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Playlists: space pop and other astral sounding music

October 29, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Coming up … sounds from another planet …

They’re full of the bleeps, beeps and strange sounds we associate with travel and life beyond Earth, and some are also about that theme. Inspired by last week’s theme, guest space captain ParaMhor takes us on fabulous a journey to the great musical beyond …

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In dance, disco, electronica, experimental, instrumentals, jazz, pop, prog, psychedelia, rock, soundtracks, songs, soul Tags space travel, Space, astronomy, songs, playlists, JBS Haldane, Carl Sagan, Douglas Adams, Sparks, Giorgio Moroder, Madonna, Boney M, Beastie Boys, B-52s, David Bowie, Jobriath, Teenage Fanclub, Woody Guthrie, The Space Lady, The Carpenters, Orbital, Pink Floyd, I Signori della Galassia, Leftfield, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Afrika Bambaataa, Parliament, Wonky Alice, Public Service Broadcasting, Alien Sex Fiend, Joe Meek, Spectrum, James Holden, Mildlife, Dexter Wansel, Bernard Herrmann, Barry Gray Orchestra, Jon Pertwee, Dudley Simpson Orchestra, Syrinx, The Peppers, John Williams, Jeff Wayne, Richard Burton, Sophie and Peter Johnson, Sheila B Devotion, Dollar, ParaMhor
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Playlists: songs about empty but fillable spaces

October 1, 2025 Peter Kimpton

A pearler of a song with a space filled by Mitski …

Empty vessels of all kinds a waiting for contents - heads, hearts, bottles, places and many more besides, with a truly fulfilling, insightful and entertaining result in playlists supplied by guest Nicko from last week’s topic theme

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In African, avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, 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, RnB, rock, rocksteady, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, gaps, holes, blanks, The Beatles, The Three Johns, Sprints, Dionne Warwick, Arcade Fire, Mitski, Culture, YĪN YĪN, The Supremes, Nada Surf, Cake (band), The Cramps, Barbra Streisand, Smashing Pumpkins, Jake Thackray, Bernard Cribbins, Pink Floyd, Magazine, Meat Puppets, Ka, The Specials, Sheila Hylton, Traffic, Karine Polwart, Rosana, Steven Wilson, Ninet Tayeb, Bessie Smith, Lonnie Johnson, Victoria Spivey, The Ethiopians, Connie Converse, New Life Trio, Clarion Fracture Zone, Nicko
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Playlists: music without percussion

March 13, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Slowdive back in the day … but now reaching a new audience

Jazz, classical, acoustic rock to neo-folk, gentle pop and soul to ambient electronica, there’s a whole texture of sounds audible when the bang of drums and other struck percussion are absent. Inspired by last week’s topic, guest Nilpferd brilliantly guides us through a more delicate, nuanced musical experience

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In classical, African, avant-garde, blues, country, experimental, electronica, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, prog, psychedelia, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Jimmy Giuffre, Astor Piazzolla, Benjamin Britten, Led Zeppelin, The Full English, The Go-Betweens, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Wheeler, Slowdive, Tangerine Dream, Nat King Cole, Huey Lewis and the News, Flying Pickets, Patti Austin, Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, Rachel Unthank, The Grateful Dead, Charles Brown, The Mountain Goats, Black Sabbath, King Crimson, Flying Lotus, Pink Floyd, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Christian McBride, Mark Whitfield, Nicolas Payton, Flanders Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven, Nilpferd
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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: songs with psychedelic sounds

December 20, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Enjoy the trip …

LSD, mushrooms and more, after a truly epic session of song suggestions from last week’s topic, It’s time to take a trip in playlist form, carefully prepared by guest of the week MussoliniHeadkick. Hold on to your ears and let the audio hallucinations commence …

