Caroline Polachek grew up in Connecticut and was formerly the vocalist for the indie-pop duo Chairlift, who had a surprise hit in 2008 with ‘Bruises’. She’s previously flirted with a solo career, releasing albums under the aliases Ramona Lisa and…
The Cure have been around for more than forty years, with leader Robert Smith the only constant member. The band formed in Crawley, West Sussex, in 1976, and have covered a lot of ground over their career, from the Gothic…
Congratulations to VinylDaftDad J., who finished a couple of points clear of the field in last week’s sorting quiz. It’s Boxing Day here in NZ, but I’m aware it’s still Christmas day in other parts of the world. Feel free…
The saddest story in popular music this year probably belonged to David Berman. The former leader of Silver Jews had taken a ten year hiatus from music, during which he sought to undo the damage to society caused by his…
The b-side is often a British commodity, but one American artist was the equal of any British artist with the quantity and quality of his outtakes. Prince was so prolific that he released 70 official non-album b-sides, as well as…
Last week’s quiz on finishing the band name proved quite easy, with lots of 95% and 100% scores. Congratulations to Jim, who finished one second ahead of J to take the title. This week’s quiz is a tougher proposition. You…
Genre: Pop Pop star or pop maverick? Charlotte Emma Aitchison is talented enough to go in either direction, and her entire career to date has felt like a struggle between the two camps. 2014’s Sucker focused on radio-friendly pop/rock like…
Canadian power-pop band The Pursuit of Happiness scored a surprise top 40 hit in 1986 with their independent single ‘I’m An Adult Now’, helped by a low-budget, self-produced music video. The Toronto-based group signed with Chrysalis Records to make their…
Congratulations to Jim S and Tony, who were the only 100% entries in last week’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ challenge, both finishing with no time left. This week you need to complete the band name by clicking on the image. It’s pretty…
Genre: Folk-rock, Singer-songwriter New Zealand is presently enjoying a very strong crop of female asinger-songwriters. Along with Hollie Fullbrook of Tiny Ruins, we also have the weirdness of Aldous Harding and the imagery-laden writing of Nadia Reid. Pop superstar Lorde…
I’ve been using Last.fm to track my music plays for more than a decade. This week I hit the landmark of 200,00 tracks played. Last.fm doesn’t track all the music I listen to – I currently only have it scrobbling…
Congratulations to Tony who scored 18 out of 20 in 1990s one hit wonders quiz, and shoutouts to Geoff and jprobichaud who were close behind on 17. Also, I’m impressed by anyone who recognised 69 Boyz or Us3. This week’s…
The Kinks formed in Muswell Hill, London, in 1964. They launched their career with hard-driving rock and roll like ‘You Really Got Me’ and ‘All Day and All of the Night’, songs that are considered as landmarks in the development…
No-one scored full marks last week, but we had three contenders who fell agonisingly close at 17 Congratulations to Rich Kamerman, Tony, and Paul! This week you need to identify the artist behind some 1990s one-hit wonders. I scored…
The New Pornographers are successors to vintage pop/rock acts like The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Zombies. All of these groups could write brilliant pop songs that incorporate memorable melodies, beautiful harmonies, and intricate arrangements. The Canadian super-group have…
In The Beatles, George Harrison often suffered the indignity of being limited to two songs per LP. It worked fine at the start of the group, when he was the junior partner in the band. By the end of The…
It turns out that lots of people were ready to rock last week. Congratulations to Tony, who scored 25 This week you need to answer some trivia questions. I scored 18 Fortunately I had the first performer of Woodstock…
Indie-folk band Big Thief started recording Two Hands five days after completing U.F.O.F. (released in May 2019). U.F.O.F. was recorded in a cabin in Washington state, and has a mystical backwoods atmosphere that recalls The Band. In comparison, Two Hands…
Congratulations to Rich Kamer(man I feel like a woman) who beat other perfect scorers Jim and Geoff1001 for the fastest time last week. This week you need to name rock artists from their pictures. There were a few bands…
In 1985, four male country superstars – Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson – teamed up to make their first album as The Highwaymen. The group took their name from a song by Jimmy Webb, and the…
