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Playlists: songs about fountains

August 27, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Songs pour out …

A fluid topic, fountains strike a deep emotional chord, while sometimes reflective and philosophical, cover a range from loneliness and sorrow to exaltation and celebration. Marco den Ouden turns on the the tap, inspired by the past week’s nominations

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In African, 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, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, music, fountains, water, Jackie Wilson, Peter Perrett, Al Green, Echo and the Bunnymen, Jackson Browne, Alec Benjamin, Tracy Chapman, Lady Gaga, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Indigo Girls, Jackie Leven, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Charlotte Church, Judikay, Playing For Change, Frank Sinatra, The Sweet, Arrested Development, Buffalo Tom, Doll By Doll, Georges Brassens, Elvis Presley, Leon Ware, Janis Siegel, Sufjan Stevens, King Crimson, Kate Rusby, Joe Bonamassa, The Byrds, Black Uhuru, Carl Perkins, PJ Harvey, Fleetwood Mac, Clamavi de Profundis, Jorge Ben, Jah9, Rolf Stimson, Gran-Lee Phillips, Tom Harrell, Carol Rosenberger, Duke Ellington, Los Pekenikes, Paco de Lucia, Cyrus Chestnut, Lyle Lovett, Laurence Juber, Mad Unity, Lloyd McNeil Quartet, Geffion, Franz Schubert, Shang Wen-Jie, The Choir Of Beijing Takah, Les Cailloux, Camille, Marco den Ouden, Marconius
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Playlists: songs about paths, tracks, trails and roads

January 29, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Follow this musical trail ….

From tiny woodland byways to endless stretching highways, across history and continents, Devon to Scotland, America to Australia, guest playlister Shiv Sidecar takes us on a fabulous musical journey inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, country, dance, drone, dub, exotica, easy listening, electronica, experimental, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, roads, paths, trails, Nick Drake, Archie Roach, Linkin Park, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Alasdair Roberts, The Aislers Set, Buddy Miles, Mazzy Star, Pavlov's Dog, Show Of Hands, The Move, The Triffids, Dengue Fever, Metric, Ivor Cutler, The Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Midnight Oil, Japanese Breakfast, Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kevin Morby, Jackie Leven, Karine Polwart, Lal Waterson, Robb Johnson, JJ Cale, Bo Diddley, U-Roy, Billy Butler, Shocking Blue, The Factory, David Byrne, Nina Nastasia, Dan Fogelberg, Lightnin' Hopkins, PJ Harvey, Cult Maniax, Lhasa, Ralph MacDonald, Super Furry Animals, trees, The Battered Ornaments, The Gun Club, Plainsong, XTC, ShivSidecar, Sidecar Shiv, Gillian Welch
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Playlists: songs with unusual time signatures

February 7, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Tea time at the Bar? Alternative servings …

Pleased to meter? 5, 7, 11, 13, 15 or even 17? We’ve got all the strange signature numbers for you here in brilliantly arrhythmic playlists by guest of the week Barbryn, making it really count from last week’s topic nominations

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In African, avant-garde, calypso, classical, dance, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, time signatures, rhythm, The Smile, Radiohead, Deborah Conway, PJ Harvey, Elephant Gym, Georgie Fame, Juana Molina, Pachora, Cat Stevens, Yusuf, Planxty, The Grateful Dead, Sufjan Stevens, Aaron Parks, Uakti, Philip Glass, Bjork, JS Bach, Murray Perahia, Yes, Airto Moreira, Don Ellis, Jazzanova, Bill Bruford, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Dream Theater, Tricot, GoGo Penguin, Avishai Cohen, Shakti, Taylor Swift, The National, Aaron Dessner, Lamb, Barbryn
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Just count on this: songs with unusual time signatures

February 1, 2024 Peter Kimpton

After a short paws …what happens next?

