You've Got The Power by Van Morrison: Great B-Sides
Van Morrison is a prolific recording artist, releasing more than 40 studio albums during his solo career, as well as…
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Keep readingYou've Got The Power by Van Morrison: Great B-Sides
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XX
Welcome to the final week of the Sporcle Spotify challenge! It’s been a long slog since mid-February, and we’ve had…
10 Additional Excellent Lyricists
In my opinion, rock music has four literary giants (Bob Dylan, Randy Newman, Nick Cave, and Leonard Cohen) and then…
10 Best Sting Songs
Sting’s reputation is a little shaky as a solo artist. After leading The Police to the status of the biggest…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XIX
Welcome to week 19 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far – it’s a very tight…
New Music Reviews Americana Edition: Waxahatchee and John Moreland
For this week’s new music reviews, I’m looking at two Americana releases from early 2020. Both are in the zone…
The Plague by Scott Walker: Great B-Sides
Scott Walker is one long-time favourite artist who I’ve barely mentioned on this site (edit – I have now). Born…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XVIII
Welcome to week 18 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far – the big mover this…
The Police: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Stewart Copeland, Sting, and Andy Summers were all veteran musicians when they formed The Police in London in 1977. Copeland…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XVII
Welcome to week 17 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far -congratulations to Geoff Stephen for…
New Music Reviews: The 1975, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jason Isbell
Three reviews of May releases – the pop/rock of Manchester’s The 1975, the synth-pop of Canada’s Carly Rae Jepsen, and…
Blk Girl Soldier by Jamila Woods
Chicago’s Jamila Woods is a writer and a recording artist, and as such she’s able to sing eloquently about racial…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XVI
Welcome to week 16 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 15 Total Sheik…
New Music Reviews: Childish Gambino, Porridge Radio, and Baxter Dury
Normally my method for finding new music is to read about it, add it to a playlist, and listen to…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XV
Welcome to week 15 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 14 Total Sheik…
Aphoristic Awards – Best British Albums from 1980 to 2010
Writing about Dire Straits’ discography this week, I learned that 1985’s Brothers in Arms was one of ten albums nominated…
Omnibus by The Move: Great B-Sides
There was a lot of great pop music in the 1960s, and Birmingham psychedelic rock band The Move are overlooked…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XIV
Welcome to week 14 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 13 Total Sheik…
How I'm Feeling Now – Charli XCX: New Music Review
The lock-down album is something we’ll presumably see more of over the next few months. As far as I’m aware,…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XIII
Welcome to week 13 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 12 Total Sheik…
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…
Don't Break This Rhythm by Peter Gabriel: Great B-Sides
Sometimes a record is so jammed with great songs that something worthy has to be shipped out to a b-side.…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XII
Welcome to week 12 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 11 Total Sheik…
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia: New Music Review
Pop music has become a much more respected art form in the past decade. Records like Taylor Swift’s 1989, Carly…
10 Best Songs by Can
Classically trained pianist Irmin Schmidt and music teacher Holger Czukay studied under Stockhausen. Both tuned into rock music as it…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs XI
Welcome to week 11 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 10 Total Sheik…
New Music Reviews: Brandy Clark and Katie Pruitt
This week Aphoristical Album Reviews takes a look at recent releases from two female artists in the Americana/country zone. Both…
Das Schützenfest by Faith No More: Great B-Sides
Faith No More have covered a lot of ground over their career – in particular, 1995’s King for a Day……
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs X
Welcome to week 10 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far. There’s suddenly a tight tussle…
10 Best Emmylou Harris Songs
Emmylou Harris was discovered by ex-Byrd Chris Hillman in a folk club. Hillman recommended her to country maverick Gram Parsons.…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs IX
Welcome to week 9 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far. We have a new contestant…
New Music Reviews, Cancon Edition: Grimes and Caribou
