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Playlists: songs about déjà vu

July 9, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Bird’s eye view? Ever seen … Immortel Ad Vitam

Tricks of mind and memory to recurring lifestyle loops, our senses are sometimes working overtime, and guest Sidecar Shiv makes superb sense of it all with playlists picked from last week’s topic nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags deja vu, psychology, songs, playlists, Massive Attack, Molly Nilsson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, John Fogerty, JJ Jackson, The Yardbirds, Pearls Before Swine, The Waterboys, Mike Scott, John Lennon, The Beatles, The Searchers, Sparklehorse, Chocolate Genius, Angelo Badalamenti, Twin Peaks, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Bill Ryder-Jones, Styx, Redd Kross, Sublime, Dionne Warwick, Prince Royce, Shakira, Wet Leg, Margaret Glaspy, Toro y Moi, Roky Erickson, Husker Du, Blind Alfred Reed, Hitsujibungaku, The Stylistics, Max Webster, Michael Chapman, Gilmore & Roberts, Vashti Bunyan, Fever Ray, Buzzcocks, The Who, Taylor Swift, ShivSidecar, Sidecar Shiv
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Playlists: puzzling and mysterious songs

November 13, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Captain Beefheart … of course

Prepare for a journey into the unknown and deeply strange. Whether in lyrics or musical sound or structure, guest playlister severin leads us through canticular caverns of wonder, inspired by last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, Future of the Left, Gong, Nora Dean, Slapp Happy, Syd Barrett, Sarah Vaughan, Captain Beefheart, Miles Davis, Adam Green, Futureheads, Ane Brun, John Jacob Niles, Amelia Coburn, Brian Eno, Tim Buckley, Tangerine Dream, Elvis Costello, The Grateful Dead, Sinead O'Connor, Maurice Ravel, The Lovin' Spoonful, The New York Dolls, Peter Hammill, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Siouxsie Sioux, Agnes Obel, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, The Fall, Edward Elgar, Shonen Knife, 17 Hippies, Toyah, Roy Orbison, Radiohead, Nina Simone, Massive Attack, Anais Mitchell, Jefferson Hamer, VNV Nation, John Zorn, Nik Bärtsch's Ronin, Joan Armatrading, Kevin Coyne, Anita Baker, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs with conditional phrases

January 10, 2024 Peter Kimpton

The Big If …

Where will it all lead? What are the conditions? Are they zero, first or second? All the ifs and thens are revealed in these wittily entertaining lists compiled by guest Severin, inspired by songs nominated in last week’s opening topic of 2024

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, folk, experimental, 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 The Darling Buds, Barrington Levy, Janis Joplin, Fairport Convention, Lucinda Williams, Massive Attack, Roxy Music, Samara Joy, Ray LaMontagne, Kurtis Blow, ODESZA, The Staple Singers, David Holmes, Raven Violet, Spiritualized, Noel Gallagher, Badfinger, The Beatles, Captain Beefheart, Phoebe Bridgers, Tracy Chapman, Stephen Stills, Charlie Poole, Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators, George Harrison, Beverley Knight, Mica Paris, Leonard Cohen, AC/DC, Elvis Presley, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Ian Dury, Basement Jaxx, Yola, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs with androgynous vocals

September 13, 2023 Peter Kimpton

The fabulous Ezra Furman and a famous fan …

Who is singing? It’s a magical moment of uncertainty. In a highly subjective topic, not only with non-binary artists but with those whose gender is better known, guest of the week ParaMhor picks perfectly balanced playlists of excellent and ambiguous gender vocals from last week’s topic nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, androgyny, gender, Massive Attack, Horace Andy, The Pointer Sisters, Suede, Brett Anderson, Secos & Molhados, The Clash, Salif Keïta, Cesária Évora, Prince, Ezra Furman, Moses Sumney, Colin Blunstone, Beach House, Nico, JS Bach, Michael Chance, Shamir, Bear In Heaven, Sweeny Todd, Lankum, Maria Bethânia, Gal Costa, Active Child, Gale Garnett, Cher, The Four Seasons, Eddie Holman, Peter Ivers, Thirty Pounds of Bone, Slapp Happy, Henry Cow, REM, This Mortal Coil, The Delays, Jeff Buckley, Mozart, Emma Kirkby, ParaMhor
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Playlists: songs about gangs

November 1, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Mommy Long Legs

Girl gangs, guy gangs, punk, rock, folk, pop and more, since this topic was launched last week it’s been a group effort, and leading us out with his pick of the nominations, guest ParaMhor makes songs about gangs great

