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Playlists: songs about underdogs

October 23, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Underdog under dog

From the financially underprivileged to the militarily outnumbered, sporting longshots to those barred by the race, from last week’s topic suggestions, guest Loud Atlas’ powerful picks show how the apparent minnows can become mighty

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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, instrumentals, indie, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, psychedelia, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags Sly & The Family Stone, Archie Roach, Blind Alfred, Jim Croce, Spoon, Johnny Horton, Bob Marley, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Allison Russell, Peter Sarstedt, Todd Duncan, Nat King Cole, Paul Robeson, Bill Conti, Keith Hampshire, Chumbawamba, Alicia Keys, Joe Walsh, Public Enemy, The Nashville Teens, Boomtown Rats, The Boomtown Rats, Pulp, The Clash, Guignol, Mischief Brew, Danny Kaye, Stornaway, Cast of Hamilton, Ren, Nick Drake, Liza Minnelli, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about freedom of expression

July 10, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Live and Letta Mbulu

From politics to personal life, sexuality and personal liberation to broader social issues, on the back of recent elections and a topic covering freedom of speech, guest playlister Maki spans geography, genre and time to give the subject a full hearing

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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, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, freedom, free speech, Ultra Naté, Soup Dragons, Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Billy Bragg, Letta Mbulu, Joseph Kabassele et L'African Jazz, The Bee Gees, Killing Joke, Stiff Little Fingers, Amy MacDonald, Pablo Hasél, Pussy Riot, Mischief Brew, Charles Wright, Cocoa Teas, Shabba Ranks, Home Tea, Metallica, The Who, The Clash, Chicory Tip, John Farnham, Roger Waters, Kicker, The Stranglers, Maki
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Playlist: songs about blessings and curses

February 21, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Blessed or cursed? How how will it play out…?

Mysterious places, songs and secrets. This week’s wonderfully vivid playlist, inspired by last week’s topic, sets an intriguing narrative in a mysterious establishment run by a shady figure. But will it take a dark or a light path? Guest writer Maki sets the scene …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, drone, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, soul, songs, ska, traditional Tags The Mountain Goats, Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, The Grateful Dead, Lee Scratch Perry, Agnes Obel, Camarón de La Isla, The Pogues, Celina y Reutilio, Mischief Brew, The Only Ones, Tunng, Kevin Ayers, Charlotte Day Wilson, boygenius, Aira Yuuki, Ornette Coleman, The Stranglers, Maki, playlists, songs, blessings, curses
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Playlists: songs about preachers, priests and other religious leaders

August 8, 2023 Peter Kimpton

New York manic street preacher, 1987. Photograph by DiscoMonster

Good, bad, mad and sometimes downright nasty, they come in many forms, but preachers are almost always charismatic. Inspired by last week’s congregation of nominations, guest playlister DiscoMonster delivers an inspiring bible-sized musical sermon on the subject

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In African, blues, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, priests, preachers, Paul Kelly, Roberta Flack, Larry Heard, HiFi Sean, Orchestra Boabab, Judy Collins, Prefab Sprout, Mercury Rev, Ska-P, Black Grape, Mischief Brew, Moodymann, Son House, Papa Wemba, Santigold, The Smiths, Bullet, Damaged Bug, Tackhead, The Impressions, Hozier, Zeke Manyika, DiscoMonster, Orchestra Baobab
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Playlists: songs about memorabilia and souvenirs

January 24, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Visited any of these? Take it to the fridge …

Memories fond to tragic, travel to mementos of lost lovers, all kinds of objects and emotions are on display this week as guest Loud Atlas picks out a colourful and poignant range of objects and songs to spark stories and feelings

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In African, blues, country, comedy, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, souvenirs, memorabilia, travel, merchandise, DIre Straits, Connie Francis, Los Jaivas, Freda Payne, Looking Glass, Charles Mingus, Bryan Ferry, Marianne Faithfull, Procol Harum, Maggie Bell, Jellyfish, Tom Waits, Tommy Collins, George Formby, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Jean-Michel Jarre, Richard Thompson, Django Reinhardt, Donald Fagen, Bob Dylan, The Stylistics, Matt Nathanson, Sam Mangwana, Joyce Grenfell, Johnny Cash, Mischief Brew, Ben Sollee, MC Solaar, Penthouse, Omega One, Barbara Evans, Billy Joel, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about paradise

