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Playlists: songs about blossoms

April 7, 2026 Peter Kimpton

A carpet of cherry blossom

Fleeting but spectacular, their mutable beauty is annually inspirational, and with ideas budding from last week’s theme, guest of the week ParaMhor picks a splendid spread of musical colour

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In blues, avant-garde, bossa nova, calypso, comedy, country, dance, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, rhythm and blues, reggae, RnB, rock, rocksteady, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags blossom, songs, playlists, flowers, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, Nat King Cole, Blossom Dearie, Air, Ada Lea, Giao Linh, Guy Mitchell, Rosemary Clooney, Laura Veirs, The White Stripes, Nirvana, The Nomads, Duke Ellington, Ayuo, Kazue Sawai, Peter Hammill, Guy Evans, Sarah J. Morris, J. Warren, Lily Laskine, Jean Pierre Rampal, Lana Del Rey, Jens Lekman, Emmylou Harris, Tony Rice, Bryan Adams, The Cardinals, The Big Moon, Einstürzende Neubauten, Zhou Xuan, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Yoshida Brothers, Taipei Chamber Singers, LYR, Elvis Costello, Johann Strauss II, ParaMhor
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Playlists: songs about strategic and dangerous waters

April 1, 2026 Peter Kimpton

Spin the music: this week’s playlists pull in a swirl of superb stories

Yaaaaar, me hearties! Troubled waters to dire straits, the world is full of hazardous seas from bad weather to human folly and war. Inspired by last week’s topic nominations, guest Captain Marconius tells many a rich tale with his canticle pickings …

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In avant-garde, African, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rhythm and blues, RnB, rock, rocksteady, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, oceans, water, history, seafaring, The The, The Bee Gees, David King Bolger, The Tragically Hip, Fleetwood Mac, Beatnik Turtle, Ralph McTell, Paco de Lucia, Brand New, Mick Harvey, Amanda Acevedo, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Stan Rogers, The Unthanks, Gill Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, Albany Shantymen, Neil Gaiman, The FourPlay String Quartet, Morphine, The Fisherman's Friends, Panssarijuna, The McCalmans, The Police, Corrie Folk Trio, Alfred Apaka, New Order, Nick Cave, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Vance Joy, Johnny Preston, Long Johns, Lionel Long, The Kilkennys, Alan Avon & The Toyshop, Enya, Radio Birdman, The Simpsons, Gentle Giant, Bristol's Hope, Frankie Paul, Cedric Myton & The Congos, Blind Willie Johnson, The Saints, Amelia Coburn, Peter Hammill, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Freddie Hubbard, Henry Jackson, Dirty Three, Inlay, Laura Estees, Sven Libaek, Weather Report, Avril Lavigne, The Evaporators, Marco den Ouden, Marconius
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Playlists: songs about darkness

July 29, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Facing the dark: Find out who below …

Death, fear, the unknown, but most of all affecting beauty - darkness brings a breadth of scenarios and emotions, all brought to light by guest of the week ParaMhor with powerful picked lists inspired by last week’s theme

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, gospel, indie, jazz, instrumentals, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, rocksteady, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, Terry Pratchett, William Shakespeare, Loreena McKennitt, Peter Gabriel, The Police, The Herbiliser, The Human League, Sharon Van Etten, Joni Mitchell, Lael Neale, Emmit Rhodes, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, KT Tunstall, Bruce Springsteen, Songs: Ohia, Blind Willie McTell, Dinah Washington, The Alan Bown Set, Mike Oldfield, Tricot, Black Uhuru, Tito and Tarantula, McCarthy, The Shop Assistants, Mr Flood's Party, The Cure, Boyharsher, Pere Ubu, Boy Harsher, David Sylvian, Mo-Dettes, Conor Oberst, Gillian Welch, ParaMhor, Emitt Rhodes
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Playlists: songs about tyranny and dictatorship

January 24, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Revolutionary warnings: Crass

Coercion, violence and suppression, it’s a recurring cycle through history. Spanning the globe with philosophy and genre, guest playlister Marco den Ouden examines the big questions about autocracy and anarchy, picked from last week’s topic nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags tyranny, dictators, dictatorship, democracy, politics, history, Eek-a-Mouse, Lousiana Red, Steppenwolf, Archie Roach, Smith & Mighty, Andy Scholes, Cult With No Name, Dub Syndicate, Tom Robinson, Negativland, Todd Rundgren, Donald Fagen, Crass, Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento, Hozier, Mavis Staples, The Beatles, The Winans, Robb Johnson, Catherine Graindorge, Iggy Pop, The Melodians, The Golden Gate Quartet, Rich Kids, Elektrisk Regn, Mercedes Sosa, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel, The Pogues, Mark Stewart & the Maffia, Mark Lambert, Midnight Oil, Woody Guthrie, Sting, David Bowie, Randy Newman, Pop Will Eat Itself, Bob Marley, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Crystal Axis, Bruce Cockburn, Janis Ian, Nicko, Peter Tosh, Lucky Dube, Lord Invader, Arcade Fire, Curtis Mayfield, Raimon, Manhattan Transfer, Sweet Honey In the Rock, Nordic Giants, Marco den Ouden, Marconius, Isaiah Berlin
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Playlists: songs about the impossible

July 5, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Impossibly bending the rules: Television’s landmark LP Marquee Moon

Can it be done? Can we only dream? It’s time to bend the rules through the incomparable prism of the Song Bar theme process – and see what happens. With a vibrant vortex of wonderful nominations last week, guest playlister Maki presents the amazing choices

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Tags impossible, songs, playlists, Wilco, NoMeansNo, television, Champion Jack Dupree, Martin Stephenson and the Daintees, The Grateful Dead, The Honeybus, Carmen McRae, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, Lalo Schifrin, Blancmange, Wire, Simple Minds, Radiohead, Tony Joe White, Jack Bruce, Maya de Vitry, Jeffrey Lewis, Jackie Leven, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Carlos Cano, Maki
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Playlists: songs about tomorrow

November 24, 2021 Peter Kimpton

She’ll wait, but it finally brings her turn: Rhiannon Giddens

When is it coming? When do you want it? Now? After waves of nominations, tomorrow comes in many parties and parts, in imagination, on the clock, in emotions, and more, in a mammoth collection of clever categories chosen by guest playlister Nicko

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags tomorrow, songs, playlists, The Cure, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rhiannon Giddens, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Mitski, Southwest F.O.B., The Beatles, Roger Whittaker, Spacemen 3, Love And Rockets, The Durutti Column, Hendrickson Road House, Screaming Blue Stars, McDonald & Giles, The Vibrators, Tindersticks, The WordD, Definition of Sound, Lou Pride, Bill Wells, Aidan Moffat, Al Green, Radio Tarifa, Rokia Traoré, William Onyeabor, Soko, Takashi Shimura, Icehouse, Barrington Levy, Gabriel Omolo & His Apollo Komesha, Junior Wells, Nicko
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Playlists: songs about wells

April 14, 2021 Peter Kimpton
All is well …

All is well …

After finding a rich source in last week’s topical excavation, guest George Boyland lowered his musical bucket and pulled out some of music’s deepest and stirring material, spanning blues to reggae, rock to gospel

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In African, blues, calypso, country, dub, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, music, pop, playlists, postpunk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, wells, The Acoustic Guitars, Charley Patton, Free, Lead Belly, Pixies, Ken Boothe, Tower Of Power, Martin Carthy, RIchie Havens, 10000 Maniacs, The Wailing Souls, Emmylou Harris, Kevin Ayers, Mahalia Jackson, Chaka Khan, Peter Tosh, The Band, Anne Briggs, Jackie Leven, The Grateful Dead, The Incredible String Band, Percy Mayfield, Primal Scream, The Fall, The Levellers, John Fogerty, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, George Boyland
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Song Bar Fifth Birthday Special: Playlists – songs about jukeboxes

February 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Give it a Wurl

Give it a Wurl

Early blues juke joints to big band jazz, 1950s rock’n’ roll to disco, punk, pop and later experimental music, with the Landlord’s playlists picked from reader nominations, we celebrate five years of Song Bar with numbers about this mechanical mind palace

