New Music Reviews: Hatchie, Silvana Estrada, Kelly Lee Owens
Three albums from female artists this week – the debut album from Mexican folk/jazz artist Silvana Estrada, the sophomore album…
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Keep readingNew Music Reviews: Hatchie, Silvana Estrada, Kelly Lee Owens
Sign of Love by Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann scored her only hit single with her first attempt. She fronted Boston new wave band ‘Til Tuesday, whose…
10 Best Carly Rae Jepsen Songs
Canadian pop treasure Carly Rae Jepsen achieved peak cultural saturation in 2012 with the inescapable hit ‘Call Me Maybe’. ‘Call Me…
Weekly Music Quiz: Band by Setlist III
Congratulations again to Jim, who won this site’s Sporcle challenge for the second week running. The very first Sporcle challenge…
Arcade Fire: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Canadian indie-rock band Arcade Fire formed in Montreal in 2001. The band is centred around the husband-and-wife duo of Win…
Nuggets: Knock, Knock by The Humane Society
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Song Titles!
Congratulations to Music Enthusiast Jim, who scored the fastest time in last week’s Parentheses quiz. Last week it was parentheses,…
New Music Reviews: Destroyer, Midlake, and Sault
Three records from established acts this week. Canada’s Dan Bejar is back with another album of sardonic bleating (in the…
10 Best Sandy Denny Songs
Sandy Denny is best-known to rock fans for her guest vocal on Led Zeppelin’s ‘Battle of Evermore’, and her contribution…
Music Quiz: Songs with Parentheses
Congratulations to Rich Kamerman, who scored the fastest time in last week’s quiz, narrowly beating Max. This week, regular reader…
Book Review: The Show That Never Ends – The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by David Weigel
David Weigel is a journalist – he’s known for his coverage of the conservative movement in the US. He once…
Nuggets: Primitive by The Groupies
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: 1970s Bands by Member
Congratulations to KingClover, who scored the only 10/10 in last week’s quiz. A lot of contestants, including myself, didn’t recognise…
10 Biggest Snubs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
If I were in charge, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would have capped membership years ago. There’d be…
The 10 Best Songs by The New Pornographers
Canadian power pop band The New Pornographers are often described as a supergroup. Leader A.C. Newman disputes this, pointing out…
Music Quiz: Singers Who Died in the 1990s
Congratulations to EclecticMusicLover, who scored the fastest perfect score in last week’s Signs quiz. There’s just a brief quiz this…
New Music Reviews: Spoon, Rosalía, Wet Leg, and The Weather Station
IIt’s not my favourite batch of new releases this week – lots of solid 7.5s. Indie band Spoon release their…
Nuggets: Psycho by The Sonics
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Signs o the Times
Thanks for playing Click, Click, Boom! last week. There was a tie for fastest time between Tony and msjadeli. This…
New Order Albums: Ranked from Worst to Best
When Ian Curtis committed suicide on the eve of an American tour, it marked the end of Joy Division. Guitarist…
10 Best Songs by The Band
The Band started their career backing blues belter Ronnie Hawkins, where they were known as The Hawks. They then supported…
Music Quiz: Click, click, BOOM
Hello, and welcome back. Last week’s classic rock picture quiz proved tricky – the two highest challengers tied for 12…
New Music Reviews: Nilüfer Yanya, Beach House, and Black Country, New Road
It’s a strong batch of 2022 records this week – London’s Nilüfer Yanya drops a sophomore album that’s even more…
Nuggets: So What! by The Lyrics
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Picture This Classic Rock Songs
Congratulations to kingclover, who scored 34/35 in last week’s Song Title quiz. And congratulations to Jim, who guessed that Christie…
10 Worst Sting Lyrics
In 2007 Blender named Sting as the worst lyricist in pop music, accusing the former Police frontman of “mountainous pomposity…
10 Best Songs by The Zombies
Hertfordshire band The Zombies endured a somewhat erratic career in the 1960s. They enjoyed early hits with ‘She’s Not There’…
Music Quiz: Song Title Mistaken for its Refrain
Congratulations to everyone who scored 20/20 in last week’s Rock Quartet quiz – especially Jim the Music Enthusiast who scored…
New Music Reviews: Animal Collective, Gang of Youths, Charli XCX
This week on the review table, there are new albums from anthemic Australian alt-rock band Gang of Youths – think…
Nuggets: You Must Be A Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Rock Quartets by First Names
Last week’s quiz about Antonyms was pretty straightforward, with a bunch of 20 Tony was fastest. This week is another…
The Anne of Green Gables Series: Ranked