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In blues, country, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, funk, indie, hip hop, gospel, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, gangs, Pulp, Bikini Kill, Sault, Mommy Long Legs, The Creation, Drake, The Monochrome Set, Dexys Midnight Runners, Junior Murvin, Shirley Collins, Elbow, Bruce Springsteen, Cabaret Voltaire, Leather Boy, New Uniform, The Devotchkas, Irving Berlin, Columbia Quartette, The Times, The Shangri–Las, Chaos UK, Raveonettes, Chron Gen, The Ruts, Joe White, Drive-By Truckers, Milton Nascimento, The Housemartins, The Jam, Massive Attack, ParaMhor
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Playlists: songs about taxation and wealth distribution

October 4, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Who gets the crown? Hint: the bird is the word …

Feeling taxed? Get some relief here. Blues, reggae, funk, punk, post-punk and more, we’ve got a full revenue of great music in store with no duty to pay, courtesy of an excellent distribution by guest playlister Severin picked from last week’s topic

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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, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, tax, poll tax, wealth, equality, economics, Prince Buster, J.B. Lenoir, The Members, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Massive Attack, Saul Williams, Professor Gabriel Zucman, The Exploited, Daniel Caesar, The Fall, Los Tigres del Norte, Village Man's Store, Mighty Sparrow, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Sharon Jones, The Dap Kings, Rip Rig And Panic, Fred Wesley and the JBs, The JBs, Fred Wesley Jr, Gene Autry, Crap, Loose Ends, Stick In The Wheel, Duke of Iron, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Toots and the Maytals, The Heptones, Junior Parker, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Clash, A Tribe Called Quest, Rubella Ballet, Champion Jack Dupree, Busi Mhlongo, Pink Floyd, Lonnie Donegan, Keith Moon, BJ and The Bear, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs about cetaceans

April 19, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Tails of the unexpected: whale dive

Tales of tragedy and adversity, death, survival and joy, from folk, rock, experimental and beyond, this week’s guest captain George Boyland steers us on a fabulous music journey, a deep dive to follow tales of whales and dolphins

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, country, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags whales, dolphins, porpoises, cetaceans, marine biology, Sting, Lou Reed, Jim Capaldi, Tulku, J.B. Lenoir, Tom Waits, Eddi Reader, Dennis Wilson, Connan Mockasin, Massive Attack, Bronski Beat, Seth Lakeman, The Byrds, Jeff Beal, paul simon, Elton John, Leon Russell, Crosby Stills & Nash, Gordon Lightfoot, Adrian Belew, Louis Armstrong, Billy Bragg, Country Joe McDonald, The Pogues, Nic Jones, George Boyland
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Playlists: songs about eternity

January 18, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Round and round: a timeless track coming up from Signs of Life by Penguin Cafe Orchestra …

Space, time, the rhythms of life, expressions of the divine, love? Eternity in its many permutations is to be found in these captivating playlists picked by guest ajostu, inspired by the near-endless nominations from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, classical, colours, calypso, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, eternity, The Rheingans Sisters, These New Puritans, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Bill Fay, George Friederic Handel, Handel, The Divine Comedy, Jim Croce, Wilco, Bjork, Emily Hall, Yes, Roy Wood, paul simon, Moloko, Half Japanese, Linda Lewis, New Order, Shoukichi Kina, The Mystic Revealers, Sergio Mendes, India Arie, The Black Keys, Pom Pom Squad, Super Furry Animals, Massive Attack, Anne Dudley, Jaz Coleman, Elyssa Samsel, Sakamoto Maaya, cosmo@bouso-P., ajostu
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Push those buttons: electronic dance and synth pop songs 1980-2000 

October 14, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Synth you’ve been gone …

Synth you’ve been gone …

Following a previous topic that went up to 1983, this week we explore the arc of this music’s sonic history through a new era of MIDI and digital, from the Fairlight CMI to the Roland TR-808 and beyond, and in lyrical pop songs more than instrumentals

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In electronica, disco, experimental, pop Tags songs, electronica, synthesizers, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Vince Clarke, Depeche Mode, Stephen Hawking, Curt Smith, Bernard Sumner, New Order, Tears for Fears, Kraftwerk, technlogy, Roland, Yamaha, Stereolab, Massive Attack, Tricky, Air, Daft Punk, Trevor Horn, The Art of Noise, Fairlight CMI, samplers, Tomorrow's World, Thomas Dolby, Kate Bush, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Dusty Hill, ZZ Top, Casio, Ikutaro Kakehashi, Ace Tone, Afrika Bambaataa
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Playlists: songs with non sequiturs

