Music Quiz: Nonsense
Congratulations to everyone who scored full marks in last week’s quiz, but especially to Tony who had the fastest time. This week we’re looking at songs with nonsense titles. I only knew about half, but using the process of…
Aphoristical
Graham Fyfe has been writing this website since his late teens. Now in his forties, he's been obsessively listening to albums for years. He works as a web editor and plays the piano.
HAIM – Women in Music Part III: New Music Review
HAIM’s first two records were fun. The trio of L.A. sisters had great harmonies, their eclectic approach recalled both Fleetwood Mac and 90s R&B, while Danielle Haim’s bluesy guitar added some edge. Their third record, however, is the biggest leap…
Music Quiz: The Only One
Congratulations to Max (Badfinger20), who won last week’s quiz by a substantial margin. He scored 25% more than than the next best candidate in our early influences quiz. This week is less of a music quiz, and more of a…
Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters: New Music Review
Fiona Apple’s been around for a long time, releasing her 1996 debut album Tidal at the age of 18. But she’s not prolific – Fetch the Bolt Cutters is only her fifth record, making each Apple release feel like an…
Total Eclipse by Iron Maiden: Great B-Sides
Iron Maiden’s third album, The Number of the Beast, was made under time pressure. The group had five weeks to record their first album with new lead singer Bruce Dickinson. The single ‘Run to the Hills’ was released in advance…
Music Quiz: Early Influences
Last week lots of people scored a perfect 30/30 in the 1980s lyric quiz – congratulations to Rich Kamerman with the fastest recorded time. This week, Jim was interested in a blues quiz. The best I could find was this…
New(ish) Music Reviews – Neil Young, U.S. Girls, Jonathan Wilson
This week we look at two releases from the first quarter of the year, and one album that was scheduled to be released 45 years ago. Enjoy! Neil Young Homegrown Neil Young enjoyed an inspired golden age between May 1969’s…
10 Best Aretha Franklin Songs
Aretha Franklin was the Queen of Soul, a powerhouse vocalist and a talented pianist. Growing up in the Church, her music was always steeped in gospel. She delivered hits for a long period of time; her first R&B chart topper…
Music Quiz: Spotify Results and Follow That Lyric – 1980s
We’ve had 20 weeks of Spotify quizzes – congratulations to Sheik Yerbouti for the overall victory. Sheik scored 390 of a possible 400, which is equivalent to only missing one clue every second week over the competition. Tony finished a…
Dire Straits Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
One glance at Mark Knopfler’s bandana will tell you that Dire Straits have never been fashionable. Emerging in 1978, at the height of punk, their literate bar-band rock appealed to conservative listeners not enamoured by the upstart sounds of The…
