Topic: Music magazines (Read 10102 times)

Will · « **on:** 27 Sep 2006, 16:04 »

Does anybody still read these anymore? If you do, which ones do you read, and what is it about them that makes you want to keep reading them?

The only one I subscribe to is Decibel, which I originally checked out because Converge was the cover story, but then I was really blown away by how well-done the visual aspect of the magazine was, and the writing was actually top-notch (not the dumbed down, knuckle-dragging bullshit that usually accompanies metal-based printed media). I've found out about a lot of really amazing music through their features, all-in-all I'm happy to keep reading each issue over and over. They mostly just cover heavy aggressive music though, and since I've started to branch out over the years with what I listen to, I'm looking for a music-focused magazine that covers that side of things...any suggestions?

Gryff · « **Reply #1 on:** 27 Sep 2006, 16:10 »

Uncut is great, but a bit more focused on music history than new stuff. I like it though, because it covers music and movies fairly evenly, and it has some quite long articles about classic albums, musicians, actors and directors etc. And anyway, if you're looking for new music you can do it much more easily over the internet than in a magazine these days.

Will · « **Reply #2 on:** 27 Sep 2006, 16:24 »

Actually, Gryff, this piques my interest...I may have to Google this one. Thanks!

dancarter · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 Sep 2006, 18:11 »

I read a few, but not many of them are North American based (though not because I don't want one that is, it's just that there aren't any catering to Industrial or the like).

I quite enjoy Sideline, they've good coverage and a pretty steady flow of daily news on their website. The mag itself is good for interviews with some generally pretty big scene bands,as a well as up and comers.

Moving Hands is good for this as well, as are ReGen, Fiend, and Neosynthesis.

It's good to get some technical background too, on softsynths, patches, mixing, mastering, hardware performance and what have you so these tend to be where I go for that sort of thing...oh, Electronic Musician Magazine is great as well.

Johnny C · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 Sep 2006, 18:27 »

Canadians can read Exclaim! for free. Check your local record stores.

Night Rocker · « **Reply #5 on:** 27 Sep 2006, 23:52 »

How bout a list of magazines that can be purchased in the US? I am tired of getting mail that i dont read.

Thrillho · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 12:40 »

I read Q. It's a bit dubious, but its opinions generally overlap with mine substantially, my dream job would be working for them, and they seem to be the most respectable and even handed out of the music press I have to hand. The one disadvantage is that they are mainstream music as well, so they tend to not really do justice to the more extreme albums that are about.

Thrillho · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 13:27 »

Quote from: tommydski on 28 Sep 2006, 12:55

i always thought 'q' was the worst example of journalism currently available in the UK.

You've clearly not plumbed the depths then. Metal Hammer? Kerrang!? Smash Hits? NM-fucking-E???

Gryff · « **Reply #8 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 15:32 »

Regardless of your opinion of Oasis' musical output, absolutely anyone would struggle to argue that that band have produced any relevant or interesting music since 1996, and yet Q bends over backwards to fellate Noel and Liam Gallagher (get a mental image of that sexual position) on a monthly basis. It's beyond farce.

Karma Police · « **Reply #9 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 16:09 »

Quote from: Johnny C on 27 Sep 2006, 18:27

Canadians can read Exclaim! for free. Check your local record stores.

Amen to that! A well done, thorough, free mag that discusses decent music, no wonder I get it monthly!

I also read Spin, even though it's gone downhill, I still have 4-5 months left on my subscription, and Under the Radar if I can find it anywhere.

Joseph · « **Reply #10 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 17:34 »

I'm not big on Exclaim!, personally. It has some good articles on occassion, but the reviews don't tend to be good, what with each review taking up pretty much no space. They sometimes mention something interesting, but then, before they can actually explore it, BLAM!!! The article's over!

