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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 transformation

January 6, 2026 Peter Kimpton

Dave began to wonder if it might be more than just forgetting to shave today …

New Year? It’s time for some big changes around here - that is with some profound physical shapeshifting or behavioural transformation, and even reincarnation itself, all in song from, provided with great expertise and taste by guest Uncleben from last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, dance, country, classical, dub, drone, disco, experimental, folk, indie, jazz, instrumentals, lounge, music, pop, playlists, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, rock, reggae, soundtracks, traditional, soul, songs, punk, RnB Tags songs, playlists, transformation, metamorphosis, Franz Kafka, Ovid, Homer, Shakespeare, Eric Carle, Lewis Carroll, Philip Glass, Jacques Dutronc, Steeleye Span, Viagra Boys, Cat Power, Material Issue, The Hold Steady, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, Susanne Sundfør, Nona Hendryx, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Triffids, Screaming Trees, Big Black, Bill Frisell, The Grateful Dead, Yes, Horace Silver, Richard Strauss, Helen Reddy, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs about obscure or unusual colours

September 9, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Into the mix …

Midnight sun to marmalade skies, octarine to racing green, it’s a who’s who of hues - with guest playlister Loud Atlas mixes up inspiration from last week’s topic into something a shade different

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In avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, easy listening, dub, exotica, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, colours, Ken Nordine, Ella Fitzgerald, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Claude Debussy, The Mercury Tree, ZZ Top, Black Box Recorder, Blossom Dearie, Tim Minchin, Pérez Prado, Tomoo, Misty, Donovan, Jorge Ben, Altered Images, Cocteau Twins, Adam Bosange, Charles Aznavour, Enya, Manic Street Preachers, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, The Tinkerbells, Vaughn Monroe, Paramore, Yussef Dayes, Tom Misch, Daniel Blumberg, Corinne Bailey Rae, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs defined or redefined by television

November 27, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Are you watching? The musical and visual chemistry of Breaking Bad

Sometimes the visual and audible become inextricable. From nostalgia to drama, guest of the week Loud Atlas channels nominations from last week’s TV topic into playlists that are must-sees and required listening

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, African, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, television, television themes, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Blind Boys of Alabama, Tom Waits, The Wire, The Lightning Seeds, Match of the Day, REM, The Bear, Sven Libaek, Inner Space, Los Jaivas, television news, Irma Thomas, Black Mirror, Barry White, Linda Ronstadt, The Last of Us, Modern English, Stranger Things, Kate Bush, Vince Guaraldi, Fonola Band, Charlie Brown, Colin Hay, Scrubs, The Polyphonic Spree, Lemon Jelly, Spaced (TV series), Badfinger, Breaking Bad, Gioacchino Rossini, The Lone Ranger, The Ventures, Hawaii Five-O, Nick Cave, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Peaky Blinders, Cream, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Alabama 3, The Sopranos, Delia Derbyshire, Doctor Who, The Decemberists, Manifest, The Cramps, Wednesday (TV series), Pérez Prado, advertising, Phil Collins, Booker T and the MGs, The Bee Gees, Baby Reindeer, Oasis, The Royle Family, John Willamson, Burke's Backyard, Blind Faith, 3 Body Problem, Gen Hoshino, Spy x Family, Nat King Cole, Fallout, CCS, Top of the Pops, Gabriel Fauré, Billy Walker, Lola Marsh, Beethoven, Nina Simone, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs that energise

November 20, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Go!: The Go! Team

It’s positive, infectious, subjective yet strangely magical in effect. Spread across the genres and inspired by last week’s topic, ParaMhor brings his superb selection of music that will brighten your day and put a spring in your step

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In African, calypso, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, lounge, krautrock, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, energising songs, energy, The Cult, The Kinks, Jackson Sisters, Blondie, Big Star, Jesus & Mary Chain, Otis Redding, The Go! Team, The Associates, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Mahlathini, The Mahotella Queens, Gong Gong Gong, Art Tatum, Bo Diddley, Lulu, The Jacksons, Roger and the Gypsies, Kanda Bongo Man, James Brown, Sote, The Fire Engines, Nice as Fuck, Amyl and the Sniffers, The Ruts, King Crimson, Sergei Prokofiev, The MVPs, The Bhundu Boys, Gonzalez, Suede, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Keith Jarrett, ParaMhor
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Playlists: songs about the colour brown

