Vintage Henry Hall Song Book

I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea to go rummaging through dusty boxes of books and magazines at car boot sales, flea markets and charity shops, but for me it’s one of life’s greatest pleasures. To my mind, there’s nothing better than seeking out and finding vintage popular music-related treasures among the dust and clutter,Continue reading “Vintage Henry Hall Song Book”

Is it just me or does this building distinctly resemble an LP?

I photographed this quirky concrete building at the Aire Du Jura service station in France earlier this year.  The building itself is named the Circles Pavilion and this wonderful example of brutalist architecture houses a number of interesting and informative exhibitions, including one on the production and history of the local comté cheese. Despite my initial assumption that each side of the building was intendedContinue reading “Is it just me or does this building distinctly resemble an LP?”

Giving pop the chop

Would anyone choose to slice their vegetables and prepare their meals on a vinyl record? The designers at Joseph seem pretty convinced that many of us would. I received one of these glossy, black (plastic) vinyl-record style cutting boards as a gift recently and am still struggling to accept the item both as a physicalContinue reading “Giving pop the chop”

Shakin’ up the music promo? Bridging realities in the Harlem Shake

After dissecting a sample of noteworthy music videos as part of my lecture on the music promo, I decided to indulge my student group in some discussion of the then viral YouTube phenomenon The Harlem Shake. This, I thought, would surely challenge my students to think about the mechanisms of the music industry and the powerContinue reading “Shakin’ up the music promo? Bridging realities in the Harlem Shake”