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In dance, country, disco, electronica, funk, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul, traditional, blues Tags songs, playlists, jukeboxes, Wurlitzer, Seeburg, John Barry, Boy Green, Teresa Brewer, Dixieland All Stars, Tammy Wynette, June Carter, Olivia Newton-John, Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Silver Jews, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Stray Cats, Jackson 5, B-52s, David Lee Roth, J Jordenson Bluegrass Band, Van Halen, The Jam, The Fall, The Pogues, Ani di Franco, Shannon McNally, Joan Jett, Suzi Quatro, Tina Turner, Barry Blue, Dave Edmunds, The Rubettes, Adam and the Ants, Alan Vega, Jackie Leven, Saint Etienne, Pete & The Pirates, Rickie Lee Jones, Fred Buscaglione, Serge Gainsbourg, Dorothy Dandridge, Glenn Miller, Gene Pitney, Emmylou Harris, Buck Owens, James Taylor, Ella Fitzgerald, Jason Molina, Ellis Paul, Penguin Cafe Orchestra
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Playlists: songs about babies

October 14, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Kate and Anna McGarrigle sing about baby Rufus …

Kate and Anna McGarrigle sing about baby Rufus …

Planned, unplanned, loved or otherwise, they bring intense emotions and also in songs and stories about them. From conception parenting, guest playlister George Boyland delivers the full package from a vast number of nominations

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, indie, jazz, music, funk, traditional, soul, songs, rock, reggae, punk, prog, postpunk, pop, playlists Tags songs, playlists, babies, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Sly & The Family Stone, Charlie Feathers, Swamp Dogg, Judy Henske, Lauryn Hill, The White Stripes, Lead Belly, Leadbelly, The Pretenders, Spirit, The Grateful Dead, Jonathan Richman, Natalie Merchant, Cream, Brandi Carlile, Peter Blegvad, Cocteau Twins, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, Paul Weller, Captain Beefheart, Free, Ivor Cutler, Slapp Happy, Nick Cope, George Boyland
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Playlists: songs about sand

July 15, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Made of soft rock? Far better to come on this week’s musical shoreline …

Made of soft rock? Far better to come on this week’s musical shoreline …

Songs about sand is a lot more than soft rock. These playlists, picked by skilful guest beachcomber George Boyland from waves of nominations, features a beautiful coast of styles from rock to reggae, postpunk to flamenco and electronica

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In African, blues, calypso, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, sand, geology, beaches, coasts, Jonathan Richman, The Modern Lovers, The Who, family, The Drifters, Freddie McGregor, Bomb The Bass, El Camaron de La Isla, Paco de Lucia, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Whiskey Rebellion, Misty in Roots, Taska Black, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Bonobo, Bill Nelson, The Bees, Temples, Donald Fagen, B-52s, Brain Ticket, The God Machine, Maggie Holland, The Youngbloods, Wire, Beyonce, Squeeze, George Boyland
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Playlists: songs about photographs and photography

March 6, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Which will make the album?

Which will make the album?

Photography isn’t always happy holiday snaps and selfies. This week’s musical cameraman, EnglishOutlaw, creates two albums of perceptive, sensitive, thought-provoking songs, with a tale of love portraits that develop unexpectedly

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In blues, country, disco, folk, indie, music, pop, playlists, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, photography, relationships, Nina Nesbitt, The Would-Be-Goods, Bishop Allen, Weddings, Weddings Parties Anything, Melanie, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Radio Stars, Lady Gaga, The Vapors, Satellites, Goose House, Uriah Heep, Arcade Fire, Saint Etienne, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ballboy, 10cc, The Kinks, The Lucksmiths, Strangelove, Michael Chapman, Damon Albarn, "Whispering" Jack Smith, EnglishOutlaw, FKA Twigs
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Playlists: songs influenced by gospel

December 12, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Al Green … holy and sexual in the same line

Al Green … holy and sexual in the same line

Hallelujah! This week’s divine lists, picked by guest magicman from countless nominations, not only shines light on gospel’s music in soul to jazz, disco and more, but will lift hearts and minds though dark times