September 4, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Howlin’ Wolf in his prime …

Tinted with the wrong associations and overshadowed by other colours, brown is heavily underrated. But it has a natural beauty and vast range, as shown by these perfect shade of playlists picked by guest Loud Atlas from last week's topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags brown, colours, playlists, songs, Ken Nordine, Don Cherry, Howlin' Wolf, Jake Thackray, The Po' Ramblin' Boys, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Glenn Miller, The Corries, Sonny Rollins, Milton Nascimento, D'Angelo, Billy Bragg, Van Morrison, Oscar Brown Jr, Stevie Wonder, Leon Bridges, Kaleidoscope (US), Guy Clark, Los Mocosos, The Purple Gang, Sam & Dave, Lil Hardin Armstrong, India Arie, Brad Paisley, Serge Gainsbourg, Slash, Shonen Knife, Heino, Loudon Wainwright III, Johnny Cash, Yussef Dayes, Tom Misch, Slim Gaillard, Mad Agnes, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about libraries

August 15, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Silence, knowledge, and lust - it’s all to be found in the library …

Objects of intellectual interest to persons of desire – it all goes on in the library. Picking from the shelves of last week’s nominations, guest playlister Loud Atlas presents a carefully crafted catalogue that captures the A-Zs of library’s social intrigue

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In blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, disco, dance, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, libraries, books, Murray Gold, Doctor Who, television, Sparks, Squeeze, The Go-Betweens, Husker Du, Gecko, Ange Hardy, The Axis of Awesome, Tom Chapin, Kimya Dawson, Aesop Rock, Loudon Wainwright III, Yellow Ostrich, The Bookshop Band, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Arctic Monkeys, My Morning Jacket, Saint Etienne, The Trashmen, The Elites, Broadcast, Animals That Swim, Hefner, Jimmy Buffett, Gang of Four, Of Montreal, Monty Python, The Herbiliser, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Kenny Young, Monnone Alone, One Man and His Beard, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about rare events

February 7, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Rare, and always on the move: Halley and Billie

From celestial to historical, the fictional to the emotional, while rarities are exactly as described, there’s a huge variety, and many songs about them. Picking from last week’s huge range of nominations, guest Marco den Ouden makes heavenly choices

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rocksteady, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Space, comets, rare events, Processory, Billie Eilish, Jim Moray, Tasmin Archer, Seth Lakeman, The Polecats, Mance Lipscomb, Albert King, Pop Staples, Steve Cropper, Rod Macdonald, Donovan, Cleo Laine, Cigarettes After Sex, Cowboy Junkies, Barenaked Ladies, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Byrds, Nanci Griffith, The Velvelettes, Bonnie Dobson, Charly Bliss, Don McLean, String Cheese Incident, Billie Holiday, Bill & Boyd, The Abyssinians, Bob Dylan, Lightnin' Hopkins, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Van Morrison, Mitski, Paranoid Visions, Randy Newman, Kraftwerk, Pete Moore, Michael Lowenstern, Sven Libaek, The Comet Is Coming, Al Cohn Quintet, The Monks, Lenny White, Journey, Armin Van Burren, Cannonball Adderley, Snarky Puppy, Wayne Krantz, Michael Nyman, JP Saxe, Julia Michaels, Ray Stevens, Marco den Ouden
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Playlists: songs that give you goosebumps

January 10, 2023 Peter Kimpton

The inner beast: Sinéad O’Connor

Was it the music, the voice, the lyrics, or all three? In a truly hair-raising (in the all the right ways) opener to 2023, guest playlister Maki creates two superbly shivery and inspiring lists from a wide choice of possibilities from last week’s topic

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In African, classical, drone, dub, experimental, folk, gospel, indie, jazz, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, psychedelia, reggae, rock, songs, ska, soul, soundtracks, traditional, blues Tags songs, playlists, goosebumps, Lana Del Rey, Nick Cave, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Sevdaliza, Mozart, Marian Anderson, JS Bach, Jacques Brel, Ana Moura, David Essex, Sinead O'Connor, Hem, The Pretenders, The Clash, FKA Twigs, The Congos, Lucy Dacus, The Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Collage, Propaganda, Kathleen Battle, Wynton Marsalis, The Stranglers, Macy Gray, Maki
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Playlists: gothic, creepy, scary, horror-inspired songs