July 13, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Lost Horizon (1937), based on James Hilton’s 1933 novel

Heaven can wait, so they say, but there’s no longer a need, but a musical utopia is here in a fabulous collection of playlists picked by guest of the week Nicko, taking us to a better place and inspired by 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, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Shangri La, paradise, Utopia, B.W. Stevenson, The Flames, Sundae Times, Jesca Hoop, The 13th Floor Elevators, The O'Jays, Aldous Harding, Edwyn Collins, Ethel Waters, Buzzcocks, Gregory Isaacs, Sade, Billy Fury, Seaman Dan, Charlie Parker, Slapp Happy, Gene Austin, Shawn Phillips, Eden Ahbez, Lorraine Bowen, Frentel, The Eagles, Mischief Brew, Bob Dylan, Suzanne Vega, ELO, Missy Higgins, The Undertones, The Pretenders, Spinetta y Los Socios Del Desierto, Trio Matamoros, El Gran Combo, William Onyeabor, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Coolio, Icehouse, Fiction Factory, The Space Negros, Tony Bennett, Harry McClintock, Joni Mitchell, The Kinks, Amen Corner, The Last Shadow Puppets, The Staple Singers, Stevie Wonder, Chuck Berry, Talking Heads, Joe Smooth, Cocteau Twins, The Cure, Seal, OPM, Meatloaf, Gabriel Fauré, Judy Garland, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Manecas Costa, Eurogliders, war, Johnnie Taylor, Deep Sensation, Gwen Guthrie, Les Djibos, Konono No 1, Nicko
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Playlists: love songs to specific places

March 8, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Avalon man: Mississippi John Hurt

Avalon to Cádiz, New York City to Paris, Mexico to West Indies, this week’s playlists make up a music journey of poetic proportions, an atlas d’amour perfectly prepared by guest picker Uncleben, jet propelled by last week’s huge topic

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In African, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags The Waterboys, Lucio Dalla, Mississippi John Hurt, Heartless Bastards, Aries Vigoth, Protoje, Chronixx, Gilbert Bécaud, Camaron de la Isla, LCD Soundsystem, Tom Russell, Norwegian Wind Ensemble, Jean Sibelius, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Mischief Brew, James Taylor, The Beginning of the End, Lord Creator, The Whitlams, Angèle, Christy Moore, The Bangles, Lorraine Bowen, Florence and the Machine, Cesaria Evora, places, playlists, towns, cities, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs about gratitude

January 5, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Earth, Wind, Fire and a whole lot more to be thankful for …

A truly upbeat and positive way to start off 2022, a deliciously mix of disco, funk and pop, folk and more from Detroit to Scotland, Chile to Africa and beyond, picked by guest DJ PopOff! from last week’s many song suggestions

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In African, avant-garde, blues, dance, country, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, reggae, rock, ska, showtime, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, gratitude, Andrew Gold, Abba, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, The Whitlams, Horace Silver, William DeVaughn, Earth Wind & Fire, Violetta Parra, Peter Hammill, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mischief Brew, Alanis Morissette, Kate Rusby, The Proclaimers, Stromae, Bjork, Adeva, Fatoumata Diawara, King Sunny Ade, Tania Maria, Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue, Natalie Cole, Billy Paul, The Grateful Dead, Neil Michael Hagerty, TItan Go Kings, Beastie Boys, The Beastie Boys, Teenage Fanclub, XTC, YUI, Sinead O'Connor, Bat For Lashes, Christina Aguilera, Grigory Leps, Timor Rodriguez, Dido, Markus Reuter, The Hooters, PopOff!
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Playlists: songs about nuts and edible seeds

November 30, 2021 Peter Kimpton

Put your hands together for these tasty playlist treats ….

Coconuts to nutmeg and kandy corn, peanuts to pistachio to pecans, the seed store has been filled up to the brim with tasty musical treats from last week’s topic, picked and served up in a delicious set of lists by clever top nut Tatanka Yotanka

