New Music Reviews: Dina Ögon, Jill Scott
Always welcome, Dina Ögon deliver another album of smooth Scandinavian pop. American neo-soul singer Jill Scott is back for her…
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Dance Monkey by Tones and I
An Australian busker hit the big time with ‘Dance Monkey’. Tones and I Toni Watson grew up in Melbourne. She…
Music Quiz: An Anatomy of Songs Graph
Can you fill in the blank of these 1990s songs? I had to do a fair bit of thinking,…
In Praise of Lindsey Buckingham
The entire 50 year history of Fleetwood Mac has essentially been one long soap opera, but the group’s storied history…
10 Best Midnight Oil Songs
Drummer Rob Hirst, bassist Andrew James, and guitarist Jim Moginie started performing together in Sydney in 1971, covering Cream, Creedence…
Nuggets II: The Train to Disaster by The Voice
Credits 3 THE TRAIN TO DISASTER – The Voice (U.K.)(Eddie Hammill/Miller Anderson) PERSONNEL/MILLER ANDERSON: guitar * DAVE DUFORT: drums *…
Music Quiz: Can You Fill Me In? 1990s Songs III
Can you fill in the blank of these 1990s songs? I had to do a fair bit of guessing,…
10 Best Wilco Songs
Jeff Tweedy was the junior partner in alt-country outfit Uncle Tupelo, playing bass and fronting the occasional song. When the…
New Music Reviews: Mitski, Hemlocke Springs, L.A. Mitchell
Three female solo artists this week. Mitski and Hemlocke Springs deliver conceptual albums, while L.A. Mitchell is back with her…
Penny Lane by The Beatles
I agree with George Martin – “I’ve got three tracks – and two of them are the best tracks they’ve…
Music Quiz: #1 Song to Artist Match-Up (1982)
Who knows what tomorrow brings? But today brings a quiz about #1 songs of 1982. There are mountains in…
The French Horn in Popular Music: A Playlist
As its name suggests, the French horn evolved from humans blowing into actual animal horns, like the Jewish shofar. The…
The Shuffle the Music Tag #2
Way back in October 2017, I was invited to participate in the Shuffle the Music Tag challenge. Here are the…
Nuggets II: Sad by The (Australian) Playboys
Credits 3 SAD – The (Australian) Playboys (Australia)(Brian Peacock) PERSONNEL/MICK ROGERS: vocals, guitar * TREVOR GRIFFIN: organ, vocals * BRIAN…
Music Quiz: Women of Pop Music
Can you link the first and last names of famous female singers? It’s not all young starlets – it reaches…
The Shuffle the Music Tag
I was invited to participate in the Shuffle the Music Tag challenge in October 2017. THE RULES• Mention the creator…
New Music Reviews: Ratboys and Mandy, Indiana
It’s an uncharacteristically rocking week. Ratboys play rootsy rock and roll, while Mandy, Indiana find the previously uncharted sweet spot…
Low by Flo Rida (featuring T-Pain)
It’s become popular to rework classic songs with the lyrics to ‘Low’: “apple bottom jeans” and “boots with the fur”.…
Music Quiz: Robots on Album Covers
Can you identify album covers featuring robots? We’re here for a good time, not a long time this week,…
10 Best Hit Songs of the 1980s
My list of the ten worst songs of the 1980s has received thousands of visitors over the last couple of…
New Music Reviews: Dry Cleaning and Charli XCX
We’re stuck in the UK this week – the deadpan post-punk of Dry Cleaning, and Charli XCX’s Gothic literature soundtrack.…
Nuggets II: Slaves Time by The Slaves
Credits 3 SLAVES TIME – The Slaves (Austria)(Paul Fischer) PERSONNEL/PAUL “PAULI” FISCHER: vocals * KARL “CHARLIE” RATZER: lead guitar *…
Music Quiz: D Singers by Decade
Can you match a bunch of singers to the decade they were born in? I started well, but then…
