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Playlists: songs about the number 9

February 26, 2025 Peter Kimpton

The Number 9’s getting up a head of steam this week …

Let us count the ways … distance, temperature, dates, states of being mind and muse, trains, rockets and other transports of delight all come in this wonderful cloud nine presentation by guest Nicko inspired by last week’s Song Bar Ninth Birthday topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, 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 nine, numbers, Sun Ra, Linda Thompson, Albert Hammond, Suzanne Vega, Texas Gladden, Sisters of Mercy, Patti Smith, The Damned, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Wilson Pickett, Tarheel Slim, Pam Grier, Alt-J, Henry Cow, RIta Hayworth, Anita Ellis, Esperanza Spalding, Caetano Veloso, Nguyên Lê, Einstürzende Neubauten, REM, Moldy Peaches, The Now, The Robins, Woody Guthrie, Dickey Lee, Roxy Music, John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band, 3rd Line Butterfly, Gwen McCrae, The Seeds, Metá Metá, Edgar, Heliocentrics, Julius Daniel, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Monroe Brothers, Joe Simon, Nicko
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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 about makeup and cosmetics

September 10, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Siouxsie Sioux

Lipstick, eyeliner, powder and more, it's all going in these beautifully made-up lists by guest of the week Suzi capturing all the looks, identities and the emotions and dreams behind the creams, inspired by last week's nominations

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In avant-garde, blues, country, disco, drone, easy listening, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, jazz, lounge, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, psychedelia, reggae, rock, traditional, soul, songs Tags makeup, Big Joe Turner, Prince, Chai, X-Ray Spex, Soft Cell, No Doubt, REM, Lou Reed, Caro Emerald, Suzi Quatro, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Replacements, Black Box Recorder, Joe Ely, Dolly Parton, Jazmine Sullivan, TLC, The Exciters, Richard Thompson, Mecano, Cornershop, Abbey Lincoln, Ralph Myerz, Jack Herren Band, Jonathan Richman, Glen Lewis, Carla Bruni, WB Yeats, Dixie Chicks, Suzi
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Playlists: songs featuring superlatives

April 23, 2024 Peter Kimpton

A top shot at songcraft … LDR

Sweetest, biggest, baddest, punniest, funniest, spinniest, dreamiest, wooziest? Many more most ‘ests’ feature this week in the very best of superlative selections by guest playlister Uncleben, taking the very best shot from last week’s many nominations

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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, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, superlatives, language, George Olsen, Dilated Peoples, The House of Love, Nickel Creek, Jesus & Mary Chain, David Childers, The Modern Don Juans, Utah Phillips, Ani di Franco, Garbage, Christophe Maé, REM, Charlie Rich, Lana Del Rey, Sarah Vaughan, Aswad, The Wild Swans, David Bowie, Clifford Jordan, No-No Boy, Rare Bird, Barry Brown, McCarthy, Gene Clark, The Kane Gang, Weyes Blood, Jockstrap, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs about board games

December 12, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Take notes: the domino effect

Chess, Checkers or Cluedo, Dominoes, Monopoly to Scrabble and much more, the game is afoot, or possibly at hand. Inspired by last week’s playful topic, guest of the week an inspired Maki brings all the pieces to the table

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, board games, High Llamas, Wu-Tang Clan, Syd Barrett, Junior Jein, Husker Du, King Creosote, The Free Design, Cadillac Jones, The Axis of Awesome, Long-Ge, Joss Stone, Hayes Carll, Urge Overkill, REM, Let's Eat Grandma, Amigo The Devil, Half Man Half Biscuit, Gnom, Laurie Anderson, Pete Wylie, The Mighty Wah, Ariana Grande, Victoria Monét, Young Killer, Bob Dylan, Procul Harum, Joaquín Sabina, Maki
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Playlists: songs and pieces featuring the cello

November 22, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Classical to classic pop, rock, folk, African, jazz and beyond, the instrument provides an unmistakably rich, powerful, emotional voice. Inspired by a beautiful, broad scope of nominations from last week’s topic, guest Loud Atlas presents out some equally wonderful playlists