The Blue Nile are famous for their lack of productivity. The Glasgow-based group were formed in 1981 and effectively broke up by 2006, and released a mere four albums during their quarter century tenure. Like many bands that emerged after…
Congratulations to all the participants who scored 30/30 in last week’s solo artist quiz. Looks like Tony scored the fastest time. This week’s quiz seems like another relatively straightforward one. Can you name the odd album out in each set…
Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is one of the great cult records. Issued in 1998, it’s full of enigmatic lines, like “Now she’s a little boy in Spain/Playing pianos filled with flames”, and Jeff Mangum’s raw…
Rich Kamerman scored a decisive win in last week’s hits of the 1970s quiz – he didn’t stop until he got enough, and attained the big shot score of 50 This week’s challenge is a bit easier – you need…
When Lana Del Rey emerged with the virally successful single ‘Video Games’ in 2011, she wasn’t someone who I had pegged for a long career. ‘Video Games’ had a unique atmosphere, a cinematic ballad with nostalgic Hollywood glamour, but it…
Thanks to everyone who indulged me by participating in my piano clips challenge. The scoring was a little nebulous, but it looks like Rich Kamerman burnt his fuse out there alone for the highest score. This week you need to…
My expectations for Taylor Swift‘s seventh album, Lover, were low. Her previous album, Reputation, was disappointing, with its defensive lyrical stance and dark textures. The first two songs released from Lover were both concerning – lead single ‘Me!’ seemed designed…
Expectations were high for Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s second album. Their 1969 debut album was acclaimed, and their appearance at Woodstock only increased their profile. The record company insisted that the trio add another member, after Stephen Stills had played…
Congratulations to jprobichaud and Rich Kamerman, who tied for first place with 22/26 in last week’s edible musician quiz. Welcome back for another music clip challenge. I play 13 songs on piano, you try and guess them. I think this…
Tyler Gregory Okonma, better known as Tyler, the Creator, has enjoyed a rapid career evolution over the last decade. He started as a brash teenager, gaining attention with his provocative lyrics for hip hop crew Odd Future. Along the way,…
Cat Stevens‘ work has endured because his low-key songs are relateable and accessible. Stevens has explored different styles over the course of his career – he started as a teen pop idol in the 1960s, and moved towards progressive rock…
Congratulations to the contestants who scored 100% in last week’s Connect the Dots quiz, with Tony recording the fastest score. This week’s challenge requires you to name musicians with food in their name. You can find it here. I…
Welcome back for a listen to ten more talented singer-songwriters – you can read part one here. As before, Google’s dictionary defines singer-songwriter as “a person who sings and writes popular songs, especially professionally.” The term’s come to have a…
The Police were arguably the greatest singles band of their era. In the late 1970s and early 1980s they released a string of great songs – ‘Roxanne’, ‘Message in a Bottle’, ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’, and ‘Every…
Last week’s rap lyric quiz stumped most of our entrants, with Geoff 1001 Stephen high-scoring with 11 This week we’re back in the rock saddle. Can you link the songs to the artist’s first letter and make a pretty picture…
I adored The Hold Steady in my twenties. The band had three different focal points – guitarist Tad Kubler was a classic rock riff machine, emulating the bar band rock of Thin Lizzy. Vocalist Craig Finn was inspired by hip…
American rock icon Bruce Springsteen celebrated his 70th birthday this week. This means it’s half a lifetime since he released his most commercially successful album, 1984’s Born in the USA. A decade earlier, 1975’s Born to Run had launched Springsteen…
Congratulations to all of last week’s contestants, especially those with 100%. Special congratulations to Tony, who finished in a rasping time with more than five minutes to spare. This week’s challenge wanders into unfamiliar territory for this quiz. You need…
It’s the year of Our Lord 2019, and we’re rapidly approaching peak-rock-star-death era. The Cars’ mastermind Ric Ocasek passed away earlier this week. I was surprised to learn that he was 75, older than many of the stars that he…