Hard to beat? Not necessarily. While most songs are in 4/4 time, and others in 3/4 waltz, there are many fascinating variants that push the boundaries, often in a catchy way. It’s not necessary here to name the numbers, just how it feels when you count …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, calypso, comedy, country, dance, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, trip hop Tags time signatures, songs, playlists, instrumentals, William Gibson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Albert Einstein, Emily Dickinson, Mark Helprin, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Nick Drake, Islet, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Walken, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Chemical Brothers, Q-Tip, Captain Beefheart, Bjork, Fiona Apple, Sufjan Stevens, PJ Harvey, Frank Zappe, King Crimson, Yes, Robert Fripp
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Playlists: single-minded songs

November 14, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Single-minded pursuits: Roxy Music

It might mean concentration, determination, persistence, relentlessness, and even obsessive behaviour, but while that perhaps thinking of one thing, or one person, but this is a topic has gathered a broad range of music and ideas. Guest Sidecar Shiv reveals more in fabulous playlists picked from last week’s topic

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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, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Primal Scream, The Fugees, Muhammad Ali, A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, John Forte, Nico Wayne Toussaint, The Impressions, David Holmes, Raven Violet, Taylor Swift, Roxy Music, Animals That Swim, Dave Hause, Fountains of Wayne, Fiona Apple, The Animals, Dean Parrish, Nocturnal Emissions, U2, The Sound, Talking Heads, The Temptations, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Boogie Down Productions, Giant Crab, Kevin Coyne, PJ Harvey, Bobbie Gentry, Amy MacDonald, Sufjan Stevens, Neil Young, The Triffids, Iris DeMent, Julian Cope, Husker Du, Eurythmics, The Eurythmics, Ronnie Lane, Slim Chance, Della Reese, ShivSidecar, Sidecar Shiv
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Concentrate! Songs about single-mindedness

November 9, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Moving moment? Anatoly Karpov …

Concentration, drive, relentless purpose and pursuit are needed for certain levels of achievement, but how is it expressed in song lyrics? In finding love or 'the one", to work, to gain acclaim, achieve fame, or a particular goal? For inspiration here are examples in music, film, sport and more …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags single-mindedness, concentration, psychology, music, sport, Film, books, chess, Anatoly Karpov, Gary Kasparov, Susan Sontag, E.R. Eddison, Tim Wu, Alan Watts, Stanley Kubrick, Andrew Carnegie, Aldous Huxley, Focus, Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, Kevin Shields, My Bloody Valentine, PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple, Joanna Newsom, Charles Dickens, Joseph Conrad, tennis, swimming, Diana Nyad, documentary
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Playlists: songs about gravity

November 8, 2023 Peter Kimpton

One giant leap, Felix Baumgartner returns to Earth from 24 miles up, 2012

Recurring dreams, space, tides and the Moon, or perhaps a very weighty animal? Gravity t’s a major force that controls us all, but channelled into playlists by guest of the week George Boyland from last week’s topic, it’s sure to go down very well …

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, gravity, Tankus The Henge, Erland Cooper, Ivor Cutler, John Mayer, Prince Far I, The Arabs, Tarpeian Rock, Gorillaz, Bootsy Collins, Kelli Ali, Nada Surf, James Brown, Desmond Dekker, XTC, Lau Nau, Peter Hammill, Ben Cox, Jesse Winchester, Gustav Holst, Robert Wyatt, Editors, King Crimson, Captain Chris Hadfield, Space, The Rolling Stones, Pylon, Frank Black, The Folk Implosion, REM, George Boyland, PJ Harvey
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Playlists: songs about teeth

November 1, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Open wide: the great Dinah Washington makes a trip to the dentist, but might she receive more than a filling?

Draculas to dentists and dentures, smiling to biting, gnashing, chattering, grinding and chomping, there’s no shortage of wonderful music to chew over with these tasty, pearly-white playlists picked by guest Nicko from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags teeth, dentists, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Dinah Washington, Lorde, The Mighty Diamonds, Tindersticks, xiangyu, Tools You Can Trust, Genesis Owusu, Eaglebear Singers, Tanya Tagaq, Lady Gaga, Working Men's Club, Free, Roky Erickson, John Williams, Spike Jones & His City Slickers, Spike Jones, Weird Al Jankovic, Screaming Lord Such, Timothy, Devon Irons, The Upsetters, Scientist, The Hollies, Witch, Sparklehorse, PJ Harvey, Wilco, Stew & The Negro Problem, Lotte Lenya, Jackie Orszaczky & The Grandmasters, Lonnie Johnson, Victoria Spivey, Duke, Sugar Minott, Weed Out Vampires, Busy Signal, Madder Lake, Skin Of Out Teeth, Nicko
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Playlists: songs about reading

September 20, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Talking Heads - but what’s in the book?

Read all about it! Or in some cases, don’t believe a word. From books to letters to the media and more, guest of the week George Boyland picks out a classy selection from last week’s topic nominations. Browse and enjoy …

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In blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, folk, funk, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, psychedelia, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags reading, books, letters, newspapers, news, media, Liverpool, songs, playlists, Billy Bragg, The Boomtown Rats, Edwin Starr, Johnnie Taylor, Pete Townshend, NIck Lowe, Talking Heads, Blind Willie Johnson, McCarthy, PJ Harvey, Joan Armatrading, Swell Maps, Gordon Lightfoot, Rocket From The Tombs, David Crosby, Fairport Convention, Belle & Sebastian, Grant Hart, Future of the Left, The Bevis Frond, Reggae George, Elvis Costello, Julian Cope, Western Promise, George Boyland
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Playlists: songs about nudity and nakedness

May 17, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Ars Poetica: Lizzo and friends strike an artistic pose

High art to big bum beauty, it’s time to fling off those garments and let it all hang out as guest playlister Tatanka Yotanka goes au naturel with a double dozen pair of playlists inspired by last week’s nominations that brilliantly buff

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, gospel, jazz, krautrock, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags nudity, nakedness, John Berger, Frank Zappa, Ann Tracy, The Andrews Sisters, Vic Shoen Orchestra, Talking Heads, PJ Harvey, Neneh Cherry, Ida Maria, Rita Coolidge, Lizzo, Mo' Horizons, Anoushka Shankar, Randy Newman, Philip Jeays, The Donnas, The Cramps, Joan Jett, Blue Pearl, Cat Power, Becky G, Natti Natasha, Cosmo Sheldrake, Shakira, Sabrina Claudio, Piero Umiliani, Screeching Weasel, Oi Polloi, Kevin Coyne, Lorraine Bowen, Peter Hammill, Jackie Leven, TatankaYotanka
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Playlists: songs about space travel

November 23, 2022 Peter Kimpton

After the many posts … vintage posters

When last week’s topic launched, it went off like a rocket - with hundreds of nominations. Now, out of this musical astral shower, guest playlister Shiv Sidecar has mapped out a song constellation that’s out of this world …

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags Space, space travel, playlists, The Byrds, Ray Anderson & The Home Folks, Public Service Broadcasting, Labrinth, Pharoah Sanders, Judee Sill, Elton John, Brett Smiley, The Imagined Village, Hen Ogledd, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Mekons, The Honeymoon Killers, The Blue Men, Chris Kenner, Spiritualized, Broadcast, Lothar and the Hand People, Weather Report, Janelle Monae, Peter Gabriel, Shudder To Think, Automatic Man, Fu Manchu, Blink-182, Teenage Fanclub, Chungking, Pearls Before Swine, Curt Boettcher, Wonky Alice, Children Collide, Soundhog, T.P. Orchestre Poly Rhythmo De Colonou, Rezillos, PJ Harvey, XTC, Amon Düül II, Kendra Smith, Game Theory, The Kaleidoscope, ShivSidecar
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Playlists: songs about wastelands

September 21, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Woody Guthrie …

They tell stories of decay and often a trail of human destruction, but out of the infertile soil also also grows vivid, moving, and often profound songwriting. Picking from the ground of last week’s topic, guest George Boyland sees portents in the past and future

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, drone, dub, folk, indie, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, wastelands, environment, human behaviour, fossil fuels, The Troggs, Old Crow Medicine Show, JJ Cale, The Congos, Richard Thompson, Husker Du, PJ Harvey, David Rovics, Snog, Samantha Crain, The Doors, Ian Noe, Bryan Ferry, James, Misty in Roots, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Band of Holy Joy, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Deadead, Van Der Graaf Generator, Songs: Ohia, Kevin Coyne, Seth Lakeman, Bert Jansch, The Atrix, Bob Dylan, George Boyland
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Playlists: songs about Liverpool and Merseyside

August 24, 2021 Peter Kimpton
What will emerge out of the mist on the Mersey ….?