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In African, avant-garde, classical, blues, country, drone, dub, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, rock, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags JS Bach, Yo-Yo Ma, 2Cellos, Led Zeppelin, Beethoven, The Auteurs, Virgínia Rodrigues, Zak Abel, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, ELO, Fun Boy Three, Fatoumata Diawara, The Mountain Goats, The Beatles, REM, Mabe Fratti, Oasis, Edward Elgar, Jacqueline du Pré, The Singers Unlimited, Arthur Russell, This Mortal Coil, Apocalyptica, Cream, Roy Wood, Dessa, Yusef Lateef, Tom Waits, Belle & Sebastian, Spencer Davis Group, Tom Paxton, Ben Sollee, Honningbarna, David Darling, The Wulu Bunu, Ramin Djawadi, film soundtrack, Game of Thrones, Lindsay Mac, Michael Giacchino, Loud Atlas
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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 pioneers

October 17, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Some of the groundbreaking cast of The Real Ambassadors, including Dave Brubeck and Louis Armstrong

Traversing not just wildernesses, this week’s topic celebrates those who found forms of new territory, land, sea, or space, to those who broke new ground in their specialist field. For these, guest of the week Marco den Ouden creates landmark playlists inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, showtime Tags pioneering, history, Horrible Histories, Elton John, Mark Knopfler, James Taylor, Klaus Badelt, Public Service Broadcasting, John Stewart, John Denver, The Sweet, Dominique Moore, Katie Melua, Daft Punk, Syran Mbenza, Ensemble Rumba Kongo, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, Lambert Hendricks & Ross, Split Enz, Roxette, Fess Parker, Ron Goodwin, Phil Lynott, Ani di Franco, Utah Phillips, Neil Young, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Simple Minds, Procul Harum, Jon and Vangelis, Bruce Cockburn, Blakie & The Rodeo Kings, Jen Cloher, Paul McCartney, New Christy Minstrels, High Llamas, The Long Ryders, Nick Cave, Dion, Smokey Robinson, Gap Band, Stevie Wonder, Tapper Zukie, Etta James, Bob Dylan, Janis Martin, Chick Corea, Max Richter, Vangelis, Allan Holdsworth, REM, Bill Conti, London Symphony Orchestra, Laika and the Cosmonauts, Yuri Honing, Embryo, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Groove Collective, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger
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Brief notes: songs inventively using acronyms

October 5, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Cat scan?

They’re a very common part of our language, but in lyrics or titles where are they consciously and creatively used? With meaning instantly recognisable or more cryptically unpacked, their sound might perhaps be used musically or to help create memorable lines or rhymes

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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 songs, playlists, acronyms, language, Dr Seuss, Milton Friedman, media, military, technology, Ancient Rome, religion, second world war, Film, Robin Williams, radio, lonely hearts ads, internet, Abba, XTC, Sparks, Franz Ferdinand, REM
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Playlists: songs with androgynous vocals

September 13, 2023 Peter Kimpton

The fabulous Ezra Furman and a famous fan …

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

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

September 13, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Back in the bar: Erykah Badu

Lumbar numbers to vertebral verses, it’s time to run all the way up the spine to the nape of the neck in playlists that place all those discs without a single slip, musically massaged and written about by guest Loud Atlas from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, psychedelia, prog, postpunk, pop, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, backs, vertebrae, necks, anatomy, biology, The Guess Who, REM, Faye Webster, Elvis Presley, Erykah Badu, The Vandals, The Delta Rhythm Boys, Shriekback, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Parliament, Sam Cooke, Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, Jimi Tenor, The Riga Symphony Orchestra, Ashton Gardner & Dyke, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Dickies, Captain Beefheart, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Paragons, The O'Jays, Willie Bobo, The Fiestas, Alpha Blondy, Van Morrison, AC/DC, Lena Wilson, Joe Duffy and Whatever's Clever, Thee Deadtime Philharmonic, Chris Lujan, Electric Butter, Rathergood, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about crowds

December 7, 2021 Peter Kimpton

La Foule: Edith Piaf sings to an enraptured gathering in 1951

Forming an orderly queue or going mob-handed in an unruly bunch, it’s time to join the throng in enjoying these fabulous selections by guest Loud Atlas, picked from an even bigger crowd of numbers from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, classical, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, crowds, society, psychology, Blue Oyster Cult, Joni Mitchell, The Human League, James Taylor, XTC, Edith Piaf, The Jam, The Ink Spots, Little River Band, Betty Everett, bread, Mbongeni Ngema, REM, Regurgitator, Bryan Ferry, The Grateful Dead, Kaiser Chiefs, Alice Donut, The Cramps, The Saw Doctors, Lesley Gore, The Kinks, Johnny Cash, Burning Spear, Ben Folds Five, Kimya Dawson, The Ruts, Mickey Gilley, The Har-You Percussion Group, Ramsey Lewis, Ramsey Trio, Joe Satriani, Tom Odell, Allison Pontier, Ashleigh Frieze, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: Boastful songs

