Netflix is premiering the Banger Films documentary series This Is Pop for most of the world. It promises to go into detail on 8 different subjects surrounding the world of pop music. I was able to watch the entire series, and while it’s an uneven affair, there are some episodes that really stand out as being both well researched and well written with something valuable to say about the topic. Then there are others that stand out by not using quality archival footage and having interview subjects that won’t get in the weeds on things. Use my episode guide below to make a viewing order so that you know your time will be well spent:
- Auto-Tune – Tells the story of Auto-Tune as a defense of the artistry of T-Pain. Centers around a very candid interview with him, but also focuses on the way the music industry fears technological innovation.
- The Boyz II Men Effect – The basic hypothesis of this episode is that Boyz II Men are another example of black musicians creating a template for white musicians to have larger success. It’s extremely well-argued and worth watching.
- When Country Goes Pop – Orville Peck narrates a star-studded discussion about what makes country music authentically country when it straddles the line with pop music. The interview subjects are excellent throughout: Shania Twain, Wynonna Judd, Neko Case, Brandi Carlyle, Tanya Tucker, and Steve Earle are just some of the standouts.
- Stockholm Syndrome – Tells an often-told story about how Swedish songwriters and producers came to dominate the industry. Not really news to pop fans, but the interviewees are wonderful across the board, and it’s a joy to watch.
- What Can a Song Do? – This episode is about protest music and makes the best use of archival footage of the entire series. It just lacks the depth needed to create real impact. It’s for beginners.
- Festival Rising – We’re dipping below the Mendoza line here, as this episode begins with a premise I don’t believe in — that music festivals are the dominant pop culture events of our time — but does do a fair job of telling the history of music festivals.
- Hail Britpop! – Another episode that tells a story better told elsewhere, and also lacks A-lister interviews. It’s nice to see Alex James on his cheese farm, though.
- The Brill Building in 4 Songs – A weird use of animated B-roll footage doesn’t save this downright boring look at the Brill Building era of songwriting in New York. Pulls punches and misses a lot of important interview subjects.
Overall, this is an excellent series with well-chosen topics. If you already know a lot about the subjects, you may not learn too much from my lower ranked choices, but I only found the Brill Building episode a frustrating watch.
All eight episodes begin streaming on Netflix on June 22, 2021.
