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Sam Fender: Seventeen Going Under

October 12, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Sam Fender’s second LP Seventeen Going Under

Sam Fender’s second LP Seventeen Going Under

New album: Hugely popular, especially after his 2019 debut Hypersonic Missiles, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter from North Shields builds on this with further Springsteen-style huge choruses and sax-decorated melodies and Strokes turns, but now with edgier, more personal lyrics

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In albums, indie, pop, rock Tags albums, new releases, Sam Fender, Polydor, Bruce Springsteen
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Lala Lala: I Want The Door To Open

October 11, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Lala Lala’s I Want The Door To Open

Lala Lala’s I Want The Door To Open

New album: Largely languid, mellow sounding and alluring indie from the London-raised Chicago-based songwriter Lillie West in her third studio album exploration of persona and presence with experimental textures of voice and instruments

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In albums, indie, rock Tags Lala Lala, albums, new releases, Hardly Art
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Museum of Love: Life of Mammals

October 9, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Life of Mammals, the second album by Museum of Love

Life of Mammals, the second album by Museum of Love

New album: Second album by the New York duo of drummer and founding LCD Soundsystem member Pat Mahoney and singer Dennis McNany, aka Jee Day in a work that builds beautifully in that distinctive DFA style of art rock and dance music

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In albums, dance music, electronica, experimental, rock Tags Museum of Love, LCD Soundsystem, DFA, Pat Mahoney, Dennis McNany, Loaded Records, Skint
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Pond: 9

October 8, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The ninth album by Pond

The ninth album by Pond

New album: No surprise that this is the ninth album by the Australians psychedelic rock and pop band, a dynamic release with a wide variety of styles, intelligent, atypical lyrics, passionate delivery and wonderful unpredictability

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In albums, dance music, disco, funk, psychedelia, pop, rock Tags Songs, albums, new releases, Pond, Spinning Top Music, Suicide, !!! Chk Chk Chk, LCD Soundsystem, INXS
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Manic Street Preachers: The Ultra Vivid Lament

September 21, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Manic Street Preachers Ultra Vivid Lament.jpeg

New album: The Welsh trio’s 14th studio album is their first number 1 since 1998, contains their classic sound, defiant, power-rock melancholy and overt politics, but also a rippling piano sound that echoes some of Abba’s big hits

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In albums, pop, rock Tags albums, new releases, Manic Street Preachers, Columbia Records, James Dean Bradfield, Mark Lanegan, ABBA
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Iron Maiden: Senjutsu

September 8, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Run to the record shops, and then to the hills, with Iron Maiden’s new apocalyptic album

Run to the record shops, and then to the hills, with Iron Maiden’s new apocalyptic album

New album: Epic, apocalyptically double, packed with changes of pace and power, elements of folk and prog, and filled with references to the ravages and ironies of history, ancient and modern, the time is ripe to indulge in the quintessential British metal band’s 17th studio album

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In albums, metal, prog-rock, rock Tags albums, new releases, Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, Parlophone
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Goat: Headsoup

August 28, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Goat’s for glory

Goat’s for glory

New album: This welcome first LP helping of primal psych rock from the Swedish band since 2016’s Requium is a stirring, hallucinogenic cauldron compilation of rarities, standalone singles, B-sides, and digital edits and two brand new tracks

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In albums, experimental, psychedelia, rock Tags albums, new releases, Goat, Rocket Recordings
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Tropical Fuck Storm: Deep States

August 24, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Tropical Fuck Storm’s back for a third helping

Tropical Fuck Storm’s back for a third helping

New album: The third album by the Melbourne quartet of two ex-Drones and more is a magnificently anarchic mix of thrummingly clever noise and art-rock, postpunk, and wittily inventive, sweary, crafted chaos

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In albums, indie, punk, rock Tags albums, new releases, Tropical Fuck Storm, Joyful Noise Recordings
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Deafheaven: Infinite Granite

August 23, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Deafheaven’s fifth studio album Infinite Granite

Deafheaven’s fifth studio album Infinite Granite

New album: Better know as a post-black metal band, San Francisco’s George Clarke, Kerry McCoy and co return with an LP of soaring, ethereal shoegaze rock – jangling guitars and clean vocals that turn the growl into smooth and dreamy

