Leaving aside gold, steel and iron, let’s dig out songs that lyrically refer, in literal or metaphorical terms to the poetic or practical qualities of silver, copper, brass, tin, aluminium, tungsten, magnesium and much more
Read morePlaylists: 12-inch singles and remixes up to 1979
Yowsah! Yowsah! Yowsah! This week your feet, 12 inches long or otherwise, will not be able to stop moving as guest playlister DiscoMonster extends an invitation to enjoy his pick of last week’s many great nominations
Read moreWorld Cup? Not quite. It's songs about substitutes
Are they meant to be better, or not as good, artificial or the real thing? From sport to food, people to plans, work to worries and distraction, let’s explore substitutions in life and music
Read morePlaylists: songs about cannabis / marijuana
Bongs to the Byrds, ditch weed to Nick Drake, spliff to Steppenwolf and tea’n’tree to Peter Tosh, everybody must get stoned with a woozily wonderful playlists by guest writer megadom from last week’s theme
Read moreJoint effort? Let's weed the stoned grass: songs about marijuana / cannabis
Mary Jane to hash, pot to pipes, it's time to take a toke on songs that hit on this long-established recreational drug and painkiller, from its many names to the effect it has on mind, society and music
Read moreAlways look on the … bright songs about dark subjects
The lyrics are about dark matters, but they are played with extremely contrasting upbeat music. This week let’s explore songs that, through stark contrast, can unlock humour, tragedy, comedy and empathy
Read moreReflections on … songs about confidence. Is that OK?
It's cleverer and sexier than brains or beauty. Musicians and performers have it spades – but in equal measure to insecurity. So this week let's explore songs all about wanting it, getting it, using it or losing it
Read moreMorning glory? Songs about waking up
From gloom to horny joy, scary or strange surprises to dire straits, this week let's explore all the lyrical and musical sides of regain consciousness in song, with some stimuli here from other forms – film and books
Read morePlaylists: songs influenced by reggae, ska and rocksteady
Who are the Mighty Two, and why are they in a tardis? Inspired by last week's nominations, guest playlist writer Uncleben takes us on fantastically influential musically journey through space and time
Read moreSerene syncopation: songs influenced by reggae, ska and rocksteady
This week we're searching out the effect of these core styles of 1960s Jamaican music on other genres across the globe, from punk to pop and rock, African to dance, and how they evolved. It's a very sound system …
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