Yeah, that term "brit pop" was pretty much a marketing term, just like "grunge". When that whole scene was dying down it just meant watered down guitar based pop music that isn't geared to the "Spice Girls" crowd. No matter what country the music came from.

I have never bought so many records like i did during the mid to late 90s and I mostly listened to indie and brit pop. There were a lot of bands emerging out of Sweden during that period and I got my musical "education" from Alternative Nation and 120 minutes. It was on those shows were i saw Souls "Barlights" and The…

Eh. What band are you referring to, ECN? I think they distributed some records originally released on the British Wiiija Records but most of the bands on K were American. Are you talking about Heavenly? Talulah Gosh?

I agree Mr. Mankind. They released two great singles. I listened to them a lot back in the 90s. I still listen to Stereolab, whereas I never reach for my Komeda records, not even when I'm in the mood for monotonous moog sounds heightened by a silky female voice.

I like Tages but they were a poor British invasion-clone. I bought everything that Bob Hund released but they sounded a lot like Pixies. So did the shortlived Souls. That is my point. And you are wrong. Even a small country like Sweden can produce music that is not strictly derivative of American or British rock. You…

I mentioned some bands on a comment further down: Guided By Voices, Rocket From The Crypt, Sebadoh, Any band on the K-Records label, any band on the Matador label etc, etc. (Using the years 1995-1996 at the height of Elasticas relative fame as a point of reference).

I loved Komeda even if they decidedly, shamelessly and somewhat poorly stole from Stereolab's coffers.

This is about the same period when (non Grunge) bands like Guided By Voices, Sebadoh, Rocket From The Crypt, even twee bands like Comet Gain were releasing albums that I still find fresh today. There is something musically about that brit pop scene that sounds terribly dated in my ears, even more than music that is…

I made harsh statements about her on a comment thread above but now I've read about her more recent whereabouts and activities and she seems to have chosen a healthy path. At least compared to some of the burnouts from the same era.

All those Swedish brit pop rip-offs were pretty terrible, except for the fairly mediocre Popsicle (they had one good album and a couple of good EPs). Sweden had great indiepop bands though, I'm referring now to those bands who tried to emulate the sound from the somewhat older brittish indie scene (like…

Then I guessed they borrowed from Wire. What a shitty band they were! All style and no substance. I bought their eponymous album obviously, way back then, as any good indie boy would do but I actually listened to it fairly recently and was reminded how many crummy band erupted from the neutered brit pop scene, bands…

Maron acknowledged pretty much the essence of that speculation during a banter'y phone-interview with his old pal and colleague Sam Seder on the latter's political podcast (i think it's simply called The Sam Seder Show - i haven't listened to it for a long while though so don't quote me on that).

From the top of my head:

That line "not wanting to grapple with torture" is one of the more common strawman's defenses/arguments made by people who defend ZDT. That and claiming that people like me, people critical of ZDT think that depicting something is the same thing as endorsing. They have nothing but lazy BS to offer.

Well, I'm being reductive for effect, but MNJT with your obvious knowledge about both TPOA and the war of Algerian Independence (I've read your other comments) you seem to forget (or ignore) that Pontecorvo mainly worked during the 50's and 60's and TBOA was released during the late 60s. Torture is nothing new…

There are other names for pro-waterboarding liberals; right wing assholes, hipster randroids, waffendweebs with diplomas etc, etc.

With Bane's voice: "Why are you here then?"

"…I also think your problem is that in Algeria the side who you view as the 'good guys' won, where in ZDT they lost…"

Douay-Rheims-Challoner, I don't agree with your usage of the term propaganda in this case. Being a one-sided political statement in cinematic form is not enough to call something propaganda. "Zero Dark Thirty" is better suited to such a description as it presents and glorifies a political and moral stance that is…

Wow Judkins Major, you haven't seen last year's most divisive movie and my comment has finally managed to inspire you! Just some advice: If you want some brainless fun, don't watch ZDT, play "Call Of Duty: Black Ops II" instead.