Nuggets II: Magic Potion by The Open Mind
The Open Mind’s album artwork featured the band members emerging from the head of an ancient Greek statue (an open…
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Can You Fill Me In? 1970s Songs III
Logically, the next quiz after Can You Fill Me In? 1960s Songs is Can You Fill Me In? 1970s Songs…
A Duck in a Microwave – and other music jokes
Soul singer Bill Withers was one of the most universally loved performers of the rock era – does anyone not…
New Music Reviews: Robber Robber and Kelela
The abrasive sounds of Robber Robber and the smooth, guitar-fuelled alternative R&B of Kelela. Enjoy! Robber Robber Two Wheels Move…
We Found Love by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
Barbadian singer Rihanna and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris found love in a hopeless place … judging by the music video,…
Can You Fill Me In? 1960s Songs
Welcome back for another week of quizzing on a fine Thursday morning (NZ time). Can you fill in the blanks…
New Music Reviews: Twisted Teens and Shearwater
I guess if today’s two bands joined forces, they could be Texan Twisted Terns? Twisted Teens Florida Water Blues 2026,…
Mary Poppins: which movie had better songs?
It’s school holidays, and there’s been less time than usual to listen to music as my two daughters have commandeered…
Vampire Weekend’s Albums Ranked
Vampire Weekend were formed by students at Columbia University. Frontman Ezra Koenig named the project after a vampire movie he…
10 Favourite Bass Players
With its dual functions of rhythm and melody, the electric bass guitar is a staple in most genres of popular…
U2: Five Best Albums
U2 started the 1980s as a post-punk band influenced by Joy Division and Television. As the decade progressed they beefed…
Nuggets II: How To Find A Lover by The Mockingbirds
Two future members of 10CC languished in 1960s’ obscurity with The Mockingbirds. Credits 3 HOW TO FIND A LOVER –…
Ariana Grande Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
Ariana Grande pivoted to a music career after four seasons on Nickelodeon teen comedy Victorious. She released her debut, Yours…
Music Quiz: Rock Song Sorting VIII
Welcome back to another week of quizzing. Can you link ten rock songs to the correct artists? It sounds easy,…
The Definitive Charli XCX Album Ranking
British pop maverick has enjoyed her most successful album release cycle yet with her eighth album Brat. It’s sold well…
10 Enjoyable Songs That Aren’t In English
I recently participated in a song draft facilitated by Hans of SliceTheLife. Along with 12 other music bloggers, I selected…
New Music Reviews: Nirosta Steel and Ariana Grande
Eccentric New York art-rock and slick adult R&B. I’d be impressed if any reader enjoys both of these new releases.…
I Don’t Wanna Dance by Eddy Grant
Guyana’s Eddy Grant was nearly 35 when he hit the big time with 1982’s Killer on the Rampage. Eddy Grant…
Music Quiz: B Names for Singers
You probably know the drill by now – can you guess the first names of singers? I scored 92/109…
New Music Reviews: Charli XCX, Slayyyter, Caterina Barbieri and Bendik Giske
A pop artist pretending to be rock, a pop artist who’s actually tough and abrasive, and an ambient/electronic/jazz LP Read…
The Exploding Boy by The Cure: Great B-Sides
The Cure have been around for more than forty years, with leader Robert Smith the only constant member. The band…
Nuggets II: You’re Driving Me Insane by The Missing Links
The Missing Links’ lead singer grew up in Naenae, Lower Hutt, New Zealand (the same suburb I live in). Credits…
Music Quiz: ‘R’ Names for Singers
Last week, we covered the Ps of year-end top-100 artists. This week we’re up to R. Can you type…
10 Worst Bernie Taupin Lyrics
Elton John and Bernie Taupin formed a uniquely synergistic songwriting partnership. The pair worked separately, with John able to quickly…
Flowers in the Rain by The Move
The first song played on BBC Radio 1 provoked a lawsuit from UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The Move There…
Music Quiz: ‘P’ Names for Singers
Last week, we covered the Ls of year-end top-100 artists. This week we’re up to P (assuming we’re spelling the…
10 Best Big Star Songs
Alex Chilton was already a star when he joined forces with the Icewater. Icewater’s members – singer/guitarist Chris Bell, bassist…
New Music Reviews: Boards of Canada and Beth Orton
It’s like we’re back in the 1990s this week, with excellent albums from Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada and…
Nuggets II: Who Dat? by The Jury
Thankfully, they changed their name from the Chord U Roys …. Credits PERSONNEL/BRUCE WALKER: vocals * TERRY KENNY: lead guitar,…
Music Quiz: ‘L’ Names for Singers
Last week, we covered the Es of year-end top-100 artists. This week we’re up to L. Can you type…
Five Best OK Go Music Videos
In Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki writes about how McDonald’s is actually a real estate business. They buy or…
Airplanes by B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams
‘Airplanes’ was just the beginning of B.o.B.’s interest in aeronautics. He later attempted to raise $1,000,000 for satellites and weather…
