Your Custom Text Here
Orange beauty …
It’s a magical and at times surreal period at the end of day. Inspired by all the nominations from last week’s topic, guest playlister Shiv Sidecar picks a set of beautiful lists capturing a full spectrum of light, sounds, moods and genres. What a beauty.
Read more
Maya Angelou
Whether in the face of sudden trauma or dealing with ongoing difficulty it’s time pick out songs about bouncing back, finding fortitude, seeking strength and toughness, rolling with punches, being flexible, and sinkable. Here’s some personal stories, and famous examples …
Read more
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
Read more
Sparks: the Mael brothers are simply married to their music
It’s time to see what resulted at last week’s Song Bar Singles Night. Sad, lonely to deliriously happy and free, the resultant songs go in many directions, all married together in poignant, perceptive and playful lists by guest picker pejepeine
Read more
Ignored and alone, down in the tube station at midnight
This week it’s time to dig deep and broad for new names that rarely get a mention, certainly never make the charts or win prizes, sell much or get the recognition they deserve. Let’s refresh the synapses of musical hive mind knowledge
Read more
Class reflections: Mighty Mo Rodgers
It’s a life of ups and downs, hopes and dreams. From financial ambition to border immigration, breaking the rules to criticising status quo fools, this week’s playlists, picked from a big crowd of nominations by guest Suzi, are truly classy
Read more
Smooth liquid sound: a 1947 Rickenbacker
Smoothly glidin’, slidin’, pickin’, these playlists with players from the US to India, Hawaii to Sweden picked by guest Marco den Ouden, are a treasure chest of beautiful sounds and genres spanning blues, rock, country and way more across the big neck
Read more
Resonator, pedal and lap steel guitar are three of the types most often used in this playing technique
Lap, pedal, resonator or other models, using metal bars, bottles or more, it’s all about the technique. You can do it sitting down, standing up, or sideways, and especially if you close your eyes it’s smooth and, well, so undeniably sexy
Read more
They call him … Otis Redding. But what other moniker does his emotional music inspire?
There are many, and they might come from a reputation for sexual prowess, musical style, behaviour or appearance. Whatever the sobriquet, or the source, we can certainly name the result: two fantastic playlists from this week’s guest writer Uncleben
Read more
Herd the one about …?
Crazy cows, woolly bulls, pigs, sheep, goats, and even a camel and a llama, this week’s musical shepherd George Boyland rounds up wonderfully entertaining herd of songs tracked down from last week’s four-legged topic
Read more
Dare to be different. Mitski
Embarking on adventures into the avant-garde, hip-hop, jazz and more, crossing continents and skimming multiple styles from waves of nominations, this week’s guest Nilpferd creates playlists enduringly indefinable
Read more
Al Green … holy and sexual in the same line
Hallelujah! This week’s divine lists, picked by guest magicman from countless nominations, not only shines light on gospel’s music in soul to jazz, disco and more, but will lift hearts and minds though dark times
Read more
Guitar and singing legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Big flamboyant, expressive voices to call-and-response choirs, praise and looking for answers? This week we soul search into gospel’s musical styles infused into other genres, from soul to R&B, hip hop to rock, folk and indie
Read more
Irreplaceable: The Modern Lovers
Replacements for players, soldiers, husbands, lovers, even robot sex – it’s all going on this these superb playlists chosen by our guest lister Marco den Ouden, who also replaces some of his words with those by nominators
Read more
How does Two Suns end up? Bat For Lashes is joined by Scott Walker
Where will it all end? With medicine, moonlight, sleep or a starship? All of these and much more, as our guest playlist writer ParaMhor picks two superb sets of conclusions to hundreds of nominated songs
Read more
Toots Thielemans
Take a deep breath – you are about to experience a selection of sublime and moving music from film soundtracks, blues and soul greats. Guest playlist writer magicman blows two beautiful lists from last week's nominations
Read more
Ray Charles and The Raelettes
Aretha and her sisters to Ray and the Raelettes, Louis and Keely to Gladys and the Pips, this week's brilliant backing vocals came from a chorus of nominations topic, led by a masterful guest playlister magicman
Read more
Lotte Lenya as Pirate Jenny in Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera (1928)
German cabaret opera to New York hip-hop, French chansons to Caribbean reggae, sailing in the full breeze of last week's topic, guest pirate commander ParaMhor steers us to open many a musical treasure chest
Read more
Ministry of Untruth? George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four ... with a slight update
George Orwell to the Emperor's New Clothes, Mao Tse Tung to Tiananmen Square, this week's guest writer Marco den Ouden skilfully picks songs from last week's topic that perfectly play with the truth
Read more
The Jam. Now that really is entertainment …
Verbal, drama and perspective, Jam to Johnnie Taylor, Morrissey to Elvis Costello, this week's guest writer attwilightlarks picks a sharp, satirical and punchy playlist inspired by last week's ironic topic
Read more