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags playlists, nuts, seeds, fruit, food, songs, Macka B, Thelonius Monk, Macy Gray, The Soft Boys, Devandra Banhart, Charles Trenet, Ivor Cutler, Mischief Brew, Trilok Gurtu, Captain Beefheart, Heino, Warmduscher, Golden Smog, Juliette Greco, Cai Bin Lang, The Melodians, Pee Wee Ellis, The Turtles, Sunny Sharrock, Time Hart, Maddy Prior, The Ink Spots, Spearhead, Michael Franti, Mother Goose, Louis Jordan, Johnny Cash, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Chaotic Dischord, Splodge, The Lovely Eggs, The Young 'Uns, Billy Cotton and His Band, Damien Rice, The Sweet, Jimmy Buffett, Abba, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Tony Allen, Hugh Masekela, The Tragically Hip, Ty Segall, Manu Dibango, Augustus Pablo, Johnny Gentle, Laurel Aitken, Pigbag, George Brassens, TatankaYotanka
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Playlists: Aeolian airs – songs with audible breaths and breeze

January 19, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Deep breaths: Sweet Honey in the Rock

Deep breaths: Sweet Honey in the Rock

Inhale! Exhale! Sexy to smoky, exercise to sighs, plus bigger breaths from nature, this week’s playlists, compiled by breath-of-fresh-air guest Hoshino Sakura from a hurricane of nominations, will make you gasp with pleasure

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In African, avant-garde, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, musicals, playlists, pop, reggae, rock, songs, ska, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, breathing, breath, wind, Yello, Betty Carter, Miles Davis, The Chakachas, The Brides of Funkenstein, Sweet Honey In the Rock, Prince, The Mixtures, Yoko Ono, Bad Daughter, Ryo, Supercell, Jerry Lee Lewis, Salt-N-Pepa, Destiny's Child, Beyonce, Mischief Brew, Deep Purple, ELO, Seiko Oomori, Mungo Jerry, The Monkees, Kraftwerk, Spirit, Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, Daniel Herskedal, Armando Trovajo, Ottomix, Bette Midler, Guinney Pepper, Santa's Farting Elves, Ian Dury, Sandra Jullien and Miki Sugimoto, Cypress Hill, The Grateful Dead, Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, LiSA, Hoshino Sakura
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Playlists: songs about social mobility

October 21, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Class reflections: Mighty Mo Rodgers

Class reflections: Mighty Mo Rodgers

It’s a life of ups and downs, hopes and dreams. From financial ambition to border immigration, breaking the rules to criticising status quo fools, this week’s playlists, picked from a big crowd of nominations by guest Suzi, are truly classy

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In African, avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, dub, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, social class, social mobility, Peter Gabriel, Action Pact, !Action Pact!, Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman, Ja'Net Dubois, Gentle Giant, Marvin Gaye, The Kinks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ry Cooder, Mighty Mo Rodgers, Mischief Brew, Rage Against The Machine, Zoot Money and the Big Roll Band, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, June Christie, The The, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, Sly & The Family Stone, Future of the Left, The O'Jays, Yazz, Madeleine Peyroux, Jake Thackray, Suzi, The I.D, Jeff St John
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Playlists: adult lullabies and other songs about inducing sleep

June 3, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Berceuse ballad: the Pogues can do a beautiful lullaby

Berceuse ballad: the Pogues can do a beautiful lullaby

Restless? Don’t worry, this is worth staying up for. Enjoy a countdown in the first of several lists perfect picked by guest amylee from hundreds of suggestions over the week, which in all contexts help a perfect night’s sleep

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, colours, country, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, showtime, soundtracks, traditional Tags lullaby, songs, playlists, My Bloody Valentine, Aqualung, Ella Fitzgerald, Eliza Carthy, The Pogues, James Taylor, Magnolia Electric Company, Songs: Ohia, The Pretenders, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Low, Leonard Cohen, Alternative TV, The Teardrop Explodes, Los Lobos, The Harmonians, Lou Reed, Cornershop, Samingad, Mischief Brew, James Yorkston, Kate Rusby, U2, Janis Ian, James, Queens of the Stone Age, Dua Lipa, The Taxpayers, The Smiths, Airiel, Lamb, Alt-J, The Waterboys, The Doors, Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars, Counting Crows, Husker Du, The Verve
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Playlists: songs about electricity

May 8, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Where will lightning strike in this week’s playlists?

Where will lightning strike in this week’s playlists?

