Trash Theory
@trashtheory
Loner. Rebel. Music Chronicler. he/him 💻 youtube.com/c/TrashTheory
Currently over on the Patreon the poll for the next New British Canon video is tied. If you feel like signing up and supporting the channel, you could make the difference! If you want your say, the poll is here: www.patreon.com/TrashTheory/...
So my last three videos have been copyright-claimed. It sucks. I am fighting the claims, but the dispute system takes time. But most of my revenue comes from YouTube ads. If you want to contribute to my Patreon that would really help me out in this trying time. Thanks! www.patreon.com/c/TrashTheory
NEW VIDEO: In what could be described as a late Halloween video (Tears for FEARS?), I look at the Bath duo and how their therapy-based synth pop is so often misinterpreted by listeners. From Mad World to Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World...
48 years ago today, The Damned released "New Rose". Considered to be the first UK Punk Single, this zippy three minute love song to the movement that birthed it still sounds fresh today. Hear its story in this classic episode of New British Canon:
NEW VIDEO: Emerging from London's Sound System culture, Soul II Soul were a thrilling mix of soul, reggae, dance and hip-hop. Here we look back at their debut Club Classics Vol. One and why that cheeky title proved prophetic. Watch below:
Soul II Soul are one of the most important and influential groups Britain has ever produced. And yet their second most played song on Spotify is not by them, and is instead a misattributed Soul 4 Real track. Shocking.
It is currently poll time on the Trash Theory Patreon. Now you can decide which of the listed potential New British Canon episodes gets made in October! If you are a Trash Theory Patron you can get your voice heard and vote! Link below:
NEW VIDEO: As the 90s started a handful of metalheads discovered Nirvana and the Beach Boys, and from that changed the sound of Alternative Rock for the next decade. Buddy Holly glasses plus Brian May solos multiplied by nerd angst equals Weezer's The Blue Album.
The Manic Street Preachers' defining statement The Holy Bible is 30 today. If ever a British band created a work of such bleak abyssal nihilism as Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, this is it. Be warned, it's an uneasy watch, but its story is detailed in this classic episode.
Sade's "Smooth Operator" was released as a single 40 years ago today. To celebrate relive the story of the band defining both Sophisti-pop and the Quiet Storm radio format; soul reshaped for Thatcher's Britain. Beware: contains perhaps my most divisive opening sentence!
Portishead's Dummy is 30 today. A work of often misunderstood genius, it combined hip-hop, jazz, soul, and some of the crunchiest Isaac Hayes and spy soundtrack samples to inspire music forever more. Celebrate by watching this classic New British Canon episode.
40 years today, The Smiths released the "William, It Was Really Nothing" single. Which means that its b-side "How Soon Is Now?" is also 40. Celebrate this milestone by revisiting this ancient New British Canon episode, discover some classic b-sides and Johnny Marr's influences.
NEW VIDEO: To some Adam & The Ants might be considered a momentary blip in pop culture, but in Britain at least, they were the biggest band of 1981. A band perfectly set up for MTV, but arriving a touch too early - this is the story of the punks that went pop.
Turns out the channel has just ticked over to half a million subscribers. It's quite the milestone! Thank you to all who have been watching and have subscribed over the years. I guess it's also time for another Q&A vid: Questions below!
Did you know that Beastie Boys' magnum opus Paul's Boutique is 35 today? Hear the story of this masterclass in sampling and how an album on this scale would never be able to be achieved legally today in this classic episode of Trash Theory. Give it a watch.
NEW VIDEO: To focus on the relative quality of Nickelback is over-done. What if instead we explore how a band like Nickelback can not only exist, but thrive, becoming a constant fixture on radio and the last hard-rock group to get to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
NEW VIDEO: This one took longer than usual, unaided by the Elden Ring DLC. So Sonic Youth - a band that took a torch to the rock'n'roll rule book, and pre-empted the noisy pop music that took over in the 90s. But there is so much more to the band than "out-of-tune" guitars...
NEW VIDEO: I have momentarily overcome my dire Balatro addiction to complete an episode of New British Canon. Blur were the kings of Britpop until they got a bit too competitive with the boys from Manchester. But what happened afterwards is even more interesting...
NEW VIDEO: Can you remember a time when Slowdive were the critical punching bag of the NME and Melody Maker? Hard to believe now but it happened. Learn about their rise, fall and eventual re-evaluation in this episode of New British Canon. Below:
NEW VIDEO: In this, the 50th episode of New British Canon, we look at the early career of Pet Shop Boys and how they went from a journalist and architect to one of the defining British acts of the 1980s. And they did it by battering organised religion.
NEW VIDEO: Today is the third Monday of January, therefore it is Blue Monday. As such here's a video about New Order's eternal groove automaton. But remember, if you have a favourite fun fact about Blue Monday, its probably at least slightly exaggerated.
NEW VIDEO: XTC contains two of Britain's best ever songwriters. But after stopping playing live in 1982, Britain at large rejected their quirky quintessential Englishness, and so with a Deity-provoking piece of folk-pop the band launched their assault on the US.
NEW VIDEO: So I made a video on Top of the Pops about four years ago, and it was pretty bad. This is way better, a potted history of British Music from 1969-2014 told through the medium of Top of the Pops. Or maybe "Before TOTP Ended: How British Music Became British Music"
NEW VIDEO: It's Halloween, you say? Well here's a video as vaguely related to that as possible. Introducing Therapy?, The Northern Irish punk-metal band with the awkward punctuation that somehow made its way onto Top of the Pops. With a song called "Screamager." Pretty spooky!
NEW VIDEO: In many ways the story of Jawbreaker is a Shakespearian Tragedy - a band that could've been the next Nirvana or Green Day but all manner of things conspired to make that not happen. Who's punk? What's the score? Find out below:
NEW VIDEO: As an semi-sequel to the Pixies video I did earlier this year, here is the story of what Kim Deal did next, teaming up with her sister, overshadowing Frank Black and firing out a solid-gold anthem in "Cannonball." Give it a watch: