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Strange attractions: songs about quirky and unusual love

January 8, 2026 Peter Kimpton

Edward Lear’s classic odd couple, The Owl and the Pussycat

This week we celebrate not the usual or generalised soft-focus cliches about beauty and romance, but songs which describe uniquely odd and different detail, appearance or behaviour that stirs an individual’s tastes, from alternative sex drives, emotions and attraction

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In African, avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, funk, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, lounge, krautrock, 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 love, relationships, Dr Seuss, Shakespeare, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Emily Bronte, Stephen King, Jane Austen, Paul Valéry, James Joyce, David Levithan, James Thurber, Roy Croft/Mary Carolyn Davies, Alain de Botton, Johnny Carson, Joan Crawford, Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, marriage, Jack White, Meg White, The White Stripes, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Bonnie and Clyde, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, songs, playlists, books, Film
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Sing out, act on CLIMATE CHANGE

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DRINK OF THE WEEK

magic potion

SNACK OF THE WEEK

red pill and blue pill

New Albums …

Featured
Dry Cleaning - Secret Love.jpeg
Jan 9, 2026
Dry Cleaning: Secret Love
Jan 9, 2026

New album: This third LP by the London experimental post-punk quartet with the distinctive, spoken, droll delivery of Florence Shaw, is packed with striking, vivid, often non seqitur lyrics capturing life’s surreal mundanities and neuroses with a sound coloured and polished by Cate Le Bon as producer

Jan 9, 2026
Various - Icelock Continuum.jpeg
Dec 31, 2025
Various Artists: ICELOCK CONTINUUM
Dec 31, 2025

New album: An inspiring, evocative, sensual and sonically tactile experimental compilation from the fabulously named underground French label Camembert Électrique, with range of international electronic artists capturing cold winter weather’s many textures - cracking, delicate crunchy ice, snow, electric fog, and frost in many fierce and fragile forms across 98 adventurous tracks

Dec 31, 2025
Favourite Albums of 2025 - Part 3.jpeg
Dec 18, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Three
Dec 18, 2025

Welcome to the third and final part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There is also Part One, and Part Two. There is no countdown nor describing these necessarily as “best” albums of the year, but they are chosen by their quality, originality and reader popularity

Dec 18, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Two.jpeg
Dec 17, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Two
Dec 17, 2025

Welcome to the second part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There is also a first part and a third part this week. There is no countdown nor describing these necessarily as “best” albums of the year, but they are chosen by their quality, originality and reader popularity

Dec 17, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part 1 updated.jpg
Dec 16, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part One
Dec 16, 2025

Welcome to the first part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There will also be a second and third part this week. There is no countdown nor describing these necessarily as “best” albums of the year, but they are chosen by their quality, originality and reader popularity

Dec 16, 2025
Juliana Hatfield.jpeg
Dec 16, 2025
Juliana Hatfield: Lightning Might Strike
Dec 16, 2025

New album: Personal upheaval, grief, powerlessness, trauma, sudden change inform the title and colour the lyrics of this latest LP by the seasoned Boston indie artist but her songs are packed with brutally honest, candid, concise reflections and warm, catchy, stirring riffs and melodies

Dec 16, 2025
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

new songs …

Featured
Lala Lala - Heaven 2.jpeg
Jan 11, 2026
Song of the Day: Lala Lala - Even Mountains Erode
Jan 11, 2026

Song of the Day: Reflective, gentle, flowing experimental semi-spoken indie rock by the London-born and Chicago-raised musician Lillie West in a song about about learning to slow down and stop stop and smell the flowers, heralding the upcoming album Heaven 2, out on February 27 via Sub Pop Records

Jan 11, 2026
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Jan 9, 2026
Song of the Day: Iron & Wine - In Your Ocean
Jan 9, 2026

Song of the Day: A gloriously warm, beautiful folk-rock sound and one several songs from the American multi-instrumentalist and producer Sam Beam’s upcoming solo project’s eighth album, Hen’s Teeth, in which lovers are so entwined they physically merge, out on Sub Pop Records

Jan 9, 2026
Bonnie Prince Billy - They Keep Trying to Find You.jpg
Jan 8, 2026
Song of the Day: Bonnie "Prince" Billy - They Keep Trying To Find You
Jan 8, 2026

Song of the Day: A beautiful, poetic, darkly profound new number by the acclaimed Louisville singer-songwriter Will Oldman, heralding the new album We Are Together Again, out on 6 March 2026 on Domino Records / No Quarter