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In pop, rock, prog-rock Tags albums, new releases, Deafheaven
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The Killers: Pressure Machine

August 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The Killers’ Pressure Machine

The Killers’ Pressure Machine

New album: An atypical LP from the American stadium fillers eschews the sometimes nonsense (“are we human or are we dancer”) air-punching pop-rock anthems for more reflective material inspired by Brandon Flowers’ Utah childhood

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In albums, Americana, pop, rock Tags The Killers, Brandon Flowers, Island Records, Universal Island
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Willie Nile: The Day The Earth Stood Still

August 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Willie Nile’s The Day The Earth Stood Still is his 14th studio album

Willie Nile’s The Day The Earth Stood Still is his 14th studio album

New album: The veteran 73-year-old rocker from Buffalo, NY is a lesser known treasure, and returns with more sharp, vivid political lyrics that open here comparing New York streets during Covid to a sci-fi alien movie, and many unashamed nods to Springsteen, Dylan, The Who, Mellencamp and The Beatles

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In albums, pop, rock Tags Willie Nile, new releases, albums, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan
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Jade Bird: Different Kinds Of Light

August 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Reflectiive: Jade Bird’s Different Kinds of Light

Reflectiive: Jade Bird’s Different Kinds of Light

New album: The 23-year-old English singer-songwriter and BRIT school graduate’s second LP after 2019’s debut is a strong selection of numbers influenced by Americana and more from Fleetwood Mac to PJ Harvey, Blur to various shades of country rock

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In albums, pop, country, rock, Americana Tags Jade Bird, Glassnote Records, albums, new releases
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Bleachers: Take The Sadness Out of Saturday Night

August 11, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Bleachers - aka Jack Antonoff, doing his best Springsteen look

Bleachers - aka Jack Antonoff, doing his best Springsteen look

New album: Super pop producer Jack Antonoff releases a very personal album inspired by his New Jersey upbringing, and features his hero and big influence – Bruce Springsteen – as well as guests Lana Del Rey and string arrangements by St Vincent

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In albums, rock, pop, folk Tags albums, new releases, Bleachers, Jack Antonoff, Bruce Springsteen, St Vincent, Lana Del Rey, RCA
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Torres: Thirstier

August 4, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Torres aka Mackenzie Scott’s fifth album

Torres aka Mackenzie Scott’s fifth album

New album: Strong melodies and witty lyrics mark this powerful set of grunge-pop songs by the American indie rocker Mackenzie Scott, whose work has echoes of The Breeders and as well as her British counterpart Du Blonde

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In albums, grunge, indie, rock, pop Tags albums, new releases, TORRES, Mackenzie Scott, Merge Records
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Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth: Utopian Ashes

July 7, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth: Utopian Ashes

Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth: Utopian Ashes

New album: The Primal Scream frontman and former Savages singer collaborate in an unusually mellow set of heartbreak numbers that recall the country rock duos between Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris

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In albums, country, pop, rock Tags albums, new releases, Bobby Gillespie, Primal Scream, Jehnny Beth, Savages, Sony Records, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris
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Modest Mouse: The Golden Casket

July 6, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Seventh heaven: Modest Mouse’s The Golden Casket

Seventh heaven: Modest Mouse’s The Golden Casket

New album: Sharp, witty, and highly entertaining, this dynamic new LP American indie rockers Isaac Brock and co with post-punk, psychedelia and pop on subjects from degradation of our psychic landscapes and invisible technology and fatherhood

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In albums, indie, psychedelia, rock Tags albums, new releases, Modest Mouse, Isaac Brock, Epic
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Garbage: No Gods No Monsters

June 22, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Garbage are back with their first album for five years

Garbage are back with their first album for five years

New album: Shirley Manson and co return with their seventh, a double LP filled with banging cyber-punk anger, dark, seething, atmosphere, politics and personal battles. It’s one of their best since the 90s and stylistically includes echoes of Roxy Music, Depeche Mode, New Order and The Human League

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In albums, electronica, pop, rock Tags albums, new releases, Garbage, Shirley Manson
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Sleater-Kinney: Path of Wellness

June 12, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Sleater-Kinney’s surviving members Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein

Sleater-Kinney’s surviving members Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein

Album review: This fine 10th studio album by Tucker and Brownstein was recored in Portland the summer of 2020 and rails against a backdrop of social unrest, devastating wildfires, and pandemic with a sound that has echoes of Steely Dan to Talking Heads and B-52s

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In albums, metal, indie, rock, prog-rock, post-punk, pop Tags Sleater-Kinney, Mom + Pop Records
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Billy F Gibbons: Hardware

June 8, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Billy Gibbons - still drivin’ onwards

Billy Gibbons - still drivin’ onwards

Album review: The 71-year-old veteran ZZ Top frontman returns with his third solo LP of catchy, drivin’ dirty blues rock with innuendo inspired by motors and femmes fatales, often sounding much like his original band, and better on the faster numbers

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In blues, rock Tags Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top, Larkin Poe, Concord Records
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Wolf Alice: Blue Weekend

June 7, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend

Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend

Album review: Grasping mainstream pop and rock with cleverly constructed styles and influences, a shrewd, highly polished new LP from the London indie band 2018 Mercury prize winners, jumps from soft, whispery piano ballads to big guitar bangers

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In albums, indie, pop, rock Tags albums, new releases, Wolf Alice, Dirty Hit
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

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New Albums …

Featured
Favourite Albums of 2025 - Part 3.jpeg
Dec 18, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Three
Dec 18, 2025

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

Dec 18, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Two.jpeg
Dec 17, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Two
Dec 17, 2025

Welcome to the second part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There is also a first part and a third part this week. 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

Dec 17, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part 1 updated.jpg
Dec 16, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part One
Dec 16, 2025

Welcome to the first part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There will also be a second and third part this week. 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

Dec 16, 2025
Juliana Hatfield.jpeg
Dec 16, 2025
Juliana Hatfield: Lightning Might Strike
Dec 16, 2025

New album: Personal upheaval, grief, powerlessness, trauma, sudden change inform the title and colour the lyrics of this latest LP by the seasoned Boston indie artist but her songs are packed with brutally honest, candid, concise reflections and warm, catchy, stirring riffs and melodies

Dec 16, 2025
Dove Ellis - Blizzard.jpeg
Dec 9, 2025
Dove Ellis: Blizzard
Dec 9, 2025

New album: An extraordinarily mature, passionate, poetic, and outstandingly powerful debut by the Manchester-based Galway-born singer-songwriter, whose soaring delivery has instant echoes of Jeff Buckley and lyrics that go above and beyond

Dec 9, 2025
Spíra by Ólöf Arnalds.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Ólöf Arnalds: Spíra
Dec 5, 2025

New album: A gorgeous, delicate, ethereal first release in a decade by the Icelandic singer-songwriter, acoustic instruments and her gentle, high, pure voice, all in her native language, caressing this listening experience like pure waters of some slowly trickling glacial stream

Dec 5, 2025
Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Melody's Echo Chamber: Unclouded
Dec 5, 2025

New album: A fourth album, here full of delicious uplifting, dreamily chic, psychedelic soul pop by the French musician Melody Prochet, with bright, upbeat, optimistic numbers and a title lifted from a quote by the acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, about achieving equilibrium

Dec 5, 2025
Devotion & The Black Divine by anaiis.jpeg
Dec 2, 2025
anaiis: Devotion & The Black Divine
Dec 2, 2025

New album: Following a summer Song of the Day - Deus Deus, a review of the autumn release and third LP by the London-based French-Senegalese singer-songwriter of resonantly beautiful, dynamic, sensual soul, gospel, R&B and experimental and chamber pop, with themes of new motherhood, uncertainty, religion, self-love and acceptance

Dec 2, 2025
De La Soul - Cabin In The Sky.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
De La Soul: Cabin In The Sky
Nov 26, 2025

New album: The hip-hop veterans return with their first without, yet including the voice of, and a tribute to, founding member Trugoy the Dove, AKA Dave Jolicoeur who passed away in 2023, alongside many hip-hop luminary guests, with trademark playful skits, and all themed around the afterlife

Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats- Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats: Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan
Nov 26, 2025

New album: An evocative musical journey of a concept album by the indie-folk band from Claremont, California, fronted by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, based on a dream of his in 2023 about a voyage to a fictional island by the titular captain, charting adventure, wonder and tragedy

