Very timely book tackling some big issues in culture, technology and society today. In fact, it is as much a book about the technology as it is about pop music. The questions of medium / message pops up very heavily and illustrates some of the discussions in the likes of Carr or Lanier.

The second half of the book slacks somewhat. Partly because it loses bit of a balance. Good thing is that he comes up with an interesting critique of sample-based music. But you feel that he just pours too much scorn on it, while the indie-based retro tendencies get off in far more sympathetic light. Of course, he has the ultimate defence of being immersed into music and having a taste eclectic enough to be able to say 'Oh, I like it, but it still does not mean...'. So it's kind of hard to pin him down on it. But at the end of the day, it reads very much in that ex-NME school of 'indie-first' (if not only)...

While far from flawless argument in total, and without offering too much of a perspective of where to go beyond the current impasse, this is an extremely important book that addresses several critical points far more directly than what we've seen before.