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Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Three

December 18, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Match album artwork to the titles below from favourites of 2025 Part Three (in no particular order)

Welcome to the third and final part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There is also Part One, and Part Two. There is no countdown nor describing these necessarily as “best” albums of the year, but they are chosen by their quality, originality and reader popularity

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Tags albums, new albums, new releases, favourites of the year, Rosalía, Dove Ellis, Haley Heynderickx, Max García Conover, Allie X, Celeste, anaiis, Sorry, Juana Molina, Hannah Frances, Geese, Cate Le Bon, Stealing Sheep, Gwenifer Raymond, Baxter Dury, Junior Brother, Big Thief, David Byrne, CMAT, Water From Your Eyes, Wolf Alice, Laufey, Cass McCombs, Marissa Nadler, Ethel Cain, Ada Lea, Columbia Records, Sony Records, Black Butter, AMF, Fat Possum, Polydor, Universal Music, 5dB Records, Domino Records, Sonamos, Fire Talk, Partisan Records, Play It Again Sam, Mexican Summer, Rough Trade, We Are Busy Bodies Records, Heavenly Recordings, Strap Originals, 4AD, Matador Records, CMATBaby, AWAL, RCA, Bella Union, Daughters of Cain Records, Saddle Creek Records
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Ada Lea: When I Paint My Masterpiece

August 13, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Ada Lea: When I Paint My Masterpiece

New album: Sharing its title with a Bob Dylan song, this third album of 16 tracks of experimental folk and Americana by the Montreal singer-songwriter aka Alexandra Levy comes with a free-flowing acoustic brush of the imagination, a rich seam of art and literary reference, and lyrics of the dream-like psychedelic with notes of optimism and plainspoken wisdom

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In alternative, albums, experimental, folk, indie, pop Tags Ada Lea, Alexandra Levy, Saddle Creek Records, albums, new albums, new releases
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Spirit of the Beehive: You'll Have To Lose Something

September 2, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Spirit of the Beehive: You'll Have To Lose Something

New album: Pennsylvania’s and Portugal’s Zack Schwartz, Corey Wichlin, and Rivka Ravede return with another bewildering collection of abstract, feverish dream weirdest deconstructionist experimental rock, with a collection of 12 songs that at times feel more like a hundred

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In alternative, albums, avant garde, experimental, indie, pop, prog-rock, psychedelia, rock Tags Spirit of the Beehive, Saddle Creek Records, albums, new albums, new releases
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Black Belt Eagle Scout: The Land, The Water, The Sky

February 16, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Black Belt Eagle Scout: The Land, The Water, The Sky

New album: A heartfelt, visceral, both powerful and gentle LP by the Swinomish/Iñupiaq singer-songwriter Katherine Paul inspired by her 2020 journey to her ancestral lands from Portland to the Skagit River on Puget Sound in Washington State

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In albums, Americana, folk, indie Tags Black Belt Eagle Scout, Saddle Creek Records, albums, new releases
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Tomberlin: I Don't Know Who Needs To Hear This …

May 4, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Sarah Beth Tomberlin

New album: Gentle, beautiful fragility and vulnerability abounds in this second album by the Brooklyn singer-songwriter, who sings about insecurity, isolation and relationships with great tenderness with minimal instrumentation

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In albums, Americana, folk, indie Tags Tomberlin, Saddle Creek Records, albums, new releases
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Hand Habits: Fun House

October 27, 2021 Peter Kimpton

Mysterious beauty: Fun House by Hand Habits

New album: New York-born Los Angeles-based artist Meg Duffy returns with her own distinctive form of electro-pop and Americana folk with very refined, dreamily sung songs that build on her excellent single Aquamarine

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In albums, Americana, electronica, experimental, folk Tags Hand Habits, Meg Duffy, Perfume Genius, Saddle Creek Records
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New albums: Cornershop, Riz Ahmed, Caroline Rose, U.S. Girls, Honey Harper, Disq, Paul Heaton, Jackie Abbott, Georgia Ruth, Brielle Ansems

March 10, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Cornershop’s new album, England Is A Garden

Cornershop’s new album, England Is A Garden

The latest roundup includes A sian perspectives on Britain in different forms by Cornershop and Riz Ahmed, plus clever collage pop from U.S. Girls, Caroline Rose and punchy indie from Disq