Nov 26, 2025
Allie X - Happiness Is Going To Get You.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
Allie X: Happiness Is Going To Get You
Nov 26, 2025

New album: A hugely entertaining, witty, droll, inventive, chamber and synth-pop fourth LP with a goth twist by the charismatic and theatrical Canadian artist Alexandra Hughes, who brings paradox and dark themes through sounds that include string quartet, harpsichord, classical and pure pop piano with killer lyrics

Nov 26, 2025
Tortoise - Touch.jpeg
Nov 25, 2025
Tortoise: Touch
Nov 25, 2025

New album: A welcome return with a cinematic and mesmeric groove-filled first studio LP in nine years, and the eighth over all by the eclectic Chicago post-rock/jazz/krautrock multi-instrumentalists Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker

Nov 25, 2025
What of Our Nature by Haley Heynderickx, Max García Conover.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Haley Heynderickx and Max García Conover: What of Our Nature
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Beautiful, precise, poignant and poetic new folk numbers inspired by the life and music style of Woody Guthrie as the Portland, Oregon and New Yorker, now Portland, Maine-based singer-songwriters bring a delicious duet album, alternating and sharing songs covering a variety of forever topical social issues

Nov 24, 2025
Tranquilizer by Oneohtrix Point Never.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Oneohtrix Point Never: Tranquilizer
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Ambient, otherworldly, cinematic, mesmeric, and at times very odd, the Brooklyn-based electronic artist and producer Daniel Lopatin returns with a new nostalgia-based concept – constructing tracks from lost-then-refound Y2K CDs of 1990s and early 2000s royalty-free sample electronic sounds

Nov 24, 2025

new songs …

Featured
Greentea Peng - Prisoners Round.jpeg
Dec 18, 2025
Song of the Day: Greentea Peng - Prisoners Round
Dec 18, 2025

Song of the Day: Following March 2025’s acclaimed album, Tell Dem It’s Sunny, the south-east London artist (aka Aria Wells) returns with another smoky, dark, track with hues of blues, dub and soul and Portishead-esque trip-hop, focusing on the trappings and challenges of modern life

Dec 18, 2025
Kaitlyn Aurela Smith - I Miss The Way You Swim.jpg
Dec 17, 2025
Song of the Day: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - I Miss the Way You Swim
Dec 17, 2025

Song of the Day: Beautiful modular synths and intermingling orchestral sounds ripple in this work by the American composer, performer and producer in a piece shaped by loss of someone loved, taken from an upcoming instrumental album Thoughts On The Future, out on Nettwerk Music

Dec 17, 2025
The Paper Kites - If You Go There.jpeg
Dec 16, 2025
Song of the Day: The Paper Kites - Change Of The Wind
Dec 16, 2025

Song of the Day: A beautiful, reflective number by the alternative folk-rock band from Melbourne fronted by Sam Bentley, heralding their seventh studio album If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, out on 23 January via Nettwerk Music Group

Dec 16, 2025
Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine.jpeg
Dec 15, 2025
Song of the Day: Courtney Marie Andrews - Little Picture Of A Butterfly
Dec 15, 2025

Song of the Day: Beautiful, delicate, fluttering, eclectic, heartbreak folk and Americana by the singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, heralding her forthcoming new album, Valentine, out on 16 January via Loose Future

Dec 15, 2025
Peter Perrett - Proud To Be Self-Hating.jpeg
Dec 12, 2025
Song of the Day: Peter Perrett - PROUD TO BE SELF-HATING (irony and provocation)
Dec 12, 2025

Song of the Day: The veteran British artist, originally frontman of The Only Ones, and now with three solo albums, who actually has Jewish heritage, releases a gently powerful, nuanced, pro-Palestine acoustic number as a response to ongoing genocide by the Israeli government, out on Domino Records

Dec 12, 2025
Maddie Ashman - Jaded.jpeg
Dec 11, 2025
Song of the Day: Maddie Ashman - Jaded
Dec 11, 2025

Song of the Day: Magical, delicate, eclectic, intricate, experimental microtonal music by the London musician and singer, released alongside a longer track, In Autumn My Heart Breaks

Dec 11, 2025
Ye Vagabonds.jpeg
Dec 10, 2025
Song of the Day: Ye Vagabonds - The Flood
Dec 10, 2025