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In country, dance, gospel, music, playlists, pop, songs, soul, blues Tags songs, playlists, gospel, Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Bed of Roses, The Statler Brothers, Ray Charles, Sam & Dave, Wynton Marsalis, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Kahn, Al Green, The Moody Blues, Bobby 'Blue' Bland, Jennifer Holliday, Kanye West, Kirk Franklin, Chance The Rapper, Donny Hathaway, The Impressions, The Staple Singers, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Against All Logic, Nicolas Jaar, Charles Mingus, Labelle, Patti Labelle, Ike and Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson, Ry Cooder, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, The Source, Candi Staton, Frankie Knuckles, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Billy Joel, Bobby Womack, Cannonball Adderley, Emmylou Harris, The Hollies, Jamie Lidell, John Legend, Michael Jackson, Midfield General, Randy Travis, Toots and the Maytals, Change, Nuyorican Soul, Jocelyn Brown, Earth Wind & Fire, Ben Folds Five, Toni Braxton, magicman
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Playlists: songs and music by trios

November 28, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris

Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris

Intricate jazz to country three-part harmony, postpunk, pop, indie, hip-hop, Cuban traditional to perfect Persian drumming, playlister Nilpferd picks a perfect ‘triumph-virate’ of holy trinities across genres

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In blues, country, dance, disco, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, trios, playlists, Jimmy Giuffre Trio, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Trio Matamoros, Trio Chemirani, GoGo Penguin, London Grammar, Tony Williams Lifetime, Bill Evans Trio, The Police, Zounds, Sleater-Kinney, Di Meola Mclaughlin De Lucia, Trio, Johnny Winter, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Fugees, Nat King Cole, Nonstop Body, Dinosaur Jr, J Mascis, Le Trio Joubran, Jaco Pastorius, Sonny Rollins, Bronski Beat, Traffic, Morton Schantz, Aufgang, Nilpferd
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Playlists: songs about milk and other non-alcoholic drinks

May 30, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Shonen Knife are stirring the hot chocolate

Shonen Knife are stirring the hot chocolate

Looking for some musical refreshment? From Shonen Knife’s Hot Chocolate to Emmylou Harris’s Deeper Well of water, this week’s playlist writer Rachel Courtney has a fully-stocked bar for you inspired by last week’s nominations

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In blues, colours, dance, electronica, gospel, indie, instrumentals, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, soul, songs Tags Songs, playlists, drinks, fizzy drinks, Coca-Cola, Jesus & Mary Chain, Lithics, The Faction, Priests, Shonen Knife, Chineapple Punx, The Boys, Beat Happening, Chumbawumba, Jackie Mittoo, Emmylou Harris, Leadbelly, Bobby Darin, Cats and the Fiddle, Tommy Johnson, Sons of the Pioneers, Kid Stormy Weather, Desmond Dekker, William Bell, Astrud Gilberto, Air Miami, Rachel Courtney / uneasy listening, Sheena & The Rokkets
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Playlists: songs with great backing vocals

January 3, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Ray Charles and The Raelettes

Ray Charles and The Raelettes

Aretha and her sisters to Ray and the Raelettes, Louis and Keely to Gladys and the Pips, this week's brilliant backing vocals came from a chorus of nominations topic, led by a masterful guest playlister magicman

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Tags songs, playlists, backing vocals, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, The Jordanaires, Sam Cooke, The Sweet Inspirations, Emily 'Cissy' Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Dee Dee Warwick, Carolyn Franklin, Erma Franklin, Lou Rawls, Ray Charles, The Raelettes, Mary Ann Fisher, Margie Hendrix, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, 10cc, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Lol Creme, Kevin Godley, Donna Summer, Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Michael Jackson, Brenda Russell, Christopher Cross, Dyan Cannon, James Ingram, Kenny Loggins, Stevie Wonder, The Hollies, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, The Marcels, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, The Turtles, Flo & Eddie, Dawn Penn, Rose Stone & The Venice Four, Bob Marley, The Wailers, Mory Kanté, Betty Everett, The Tams, Lou Christie, The Delfonics, Todd Rundgren, Diana Ross, Ry Cooder, Gladys Knight, The Pips, Bill Monroe, The Gatlin Brothers, magicman
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Born this way … biographical and autobiographical songs

September 28, 2017 Peter Kimpton
From the cover of The Slits' guitarist Viv Albertine's book Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys (2014)

From the cover of The Slits' guitarist Viv Albertine's book Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys (2014)

Let me tell you a story … this week we're looking for songs that capture the narrative or arc of a person's life, about themselves or others, famous or unknown, whether that's in the first or third person