November 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton

Flash, brash and bulging with talent: Grandmaster Melle Mel with the Furious Five

Bombastic braggadocio to self-applauding swagger, sexual prowess and stamina to super-clever slick, non-stop self-description, guest playlister ShivSidecar picks supremely sharp and entertaining sets of songs from early rock’n’roll to soul, hip hop and beyond

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In blues, disco, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, soul, songs, comedy Tags boasting, arrogance, playlists, music, songs, Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Rasputin's Stash, Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five, Roxanne Shanté, Joe Walsh, Brakes, Cat Power, The Temptations, Thee More Shallows, REM, Death In Vegas, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, EPMD, Young MC, The Third Bardo, The Warlocks, Utopia, Candye Kane, Manic Street Preachers, Virgin Prunes, Tom Waits, Juicy Bananas, Eminem, Chance The Rapper, Chelmico, Munchausen, Captain Beefheart, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Cerys Matthews, David Bowie, The Lower Third, Bette Bright & The Illuminations, The Pipettes, The Beat, Klark Kent, Steve Burns, The Flaming Lips, Sidecar Shiv
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Take a piece: songs that quote or offer advice

May 6, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Handing out key advice …

Handing out key advice …

Reported or direct, the practical or philosophical, the benevolent or biased, critical or contradictory, from parent to child, expert to novice, or general, this week it’s all about useful instruction, ignored or taken and ideally as detailed and unusual as possible

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, funk, folk, 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, advice, William Shakespeare, Bruce Lee, Maya Angelou, Oscar Wilde, John Steinbeck, PG Wodehouse, Lemmy, Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, REM, Bobby McFerrin, Harry Chapin, parental advice, childhood, children, Baz Luhrmann, Mary Schmich, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Charles Bukowski, Josh Billings, Erica Jong, Henry Wheeler Shaw, Helen Fielding, Shirley Temple, Noel Coward, Gore Vidal, musicals, Thomas Tusser
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Playlists: songs about eureka moments, realisation, discovery and enlightenment

November 25, 2020 Peter Kimpton
To the cosmos and beyond …

To the cosmos and beyond …

Has it ever occurred to you that …. life, the universe and everything could be captured in playlists? This question is answered perfectly by guest ajostu, who picks some profound revelations inspired by last week’s nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, reggae, rock, soul, soundtracks, traditional, songs Tags songs, discovery, eureka moments, Studio Killers, 10000 Maniacs, Carly Simon, Ella Fitzgerald, Suzanne Vega, Peter Gabriel, Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Boswell, Beastie Boys, Miho Hatori, REM, The Sundays, Moby, Julia Holter, Angel Olsen, The Police, The Moody Blues, The Grateful Dead, Clem Snide, The Headhunters, Sun Ra, Earth Wind & Fire, Norman Connors, Ultramarine, Lonnie Liston Smith, John Legend, The Roots, Alice Coltrane, Carlos Santana, Bat For Lashes, Laurie Anderson, Bruford, Annette Peacock, ajostu
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Playlists: songs about written correspondence

October 28, 2020 Peter Kimpton
davidbowiewritingyletter.jpg Letter to Hermione Lyrics.jpg

Love, hate, broken hearts, glad tidings, bills, rejections, congratulations – here came many sackfuls of mail in response to last week’s topic, and sorting through it all was guest postmaster Maki, down to two splendid playlists

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In blues, avant-garde, comedy, country, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, Dean Friedman, John Prine, David Bowie, Siobhan Wilson, Fleet Foxes, Macy Gray, Pastor López, Prince Buster, Lorraine Bowen, Wire, The Ink Spots, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Blondie, REM, Brothers Johnson, Kevin Ayers, Burning Spear, The Police, The Soft Machine, The Who, Tim Buckley, Celtas Cortos, Niña Pastor, Juan Luis Guerra
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Playlists: songs about the evening

September 9, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Twilight delight with The Platters