Song of the Day: Wonderfully warm, rich, lively fiddle-driven Irish folk by the award-winning band fronted by Carlow brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn with a heartbreaking number about the housing crisis, heralding their upcoming new album, All Tied Together, out on Rough Trade’s River Lea Recordings on 30 January

Dec 10, 2025
DBA! band.jpeg
Dec 9, 2025
Song of the Day: DBA! A Poet And A Clown
Dec 9, 2025

Song of the Day: Catchy fuzz-guitar indie rock with a swagger by the Liverpool-formed trio of Sam Warren, James Lindberg and Joshua Grant in a song described as “a confessional story of desire tangled with religious guilt”

Dec 9, 2025
Puma Blue - Croak Dream.jpeg
Dec 8, 2025
Song of the Day: Puma Blue - Croak Dream
Dec 8, 2025

Song of the Day: A dark, esoteric, mysterious and stylish title track with a hint of Radiohead and playing with the idea of knowing your future death, from the experimental indie/goth/ambient London artist Jacob Allen’s forthcoming album out on 6 February via Play It Again Sam

Dec 8, 2025
ELIZA - Anyone Else.jpeg
Dec 7, 2025
Song of the Day: ELIZA - Anyone Else
Dec 7, 2025

Song of the Day: Stripped-back, bluesy, fuzzy funk with slight echoes of Prince and alt-R&B are conjured up in this love song by the London-based singer-songwriter Eliza Caird, her first single for two years, now off the mainstream and out on Log Off Records

Dec 7, 2025
SILK SCARF by Tiga & Fcukers.jpg
Dec 6, 2025
Song of the Day: Tiga (featuring Fcukers) - Silk Scarf
Dec 6, 2025

Song of the Day: A fun, sensual, quirkily oddball electronica dance single with a slick, fetish-flirtatious ode to a favourite smooth material by the Montreal musician (Tiga James Sontag) joined here with vocals by the New York band (Shanny Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis), and heralding Tiga’s upcoming album Hotlife, out in April on Secret City Records

Dec 6, 2025
Flea - A Plea.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Song of the Day: Flea - A Plea
Dec 5, 2025

Song of the Day: A striking, powerful new single by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassist (aka Michael Balzary), who brings a fusion of jazz and spoken word with a fabulous band on an impassioned number about the state of the US in a culture of hatred, social and political tensions, out now on Nonesuch Records

Dec 5, 2025

Word of the week

Featured
Hangover.jpeg
Dec 4, 2025
Word of the week: crapulence
Dec 4, 2025

Word of the week: A term that may apply regularly during Xmas party season, from the from the Latin crapula, in turn from the Greek kraipálē meaning "drunkenness" or "headache" pertains to sickness symptoms caused by excess in eating or drinking, or general intemperance and overindulgence

Dec 4, 2025
Running shoes and barefoot.jpeg
Nov 20, 2025
Word of the week: discalceate
Nov 20, 2025

Word of the week: A rarely used, but often practised verb, especially when arriving home, it means to take off your shoes, but is also a slightly more common adjective meaning barefoot or unshod, particularly for certain religious orders that wear sandals instead of shoes. But in what context does this come up in song?

Nov 20, 2025
autumn-red-leaves.jpeg
Nov 6, 2025
Word of the week: erythrophyll
Nov 6, 2025

Word of the week: A seasonally topical word relating to the the red pigment of tree leaves, fruits and flowers, that appears particularly when changing in autumn, as opposed to the green effect of chlorophyll, from the Greek erythros for red, and phyll for leaves. But what of songs about this?

Nov 6, 2025
Fennec fox 2.jpeg
Oct 22, 2025
Word of the week: fennec
Oct 22, 2025

Word of the week: It’s a small pale-fawn nocturnal fox with unusually large, highly sensitive ears, that inhabits from African and Arab deserts areas from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula. But has it ever been seen in a song?

Oct 22, 2025
Narrowboat.jpeg
Oct 9, 2025
Word of the week: gongoozler
Oct 9, 2025

Word of the week: A fabulous old English slang term for someone who tends to stand or sit for long periods staring at the passing of boats on canals, sometimes with a derogatory or at least ironic use for someone who is useless or lazy. But what of songs about this activity and culture?

Oct 9, 2025

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