Song of the Day: A triple tribute to the sadly departed Pete Shelley, frontman of the foremost Manchester punk band, writer of the perfect, punchy, pithy, witty song, and that distinctive voice of unrequited love
Read moreAkira Ifukube - Japanese Rhapsody / Symphonic Fantasia No 1 (Godzilla)
Song of the Day: Following on from Hikaru Hayashi, we dip into the next Japanese composer, a prolific writer of film scores best for the famous Godzilla monster movies, as well hundreds of other classical pieces
Read moreHikaru Hayashi – La Mort De L'Enfant (Theme from The Naked Island)
Song of the Day: Following Joe Hisaichi, another distinguished Japanese composer who among his many works wrote the beautiful theme from a 1960 film without dialogue directed by Kaneto Shindo
Read moreJoe Hisaishi – One Summer's Day / The Day of Life (from Spirited Away)
Song of the Day: Moving from Ryuichi Sakamoto to another great Japanese pianist and composer, the man behind the beautiful music to the animated Studio Ghibli films directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Read moreRyuichi Sakamoto – Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Forbidden Colours) / The Last Emperor / Andata
Song of the Day: Linking our last entry with not only the recently deceased director Bernardo Bertolucci and also David Bowie, some exquisite music by the great Japanese composer, pianist and actor
Read moreStomu Yamash'ta – Wind Words /Memory of Hiroshima from The Man Who Fell to Earth - Nicolas Roeg / David Bowie
Song of the Day: With the passing of two great directors, Nicolas Roeg and Bernardo Bertolucci, a beautiful piece of music from a film by the former, starring David Bowie but with music by the Japanese composer
Read moreChristian Fitness – National Insurance
Song of the Day: “Hard work is a trap.” Continuing the employment theme, an explosion of hilarious, caustic wit and rapier guitar riffs of angry moral decency from Cardiff-based Andrew "Falco" Falkous
Read moreMush – Gig Economy
Song of the Day: Continuing from Bas Jan's songs, a recent number by the indie Leeds-formed quartet that with frantic energy reveals the impossibility of the 21st century model of freelance employment
Read moreBas Jan (Serafina Steer) – Instant Nostalgia / Profile Picture
Song of the Day: “I am not a company but I keep getting these emails.” Continuing the freelance life theme after yesterday’s Toro Y Moi track, two new and witty pop songs from the trio of Serafina Steer, and now Emma Smith, and Rachel Horwood
Read moreToro y Moi – Freelance
Song of the Day: Focusing on the difficulties of creative self-employment, this is in an engagingly funky, eccentric off-the-wall new single by the South Carolina songwriter, record producer and graphic designer from his forthcoming 2019 album Outer Peace
Read moreTodd Terje – Inspector Norse
Song of the Day: A new, fresh Monday start with a joyously upbeat electro-disco instrumental from the Norwegian songwriter, producer and DJ (aka Terje Olsen) from his 2014 studio LP, It’s Album Time
Read moreMotörhead – 1916
Song of the Day: Continuing a week of WW1 anniversary songs, in an unusually tender song from the heavy rock band, it’s a tragic first-person narration of the Battle of the Somme where 19,000 British soldiers were killed before noon
Read moreThe Kinks – Some Mother's Son
Song of the Day: Next in a week of songs dedicated to the First World War Armistice centenary, a deeply sad and vivid song by Ray Davies about the fleeting life of a young soldier killed in 1916 from the 1969 album, Arthur
Read morePJ Harvey – The Words That Maketh Murder / The Glorious Land / On Battleship Hill
Song of the Day: Continuing on the First World War Armistice Day centenary, a trio of some of the finest songs about war from the British singer and composer from her acclaimed 2011 album Let England Shake
Read moreArmistice Day Centenary: No Man's Land (The Green Fields of France) / Last Post
Song of the Day: Simply a song, a piece of music and a poem to mark 100 years since Armistice Day 11 November 1918, the end of the First World War, in which there were 40 million casualties
Read moreBurt Bacharach – South American Getaway (from Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid)
Song of the Day: Today’s date, 7 November, is significant in all sorts of ways - elections, revolutions, births, deaths, but it’s the day in 1908 when two of America’s most famous outlaws were reportedly killed on the run in Bolivia
Read moreAlice Cooper – Elected
Song of the Day: In the wake of the most vital mid-term US elections in a generation, the 1972 rock song that is often wheeled out on these occasions, but less known is that it is a reworking of an earlier song, Reflected
Read moreElvis Costello – Indoor Fireworks
Song of the Day: A slow sizzling, smouldering heartbreak love song for 5th November, but hinting at explosive emotions from Costello’s breakaway 1986 country album, King of America
Read moreThe Fall – Cab It Up!
Song of the Day: Moving along now to the taxi ranks of Manchester and the unmistakable sound of Mark E Smith’s barking voice, one of many Fall songs in which taxis appear, in a frenetic schedule between gig, studio and pub
Read moreHarry Chapin – Taxi
Song of the Day: Next in the taxi line is this wistfully beautiful 1972 song from the American singer-songwriter’s debut album, Heads & Tales, about a driver who picks up a glamorous woman who turns out to be an old flame
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