Van Morrison in the 1980s: Five Best Albums
I’ve already posted about my favourite five Van Morrison albums, but all five were released in the 1960s and 1970s.…
Five Best Michael Omartian Songs
Illinois-born Michael Omartian is best known as a producer. He was the first person to produce number one hits in…
Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel
My tenth favourite Simon and Garfunkel song topped the charts in New Zealand, but nowhere else. Simon and Garfunkel Paul…
Music Quiz: 1971 in British Music
Can you correctly answer multi-choice questions about British music in 1971? Find out here: I scored a just-above-average 13/20…
10 Best Fairport Convention Songs
Bassist Ashley Hutchings and rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol formed Fairport Convention in 1967. They named the band after Nicol’s father’s medical practice,…
New Music Reviews: Titanic, Sault, and Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore
It’s an especially eclectic bunch this week – the ambient collaboration of Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore, the funk of…
Nuggets II: You Can Be My Baby by The Red Squares
Credits 3 YOU CAN BE MY BABY (Single Version) – The Red Squares (Denmark)(Ronnie Martin/Dave Bell) PERSONNEL/DAVE “GEORDIE” GARRIOCK: vocals…
Music Quiz: 3 Songs, 1 Common Name
I found this week’s quiz confusing at first. You need to link three songs to one first name – a…
10 Best LCD Soundsystem Songs
New Jersey’s James Murphy obviously has a terrific record collection – his favourite artists include The Fall, Yes, The B-52’s,…
Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex
Time for a Euro-dance hoedown! Where did you come from? Where did you go? Rednex Inspired by Ricky Skaggs, Swedish…
The Beach Boys—1978-1981 outtakes
Over the last couple of days, a treasure trove of Beach Boys outtakes has slipped out into the wild. It’s…
Music Quiz: Three Dog Night songs
I often try to steer away from single-artist quizzes. But I figure Three Dog Night are a level playing field…
Simon & Garfunkel Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel started their recording career as Tom & Jerry in 1957, making teen-oriented Everly Brothers style pop.…
Nuggets II: I Wish I Was Five by Scrugg
Credits 3 I WISH I WAS FIVE – Scrugg (U.K.)(John Kongos) Personnel/JOHN KONGOS: vocals, guitar * PETE CLIFFORD: guitar, vocals…
Teddy Lester’s Quotes
I have an irrational love for John Finnemore’s Teddy Lester books. First published in the early 20th century, they were…
Music Quiz: Third in Line
Can you identify 20 artists by their third album? I identified them all in 1:03, although I had to…
10 Best Fleetwood Mac Songs from the Buckingham-Nicks Era
On New Year’s Eve 1974, Mick Fleetwood invited guitarist Lindsey Buckingham to join Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham insisted that his girlfriend…
Warren Zevon Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Warren Zevon emerged later than most of his LA singer-songwriter contemporaries. His work was often dark and nasty, like film…
Golden by Huntrix
Impossibly long legs and a three-octave range made fictional K-pop band Huntrix the biggest pop-culture phenomenon of 2025. KPop Demon…
Music Quiz: Album by Final Track
Can you identify 12 albums by their final track? I identified them all in 31 seconds – can you…
The Replacements Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
During ten anarchic years, The Replacements recorded a ton of wonderful songs, self-sabotaged their career, and never achieved the mass…
New Music Reviews: Eddie Chacon, CMAT, Oklou, etc