Canadian artists Caribou and Grimes both make music that’s creative and laced with pop hooks. Both have released new albums…
Ten Guitars by Engelbert Humperdinck: Great B-Sides
Arnold Dorsey struggled to break into the music industry until he was advised to adopt a more interesting stage name.…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs VIII
Welcome to week 8 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 7 Total Sheik…
10 More Excellent Lyricists
Last month’s post on best lyricists provoked lots of interesting discussion.The dialogue helped to crystalise my thinking that there’s a…
What'll I Do by Bill Withers: Great B-Sides
Universally beloved soul singer Bill Withers passed away this week. He came from the small coal mining town of Slab…
…Baby One More Time by Fountains of Wayne: Great (Almost) B-Sides
Power pop band Fountains of Wayne was formed by Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood – they took their name from…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs VII
We’re up to week 7 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 6 Total…
Destroyer – Have We Met: New Music Review
Destroyer have the most misleading name in popular music. What you expect is death metal or perhaps a KISS tribute…
System Virtue by Emma Paki: Iconic New Zealand Songs
Emma Paki was born in Whakatane, the New Zealand town closest to where White Island erupted in December 2019. She…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs VI
We’re up to week 6 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 5 Total…
10 Best Prefab Sprout Songs
English sophisti-pop band Prefab Sprout date back to 1970s art-rock; leader Paddy McAloon was sent a rejection letter by Brian…
La Bamba by Ritchie Valens: Great B-Sides
‘La Bamba’ is a traditional Mexican folk song, from the state of Veracruz. Ritchie Valens, a 17 year old rising…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs V
We’re up to week 5 in the Sporcle Spotify challenge. Here are the results so far: Participant Week 4 Total…
Red House Painters Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
The Red House Painters took their name from a Tennessee painting crew named The International League Of Revolutionary House Painters.…
Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House
Neil Finn joined the band Split Enz as a guitarist when he was still a teenager. His brother Tim was…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs IV
Welcome back for week 4 of the Popular Spotify Song challenge. This is how the leaderboard looks: Participant Week 3…
An Explanation and a Plan
An Explanation I wanted to provide an explanation to my fellow bloggers who may have noticed that this blog has undergone a…
Makkuro (真っ黒) – Tricot: New Music Review
Math-rock band Tricot formed in Kyoto in 2010, released their debut album in 2013. Their fourth studio album 真っ黒 (Japanese…
Carry Me Home by AC/DC: Great B-Sides
It’s a long way to the top (if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll), and Australian hard rock band AC/DC spent…
Music Quiz: Artist by Popular Spotify Songs III
Welcome back to the third week of the Spotify quiz series. Eleven contestants have completed the first two week of…
10 Best Lyricists of All Time
In popular music, lyrics are less important than the music. Often the words of popular songs float past innocuously. Stringing…
Mystery Train by Elvis Presley: Great B-Sides
Of all the b-sides that I’ve covered in this series, Elvis Presley’s cover of ‘Mystery Train’ is the most iconic.…
Music Quiz: Name the Spotify Artist II
Welcome back to the Spotify quiz series. We had ten contestants in the first week of Spotify quizzes, and the…
10 Best Albums of 2019
I didn’t enjoy any single album from 2019 as much as I liked Mitski‘s Be The Cowboy in 2018. Nevertheless,…
2019 Reviews: These New Puritans, Stella Donnelly, and Jessica Pratt
Welcome to the final batch of 2019 reviews. One record I thoroughly enjoy, but only picked up on year end…
Music Quiz: Name the Spotify Artist
It looks like noone scored more than 24/28 in last week’s royal artists quiz. Congratulations to Rich and J who…
Past Me Would Hate These: Solange, Little Simz, Erika de Casier, and Octo Octa
It’s important to be a lifelong learner. At the age of twenty I would have unequivocally hated all of these…
10 Best Matthew Sweet Songs
Power-pop legend Matthew Sweet was born in Nebraska, but moved to Athens, Georgia, to join the local alt-rock scene. He…
Music Quiz: 7 to 1 Hits by Royal Artists
Congratulations to Sheik Yerbouti, who just pipped Tony on the squirrel quiz. This week you need to link the hit…
Quirky 2019 Albums: Cate Le Bon, (Sandy) Alex G, and Glass Beach
Here are three 2019 albums that are quirky and full of exotic sounds. I’ve ordered them in magnitude of weirdness,…
Grendel by Marillion: Great B-Sides
Marillion were named after JRR Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, and were formed in 1979. Early Marillion were often compared to the…
Missed the Quiz?
