Charlotte Aitchison christened herself Charli XCX after her MSN Messenger handle. She broke through early as a songwriter, penning ‘I Love It’ for Icona Pop while still a teenager With an ear for pop hooks and a devoted Instagram following,…
B-sides are a relatively rare commodity for progressive rock bands. They often refused to stoop to the level of those pop proletarians, issuing singles. Additionally, if they had spare song fragments lying around, they could simply incorporate them into epic…
Happy Valentines day (it’s already February 14 in New Zealand). Congratulations to hanspostcard from , who high scored with 27/30 in last week’s Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper. This week’s quiz requires you to figure out whether…
Remember the 1990s, when physical albums sold by the truckload? Manchester band Oasis had their second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, sell more than 22 million copies, and this volume of sales allowed them to lavish even their b-sides with…
Last week’s quiz had a couple of tough questions, especially Temple of the Dog. Congratulations to the 1990s kids (mostly), J., Geoff, StevefortheDeaf, 2loud2old, Tony, and Murphy’s Law, who all scored 100%. It looks like Murphy’s Law scored the fastest…
Some musical careers revolve around doing one thing expertly – Billie Holiday sang, Burt Bacharach wrote songs. Other musical careers showcase a smorgasbord of talents – here are ten musicians with impressively wide skill-sets: Beck Mr Postmodern music is a…
In hindsight, The Flirtations’ best known song, ‘Nothing But A Heartache’, sounds like a girl group classic from the early 1960s. It’s a terrific piece, with a pounding back-beat and a strident lead vocal punctuated by horns. But at the…
Congratulations to Chris, Geoff, Murphy’s Law, and Tony, who all scored 22/22 in last week’s quiz, with Tony logging the fastest time. This week’s quiz requires you to identify bands from sensational headlines revolving around well known songs. I…
One goal for this blog this year is to engage with new music more regularly, and I’m planning to feature a feature length review of a recent release each month. The Beths are from Auckland, New Zealand, and Future Me…
Last week’s great b-side was a 1980s college rock band with folk-rock inclinations covering a folkie from the previous generation – 10,000 Maniacs covering John Prine’s ‘Hello in There’. This week’s pick is very similar – R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs…