June 24, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Sparks are eating apparently nothing to do with what their song is about …

Sparks are eating apparently nothing to do with what their song is about …

From the witty to the weird, the irreverent to the irrelevant, the poetic to the potty, after a huge outpouring of nominations, guest playlister severin serves up a superb menu of cutting-edge and classic musical conundrums

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, music, jazz, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, non sequiturs, Wanda Jackson, Barenaked Ladies, Sparks, Homeboy Sandman, The Beatles, Beth Orton, Aldous Harding, Bob Dylan, The Go-Betweens, Shriekback, Captain Beefheart, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Chambers Brothers, Velvet Underground, Half Man Half Biscuit, Glenn Yarborough, Hombres, The Wind In The Willows, The Marvelettes, The Soft Machine, Cream, Guided By Voices, REM, Luke Westaway, Nirvana, David Bowie, Robyn Hitchcock, Memphis Jug Band, Skids, Sex Pistols, Santosh Narayanan, ABC, Wire, Suburban Lawns, The Sleepy Jackson, Talking Heads, Massive Attack, T Rex, The Flaming Lips, Stevie Wonder, Echo and the Bunnymen, Simple Minds, Brian Eno, Willie Colon, Jah Wobble, The Flys, Severin, severin
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Playlists: songs applied to Covid-19 lockdown

May 27, 2020 Peter Kimpton
The look of 2020

The look of 2020

Writing from a viral hotbed of Covid-19 lockdown - New York - guest playlister magicman recounts isolation, social chaos, cohesion, anger and laughter with his infectious collection of superb songs nominated by a global Song Bar audience

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Tags songs, playlists, coronavirus, Covid-19, flu pandemic, history, New York, Taiwan, Brazil, Andrew Cuomo, Donald Trump, Sparks, Charley Patton, Bertha Lee, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Master KG, Cosmos People, The Jarmels, Tame Impala, Reg Meuross, Courtney Barnett, Emanel Lasky, Tricot, Tool, Fat Larry's Band, Jon Hopkins, King Creosote, Randy Newman, Hunters & Collectors, Brothers Johnson, Talking Heads, The Unthanks, Abba, The Ethiopians, The Statler Brothers, Jeffrey Lewis, Kate Bush, Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim, Jackie Lee, Kraftwerk, Kate Tempest, Vicetone, Tony Igy, Swans, Soapkills, The Specials, Luke Vibert, Ele, Matt Lucas, Sinead Harnett, Al Green, The Temptations, Massive Attack, Tracey Thorn, Cardi B, iMarkkeyz, Todrick Hall, magicman
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Playlists: songs about quiet

April 29, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Shhh! It’s Björk

Shhh! It’s Björk

What does it mean to have quiet in your life? Inspired by hundreds of song nominations from last week’s topic, guest playlister DiscoMonster, puts together music through the prism of a story about truths, conflict and stillness

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In blues, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, soul, traditional, songs Tags songs, playlists, quiet, The Zombies, Bjork, Fleet Foxes, Jorge Drexler, The Go-Betweens, Jamie xx, Bahama Soul Club, Nina Simone, Prince, Massive Attack, 'Til Tuesday, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julian Cope, Depeche Mode, Japan, Parliament, Ibrahim Ferrer, Imara Portuondo, Miles Davis, Yona & Orkesteri Liikkuvat Pilvet, Kuusumun Profeetta, RiLF
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Playlists: songs that contain words of wisdom

February 27, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Confucius

Confucius

After an surge of sagacity in song nominations from last week’s topic, our most astute guest playlister barbryn makes his picks, but can you match his memes to the musicians and their music? Every picture tells a story …

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In blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, reggae, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, wisdom, The Rolling Stones, Steven Adams, Kris Kristofferson, Mama Cass Elliot, Esperanza Spalding, Disco Inferno, The Village Fugs, Paolo Nutini, Mischief Brew, Richard Earnshaw, Ursula Rucker, Roy Ayers, Dennis Brown, The Beatles, Frankie Miller, Alabama Shakes, Townes Van Zandt, Dresden Dolls, Dead Can Dance, Massive Attack, Sage Francis, Dan Le Sac, Scroobius Pip, Rokia Traoré, Abbey Lincoln, Annette Peacock, Superorganism, Hefner, Barbryn
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Playlists: songs that express the movement and feeling of walking