For some reason, Wordpress Feed didn’t display this week’s quiz yesterday. If you missed it, it’s at: In other…
Music Quiz: Famous Musicians Re-Imagined as Squirrels
Congratulations to John from , who scored the fastest time in last week’s 1980s Music Video Quiz. This week quiz…
2019 Reviews: Michael Kiwanuka, Michaela Anne, FKA Twigs
I’ve been chewing through 2019 releases with three more album reviews. Two of these albums could have come straight from…
Rock Reviews: Big Big Train, Fontaines, D.C., and Black Midi
Here are three reviews of 2019 releases that fit under sub-genres of rock – the progressive rock of Big Big…
Roxy Music Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
English art-rock band Roxy Music was formed by vocalist Bryan Ferry and bassist Graham Simpson in 1970. They recruited saxophone…
African Giant by Burna Boy: New Music Review
Nigeria’s Burna Boy was born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu. He’s connected with Nigerian musical royalty – his grandfather once managed Afrobeat…
Music Quiz: 12 Flags
Congratulations to Sheik Yerbouti, who scored the fastest time of the correct entrants in last week’s Back the Block challenge.…
New Music Reviews: Angel Olsen, Better Oblivion Community Center, Nilufer Yanya, The Japanese House and Sharon Van Etten
This week’s reviews of 2019 albums covers indie releases. Indie is a nebulous word – technically it means releases from…
Dancing Barefoot by U2 and Karen by The Go-Betweens: Great B-Sides
Patti Smith was one of the first punk artists to make a record. 1975’s Horses, produced by John Cale, was…
Music Quiz: Back the Block
Congratulations to Max at who achieved last week’s only perfect score in the duo quiz. This week you need…
2019 Mainstream Music Review Roundup – Kanye West, Maggie Rogers, and Miranda Lambert
So I don’t clog up your Wordpress feeds, I’ve combined 2019 album reviews for three US artists into one post.…
10 Best Elton John Songs
Sir Elton John is one of pop’s biggest hit machines, churning out top forty singles through the 1970s, 1980s, and…
Richard Dawson – 2020: New Music Review
English folkie Richard Dawson is onto his sixth album and pushing forty, but he’s certainly not a household name. Instead,…
Music Quiz: 7 to 1 Top 5 Hits By Duos
It looks like John from won last week’s challenge, scoring 20/20 with 2:37 remaining. Congratulations to John and all…
Legacy! Legacy! – Jamila Woods: New Music Review
Chicago born poet and singer-songwriter Jamila Woods dedicated her second album to twelve of her heroes. Each of the tracks…
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…
Mdou Moctar – Ilana (The Creator): New Music Review
Born in a nomad camp, Niger’s Mdou Moctar first came to prominence after the release of his debut album, 2008’s…
Music Quiz: Which Band Member III?
Congratulations to new contestant getonmynick, who used a technique of looking at the last emoji to blitz the Christmas songs…
Caroline Polachek – Pang: New Music Review
Caroline Polachek grew up in Connecticut and was formerly the vocalist for the indie-pop duo Chairlift, who had a surprise…
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…
Music Quiz: Christmas Songs in Emojis
Congratulations to VinylDaftDad J., who finished a couple of points clear of the field in last week’s sorting quiz. It’s…
Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains: New Music Review
The saddest story in popular music this year probably belonged to David Berman. The former leader of Silver Jews had…
Another Lonely Christmas by Prince: Great B-Sides
The b-side is often a British commodity, but one American artist was the equal of any British artist with the…
Music Quiz: Musical Artist Sorting Blitz VI
Last week’s quiz on finishing the band name proved quite easy, with lots of 95% and 100% scores. Congratulations to…
Charli XCX – Charli: New Music Review
Genre: Pop Pop star or pop maverick? Charlotte Emma Aitchison is talented enough to go in either direction, and her…
Let My People Go by The Pursuit of Happiness: Great B-Sides
Canadian power-pop band The Pursuit of Happiness scored a surprise top 40 hit in 1986 with their independent single ‘I’m…
Music Quiz: Finish the Band Name
Congratulations to Jim S and Tony, who were the only 100% entries in last week’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ challenge, both finishing…
Tiny Ruins – Olympic Girls: New Music Review
Genre: Folk-rock, Singer-songwriter New Zealand is presently enjoying a very strong crop of female asinger-songwriters. Along with Hollie Fullbrook of…
200,000 Plays on Last.fm: Top Ten Tracks
I’ve been using Last.fm to track my music plays for more than a decade. This week I hit the landmark…
Music Quiz: Cover the Alphabet – Bohemian Rhapsody
Congratulations to Tony who scored 18 out of 20 in 1990s one hit wonders quiz, and shoutouts to Geoff and…
I’m Not Like Everybody Else by The Kinks: Great B-Sides
The Kinks formed in Muswell Hill, London, in 1964. They launched their career with hard-driving rock and roll like ‘You…
Music Quiz: One Hit Wonders of the 1990s
No-one scored full marks last week, but we had three contenders who fell agonisingly close at 17 Congratulations to Rich…
The New Pornographers – In The Morse Code of Brake Lights: New Album Reviews
The New Pornographers are successors to vintage pop/rock acts like The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Zombies. All of…
Genetic by Sonic Youth: Great B-Sides
In The Beatles, George Harrison often suffered the indignity of being limited to two songs per LP. It worked fine…