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Tags Songs, biography, autobiography, Viv Albertine, The Slits, James Boswell, Samuel Johnson, books, Mark Twain, Samuel Goldwyn, Film, Steven Wright, Comedy, showbusiness, Mike Leigh, David Thewlis, evolution, Charles Darwin, art, painting, Jackson Pollock, Oliver Reed, Brian Blessed, Marx Brothers, Harpo Marx, David Niven, Hollywood, Marlon Brando, Robert Evans, Quincy Jones, Ice Cube, Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, Johnny Cash, Slash, Guns 'n' Roses, Woody Guthrie, Nick Tosches, Dean Martin, The Rat Pack, mafia, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Humphrey Carpenter, Ian Mckellen, acting, Orson Welles, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Charles Dickens, Peter Ackroyd, WH Auden, John Kennedy Toole, Oscar Wilde
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Playlists: elegies and other remembrance songs

November 16, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Andy. Remembered by Lou ...

Andy. Remembered by Lou ...

Soaring soul to gentle lament, Ray Davies on his sister to Lou Reed's farewell to Andy Warhol, guest writer barbryn's beautiful playlists inspired by last week's elegy topic will leave you moved and inspired

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In playlists, songs Tags songs, remembrance, elegies, Maurice Ravel, Ólafur Arnalds, Shura Cherkassky, Sufjan Stevens, Sun Kil Moon, Guy Clark, Tim Rogers, Lou Reed, John Cale, The Kinks, Sheila Chandra, Hollie Cook, Virginia Astley, Jean Redpath, Ibeyi, Mark Hollis, Shearwater, Trash Can Sinatras, Southpaw Jones, The Cure, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Paxton, Mayte Martin, Emmylou Harris, Jesu, Peter Broderick, Barbryn
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At the cemetery gates: elegies and other songs of remembrance

November 10, 2016 Peter Kimpton

Away from all the political turmoil, it’s time for musical rest, something poetic. Honouring soldiers or victims of war to family, friends or lost fellow bandmates, suggest music that remembers the departed on a personal, profound and beautiful note

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Tags songs, elegies, war, grief, remembrance, poetry, DH Lawrence, politics, media, Charles Baudelaire, Berlin, Holocaust, Mary Elizabeth Frye, Dylan Thomas, WH Auden, history, First World War, Vietnam War, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, The Clash, The Dead Kennedys, The Passengers, Elvis Costello, Pete Seeger, John McRae, William Wordsworth, Percy Shelley, Nick Cave, John Lennon, George Harrison, AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Elbow, Emmylou Harris, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Genesis, The Libertines, The Pretenders, Prince, Primus, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Victoria Williams, The Who, The Smiths, Thomas Gray, Richard Wise, James Joyce
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Playlists: successful out-of-tune songs

August 31, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Why worry about being in tune when you have a dose of PiL?

Why worry about being in tune when you have a dose of PiL?

It didn't stop Public Image Limited, Joy Division or Teardrop Explodes from a great performance. Check out guest writer ParaMhor's playlists from last week's topic to find out why going off key will still keep you on song

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Tags songs, Music, ParaMhor, Lee Marvin, The Quads, Orange Juice, Rosie and the Originals, Vic Godard and the Subway Sect, Tuxedomoon, Joy Division, Shrimp Boat, Public Image Limited, Neu!, Richard Dawson, Didier Hébert, Teardrop Explodes, Robert Browning, poetry, George W Bush, Louis Armstrong, Arthur Lee, Lee Hazelwood, Karen Carpenter, Klaus Dinger, Dollar, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Crystal Stilts, Rowland S Howard, Lydia Lunch, Alternative TV, Adam and the Ants, A Certain Ratio, Pavement, The Slits, ESG, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Johnston, Florence Foster Jenkins, opera
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Playlists: songs from collaborations and side projects

June 1, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Let's have a big hand for ... James and Luciano

Let's have a big hand for ... James and Luciano

Walk this way! From James Brown to Bob Dylan, Baaba Maal to the Bunnymen, this world would mean nothing without some fabulous collaborations, this week chosen by our guest writer Flatfrog

