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Playlists: songs featuring a stream of consciousness

April 28, 2026 Peter Kimpton

Aesop Rock, master of the mini sub-claws …

It’s a creative, freeflowing form that may well be as much crafted as straight from the imagination, but also one that distorts narrative and logic. Inspired by last week’s nominations, guest ajostu presents an associative, brainstorming set of lists with a real ‘vibe’

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rhythm and blues, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags stream of consciousness, songs, playlists, The Fiery Furnaces, A House, Julian Cope, Traffic, Jorge Ben, John Cale, Aldous Harding, The Killers, Aesop Rock, Massive Attack, Madvillain, MF Doom, Madlib, Yes, Bongwater, Mak Kozelek, The Happy Mondays, Happy Mondays, Underworld, The Fall, Can, The Grateful Dead, Jill Sobule, Destroyer, The Last Poets, George Clinton, Homeboy Sandman, Patti Smith, Fleetwood Mac, Elis Regina, Tom Jobim, Louis Cole, Gen Hoshino, NoName, Code Girl, Mary Halverson, Robert Wyatt, Rob Mazurek, Exploding Star Orchestra, Damon Locks, ajostu, aRuFa, Mary Halvorson
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Playlists: songs with musical or thematic surprises

February 18, 2026 Peter Kimpton

… you’re in for a big surprise …

Aliens to unexpected identity, unusual sounds to strange artistic combinations as well as the lyrical subject itself, guest Marco den Ouden brings a box of brilliant surprises in response to our Big 10th Birthday Topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, gospel, 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 surprises, songs, playlists, Orson Welles, Jeff Wayne, Hurrah, The Ames Brothers, Duke Errol and the Lords, Tone-Loc, Childish Gambino, Britney Spears, Nine Inch Nails, The Stranglers, Les Paul, Mary Ford, Paul Hampton, Fred Lane & his Hittite Hot Shots, Simeon Bright, The Singing Surfriders, "Squeeze" Kamana, Rosalía, Rosalia, Bjork, Yves Tumor, Chicago, Vicki Lawrence, The Grateful Dead, Chuck Berry, Lori McKenna, Alice Cooper, The Dickies, Jun Togawa, Ramsey Kearney, Maestro Subgum, Omega Tribe, Ringo Sheena, Rupert Holmes, Alan Jackson, Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Haack, Miss Nelson, The Beatles, Barbara Manning, The Monkees, Kiss, Chaba Fedela, Ray Charles, Ho'opi'i Brothers, Jim Shandy, 50 Cent, Peter Pringle, Public Enemy, Herb Albert, Evolution Control Committee, Manfred Mann, Angelina Jordan, Marco den Ouden
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Playlists: songs about transformation

January 6, 2026 Peter Kimpton

Dave began to wonder if it might be more than just forgetting to shave today …

New Year? It’s time for some big changes around here - that is with some profound physical shapeshifting or behavioural transformation, and even reincarnation itself, all in song from, provided with great expertise and taste by guest Uncleben from last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, dance, country, classical, dub, drone, disco, experimental, folk, indie, jazz, instrumentals, lounge, music, pop, playlists, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, rock, reggae, soundtracks, traditional, soul, songs, punk, RnB Tags songs, playlists, transformation, metamorphosis, Franz Kafka, Ovid, Homer, Shakespeare, Eric Carle, Lewis Carroll, Philip Glass, Jacques Dutronc, Steeleye Span, Viagra Boys, Cat Power, Material Issue, The Hold Steady, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, Susanne Sundfør, Nona Hendryx, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Triffids, Screaming Trees, Big Black, Bill Frisell, The Grateful Dead, Yes, Horace Silver, Richard Strauss, Helen Reddy, Uncleben
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Playlist: songs about deadlines and ultimatums

November 11, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Buzzer time …

Deadlines are pressure points of human timing — social, romantic, political, existential. They define us, scare us, push us to move. With a clever crafted playlist picked from last week’s topic, guest Maki clocks what it all means

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In blues, comedy, disco, electronica, dub, dance, hip hop, indie, jazz, musicals, musical hall, playlists, music, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags time, deadlines, ultimatums, RIchie Havens, The Everly Brothers, The Monkees, Everly Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Echo and the Bunnymen, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Gregory Isaacs, The Stranglers, Deadline, Splodgenessabounds, Buzzcocks, Blossom Dearie, Ruth Etting, Mull Historical Society, Maki
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Playlists: songs about thunder and lightning

August 19, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Where will choices strike for this week’s lists?