Karma Police · « **Reply #11 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 19:24 »

Quote from: Dark Flame on 28 Sep 2006, 17:34

I'm not big on Exclaim!, personally. It has some good articles on occassion, but the reviews don't tend to be good, what with each review taking up pretty much no space. They sometimes mention something interesting, but then, before they can actually explore it, BLAM!!! The article's over!

On the plus side, it's free.

Johnny C · « **Reply #12 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 19:29 »

And I use it more to keep tabs on what's coming out in the next little while, stuff that would pique my interest and otherwise go under the radar. The small space for reviews means they can fit more reviews from other genres, too; seriously, look how robust the electronic music and hip-hop sections are.

Spin got bought out by Maxim's parent company and the editorial staff was replaced with ex-Blender people. Hence, shit.

Suedehead · « **Reply #13 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 21:57 »

I used to read Spin but I cant be bothered paying for magazines when I can get reviews and interviews of the internet or in the street press for free.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #14 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 22:13 »

All I can say on this subject is that Kerrang! is a fucking joke.

nuisance · « **Reply #15 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 22:37 »

Quote from: 10101110 on 27 Sep 2006, 16:04

Does anybody still read these anymore? If you do, which ones do you read, and what is it about them that makes you want to keep reading them?

Probably people who discuss music on web fora are the wrong people to be asking, eh.

I don't read print mags much, If I'm on holiday somewhere I sometimes pick up a mag to take with me. Often it's The Wire, although I find the complete joylessness of most of what they write about pretty fucking annoying. Still, it suits my tastes more than other print mags I've found.

For me the strongest appeal of a print mag is in the way it functions, not its content. I can find good enough writing on the web, get recommendations, etc. But a print mag is something you can casually pick up and put down when you feel like more so than browsing the net^*, it's not overwhelming (usually come out monthly at most), and ... it's print. So it's a pleasure to read, compared to the internet.

Quote from: DynamiteKid on 28 Sep 2006, 13:27

You've clearly not plumbed the depths then. Metal Hammer? Kerrang!? Smash Hits? NM-fucking-E???

FWIW, I reckon it's got to the point where it's wrong to describe NME as a music mag. The editor and his staff themselves call it something else.... gah, I forgot exactly the market position they're eking out, but it's something like "men's lifestyle mag" or something. i.e. same kind of shit as Loaded, Maxim, etc.

* Of course, this assumes you're not sitting in front of a PC during every waking moment.

Night Rocker · « **Reply #16 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 22:44 »

Is Rolling Stone magazine about music?

Praeserpium Machinarum · « **Reply #17 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 23:00 »

In part I think, mostly it is a moaning-about-how-everything-was-better-in-the-old-days mag.

Will · « **Reply #18 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 23:04 »

Quote from: nuisance on 28 Sep 2006, 22:37

Probably people who discuss music on web fora are the wrong people to be asking, eh.

I was going to argue, but then I realized that you know the proper pluralization of forum, and that means you're probably much smarter than I, and I would probably lose...

I get most of my "instant" information from the 'net, but I still enjoy sitting down with my coffee or whatever and perusing the printed versions...I don't know why, I guess it just makes me feel like I haven't completely sold my soul to technology or something...

Gryff · « **Reply #19 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 23:16 »

You know what they use to write, design and print magazines, right?

COMPUTERS

*DUN DUN DUNNNNN*

Will · « **Reply #20 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 23:20 »

Gryff, no one asked you to destroy my delusion!

nuisance · « **Reply #21 on:** 28 Sep 2006, 23:44 »

Quote from: 10101110 on 28 Sep 2006, 23:04

I was going to argue, but then I realized that you know the proper pluralization of forum, and that means you're probably much smarter than I, and I would probably lose...

Heh, learning Latin makes you weird, not smart! I was just generalising, but I do think most people who buy music mags are not web-searching super-nerds hunting down new stuff most days.

Quote from: 10101110 on 28 Sep 2006, 23:04

I get most of my "instant" information from the 'net, but I still enjoy sitting down with my coffee or whatever and perusing the printed versions...