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In albums, ambient, country, dance music, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, pop, post-punk, psychedelia, punk, rock, reggae, soul, traditional, trip-hop Tags new releases, albums, Cornershop, Tjinder Singh, Riz Ahmed, Caroline Rose, U.S. Girls, Honey Harper, Disq, Paul Heaton, Jackie Abbott, The Beautiful South, Georgia Ruth, Brielle Ansems, Ample Play, Mongrel, New West Records, 4AD, ATO Records, Saddle Creek Records, EMI, Bubblewrap Collective, Mosaic Music
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New albums: Destroyer, Squarepusher, Drive-By Truckers, Sam Lee, Ben Watt, Smoke Fairies, J Hus, Frances Quinian

February 5, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Old folk made new: Sam Lee

Old folk made new: Sam Lee

Emotional intensity mostly in solo form, is the overriding theme of this week’s album roundup across a range of styles – folk, indie, alt-country and hip hop as well frenetic drum-n’bass and jazz

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In albums, ambient, country, dance music, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, grime, hip hop, indie, jazz, pop, post-punk, rock, soul, psychedelia Tags Destroyer, Dan Bejar, Squarepusher, Drive-By Truckers, Sam Lee, Elizabeth Fraser, Bernard Butler, Ben Watt, Everything But The Girl, Smoke Fairies, J Hus, Frances Quinian, Dead Oceans, Warp Records, ATO Records, Cooking Vinyl, Unmade Road, Year Seven, Black Butter, Saddle Creek Records
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New albums: Lana Del Rey, The Futureheads, Sheryl Crow, !!! Chk Chk Chk, Joan Shelley, S.L.P, Kano, Gabriel Olafs, Mikey Young, Black Belt Eagle Scout, TaxiWars

September 7, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Lana Del Rey and her cover for Norman Fucking Rockwell

Lana Del Rey and her cover for Norman Fucking Rockwell

The latest selection includes a powerful comeback from The Futureheads, an eccentrically fabulous release from Lana Del Rey, and more perfect postpunk dance from Sacramento and New York’s !!! Chk Chk Chk

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In albums, ambient, blues, country, dance music, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, garage, hip hop, indie, jazz, pop, post-punk, psychedelia, punk, rock, soul, traditional, grime Tags albums, new releases, The Futureheads, Lana Del Rey, Sheryl Crow, !!! Chk Chk Chk, Joan Shelley, The S.L.P., Serge Pizzorno, Kasabian, Gabriel Ólafs, Mikey Young, Black Belt Eagle Scout, TaxiWars, Kano, Nul Records, Polydor, Warp Records, Big Machine, No Quarter, Columbia Records, One Little Indian, Castle Face, Saddle Creek Records, Sdban Ultra, Parlophone
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New albums: Snapped Ankles, Royal Trux, Self Esteem, The Comet Is Coming, Alice Phoebe Lou, Our Native Daughters, Hand Habits, Hejira, Robert Forster, Teen, Durand Jones, Japanese House

March 6, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Snapped Ankles

Snapped Ankles

This week’s selection roundup includes a raucous return for Royal Trux after 19 years and Robert Forster’s second in a decade, plus a chorus of of beautiful vocalists from Self Esteem to Alice Phoebe Lou and a whole lot more

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In albums, ambient, blues, country, dance music, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, garage, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, pop, post-punk, punk, rock, soul Tags Songs, albums, new releases, Royal Trux, Self Esteem, Rebecca Taylor, Slow Club, The Comet Is Coming, Alice Phoebe Lou, Our Native Daughters, Hand Habits, Hejira, Robert Forster, Teen, Durand Jones and the Indications, The Japanese House, Fiction Records, Impulse Records, Smithsonian Folkways, Fat Possum, Saddle Creek Records, Lima Limo Records, Tapete, Carpark Records, Dead Oceans, Dirty Hit, Snapped Ankles, Hawkwind
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New albums: Father John Misty, LUMP (Laura Marling / Mike Lindsay), Bodega, Neko Case, Warmduscher, Natalie Prass, Sam Evian, Morcheeba

June 1, 2018 Peter Kimpton
LUMP: Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay, inspired by the hairy one

LUMP: Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay, inspired by the hairy one

This week we lavish you with a bumper crop of top-quality LPs: ethereal beauty in a Laura Marling collaboration, Father John Misty parodying narcissism, brilliant Brooklyn punk band Bodega, blues funk from Warmduscher, and superb solo female work by Neko Case and Natalie Prass