My grandmother was a dedicated L.M. Montgomery fan. She had an entire display cabinet filled with Montgomery’s work and made…
Nuggets: A Question of Temperature by The Balloon Farm
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Missing Song Antonyms II
Congratulations to Eclectic Music Lover, who recorded a perfect 25/25 in last week’s quiz about Albums With At Least Four…
New Music Reviews: Big Thief, Jane Weaver, and Forenzics
I thoroughly enjoyed this week’s batch of records. Rootsy indie darlings Big Thief deliver the record that should stand as…
10 Best Eagles Songs
The four original Eagles played their first gig together at Disneyland, supporting Linda Ronstadt. Starting as a country-rock outfit, they…
Music Quiz: Albums with at Least Four Top Ten Hits
Congratulations to Tony and EclecticMusicLover, who both scored 12/12 in last week’s quiz. This week it’s all about commercial juggernauts…
Harness Your Hopes by Pavement: Great B-Sides
The streaming era has scattered previously held views on the hierarchy of popular music. Despite a critical pasting, Queen have…
Nuggets: Maid of Sugar – Maid of Spice by Mouse and the Traps
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Aphoristic Album Reviews: The Missing Years
I’ve had a few issues with the WordPress Reader feed recently – this post both tests if it’s now working…
Music Quiz: Decade by Three Album Releases
Congratulations to Tony, who narrowly edged Sheik Yerbouti for bragging rights in last week’s Shopping List quiz. This week’s quiz…
New Music Reviews: Cate Le Bon, Heisei No Oto, and Howie Lee
The title New Music Reviews is a little misleading this week, given that one of the new releases is a…
Music Quiz: Album by Shopping Receipt
Last week’s Album by Shopping Receipt IV was a toughie, but a couple of contestants made it to 23/24 –…
Yes Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Progressive rock behemoths Yes emerged from London in the late 1960s. Starting out as a psychedelic pop band, they became one of…
Nuggets: You Ain’t Tuff by The Uniques
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Album by Shopping Receipt III
Congratulations to Rich Kamerman, who scored the only 24/24 on last week’s quiz. This week, we’re looking at “Shopping Receipts”…
New Music Reviews: Mitski, Arooj Aftab, and Hikaru Utada
Welcome back to the first instalment of new music reviews for 2022. This week I feature three female artists in…
Music Quiz: Find the Band Member VIII
Noone scored a full 24/24 in last week’s quiz, but we did have a bunch of 23s. Tony had the…
Joni Mitchell: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Joni Mitchell emerged at a time when the women’s rights movement was still building steam. She had to fight for…
Nuggets: Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White by The Standells
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Find the Band Member VII
Congratulations to occasional contestant Heavy Metal Overlord, who scored the fastest time in last week’s Find The Band Member quiz.…
10 Worst Billy Joel Lyrics
I wasn’t planning to make more bad lyricist lists, but lots of people enjoyed the New Order list. Two obvious…
Nuggets: She’s My Baby by The Mojo Men
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Find the Band Member
Congratulations to Tony, who scored the fastest time in last week’s Find the Band Member II quiz, locating 24 famous…
The dB’s: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
The dB’s came from the same era as R.E.M., and featured a similarly jangly sound. While R.E.M. became one of…
10 Best Lin-Manuel Miranda Songs
It’s been a ridiculously successful couple of years for Lin-Manuel Miranda. In 2019 his musical Hamilton was released onto DisneyPlus,…
Music Quiz: Find the Band Member II
Congratulations to Pierce from who snuck in a second faster than Tony to win last week’s challenge in a…
10 Worst New Order Lyrics
Great music isn’t always synonymous with great lyrics – early Beach Boys records dressed up Mike Love’s mundane teen dramas…
10 Best Queen Songs
In the 21st century, Queen have emerged as the most-loved band from the classic rock era. They enjoyed little critical…
Music Quiz: Find the Band Member III
It looks like Music Enthusiast Jim won last week’s quiz, leading a large number of perfect scores with the fastest…
Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young): Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash were all members of famous 1960s bands before linking up as a trio.…
Nuggets: Story of My Life by The Unrelated Segments
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Find the Band Member IV
Congratulations to the contestants who scored 24/24 in last week’s quiz – it looks like jprobichaud from was the…
Goin’ Down by The Monkees – Great B-Sides
Famously, The Monkees started as a band created for a TV show – they were sometimes referred to as the…
Music Quiz: Find the Band Member V