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In avant-garde, drone, electronica, experimental, folk, indie, instrumentals, krautrock, playlists, pop, prog, psychedelia, rock Tags songs, playlists, psychedelia, acid, drugs, hallucingens, Esquivel, Flying Lotus, Dope Lemon, Crumb, Jean-Jacques Perrey, King Tubby, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Fantastic Zoo, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Leftfield, The Moon (band), My Bloody Valentine, The 13th Floor Elevators, Opal, Pink Floyd, Missing Links, Jon Hopkins, Kelly Lee Owens, Child Harolde, Ernest Ranglin, Tommy James & The Shondells, Wild Mountain Honey, Harry Nilsson, Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, Ultra Vivid Scene, Spooky, Mouse on Mars, The Haunted, MussoliniHeadkick
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Mind-bending: songs with psychedelic sounds

December 14, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Psych is always on the move …

Delay, fuzz, distortion, flanger, echo, sitars, and mind-altering drugs? It’s a style chiefly associated with the late-60s but what are it’s key characteristics and where else do they come up in the world of music? Let’s go on a journey through time and space …

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In avant-garde, blues, dance, electronica, drone, experimental, folk, funk, indie, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, rock, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, psychedelia, Aldous Huxley, Harry Nilsson, Hunter S. Thompson, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Film, film soundtrack, psychology, hallucingens, drugs, Humphry Osmond, books, Michael Hicks, Timothy Leary, William Blake, Hector Berlioz, Claude Debussy, art, Jean Moréas, Musique Concréte, Edgard Varèse, The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Silver Apples, Yma Sumac, Les Baxter, Juan García Esquivel, Beatnik, poetry, William Burroughs, Alan Watts, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Arthur Koestler, Tom Wolfe, Allen Ginsberg, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Doors, The 13th Floor Elevators, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Sly & The Family Stone, The Delfonics, Jake Holmes, Syd Barrett, Marc Bolan, Tim Buckley, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, Vangelis, The Stone Roses, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, John Hopkins, Animal Collective
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Vocal, warm and mellow? Songs and pieces featuring the cello

November 16, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Jacqueline du Pré with Daniel Barenboim

With its beautiful, versatile vocal sound, this baroque instrument features not classical pieces but genres of all kinds. But where does it play a strong, influential and essential part? And perhaps alongside the sound, where it might also feature in lyrics?

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In 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 cello, playlists, music, instruments, instrumentals, Mstislav Rostropovich, Richard Watson Gilder, Jacqueline du Pré, Kevin Olusola, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim, Edward Elgar, Gagliano, Amati, Pablo Casals, Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, János Starker, Alisa Weilerstein, Dvorak, Luka Šulić, Nan Kemberling, JS Bach, Ritchie Blackmore, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, ELO, Nick Drake, Talk Talk, Smashing Pumpkins, Sigur Rós, Radiohead, Oasis, Arcade Fire, Apocalyptica, Cello Fury, Michael Bacon, Game of Thrones, Ramin Djawadi, David Bowie, Film, film soundtrack, Susan Sarandon, Caro et Jeunet, Jack Nicholson
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Fantastic, it's for real: songs about illusion

March 16, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Shadowplay: from the video for Come, by French singer-songwriter Jain

Visual, auditory, via media, rumour, or any other distortion of perceptions, from personal experience to the political, this week we search for songs about the interplay of the senses and idea of illusions as a primary focus

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, perception, illusions, Albert Einstein, Craig Bruce, Voltaire, Douglas Adams, Woody Allen, Jain, media, psychology, Herman Wouk, Noam Chomsky, Arthur Koestler, Friedrich Nietzsche, Alan Moore, John Steinbeck, Mario Vargas Llosa, George Lucas, Film, Juliette Binoche, Talib Kweli, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, US politics, Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Kurt Vonnegut, James Turrell, Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, Robert Gonsalves, Philip Treacy, Julian Casablancas, The Strokes, Estelle, Roger Daltrey, Rufus Wainwright, Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, György Ligeti, SUUNS, MC Escher, David Bruce
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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 fear of missing out (FOMO)