One strike ncan remind us that nature is really boss, and for a songwriter, thunder and lightning can signify and express many meanings and emotions. Picked from last week’s topic nominations, guest ajostu’s playlists will go down a storm

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In African, avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, calypso, 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, RnB, rock, rocksteady, samba, ska, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, Thunder, lightning, storms, weather, meteorology, Feist, David Byrne, St Vincent, Maruja, Witch, Bim Sherman, Eddie Floyd, Big Maybelle, Mahlathini, The Mahotella Queens, Los Relampagos, Cedric Congo meet Mad Professor, Chi Coltrane, Toyah, The 6ths, Claire Grogan, Shawn Phillips, Johann Strauss II, John Philip Sousa, Duke Ellington, Chaka Kahn, The Weather Girls, Leona Lewis, LUMP, Jake Bugg, Bob Lind, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, The Grateful Dead, Micah Thomas, Kit Downes, Oddgeir Berg Trio, ajostu
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Playlists: songs about unexpected and unusual friendships

July 22, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Cultured vultures: The Jungle Book brings about surprise levels of support via the medium of song

This Bar creates them too, but what about songs in playlists? From assorted human and animal encounters, generational pals to cultural social crossovers, guest Loud Atlas brings them all together in wonderful entertainment inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, bossa nova, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, RnB, rock, rocksteady, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags friendship, songs, playlists, The Jungle Book, Film, film soundtrack, J. Pat O'Malley, Lord Tim Hudson, Digby Wolfe, Chad Stuart, Bruce Reitherman, Bill Lee, A Tribe Called Quest, José Feliciano, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Loudon Wainwright III, The Grateful Dead, Nina Simone, Syd Dale, Bambara, Belle & Sebastian, Fats Waller, Peter Paul and Mary, Steven Wilson, The Police, Cat Stevens, Yusuf, Crosby Stills & Nash, Tenor Saw, John Martyn, Beverley Martyn, Martin Simpson, The Alan Price Set, Alan Price, David Bowie, Turin Brakes, Joao Gilberto, Buddy Guy, Family, Randy Newman, John Powell, Colton Ryan, Ben Platt, Loud Atlas, Disney, Broadway, theatre, musicals, animals
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Playlists: striking acoustic song versions

June 24, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Simmering power? That’s Cat Power

Renewed, re-imagined, whether by the same artist or covered by another, with a stripped back, unplugged sound, a song can be opened up anew in emotions and lyrics. Guest Loud Atlas artfully explores the magic of the acoustic, inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, drone, dub, easy listening, experimental, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, lounge, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks, showtime, rock, punk, reggae Tags acoustic, covers, songs, playlists, Richard Thompson, The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, Scala and Kolacny Brothers, The Bad Shepherds, Béla Fleck, Cat Power, Kuricorder Quartet, Seu Jorge, Sekar Melati, Bruce Springsteen, Alzheimer, José González, Charan Po Rantan, Frente!, Joe Collier, Björk, Bjork, Depeche Mode, Big Special, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sinead O'Connor, Leo Kottke, Luvcat, Crosby Stills & Nash, Williams-Fairey Engineering Band, Manic Street Preachers, Gary Jules, Joan Armatrading, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Bernard Sumner, The Beatles, Foo Fighters, Damon Albarn, Loud Atlas, Britney Spears, Nirvana (UK), Radiohead, Buzzcocks, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, John Williams, David Bowie, Gang of Four, Kylie Minogue, Simon & Garfunkel, New Order, Jacob Collier
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Playlists: songs about paths, tracks, trails and roads

January 29, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Follow this musical trail ….

