What's the problem? Biffy are as Pop as Matt Cardle anyway.... 

I can hear the sharpening of knives now. The crackle and hiss of flint and spark combining to ignite the soaked rag of a Motolov cocktail. But I beg of you, grant me a chance to defend myself against such a headline to the hardcore Biffy Clyro fans out there. Because to jump to a conclusion about such a headline is to make a misinformed presumption - the age old opinion that pop music is lowest common dominator trash that's not fit to whistle let alone record.

Simon Niel of Biffy Clyro has dismissed
 the X Factor cover of his bands song

The past few years has seen a change in the meaning of the word pop. Many artists and bands have showcased pop music at its idiosyncratic best, from Hot Chip to La Roux, from Lady Gaga to well....Biffy Clyro. The 2007 album Puzzle marked a permanent departure from their heavy roots and set in a stone the path which saw them collide (eh? see what I did there?) with X-Factor winner Matt Cardle. Puzzle not only had some pop moments mixed in amongst the guitar riff driven tracks, but some ludicrously brilliant pop moments which showcased the band as one of the finest and biggest British bands of recent years.There was something about matches and fire? Followed up with something about mountains and what not? Ridiculously brilliant and pop at the same time. And from then on Biffy have always been at their best when they come up with more pop-based peculiarities.

"The problem shouldn't come from the fact he covered Biffy, but that he hasn't done justice to their pop legacy - by producing an averagley listenable pop song and not the bombastic, kicking the boundries in the nuts singalongs that Biffy are so good at."

Enter X-Factor winner Matt Cardle. The undeniably likeable if somewhat bland Essex lad has covered "Many of Horror". Pretty much everyone has put the boot in whilst sitting on top of the highest of high horses.This misses the point,  and perpetuates hate between "snobby indie types" and teeny-boppers. The problem shouldn't come from the fact he covered Biffy, but that he hasn't done justice to their pop legacy - by producing an averagley listenable pop song and not the bombastic, kicking the boundries in the nuts singalongs that Biffy are so good at. Cynical as the song choice by Simon Cowell may be, he has merely shot himself in the foot by highlighting the limitation of his, and his artists, creativity. No anger, just sorrow is necessary, safe in the knowledge that the Scottish band possess pop credibility - something X-factor contestants can only dream of.

Matt Cardle. Remarkably calm considering his house is
on fire behind him.

Pop is not a dirty word. It is popular for a reason -  It's just that some do it better than others, and it's ruined by some. Are all football fans hooligans? Are all My Chemical Romance fans emo whiners? (Don't answer that). Not all pop musicians are cynical mass produced cardboard cut-outs. The beauty of pop is that it can be interpreted in so many different ways, as Biffy have shown, and can have other elements of styles while maintaining the melody and scream along at the top of your voice qualities that made pop music fucking great in the first place. I for one am not ashamed to be a fan of pop. Now, have I done a good enough job or do I have to start ducking and change my name?

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The Beatles out of tune with Itunes


The partnership made in heaven finally happened; cash cow meets money spinner; The Beatles back catalogue finally appeared on Itunes to a fanfare of......very few people.The long running absence from Itunes, arising from a dispute between Apple and Apple Corps. (The Beatles label) was resolved for the benefit of both parties (and probably some fans) last week and I couldn't help but question the thinking behind this decision. The problem is that as more and more greatest hits are released and the saturation of the bands merchandise increases, their reputation and legacy decreases. Anyway,  Hands up who doesn't already own the majority of the Fab Four's material already? Hmmmm, the majority of people I see.

 "Quite what he (Lennon) would make of the latest development in The Beatles story we will never know, but I'm willing to put my neck on the line and say it wasn't part of his plan for world peace." 


Poor taste (or cynical marketing?) also dictated that the launch of The Beatles on Itunes also roughly coincided with the anniversary of the murder of arguably their most influential member, John Lennon. Quite what he would make of the latest development in The Beatles story we will never know, but I'm willing to put my neck on the line and say it wasn't part of his plan for world peace. 


An interesting point was made in the excellent film "The Social network". Why compromise the newly created sparks of Facebook with advertising "Mark Zuckerberg" pondered. Why lose the "cool" - the most defining characteristic the site had at that time - for the sake of an admittedly lucrative revenue stream? The team in charge of The Beatles legacy would do well to heed this lesson. Surely enough money has been made from The Beatles Brand to   pass this opportunity up and create an allure and reason for future fans to dig around and discover the band on their own? The current TV advertisement for Itunes shows black and white stills of The Beatles in their prime with "Let it be" subtly playing over the top. Who said Irony was lost on Apple?

England consider bowling replacements for injured Broad

If the second test match in Adelaide was one of the most comprehensive English victories over Australia, then the injury to Stuart Broad was the fly in the ointment. England were dealt a blow on the penultimate day of the Adelaide Test as an abdominal tear ruled Broad out for the remainder of The Ashes tour. Broad, who had bowled with ample pace and aggression while lacking luck, was crucial to the balance of a resurgent England and took the new ball with skill that his series figures of two wickets at an average of 80.50 do not suggest.

England are assesing replacements for the injured Broad, above.

The England Selectors now face a tough decision as to who should replace the Notinghamshire seamer, although the problem of having to choose from three more than adequate replacements is a welcome one. All three of Broad's potential replacements bowled excellently in the warm up match against Australia A in Hobart: Ajmal Shahzad swung the bowl dangerously and consistently with the notoriously swing-unfriendly Kookuburra ball, Chris Tremlett probed away with a nagging length Broad himself would have been proud of and took the statistical honours at least, and Tim Bresnan was as consistent as ever.

"A shoot-out in the upcoming tour match in Melbourne is likely to provide a good indication of the direction England are likely to go in"

The name on most peoples lips is Chris Tremlett – the Surrey paceman has the height, pace and bounce to replicate the qualities Broad bought so ably to the English bowling attack -however his first class batting average of 18.29 is solid rather than spectacular and so he cannot be considered a true like for like replacement for Broad. Bresnan has had modest success during his time with the England team but is a viable, If somewhat negative, option. While he cannot bring the bowling prowess of Broad or his two rivals he is a consistent performer who can shore up an end while adding depth to the batting line up. Shahzad is an exciting young bowler, and although he isn’t particularly suited to the fast, bouncy conditions of Perth, as James Anderson has excelled so far Flower and Strauss would have nothing to worry about were he the chosen one. He's also likely to be considered if the precious Steven Finn is promoted to take the new ball, although the selectors should be wary of doing so.

With England in the ascendancy and runs coming freely from batsmen in form, the selectors shouldn’t take a backwards step by trying to close out the series so early on with a negative selection like Bresnan. Depth of batting is not an issue with Swann and Prior both capable of scoring test match runs, and the focus should be on the ongoing problem of taking twenty wickets in a test match, something both teams have struggled with (albeit the Australians decidedly more than England). A shoot-out in the upcoming tour match in Melbourne is likely to provide a good indication of the direction England are likely to go in, and although Flower remains tight lipped on the issue, the possibility of retaining The Ashes in third Test in Perth means the balance of the England team is unlikely to be upset. Tremlett is able to replicate Broad's attributes so closely, so it would seem he is the just the man for the job.