November 8, 2022 Peter Kimpton

A brutally candid fight for confidence: Rebecca Taylor aka Self Esteem

So, where’s the party? Social pressure, time trickling away, fear of the unknown and the elsewhere? Don’t worry, one thing you won’t miss out on are some excellent playlists on this universal subject, picked by guest Loud Atlas from last week’s topic

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In African, blues, country, comedy, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, fear of missing out, fomo, psychology, time, social media, Pink Floyd, Courtney Barnett, David Bowie, Shakin' Stevens, Shed Seven, Smokey Robinson, Philip Jeays, Gary Clark Jr, Liz Lawrence, Wolf Alice, Self Esteem, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Velvet Underground, Willie Colón, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe, The Lovely Eggs, Dr Hook, Them, Van Morrison, Imani Coppola, UK Subs, Don Gibson, Billie Holiday, Bad Finger, Lee Hazelwood, Kim Churchill, Half Man Half Biscuit, TISM, Olivia Rodrigo, Henry Britton, Angelivro, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about taxation and wealth distribution

October 4, 2022 Peter Kimpton

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

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

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

May 31, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Part hidden: one of this week’s artists revealed …

What is revealed? From cloaks of invisibility to unseen superpowers, mysterious animals or scents to the people who are never spotted, guest playlister Noodsy picks some outstanding songs that are truly out of sight but well in earshot

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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, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, invisibility, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Mik Artistik's Ego Trip, Frost*, Leon Rosselson, Robb Johnson, Curtis Mayfield, The Twilight Sad, Seckou Keita, Sonic Youth, Céu, Electrelane, Rosanne Cash, Radiohead, Ornette Coleman, The Apples, The Misunderstood, Keen, Glenn Miller, Tex Beneke, 1000 Homo DJs, Michael Penn, Stromae, Lana Del Rey, Hannah Peel, The Mountain Goats, Steel Pulse, Underworld, Noodsy
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A matter of degree: songs about higher education and graduation

May 5, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Jarvis Cocker’s student pass for the art course he took when aged 25

Days of college, university, polytechnic, art school, institute or more, this week we examine education after secondary or high school and graduation, what it all means, from learning to social experience, captured though the prism of song

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, further education, college, university, Jarvis Cocker, Anton Chekhov, Stephen Hawking, Derek Bok, Samuel Beckett, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top, Talking Heads, David Byrne, Steely Dan, Public Enemy, Chuck D, Queen, The Commodores, Pink Floyd, Vampire Weekend, education
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Playlists: songs about coins

July 7, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The-Royal-Mint-David-Bowie-coins-uk-1369143.jpeg

Heavenly pennies to begged 10p, stolen florins to counterfeit double-dealing, this week we coin in the songs courtesy of a shower of suggestions from last week’s topic, out of which guest George Boyland picks a shiny set of collectibles

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In blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, coins, The Ejected, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smashing Pumpkins, XTC, Billie Holiday, Iron And Wine, The Pogues, Estrella Morente, Big Mama Thornton, Colin Lucas, Sir Vincent Lone, Esperanza Spalding, Misty in Roots, Ernest Ranglin, Georgia Satellites, Ray Charles, Gaunt, Prince Buster, Pink Floyd, The Rotations, Joe Walsh, Albert Hammond, The Grateful Dead, Husker Du, Chumbawamba, Steve Earle, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Boogertown Gap, George Boyland
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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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Pip-pip old chap: a tribute to John aka 9hairs9knots

January 5, 2021 Peter Kimpton
John, aka 9hairs9knots in a classic pose …

John, aka 9hairs9knots in a classic pose …

Pull up a chair, pour a drink and soak in this extensive farewell, filled with anecdotes, quotes and songs to John, aka 9hairs9knots, mischievous, articulate, knowledgeable, funny, warm, sensitive regular here at the Song Bar for years. Rest in peace.