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Tags songs, collaborations, James Brown, Luciano Pavarotti, Flatfrog, The Blues Brothers, Run DMC, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Robert Glasper Experiment, Mos Def, Propellerheads, Shirley Bassey, Mumford & Sons, Baaba Maal, Echo and the Bunnymen, Drummers of Burundi, Buddy Guy, Quinn Sullivan, Traveling Wilburys, The Dukes of Stratosphear, Pythia, Band Aid, Art of Noise, Duane Eddy, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Gorillaz, David Byrne, St Vincent, Avicii, Toto, Miles Davis, Shakti, John McLaughlin, David Morales, Jan Gabarek, David McAlmont, Michael Nyman, Diamanda Galas, John Paul Jones, Boogie Woogie Twins, Dr John, Jools Holland, The Glove
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New Albums …

Featured
Sam Grassie - Where Two Hawks Fly.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Sam Grassie: Where Two Hawks Fly
Apr 29, 2026

New album: Beautiful debut LP by the London-based Glaswegian fingerstyle folk guitarist and singer-songwriter, with added saxophone, double bass, flute, clairsach and clarinet in a release of mostly the traditional, covers, sung or instrumental, and supported by the Bert Jansch Foundation

Apr 29, 2026
Irmin Schmidt - Requiem.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Irmin Schmidt: Requiem
Apr 29, 2026

New album: A strangely mesmeric, avant-garde and analogue-ambient, field recording-based experimental release by the last surviving founding member of experimental ‘krautrock’ band CAN, who, approaching the age of 89, has also written over 40 TV and film scores

Apr 29, 2026
Gia Margaret - Singing.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Gia Margaret: Singing
Apr 28, 2026

New album: Gently profound, and full of wondrous, mesmeric, slow, delicate experimental songs, this simple title has a powerful resonance – it is the Chicago artist’s first vocal album since 2018’s There’s Always Glimmer (there have been two instrumental LPs since), having suffered and recovered from a severe vocal injury, she returns with a delicate, candid, whispery but hauntingly beautiful delivery

Apr 28, 2026
Angel In Plainclothes by Angelo De Augustine.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Angelo De Augustine: Angel in Plainclothes
Apr 28, 2026

New album: A beautiful, delicate fifth LP from the Los Angeles singer-songwriter, friend and collaborator with Sufjan Stevens with whom he shares a stylistic resemblance, here with themes on life's fragility, second chances, and picking up the pieces after an undiagnosed illness forced him to re-learn basic abilities

Apr 28, 2026
Carla dal Forno - Confession.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Carla dal Forno: Confession
Apr 28, 2026

New album: This lo-fi, darkly minimalist but also oddly candid fourth LP by the Australian, Castlemaine-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist centres on the conflicted, obsessive feelings about “a friendship that became emotionally charged in an unexpected way”, and “an album about closeness that arrives late and unexpectedly. About stability rubbing up against desire.”

Apr 28, 2026
Friko - Something Worth Waiting For album.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
Friko: Something Worth Waiting For
Apr 26, 2026

New album: Passionate, powerful, dynamic indie rock in this sophomore LP by the Chicago-based quartet that gallops forwards with a driving momentum, some elements of early PJ Harvey and Radiohead, and is produced by John Congleton

Apr 26, 2026
White Denim - 13.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
White Denim: 13
Apr 26, 2026

New album: This 13th LP in two decades by the Austin, Texas rock band fronted by James Petralli has a particularly mischievous experimentalism, spreading styles far beyond breathlessly paced prog rock, with wrily humorous, surreal, personal and passionate numbers across heavy funk, dub, soul, psyche, country, dirty blues and more, joined by host of outstanding extra musicians

Apr 26, 2026
Asili ya Mama by Hukwe Zawose Foundation.jpeg
Apr 24, 2026
Hukwe Zawose Foundation: Asili ya Mama
Apr 24, 2026

New album: Wonderfully evocative field recordings release of Wagogo, Waluguru and Wasambaa Tanzanian women singing traditional songs in their villages, rarely heard outside of their own circles, the title is translated as The Origin of Mother, rich in stories and capturing the place where song is first learned, first felt, first shared

Apr 24, 2026
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig
Apr 23, 2026

New album: Four decades since their self-titled debut, Brooklyn alternative rockers John Flansburgh and John Linnell return with their 24th LP, packed with of punchy, pacy, wistful, whimsical, clever wordplay and indie rock-pop, buoyantly satirical and also a little world weary at times, they remain oddball, lively commentators on the ongoing absurdity of life