It’s 2026 now, but I’m still working through some 2025 releases. New music reviews might be an overstatement here –…
Nuggets II: Glendora by Downliners Sect
Credits 3 GLENDORA – The Downliners Sect (U.K.)(Ray Stanley) PERSONNEL/KEITH GRANT: lead vocals, bass * TERRY GIBSON: lead guitar *…
Music Quiz: Artists on Billboard Year-End Hot 25 singles of 1970
Last week we looked at 1990. This week, can you name all the year-end hot 25 singles of 1970? …
The Ten Best Songs Ever (According To Me)
Lists are always subjective, but songs are particularly so – there are way more to choose from. It’s also way…
Saint Paul by Shane
This Beatles pastiche is fun… once. But mostly it will remind you of much better Beatles songs that you’ll want…
A True Star—the 10 Best Albums of 1973
1973 featured the OPEC oil crisis, the Yom Kippur War, and the death of Salvador Allende. But it was also…
Music Quiz: Artists on Billboard Year-End Hot 25 singles of 1990
Last week we looked at 1980. This week, can you name all the year-end hot 25 singles of 1990? …
Wilco: Five Best Albums
When Uncle Tupelo split up after 1993’s Anodyne, guitarist and primary song-writer Jay Farrar seemed the best bet for a successful…
Nuggets II: Rosalyn by The Pretty Things
Credits 4 ROSALYN – The Pretty Things(Jimmy Duncan/Bill Farley) PERSONNEL/PHIL MAY: vocals * DICK TAYLOR: lead guitar * BRIAN PENDLETON:…
No matter how jangled—10 Best Albums of 2025
As a one-person music website, I’m unable to cover everything. I’ve reviewed about 75 albums from 2025, slightly inflated by…
Music Quiz: Artists on Billboard Year-End Hot 25 singles of 1980
Can you name all the year-end hot 25 singles of 1980? I certainly couldn’t – I struggled with the…
10 Best Jessie Ware Songs
The United Kingdom’s most likeable pop star, Jessie Ware is charming while other mainstream acts leave me cold. She has…
New Music Reviews: Flock of Dimes, Nourished by Time, and Candelabra
Flock of Dimes and Nourished By Time are both solo projects from Baltimore artists, with monikers that sound like band…
The Sign by Ace of Base
Three Swedish siblings enjoyed international success with this breezy hit. Ace of Base Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren grew up…
Music Quiz: Click, Click, BOOM! III
For the third time, this week’s challenge is sudden death – if you get one wrong, the quiz stops. Also,…
10 Best Hit Songs of the 1960s
The 1960s were an exciting time for popular music, with new genres emerging and recording technology evolving constantly. I recently…
New Music Reviews: Snocaps, Hatchie, and Jeff Tweedy
The Crutchfield twins collaborate on Snocaps. Jeff Tweedy, formerly of Uncle Tupelo and Tweedy, releases a triple album. And Australia’s…
Nuggets II: Come On by The Atlantics
Credits 4 COME ON – The Atlantics (Australia)(Peter Hood) PERSONNEL/JIM ADDAMS (aka SKIATHITIS): vocals, guitar * THEO PENGLIS: guitar *…
Music Quiz: Click, Click, BOOM! II
Again, this week’s challenge is sudden death – if you get one wrong, the quiz stops. Also, it’s not possible…
Sault Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
British soul collective Sault have broken almost every rule of album-making during their brief career. Debuting in 2019, they’ve already…
New Music Reviews: Sudan Archives, Westerman, and Rosalía
Rosalía delivers on the year’s most ambitious album. Westerman delivers another album of exquisite 1980s-soaked melancholy, while Sudan Archives is…
Gangnam Style by Psy
K-pop is now a well-established cultural phenomenon. But the first South Korean artist to break out in the West was…
Music Quiz: Click, Click, BOOM!