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In African, avant-garde, disco, dub, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, rock, songs, ska, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, 9hairs9knots, Miles Davis, Todd Rundgren, Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington, Jimi Hendrix, Detroit Spinners, Earth Wind & Fire, Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Wade Flemons, Willie Mitchell, William DeVaughn, The Beatles, Dr John, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen, Country Joe and the Fish, Pink Floyd, White Bird, Bill Withers, Fort Knox Five, Us3, The The, Steely Dan, The Pretenders, Carleen Anderson, Van Morrison
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Wiccan work it out: pagan-themed songs – a Halloween special

October 29, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Austrian Krampus … where paganism does a Christmas album …

Austrian Krampus … where paganism does a Christmas album …

Ritualism, celebration, sacrifice, worship of nature, sex and food? Ancient and 20th-century traditions come a procession of all kinds of colourful characters in this week’s theme that heralds horror or pleasure in equal measure

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, calypso, country, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, experimental, indie, hip hop, metal, music, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, traditional Tags songs, playlists, paganism, religion, Billy Graham, E.M. Forster, Lord Byron, Phyllis Curott, William Butler Yeats, William Wordsworth, Jay Griffiths, GK Chesterton, winter solstice, summer solstice, Halloween, samhain, Wicca, Doreen Valiente, Gerald Gardner, Thomas Carlyle, Bulgaria, Austria, Sweden, Sardinia, Germany, Damon Albarn, Steve Earle, Genesis P Orridge, DH Lawrence, Will Durant, Dan Brown, Emily Dickinson, HP Lovecraft, John Gresham Machen, Ambrose Bierce, Aleister Crowley, The Wicker Man, Christopher Lee, Robin Hardy, Midsommar, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks, The Doors, The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Faun, Wardruna, Hagalaz Runedance, Danheim, Loreena McKennitt, Godsmack, Eluveitie
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Playlists: songs about babies

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

Kate and Anna McGarrigle sing about baby Rufus …

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

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

May 7, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers in 1980

Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers in 1980

What makes a great riff or solo, and how does the keyboard player fit in a band? From purveyors of excess to cool minimalism, rock or prog to soul, electronica, postpunk, pop, jazz or classical, synth to clavinet, let’s follow those fingers

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, rock, punk, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, keyboards, synthesizers, clavichord, harpsichord, piano, organ, clavinet, Ray Manzarek, The Doors, Rick Wakeman, Yes, Florian Schneider, Kraftwerk, Herbie Hancock, Keith Emerson, Dave Greenfield, The Stranglers, Moog, Robert Moog, Stevie Wonder, Rick Wright, Pink Floyd, John Paul Jones, Billy Preston, Oscar Peterson, Mario Mathy
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Here's a thought: songs about the brain

April 2, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Which way are you thinking?

Which way are you thinking?

Let’s celebrate the cerebrum and engage with the encephalon through lyrics and song subject, whether it is the biological makeup of this squidgy Tardis, or mindful thoughts and functions it can control. Worth a thought, anyway …

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New Albums …

Featured
Dove Ellis - Blizzard.jpeg
Dec 9, 2025
Dove Ellis: Blizzard
Dec 9, 2025

New album: An extraordinarily mature, passionate, poetic, and outstandingly powerful debut by the Manchester-based Galway-born singer-songwriter, whose soaring delivery has instant echoes of Jeff Buckley and lyrics that go above and beyond

Dec 9, 2025
Spíra by Ólöf Arnalds.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Ólöf Arnalds: Spíra
Dec 5, 2025

New album: A gorgeous, delicate, ethereal first release in a decade by the Icelandic singer-songwriter, acoustic instruments and her gentle, high, pure voice, all in her native language, caressing this listening experience like pure waters of some slowly trickling glacial stream

Dec 5, 2025
Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Melody's Echo Chamber: Unclouded
Dec 5, 2025

New album: A fourth album, here full of delicious uplifting, dreamily chic, psychedelic soul pop by the French musician Melody Prochet, with bright, upbeat, optimistic numbers and a title lifted from a quote by the acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, about achieving equilibrium

