Let’s celebrate the birthday of that affable singer and piano playing genius who Elvis said was the real king of rock’n’roll - from key covers of his songs, his rhythm, style and delivery on others’ songs as well as lyrical references to him and his work

Floating escape and adventure to crashing tragedy, this inflatable movement can bring delight and disaster. Inspired by last week’s topic, guest pejepeine picks perfect playlists to lift spirits and transport the musical imagination

From fragile gifts for children to party inflations, early hot air expeditions to the plight of dirigible blimps and zeppelins, balloons offer a profound literal and metaphorical set of emotions to fill the lungs of song

Aliens to unexpected identity, unusual sounds to strange artistic combinations as well as the lyrical subject itself, guest Marco den Ouden brings a box of brilliant surprises in response to our Big 10th Birthday Topic

Suddenly, out of nowhere we are 10 years old! A big celebration then, and a theme that’s surprising (or is it?) with lyrically with narrative twists, or unpredictable turns of phrase, bizarre sounds, odd instruments, strange key changes, or structures made to take the listener by surprise

New album: Released with an art book, new games, and extended videos, a multicultural, multifarious and multilingual return for the collective cartoon pop-hip-hop project led by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, with many intercontinental guest appearances, and a particular Indian musical and visual flavour centred on fictional Himalayan peak as metaphor for life’s journey and illusionary truths

New album: His first since 2022’s REALITY, and one of his finest for several years since his many albums under the Smog moniker, the Texan, rich-voiced, witty, droll, singer-songwriter returns with lo-fi, resonant, frank reflections from his 58 years, on songwriting, family life, touring and death, with a free-flowing, sometimes improvised sound that refreshing, stripped back and direct

New album: A very warm return from the very likeable, prolific British trio of David Tattersall (guitar and lead vocals), Franic Rozycki (bass), and Jonny Helm (drums) with finely crafted, clever and emotional songs in flavours of 60s garage rock, 70s classic rock and 90s American indie

New album: A beautiful, delicate, minimalist debut of finely crafted chamber folk by the Bristol quintet of Lulu Austin, Maisie Brett, Tamsin Elliott, Beth Roberts and Isis Wolf-Light mixing originals and the traditional with flavours and influences from England to Egypt, Bulgaria to Bali, Afrikaans to Arabic, Ireland to Georgia

New album: The Grammy-nominated Turkish psych-groove quintet from Amsterdam return with a stylish and expansive sixth LP — a heartfelt tribute to the work of the legendary Turkish folk bard Neşet Ertaş (1938–2012), a legend of Anatolian music

Song of the Day: Fabulously fun, catchy, funky, clever, complex, proggy syncopated instrumental experimentalism by the stylishly disguised rock duo known as Khn and Klek de Poitrine from Quebec, Canada, from their upcoming album Vol. II, out on 3 April via Les Cassettes Magiques

Song of the Day: A snarling banger with a striking, fiery punk edge and lyrics about disposability by the veteran Californian rockers fronted by Dave Grohl in this title track to the upcoming 12th album, out on 24 April via RCA / Roswell Records

Song of the Day: Tender and tempestuous in sound and lyrics, a passionate, powerful epic new single by Glasgow’s much loved indie post-punk band fronted by James Graham with Andy MacFarlane on guitar, heralding their upcoming sixth album, It’s The Long Goodbye out on 27 March via Rock Action Records

Song of the Day: With their first release together for 18 years and those Crazy days of the noughties, the potent US combination of CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse return with soul-stirring vocals and innovative production, heralding the upcoming new album, Atlanta, out on 6 March via TenThousand Projects

Song of the Day: Catchy groove funk and hip-hop with a Stevie Wonder vibe, with added jazz trumpet and keyboards by the acclaimed American LA multi-genre bassist, featuring the late rapper Mac Miller in a track fantasising about a woman out of his league, and the latest heralding his upcoming album Distracted, out on 3 April via Brainfeeder