Yeah, that's what I was trying to get at. I don't do it much, but it really is a different experience to switch the computer off and flick through a mag or a book. Sorry if this is a no-brainer...

Praeserpium Machinarum · « **Reply #22 on:** 29 Sep 2006, 03:26 »

I find it kind of boring, even my own mag(the one I write for) Geiger's printed version doesn't really interest me. Even though it should considering it has articles about the polish yassi scene, Serena Maneesh and all sorts of weird stuff.

AlexAttack · « **Reply #23 on:** 29 Sep 2006, 10:26 »

I read Terrorizer occasionally. Its from England and is pretty expensive to buy in Australia. It focuses on metal,punk/hardcore and industrial/goth. It was awesome ages ago(about 6-7 years ago) but now that trends in heavy metal have changed so has the type of bands they interview so i may not buy it all the time because i really don't like metalcore and mathcore etc. Saving grace is that it comes with a compilation cd of songs that i hopefully want to hear each month.
I like it because even though it now has a wider readership than it used to and has a glossy cover,etc, its still not all MTV like Metal Hammer or Kerrang.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #24 on:** 29 Sep 2006, 15:05 »

Zero Tolerance is the new Terrorizer. Fo' real. Just like Terrorizer was the new Metal Hammer which was the new Kerrang!

Night Rocker · « **Reply #25 on:** 29 Sep 2006, 20:54 »

Out if pure stupidity, i ask again. Is that any good music magazine that covers most genres of music in the US?

Thrillho · « **Reply #26 on:** 30 Sep 2006, 07:13 »

Rolling Stone...?

'Good' is in the eye of the beholder after all.

pat101 · « **Reply #27 on:** 30 Sep 2006, 17:41 »

Haha Ohh Revolver, I used to read that at my old job just because I worked in a video store where we didn't have ANY customers so I'd have a lot of free time on my hands, it was a fairly shitty mag. I do enjoy my free copies of Exclaim! though, I mean it's by no means great though it is free and totally decent.

sjbrot · « **Reply #28 on:** 02 Oct 2006, 01:17 »

Well, I mostly read Exclaim! seeing as it's so very easy to pick and all. Less-than-a-hundred-words reviews do suck, but they have a lot of ground to cover, and they do it well. And, of course, for those who don't live in Canada or are too lazy to find a record shop, you can always read most of their content online.

In terms of American stuff, I read Harp a bit. They're a bit more focussed on singer/songwriter style stuff than I'm comfortable with, but they do well on most occasions, and they've had both Fred Mills and Jim Derogatis in their pages.

The cream of the crop, really, is Magnet. I don't know of a single magazine out today that I would put up against them. Like any magazine, they've certainly had some misfires over the years. Still, their content is unparralled. I find that just about every artist that I'm interested in, with the exception of local bands and smaller Canadian touring bands, are covered and covered well by this magazine. They cater to the independant scene at large. I can't say enough about them. I've been reading them for years, and only one regretable issue comes to mind, and I will keep it to myself because it was really embarrassing.

charlesegabel · « **Reply #29 on:** 02 Oct 2006, 22:29 »

I actually am a huge fan of Spin, which had everything to do with the writing staff, half of which were recently fired under a new editor that came from Blender. Beyonce appeared on the cover and they got a terrible sex columnist...

They totally destroyed their previous market, which was not a good move. I just hope since the guy's firing, the damage can be undone.

Big Takeover is really good for text and stuff, but they have this terrible habit of spilling over their interviews to the next issue, which wouldn't be so bad if the new issues weren't only like twice a year (I'm not sure, I just pick it up when I see it). It's also very thick.

robert g · « **Reply #30 on:** 03 Oct 2006, 23:03 »

I read The Wire. and free mag Arthur. Both are availabe in the US.

