Aphoristic Album Reviews is almost entirely written by one person.
Graham Fyfe is probably the only music blogger to appreciate both Neil Diamond and Ariana Grande. Based in Fleet Street (New Zealand), he's been writing this blog since around 2000. Aphoristic Album Reviews features reviews and blog posts across a growing spectrum of popular music.
Review Pages
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
Sheryl Crow was already on the wrong side of 30 when she released her debut album. After attending the University of Missouri with Brad Pitt, Crow spent her twenties working as a music teacher, writing advertising jingles, and performing as a backing singer for Michael Jackson and Don Henley. When […]
I was a teenager during the 1990s, but I never went through a rebellious phase. While my cooler peers were listening to Nirvana and Green Day, I was absorbed in retro mainstream artists like Paul Simon, Billy Joel, and Neil Diamond. New York’s Neil Leslie Diamond’s an interesting figure – […]
The experimental band Can were formed in Cologne in 1968. Keyboardist Irmin Schmidt and bassist Holger Czukay came from avant-garde classical backgrounds, studying with Stockhausen. Schmidt’s mind was opened to the the artistic possibilities of rock music on a trip to New York in 1966, while Czukay was impressed by […]
Faith No More’s origins go right back to 1979 when the rhythm section of Mike Bordin and Billy Gould formed a band. By 1982 keyboard player Roddy Bottum joined and they had become Faith No More – a young Courtney Love was among their early members. By 1988 they had […]
Neil Young was born in Canada in 1945, where his father was a notable sports broadcaster. Before fame, Young played in the Mynah Birds, with a young Rick James, before relocating to Los Angeles. There he joined Stephen Stills in Buffalo Springfield. Initially Young took a back-seat role, allowing Richie […]
David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash all started their careers in other notable 1960s bands. Crosby left The Byrds after disagreements over counter-cultural songs like ‘Triad’ and ‘Mind Gardens’, Stills’ Buffalo Springfield broke up after tensions with band-mate Neil Young, while Nash left The Hollies after their decision to […]
Blog Posts
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
With the recent passing of Judith Durham, it’s fitting to look back on the ten best songs from Australian folk band The Seekers. The Melbourne quartet sold more than 50 million records with 1960s hits like ‘I’ll Never Find Another You’ and ‘Georgy Girl’. While their commercial peak was in […]
I recently participated in an album draft, run by Hans from https://slicethelife.com/. Like everyone else I picked 10 albums, but I used mine to also tell a story about music fandom. Here are ten albums that broadened my horizons about popular music. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme – Simon & […]
In April 2021, some posts on this music website, like 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s and 10 Best Hit Songs of the 1980s, went vaguely viral. My traffic doubled in a month, and I considered monetising this site as a side hustle. In order to do this, I switched […]
Bic Runga was born in 1976, the youngest daughter of a Chinese Malaysian lounge singer and a Maori ex-serviceman. While still in her teens, major record labels entered into a bidding war for her signature. Bic Runga’s a New Zealand music icon despite releasing only four studio albums of original […]
Formed by London architecture students in 1964, Pink Floyd are one of the most beloved classic rock bands. While most attention is given to stadium-rock blockbusters like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, they enjoyed a lengthy career on either side of the 1970s. Pink Floyd started recording in the psychedelic 1960s, […]
When Ian Curtis committed suicide on the eve of an American tour, it marked the end of Joy Division. Guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris continued making music together as New Order. Sumner took over lead vocals and Morris’ girlfriend Gillian Gilbert joined on keyboards and […]
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