Congratulations to JP Robichaud, who astounded us all with his musical instrument knowledge with a perfect 16 This week you need to complete the song lyrics that contain a like. Can you master the similes? I scored 26/26 in…
Most successful musicians start their recording careers as young adults, but New Zealand country artist Aly Cook’s an exception. Cook’s been involved in the music scene for years, but only released her debut album in 2011, crowdfunding for each of…
Aside from their debut, each of The Go-Betweens’ studio albums follows a set formula – exactly ten songs with five written by Robert Forster and five by Grant McLennan. The pair anchored the Australian indie guitar band over two stints…
Congratulations to all the participants in last week’s music jokes quiz. Rich from KamerTunesBlog, helped by his job in music retail, scored the fastest time among the 24s, with Tony and Bruce hard on his heels. This week’s quiz requires you to…
Google’s dictionary defines a singer-songwriter as “a person who sings and writes popular songs, especially professionally.” The term’s come to have a more specific meaning – I understand it to mean artists who record as solo acts, who write their…
The Velvet Underground began as a collaboration between frustrated songwriter Lou Reed and classically trained John Cale. Cale had worked with experimental composers John Cage and LaMonte Young, and Reed’s interest in alternative guitar tunings and drone notes provided common…
Congratulations to all the participants in last week’s music jokes quiz. Tony from Mumbling About… scored the fastest time among all the 24s. This week you need to identify albums from 1987. The 1980s used to get a rough time…
Jenny Lewis has been a fixture in indie rock for two decades, firstly with Rilo Kiley and then a solo career. Even before her music career Lewis was a public figure; a child actress who debuted in a Jell-O commercial…
English art-pop artist Kate Bush is a creative genius, who siphoned her influences into her own unique blend. The folk music from her Irish mother, the progressive rock that her older brothers listened to as teenagers, and radio-friendly pop like…
Last week’s first and last song quiz created a logjam. The highest score was 13/16, and Michael Jackson seemingly tricked everyone since his early albums are relatively obscure. Congratulations to Rich, Max, Bruce, and jprobichaud, who all made it to…
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell recently became the first musician born in the 21st century to score a number one single in the United States. Eilish had already been building a profile for a few years, debuting on SoundCloud and…
Congratulations to the four contestants who scored full marks in last week’s 1990 album quiz. In order of fastest time: 1) Tony2) 2Loud2Old3) J4) Stephen1001 This week you need to identify musical artists by the first song from their debut…
In 1978 New Zealand art-rockers Split Enz were in crisis. The group had lost key original members like Phil Judd and Mike Chunn. Their art-rock was out of step in the late 1970s, pushed from the mainstream by punk and…
By 1976, David Bowie had already enjoyed a glittering career. His majestic 1969 hit ‘Space Oddity’ established his career, after a false start with the 1967 novelty ‘The Laughing Gnome’. Bowie’s first successful album was 1971’s Hunky Dory.1972’s glam rock…
Last week’s quiz generated a bunch of scores in a narrow range – congratulations to Rich, Max, and Bruce all made it to 20 This week’s quiz requires you to click the 1990 album covers – it’s the era of…
Big Thief are an indie rock band with prominent folk and Americana influences. They’ve been prolific in their short career, with U.F.O.F. their third album in three years. Big Thief are influenced by vintage folk-rock acts like The Band, Neil…
The Seattle rock band Pearl Jam were formed from the remnants of Mother Love Bone. Bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard recruited lead guitarist Mike McCready and vocalist Eddie Vedder, and Pearl Jam played their first show in October…
Congratulations to Geoff, jprobichaud, and Tony who all scored 100% in last week’s time quiz – looks like Geoff had the fastest time. This week, you need to fill in the blanks in song lyrics with classic album titles. I…
Tony loaded up on the coffee to score a very fast 24/24 last week – congratulations to Max and Rich who also attained the perfect score. This week’s quiz requires to click the song titles in order from shortest to…