Twilight delight with The Platters

It begins gently, through twilight’s transition, but then, slipping into darkness, anything can happen. From serene solitary scenes to excitement, dancing and sex, the evening is brought in brilliantly with playlists by this week’s guest philipphilip99

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In avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, showtime, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, evening, Esborn Svensson Trio, The Ink Spots, The Platters, Young Marble Giants, The Weakerthans, Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, Feist, paul simon, Donna Summer, Petula Clark, Jack Jackson & His Orchestra, John Zorn, Enya, Eels, Led Zeppelin, Django Reinhardt, REM, Julie London, Roy Rogers, Seth Lakeman, Shirley Collins, The Albion Band, The Zombies, David Sylvian, Geoffrey Orvema, Sandie Shaw, Richard Hawley, The XX, Roy Harper, Jimmy Witherspoon, Ezio Pinza, philipphilip99
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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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Playlists: songs about stars

April 1, 2020 Peter Kimpton
David Bowie of course. Star from start to finish.

David Bowie of course. Star from start to finish.

An astronomically huge topic resulting in a galaxy of nominations. This week’s guest playlister Amylee not only listened to them all, but turned them into a stellar set of songs spanning the musical universe

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Take a chanson me: songs about singing

February 27, 2020 Peter Kimpton
SInging. Part of our evolution …

SInging. Part of our evolution …

It’s time to sing out suggestions on this lyrical, meta-topic – from the perspective of singer or listener, by humans, animals or birds, whether for love, warning, fear, joy or despair, or singing simply to exist, make others aware

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DRINK OF THE WEEK

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New Albums …

Featured
Sam Grassie - Where Two Hawks Fly.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Sam Grassie: Where Two Hawks Fly
Apr 29, 2026

New album: Beautiful debut LP by the London-based Glaswegian fingerstyle folk guitarist and singer-songwriter, with added saxophone, double bass, flute, clairsach and clarinet in a release of mostly the traditional, covers, sung or instrumental, and supported by the Bert Jansch Foundation

Apr 29, 2026
Irmin Schmidt - Requiem.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Irmin Schmidt: Requiem
Apr 29, 2026

New album: A strangely mesmeric, avant-garde and analogue-ambient, field recording-based experimental release by the last surviving founding member of experimental ‘krautrock’ band CAN, who, approaching the age of 89, has also written over 40 TV and film scores

Apr 29, 2026
Gia Margaret - Singing.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Gia Margaret: Singing
Apr 28, 2026

New album: Gently profound, and full of wondrous, mesmeric, slow, delicate experimental songs, this simple title has a powerful resonance – it is the Chicago artist’s first vocal album since 2018’s There’s Always Glimmer (there have been two instrumental LPs since), having suffered and recovered from a severe vocal injury, she returns with a delicate, candid, whispery but hauntingly beautiful delivery

Apr 28, 2026
Angel In Plainclothes by Angelo De Augustine.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Angelo De Augustine: Angel in Plainclothes
Apr 28, 2026

New album: A beautiful, delicate fifth LP from the Los Angeles singer-songwriter, friend and collaborator with Sufjan Stevens with whom he shares a stylistic resemblance, here with themes on life's fragility, second chances, and picking up the pieces after an undiagnosed illness forced him to re-learn basic abilities

Apr 28, 2026
Carla dal Forno - Confession.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Carla dal Forno: Confession
Apr 28, 2026

New album: This lo-fi, darkly minimalist but also oddly candid fourth LP by the Australian, Castlemaine-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist centres on the conflicted, obsessive feelings about “a friendship that became emotionally charged in an unexpected way”, and “an album about closeness that arrives late and unexpectedly. About stability rubbing up against desire.”

Apr 28, 2026
Friko - Something Worth Waiting For album.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
Friko: Something Worth Waiting For
Apr 26, 2026

New album: Passionate, powerful, dynamic indie rock in this sophomore LP by the Chicago-based quartet that gallops forwards with a driving momentum, some elements of early PJ Harvey and Radiohead, and is produced by John Congleton

Apr 26, 2026
White Denim - 13.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
White Denim: 13
Apr 26, 2026

New album: This 13th LP in two decades by the Austin, Texas rock band fronted by James Petralli has a particularly mischievous experimentalism, spreading styles far beyond breathlessly paced prog rock, with wrily humorous, surreal, personal and passionate numbers across heavy funk, dub, soul, psyche, country, dirty blues and more, joined by host of outstanding extra musicians