Dec 5, 2025
Devotion & The Black Divine by anaiis.jpeg
Dec 2, 2025
anaiis: Devotion & The Black Divine
Dec 2, 2025

New album: Following a summer Song of the Day - Deus Deus, a review of the autumn release and third LP by the London-based French-Senegalese singer-songwriter of resonantly beautiful, dynamic, sensual soul, gospel, R&B and experimental and chamber pop, with themes of new motherhood, uncertainty, religion, self-love and acceptance

Dec 2, 2025
De La Soul - Cabin In The Sky.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
De La Soul: Cabin In The Sky
Nov 26, 2025

New album: The hip-hop veterans return with their first without, yet including the voice of, and a tribute to, founding member Trugoy the Dove, AKA Dave Jolicoeur who passed away in 2023, alongside many hip-hop luminary guests, with trademark playful skits, and all themed around the afterlife

Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats- Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats: Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan
Nov 26, 2025

New album: An evocative musical journey of a concept album by the indie-folk band from Claremont, California, fronted by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, based on a dream of his in 2023 about a voyage to a fictional island by the titular captain, charting adventure, wonder and tragedy

Nov 26, 2025
Allie X - Happiness Is Going To Get You.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
Allie X: Happiness Is Going To Get You
Nov 26, 2025

New album: A hugely entertaining, witty, droll, inventive, chamber and synth-pop fourth LP with a goth twist by the charismatic and theatrical Canadian artist Alexandra Hughes, who brings paradox and dark themes through sounds that include string quartet, harpsichord, classical and pure pop piano with killer lyrics

Nov 26, 2025
Tortoise - Touch.jpeg
Nov 25, 2025
Tortoise: Touch
Nov 25, 2025

New album: A welcome return with a cinematic and mesmeric groove-filled first studio LP in nine years, and the eighth over all by the eclectic Chicago post-rock/jazz/krautrock multi-instrumentalists Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker

Nov 25, 2025
What of Our Nature by Haley Heynderickx, Max García Conover.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Haley Heynderickx and Max García Conover: What of Our Nature
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Beautiful, precise, poignant and poetic new folk numbers inspired by the life and music style of Woody Guthrie as the Portland, Oregon and New Yorker, now Portland, Maine-based singer-songwriters bring a delicious duet album, alternating and sharing songs covering a variety of forever topical social issues

Nov 24, 2025
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Nov 24, 2025
Oneohtrix Point Never: Tranquilizer
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Ambient, otherworldly, cinematic, mesmeric, and at times very odd, the Brooklyn-based electronic artist and producer Daniel Lopatin returns with a new nostalgia-based concept – constructing tracks from lost-then-refound Y2K CDs of 1990s and early 2000s royalty-free sample electronic sounds

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

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

Nov 24, 2025
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Nov 19, 2025
Austra: Chin Up Buttercup
Nov 19, 2025

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

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

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

Nov 18, 2025
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Nov 18, 2025
Stella Donnelly: Love and Fortune
Nov 18, 2025

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

Nov 18, 2025

new songs …

Featured
Peter Perrett - Proud To Be Self-Hating.jpeg
Dec 12, 2025
Song of the Day: Peter Perrett - PROUD TO BE SELF-HATING (irony and provocation)
Dec 12, 2025

Song of the Day: The veteran British artist, originally frontman of The Only Ones, and now with three solo albums, who actually has Jewish heritage, releases a gently powerful, nuanced, pro-Palestine acoustic number as a response to ongoing genocide by the Israeli government, out on Domino Records

Dec 12, 2025
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Dec 11, 2025
Song of the Day: Maddie Ashman - Jaded
Dec 11, 2025

Song of the Day: Magical, delicate, eclectic, intricate, experimental microtonal music by the London musician and singer, released alongside a longer track, In Autumn My Heart Breaks

Dec 11, 2025
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Dec 10, 2025
Song of the Day: Ye Vagabonds - The Flood
Dec 10, 2025

