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 bass player, 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…
Split Enz first reached New Zealand’s attention with an appearance on the New Faces talent show in 1973, where they finished second-to-last. Their early material was too weird for the mainstream, comparable to early Genesis or Roxy Music, and Phil…
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,…
Before he became Patti Smith’s bass player, 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…
Since Sporcle doesn’t measure micro-seconds, it looks like we had a dead heat last week. Congratulations to Rich Kamerman and Tony, who tied both with 3:11 remaining. This week we’re tackling the sequel – cunningly named Follow That Lyric Song…
Billed as “the only band that matters”, The Clash released their debut single ‘White Riot’ in the iconic punk year of 1977. But they weren’t constrained by punk – their debut explored the reggae they heard on London’s streets and…
Robert Forster and Grant McLennan met at the University of Queensland. Despite McLennan’s lack of musical experience, they formed a band, combining the tunefulness of The Monkees with the edge of The Velvet Underground. Their first album was recorded as…
Congratulations to Music Enthusiast Jim, who took home the fastest perfect score in last week’s Follow That Lyric 1960s challenge. Max from PowerPopBlog guessed the bonus question first – the answer was Van Morrison. This week it’s another Follow That…