Ancient lightning gods and rods to pioneers of current, this week’s bright spark EnglishOutlaw connects nature, history and scientific experiment into musical form with playlists inspired by last week’s electrifying topic

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In avant-garde, comedy, country, dance, electronica, experimental, folk, indie, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, reggae, soul Tags songs, playlists, electricity, science, Screeching Wheel, White Noise, The Grateful Dead, MGMT, Buzzcocks, The Decemberists, The Bee Gees, Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Frank Sidebottom, Photomartyr, Band of Holy Joy, The Cure, They Might Be Giants, The Waterproof Candle, Man or Astro-Man?, The Ramones, Jenny Hval, Joni Mitchell, Barenaked Ladies, Albert Hammond, Captain Beefheart, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, The Cravats, Mischief Brew, EnglishOutlaw
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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 about fixing, repairing and solving

January 9, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Heartstrings are harder to repair that guitars …

Heartstrings are harder to repair that guitars …

From gaffer and duct tape, housing to mending a broken heart, let’s repair towards fantastic playlists created by the handy skills of our guest treefrogdemon, who was inspired by a full toolkit of suggestions from last week’s topic

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, rock, songs, soundtracks, soul, traditional Tags songs, fixing, playlists, repairing, Patti Smith, Grinderman, Nick Cave, The Burning Hell, Alan Jackson, Barenaked Ladies, Robb Johnson, Robb Johnson and the Irregulars, Slapp Happy, Jens Lekman, The Scaffold, Otis Gibbs, Saint Etienne, The Decemberists, Bagpuss, Mischief Brew, John Faulkner, Sandra Kerr, Albert King, The Dead Kennedys, Flanagan and Allen, Elbow, Missy Elliott, Yazoo, Flanders and Swann, Joni Mitchell, Rosa Anderson, Paul Kelly, The Beatles, Richard Thompson, treefrogdemon
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Playlists: songs about authenticity and fakery

September 12, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Bright Sparks. The very real Ron and Russell pose a few questions and have some of the answers

Bright Sparks. The very real Ron and Russell pose a few questions and have some of the answers

Got a problem? Sex and relationships? Work? Retail choices? All your questions will be answered by this week’s problem-solving guru Uncleben, who turns from agony uncle into ecstasy-inducing music playlister

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, authenticity, forgery, fakery, fake news, sex, relationships, Sparks, Angelica, Jeffrey Lewis, Mischief Brew, Hole, Courtney Love, BIg Youth, The Hold Steady, Charles Mingus, Buzzcocks, Superorganism, The Strawbs, Big Star, Russell Morris, The Dramatics, Arctic Monkeys, Roxy Music, Lyle Lovett, Slapp Happy, The Bevis Frond, Rozetta Johnson, The Jigsaw Seen, Eric Matthews, Smashing Pumpkins, Curtis Mayfield, Geraldine Hunt, Coldcut, Roots Manuva, Roxanne Shanté, Pete Shelley, Theodor Adorno, philosophy, psychology, Uncleben
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Going once, going twice … playlists: songs about sales, selling and bargains

January 17, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Gone!

Gone!

Sold! Paddle at the ready, and waiting for the gavel to drop, this week's excellent guest playlister EnglishOutlaw takes on a musical journey through the auction house, watching other punters and bidding for with some fabulous songs

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In folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, metal, pop, punk, rock, songs, soul, country, blues Tags Songs, playlists, selling, bargains, auctions, Fugazi, Tom Waits, Bobby Bare, The Who, Junior Wells, The Velvet Underground, Conflict, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Public Enemy, Alan Jackson, Jake Thackray, John McCutcheon, Memphis Minne, Ronnie Spektor, Lambchop, The Mississippi Sheiks, The Streets, Loudon Wainwright III, The Saints, Antidote, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Manic Street Preachers, Sammy Davis Jr, Weird Al Jankovic, Mischief Brew, EnglishOutlaw
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Playlists: Songs about sitting and standing

November 29, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Strat in your lap …

Strat in your lap …

Standing up to sitting pretty, benches to balconies to boats, this week's guest playlister treefrogdemon takes on a beautiful and poetic knee-bending tour, arranged after very long legs of nominations

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In blues, comedy, country, folk, indie, music, playlists, rock, soul, songs, pop Tags songs, playlists, sitting, standing, RL Burnside, Richard Hawley, Ella Washington, James Reynes, Richard Thompson, Kirsty MacColl, The Boo Radleys, Eddie Cochran, Scrugg, Ray Davies, Dick Gaughan, Stubby Kaye, Jackie Leven, Barenaked Ladies, Eric Bibb, The Oldham Tinkers, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Mischief Brew, Art Bears, The Templars, Loreena McKennitt, The Pretenders, Los Lobos, The Bevis Frond, Toots and the Maytals, Elvis Costello, The Mississippi Sheiks, Anthony Stewart Head, Sarah Michelle Gellar, treefrogdemon
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Playlists: songs about news, reporting and media

