Culture Hash | Semi-Coherent Ramblings About Popular Culture

17th May 2018

Maggot Brain – Funkadelic is the Funk Classic We Need in Our Lives

Maggot Brain is the seminal album from Funk pioneers Funkadelic, the George Clinton-led collective was massively influential across a broad spectrum of musicians and genres. Maggot Brain laid the foundation for Prince, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and along with James Brown, provided most of the ammunition for Rap’s sampling heyday. Funkadelic are a criminally underrated band, who don’t get the...

Beach House – 7 | Video Review

I can’t believe we have never discussed my favourite band, the immortal Dream Pop duo, Beach House. They have recently released their much-anticipated seventh studio album, the delightful 7. The band often attract criticism for not evolving their sound enough, this album looks like an addressing of this as they move towards a heavier, more electronic direction, while retaining the core...

Arctic Monkeys – Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino | Album Review

Here’s a quick review detailing thoughts on the latest Arctic Monkeys album, Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino. The band move in a new direction with their divisive sixth studio album we hear the bombastic fast-paced guitars replaced with mostly piano-driven Lounge Pop. Akin to when Bob Dylan went electric and when Miles Davis took his Jazz to new dimensions could...

Despite TV Money Season Ticket Holders Are West Ham’s Heart

With the recent news of another multi-billion pound Premier League television deal, we have to wonder how important the fans in the stadium are to owners like David Gold and David Sullivan. In modern football, TV money far outstrips matchday revenue, so how important are the season ticket holders? In mid-February, the Premier League sold its TV packages for 2019...

Novelist Guy is Continuing Evidence for a Golden Age of Grime

Novelist Guy is the debut album by 21-year-old Novelist, a brilliant project from a rising star with huge potential. Continuing what looks like a new golden age of British rap music, we already have a candidate for album of the year. Novelist has steadily built buzz since appearing on 2015’s BBC Sound of List alongside Stormzy and Years and Years....

Nas Made These Bold Predictions in 1999. How’d He Do?

Nas is many things, poet, innovator; despite naming his fourth studio album Nastradamus, he can’t see the future. Released on the cusp of the millennium, this messy project shows a fascination with the new century. There’s even a feature from the Millennium Thug aka Nashawn, whose career died on 1st January 2001. Rap in general was in a bleak place...