 |
Uncut
by Eilidh70
Uncut is a monthly magazine focussing on music, movies and related books. It costs around £4.50 per issue, which includes a cover-mounted CD compilation each month.
I've been reading Uncut on and off for quite a few years now, and it is probably the music magazine I buy most often, although I've never quite wanted to commit to ... an annual subscription. I think this is because some issues tempt me to buy and read it a lot more than others.
Uncut always has a very indepth retrospective feature on a certain artist, who also features on the cover, and this is one of the things that influences my choice to buy the magazine. Their featured artists can seem very 'safe' at times; for example, U2 or The Beatles, and the prospect of buying a magazine with so many pages dedicated to these major artists can be off-putting.
I tend to buy music magazines that alert me to new music I might enjoy, and it's in this area that I feel Uncut shines. Its review section is huge, featuring over 200 reviews per issue. The free CD can also be a huge bonus, and some of their past CDs have led me into whole genres that I hadn't previously explored, such as Americana. It does tend to focus on indie/rock/punk music more than other genres.
The writing in Uncut is generally unpretentious and conveys an active interest in and enjoyment of the music they're writing about, which is more than can be said of some music magazines. It's substance over style here.
On the whole, I'd say Uncut is a quality monthly magazine that's very useful for finding out about new releases. I tend to look at the cover artist and contents of the CD when deciding whether or not to buy it, though.
Read the complete review |
 |
Uncut
by seano1993
"Uncut is a monthly music magazine. There is a subscription offer on the website where you it works out to be around £2.85 per issue. Normally I found shops sell this at around 4-6 pounds. Each issue contains a free CD, covering a various theme each month.
The magazine starts off with the standard letters, then a few ... monthly features like: "My Life in Music" in which a selected musician reveals his favorite albums, "Unsung Heroes", "And it's goodnight from" which is basically an obituaries page amongst other quirky little articles. Then Uncut will usually have a few interviews and some countdown list of some kind like "top 20 country albums" or the like. Then they have nearly 200 reviews of the latest albums, books and DVD reviews.
I was browsing in my local Tesco one day, and being a music fan decided to pick up a music publication to read over lunch. "Kerrang" looked a bit too pop orientated, same with Q, but then out of the corner of my eye I spotted "Uncut" which looked interesting. A free CD completed the deal and off I went on my merry way. A few issues later, I felt I had picked up sufficient information to complete this review.
Uncut mainly covers Alternative and Indie music, and I've noticed the free CD each month is normally some acoustic country tinged indie, which is a bit disappointing because it sounds bland after hearing so much it. The same can be said of the magazine, the odd time you will find an old hard rock band interview or country album feature but it is mainly focused on so-called indie bands, with the odd dance group thrown in. Although it claims to have over 200 reviews each issue, most are only a paragraph long. Also these smaller reviews tend to have loads off big complicated words for the sake off it, looks they should read some off the reviews on dooyoo. The big reviews are normally quality pieces and quite informing but I have noticed a bit too much emphasis on lyrics which can get annoying.
The features are normally the best part, with interesting interviews or articles on famous albums that are always intriguing. The free CD is a good way to hear some bands you might not hear otherwise but as I said earlier the song choices are a bit bland, they could too with broadening their horizons a little bit, but I suppose that is the nature of the magazine.
Overall Uncut is a good value for money magazine that will be enjoyed by anyone interested in indie music, if you are only into what is in the charts don't bother though.
Read the complete review |
 |
Empire
by SaveFerris
A review about a review magazine. Cool eh. Empire of course is much more than a review magazine. Arguably the most comprehensive magazine of it's genre available and boasting an impressive print quality, Empire is sold monthly via shops (£3.95 per issue) or subscription (varying prices and offers apply).
The value of a film ... magazine might not be obvious to everyone, however with cinema ticket prices hiking skywards (not to mention the snacks), discerning movie goers want to make sure that the film they see will offer good value for money.
Empires reviews are frequently unbiased and professional, opting to review any given film based on it's qualities and standing in it's own genre. This is a refreshing change from many other magazines where reviews are based mainly on whether the film in question caters to the personal tastes of it's reviewer.
This means that Empire offers a balanced preview of the film without spoiling any plot points, leaving the reader with a better idea of whether they want to see the film or not. In other words...job done.
Beyond the reviews, Empire is often at the forefront of breaking movie news, offering exclusive articles on upcoming features covering both films, actors directors etc. They also do occasional historical pieces that offer interesting insights into cinema legends of the past.
The magazine also has a nice follow up DVD section, that serves as a reminder of recent and older films that might be worth a second look at home.
As far as writing style, this is where Empire really thrives. Not content with hiring 'fanboys' Empires staff is made up of quality journalists who write quality unbiased pieces. Where many magazines try to be insightful but come across as pretentious, Empire is good at pointing out the subtle points of a film whilst still being accessible reading. No easy task.
Occasionally, readers have complained about the number of advertisements, but compared to many other magazines Empire is actually very restrained in this department with adverts appearing infrequently and in their own unobtrusive space. It's thanks to these adverts that Empire can retain it's excellent value price...something i'm sure would bother these naysayers even more than the occasion advert for hair gel.
If i did have to give it a downside, it would be the lack of truely independent film journalism. This is however something i can live with given how difficult it is to properly cover such an illusive and lo-key form of film making.
I've tried many different film magazines, but i've always gravitated back to Empire. I put this down to it's accessibility, quality and an unbiased approach to films. Best magazine of it's kind.
Read the complete review |
