It barely even matters if you like the bands they write about or not, or even whether you’ve heard of them, digthisreal is fat with good interviews, features, music news and reviews that are pleasant to read. The prose is sweetly indie, easy to read, chatty and informative, while the interviews demonstrate genuine interest in the bands themselves. There’s absolutely no journalistic peacocking or band-baiting. It’s obvious from cover to cover that the people who make this zine really care, and with text as nice as this, the glossy format of moneyed magazines isn’t even sort of kind of slightly missed. Have you ever found a glossy music magazine that’s all content? The ads are great too: the inside front cover has an ad for “Sandra, middle eastern dancer” with an outrageous, cleavage-emphasizing photograph that’s hilarious. Only four words of caution. Avoid the poetry corner. (Donato Mancini)
independent music zine, # 3, 64 pages, $2.95 US, Edie (ed.), 244 Fifth Avenue, Suite 29037, New York, New York, USA, 10001-7604