Apr 26, 2026
Asili ya Mama by Hukwe Zawose Foundation.jpeg
Apr 24, 2026
Hukwe Zawose Foundation: Asili ya Mama
Apr 24, 2026

New album: Wonderfully evocative field recordings release of Wagogo, Waluguru and Wasambaa Tanzanian women singing traditional songs in their villages, rarely heard outside of their own circles, the title is translated as The Origin of Mother, rich in stories and capturing the place where song is first learned, first felt, first shared

Apr 24, 2026
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig
Apr 23, 2026

New album: Four decades since their self-titled debut, Brooklyn alternative rockers John Flansburgh and John Linnell return with their 24th LP, packed with of punchy, pacy, wistful, whimsical, clever wordplay and indie rock-pop, buoyantly satirical and also a little world weary at times, they remain oddball, lively commentators on the ongoing absurdity of life

Apr 23, 2026
Eaves Wilder - Little Miss Sunshine.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Eaves Wilder: Little Miss Sunshine
Apr 22, 2026

New album: After 2023’s Hookey EP, a strong, passionate indie-dream-pop-shoegaze full debut by the London singer-songwriter, whose breathy voice intertwines with strong, stirring riffs and textured sounds, themed around cycles of nature aiming to explain and celebrate the mercurial nature of human emotional weather

Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon - The Nightlife.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon: The Nightlife
Apr 22, 2026

New album: The irrepressible, prolific and charismatic London-based Chicago DJ, musician, producer and vinyl lover returns with a flamboyantly fun celebration of club and queer culture through the prism of dance music from disco to house, with a wide variety of guest vocalists

Apr 22, 2026
Tiga - HOTLIFE.jpeg
Apr 21, 2026
Tiga: HOTLIFE
Apr 21, 2026

New album: Montreal’s acclaimed electronica/techno/dance artist Tiga Sontag returns with his fourth album - inventively packed with head-nodding, toe-tapping, oddly itchy, infectious grooves, cleverly crafted retro sounds recalling Kraftwerk to acid house and electroclash, insistent bold beats and synth riffs, with lyrics of the existential, droll and surreal

Apr 21, 2026
Tomora - Come Closer.jpg
Apr 20, 2026
TOMORA: Come Closer
Apr 20, 2026

New album: A striking, dynamic collaboration between Norwegian experimental pop sensation Aurora and Tom Rowlands, one of half of Chemical Brothers, with a sensual, otherworldly energetic fusion of mystical, sensual ambience, and block-rocking dance beats

Apr 20, 2026
Jessie Ware - Superbloom.jpeg
Apr 20, 2026
Jessie Ware: Superbloom
Apr 20, 2026

New album: Following 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? and 2023’s That! Feels Good!, as well as the successful food podcast Table Manners she hosts alongside her mother, the British pop singer continues to ride the 70s disco ball train, catering to the clever, kitsch and catchy with an ironic wink, adding also a luxuriant garden metaphor

Apr 20, 2026

new songs …

Featured
Bleachers - Everyone For Ten Minutes.jpeg
May 1, 2026
Song of the Day: Bleachers - I'm Not Joking
May 1, 2026

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

May 1, 2026
Alewya - Saleh.jpeg
Apr 30, 2026
Song of the Day: Alewya - Selah
Apr 30, 2026

Song of the Day: Striking, stylishly agile electronica and dance with a rich African and Arabian influence by the London-based British singer-songwriter, producer, multidisciplinary artist and model Alewya Demmisse, heralding her upcoming album, Zero, out on 26 June via LDN Records

Apr 30, 2026
metric romanticize-the-dive.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Song of the Day: Metric - Crush Forever
Apr 29, 2026

Song of the Day: Uplifting, effervescent electro-disco-pop by the Toronto indie rock band, with a song vocalist/keyboardist Emily Haines describes as “my love letter to strong girls in this world”, taken from their recently released 10th album, Romanticize the Dive, out on Metric Music via Thirty Tigers

Apr 29, 2026
Jim Ghedi - The Hungry Child single.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Song of the Day: Jim Ghedi - The Hungry Child
Apr 28, 2026

Song of the Day: Dark, gripping, visceral folk by the Sheffield singer-songwriter, with a striking number based on an early 19th-century German poem about the fatal story of a child pleading for food, and, following last year’s acclaimed album, Wasteland, also out on Basin Rock, it heralds his upcoming soundtrack for the Hugh Jackman film, The Death of Robin Hood.