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

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

November 13, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Captain Beefheart … of course

Prepare for a journey into the unknown and deeply strange. Whether in lyrics or musical sound or structure, guest playlister severin leads us through canticular caverns of wonder, inspired by last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, Future of the Left, Gong, Nora Dean, Slapp Happy, Syd Barrett, Sarah Vaughan, Captain Beefheart, Miles Davis, Adam Green, Futureheads, Ane Brun, John Jacob Niles, Amelia Coburn, Brian Eno, Tim Buckley, Tangerine Dream, Elvis Costello, The Grateful Dead, Sinead O'Connor, Maurice Ravel, The Lovin' Spoonful, The New York Dolls, Peter Hammill, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Siouxsie Sioux, Agnes Obel, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, The Fall, Edward Elgar, Shonen Knife, 17 Hippies, Toyah, Roy Orbison, Radiohead, Nina Simone, Massive Attack, Anais Mitchell, Jefferson Hamer, VNV Nation, John Zorn, Nik Bärtsch's Ronin, Joan Armatrading, Kevin Coyne, Anita Baker, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs about or featuring national anthems

July 31, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Music in the air …

Take a world trip from standup straight to unusual traditionals, or distorted version radicals, alternative interpretations to parodies, as well as new lyrical angles, guest Severin creates a truly global selection from last week’s Olympic-inspired topic

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In African, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, easy listening, exotica, experimental, folk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, postpunk, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags national anthems, playlists, songs, Jimi Hendrix, Kou Kakinohara, Richie Stephens, Jean Jacques Burnel, Beethoven, Tom Waits, Serge Gainsbourg, Laibach, The Rankin Family, George Fenton, Radiohead, Johnny Griffin Quartet, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Neil Young, Tanzania, Africa, Hawaii, Arrogant Worms, Marvin Gaye, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Gabry Ponte, Julia & Ayla Rodriguez, Juliette Greco, Мен, The Grateful Dead, Roy Ayers, Franz Liszt, Able Tasmans, Bro Gozh ma Zadou, Nitin Sawhney, The Voices of St Paul, Randy Newman, Richard Thompson, The Seekers, Nico, June Tabor, severin, Severin
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Playlists: songs about close shaves and near misses

July 24, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Gil Scott-Heron: Detroit disaster just averted …

From the almost did to only just happened, close encounters of all kinds – from romantic situations, haircuts, or averting nuclear meltdown, inspired by last week’s nominations, guest playlister Loud Atlas just makes it happen in the best possible lyrical way

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady Tags songs, playlists, close shaves, near misses, accidents, Darrell Scott, Giorgio Tozzi, Gil Scott-Heron, Whitney Houston, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Radiohead, The Manhattan Love Suicides, Guster, Elton John, The Abyssinians, Tammy Wynette, The Cadets, John Murray, John Kirkby Sextet, The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Count Lasher, Charlie Binger & His Calypsonians, Warren G, Nate Dogg, King Crimson, Tony Makem, Spiers and Boden, Taj Mahal, Toumani Diabaté, Cowboy Troy, Big & RIch, Ray LaMontagne, The Flaming Lips, Mother Mother, Ralph McTell, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: 7-inch singles that differ from album versions

June 5, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Singularly different: The Undisputed Truth

Sometimes they were an inspiration improvement, sometimes an editing and style aberration. Picking out the differences from last week’s singular topic, guest playlister ParaMhor cleverly chooses the contrasts for better or worse

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags The Primitives, The Blue Hearts, The Move, The Beach Boys, Buddy Rich, Cathy Rich, David Bowie, The The, Dexys Midnight Runners, The Undisputed Truth, The Rolling Stones, Belle & Sebastian, Herbie Hancock, The Grateful Dead, Wire, XTC, The Go-Betweens, The Beatles, Doll By Doll, Roxy Music, The Isley Brothers, Ringo Sheena, Van Der Graaf Generator, Velvet Underground, Miles Davis, Boston, The Who, Subway Sect, singles, vinyl, vinyl records, ParaMhor
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Playlists: songs with tautonyms and other repeat-word phrases