Neil Young first rose to prominence in 1960s folk-rock group Buffalo Springfield, playing lead guitar on their breakthrough hit ‘For What It’s Worth’ and writing ‘Mr Soul’ and ‘Broken Arrow’. Young’s Buffalo Springfield work isn’t his earliest recorded legacy –…
The Clash were a key band from the first wave of British punk in the 1970s. Built around the songwriting team of vocalist Joe Strummer and guitarist Mick Jones, they quickly outgrew punk orthodoxy. The group topped their music with…
Last week’s quiz featured the closest fought competition I’ve ever seen on this blog. There were a healthy number of 100% scores, and the top three all had very close times. If my maths is correct, Heavy Metal Overlord and…
Aldous Harding was born in Auckland, New Zealand, as Hannah Harding, the daughter of a blues singer father and a folk singer mother. Designer is Harding’s third album and, like her second album Party, it’s on the celebrated 4AD label…
Philadelphia uber-talent Todd Rundgren started his recorded career with The Nazz, acting as songwriter and guitarist. When The Nazz broke up, Rundgren learned how to use the studio, frustrated by his lack of technical control in The Nazz. While his…
Well done to Rich Kamerman, who scored full marks in last week’s quiz, driving like Jehu and imagining dragons. This week’s quiz is visual – you need to recognise the black albums. I scored 18/18 with 2:14 remaining –…
John Flansburgh and John Linnell have been making nerdy pop music as They Might Be Giants since 1982. The Massachusetts pair released their debut album in 1986. One of their best known songs is their 1990 cover of ‘Istanbul (Not…
Bassist Ashley Hutchings and rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol formed Fairport Convention in 1967. They named the band after Nicol’s father’s medical practice, above which they rehearsed, on the same Muswell street as the Davies brothers of The Kinks grew up.…
Congratulations to Geoff, who dominated last week’s piano quiz with a 20/28, clearly ahead of the rest of the field. One song people struggled with was Ariana Grande’s ‘Into You’ – here’s a version on Youtube, where someone replaced the…
In New Music Review, I usually cover records released in the last few months, but I’ve been enjoying this 2018 release lately, so: Sophie Allison was born in Switzerland and grew up in Nashville. She self-released indie guitar pop as…
Detroit based married couple Jack and Meg White started playing music as a duo in 1997. Jack White played bluesy guitar, while Meg White’s primitive, untrained drumming was distinctive and refreshing. From the beginning of their career The White Stripes…
Here are the final results for the 6 week challenge – we had 10 contestants who participated every week. Average Paul 62.38% J 63.38% Badfinger 68.08% 2loud2oldmusic 72.53% Angie 72.59% Jim S 74.65% jprobichaud 74.97% Bruce 75.02% Rich K 83.18%…
The chords underpinning a song are like the tune’s bones. Some genres, like country or punk, routinely have very simple chord changes, using two or three simple chords. The Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ uses the three power chords B5, E5, and…
Townes Van Zandt was born into a prominent Texas family and had a high IQ, so his family groomed him to become a lawyer or senator. He suffered from manic depression, and was given insulin shock therapy, which erased much…
Welcome back to the last episode of the 6 week decade challenge. Let’s check the leader-board. Average Paul 61% Badfinger 65% Chris 66% J 67% 2loud2oldmusic 68% jprobichaud 72% Angie 74% Jim S 74% Bruce 75% Rich K 81% Tony…
Vampire Weekend’s first three records collided indie rock into African guitars. The New York four piece emerged with their debut album in 2008, as the popularity of indie guitar bands was waning, but their approach was fresh enough that they…
The two main creative forces in Slint, vocalist/guitarist Brian McMahan and drummer/guitarist/vocalist Britt Walford, both played in the Louisville punk band Squirrel Bait in the mid-1980s. Along with guitarist David Pajo and bassist Ethan Buckler, they formed Slint in 1986.…
The 1970s quiz last week threw out some divergent scores, and the leader board now looks like this: Average J 59% Paul 63% Badfinger 67% 2loud2oldmusic 71% Bruce 74% Rich K 80% Jim S 80% Angie 82% Tony 93% As…
Little Richard emerged in the first wave of rock and roll in the 1950s, with hits like ‘Tutti Frutti’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’. He and his contemporaries lost steam by the late 1950s; Elvis joined the army, Buddy Holly perished…
