deep on recent efforts by Nudo, Hafeez and NMNL.Finally, we close on some of our most bonkers Bandcamp discoveries of the year. Unfamiliar with Lust$ickPuppy, FIN and Phil Geraldi? No matter – these are the sort of discoveries that, in Chal’s words, are a reminder that we love music. Jaded insiders? Us? Never!If you like what we’re doing on No Tags then please like, rate, review or subscribe on your podcast app of choice, and if you really like what we’re doing, consider supporting us via our paid tier. It’s only £5 a month, and seriously helps us keep doing what we’re doing. Enjoy! Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

We’ve become so accustomed to bad news that Labour’s landslide victory in the UK general election has been a hard one to process, despite it being a dead cert. The Tories are actually gone? Can it be real? So this week we decided to piece together our memories of the last 14 years of cuts, corruption and chaos, and see if we can identify the sound of Tory Britain. We’ve spent most of our music careers toiling under the long shadow of George Osborne’s turbo-cuts to public spending – not to mention Brexit batshittery, the crazy days of Corbynism, the aftermath of the Grenfell disaster and Black Lives Matter, and of course the lockdown years and attendant Covid conspiracies. But the politics of austerity Britain also changed the nation’s musical culture, and in this episode we talk about the dominance of festivals at the expense of clubbing, the sound of the student protest movement, the emergence of drill in the hollowed out communities of South London, and the political backlash to the five-headed monster of Cameron, May, Boris, Truss (lol) and Sunak. We also have a think about why Keir Starmer seems to have forgotten his musical roots, and what we might expect from a Labour government that’s appointed Lisa “Towns” Nandy as culture minister.Remember that this Saturday 20th July we’ll be in Glasgow for a live No Tags experience, hosted by Feena and Wheelman at Glasgow University Chapel! Tickets are available on the door, or you can sign up for membership of the Events Research Programme for just £3.50. If you like what we’re doing on No Tags then please like, rate, review or subscribe on your podcast app of choice, and if you really like what we’re doing, consider supporting us via our paid tier. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This time we’re joined by Meaghan Garvey, author of America’s #1 vibes-based newsletter, SCARY COOL SAD GOODBYE, and one of the best writers in the game. Meaghan started off as an illustrator, laundering a semi-successful weed-dealing operation through an Etsy empire before becoming better known as a music journalist. Whether writing pin-sharp profiles of megastars like Lana Del Rey and T-Pain or getting deep in the DIY weeds, Meaghan has long been a BS-free voice in a sea of mediocrity. And ahead of the curve, too – she broke up with Drake in 2015.In 2020 Meaghan launched SCARY COOL SAD GOODBYE, a Substack that’s somewhere between a confessional travel diary and a photo album of nostalgic Americana. Recent editions include a rundown of Milwaukee’s oldest dive bars, a crash course in train-hopping and a visit to House on the Rock, “Wisconsin's tweaked-out Graceland.”When she returned to Pitchfork for a flagship review of Charli XCX’s Brat, we knew the timing was right for a No Tags interview. We talked about stan culture, the pantomime of vulnerability in modern pop music, nostalgia for 2011, learning how to write about yourself, and searching for honesty while fleeing from the discourse.Plus, Tom and Chal report on more examples of payola in underground music and get into the Glastonbury debate: should people be losing money to play it? Why is it so crowded? Is Glasto finally… cooked?Hit that like, smash that share, bosh that review, and be free. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Investigating payola in underground music, the hosts discuss its prevalence and impact on editorial coverage. They also touch on the sensitive topic of artist criticism and explore the music industry dynamics, including controversies and cultural impacts.

In this engaging conversation, GG Albuquerque, a Brazilian journalist and academic specializing in funk music, dives into the vibrant nightlife of Brazilian favelas and the dynamics of baile parties. He unpacks Brazil's complicated love-hate relationship with funk, shedding light on oppressive policing and regional DJ cultures. GG also introduces a curated playlist of funk favorites, celebrating the genre’s cultural significance and its resistance against societal barriers. Listeners are in for fascinating insights into this evolving musical landscape.

