Deerhoof – Come Down Here & Say That / The Devil and his Anarchic Surrealist Retinue

Our continuing theme certainly behooves a song or two from this wonderfully quirky band hailing from San Francisco. It's clever offbeat indie that continuously changes pace with brilliant drumming from founder Greg Saunier with bassist and distinctively gentle-voiced Japanese singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and current guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez, their work is never without innovation and musical humour. The first track comes from their latest and 14th studio album this year, Mountain Moves, and features guest vocals from Stereolab's Lætitia Sadier. The second comes from 2016's album Magic.

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Apr 23, 2019

New albums: Fat White Family, Kelsey Lu, Loyle Carner, Lizzo, Stealing Sheep, Wand, Jade Bird, Elva

The Fat White Family return. leading a procession of wonderful musical mischief, while there’s a follow-up from rapper Loyle Carner, debuts from singer-songwriters Kelsey Lu and Lizzo and a whole lot more in this week’s selection

Apr 17, 2019

New albums: Fontaines D.C., Anderson Paak, Chemical Brothers, Pom Poko, Labrinth, Sia and Diplo (LSD), The Leisure Society, Sun Kil Moon, Stubbleman, Band of Skulls, Eli 'Paperboy' Reed, Bibio

Alongside frenetic and fresh punk and postpunk from Fontaines D.C. and Pom Poko, and dance music from Chemical Brothers, this week’s selection also includes a beautiful spread of mellow records from Anderson Paak and others

Apr 9, 2019

New albums: Weyes Blood, David Bowie, Jess Ribeiro, W.H. Lung, Pozi, Ratso, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Shana Cleveland, Rozi Plain, Priests

Exquisite vocals and electronica and female vocalists decorate this weeks list, from Weyes Blood to Jess Ribeiro and Shana Cleveland, plus sharp postpunk from Pozi, beautiful songs by Ratso with Nick Cave, and rare, early Bowie

Apr 3, 2019

New albums: Edwyn Collins, Billie Eilish, White Denim, Beth Gibbons, Unkle, Ohtis, Gerry Cinnamon, Show Me The Body, The Matthew Herbert Big Band

This week’s selection spans the full range from the quirky pop of Billie Eilish to the triumphant return of Edwyn Collins, masterful prog from White Denim to Beth Gibbons doing Henryk Górecki with a Polish orchestra

Apr 24, 2019

POZI - Watching You Suffer / Diggers

Song of the Day: After Houseplants by Squid, what’s the connection? With the title Diggers, it could be gardening, but these short, snappy numbers by the postpunk London trio hit more on housing problems and also have a drummer lead singer

Apr 22, 2019

Squid – Houseplants

Song of the Day: As spring comes into full bloom, a brilliant new song and band also bursting into life, but with an energetic twist – about not being able to afford a house or garden, nor plan for your future

Apr 7, 2019

Michael Chapman – It's Too Late / Rainmaker

Song of the Day: A pair of songs that bookend the remarkable and prolific career of the great, influential folk guitarist-singer from Leeds, from his debut album of 1969, Rainmaker, to his latest in 2019, True North

Mar 27, 2019

The Beat – I Can't Get Used To Losing You / Mirror In The Bathroom / Whine and Grine / Stand Down Margaret

Song of the Day: A short musical tribute after the sad loss of Ranking Roger, co-lead singer and MC with the Birmingham ska band that along with Specials became a cornerstone of British and Jamaican music at its best

Mar 25, 2019

Scott Walker – The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore) / My Death / Brando / The Childhood Of A Leader

Song of the Day: A short musical tribute to the great and now sadly late American-born British singer and composer with that extraordinary baritone voice, from his Walker Brothers pop era to a solo career of great influence, innovation and experiment

Mar 18, 2019

Dick Dale – Let's Go Trippin' / Misirlou

Song of the Day: A tribute to the king of the surf guitar after his recent passing aged 81, hugely influential on Jimi Hendrix and other rock guitarists, the left-hander’s rock guitar style was shaped by his Lebanese background

Mar 12, 2019

Momus – The Age of Information

Song of the Day: To mark the 30th anniversary of the world wide web, a very prescient 1997 song about the online world by the prolific Scottish artist also known as Nick Currie from his 11th studio album (of dozens), Ping Pong

Mar 8, 2019

PJ Harvey – Sheela-Na-Gig (for International Women's Day)

Song of the Day: Today’s song, in celebration of women, is from the British singer-songwriter from her debut album Dry – a robust defence of and pride in the female body in response to an insulting lover

Apr 16, 2019

Word of the week: zambomba

Word of the week: The evocative Spanish name for a friction drum, similar to Brazilian samba’s cuíca, it is used around the world in ceremonious or celebratory music, working as a sound box via rubbing with stick, hand or wet cloth

Apr 2, 2019

Word of the week: aardvark (and aardwolf)

Word of the week: It’s that appealing, nocturnal, burrowing African mammal with a long snout that lives on ants and termites, but is also slang in parts of the US for an mistake-prone person and even an uncircumcised penis

Word of the week: bombast, bombastic, bombastry

Word of the Week: It describes high-sounding, pretentious, showy language with little meaning used to impress people, and explodes enjoyably when pronounced, but how it is used in lyrics, and does it affect the natures of the song itself?

Mar 17, 2019

Word of the week: craic (St. Patrick's Day special)

Word of the week: To celebrate St Patrick’s Day, here’s to that popular term for gossip, chat, fun banter, and entertainment, most commonly used in Ireland but also across the British Isles. But where does it come up in song lyrics?

Mar 5, 2019

Word of the week: donnybrook

Word of the Week: It means an uproarious drunken brawl, a scene of heated argument and fighting, and an Irish jig, but takes its name from a longstanding fair in a district of Dublin. So where does this word appear in lyrics?