Apr 23, 2026
Eaves Wilder - Little Miss Sunshine.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Eaves Wilder: Little Miss Sunshine
Apr 22, 2026

New album: After 2023’s Hookey EP, a strong, passionate indie-dream-pop-shoegaze full debut by the London singer-songwriter, whose breathy voice intertwines with strong, stirring riffs and textured sounds, themed around cycles of nature aiming to explain and celebrate the mercurial nature of human emotional weather

Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon - The Nightlife.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon: The Nightlife
Apr 22, 2026

New album: The irrepressible, prolific and charismatic London-based Chicago DJ, musician, producer and vinyl lover returns with a flamboyantly fun celebration of club and queer culture through the prism of dance music from disco to house, with a wide variety of guest vocalists

Apr 22, 2026
Tiga - HOTLIFE.jpeg
Apr 21, 2026
Tiga: HOTLIFE
Apr 21, 2026

New album: Montreal’s acclaimed electronica/techno/dance artist Tiga Sontag returns with his fourth album - inventively packed with head-nodding, toe-tapping, oddly itchy, infectious grooves, cleverly crafted retro sounds recalling Kraftwerk to acid house and electroclash, insistent bold beats and synth riffs, with lyrics of the existential, droll and surreal

Apr 21, 2026
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Apr 20, 2026
TOMORA: Come Closer
Apr 20, 2026

New album: A striking, dynamic collaboration between Norwegian experimental pop sensation Aurora and Tom Rowlands, one of half of Chemical Brothers, with a sensual, otherworldly energetic fusion of mystical, sensual ambience, and block-rocking dance beats

Apr 20, 2026
Jessie Ware - Superbloom.jpeg
Apr 20, 2026
Jessie Ware: Superbloom
Apr 20, 2026

New album: Following 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? and 2023’s That! Feels Good!, as well as the successful food podcast Table Manners she hosts alongside her mother, the British pop singer continues to ride the 70s disco ball train, catering to the clever, kitsch and catchy with an ironic wink, adding also a luxuriant garden metaphor

Apr 20, 2026

new songs …

Featured
Alewya - Saleh.jpeg
Apr 30, 2026
Song of the Day: Alewya - Selah
Apr 30, 2026

Song of the Day: Striking, stylishly agile electronica and dance with a rich African and Arabian influence by the London-based British singer-songwriter, producer, multidisciplinary artist and model Alewya Demmisse, heralding her upcoming album, Zero, out on 26 June via LDN Records

Apr 30, 2026
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Apr 29, 2026
Song of the Day: Metric - Crush Forever
Apr 29, 2026

Song of the Day: Uplifting, effervescent electro-disco-pop by the Toronto indie rock band, with a song vocalist/keyboardist Emily Haines describes as “my love letter to strong girls in this world”, taken from their recently released 10th album, Romanticize the Dive, out on Metric Music via Thirty Tigers

Apr 29, 2026
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Apr 28, 2026
Song of the Day: Jim Ghedi - The Hungry Child
Apr 28, 2026

Song of the Day: Dark, gripping, visceral folk by the Sheffield singer-songwriter, with a striking number based on an early 19th-century German poem about the fatal story of a child pleading for food, and, following last year’s acclaimed album, Wasteland, also out on Basin Rock, it heralds his upcoming soundtrack for the Hugh Jackman film, The Death of Robin Hood.

Apr 28, 2026
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Apr 27, 2026
Song of the Day: holybones (with Baxter Dury) - SLUGBOY
Apr 27, 2026

Song of the Day: Dark, unsettling, sleazy and strange, this is arrestingly vivid new collaborative single between the clandestine London electronic collective and the downbeat, deep-voiced poetic Londoner, out on Promised Land Recordings

Apr 27, 2026
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Apr 26, 2026
Song of the Day: Hand Habits - Good Person
Apr 26, 2026

Song of the Day: Gentle, droll, humorously self-deprecatingly, and also delicately beautiful, this new experimental folk single by the moniker of Los Angeles singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Meg Duffy addresses the love-hate relationship with making music, out on Fat Possum