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In albums, blues, country, dance music, electronica, folk, funk, garage, hip hop, indie, jazz, pop, post-punk, punk, rock, soul, trip-hop Tags Father John Misty, Josh Tillman, Laura Marling, Mike Lindsay, Tunng, new releases, albums, Bodega, Brooklyn, internet, Warmduscher, Saul Adamczewski, Lias Kaci Saoudi, The Moonlandingz, Insecure Men, Natalie Prass, Neko Case, Matthew E. White, Laura Veirs, Beth Ditto, Peter Bjorn and John, Sam Evian, Morcheeba, Root Manuva, Dead Oceans, Bella Union, What's Your Rupture?, The Leaf Label, ATO Records, ANTI Records, Saddle Creek Records, Fly Agaric Records
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New albums: EELS, Manic Street Preachers, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Kylie Minogue, Goat Girl, Ultimate Painting, Hop Along

April 4, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Goat Girl

Goat Girl

This week's selection sees EELS at their best, Unknown Mortal Orchestra rocking out, Kylie going country pop, Goat Girl on London life, the Manics coming back strong, and gentle guitar folk from Ultimate Painting and Hop Along

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In albums, country, dance music, electronica, folk, funk, garage, indie, pop, post-punk, rock, soul Tags new releases, albums, EELS, Mark Oliver Everett, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ruban Nielson, E Works Records, Jagjaguwar, 4AD, Goat Girl, Rough Trade, Manic Street Preachers, Sony Records, Hop Along, Saddle Creek Records, Ultimate Painting, Bella Union, Kylie Minogue, BMG
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

Caffè mocha


SNACK OF THE WEEK

land of nod cinnamon bun


New Albums …

Featured
The Landfill by Fruit Bats.jpeg
June 17, 2026
Fruit Bats: The Landfill
June 17, 2026

New album: Written as usual with his first-thing-in-the-morning, stream-of-consciousness technique, the singer-songwriter Eric D. Johnson, also one-third of the folk trio Bonny Light Horseman, returns with a new collection of melodic, often beautiful, and profound, reflective, gentle, folky rock now 30 years since the first album

June 17, 2026
Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! by Horse Lords.jpeg
June 17, 2026
Horse Lords: Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive!
June 17, 2026

New album: The Berlin-based, Baltimore quartet return with their special brand of mesmeric, experimental rock, weaving a rich maze of African polyrhythmic patterns and fascinating tessellations of percussion, guitar, bass, saxophone, microtones, electronic and voice loops

June 17, 2026
Roses by WIDOWSPEAK.jpeg
June 17, 2026
Widowspeak: Roses
June 17, 2026

New album: Deliciously gentle-paced and languid, warmly twangy and romantically nostalgic, poetic indie-country-rock by the New York band of spouses vocalist Molly Hamilton and guitarist Robert Earl Thomas, with delicate musical echoes of Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, REM, Neil Young, Yo La Tengo and Cat Power in this finely crafted seventh LP

June 17, 2026
Olivia Rodrigo - You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.jpeg
June 16, 2026
Olivia Rodrigo: you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love
June 16, 2026

New album: The 23-year-old American singer-songwriter, actress, and evidently big fan of The Cure returns with consummately crafted, smart, witty pop and indie rock, featuring an appearance by Robert Smith, and charting the arc of a romantic relationship from unbridled joy to bitter aftermath in her third LP

June 16, 2026
Bingo! by La Sécurité.jpeg
June 15, 2026
La Sécurité: Bingo!
June 15, 2026

New album: Fabulously fun, vibrant, feisty, catchy, wittily droll post-punk, new wave and art-punk in this pacy, vivacious sophomore LP by the Montréal collective with themes from mental health, dysfunctional relationships, food to enjoyable elderly activities, with styles reminiscent of The B-52s and Devo

June 15, 2026
So Help Me God by Kelsey Lu.jpeg
June 13, 2026
Kelsey Lu: So Help Me God
June 13, 2026

New album: Luxuriant, ethereal, dramatic and passionate experimental and chamber dream pop by the American singer-songwriter and cellist, with their second LP, seven years since 2019 debut Blood, with guests including Sampha, Kamasi Washington, Kim Gordon, and co-producer Jack Antonoff

June 13, 2026
Cry Baby by Vince Staples.jpeg
June 10, 2026
Vince Staples: Cry Baby
June 10, 2026

New album: The Compton/ Long Beach, Californian rapper returns with a potent, punchy, overtly political rock-hip hop seventh LP that heavily critiques American society and power, racism, police violence, gun culture, media and the music industry, largely accompanied by a tight, riff-heavy electric guitars, bass and drums

June 10, 2026
Liz Lawrence - Vespers.jpeg
June 9, 2026
Liz Lawrence: Vespers
June 9, 2026

New album: More acoustic, stripped back and lo-fi than her previous four albums, yet with deeply powerful and moving songwriting and performance, the British artist’s latest is suffused with grief, reflection and devotion for the premature loss of her sister Jessie, capturing life and death, poetically expressing devotion and reflection