What will emerge out of the mist on the Mersey ….?

Misty Mersey to the streets of Kenny and more, it’s time to weigh up anchor and, inspired by last week’s nominations, explore this liveliest, most celebrated city and beyond, courtesy of terrific tour guide and playlister Alaricmc

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In blues, country, folk, indie, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Liverpool, Merseyside, Katrina and the Waves, The Bangles, Bellowhead, The Storm Weather Shanty Choir, Christy Moore, Deaf School, Shack, Hughie Jones, Robb Johnson, Johnny Keating and the Z-Men, Mike Hart, Cilla Black, The Mighty Wah, The Liverpool Scene, James Taylor, Billy Bragg, The Dubliners, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Beatles, Swallow The Anchor, The Wombats, The Boo Radleys, Ian McNabb, PJ Harvey, Half Man Half Biscuit, Maddy Prior and the Girls, Bob Dylan, Billy Maher, Jeggsy Dodd, John McCutcheon, Serge Gainsbourg, Alaricmc
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Playlists: songs about roses

May 25, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Roses of many colours decorate this week’s lists …

Roses of many colours decorate this week’s lists …

Whether wild or cultivated, on western plains to eastern mountains, country gardens or inner city, guest flower picker AmyLee creates a bloomin’ marvellous bouquet of music to display a fabulous selection of aural and lyrical colours

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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, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, roses, flowers, The Smithereens, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Otis Taylor, The Temptations, Chris & Cosey, The Association, Elliott Smith, Oysterband, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Hope Sandoval, The Warm Invention, Waxahatchee, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Airto Moreira, The Maytals, Shawn Phillips, Peter Hammill, Gary Lucas, Van Morrison, Praetorius, Ben Webster, OutKast, Betty Harris, Dub Syndicate, Bobby Hebb, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, PJ Harvey, The West Coast Pop Art Experiment, Squeeze, Clear Light, Marianne Faithfull, television, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Jerry Garcia, Ray LaMontagne, Rosanne Cash, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Ben Harper, Tom Waits, Thin Lizzy, The Magnetic Fields, Pete Docherty, Them, Fairport Convention, Kaia Kater, Captain Beefheart, Nazareth, Bijan Chemirani, James P. Johnson, St. German, St Germain, Oscar Peterson, Johann Strauss II, Benjamin Britten, Handel, George Friederic Handel, Henry Purcell, Mouse on Mars, Virgil Fox, Tony Gould, Vangelis, Brian Eno, Roger Eno, AmyLee
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Playlists: songs about underwear

March 16, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Less is more, or more is more? Goodness. This sort of thing could raise a chap’s temperature somewhat

Less is more, or more is more? Goodness. This sort of thing could raise a chap’s temperature somewhat

Knee socks, stockings, Y-fronts and bags of bras, especially red. As with all the best things, a glimpse is far more exciting than baring all, and with these selections guest playlister philipphilip99 is primed in the art of titillation

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In blues, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, underwear, Arctic Monkeys, Bandit Queen, Divinyls, Space, John Prine, Iris Dement, Suzanne Vega, Nina Simone, PJ Harvey, Hang on the Box, Fujiya & Miyagi, Fela Kuti, Jonny Trunk, Pulp, Sarah Vaughan, Liza Minnelli, Joni Mitchell, The National Youth Girls' Choir of Great Britain, Bryan Ferry, Hoodoo Gurus, The Move, Sisqo, Tom Waits, The Sports, The Sugarcubes, The Drifters, Van Halen, philipphilip99
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Playlists: songs about regressing, reversing and relapsing

February 9, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Robert Wyatt is back

Robert Wyatt is back

Going back for good reasons or bad, heartbreak or sheer habit, by nature or nature, emotional or physical places. Guest guru nosuchzone also returns with perfectly playful and poetic selections that go through all the levels

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, regressing, reversing, relapsing, Soul II Soul, Everything But The Girl, Robert Wyatt, Max Romeo, The Pretenders, T Rex, Aswad, The Beach Boys, Missy Elliott, Propellerheads, Shirley Bassey, Tom Waits, Memphis Jug Band, Billie Holiday, Ben Watt, Captain Beefheart, Alton Ellis, Talk Talk, Radiohead, Ken Boothe, Astor Piazzolla, Roberto Goyeneche, PJ Harvey, The Copper Family, Elvis Presley, Steely Dan, Tyrone Davis, Amy Winehouse, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Devo, The Carpenters, Odyssey, Fine Young Cannibals, Elephant9, Fried, Swing Out Sister, nosuchzone, Concha Buika
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New meets old: songs where different-era elements combine

July 2, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Carrying the ages, via The Simpsons. Insert any music you like …

Carrying the ages, via The Simpsons. Insert any music you like …

This week we seek strange combinations from starkly different times – old songs covered on new instruments, new songs played on old instruments, traditional musicians playing with younger, or old styles mashed up with the new

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, comedy, 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, playlists, fusion genres, The Simpsons, Ralph Waldo Emerson, TS Eliot, Bertolt Brecht, Kate Bush, Nalini Priyadarshni, technology, The Beatles, Joseph Parry, Arvo Pärt, Prince, Little Richard, Orkestra Obsolete, New Order, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, SsingSsing, Akdan Gwangchil, 이날치 Leenalchi, PJ Harvey, Eigenharp, Korg, Rudyard Kipling, Stephen King, Malcolm Muggeridge, Henry David Thoreau, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Colin Greenwood, John Maynard Keynes, Robert Bresson, William James, Humble The Poet
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Playlists: songs about furniture

December 25, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales are furnished with inspiration by a certain room at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont hotel

Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales are furnished with inspiration by a certain room at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont hotel

Tables, beds and daybeds, chairs to desks, sofas and all sorts, this week’s playlists, not only have legs, but give us the full suite of emotions, moods, settings and styles, expertly chosen this week’s guest Marco den Ouden

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In blues, classical, country, disco, dance, electronica, funk, gospel, folk, indie, jazz, hip hop, music, playlists, musical hall, pop, postpunk, prog, rock, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, furniture, Guy de Maupassant, The Beautiful South, George Jones, Little Big Town, FKA Twigs, Rihanna, Dylan Scott, Jarvis Cocker, Chilly Gonzales, Zac Brown Band, James Keelaghan, Billy Storm, Tamia, Ruth Brown, Tarnation, Fangoria, Jonathan Coulton, Billie Jo Spears, Harry Nilsson, Dean Friedman, Mills Brothers, The Go-Betweens, Rick Springfield, Neil Finn, Paul Kelly, Alice Cooper, Mary Coughlan, Richard Thompson, Kate Rusby, John Denver, Courtney-Marie Andrews, Caroline Spence, Edith Piaf, Missy Higgins, Gene Watson, PJ Harvey, John Parish, Bob Dylan, Lorna Bennett, The Pale Fountains, Bette Midler, Marco den Ouden, Marconius
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Meet me in the middle? Songs about compromise

June 13, 2019 Peter Kimpton
John, Yoko and Paul. Compromise is a divisive but potent issue …

John, Yoko and Paul. Compromise is a divisive but potent issue …

It’s all about the C-word in song, but does it strengthen or weaken us? Does it hold society together or kill artistic integrity? You can’t always get what you want, but can you give a little, take it a little? Can we work it out, or just do it my way?

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, compromise, politics, US politics, Brexit, Donald Trump, climate change, climate change denial, music, Film, books, football, sport, George Herbert, Henrik Ibsen, Edmund Burke, Janis Joplin, Bay City Rollers, Marc Bolan, punk, new romantics, goths, heavy metal, rockers, mods, Alain Prost, Scott Walker, PJ Harvey, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Abba, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Talib Kweli, T Bone Burnett, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Bat For Lashes, Peter Hook, New Order, Viv Albertine, Matt Dillon, Louis MacNiece, Irvine Welsh, Mike Leigh, Andrei Tarkovsky, Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, Alan Greenspan, George Clooney, Angela Merkel
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Playlists: songs about platonic love

December 19, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy aka Will Oldham, and friend

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy aka Will Oldham, and friend

It may be the most precious love of all, but sometimes not fully felt until it’s gone. Guest playlist writer EnglishOutlaw tells a moving tale alongside beautiful, emotional songs from last week’s topic

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In blues, comedy, dance, electronica, folk, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, songs Tags songs, playlists, friendship, platonic love, relationships, Elbow, Avett Brothers, Jens Lekman, Sarah McLachlan, Johnny Cash, Bob Evans, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Cyndi Lauper, PJ Harvey, Smoke Fairies, Crash Test Dummies, Weezer, Bruce Springsteen, The Chills, Antony and the Johnsons, Carole King, The Saw Doctors, John Prine, Iris Dement, Mel & Tim, Randy Newman, The Producers, Queen, Splodgenessabounds, The Rembrandts
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New Albums …

Featured
A Pound of Feathers by The Black Crowes.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
The Black Crowes: A Pound of Feathers
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Following 2024’s resurgent release Happiness Bastards, Atlanta, Georgia brothers Chris and Rich Robinson return with their 10th album in four up-and-down decades, with a belting release packed with Stones/ Keith Richards-style riffs, and a full-blooded, full-throttle classic and catchy rock

Mar 18, 2026
 Paris In The Spring by Alexis Taylor.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Alexis Taylor: Paris In The Spring
Mar 18, 2026

New album: The clarity and high range of the distinctive Hot Chip lead singer returns with his seventh solo LP, packed with personal, candid, philosphofical and sometimes melancholy lyrics allided with bright, melodic leftfield electro-pop, a dash of country, elegant disco-house, and Vangelis-inspired soundscapes, and a title echoing a psychological test where things are not as they seem

Mar 18, 2026
Madeleine by Diagonale des Yeux.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Diagonale Des Yeux: Madeleine
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Wonderfully weird, wonky, woozy, avant-garde, absurdist oddness by the French duo of Laurène Exposito and Théo Delaunay, with their lo-fi, ramshackle, DIY postpunk and retro-electronica, sharing sung and spoken vocals across French, German, English and Spanish

Mar 18, 2026
Yebba - Jean.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Yebba: Jean
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Following 2021’s Dawn, a second LP by the American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas, aka Abigail Smith, moves towards an eclectic mix of gentler, more understated pop, folk, gospel, R&B, and soul, is named after her late grandmother, and has candid, personal themes of mourning and spiritual healing

Mar 18, 2026
The Sophs - Goldstar.jpeg
Mar 17, 2026
The Sophs: Goldstar
Mar 17, 2026

New album: A fairytale story of a debut for the Los Angeles six-piece fronted by Ethan Ramon, who cold-emailed demos to Rough Trade Records before even playing a live gig and were signed – that instinctive leap of faith rewarded by this stylish, bold, mercurial, confident, darkly humorous, eclectic debut leaping between rock, indie, pop, hoedown country, delta blues and beyond

Mar 17, 2026
Kim Gordon - Play Me album.jpeg
Mar 13, 2026
Kim Gordon: Play Me
Mar 13, 2026

New album: Following 2024’s The Collective, the former Sonic Youth frontwoman’s fourth solo LP continues her extraordinary experimental, innovative journey, moving to more melodic beats and shorter tracks with a motorik krautrock-style driven coloured by strange sounds, intense emotions and sharply angled, dark, droll social commentary

Mar 13, 2026
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Mar 11, 2026
ELIZA: The Darkening Green
Mar 11, 2026

New album: The London artist Eliza Caird (formerly under the mainstream pop moniker Eliza Doolittle) returns with more of the cool, slow, sensual, gentle, sophisticated experimental soul-funk style evolving from her 2022 album A Sky Without Stars, here with particularly polished, silky, stripped back grooves and vocals

Mar 11, 2026
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Mar 11, 2026
Andrew Wasylyk: Irreparable Parables
Mar 11, 2026

New album: The Scottish multi-instrumentalist and composer returns with a new selection of soothing, meditative mix of experimental classical and jazz, but this time joined with six different singers represented by the birds on the album artwork