October 26, 2021 Peter Kimpton

Goblin: legendary Italian creators of the 1977 Suspiria soundtrack

After a marvellously monstrous nomination response to this topic, guest playlister Amylee picks out a huge house of horror to be enjoyed, from scary soundtracks to freaky folk traditional, zombie rock apocalypses to gruesome gore. The devil has all the best tunes …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, drone, electronica, dub, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, horror, gothic, Film, film soundtrack, Goblin, Steeleye Span, Billie Eilish, Mirel Wagner, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Slint, Las Limiñanas, The Smiths, Alice Donut, Utsu-P, The Pogues, Bruce Springsteen, The Doobie Brothers, Comus, The Herd, The Human League, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Scott Walker, Artie Shaw, Nina Simone, Alice Cooper, Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Fields of the Nephalim, Sopor Aeternus, Carolanne Pegg, trees, Yoko Ono, Mogwai, The May Company, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Sleepy Jackson, Royal Trux, The Go-Betweens, The Naxalites, Ultimate Spinach, La Carniceros del Norte, Maria Theresa Vega, General Echo, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Frank Zappa, Royal Bangs, Tropical Trash, Kings of Leon, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Talking Heads, The White Stripes, AmyLee
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Playlists: songs about nothing

September 29, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Nothing is a hard to a-void

Nothing is a hard to a-void

Empty hearts and vacuums to voids, sweet nothings to total zeroes, last week we presented the Song Bar visitors a whole load of nothing, and led by guest playlister ParaMhor, who made perfect picks, it really turned into something …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, nothing, nihilism, Aristotle, Albert Einstein, Ella Fitzgerald, Edith Piaf, The Flirtations, The Small Faces, The Go! Team, Ezra Furman, Townes Van Zandt, The Beatles, The Cure, Velvet Underground, Lil Nas X, Sinead O'Connor, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, John Cooper Clarke, The Ugly Ducklings, Joyside, Stiff Little Fingers, Orchestre Poly Rhythmo, Hirth Martinez, The Pop Group, Boy Harsher, Piers Faccini, Swans, Amorphous Androgynous, Aimee Mann, Tintern Abbey, ParaMhor, Ebony Alleyne
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Playlists: songs about the tide

March 31, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Low tide on the Welsh coast

Low tide on the Welsh coast

From Scottish rocks to smooth Australian shores and right across the globe, from a steadily rising sea of nominations, guest playlister Nicko charts the ebbs and flows, ins and outs, and highs and lows with a set of beautifully flowing choices

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags tides, coasts, playlists, songs, Al Bowlly, Lew Stone, Laura Veirs, Elvis Costello, June Tabor, Tom McRae, Christy Moore, The Moody Blues, Invisible, Gene Clark, Paul Kelly, Bob Marley, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Chris Rea, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, Yothu Yindi, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, The Elizabethan Sessions, 10000 Maniacs, Peter Hammill, Omar Rodriquez-Lopez, Lou Reed, Vance Joy, Blondie, Love Unlimited, Celeste, Rubén Blades, Erland Cooper, Dirty Three, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The XX, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Beach Boys, The Righteous Brothers, The Bad Detectives, Rush, Paul Grabowsky, Majestic Dance Orchestra, Helen Rowland, The Atlantics, Johnny Osbourne, Barrington Levy, General Echo, Fish & Goat At The Controls, Aba Shanti, Not Waving Drowning, Nicko
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Playlists: songs about edges, ledges and thresholds

January 26, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Billy Mackenzie: a life on the edge

Billy Mackenzie: a life on the edge

From a thin razor to wide borders on the fringes of the world, from mental thresholds to frenzied fault lines, all inspired by many nominations on last week’s topic guest playlister Maki takes the topic to the musical cutting edge

