This week’s selection of albums is dark but enjoyable. Soccer Mommy confronts loss on Evergreen, while an ageing Robert Smith wrestles with mortality on The Cure’s fourteenth album. Soccer Mommy Evergreen 2024, 8.5/10Evergreen feels like a return to basics for…
These two descendants of Motown founder Berry Gordy aren’t actually sorry for party rocking. LMFAO The two members of LMFAO are descended from musical royalty. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. Sky Blu is Gordy’s grandson.…
Welcome back to the final conventional week of this epic series. There’s a number 50, but it’s dedicated entirely to Beatles’ compilations. Does anyone know why 49 isn’t IL in Roman numerals? I scored 13/20 this week. I struggled…
Two English-based artists this week. Australian Nick Cave is back for another album of piano ballads, albeit less doom-laden than usual. Kelly Lee Owens explores her pop-oriented side on her fourth album Dreamstate. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Wild…
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the two-album set Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from 1965 to 1968 and was a major influence…
We’re almost through this epic series. It’s getting a little obscure – I know little of P-Square or Half Japanese. Lots of country artists this week. Can you beat my score of 15/20? Congratulations to EclecticMusicLover, who top-scored with…
It’s a midlly disappointing week of new releases (keep in mind I’m generally a couple of months behind the rest of the world). Nilüfer Yanya and Caribou have both made better albums in the past, although both of their 2024…
One of the 1980s’ most dependable and accomplished hitmakers moved onto the dancefloor. Madonna Madonna was one of the best singles artists of the 1980s. Between 1985 and 1990, ‘Into the Groove’, ‘Like A Prayer’, and ‘Vogue’ all topped the…
We’re almost at the end of this epic series – just three more to go after this quiz, one of which is dedicated entirely to The Beatles. You probably know the drill by now – link the artist to the…
It’s easy to imagine both of these two acts residing in late-1960s Los Angeles. Beachwood Sparks adopt a Byrds-ish jangle with warm harmonies. MJ Lenderman pitches his music somewhere between Neil Young and Pavement. MJ Lenderman Manning Fireworks 2024, 8.5/10Asheville…