Welcome to week 4 of the Music Decades Challenge. Of the contestants who’ve completed all 3 challenges so far, the leaders in average score are: Badfinger 56% Paul 62% J 62% Bruce 68% jprobichaud 74% Rich K 78% 2loud2oldmusic 79%…
Brooklyn power-pop band Charly Bliss impressed with their 2017 debut Guppy. Their energetic power-pop was indebted to the 1990s, with parallels to Weezer’s debut and Veruca Salt. But Guppy was a terrific album; the band’s excellent hooks, coupled with Eva…
Background Andy Partridge, bassist Colin Moulding, and drummer Terry Chambers started playing in a band together in 1972, opening for Thin Lizzy in 1973 and plying glam-rock as the Helium Kidz. The group eventually added manic keyboardist Barry Andrews and…
Welcome to week 3 of the music decades challenge. Of the contestants who’ve completed both week’s challenges so far, the leaders are: J 58% 2loud2oldmusic 75% jprobichaud 75% Paul 75% Stephen1001 81% Bruce 89% Rich K 97% Tony 97% Jim…
The guitar was the dominant instrument in popular music from the 1960s to the new millennium. Many acts even had multiple guitarists, so there are a lot of great players to choose from. The spectrum of genres from blues rock…
Background English folkie Nick Drake barely created a ripple during his lifetime. He recorded three albums of beautiful acoustic folk, but barely sold a copy during his lifetime. His acoustic music was sophisticated, with flourishes of jazz, and his acoustic…
Congratulations to Jim S. and Bruce who both scored 49/50 in the first week of the decades quiz, putting them in the lead with an average percentage of 98%. This week’s challenge is from the 2010s. You need to link…
Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2015 album Emotion wasn’t a big seller, but it was critically adored and became a cult favourite, making it a tough act to follow. Alongside Jepsen’s impeccable pop sense, the record featured indie rock textures. Organic instrumentation…
Background Californian folk-rock band The Byrds enjoyed immediate success in 1965 with their first single, a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’. The song was a watershed moment in pop music – combining Dylan’s poetic, creative lyrics with Roger…
For the next 6 weeks, you’re invited to join a decades quiz – as well as having a weekly winner, I’ll tabulate our scores to find a champion across the different decades of pop (from the 1960s to the current…
Weyes Blood was born Natalie Mering, in California, and grew up in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She derived the name Weyes Blood from the Flannery O’Connor novel Wise Blood, and released her first album in 2011, following self released albums as Weyes…
James Murphy always intended to be a drummer or a sound technician, but ended up fronting a dance-rock band New York’s LCD Soundsystem bridge the divide between dance and rock – Murphy’s raw vocals are a great entry point for…
Congratulations to Jim, Rich, Badfinger20, and Tony who all scored perfect marks in last week’s 1970s quiz. This week’s challenge requires you to fill in will, won’t, can, or can’t into song titles. I like how they included both Joy…
Led Zeppelin were the archetypal hard rock band. They streamlined the sound of 1960s rock bands like Cream and The Who; an important innovation was John Bonham’s crisp, groove-based drumming, which contrasted with the busy style of The Who’s Keith…
In 1967, The Rolling Stones followed The Beatles into baroque psychedelia. While the resulting album, Their Satanic Majesties Request, has its admirers, the band were quick to abandon the summer of love, toughening their sound for the blues-rock of 1968’s…
Congratulations to Rich Kamerman and 2loud2old, who both scored 25/25 in last week’s quiz, with Rich scoring the slightly faster time. Maybe this week we should listen to what the Kamerman said? Bruce requested a 1970s quiz this week, so…
Music’s ultimately about the recorded product, but being handsome certainly doesn’t hurt when you’re trying to launch a career in entertainment. While a woman’s attractiveness might keep her from being taken seriously, a man’s handsomeness is nothing but an asset.…
There are b-sides that are of high quality, that should never have been left off their parent albums. And then there is ‘The End of the Affair’, from Prefab Sprout. If forced to choose between the b-side ‘The End of…
Congratulations to Tony, who scored 48/50 in a 2000s music quiz that produced wildly divergent scores. Since we competed in a 1960s the week before, where the older generation dominated, it seems only fair to split the difference and meet…