November 7, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Stray Cat Strut …

Stray Cat Strut …

Strolling, sauntering, strutting, ambling, rambling, hiking and meandering, from a week of walking nominations, these lists by guest ambulatory expert Abahachi will take you through many wonderful countries, genres and gaits

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In blues, classical, country, dance, disco, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, soul, traditional Tags songs, walking, playlists, Fatback Band, Greg Brown, Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids, Willie Dixon, Edward Vesala, Jah Screechy, The Diamonds, The Meters, Stray Cats, Astor Piazzolla, Vladimir Cosma, Ennio Morricone, The Staple Singers, Lou Donaldson, Prince, Digable Planets, Beat Street, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Rufus Thomas, Massive Attack, Right Said Fred, Thelonius Monk, Fever Ray, Abahachi
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Playlists: songs influenced by reggae, ska and rocksteady

March 14, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Set the controls for 1972, but where next? It's the Mighty Two, Errol Thompson in Joe Gibbs' studio, and off on a musical journey from Kingston, Jamaica …

Set the controls for 1972, but where next? It's the Mighty Two, Errol Thompson in Joe Gibbs' studio, and off on a musical journey from Kingston, Jamaica …

Who are the Mighty Two, and why are they in a tardis? Inspired by last week's nominations, guest playlist writer Uncleben takes us on fantastically influential musically journey through space and time

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In rocksteady, ska, reggae, rock, songs, soul, playlists, music, indie, hip hop, electronica, folk, pop, postpunk, punk, dance, blues Tags Songs, playlists, reggae, ska, rocksteady, time travel, Jamaica, Joe Gibbs, Errol Thompson, The Mighty Two, The Professionals, Sly and Robbie, Dennis Brown, Elvis Costello, Yona, Orkesteri Liikkuvat Pilvet, Pere Ubu, Kode9, The Spaceape, Angelic Upstarts, Stevie Wonder, Les Negresses Vertes, Scritti Politti, John Martyn, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Steely Dan, Alpha Blondy, Van Der Graaf Generator, Finley Quaye, Hollie Cook, The Ska Flames, The Internet, B.T. Express, Massive Attack, Miles Davis, Somo Somo & Mose Se Sengo, Gilberto Gil, Ska-P, Madness, paul simon, Robert Wyatt, Randy Newman, Nina Simone, TootArd, Uncleben
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Playlists: great tracks to begin albums, mixtapes or radio shows

January 10, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Blast off: many bright openings illuminate this week's playlists …

Blast off: many bright openings illuminate this week's playlists …

Is it best to set light slowly or start with a big bang? In what turned out to be topic of epic proportions and suggestions, this week's guest ParaMhor creates a superb selection of illuminating playlist openings 

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In soul, songs, rock, reggae, punk, pop, playlists, music, metal, indie, folk, electronica, dance, classical, blues Tags Songs, Music, playlists, opening tracks, Fairport Convention, Iggy Pop, Little Richard, The Temptations, Britney Spears, The Monkees, The Sweet, Meatloaf, Tom Petty, Bryan Ferry, Miles Davis, Massive Attack, Horace Andy, Richard Strauss, Thin Lizzy, Ty Segall, The Jacksons, Charles Mingus, The Gourds, Stevie Wonder, Echo and the Bunnymen, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Allman Brothers Band, Nick Drake, The Emotions, Intl Illimani, Inti-Illimani, John Barry, The Triffids, ParaMhor
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Playlists: songs about natural disasters and climate events

September 20, 2017 Peter Kimpton
This week's playlists are whipping up a storm

This week's playlists are whipping up a storm

Pompeii to pollution, plague, pestilence and pressure drop, volcanoes, falling rocks, Fiery Furnaces to forest fires, this week's playlists by guest writer ParaMhor, whipped up by last week's topic, will surely go down a storm

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In playlists, rock, songs, music Tags Songs, playlists, storms, weather, meteorology, Nova Mob, Julian Cope, Big Dipper, Tony Clarke, Beck, Monsoon, Mos Def, The Fiery Furnaces, Toots and the Maytals, John and Beverley Martyn, Robert Fripp, Peter Gabriel, Kathryn Kluge, Kim Allen Kluge, The Doors, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Captain Beefheart, Eric Bibb, Randy Newman, Diana Jones, Tom Russell Band, SRC, Villagers, Honolulu Mountain Daffodils, The Horrors, Imagine Dragons, Chris T-T & The Hoodrats, The Grateful Dead, Massive Attack, ParaMhor
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Playlists: songs about addiction

