This is an archive of album reviews that I’ve been writing since around 2000.
Reviews are organised by decade – artists are filed under their most successful or prolific decade. Sometimes this is confusing – Radiohead are filed under the 1990s, even though some of their most acclaimed music was released in the 2000s. Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell started their recording careers in the 1960s, but are filed under the 1970s since most of their most beloved records were released during that decade.
The 1970s are beloved by music nerds; artists in a variety of genres cranked out a 40-minute album every year. The late 1960s staked out the territory for many genres;...
Rock music underwent a revolution in the late 1970s. A new generation of acts arrived, often stripping their sound back with basic songs and simple arrangements. Some of these bands...
The 1980s often get bad press, but they were full of great music. Admittedly many acts from earlier eras struggled to adapt to new technology and made weak albums. But...
Because I was a teenager through the 1990s, my relationship with the decade’s music is a little different; I’d probably appreciate bands like Oasis and Nirvana more if I wasn’t saturated...
The first decade of the 21st century feels like my home territory. I spent my teenage years in the 1990s catching up with the 1960s and 1970s, so the 2000s...
As time has gone on, music has splintered further into sub-genres. Technology has allowed anyone with the inclination to make and release an album, and it's also easier for music...
Less than two years into the new decade, it's already been eventful. A global pandemic and #blacklivesmatter protests have already created ten years' worth of chaos. Because the decade's only...
As a New Zealander, this site's naturally biased towards New Zealand artists, so I've collated them all onto one area of the site. New Zealand pop music didn't really start...
I don't listen to much Christian music - most modern worship sounds like Joshua Tree-era U2 to me, while I prefer other faith-based acts to not limit themselves for the...
Aphoristic Album Reviews is almost entirely written by one person.
Graham Fyfe is probably the only music blogger to appreciate both Neil Diamond and Ariana Grande. Based in Fleet Street (New Zealand), he's been writing this blog since around 2000. Aphoristic Album Reviews features reviews and blog posts across a growing spectrum of popular music.
Review Pages
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
It’s tempting to write Ween off as a novelty band – their biggest hit single, ‘Push th’ Little Daisies’, is gimmicky and stoned. But lurking beneath all the silliness is an ace duo who are students of popular music, with the imagination and songwriting skills to affectionately pay homage to or […]
U2 started as a post-punk band, emerging from Ireland with their 1980 debut Boy. Like a lot of bands from the DIY ethos of the punk era, they had limitations. Paul Hewson (better known as Bono) became lead singer because the band wanted to get him off rhythm guitar, while […]
Echo & the Bunnymen vocalist Ian McCulloch started his career in the humbly named Crucial Three, alongside Julian Cope and Pete Wylie. As the Crucial Three morphed into The Teardrop Explodes, McCulloch formed a new band with guitarist Will Sergeant, bassist Les Pattinson, and a drum machine. After the 1979 […]
The three members of The Blue Nile all attended Glasgow University in the late 1970s. Vocalist Paul Buchanan studied medieval history and literature, Robert Bell studied mathematics, and Paul Joseph Moore studied electronics. The three members found their synth-drenched, sophisticated style almost by accident. Unable to find a drummer and […]
Formed around the songwriting talents of Durham’s Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout enjoyed some commercial success in the 1980s and early 1990s, but have been relegated to the status of cult band ever since. It’s a shame, as McAloon is a very talented songwriter; he’s able to integrate complex chord structures […]
The Byrds started as a folk band, but their single ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ crystallised their distinctive sound, with Roger McGuinn’s ringing twelve-string guitar and the group’s gorgeous harmonies. The combination of an ornate yet organic sound, coupled with Dylan’s intricate lyrics, proved highly influential and launched the genre of folk-rock. The […]
Blog Posts
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
It took me a while to warm to Bruce Springsteen – the radio mostly played his 1980s hits from Born in the U.S.A., and I had him pigeon-holed as a lame, ultra-American, lowest common denominator rocker. But eventually I gave in to his critical reputation and gave a couple of […]
Adult contemporary superstar and Hebrew Hunk Neil Diamond is a fascinating figure to me. His music is an uncomfortable blend of Brill Building pop, gospel, and confessional writing, like he can’t make up his mind whether he wants to be Elvis Presley or James Taylor. As an adolescent, I was […]
The Eagles emerged from California in the early 1970s, initially as Linda Ronstadt’s backing band for her album Silk Purse. They were massively successfully, with a string of chart-topping singles and albums. In particular, their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is one of the highest-selling albums of all time. It’s appropriate that […]
The Band started their career backing blues belter Ronnie Hawkins, where they were known as The Hawks. They then supported Bob Dylan on his controversial 1966 tour. Recording The Basement Tapes with Dylan at Woodstock, The Band started writing their own material. Their 1968 debut, Music from Big Pink was […]
English art-rock band Roxy Music was formed by vocalist Bryan Ferry and bassist Graham Simpson in 1970. They recruited saxophone and oboe player Andy Mackay and synth player Brian Eno (who “treated” the other players’ instruments through his synth). Drummer Paul Thompson joined in 1971, and his muscular playing helped […]
Texan-born Miranda Lambert occupies her own zone somewhere between the current mainstream country and the more rootsy sounds of Americana. As she explains herself, being a major-label artist involves compromise. I love raw albums. I’d love to record an album in a garage and for it to sound like an […]