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In blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, edges, thresholds, Defunkt, Madonna, Billy Mackenzie, Einstürzende Neubauten, Radiohead, Peter Hammill, Vainica Doble, The Doobie Brothers, BB King, Yes, Richard Hawley, Fairport Convention, The Oysterband, The Grateful Dead, Culture, Los Mocosos, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, U2, XTC, The Go-Betweens, Milltown Brothers, Bernardo Bonezz
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Reflect back on this: meta songs

January 7, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Getting right into each other: ABBA

Getting right into each other: ABBA

Songs about themselves. Does this sound loopy? You’re right. It’s all about the self-referential to any aspect of a songs’s own music, structure, instruments, format, lyrics and more. Droste effect? Mirroring? It’s all about the song

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, reggae, punk, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, meta-songs, paradox, Rudolf Carnap, Douglas Hofstadter, Badly Drawn Boy, Nick Cave, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Public Image Limited, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Al Green, Jeffrey Lewis, Leonard Cohen, Elton John, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Belle & Sebastian, The Beatles, OutKast, Matching Mole, heraldry, mise en abyme, art, Giotto, Jan Van Eyck, Jan Misset, brands, MC Escher, Film, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Charlie Kaufman, Philip K Dick, Laurence Sterne, Russell Hoban, The Simpsons, Mandelbrot, Pink Floyd
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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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Come together: songs from supergroup albums

November 21, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Cream, with a heavy dose of Ginger

Cream, with a heavy dose of Ginger

Collaborations, surprising or predictable, are of what music is made. But this week’s topic focuses on artists from different, already successful acts who collaborate not only on one song or performance, but a whole LP or more

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, albums, supergroups, Cream, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Blind Faith, Peter Frampton, Steve Winwood, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bad Company, Rio, Rainbow, The Traveling Wilburys, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Them Crooked Vultures, Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, Jack White, The Good The Bad and the Queen, Damon Albarn, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Birthday Party, Gallon Drunk, The Highwomen, Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires, Natalie Hemby, Gorillaz, Chickenfoot, Joe Satriani, Van Halen, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Les Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, Primus, Buckethead, Parliament, Funkadelic, LSD, Labrinth, Diplo, Sia, Oysterhead, The Police, Phish, Plastic Ono Band, Prophets of Rage, Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy, Mike + The Mechanics, Genesis, Squeeze, Sad Café, Nevermen, Faith No More, TV On The Radio, cLOUDDEAD, Folkearth, Five Finger Death Punch, Alice Cooper, The Firm, McBusted, FFS, Franz Ferdinand, Sparks
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Playlists: song lyrics with strange, rare or unlikely words

September 19, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The divine Joanna Newsom: diluvian shoulders to magnetic embrace, balletic and glacial, of bear’s insatiable shadow

The divine Joanna Newsom: diluvian shoulders to magnetic embrace, balletic and glacial, of bear’s insatiable shadow

From antirrhinums of Jake Thackray to the pretentious Pet Shop Boys to the hyperbolic hippopotamus of Sparks, this week’s guest EnglishOutlaw articulates wonderfully wordy playlists from last week’s topic

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, words, dictionary, Kirsty MacColl, Sparks, Oi Polloi, Pet Shop Boys, Momus, Frank Zappa, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Jake Thackray, Organized Konfusion, Teenage Fanclub, Stevie Wonder, Joanna Newsom, Travelling Wilburys, The Gourds, The Divine Comedy, Mighty Sparrow, John Betjeman, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Lorde, Paul Kelly, Mose Allison, Vivian Stanshall, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Inkubus Sukkubus, Tyla J Pallas, EnglishOutlaw
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Playlists: songs about brevity

September 5, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Not much time? Ari Up! The Slits

Not much time? Ari Up! The Slits

It only takes a minute (or a second) to click on this link, but once you do, your brief encounter with these pithy, witty playlists by guest picker Severin will make you linger on lyrical gems about love’s fast passing and much more

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In blues, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, brevity, The Jam, Paul Weller, Connie Converse, The Slits, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, So Solid Crew, Nico, Doris Troy, Say Sue Me, Natacha Atlas, Tavares, Maddy Prior and the Girls, High Contrast, The Unthanks, Major Lance, Warlock, Fleetwood Mac, The Easybeats, Jazmine Sullivan, The Stranglers, The Zombies, The Cure, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Whitey, Eddi Reader, Inner Life, Jocelyn Brown, Pink Floyd, Kuricorder Quartet, Severin, severin
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Playlists: songs about waking up

