Music Quiz: An Anatomy of Songs Graph
Can you fill in the blank of these 1990s songs? I had to do a fair bit of thinking, but scored 10/10 with 1:23 remaining. Congratulations to Tony, who scored 20/20 in last week’s 1990s quiz. I liked this…
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.
In Praise of Lindsey Buckingham
The entire 50 year history of Fleetwood Mac has essentially been one long soap opera, but the group’s storied history took a surprising turn last week. Long time guitarist Lindsey Buckingham left the group, supposedly for a dispute over set…
10 Best Midnight Oil Songs
Drummer Rob Hirst, bassist Andrew James, and guitarist Jim Moginie started performing together in Sydney in 1971, covering Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Led Zeppelin. They eventually added towering vocalist Peter Garrett and guitarist Martin Rotsey. The name Midnight Oil…
Nuggets II: The Train to Disaster by The Voice
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.…
Music Quiz: Can You Fill Me In? 1990s Songs III
Can you fill in the blank of these 1990s songs? I had to do a fair bit of guessing, but made it to 20/20 with 2:42 remaining. Congratulations to Tony, who just beat out two tied contestants for the…
10 Best Wilco Songs
Jeff Tweedy was the junior partner in alt-country outfit Uncle Tupelo, playing bass and fronting the occasional song. When the group split, Tweedy formed Wilco with other Uncle Tupelo musicians – notably bassist John Stirratt, Wilco’s only other constant member.…
New Music Reviews: Mitski, Hemlocke Springs, L.A. Mitchell
Three female solo artists this week. Mitski and Hemlocke Springs deliver conceptual albums, while L.A. Mitchell is back with her first solo album in decades. Mitski Nothing’s About To Happen To Me 2026, 7.5/10On 27 August 2018, Mitski released the…
Penny Lane by The Beatles
Every New Zealand #1 single… 10 Penny Lane by The Beatles Topped the NZ chart for 2 weeks from 31 March 1967 The Beatles enjoyed 14 #1 singles in New Zealand between 1963 and 1970 – it almost certainly would…
Music Quiz: #1 Song to Artist Match-Up (1982)
Who knows what tomorrow brings? But today brings a quiz about #1 songs of 1982. There are mountains in our way. But we climb a step every day. I scored full marks with 2:16 remaining. Last week, love lifted…
The French Horn in Popular Music: A Playlist
As its name suggests, the French horn evolved from humans blowing into actual animal horns, like the Jewish shofar. The modern French horn is a convoluted-looking instrument, that produces a haunting and gentle sound. The horn is mostly used in…