June 9, 2026
Neon Summer Skin by Bedouine.jpeg
June 9, 2026
Bedouine: Neon Summer Skin
June 9, 2026

New album: A serenely beautiful, but also nostalgically sorrowful fourth LP by American singer-songwriter Azniv Korkejian who has Armenian-Syrian heritage, with songs about displacement and identity, very mindful of Middle Eastern conflicts, atrocities and her family history, while broadening her sound into the lush mould of 1970s Carole King and Laurel Canyon

June 9, 2026
Spatial, No Problem. by Lee %22Scratch%22 Perry & Mouse on Mars.jpeg
June 8, 2026
Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mouse on Mars: Spatial, No Problem
June 8, 2026

New album: This wondrously eclectic and entertaining final official album project by the legendary Jamaican producer and artist, made before his passing in 2021, is a collaboration with the German electronic duo Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma, mixing reggae, krautrock, ambient, dub, jazz, New Orleans brass and more, alongside Perry’s distinctive voice

June 8, 2026
Doctrine of Love by Jalen Ngonda.jpeg
June 7, 2026
Jalen Ngonda: Doctrine of Love
June 7, 2026

New album: Following his acclaimed 2023 debut Come Around And Love Me, the American UK-based impressive soul singer’s second LP is another classy collection of beautifully uplifting, sublime Northern soul and Motown-era love songs

June 7, 2026
Death Cab For Cutie - I Built You A Tower.jpeg
June 7, 2026
Death Cab For Cutie: I Built You A Tower
June 7, 2026

New album: Elegantly expressed emotional turmoil unfolds across 11 cleverly crafted songs in this 11th album by the Seattle indie rock band fronted by Ben Gibbard and produced by the brilliant John Congleton around a metaphor for post-marriage grief

June 7, 2026
Zoh Amba - Eyes Full 2.jpeg
June 6, 2026
Zoh Amba: Eyes Full
June 6, 2026

New album: The NY-scene free jazz saxophonist forms an indie-folk-country-rock-muddy-blues trio with fabulously strong results in this passionate, raw, free-flowing debut as guitarist-singer-songwriter, lyrics themed around their original hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee, and coloured by Appalachian roots

June 6, 2026
Rumspringa by ear.jpeg
June 5, 2026
ear: Rumspringa
June 5, 2026

New album: Minimalistic, introverted, nuanced quirky laptop experimental electronica by the New York duo Jonah Paz and Yaelle Avtan, following last year’s debut The Most Dear and the Future, this one named after a a rite of passage for Amish adolescents translated as "running around" in Pennsylvania German

June 5, 2026

new songs …

Featured
Paycheque by Paycheque.jpeg
June 18, 2026
Song of the Day: Paycheque - Heatwave
June 18, 2026

Song of the Day: Stylishly solemn, 80s-influenced synth and scything guitar indie pop with big drums by the Los Angeles duo of Allison Goldfarb and Jackson MacIntosh, from their recently released self-titled debut album, out on Mansions and Millions

June 18, 2026
Hanna Tuulikki.jpeg
June 17, 2026
Song of the Day: Hanna Tuulikki and Tommy Perman - We Came Out (Lesser Horseshoe bat)
June 17, 2026

Song of the Day: A pair of wondrously striking experimental electronica tracks infused with field recordings of the nocturnal winged mammal by the experimental artists and designer based in Scotland

June 17, 2026
Surusinghe 2.jpeg
June 16, 2026
Song of the Day: Surusinghe - FRIED
June 16, 2026

Song of the Day: A mesmeric, eclectic opening track by the Naarm/Melbourne-raised, London-based electronic artist, DJ and producer aka Suze Gurusinghe, from her recently released EP, Cutting Thread, out on Dh2

June 16, 2026
L'Rain 3.jpeg
June 15, 2026
Song of the Day: L'Rain - Soulless Cycle
June 15, 2026

Song of the Day: A whoosh of thunderous, mesmeric alternative rock marks this striking new single by the Brooklyn experimental composer, musician, artist and singer Taja Cheek, heralding her upcoming fourth album Fata Morgana, out on 14 August via Mexican Summer

June 15, 2026
Fenne Lily.jpeg
June 14, 2026
Song of the Day: Fenne Lily - Uh Huh
June 14, 2026

Song of the Day: Beautiful, banjo accompanied, reflective wistful indie folk-pop by the the Brooklyn-based British singer-songwriter with this first single heralding her upcoming fourth album, Win Win, out on 23 October via Nettwerk Music