April 4, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Wake up ... with Sudan Archives

Wake up ... with Sudan Archives

Dawn in India to Donovan, Bacharach-David to The Beatles, this week's wonderful selections by guest playlister ParaMhor from last week's nominations will have you feeling wide awake and refreshed

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In blues, colours, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, reggae, rock, soul Tags Songs, playlists, waking, Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam, Donovan, Aretha Franklin, Chuck Jackson, Clara Smith, The Beatles, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Wham!, George Michael, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Elastica, Sudan Archives, Havana Casino Orchestra, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Pulp, Cookies, Glass Sun, Eskimo Joe, REM, Love, Life 'n' Soul, Elmore James, Emily Smith, Josh Ritter, Dusty Springfield, Tom Springfield, Betty Lavette, Marvin Gaye, Talking Heads, Radiohead, ParaMhor, MS Subbulakshmi
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Playlists: songs about snow and ice

December 20, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Chill out and listen to this week's playlists …

Chill out and listen to this week's playlists …

Clearlake to Cocteau Twins, Tchaikovsky to Jethro Tull, last week's topic included an avalanche of nominations, from which this week's guest takeitawayGuru has sculptured two of fine flakes and frozen shapes 

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In playlists, music, rock, songs, classical, country, electronica, indie, pop, punk Tags songs, playlists, snow, ice, weather, winter, Tchaikovsky, Isao Tomita, Clearlake, Led Zeppelin, Nick Cave, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Cocteau Twins, Idina Menzel, Songs: Ohia, Dylan Parker, Jethro Tull, Kate Bush, Slade, Fishbaugh, Fishbaugh Fishbaugh and Zorn, Rod Stewart, Offenbach, Galaxie 500, Bat For Lashes, Genesis, Fred Eaglesmith, Spin Doctors, Richard Thompson, Judy Henske & Jerry Yester, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Simon & Garfunkel, Status Quo, Frightened Rabbit, Biffy Clyro, takeitawayGuru
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Sing out, act on CLIMATE CHANGE

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CONDEMN RACISM, EMBRACE EQUALITY

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DRINK OF THE WEEK

Caffè mocha


SNACK OF THE WEEK

land of nod cinnamon bun


New Albums …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 16, 2026
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June 15, 2026
La Sécurité: Bingo!
June 15, 2026

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

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

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

June 13, 2026
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June 10, 2026
Vince Staples: Cry Baby
June 10, 2026

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

June 10, 2026
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June 9, 2026
Liz Lawrence: Vespers
June 9, 2026

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

June 9, 2026
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June 9, 2026
Bedouine: Neon Summer Skin
June 9, 2026

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

June 9, 2026
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June 8, 2026
Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mouse on Mars: Spatial, No Problem
June 8, 2026

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

June 8, 2026
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June 7, 2026
Jalen Ngonda: Doctrine of Love
June 7, 2026

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

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

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

June 7, 2026
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June 6, 2026
Zoh Amba: Eyes Full
June 6, 2026

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

June 6, 2026
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June 5, 2026
ear: Rumspringa
June 5, 2026

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

June 5, 2026

new songs …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 13, 2026
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June 12, 2026
Song of the Day: Jack White - Dollar Bill
June 12, 2026

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

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

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

June 11, 2026
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June 10, 2026
Song of the Day: Rodrigo y Gabriela - Monster
June 10, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 7, 2026
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June 6, 2026
Song of the Day: LA Priest - Into The Sky
June 6, 2026

Song of the Day: High-octane electronica and euphoric, dance music by the eccentric, eclectic US artist Sam Eastgate with his first music for two years, and a highly entertaining video, out on Domino Records

June 6, 2026

Word of the week

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

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

June 11, 2026
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June 4, 2026
Word of the week: quamoclit
June 4, 2026

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

June 4, 2026
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May 21, 2026
Word of the week: riqq
May 21, 2026

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

May 21, 2026
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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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April 23, 2026
Word of the week: throstle
April 23, 2026

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

April 23, 2026

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