This week’s challenge is sudden death – if you get one wrong, the quiz stops. Also, it’s not possible to…
10 Best Rage Against the Machine Songs
Rage Against the Machine’s debut album was a slow-burn success. Their debut single ‘Killing in the Name’ was initially released…
New Music Reviews: The Last Dinner Party, Cate Le Bon, and Brìghde Chaimbeul
Arty fare from three different parts of the UK – Wales’ Cate Le Bon, Scottish piper Brìghde Chaimbeul, and theatrical…
Nuggets II: The Madman Running Through The Fields by Dantalian’s Chariot
Credits 4 THE MADMAN RUNNING THROUGH THE FIELDS – Dantalian’s Chariot (U.K.)(George Money/Andy Somers) PERSONNEL/GEORGE “ZOOT” MONEY: vocals, keyboards *…
Music Quiz: Missing Word Band Songs
Can you complete song titles with the word “band” in them. I scored 14/14 – can you beat my…
10 Best Talking Heads Songs
Talking Heads emerged from the mid-1970s CBGB scene, along with Blondie, The Ramones, and Television. Neurotic frontman David Byrne formed…
New Music Reviews: Neko Case, Geese, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Neko Case is back with her gothic Americana. Brooklyn’s Geese are perhaps the most discussed indie band of 2025, while…
Positions by Ariana Grande
In which we learn that Ariana Grande’s mom is an engineer, like the most fierce badass in the world. Ariana…
Music Quiz: Cry, Die, Fly, Fall Songs
Can you complete song titles with cry, die, fly, or fall? Find out below! I scored 40/40, albeit with…
Five Best They Might Be Giant Songs for Children
I enjoy Lincoln and I adore ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’, but I’ve spent far more time with They Might Be…
New Music Reviews: Cardiacs, Great Grandpa, and Tyler Childers
England’s zolo band Cardiacs return, despite the 2020 passing of frontman Tim Smith. Indie band Great Grandpa are back with…
Nuggets II: How Does It Feel to Feel by The Creation
Credits 4 HOW DOES IT FEEL TO FEEL (U.S. Single Version) – The Creation(Bob Garner/Eddie Phillips) PERSONNEL/BOB GARNER: vocals *…
Music Quiz: Trivial Twenty—Music
We’ve finished working through Grammy winners – well done on staying with us. This week’s challenge also has a Grammy…
Sex Pistols: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
The Sex Pistols weren’t the first punk band to release an album – The Ramones beat them by 18 months.…
10 Best Rich Mullins Songs
Rich Mullins is known for the gimmicky CCM hit ‘Awesome God’. But that’s an unfair reputation – dig deeper, and…
The Look by Roxette
Don’t bore us, get to the chorus! Roxette Roxette are a Swedish supergroup. Marie Fredriksson was already a solo star…
Music Quiz: Album of the Year Winners (2010s)
As even more logic would dictate, we’re now up to the 2010s Grammy winners. I found this one a…
The 1975: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
The members of The 1975 met at Wilmslow High School in their teens, playing at gigs organised by a local…
New Music Reviews: The Beths and Anna Tivel
This week, we have confessional power pop from NZ’s The Beths and socially conscious folk from Portland’s Anna Tivel. Enjoy!…
Nuggets II: I’m Just A Mops by The Mops
Credits PERSONNEL/HIROMITSU SUZUKI: vocals * MASARU HOSHI: lead guitar, vocals * TAROU MIYUKI: rhythm guitar * KAORU MURAKAMI: bass *…
Music Quiz: Album of the Year Winners (2000s)
As logic would dictate, we’re now up to the 2000s Grammy winners. I suspect many of us will find…
10 Best Albums of 2021
I think it’s cheating to publish a best albums list during the year in question – like, what if the…
New Music Reviews: Jens Lekman, Margo Price, and Kerry Logan
Music from three different continents this week: Jens Lekman Songs for Other People’s Weddings 2025, 8.5/10 On my first album…
Love the Way You Lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna
Two superstars duet, portraying two lovers who refuse to leave an abusive relationship. Eminem Missouri-born rapper Eminem broke through to…
Music Quiz: Album of the Year Winners (1990s)
Last week, we looked at 1980s Grammy winners. This week, it’s the 1990s’ turn. I scored 9 I missed…
10 Best Bic Runga Songs
Bic Runga was born in 1976, the youngest daughter of a Chinese Malaysian lounge singer and a Maori ex-serviceman. While…
Ranking Big Thief’s Albums
On this site, I have a list of my favourite album for every year from 1963 to the present. The…
Nuggets II: Why Don’t You Smile Now by Downliners Sect
Credits 4 WHY DON’T YOU SMILE NOW – The Downliners Sect(Terry Philips/Jerry Vance/Lou Reed/John Cale) PERSONNEL/KEITH GRANT: lead vocals, bass…
Music Quiz: Album of the Year Winners (1980s)
Welcome back for another week of quizzing. Can you identify the 10 album-of-the-year Grammy winners from the 1980s? I was…
ABBA: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
In November 2021, ABBA released their ninth studio album Voyage. It was the Swedish quartet’s first studio album in almost…