May 1, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Record bags: That Damned’s 7-inch sleeve from 1977

Echoing syllables and words across history, the animal kingdom, cultures and genres, this poetic linguistic effect brought a bountiful and vibrant supply of nominations. Guest playlister Maki picks a poetic selection to capture their glory

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, folk, experimental, funk, indie, jazz, krautrock, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags language, playlists, tautonyms, The Archies, Abba, Gillian Hills, The Milkees, Ronnie Cook & The Gaylads, Dub Syndicate, Burning Spear, A Taste of Honey, Talk Talk, Teenage Fanclub, The Damned, Los Bárbaros, Rihanna, Django Reinhardt, Erik Truffaz, Philou Louzolo, Coole Joe, Elivira, Tinariwen, Touki, Soraya, Erykah Badu, Scooter, The Grateful Dead, A Certain Ratio, The Jamaicans, Miriam Makeba, The Delfonics, Fox, Goldfrapp, Otis Redding, Jacques Brel, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, Joe Strummer, King Crimson, Iggy Pop, John Lee Hooker, Rockin' Sydney, Middle of The Road, The Mamas and Papas, Dicky Doo and The Don'ts, Baby Ford, Cab Calloway, Fela Kuti, The Undertones, The Stranglers, Fruko y Sus Tesos, Bebe, Maki, Celia & The Mutations
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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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Playlist: songs about blessings and curses

February 21, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Blessed or cursed? How how will it play out…?

Mysterious places, songs and secrets. This week’s wonderfully vivid playlist, inspired by last week’s topic, sets an intriguing narrative in a mysterious establishment run by a shady figure. But will it take a dark or a light path? Guest writer Maki sets the scene …

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, drone, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, soul, songs, ska, traditional Tags The Mountain Goats, Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, The Grateful Dead, Lee Scratch Perry, Agnes Obel, Camarón de La Isla, The Pogues, Celina y Reutilio, Mischief Brew, The Only Ones, Tunng, Kevin Ayers, Charlotte Day Wilson, boygenius, Aira Yuuki, Ornette Coleman, The Stranglers, Maki, playlists, songs, blessings, curses
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Playlists: songs with unusual time signatures

February 7, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Tea time at the Bar? Alternative servings …

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

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

June 1, 2023 Peter Kimpton

From Salvador Dalí’s The Seven Lively Arts: The Art of the Concert

Trip up, or down? Hallucinogens, amphetamines, barbiturates and more, it’s time to feel stimulated and inspired by a big creative subject in the world of music, with songs about and expressing the ups and downs and experience of taking illicit, recreational drugs

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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, drugs, Salvador Dali, Shakespeare, William Shakespeare, Aldous Huxley, Jean Cocteau, Irvine Welsh, Jim Morrison, Keith Richards, David Sedaris, Frank Zappa, William Gibson, David Lee Roth, Robin Williams, LSD, ecstasy, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, cannabis, animal behaviour, animals, Thomas De Quincey, Walter Scott, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, John Keats, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sigmund Freud, Edgar Allan Poe, Hunter S. Thompson, Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead, Alan Moore, Eddie Izzard, Timothy Leary, John Higgs, Carrie Fisher, David Foster Wallace, Lemmy, Nikki Sixx, Disney, Pendleton Ward, Duncan Trussell
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Playlists: songs featuring conversations

January 31, 2023 Peter Kimpton

The Shangri-Las in full conversational flow …

Duelling tablas to bar-room or bandmate banter, flirty duets to star-crossed lovers, chatty parody to skilful dissing, all the questions and answers are here in a creatively conversation playlist picked by guest Amylee from an enormous offering of nominations last week