Song of the Day: Wonderfully warm, rich, lively fiddle-driven Irish folk by the award-winning band fronted by Carlow brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn with a heartbreaking number about the housing crisis, heralding their upcoming new album, All Tied Together, out on Rough Trade’s River Lea Recordings on 30 January

Dec 10, 2025
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Dec 9, 2025
Song of the Day: DBA! A Poet And A Clown
Dec 9, 2025

Song of the Day: Catchy fuzz-guitar indie rock with a swagger by the Liverpool-formed trio of Sam Warren, James Lindberg and Joshua Grant in a song described as “a confessional story of desire tangled with religious guilt”

Dec 9, 2025
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Dec 8, 2025
Song of the Day: Puma Blue - Croak Dream
Dec 8, 2025

Song of the Day: A dark, esoteric, mysterious and stylish title track with a hint of Radiohead and playing with the idea of knowing your future death, from the experimental indie/goth/ambient London artist Jacob Allen’s forthcoming album out on 6 February via Play It Again Sam

Dec 8, 2025
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Dec 7, 2025
Song of the Day: ELIZA - Anyone Else
Dec 7, 2025

Song of the Day: Stripped-back, bluesy, fuzzy funk with slight echoes of Prince and alt-R&B are conjured up in this love song by the London-based singer-songwriter Eliza Caird, her first single for two years, now off the mainstream and out on Log Off Records

Dec 7, 2025
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Dec 6, 2025
Song of the Day: Tiga (featuring Fcukers) - Silk Scarf
Dec 6, 2025

Song of the Day: A fun, sensual, quirkily oddball electronica dance single with a slick, fetish-flirtatious ode to a favourite smooth material by the Montreal musician (Tiga James Sontag) joined here with vocals by the New York band (Shanny Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis), and heralding Tiga’s upcoming album Hotlife, out in April on Secret City Records

Dec 6, 2025
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Dec 5, 2025
Song of the Day: Flea - A Plea
Dec 5, 2025

Song of the Day: A striking, powerful new single by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassist (aka Michael Balzary), who brings a fusion of jazz and spoken word with a fabulous band on an impassioned number about the state of the US in a culture of hatred, social and political tensions, out now on Nonesuch Records

Dec 5, 2025
The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart.jpeg
Dec 4, 2025
Song of the Day: The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart
Dec 4, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 1, 2025

Word of the week

Featured
Hangover.jpeg
Dec 4, 2025
Word of the week: crapulence
Dec 4, 2025

Word of the week: A term that may apply regularly during Xmas party season, from the from the Latin crapula, in turn from the Greek kraipálē meaning "drunkenness" or "headache" pertains to sickness symptoms caused by excess in eating or drinking, or general intemperance and overindulgence

Dec 4, 2025
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Nov 20, 2025
Word of the week: discalceate
Nov 20, 2025

Word of the week: A rarely used, but often practised verb, especially when arriving home, it means to take off your shoes, but is also a slightly more common adjective meaning barefoot or unshod, particularly for certain religious orders that wear sandals instead of shoes. But in what context does this come up in song?

Nov 20, 2025
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Nov 6, 2025
Word of the week: erythrophyll
Nov 6, 2025

Word of the week: A seasonally topical word relating to the the red pigment of tree leaves, fruits and flowers, that appears particularly when changing in autumn, as opposed to the green effect of chlorophyll, from the Greek erythros for red, and phyll for leaves. But what of songs about this?

Nov 6, 2025
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Oct 22, 2025
Word of the week: fennec
Oct 22, 2025

Word of the week: It’s a small pale-fawn nocturnal fox with unusually large, highly sensitive ears, that inhabits from African and Arab deserts areas from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula. But has it ever been seen in a song?

Oct 22, 2025
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Oct 9, 2025
Word of the week: gongoozler
Oct 9, 2025

Word of the week: A fabulous old English slang term for someone who tends to stand or sit for long periods staring at the passing of boats on canals, sometimes with a derogatory or at least ironic use for someone who is useless or lazy. But what of songs about this activity and culture?

Oct 9, 2025
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