OHsmeat · « **Reply #31 on:** 04 Oct 2006, 07:10 »

Arthur is pretty good but it can be a bit hipster-hippiish if that even makes sense. I'm kind of pissed at Wire right now cause it feels like their reviews get more and more pretentious to the point of having no idea of what the album could possibly sound like, oh and for some reason they like that whole "noise" genre (!opinion!) business.

Oh I should be nice sorry, Grooves mag is an online pdf that covers a lot of good stuff mostly in the electronic/experimental genre but I've seen some kickass bands in there (Broadcast!, Lali Puna!, Kid606 <3). I also like The Onions music sections cause thy have damn good taste across a wide berth of genres. I haven't read any good metal mags in a while so I think I'm going to check out Decibel that sounds kind of good.

a pack of wolves · « **Reply #32 on:** 05 Oct 2006, 09:03 »

I know what you mean about Wire, although I do like a bit of noise myself. I tend to find it only really makes sense live though. It's still a pretty decent read though. I used to pick up Terrorizer but in the end there was too much jizzing over cookie-cutter death/black/metalcore bands for me to really justify paying the cover price for the little in it worth reading. They did say Pelican were boring and unoriginal when everyone else was going apeshit over them though, so kudos for that. I pick up Punk Planet now and again too, but it's a bit too variable in whether or not ther'll be much good in it. And Plan B and Loose Lips are ok but neither really replaced Careless Talk Costs Lives for me, which I thought was a much better magazine. And I'm still mourning the deaths of the great free zines, Fracture and Reason To Believe. Last Hours seems to keep getting better though, it might take the place of Fracture yet if it can stay away from the more corporate end of the punk spectrum and get more interesting and varied bands in.

VonDook · « **Reply #33 on:** 05 Oct 2006, 09:49 »

If you're Australian the Jmag is really good. It's the paper equivalent of Triple J radio so, I guess, if you like Triple J then you'd probably like Jmag also. It's nice and fat, and reasonably cheap.

OHsmeat · « **Reply #34 on:** 06 Oct 2006, 07:16 »

Noise as a whole isn't bad really its the "DURR I just turned on a broken mixer and I JUST LEARNED WHAT FEEDBACK IS DURR" stuff. Due to its context the noise umbrella covers a lot of really good acts mostly based on the fact that they don't make music in a classical sense IE texture blahblah. I also lived with a roomate for a year who was really into it because of the cool factor and made noise music that was the laziest thing I had ever seen. Okok I'm done derailing sorry!

ungrantedxwish · « **Reply #35 on:** 09 Oct 2006, 21:46 »

My friend subscribed to Alternative Press and put me in the "send six months free to a friend" area. Normally I don't turn down free stuff, but these are starting to annoy me. There are only so many AFI pictures I can handle.

BrittanyMarie · « **Reply #36 on:** 09 Oct 2006, 21:59 »

I read CMJ because I am a college radio dj. My station gets it, so I get to the station early and peruse it. I don't think it's bad.

Night Rocker · « **Reply #37 on:** 10 Oct 2006, 14:04 »

Quote from: ungrantedxwish on 09 Oct 2006, 21:46

My friend subscribed to Alternative Press and put me in the "send six months free to a friend" area. Normally I don't turn down free stuff, but these are starting to annoy me. There are only so many AFI pictures I can handle.

i believe lighters are cheap.

soft_repose · « **Reply #38 on:** 13 Oct 2006, 18:45 »

I enjoy Paste. It is fairly informative about bands that I generally tend to enjoy listening to. Also every magazine comes with a mix CD--it is always interesting.

*shrugs* It is also available in the US.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Music magazines (Read 10102 times)

Night Rocker

Karma Police

Karma Police

Suedehead

nuisance

Night Rocker

Praeserpium Machinarum

nuisance

Praeserpium Machinarum

AlexAttack

Night Rocker

sjbrot

charlesegabel

robert g

OHsmeat

OHsmeat

ungrantedxwish

Night Rocker

soft_repose