June 14, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Iggy Pop and friend are watching the news

Iggy Pop and friend are watching the news

How did it all unfold on election night? Narrated through perfect playlists of running coverage, our guest reporter EnglishOutlaw, inspired by last week's topic, cleverly sneaked inside No 10 Downing Street … 

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In playlists, music, songs Tags Songs, playlists, general election, Theresa May, Hüsker Dü, The Vapors, Iggy Pop, Cock Sparrer, Robert Plant, Nick Cave, Skyhooks, Madness, Prince, Kaiser Chiefs, John Fogerty, Roger Taylor, Elvis Costello, Betty Davis, UK Subs, Crass, The Imposter, Smog, Wire, The Clash, Flatt & Scruggs, Mischief Brew, New Model Army, Billy Bragg, EnglishOutlaw, politics, BBC, David Dimbleby, media, television news
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Playlists: songs about propaganda

June 7, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Ministry of Untruth? George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four ... with a slight update

Ministry of Untruth? George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four ... with a slight update

George Orwell to the Emperor's New Clothes, Mao Tse Tung to Tiananmen Square, this week's guest writer Marco den Ouden skilfully picks songs from last week's topic that perfectly play with the truth

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Tags songs, Propaganda, politics, George Orwell, Moddi, art, China, Mao Tse Tung, Herbert Marcuse, New Model Army, Dan Gardner, Vietnam War, The Eurythmics, Tom Paxton, Antisect, Sonic Boom 6, Capitol 1212, Ry Cooder, Van Der Graaf Generator, Rollins Band, Henry Rollins, Alabama 3, Roger Waters, John Lennon, Frank Wilkinson, Jack Webb, Raymond Burr, Dragnet, The Naked City, television, news, REM, Lucky Dube, Rage Against The Machine, The Clash, Alan Hull, The Templars, George Harrison, Party Posse, Hot Chocolate, Bob Dylan, Cock Sparrer, Oysterband, Sheryl Crow, Dead Can Dance, Big Band Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Albert Collins, Billy Bragg, Mischief Brew, Peter Tosh, Chumbawumba, Richard Gere, Chicago (musical), Squirrel Nut Zippers, Hope of the States, Royal Trux, Play Dead, Marco den Ouden, Charlie Chaplin, film
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New Albums …

Featured
Chris Brain - Red Sun Rising.jpeg
May 7, 2026
Chris Brain: Red Sun Rising
May 7, 2026

New album: Beautifully warm, quiet, tender and bucolic new folk LP by the Yorkshire-based singer-songwriter, following a pastoral tradition of landscapes literal and emotional, very much influenced by and echoing the delivery of Nick Drake

May 7, 2026
Lip Critic - Theft World.jpeg
May 7, 2026
Lip Critic: Theft World
May 7, 2026

New album: Following 2024’s acclaimed debut Hex Dealer, a newly challenging but also exciting experimental fusion of post-punk, noise rock, electronica and hip-hop by the New York band in this second LP, inspired by the anxiously oddball situation of frontman Bret Kaser’s identity being stolen by a real-life fan, and making hundreds of purchases in his name, including the band’s catalogue

May 7, 2026
Tori Amos - In Times of Dragons.jpg
May 6, 2026
Tori Amos: In Times of Dragons
May 6, 2026

New album: The acclaimed American singer-songwriter and pianist’s 18th album in a 35-year career is a grandiose, powerful 17-track album of odyssey and allegory around politics, power and feminist resistance, fuelled by the current state of her nation, set from the view of fictionalised marriage to a dangerous billionaire and an escape across the country with a narrative twist

May 6, 2026
Kacey Musgraves - Middle of Nowhere.jpeg
May 6, 2026
Kacey Musgraves: Middle of Nowhere
May 6, 2026

New album: Moving away from the pop-folk direction of 2021’s Star-Crossed and 2024’s Deeper Well, the Nashville singer-songwriter returns with this seventh LP back to her country roots with gently trotting, stripped-back finely crafted collection of witty, catchy, candid numbers covering a spectrum of moods

May 6, 2026
OUTTANATIONAL by Pigeon.jpeg
May 5, 2026
Pigeon: OUTTANATIONAL
May 5, 2026