June 14, 2026
Interpol.jpeg
June 13, 2026
Song of the Day: Interpol - See Out Loud
June 13, 2026

Song of the Day: Pulsating indie rock by the seasoned New York band fronted by singer Paul Banks and guitarist Daniel Kessler, heralding their upcoming eighth album This Mirror Weighs a Ton, out on 28 August, and newly signed to Partisan Records

June 13, 2026
Jack White - Frozen Charlotte.jpeg
June 12, 2026
Song of the Day: Jack White - Dollar Bill
June 12, 2026

Song of the Day: The White Stripes man returns with a blistering, bluesy rock guitar, Led Zeppelin-ish single, heralding his upcoming seventh solo album, Frozen Charlotte, out on 10 July via Third Man Records

June 12, 2026
Hot Slob by Sylvan Esso.jpeg
June 11, 2026
Song of the Day: Sylvan Esso - Hot Slob
June 11, 2026

Song of the Day: A proudly messy, rowdy, pointed and punchy new indie rock single embracing the spirit and chaos of living in the glitch by the North Carolina duo of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, here featuring Jenn Wasner and TJ Maiani and out on Psychic Hotline

June 11, 2026
image001 (14).jpg
June 10, 2026
Song of the Day: Rodrigo y Gabriela - Monster
June 10, 2026

Song of the Day: The hugely popular and Grammy-winning Mexico City-raised guitar duo return with a dextrously brilliant new single mixing acoustic and rock styles, heralding their new upcoming new album OurHome out 18 September via ATO Records

June 10, 2026
JJerome87 - The Canyon.jpeg
June 9, 2026
Song of the Day: JJerome87 - Mr. Alligator
June 9, 2026

Song of the Day: A bluesy, smooth, luxuriantly produced Americana number about a dubious authority figure by the British songwriter and musician Joe Newman, frontman of the Mercury winning band alt-J, in this latest single from his debut solo album, The Canyon, out on 26 June via Mushroom Music/ Virgin

June 9, 2026
Balti and Lapgan.jpeg
June 8, 2026
Song of the Day: Baalti & Lapgan - Romance / Ipa Ma
June 8, 2026

Song of the Day: Vibrant, rhythmic, experimental electronica and dance music sampling Bollywood, Bengali disco, Hindustani classical and Gujarati folk by the NY-based pair Jaiveer Singh, Mihir Chauhan, joined by producer Gaurav Nagpa, from their recent album, Threads, out on Azal/FADER

June 8, 2026
Margaret Glaspy 2.jpg
June 7, 2026
Song of the Day: Margaret Glaspy - Michigan
June 7, 2026

Song of the Day: A beautiful finger-picked acoustic single by New York-based Californian singer-songwriter about escaping the big city post breakup, heralding her upcoming album I Am Both out on 7 August via ATO

June 7, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Flying saucer.jpeg
June 11, 2026
Word of the week: phialiform
June 11, 2026

Word of the week: This rare but oddly beautiful rare adjective means "saucer-shaped" or having the form of a small, shallow cup or vessel, from the Latin root phiala (a shallow bowl or phial) and the suffix -iform, meaning shape

June 11, 2026
Cypress vine.jpg
June 4, 2026
Word of the week: quamoclit
June 4, 2026

Word of the week: Also known as cypress vine, cardinal creeper, cardinal vine, star glory, star of Bethlehem or hummingbird vine, this striking climbing flower, Ipomoea quamoclit, is native tropical regions of the Americas and has a distinctive trumpet with five-point star-shaped petals

June 4, 2026
Riqq 1.jpeg
May 21, 2026
Word of the week: riqq
May 21, 2026

Word of the week: An appropriately onomatopoeic noun for name for Middle Eastern tambourine, able to produce a range of percussive sounds, and commonly heard in traditional Egyptian, Arab, Greek and Turkish music

May 21, 2026
Man-blowing-a-salpinx.jpg
May 7, 2026
Word of the week: salpinx
May 7, 2026

Word of the week: This very imposing, loud, resonant noun is an ancient Greek, trumpet-like instrument used as a tactical signal on the battle field, as well as to signal the beginnings of gatherings, or of races in sport

May 7, 2026
Song thrush 2.jpeg
April 23, 2026
Word of the week: throstle
April 23, 2026

Word of the week: An archaic, evocative noun with two connected meanings, originally for the song thrush, then later a textiles industrial frame for spinning, twisting and winding machine for cotton, wool, and other fibres simultaneously

April 23, 2026

Song Bar spinning.gif

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