Apr 28, 2026
holybones with Baxter Dury - SLUGBOY.jpg
Apr 27, 2026
Song of the Day: holybones (with Baxter Dury) - SLUGBOY
Apr 27, 2026

Song of the Day: Dark, unsettling, sleazy and strange, this is arrestingly vivid new collaborative single between the clandestine London electronic collective and the downbeat, deep-voiced poetic Londoner, out on Promised Land Recordings

Apr 27, 2026
Hand Habits - Good Person.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
Song of the Day: Hand Habits - Good Person
Apr 26, 2026

Song of the Day: Gentle, droll, humorously self-deprecatingly, and also delicately beautiful, this new experimental folk single by the moniker of Los Angeles singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Meg Duffy addresses the love-hate relationship with making music, out on Fat Possum

Apr 26, 2026
Pigeon - Miami.jpeg
Apr 25, 2026
Song of the Day: Pigeon - Miami
Apr 25, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, sunny, upbeawt indie synth-pop with an African twist by the Margate band fronted by Falle Nioke, with flavours of William Onyeabor, Hot Chip and New York 70s disco, heralding their upcoming album OUTTANATIONAL, out on 1 May via Memphis Industries

Apr 25, 2026
Tricky - Out of Place.jpeg
Apr 24, 2026
Song of the Day: Tricky - Out of Place (featuring Marta Złakowska)
Apr 24, 2026

Song of the Day: A pulsating fusion of beats, orchestral strings and the Bristol trip-hop pioneer’s distinctive, deep, croaky voice, with an emotional reference to his daughter Mina Topley-Bird (1995–2019), and heralding his first solo album for six years, Different When It’s Silent, out on 17 June via False Idols

Apr 24, 2026
Beck - Ride Lonsome.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
Song of the Day: Beck - Ride Lonesome
Apr 23, 2026

Song of the Day: Beautiful, simmering, slow, melancholy and reflective, a surprise single and welcome return by the acclaimed US artist, evoking the haunting, sun-bleached landscapes and musical textures of his 2015 Grammy winning album Morning Phase, out now on Iliad Records/Capitol Records

Apr 23, 2026
Gelli Haha - Klouds.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Song of the Day: Gelli Haha - Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep
Apr 22, 2026

Song of the Day: Described appropriately as somewhere between Studio 42 and Area 51, eccentric, effervescent, spacey, catchy and eclectic disco pop by the Los Angeles artist (aka Angel Abaya, co-written with Sean Guerin) out on Innovative Leisure

Apr 22, 2026
Leenalchi band 2.jpeg
Apr 21, 2026
Song of the Day: LEENALCHI 이날치 - Here Comes That Crow 떴다 저 가마귀
Apr 21, 2026

Song of the Day: Wonderfully catchy, funky, psychedelic and quirky new work by the seven-piece Seoul-based Korean pansori band led by bassist Jang Young Gyu with the title track of their new EP, out on 12 June via Luaka Bop, and heralding a European and North American tour

Apr 21, 2026
Jesca Hoop - Big Storm.jpeg
Apr 20, 2026
Song of the Day: Jesca Hoop - Big Storm
Apr 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, quirky experimental indie folk-pop by the innovative Manchester-based California artist, featuring a clever video that old footage and Hoop in various vintage guises, heralding her upcoming album Long Wave Home, out on 1 May via Last Laugh / Republic of Music

Apr 20, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Song thrush 2.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
Word of the week: throstle
Apr 23, 2026

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

Apr 23, 2026
Undine - Novella.jpeg
Apr 9, 2026
Word of the week: undine
Apr 9, 2026

Word of the week: It might sound like the act of abstaining from food, but this noun from derived from undina (Latin unda) meaning wave, refers to mythical, elemental beings associated with water, such as mermaids, and stemming from the alchemical writings of the 16th-century Swiss physician, alchemist and philosopher Paracelsus

Apr 9, 2026
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Mar 27, 2026
Word of the week: veena
Mar 27, 2026

Word of the week: This ornate, curvaceous, south Indian classical instrument, the saraswati veena, is a special bowl lute with a rich, resonant tone, has 24 copper frets with four playing strings and three drone strings, and is used for Carnatic music

Mar 27, 2026
Snail on a wall.jpeg
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
Swordfish.jpg
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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