You Can't Judge a Book By It's (Exploitative) Cover!

Whaddya expect from a magazine from the guys at Maxim? To look at any of the covers of this mag (Paulina Rubio, Leann Rimes, Mariah, Janet Jackson, etc etc) you'd assume that this is a super-lightweight music mag. But in fact, this is a mag chock-full of info that is much better than Rolling Stone, starting to surpass Spin, and comparable to top British mags like Q and UnCut. PROS: They bring the same cheeky humor that they do to Maxim magazine; (believe it or not, there is more to Maxim than endless pinups of Anna Kournikouva!) They review a slew of CD's every month, accomodating lower-tier acts which might otherwise get no coverage; they have a section where they cover every CD in an act's career, letting you know what's worth buying (Stevie Wonder, Queen, Steely Dan being just a few of the subjects)
They've got tons of snarky little USA Today-like polls, factoids, news items, etc etc. Even their interviews with the cover pinups are fairly in-depth. CONS: Not exactly going to win any praise from NOW; still a bit too mainstream as far as the big interview stories are concerned. Would be nice to see some smaller acts get more coverage as Conor Oberst gets in the latest ish. I can't speak for the ordering delays: I'm just relating what's in the magazine. OVERALL: A fine, entertaining read that contains a lot of info that the true music lover can really use.

Maxim Meets MTV2. The Ultimate Music Magazine!

Loosely based off the successful European magazine Q, Blender serves up an eclectic mix of today's important music in a funny tone reminiscent of Maxim magazine (It is produced by the same publishing company). It features lengthy stories about the personalities of music, so you learn to appreciate the musician and their music instead of reading about how cool the writer is. The core of the magazine is the comprehensive reviews section where the editors describe and rate 200 CD releases, both new and re-releases, every issue. Sexy. Phat. Funny. Smart. Exhaustive. I couldn't ask for more out of my music magazine.

A poor man's version of Q magazine

I admit...I am a big music snob. I especially can get pretty petty about music publications as well as the music itself. "Rolling Stone" has become a parody of itself by covering artists and bands that they railed against back in the late '60s, and sold their souls to corporate America. "Spin" magazine lost its edge but then again were they really 'alternative' to begin with? "Alternative Press" has become home for the whiney emo kids and the angsty nu metal crowd. "Blender" is a mixture of all the following but whatcha expect from the folks at Maxim to put out? Me thinks they had been reading the popular British mag "Q" which is why I think their magazine looks like a Americanized version of the British import magazine. Just like most magazines, "Blender" is all glossy and lacks any serious journalist credibility, just like anyone who writes for its sister magazine "Maxim", "Details", and that ilk. Still there are some entertaining moments in the magazine which I can't say the same for "Rolling Stone" or "Spin". I do like the record reviews and the occasional list like the "50 Craziest Pop Stars Ever". I guess I consider "Blender" a guilty pleasure. Do I enjoy reading as much as I enjoy reading "Outburn" magazine? Heck no! "Blender" is a glossy version of "Rolling Stone", "Alternative Press", and "Spin" combined.