Mar 11, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
waterbaby: Memory Be A Blade
Mar 10, 2026

New album: A delicate, experimental, understated soulful chamber pop debut by the pure-voiced Stockholm-born singer-songwriter (aka Kendra Egerbladh) in 25-minute, eight-track release of lo-fi, lyrically semi-improvised numbers about heartbreak and self-renewal in a world of gorgeous musical sensations

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
Joshua Idehen: I know you're hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try
Mar 10, 2026

New album: With a strikingly long title, a euphoric and honest full debut LP by the British-born Nigerian poet, spoken word artist and musician based in Sweden, working with his musical partner Ludvig Parment’s sonic layers, packed pacy dance and hip-hop grooves, clever sampling, slower reflections, and articulate expressions of positivity through the ups and downs of grief and hope

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
Gnarls Barkley: Atlanta
Mar 10, 2026

New album: Finally, after an 18-year gap since their last collaboration in the heady days of the hit Crazy, with the St Elsewhere and The Odd Couple LPs a third and supposedly final album from fabulous singer CeeLo Green and producer and musician aka Brian Burton with a mix of soaring soul, hip-hop, pop and RnB with songs filled with vivid lyrical memories and strong, emotive melodies

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 9, 2026
Various: HELP(2) - War Child Records
Mar 9, 2026

New album: Not only a timely and topical milestone charity record following the first in 1995 to help bring aid and wide variety of support to children in war zones around he world, but an impressive double-LP array of stellar British and international talent and powerful, poignant 23 songs from Arctic Monkeys to Young Fathers

Mar 9, 2026
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Mar 9, 2026
Bonnie “Prince” Billy: We Are Together Again
Mar 9, 2026

New album: Just over a year after 2025’s The Purple Bird, but from parallel recording sessions and familiar co-musicians, the veteran Louisville-Kentucky singer-songwriter Will Oldham returns with another collection of exquisite, intimate, gently defiant lo-fi folk to troubled times, an ode to community with a beautiful array of acoustic instruments and his poignant, insightful lyrics and delivery

Mar 9, 2026
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Mar 5, 2026
DEADLETTER: Existence Is Bliss
Mar 5, 2026

New album: This second LP by the South Yorkshire/London six-piece expands their post-punk sound palette with a collection of arresting, thrumming songs, often dark and challenging, with richly exploratory lyrics across dystopian and existential questions, yet despite a climate of difficult, shows how gasping for life’s oxygen is essential

Mar 5, 2026

new songs …

Featured
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Mar 18, 2026
Song of the Day: Rostam - Like A Spark
Mar 18, 2026

Song of the Day: A beautiful new acoustic folk-pop single with echoes of early 70s Van Morrison by the US musician, producer and former member of Vampire Weekend, heralding his upcoming third solo album American Stories out on 15 May via Matsor Projects

Mar 18, 2026
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Mar 17, 2026
Song of the Day: Kacey Musgraves - Dry Spell
Mar 17, 2026

Song of the Day: A catchy, witty, innuendo-filled new number about being and single and lonely, with some stylistic echoes of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac, heralding the acclaimed Grammy-winning Texas country singer-songwriter’s upcoming seventh album, Middle of Nowhere, out 1 May on Lost Highway

Mar 17, 2026
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Mar 16, 2026
Song of the Day: Jaakko Eino Kalevi - Black Diamond
Mar 16, 2026

Song of the Day: A splendidly rousing eight-minute retro-style electro-pop baroque melodrama by the Finnish artist with the deep, rich voice, one that stylistically and in his own fashion, draws a pentagram between Goblin, Rondo Veneziano, Cerrone, Doris Norton and Lindstrom, out on Domino Records

Mar 16, 2026
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Mar 15, 2026
Song of the Day: Hannah Lew - Sunday
Mar 15, 2026

Song of the Day: An appropriate day to highlight this classy latest single of shimmering 80s-style synth-pop with echoes of OMD, with themes about pain, love and grief from the upcoming debut album by the Richmond, California artist, out on 10 April via Night School Records

