Nebraskan singer-songwriter Josh Rouse is undervalued – his thoughtful and tuneful songs could have been hits in another era. He released some great records in the early 21st century – the concept album of Under Cold Blue Stars, about a…
I had to post this week’s quiz a little early, so I might have missed some late entries for last week’s Red Album quiz. But congratulations to 2Loud2Old Music, who recorded a perfect score with the best time. This week,…
It’s three releases from female solo artists this week. Two are sophomore records – Baltimore indie-rocker Snail Mail and London alternative R&B artist Tirzah both follow up their debuts. Both are worthy, but one is particularly great. Meanwhile, veteran Tori…
Before she released her record-breaking solo album Tapestry in 1971, Carole King had already enjoyed a prolific musical career. She’d inspired Neil Sedaka’s ‘Oh! Carol’ and written a hit song for her daughters’ babysitter (Little Eva’s ‘Loco-motion’). The 1960s hits…
Congratulations to Tony, who just pipped Max and Eclectic Music Lover for the fastest time in last week’s Blackboard Musicians quiz. This week you need to click the red albums – it’s straightforward. I scored 15/15 with 3:55 remaining…
The most high-profile group of artists for a while – most music fans should have heard of Del Rey and Stevens. Conversely, it’s also the weakest group of releases for a while – Stevens and Del Rey have both made…
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 from 1965-1968 and…
As you’d expect from a niche quiz, last week’s London Calling competition threw up a range of scores. Congratulations to the Punk Panther who, as you’d hope from his name, scored 19 We have a rather high-brow quiz this week…
It’s a strong week of records this week. Two records reflect changed style – Minnesota’s Low have added distorted guitars to their slow-paced folk, as they’ve done on their previous pair of records, while San Francisco’s Deafheaven have toned down…
Liverpool’s second-most famous band, Echo & the Bunnymen arrived in the post-punk era; they released their debut single in 1979. Their early career mirrors U2‘s – both released their first four albums between 1980 and 1984. Both enjoyed mainstream success…