Apr 26, 2026
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Apr 25, 2026
Song of the Day: Pigeon - Miami
Apr 25, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, sunny, upbeawt indie synth-pop with an African twist by the Margate band fronted by Falle Nioke, with flavours of William Onyeabor, Hot Chip and New York 70s disco, heralding their upcoming album OUTTANATIONAL, out on 1 May via Memphis Industries

Apr 25, 2026
Tricky - Out of Place.jpeg
Apr 24, 2026
Song of the Day: Tricky - Out of Place (featuring Marta Złakowska)
Apr 24, 2026

Song of the Day: A pulsating fusion of beats, orchestral strings and the Bristol trip-hop pioneer’s distinctive, deep, croaky voice, with an emotional reference to his daughter Mina Topley-Bird (1995–2019), and heralding his first solo album for six years, Different When It’s Silent, out on 17 June via False Idols

Apr 24, 2026
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Apr 23, 2026
Song of the Day: Beck - Ride Lonesome
Apr 23, 2026

Song of the Day: Beautiful, simmering, slow, melancholy and reflective, a surprise single and welcome return by the acclaimed US artist, evoking the haunting, sun-bleached landscapes and musical textures of his 2015 Grammy winning album Morning Phase, out now on Iliad Records/Capitol Records

Apr 23, 2026
Gelli Haha - Klouds.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Song of the Day: Gelli Haha - Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep
Apr 22, 2026

Song of the Day: Described appropriately as somewhere between Studio 42 and Area 51, eccentric, effervescent, spacey, catchy and eclectic disco pop by the Los Angeles artist (aka Angel Abaya, co-written with Sean Guerin) out on Innovative Leisure

Apr 22, 2026
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Apr 21, 2026
Song of the Day: LEENALCHI 이날치 - Here Comes That Crow 떴다 저 가마귀
Apr 21, 2026

Song of the Day: Wonderfully catchy, funky, psychedelic and quirky new work by the seven-piece Seoul-based Korean pansori band led by bassist Jang Young Gyu with the title track of their new EP, out on 12 June via Luaka Bop, and heralding a European and North American tour

Apr 21, 2026
Jesca Hoop - Big Storm.jpeg
Apr 20, 2026
Song of the Day: Jesca Hoop - Big Storm
Apr 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, quirky experimental indie folk-pop by the innovative Manchester-based California artist, featuring a clever video that old footage and Hoop in various vintage guises, heralding her upcoming album Long Wave Home, out on 1 May via Last Laugh / Republic of Music

Apr 20, 2026
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Apr 19, 2026
Song of the Day: Gia Margaret - Alive Inside
Apr 19, 2026

Song of the Day: Delicate, dream-like, reflective experimental folk-pop by the American singer-songwriter and producer from Chicago, heralding her upcoming fourth album, Singing, out on Jagjaguwar

Apr 19, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Song thrush 2.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
Word of the week: throstle
Apr 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

Apr 23, 2026
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Apr 9, 2026
Word of the week: undine
Apr 9, 2026

Word of the week: It might sound like the act of abstaining from food, but this noun from derived from undina (Latin unda) meaning wave, refers to mythical, elemental beings associated with water, such as mermaids, and stemming from the alchemical writings of the 16th-century Swiss physician, alchemist and philosopher Paracelsus

Apr 9, 2026
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Mar 27, 2026
Word of the week: veena
Mar 27, 2026

Word of the week: This ornate, curvaceous, south Indian classical instrument, the saraswati veena, is a special bowl lute with a rich, resonant tone, has 24 copper frets with four playing strings and three drone strings, and is used for Carnatic music

Mar 27, 2026
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Mar 12, 2026
Word of the week: wallfish
Mar 12, 2026

Word of the week: It sounds like the singing finned picture ornament Big Mouth Billy Bass that became popular in the late 1990s, but this is a much older noun, derived in Somerset, England, pertains to the climbing gastropod that can slowly climb up any surface

Mar 12, 2026
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Feb 25, 2026
Word of the week: xiphias
Feb 25, 2026

Word of the week: Get the point? This is the scientific name for the swordfish, in full Xiphias gladius (from the Greek and Latin for sword), that extraordinary sea creature with the long, pointy bill. But what of it in song?

Feb 25, 2026
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