Music Quiz: E Names for Singers
Can you supply the first names (starting with E) for these singers who have scored Billboard year-end Top 100 singles.…
New Music Reviews: Death Cab For Cutie, Hannah Peel & Beibei Wang
Death Cab For Cutie are back for their 11th album of anguished indie rock. Meanwhile, the pairing of percussionist Beibei…
Nuggets II: A Midsummer’s Night Scene by John’s Children
Every second Nuggets II track from the UK features a future star in an obscure band. This time it’s Marc…
Music Quiz: Opening Lyrics II
Can you identify these famous opening lyrics? I found this much harder than the first set. I scored 15/19,…
New Zealand’s 2023 election in five songs
General elections are held every three years in New Zealand and they’re due soon. Our electoral system is known as…
New Music Reviews: My New Band Believe, Bill Orcutt and Mabe Fratti
It’s a week of remaking and remodelling. Former Black Midi bassist Cameron Picton goes (sort of) solo with My New…
Poison by Bardot
New Zealand number-one hits don’t get much worse than this Australian reality-TV show product. Bardot Around the turn of the…
Music Quiz: Opening Lyrics
Another Thursday (NZ time), another quiz. Can you identify these famous opening lyrics? They’re famous, yet eclectic. I scored…
Fire Drill by Split Enz: Great B-Sides
Split Enz are still perhaps New Zealand’s best-loved band. In their early days, they were art-rockers, releasing the strange art-rock…
Nuggets II: Listen to the Sky by Sands
Rob Freeman and Ian McLintock had a wide-ranging career in the 1960s, covering Bo Diddley, being managed by Brian Epstein,…
Music Quiz: Die Trying: British Music Artists
Welcome back for another week of quizzing. Can you click 10 music artists born in the UK? If you click…
10 Best Albums of 2020
I know it’s obligatory to insert a comment here about how terrible the year 2020 was. Down in New Zealand,…
New Music Reviews: Raye and Wendy Eisenberg
Two distinctive artistic visions this week. Enjoy the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach of British neo-soul singer Raye, and the arty precision of…
Love Shack by The B-52’s
If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says fifteen miles to the …. Looove…
Music Quiz: 9-10 Letter Words in 1980s Songs
Welcome back for another week of quizzing. Can you identify these songs with highfalutin’ vocabulary? I scored 25/25 with…
Mitski: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Japanese-American indie-rock musician Mitski is one of the most interesting figures currently working in popular music – Iggy Pop famously…
10 Best Olivia Rodrigo Songs (by a tween and her dad)
My 11-year-old daughter is obsessed with Olivia Rodrigo. She’s been her favourite pop artist for three years. She’s helped me…
Nuggets II: You Stole My Love by The Mockingbirds
Two future members of 10CC languished in 1960s’ obscurity with The Mockingbirds. Credits 1 YOU STOLE MY LOVE – The…
Music Quiz: Album by #1 First Track
Welcome back for another week of quizzing. Can you link these albums to their #1 hit singles? I scored…
The Best Byrds Album: The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Background Californian folk-rock band The Byrds enjoyed immediate success in 1965 with their first single, a cover of Bob Dylan’s…
10 Best Split Enz Songs
Split Enz first reached New Zealand’s attention with an appearance on the New Faces talent show in 1973, where they…
New Music Reviews: The Lemon Twigs and Arlo Parks
I’m weirdly short of new releases to cover at the moment – it’s been a quiet few weeks. Enjoy the…
Everybody Plays The Fool by Aaron Neville
Predictably, Aaron Neville sings the heck out of this smooth 1970s cover. Aaron Neville Aaron Neville is from New Orleans,…
Music Quiz: Pop Songs by Shakespeare
A bunch of songs have been transmogrified into Shakespearean sonnets. Apologies – this one is a bit more brain-intensive than…
20 Rock Songs with Great Drumming
A guest article by Scott Floman I love lists, in fact it’s right there in the title of the book…
Vanessa Carlton Albums Ranked
Vanessa Carlton is a one-hit wonder, best known for 2002’s ‘A Thousand Miles’. You may question why I’m ranking a…
Nuggets II: Days of the Broken Arrows by The Idle Race
Before he topped the 1970s charts with Electric Light Orchestra, Jeff Lynne recorded some gems with The Idle Race. Credits…
Music Quiz: Band Names by Literal Images
Can you guess a band when given a literal depiction of their band names? I was doing well for…
The Hold Steady: Albums Ranked from Best to Worst
For me, The Hold Steady were the last gasp of a prolonged musical adolescence that reached into my mid-twenties. My…
Kacey Musgraves: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Kacey Musgraves was born in Golden, Texas. She didn’t release her debut album until she was almost 25. Before that,…
New Music Reviews: Kacey Musgraves and The Reds, Pinks & Purples
It’s a low-key week – Kacey Musgraves returns to traditional-sounding Americana on Middle of Nowhere, while Glenn Donaldson is back…
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da by Marmalade
‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ is one of The Beatles’ biggest earworms. Sensibly, they didn’t release it as a single, creating an opportunity…
Music Quiz: 1973 Songs and Artists Quiz
Can you link the songs and the artists from the Billboard Top 30 at the end of 1973? I…
Your Significant Other’s Favourite Music
Over the past few days, I’ve been reviewing Lauryn Hill’s discography. It wasn’t a difficult task – in the twenty…
10 Best Jackson Browne Songs
Jackson Browne started his music career in his teens. He joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and, at 17, he…
Nuggets II: By My Side by The Elois
Credits 3 BY MY SIDE – The Elois (Australia)(Greg Heenan/Bill Van Berkel/Alan Rowe/Dennis Fiorini) PERSONNEL/ALAN ROWE: vocals * DENNIS FIORINI:…
Music Quiz: Pick a 1990s Group By Hit
Can you link an image of a 1990s band to an iconic hit? I scored 19 I thought this…
Suzanne Vega Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega emerged in the mid-1980s after serving an apprenticeship in folk music in New York’s Greenwich Village. Her…
New Music Reviews: Joshua Chuquimia Crampton and Jessie Ware
Two polar opposites this week – mainstream dance-pop from Jessie Ware and experimental fare from Joshua Chuquimia Crampton. Joshua Chuquimia…
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Mark Ronson is the stepson of Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones. He continues the family hit-making tradition with ‘Uptown Funk’. Mark…
Music Quiz: Pick a 1990s Music Artist By Hit
Can you link an image of a 1990s band to an iconic hit? I scored 21 Can you beat…
Jessie Ware: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Jessie Ware is the UK’s most likeable pop star. She’s charming where other mainstream acts leave me cold. Ware has…
The Blue Nile's Best Album: Hats
The Blue Nile are famous for their lack of productivity. The Glasgow-based group were formed in 1981 and effectively broke…
New Music Reviews: Angine de Poitrine and Joyce Manor
It’s an unusually rocking week – the microtonal art rock of Angine de Poitrine and the punk of Joyce Manor…
Nuggets II: Path Through The Forest by The Factory
Credits 3 PATH THROUGH THE FOREST – The Factory (U.K.)(Rollings) PERSONNEL/JACK BRAND: bass, vocals * IAN OATES: guitar * BILL…
Music Quiz: Pick a 1980s Music Band By Hit
Can you link an image of a 1980s band to an iconic hit? I scored 19 Can you beat…
Ten Favourite Keyboard Players
“These fingers of mine, they got brains in ’em. You don’t tell them what to do – they do it.”…
The New Pornographers' Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
The New Pornographers emerged in 2000, pooling talent from nationally successful Canadian bands like Zumpano, Destroyer, and Limblifter. While A.C.…
New Music Reviews: The New Pornographers and Courtney Marie Andrews
Two albums inspired by darkness and turmoil this week. Courtney Marie Andrews reports that she wrote Valentine during “a dark…
Whenever, Wherever by Shakira
Luckily, her breasts are small and humble so you don’t confuse them with mountains. Shakira Shakira Ripoll was born in Barranquilla,…
Music Quiz: Pick a 1980s Music Artist By Hit
Can you link an image of a 1980s artist to an iconic hit? I scored 21 I found it…
Lindsey Buckingham Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
It’s difficult to blame Lindsey Buckingham for having a chip on his shoulder. He’s the studio mastermind, the live spark,…
New Music Reviews: Avalon Emerson and Snail Mail
If you look at my favourite album per year list, both of these artists have already had a year’s best…
Nuggets II: Love Hate Revenge by Episode Six
Credits 3 LOVE HATE REVENGE – Episode Six (U.K.)(Ritchie Adams/Irwin Levine) PERSONNEL/IAN GILLAN: vocals * TONY LANDER: lead guitar *…
Music Quiz: Pick a 1970s Music Band By Hit
Can you link an image of a 1970s band to an iconic hit? I scored 18 I think 20…
10 Favourite Drummers
Along with the lead singer and the flashy lead guitarist, the drummer’s often a focal point in a band. I’ve…
New Music Reviews: Mod Lang and Sun-El Musician
Two very different albums this week – the succinct, retro power-pop of Mod Lang, and the sprawling, forward-looking house of…
The Newcastle Song by Bob Hudson
Bob Hudson’s acoustic comedy ‘The Newcastle Song’ spawned an answer song … also written by Bob Hudson. Bob Hudson Sydney’s…
Music Quiz: Pick a 1970s Music Artist By Hit
Can you link an image of a 1970s artist to an iconic hit? I scored 24/25, struggling with differentiating…
Music Is My Life: Book Review
by Myles Tanzer, Illustrated by Ali Mac My two daughters are voracious learners, so when we found this book about…
10 Best Tears For Fears Songs
Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal began their recording careers in a terrible band named Graduate, known for the track ‘Elvis…
Nuggets II: Pictures of Matchstick Men by The Status Quo
Credits 3 PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN – The Status Quo (U.K.)(Francis Rossi) PERSONNEL/FRANCIS ROSSI: vocals, guitar * RICK PARFITT: guitar…
Music Quiz: Pick a 1960s Music Artist By Hit
Can you link an image of a 1960s artist to an iconic hit? I scored 25/25, but it took…
The Woodstock Movie
An analysis of the 1969 Woodstock movie.
