It feels as though Taylor Swift has been around forever, but she released her seventh album, 2019’s Lover, while still in her twenties. Swift started young, releasing her 2006 debut at 16, and has used her marketing savvy to keep…
The success of Rhino’s 1998 Nuggets boxset justified a follow-up. The sequel covers the rest of the world since the first volume only chronicled the USA. Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 emerged in 2001.…
When they formed The Police in London in 1977, Stewart Copeland, Sting, and Andy Summers were all veteran musicians. Copeland had drummed for progressive rock band Curved Air, Sting had played in the jazz fusion band Last Exit, while Summers’…
We’re back to sorting albums this week, and we’re up to S. Fortunately, many famous albums start with S. Can you tell your Sour from your Surrealistic Pillow? I’m ineligible, although embarrassingly, I muddled Superfly and Shaft when I…
Texas-born Miranda Lambert occupies her own zone between the current mainstream country and the more rootsy sounds of Americana. As she explains, being a major-label artist involves compromise. I love raw albums. I’d love to record an album in a…
Two new records from indie stalwarts. Lucy Dacus edges closer to the mainstream with the genteel Forever is a Feeling. Meanwhile, Dan Bejar continues his erstwhile path, mellower but unmistakably Destroyer. Lucy Dacus Forever is a Feeling 2025, 7/10 From…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 1 Yummy by Justin Bieber Topped the NZ chart for 2 weeks from 20 January 2020 Justin Bieber Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was discovered via YouTube. His mother uploaded videos of Bieber singing onto…
Congratulations to Tony, who won last week’s R album challenge. Let’s take a break from sorting albums this week and guess which half of the decade songs belong to. Remember that 1985 is in the decade’s second half – more…
The Byrds were one of the most significant American bands of the 1960s. They emerged from the L.A. folk scene, featuring three singer-guitarists: James Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and David Crosby. Their first single as The Byrds was their chart-topping…
Two female artists this week. Confusingly, Ichiko Aoba is Japanese, while Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner was born in South Korea. Both records are brief and mellow, but still substantial. Japanese Breakfast For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women) 2025, 8.5/10Zauner’s discography…