Jéjé Albuquerque, a Brazilian journalist and academic researcher with a focus on Baile Funk, dives into the explosive evolution of Brazilian funk music. He discusses its past decade, regional variations, and the vibrant culture surrounding it, highlighting the role of DJs in shaping the sound. The conversation includes the impact of technology on music distribution via platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp. Listeners will also discover the unique party culture that fuels this dynamic genre, infused with cultural nuances and extreme production choices.

Guest Fish56Octagon, a one-man DJ phenomenon, discusses the rise of social-first Moments™ in club culture, drawing parallels between Fred Again and Fish's success on social media. The hosts also share recommendations on Danish producer Astrid Sonne and touch on Billie Eilish's SoundCloud takeover. Plus, they explore the impact of viral fame and the evolving dynamics of music discovery in the digital age.

As if we hadn’t gorged enough on lore last week, this time we welcome one of electronic music’s boldest world-builders, Iglooghost.Iglooghost’s new album Tidal Memory Exo takes place in a punk-dystopian vision of a British seaside town that’s been cut off from the rest of society. It even comes accompanied by an online forum where users debate the politics and micro-genres of the local “tidal scene” (sporestyle, tektonikore, foamtek) and an online marketplace where people sell mysterious sea creatures and offer theories about their origins, among many other diversions. Something else that interested us about the project is that while Iglooghost’s early releases took place in full-on fantasy world, recently he’s started creating parallel universes based in Britain, bringing his lore-making closer to his own reality. Prior to Tidal Memory Exo, he created a whole world around “Lei Music” – a supposedly ancient musical style performed to summon “strange, squeaking entities” in rural Dorset, the part of south-west England where he grew up.Naturally we spoke to him about all that and about lore in general, as well as getting his insights on the ever-changing nature of the online experience, his obsessive fans, TikTok as a ghost town, and the risk of world-building becoming too cynical. Never go full Marvel, basically.As ever, if you enjoy what we’re doing on No Tags, please do follow, rate and review on your podcast app of choice, correspond with us on Substack, and consider subscribing to our paid tier. Now that we’re weekly, £5 a month works out to less than £1.20 per episode, which is basically a bag of crisps these days – and it really does help us out. Thanks for listening/reading! Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

We’re still reeling from last week’s Reynoldsmania, but in the wake of our conversation with the great music scribe about the past and future of electronic music, this time we’re firmly in the present.First, Chal puts forward a thesis about the genre trend of the moment – a movement that brings together Taylor Swift, Disney Adults, A. G. Cook and Warhammer freaks. Welcome to the lorecore era.Next, we wade knee-deep into the sludgy waters of NYC band Couch Slut’s new album You Could Do It Tonight, a must-listen for fans of metal and hardcore’s scuzzier side, equal parts uncomfortable and funny. We chat about why bands like Couch Slut feel so refreshing compared to so much of the extreme music that came before them.Speaking of humour, is Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess the messy pop masterpiece we so desperately need in 2024? Maybe not, considering it actually came out last year, but we only just discovered it and we’re both obsessed. Old school FACT fans might remember our love for Miley’s Bangerz era and Sky Ferreira’s Night Time, My Time, and this LP is in that lineage, offering ridiculous tunes and modern dating advice to boot.Thanks for listening to No Tags. If you like what we do, consider following us on Substack and social media (we’re @notagspodcast everywhere) or rating and reviewing us on your podcast app of choice. Get full access to No Tags at notagspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Renowned music journalist Simon Reynolds discusses his latest book on 'futuromania' in electronic music, exploring topics like accelerationism, Daft Punk's influence, Boards of Canada's uncanniness, and the ambient revival. He touches on dance music's middle-aged desires, the allure of the '70s, and his next book scoop. The hosts also engage in light-hearted discussions and delve into evolving music consumption trends and genres, alongside a film recommendation of 'Point Blank' from the 60s.