Best and worst specialist music magazines...Irish or otherwise (3 Viewers)

[coast to coast]

The Observer Music Monthly is always a good read

I hate that magazine. Almost as much as Q. Maybe its just with Q that I expect nothing and only really buy it for aeroplanes and such. Q did used to be good and funny in a way. Now its tosh. I cannot stand Observer Music Magazine. To be honest I think the Mongrel album reviews are quite funny.

Foggy Notions... I dunno. Its alright. Sometimes it has interesting articles but its does fall into a lot of the traps and clichés of rock-journo talk sometimes.

I like pitchfork and recently discovered (and now disappearing!) stylus magazine more than any print publication.

Hot Press is also shite, from what I can remember about buying it.

 

[Mitchum]

Another vote for The Wire. Consistently interesting though occasionally it plots a course for it's own anus with crypto-PoMo genre monikers and toooo much space for Improv (documenting Improv? Surely an oxymoron?) but in the main the broad music spectrum it covers and the free cds are grrreat.

I'd sooner have tantric sex with Sting in a Dresden psychiatric hospital than read Hot Press.

 

[Unicron]

used Q actually be decent enough or was it always shite? i used buy it from around 1991 to 1995 and i used to like it well enough. i recall in depth articles on robert wyatt, leonard cohen, tin machine, the cure, cher, roy harper, the incredible string band, spinal tap, guns n roses, carcass, roger waters and tom waits among others. then it started going all oasis and blur and i stopped buying it.

there arent any mags these days i would consider buying and i hate having them lying about the place once theyre read. at least in the wire you might find out about some interesting bands but they ruin it then by having too many tedious and infuriating articles with the writer trying to show that a new cdr is relevant to some boring sociological theory.

Yeah it was decent in the mid-90's.

 

[sweetoblivion]

I always feel like I'm reading Dutch when I read the Wire. It makes absolutely no sense to me and I feel really alienated from it. Even the reviews are hard to read.
I have a subscription for Plan B, I like it although the writers can be up their own holes about stuff too often. I used to buy Uncut all the time, but now it's shite.
I used to buy music mags all the time but these days I rarely do. Sigh.

 

[billygannon]

Another vote for The Wire. Consistently interesting though occasionally it plots a course for it's own anus with crypto-PoMo genre monikers and toooo much space for Improv (documenting Improv? Surely an oxymoron?) but in the main the broad music spectrum it covers and the free cds are grrreat.

I'd sooner have tantric sex with Sting in a Dresden psychiatric hospital than read Hot Press.

You should write for Wire.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

That Invisible Jukebox is brill. Did they only bring out the one book of that?

Just the one so far. Love it.

I buy too many of these.

The Wire = best of the lot. Only one I have a subscription for.

Mojo and The Word are quite good.
Uncut has gone downhill.

Record Collector = usually interesting.

Foggy Notions is ok. CDs are good.

For films Sight and Sound is the only one worth buying.
Empire has sucked for years.

Remember Uncut's film magazine? Folded after three issues.

Worst ever
- An Irish dance magazine called Uproar from 1998 / 1999. Very poor.

 

[Kermit McDermott]

I've bought Q since about 1998, quality varies...It's the endless lists that annoy me, there so pointless, but fill a couple of pages i suppose.

Mojo - bought a few issues..articles are very well written. But sometimes a bit too retro (that's their thing). What the beatles ate during the making of St. pepper kind of thing, bit much. But well written all the same.

NME - is just a rag, a tabloid, sensationalist rubbish. They're more into fashion and who's cool than music. Read a review in the NME and when you get to the end of it you're still non the wiser to what it actually sounds like....lester bangs is dead guy's move on.

Hot Press - not sure why I still buy it. Boredom I suppose & it's cheap compaired to the others. The writing is not a patch on Mojo. It try's to include to much, music, films, sport, comedy, politics....weaken's the mag

Must try some of the others

BTW

Guitar Techniques, the uk mag is the best guitar magazine on the market. You can pick up a GT mag from 10 years ago and learn something new. Brilliant mag.

 

[Mitchum]

You should write for Wire.

I've had a couple of letters published.

Two features rejected though. Bah.

 

[nialler9]

There's a new Irish music magazine (about 130 pages) coming in March.

Thumpedsters will probably hate it regardless.

 

[billygannon]

I've had a couple of letters published.

Two features rejected though. Bah.

Any links?

 

[Franco]

is it called slate or somefink?

 

[killy kill]

East Cork Community Leader culture section.

 

[nialler9]

is it called slate or somefink?

State.

It's got some interesting international writers on board too so it is promising.

 

[Mitchum]

Any links?

Links to rejected submissions?

Nope.

 

[billygannon]

State.

It's got some interesting international writers on board too so it is promising.

Are you writing for it?

 

[Scientician 0.8]

Neon was a pretty good flim magazine in its time.
I liked Select in its hay day too.
I think Q/NME and the lot, the ones that have survived seem to have a much higher ratio of adverts to editorial these days. Far less words (maybe cos they have to pay people to write them) and far more full page ads or pages with a huge picture of Razorshamblesheadtellis and a small caption saying "COR! NEW ALBUM OUT NOW!"

 

[Scientician 0.8]

State.

It's got some interesting international writers on board too so it is promising.

Is it gonna be a glossy? Glossy Irish music magazine wouldn't work that I imagine, not a large enough circulation. But then I'm not a media baron so what would I know...

 

[aoifeimc]

Links to rejected submissions?

Nope.

Don't worry Mitchum, your just the kind of fire-bellied young music journo The Rim(Ireland's most newest quarterly music mag) is looking for- you're hired!report to your editor -large hearted boy- immedio

 

[Kermit McDermott]

You can see why the brit mags love Pete Doherty. Most music journalist grew up reading about keith richards or iggy pop, led zeppelin ect... and when they finally get to be a music journo....what do they get? Sensible young men who do yoga.

 

[nialler9]

Are you writing for it?

Perhaps.

Ok, Yes.

It'll be online too.