Obsessively chronicling one man’s exploration of popular music.
Welcome to Aphoristic Album Reviews, where I discuss highlights from the last sixty years of popular music. I write album reviews, highlight my favourite albums, blog regularly, and make lists.
Recent Album Review Pages
ABBA
Seventies Swedish superstars
Pink Floyd
Added the post-Roger Waters era
Erika de Casier
Smooth and (currently) Danish
Albums Ranked From Worst To Best
What’s Tom Waits’ least impressive album? What’s Kate Bush’s best record?
Recent Blog Posts
Nuggets: Journey To The Center Of The Mind by The Amboy Dukes
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years 1965-1968 and was a major influence on…
Music Quiz: Musicians with a US President II
Congratulations to Tony, whose 24/25 in last week’s Famous Albums Badly Drawn Quiz was a clear winner. This week you need to identify the musicians pictured with US presidents. I only scored 20/30 – I’m not very good at…
Pink Floyd Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
Formed by architecture students in 1964, Pink Floyd are one of the most beloved classic rock bands. Most of the attention is given to their 1970s stadium rock blockbusters like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, but they also had a lengthy…
Nuggets: Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love In) by The Chocolate Watchband
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years 1965-1968 and was a major influence on…
Music Quiz: Famous Albums Badly Drawn
For most of the week, it looked like ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was going to ring around the medal ceremony. A late entry from Rich Kamerman turned out to be the fastest time, just pipping Bruce. Congratulations to everyone who participated.…
New Music Reviews: Black Midi, Lindsey Buckingham, and Torres
Not as strong as last week’s crop of records – the new black midi record is excellent but I’m less enthused about new music from Lindsey Buckingham and Torres. Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Buckingham 2021, 7/10Lindsey Buckingham has endured a tough…
Popular Blog Posts
10 Worst Songs of the 1980s
When I was a teenager in the 1990s, the 1980s were often reviled as the decade that taste forgot. But I think this list is far less heinous than the 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s – the corporate vibes…
Taylor Swift’s Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
Taylor Swift is a mega-star, and her profile as a celebrity can overshadow her musical abilities. Opinions on Swift are wildly diverse – in some quarters she’s dismissed as disposable music for teenage girls. In others she’s highly respected as…
10 Worst Song Lyrics of All Time
Unless you’re Leonard Cohen or Gil-Scott Heron, lyrics in popular music are a secondary concern. Normally I’m happy to bop along to the music, and don’t mind if the lyrics aren’t profound. But sometimes the words are too jarring too…