Mar 15, 2026
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Mar 14, 2026
Song of the Day: Mei Semones - Tooth Fairy (featuring John Roseboro)
Mar 14, 2026

Song of the Day: A charming cross-genre fusion of bossa nova, jazz, folk and chamber pop sung in English and Japanese by the Brooklyn-based American musician with a tale of losing a tooth on the subway and friendship, from the upcoming album Kurage, out 10 April on Bayonet Records

Mar 14, 2026
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Mar 13, 2026
Song of the Day: Robyn - Blow My Mind
Mar 13, 2026

Song of the Day: Quirky, sensual electro-pop with a dash of Kraftwerk by the acclaimed Swedish singer, songwriter and producer Robin Miriam Carlsson, in this latest from the upcoming album Sexistential out on 27 March via Konichiwa / Young Records

Mar 13, 2026
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Mar 12, 2026
Song of the Day: Lava La Rue - Scratches
Mar 12, 2026

Song of the Day: The latest single by the London singer-songwriter is punchy, powerful psychedelic rock number with tearing riffs and lyrics about damage from troubled relationship, abuse and self-harm, from the forthcoming EP Do You Know Everything?, out on BMG

Mar 12, 2026
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Mar 11, 2026
Song of the Day: Alewya - City of Symbols (featuring eejebee)
Mar 11, 2026

Song of the Day: A stylish fusion of electronica, soul, hip hop and Ethiopian rhythmic influences centring on themes of heritage, family by London singer, songwriter, producer and multidisciplinary artist, with drums from eejebee and guitar from Vraell, heralding from the forthcoming new debut Zero out 22 June via LDN Records / Because Music

Mar 11, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
Song of the Day: Huarinami - Carried Away
Mar 10, 2026

Song of the Day: Explosive, stylish, gritty, restless indie-psychedelic punk with angular, angry guitars, driving bass and wonderfully arresting vocals by Pauline Janier (aka Cody Pepper) fronting the French London-based four-piece in this single fuelled by the frustration of big-city life, and heralding their sophomore EP Nothing Happens, due for release on 6 June

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 9, 2026
Song of the Day: Avalon Emerson & The Charm - Written into Changes
Mar 9, 2026

Song of the Day: Following the singles Eden and Jupiter and Mars, another stylish, experimental indie synth-pop release by the New York artist with the title track of upcoming second Charm moniker album, out on 20 March via Dead Oceans

Mar 9, 2026
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Mar 8, 2026
Song of the Day: Aldous Harding - One Stop
Mar 8, 2026

Song of the Day: An enigmatic, oddly stylish, stripped back, piano-based new experimental folk single by the New Zealand singer-songwriter, namechecking John Cale, and from her upcoming album Train on the Island out May 8 via 4AD

Mar 8, 2026
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Mar 7, 2026
Song of the Day: Max Winter, Asha Lorenz & Rael - Candlelight
Mar 7, 2026

Song of the Day: A dark, stylish, striking fusion of hip-hop, trip-hop, spoken word, and jazz by the London-based rapper and friends, and the the first single from the collaborative mixtape Like the season!, out on Secret Friend

Mar 7, 2026

Word of the week

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

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

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

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

Feb 25, 2026
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Feb 12, 2026
Word of the week: yanggeum
Feb 12, 2026

Word of the week: A form or hammered dulcimer, this traditional Korean instrument, with a flat and trapezoidal shape, has seven sets of four metal strings hit by thin bamboo stick

Feb 12, 2026
Zumbador dorado - mango bumblebee Puerto Rico.jpeg
Jan 22, 2026
Word of the week: zumbador
Jan 22, 2026

Word of the week: A wonderfully evocative noun from the Spanish for word buzz, and meaning both a South American hummingbird, a door buzzer, and symbolic of resurrection of the soul in ancient Mexican culture, while also serving as the logo for a tequila brand

Jan 22, 2026
Hamlet ad - Gregor Fisher.jpg
Jan 8, 2026
Word of the week: aspectabund
Jan 8, 2026

Word of the week: This rare adjective describes a highly expressive face or countenance, where emotions and reactions are readily shown through the eyes or mouth

Jan 8, 2026

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