Congratulations to Eclectic Music Lover and Tony, who were the only 100% scores in last week’s Last Word Albums quiz. Not surprisingly, this week we’re looking at Last Word Albusm II. I scored 32/36 – I missed albums by…
The 1960s were a great time for popular music. The development of recording technology allowed new sounds, and the decade saw the rise of Motown, the British Invasion, and psychedelia. Major artists like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and The Rolling…
The Beach Boys emerged from Hawthorne California, with Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, along with their cousin Mike Love. Their first top ten hit was ‘Surfin’ USA’, derived from Chuck Berry’s ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’, but the group’s ornate harmonies oozed…
Congratulations to Sheik Yerbouti, who won last week’s 2010s’ Badly Drawn Songs challenge. This week you need to complete the titles of famous albums – although famous is debatable for some of these titles IMO. I scored 35/36, and…
1970s avant-garde German band Can pull a classic show out of their archives, while Mdou Moctar plays desert blues in Niger. Indie band Xiu Xiu are up to their twelfth record, but it’s the first time I’ve checked in with…
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years 1965-1968 and was…
Congratulations to Sheik Yerbouti, who scored a perfect 20/20 in last week’s quiz. There were lots of strong 18s and 19s too. I apologise in advance if this week’s quiz is a little tricky for some regular quiz participants –…
Note: In Love With These Times was released in 2016, but I only read it recently. Flying Nun is a beloved New Zealand record label, known for a string of alternative albums in the 1980s and 1990s. Legendary DJ John…
Congratulations to Jamie from , who pipped Rich for the fastest time last week. This week we’re back to badly drawn songs. This week it’s the 2000s: I’m not quite as confident in the 2000s as in earlier decades…
Welcome back to new music reviews, with three recent albums. Manchester Orchestra’s earnest stadium rock, tUnE-yArDs’ eclectic indie-soul, and Wolf Alice’s valiant attempts to reignite mainstream rock. Manchester Orchestra The Million Masks of God 2021, 8.5/10In spite of their name,…