Jan 8, 2026
EERA - I'll Stop When I'm Done.jpeg
Jan 7, 2026
Song of the Day: EERA - I'll Stop When I'm Done
Jan 7, 2026

Song of the Day: The title track from the Berlin-based Norwegian songwriter and guitarist Anna Lena Bruland’s recent third album, out on Test Card Recordings, is gloriously uplifting, defiant electro-pop with a title inspired by Marilyn Monroe quote — “I won’t stop when I’m tired, I’ll stop when I’m done”

Jan 7, 2026
Heidi Curtis - Undone.jpeg
Jan 6, 2026
Song of the Day: Heidi Curtis - Undone
Jan 6, 2026

Song of the Day: Breezy, catchy indie-pop with echoes of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac and lyrics of lively, aspirational love by the singer-songwriter from North Shields, out on AWAL Recordings

Jan 6, 2026
Ulrika Spacek.jpeg
Jan 5, 2026
Song of the Day: Ulrika Spacek - Square Root of None
Jan 5, 2026

Song of the Day: Clever, quirky, intricate art-rock and experimental indie-pop with a mathematical angle by the London band with this second single heralding their upcoming album EXPO, out on 6 February via Full Time Hobby Records

Jan 5, 2026
Jana Horn - Go On Move Your Body video still.jpg
Jan 4, 2026
Song of the Day: Jana Horn - Go On, Move Your Body
Jan 4, 2026

Song of the Day: Deliciously slow, sensual lo-fi by the Austin, Texas singer-songwriter and band, with a humorously odd video, heralding the upcoming self-titled album out on 16 January via No Quarter

Jan 4, 2026
Mandy, Indiana - URGH.jpeg
Jan 2, 2026
Song of the Day: Mandy, Indiana - Magazine
Jan 2, 2026

Song of the Day: With clattering rhythms, sonic throbs and screaming guitars, exciting, menacing siren-like goth noise rock and electronica with French lyrics by the experimental Manchester four-piece, heralding their upcoming album, URGH, out on 6 February via Sacred Bones Records

Jan 2, 2026
The Wedding Present - Maxi EP.jpeg
Jan 1, 2026
Song of the Day: The Wedding Present - Grand Prix
Jan 1, 2026

Song of the Day: The Leeds-formed indie legends led by David Gedge return with this stirring, emotional, guitar-rich love song from their latest 6-track EP, Maxi, echoing an EP from three decades ago, out on Scopitones / Clue Records

Jan 1, 2026
In The Weeds (single) by MEMORIALS.jpeg
Dec 31, 2025
Song of the Day: MEMORIALS - In The Weeds
Dec 31, 2025

Song of the Day: Canterbury’s innovative experimental pop duo Verity Susman and Matthew Simms return with a striking, quirky, restless folk/dub/krautrock/pop/electronica fusion about finding yourself bogged down and tangled in knots, out on Fire Records

Dec 31, 2025
King Hannah - The Hotel Room.jpeg
Dec 30, 2025
Song of the Day: King Hannah - This Hotel Room/Look At Miss Ohio
Dec 30, 2025

Song of the Day: Deliciously slow, rich, warm, bittersweet folk-country-Americana by the Liverpool duo of Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle in this double A-side paired with a gorgeous number by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, out on City Slang

Dec 30, 2025
Forever, I've Been Being Born by Jesse Sykes And The Sweet Hereafter.jpeg
Dec 29, 2025
Song of the Day: Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter - Oh, My Sitter
Dec 29, 2025

Song of the Day: A beautiful, shimmering sound and reflective, poignant lyrics and by the Seattle-based alt-country singer-songwriter, joined on this track by Nashville’s Marissa Nadler, and taken from the recently released album Forever, I've Been Being Born, out on Ideologic Organ

Dec 29, 2025

Word of the week

Featured
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
Kaufmann Trumpeter 1950.jpeg
Dec 24, 2025
Word of the week: bellonion (or belloneon)
Dec 24, 2025

Word of the week: It sounds like a bulbous, multi-layered peeling vegetable, but this obscure mechanical musical instrument invented in 1812 in Dresden consisted of 24 trumpets and two kettle drums and, designed to mimic the sound of a marching band, might also make your eyes water

Dec 24, 2025
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
Running shoes and barefoot.jpeg
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
autumn-red-leaves.jpeg
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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