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 in earnest until later than the rest of the world. Despite flickers of brilliance like The Fourmyula’s 1969 hit ‘Nature’, New Zealand didn’t produce many noteworthy albums until the second half of the 1970s.
Artists I’m planning to cover include Anika Moa, and a bunch of Flying Nun acts like The Chills, David Kilgour/The Clean, The Bats, and The Able Tasmans.
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:
Tired of making art by committee, Natalie Merchant left the 10,000 Maniacs in 1993. She wasn’t yet 30, but had served as lead singer for the alternative band for more than a decade. She immediately eclipsed her former band with her 1995 debut album Tigerlily, which spawned the top ten […]
One of the most consistently fascinating musicians to emerge in the 21st century, Sufjan Stevens is nominally an alt-folk artist, with his hushed, vulnerable vocals and predominance of acoustic instruments. But that’s underselling his talents – he’s also a sophisticated arranger, especially on the more ambitious pieces on 2005’s Illinois, […]
This page collects miscellaneous reviews for artists who don’t have their own page. Coldplay | David Gray | The Mendoza Line | Andy Thornton | Steve Wynn Coldplay Parachutes 2000, 5.5/10As Radiohead retreated from conventional songwriting into more experimental realms, a market niche opened for groups to pursue an accessible […]
Gene Clark achieved fame and success as an early member of The Byrds. As a solo artist, however, he only achieved cult status. Hampered by anxiety, a fear of flying, and alcohol and drug abuse, he received critical acclaim but minimal sales. Harold Eugene Clark was born in Missouri. Inspired […]
Los Angeles teenagers Randy Wolfe, bassist Mark Andes, and vocalist Jay Ferguson formed The Red Roosters in the mid-1960s. The band was put on hiatus when Wolfe’s step-father Ed Cassidy moved the family to New York in search of work. In New York, Wolfe played guitar with Jimi Hendrix in […]
L.A.’s Randy Newman was born into the music business – his grandparents, uncles, and cousins all worked as film score composers. Newman’s also best-known for his film scores, such as Toy Story and Ragtime. ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’ from Toy Story is arguably his most well-known song, while […]
Blog Posts
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
The late John Martyn never enjoyed the mass acclaim that his immense talent deserved. Nonetheless, he delivered a string of great records in the 1970s and early 1980s. He started as a folk artist, emerging in the late 1960s alongside Nick Drake and Richard Thompson. By the early 1970s, Martyn […]
Manchester post-punk band Joy Division appeared so ordinary – in their music videos they look like four young civil servants playing music in their work clothes. But the music that they created was unique and deeply unsettling. Steven Morris’ drumming was robotic, while Peter Hook’s bass was busy and melodic, […]
Bob Dylan needs no introduction – he’s one of the key figures in rock music. He helped to define the genre as it matured, especially as a lyricist. He broadened the scope of rock lyrics, utilising both social issues and surreal poetry. Through the 1960s, Dylan never stood still, initially […]
Emmylou Harris was discovered by ex-Byrd Chris Hillman in a folk club. Hillman recommended her to country maverick Gram Parsons. Parsons featured Harris’ harmony vocals on songs like ‘Love Hurts’, and mentored her in country music. When Parsons passed away in 1973, Harris continued his legacy of “cosmic American music”, […]
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 […]
If I were in charge, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would have capped membership years ago. There’d be a small and select field of fifty entrants, limiting it to household names like Elvis Presley, James Brown, and The Beatles. But it’s soldiered on, with 351 inductees to date. […]