September 7, 2016 Peter Kimpton
The Dresden Dolls might have a few ... Bad Habits

The Dresden Dolls might have a few ... Bad Habits

Addiction is no laughing matter, so guest writer Violet Vivid gets down to the nitty gritty about 'It' and 'Them' in a visceral description of the inner process, mapped by some powerful music

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In playlists, music, songs Tags songs, addiction, drugs, alcohol, Marilyn Manson, Barenaked Ladies, Sisters of Mercy, Third Eye Blind, System of a Down, Placebo, Stone Sour, Natalie Imbruglia, Green Day, Dresden Dolls, The Verve, Chemical Brothers, Professor Elemental, Robert Palmer, Puretones, Afroman, Eurythmics, Metallica, Shamen, Queens of the Stone Age, Massive Attack, Portishead, Junior Kenna, Dillinger, Organ Donors, Violet Vivid, sex
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

Napue dark gin

SNACK OF THE WEEK

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New Albums …

Featured
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
Iona Zajac - Bang.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Iona Zajac: Bang
Nov 24, 2025

New album: A powerful, stirring, passionate and mature debut LP by the 29-year-old Glasgow-based Scottish singer with Polish and Ukrainian heritage who has toured as the new Pogues singer, and whose alternative folk songs capture raw emotions and the experience of modern womanhood, with echoes of PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, Aldous Harding and Lankum

Nov 24, 2025
Austra - Chin Up Buttercup.jpeg
Nov 19, 2025
Austra: Chin Up Buttercup
Nov 19, 2025

New album: This fifth studio LP as Austra by the Canadian classically trained vocalist and composer Katie Stelmanis brings beautiful electronica-pop and dance music, and has a bittersweet ironic title – a caustically witty reference to societal pressure to keep smiling despite a devastating breakup

Nov 19, 2025
Mavis Staples - Sad and Beautiful World.jpeg
Nov 18, 2025
Mavis Staples: Sad and Beautiful World
Nov 18, 2025

New album: A timelessly classy release by the veteran soul, blues and gospel singer and social activist from the Staples Singers, in a release of wonderfully moving and poignant cover versions, beautifully interpreting works by artists including Tom Waits, Curtis Mayfield, Leonard Cohen, and Gillian Welch

Nov 18, 2025
Stella Donnelly - Love and Fortune 2.jpeg
Nov 18, 2025
Stella Donnelly: Love and Fortune
Nov 18, 2025

New album: Finely crafted, stripped back musical simplicity combined with complex melancholic emotions mark out this beautiful, poetic, and deeply personal third folk-pop LP by the Australian singer-songwriter reflecting on the past and present

Nov 18, 2025
picture-parlour-the-parlour-album.jpeg
Nov 17, 2025
Picture Parlour: The Parlour
Nov 17, 2025

New album: Following last year’s EP Face in the Picture, a fabulously stylish, smart, swaggering glam-rock-pop debut LP by the Manchester-formed, London-based band fronted by the impressively raspy, gritty, vibratro delivery of Liverpudlian vocalist and guitarist Katherine Parlour and distinctive riffs from North Yorkshire-born guitar Ella Risi

Nov 17, 2025
FKA twigs - Eusexua Afterglow.jpeg
Nov 16, 2025
FKA twigs: EUSEXUA Afterglow
Nov 16, 2025

New album: Springing from her much lauded third LP Eusexua, out in January this year, and following a hugely successful and spectacular tour, the innovative British experimental pop artist, dancer and producer extends her palette of ethereal, otherworldly and sensual creations in this new, more carnal, harder, beat-filled parallel release

Nov 16, 2025
Celeste - Woman of Faces.jpg
Nov 15, 2025
Celeste: Woman of Faces
Nov 15, 2025

New album: The outstanding British singer returns, a long four years after her acclaimed debut Not Your Muse, with a classy, passionate set of nine, simmering, smoky, rippling dramatic, timeless numbers in which her vocal prowess is magnificently on show on songs playing on the theme of self and identity

Nov 15, 2025

new songs …

Featured
The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart.jpeg
Dec 4, 2025
Song of the Day: The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart
Dec 4, 2025

