Posted on: February 4, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Filter #18 / $4.95 / 1:30 / 116M / http://www.filter-mag.com / 

Filter always has the best layout and indepth content of any of the magazines I have the chance to read. It seems as if the advertisements in this issue are actually less in number than in previous issues, and some of them are ingeniously placed (the car advertisement that is hidden away in the fold-out part of the cover. In this issue, there seems to be more of a focus towards established acts instead of up and coming acts (for example, this issue includes pieces about The Strokes, The Flaming Lips, and Bright Eyes), but there is still enough of a focus on independent acts (The Subways, The Rakes, Damian Marley) to really keep the true music connoisseur interested. At five dollars, it is true that Filter costs about a buck or two more than more established independent publications (Shredding Paper, Maximum Rock N Roll); one would be lying if they said that this extra dollar was not well worth it, considering the glossy quality of the publication. There is much to see in this issue of Filter, but there is at least that much to read here as well. Where there are some times in which the advertisements and the pieces seem eerily similar (the glamour shots of The Rakes, for example), the magazine is vibrant, fun and still contains the proper amount of indie cred to go around. If there was a major run magazine that I would subscribe to, it would have to be Filter just for the fact that it hones in on what is currently being talked about in independent media, while not always having a political or single-subject bent.

Rating: 6.5/10

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