New album: Hugely enjoyable, stylish, playfully eclectic debut LP of indie, electronica and Afro-disco and krautrock grooves by the Margate band fronted by the multi-lingual artist Falle Nioke from Guinea Conakry, West Africa, with songs about identity and ancestry, and a sound somewhere between New Order and William Onyeabor

May 5, 2026
KNEECAP - FENIAN.jpeg
May 3, 2026
KNEECAP: FENIAN
May 3, 2026

New album: Still the scourge of the establishment after 2024’s debut LP Fine Art, a hugely entertaining second LP of punchy, slick, defiant Irish Gaelic rap by Belfast’s Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap, and beatmaker DJ Próvaí, with an expanded sound aided by innovative producer Dan Carey and an appearance by Kae Tempest

May 3, 2026
Long Wave Home by Jesca Hoop.jpeg
May 2, 2026
Jesca Hoop: Long Wave Home
May 2, 2026

New album: Brilliantly inventive, eclectic, poetic, experimental folk and art-pop by the acclaimed Manchester-based Californian singer-songwriter and guitarist in her first self-produced album, variously about the end of relationships, life changes, technology’s social effects, Gaza victims and other contemporary issues with perhaps her finest yet

May 2, 2026
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
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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
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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

new songs …

Featured
Father John Misty - The Payoff.jpeg
May 8, 2026
Song of the Day: Father John Misty - The Payoff
May 8, 2026

Song of the Day: The acclaimed American singer-songwriter aka Josh Tillman returns with a caustic, dark, menacing new track referencing an underbelly of dodgy deal-making, out now on Sub Pop. It’s the second Father John Misty single of 2026, following The Old Law, released in January

May 8, 2026
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May 7, 2026
Song of the Day: Balming Tiger - Home
May 7, 2026

Song of the Day: A stylishly fun, funky, eccentric electronica, indie and hip-hop fusion by the South Korean collective known as “alternative K-pop”, heralding their new album, Gongbu, out on 19 May, via MOAH

May 7, 2026
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May 6, 2026
Song of the Day: Zoh Amba - Eyes Full
May 6, 2026

Song of the Day: An impassioned, stirring, dark and driving country/indie-rock number about what makes someone’s heart full and questioning why by the NY-based band with Kingsport, Tennessee roots, with this title track of the forthcoming debut LP Eyes Full, out on 5 June via Matador Records

May 6, 2026
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May 5, 2026
Song of the Day: Sofie Royer - Cowboy Mouth
May 5, 2026

Song of the Day: A catchy, cool, stylish fusion of indie and electro-pop by the classically trained, California-born, Vienna-based Iranian-Austrian artist, inspired by reading Patti Smith and Sam Shepard’s play of the same title, reimagining the play’s characters as Angel and Cowboy, and out now on Stones Throw Records

May 5, 2026
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May 4, 2026
Song of the Day: Hodge - Wiggler
May 4, 2026

Song of the Day: A hugely fun, energising, infectious, effervescent, repetitive electronic dance track by the Bristol-based DJ/producer (aka Jake Martin) featuring a 3D pipe bassline by Memotone, and released alongside another track,Trust, out on Local Action

May 4, 2026
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May 3, 2026
Song of the Day: Ibibio Sound Machine - Return To Sender
May 3, 2026

Song of the Day: Fizzing with vibrant energy and intricate rhythms, a fabulous new single with a personal accidental backstory by the London electronic afro-funk band out of London fronted by vocalist Eno Williams, out Merge Record

May 3, 2026
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May 2, 2026
Song of the Day: The Puppini Sisters - Total Eclipse of the Heart
May 2, 2026

Song of the Day: A fabulous new version of the Jim Steinman-penned 1983 Bonnie Tyler power pop hit, arranged by Marcello Puppini in an entirely different style for her swing-jazz trio and band, part of their 20th anniversary celebrations and album, The Birthday Party, out now on Millionaire Records

May 2, 2026
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May 1, 2026
Song of the Day: Bleachers - I'm Not Joking
May 1, 2026

Song of the Day: Featuring harpsichord, Hammond organ, Dobro and more, producer Jack Antonoff and his New Jersey rock band return with a heartfelt love song single heralding the upcoming album, Everyone For Ten Minutes, out on 22 May via Dirty Hit

May 1, 2026
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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

Word of the week

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

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

May 7, 2026
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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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