Song of the Day: Despite the title, this new double-A single (with Friday I’m Gonna Love You) has a wonderfully uplifting guitar-jangling beauty, with echoes of The Byrds and Stone Roses, but is of course the brilliant 60s and 70s retro sound of the Long Island brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario, out on Captured Tracks

Dec 4, 2025
Alewya - Night Drive.jpeg
Dec 3, 2025
Song of the Day: Alewya - Night Drive (featuring Dagmawit Ameha)
Dec 3, 2025

Song of the Day: A sensual, stylish, dreamy electro-pop single by the striking British singer-songwriter, producer, multidisciplinary artist and model Alewya Demmisse, musically influenced by her rich Ethiopian-Egyptian heritage and early childhood upbringings in Saudi Arabia and Sudan

Dec 3, 2025
Rule 31 Single Artwork.jpg
Dec 2, 2025
Song of the Day: Radio Free Alice - Rule 31
Dec 2, 2025

Song of the Day: Stirring, passionate indie postpunk by the band based in Melbourne, Australia, with echoes of The Cure’s core sound, new wave, and 90s indie-rock influences, and out on Double Drummer

Dec 2, 2025
Sailor Honeymoon - Armchair.jpeg
Dec 1, 2025
Song of the Day: Sailor Honeymoon - Armchair
Dec 1, 2025

Song of the Day: Catchy, punchy, fuzz-guitar indie rock with a droll lyrical delivery and some echoes of Wet Leg come in this new single by the trio from Seoul, South Korea, out on Good Good Records

Dec 1, 2025
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Nov 30, 2025
Song of the Day: Ellie O'Neill - Bohemia
Nov 30, 2025

Song of the Day: A beautiful, poetic finger-picking debut folk single with a mystical, distantly stormy twist by the Dublin-based Irish singer-songwriter from County Meath, out now on St Itch Records

Nov 30, 2025
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Nov 29, 2025
Song of the Day: Danalogue - Sonic Hypnosis
Nov 29, 2025

Song of the Day: A full flavour of future-past with mesmeric, euphoric retro acid house and electronica in this new single by Daniel Leavers, producer and the founding member of The Comet Is Coming and Soccer96, out now on Castles In Space

Nov 29, 2025
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Nov 28, 2025
Song of the Day: Cardinals - Barbed Wire
Nov 28, 2025

Song of the Day: Another striking, passionate, punchy, catchy single by the Irish postpunk/indie-folk-rock band from Cork, heralding their upcoming debut album, Masquerade, out on 13 February via So Young Records

Nov 28, 2025
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Nov 27, 2025
Song of the Day: Frank Popp Ensemble (with Paul Weller) - Right Before My Eyes
Nov 27, 2025

Song of the Day: A strong, soaring, emotive, soulful release by the German artist co-written by British singer and former Jam frontman who here sings and plays guitar, the lyrics about witnessing the increasing injustices and demise of the world, out on Unique Records / Schubert Music Europe

Nov 27, 2025
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Nov 26, 2025
Song of the Day: Tessa Rose Jackson - Fear Bangs The Drum
Nov 26, 2025

Song of the Day: Using a musical metaphor, beautiful, crisply rhythmical, soaring piano and atmospheric indie-pop-folk about facing your fears by the Dutch/British singer-songwriter, heralding her forthcoming new album The Lighthouse, out on 23 January 2026 on Tiny Tiger Records

Nov 26, 2025
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Nov 25, 2025
Song of the Day: Melanie Baker - Sad Clown
Nov 25, 2025

Song of the Day: Catchy, candid, cathartic indie-grunge-pop by the British singer-songwriter from Cumbria in a melancholy but oddly uplifting emotional work-through of depression, love and exhaustion, out now on TAMBOURHINOCEROS

Nov 25, 2025
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Nov 24, 2025
Song of the Day: Holly Humberstone - Die Happy
Nov 24, 2025

Song of the Day: Luxuriant, breathy, femme-fatale dream pop with a dark, southern gothic, Lana del Rey-inspired, live-fast-die-young theme, and stylish video by the 25-year-old British singer-songwriter from Grantham, out on Polydor/Universal

Nov 24, 2025
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Nov 23, 2025
Song of the Day: These New Puritans - The Other Side
Nov 23, 2025

Song of the Day: A delicate, tender, and unusually minimalist single, their first since this year’s acclaimed album Crooked Wing, by the Southend-on-Sea-born Barnett twins, here with Jack on improvised piano and George on drums and a soprano register wordless vocal, out on Domino Records

Nov 23, 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
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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
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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
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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
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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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