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…
Justin Bieber has released some top-notch singles. ‘Yummy’ isn’t one of them. Justin Bieber Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was discovered via YouTube. His mother uploaded videos of Bieber singing onto the video platform. Eventually, entrepreneur Scooter Braun saw one.…
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…
Discover the wild sounds of Chants R&B, direct from the Addington Raceway…. Credits PERSONNEL/MIKE RUDD: vocal, harmonica, rhythm guitar * MAX KELLY (aka MATT CROKE): lead guitar * MARTIN FORRER: bass * TREVOR COURTNEY: drumsProduced by JAMES R. TOMLINRecorded in…
There are 25 albums this week, but it’s much easier than that Q abomination. There are plenty of famous albums starting with R. I’m ineligible. Hopefully it’s not too tricky! Congratulations to Rich Kamerman, who scrabbled his way to…
General elections are held every three years in New Zealand, and they’re due soon. Our electoral system is known as MMP – Mixed Member Proportional. Everyone gets two votes – one for a party and one for an electorate MP…
Two new-ish records this week. The erotic pop of FKA Twigs and the power-pop of The Tubs. One is extremely solid, the other is probably the worst album I’ll cover in this column in 2025. Find out which is which!…
Hi-Revving Tongues topped the New Zealand charts with a cover of Aphrodite’s Child’s ‘Rain and Tears’. New Zealand pop Grows up In an era where New Zealand acts suffered from cultural cringe, ‘Rain and Tears’ headlined a NZ-dominated NZBC listeners’…