Last week, in Find the Band Member VI, Rich Kamerman had the best score of 23/24 when I scheduled this…
New Music Reviews: Tricot, Ducks Ltd, and L’Rain
Welcome to the final batch of 2021 music reviews – I’ve reviewed 72 new releases this year, about as many…
Nuggets: I’m Five Years Ahead of My Time by The Third Bardo
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Find the Band Member VI
Congratulations to everyone who scored 20/20 in last week’s Album Covers II quiz, and also condolences to the contestants who…
New Music Reviews: Richard Dawson & Circle, Mr. Twin Sister, and Art School Girlfriend
We’ve had a few high-profile artists recently, but we’re back to the niches this week – the folk-prog of Richard…
Christmas With Jesus by Josh Rouse
Nebraskan singer-songwriter Josh Rouse is undervalued – his thoughtful and tuneful songs could have been hits in another era. He…
Music Quiz: Album Covers II
I had to post this week’s quiz a little early, so I might have missed some late entries for last…
New Music Reviews: Snail Mail, Tori Amos, Tirzah
It’s three releases from female solo artists this week. Two are sophomore records – Baltimore indie-rocker Snail Mail and London…
10 Best Covers of Carole King Songs
Before she released her record-breaking solo album Tapestry in 1971, Carole King had already enjoyed a prolific musical career. She’d…
Music Quiz: Click the Red Album
Congratulations to Tony, who just pipped Max and Eclectic Music Lover for the fastest time in last week’s Blackboard Musicians…
New Music Reviews – Lana Del Rey, Grouper, Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine
The most high-profile group of artists for a while – most music fans should have heard of Del Rey and…
Nuggets: Mirror Of Your Mind by We The People
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First…
Music Quiz: Blackboard Blitz Instrumentalists
As you’d expect from a niche quiz, last week’s London Calling competition threw up a range of scores. Congratulations to…
New Music Reviews: Low, Deafheaven, Sun-El Musician
It’s a strong week of records this week. Two records reflect changed style – Minnesota’s Low have added distorted guitars…
10 Best Echo & the Bunnymen Songs
Liverpool’s second-most famous band, Echo & the Bunnymen arrived in the post-punk era; they released their debut single in 1979.…
Music Quiz: Opening Lyrics of London Calling
Last week we looked at Best New Artist Grammy winners. There was a three-way tie for first place – Tony,…
New Music Reviews: Foxing, Magdalena Bay, and Jupiter & Okwess
Welcome to what’s probably the most obscure batch of reviews for this year – Missouri indie band Foxing, Miami synth-pop…
Nuggets: Bad Little Woman by The Shadows of Knight
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in…
Music Quiz: Best New Artist Grammy by Song
We had a tie last week in the White Album quiz – congratulations to Jim and Max, who tied with…
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…
10 Best Moody Blues Songs
Birmingham band The Moody Blues have one of the most misleading names in popular music. It fit to start with…
Music Quiz: Opening Lyrics of The White Album
Congratulations to Rich “Taxman” Kamerman, who squeaked out the fastest time in last weeks 1960s quiz. There were lots of…
New Music Reviews: The War on Drugs, Spellling, and Brandi Carlile
This week we have roots-rock from The War on Drugs, art-rock from Spellling, and country/folk from Brandi Carlile. Two of…
Nuggets: Double Yellow Line by The Music Machine
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in…
Music Quiz: Complete the 1960s Song Title with a Picture
We had another tie last week with the quickfire Tic-Tac-Toe quiz. Tony and Geoff both solved the puzzle with 2:13…
10 Best Natalie Merchant Songs
Despite a dozen years with the 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant was still in her twenties when she departed for a…
Music Quiz: Tic-Tac-Toe
Congratulations to everyone who scored 26/26 in the 1990s Ruined by a Letter quiz – Tony easily recorded the fastest…
New Music Reviews: Billie Eilish, Little Simz, and Natalie Hemby
It’s not technically true, but it’s essentially sophomore albums today. Superstar Billie Eilish releases her second album, UK rapper Little…
Nuggets: Optical Sound by The Human Expression
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in…
Music Quiz: Ruined by a Letter 1990s #2
Last week’s US Presidents quiz featured the cover image of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album Sour. The second single from that…
Ween: Albums Ranked from Worst to Best
Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) met Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween) in their eighth-grade typing class in 1984. They made several homemade albums…
10 Best 10,000 Maniacs Songs
The 10,000 Maniacs formed in upstate New York in 1981. They were initially an eclectic new wave outfit, with interesting…