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In avant-garde, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, dub, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musicals, pop, playlists, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, conversation, Nitin Sawhney, The Incredible String Band, Sonny and Cher, Boo Radleys, The Boo Radleys, My Bloody Valentine, Martin Carthy, Anais Mitchell, Jefferson Hamer, Greg Champion, Jane Saunders, The Grateful Dead, Chicago, The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa, Robert Fripp, Yello, Betty Everett, The Shangri–Las, A Tribe Called Quest, Bo Diddley, Georges Bizet, Mozart, Dave Holland, Velvet Underground, AmyLee
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

Galaxy Lemonade


SNACK OF THE WEEK

Orange twiglets from Jupiter


New Albums …

Featured
Tori Amos - In Times of Dragons.jpg
May 6, 2026
Tori Amos: In Times of Dragons
May 6, 2026

New album: The acclaimed American singer-songwriter and pianist’s 18th album in a 35-year career is a grandiose, powerful 17-track album of odyssey and allegory around politics, power and feminist resistance, fuelled by the current state of her nation, set from the view of fictionalised marriage to a dangerous billionaire and an escape across the country with a narrative twist

May 6, 2026
Kacey Musgraves - Middle of Nowhere.jpeg
May 6, 2026
Kacey Musgraves: Middle of Nowhere
May 6, 2026

New album: Moving away from the pop-folk direction of 2021’s Star-Crossed and 2024’s Deeper Well, the Nashville singer-songwriter returns with this seventh LP back to her country roots with gently trotting, stripped-back finely crafted collection of witty, catchy, candid numbers covering a spectrum of moods

May 6, 2026
OUTTANATIONAL by Pigeon.jpeg
May 5, 2026
Pigeon: OUTTANATIONAL
May 5, 2026

New album: Hugely enjoyable, stylish, playfully eclectic debut LP of indie, electronica and Afro-disco and krautrock grooves by the Margate band fronted by the multi-lingual artist Falle Nioke from Guinea Conakry, West Africa, with songs about identity and ancestry, and a sound somewhere between New Order and William Onyeabor

May 5, 2026
KNEECAP - FENIAN.jpeg
May 3, 2026
KNEECAP: FENIAN
May 3, 2026

New album: Still the scourge of the establishment after 2024’s debut LP Fine Art, a hugely entertaining second LP of punchy, slick, defiant Irish Gaelic rap by Belfast’s Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap, and beatmaker DJ Próvaí, with an expanded sound aided by innovative producer Dan Carey and an appearance by Kae Tempest

May 3, 2026
Long Wave Home by Jesca Hoop.jpeg
May 2, 2026
Jesca Hoop: Long Wave Home
May 2, 2026

New album: Brilliantly inventive, eclectic, poetic, experimental folk and art-pop by the acclaimed Manchester-based Californian singer-songwriter and guitarist in her first self-produced album, variously about the end of relationships, life changes, technology’s social effects, Gaza victims and other contemporary issues with perhaps her finest yet

May 2, 2026
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
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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
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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
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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
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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

new songs …

Featured
Balming Tiger - Home.jpg
May 7, 2026
Song of the Day: Balming Tiger - Home
May 7, 2026

Song of the Day: A stylishly fun, funky, eccentric electronica, indie and hip-hop fusion by the South Korean collective known as “alternative K-pop”, heralding their new album, Gongbu, out on 19 May, via MOAH

May 7, 2026
Zoh Amba - Eyes Full.jpeg
May 6, 2026
Song of the Day: Zoh Amba - Eyes Full
May 6, 2026

Song of the Day: An impassioned, stirring, dark and driving country/indie-rock number about what makes someone’s heart full and questioning why by the NY-based band with Kingsport, Tennessee roots, with this title track of the forthcoming debut LP Eyes Full, out on 5 June via Matador Records

May 6, 2026
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May 5, 2026
Song of the Day: Sofie Royer - Cowboy Mouth
May 5, 2026

Song of the Day: A catchy, cool, stylish fusion of indie and electro-pop by the classically trained, California-born, Vienna-based Iranian-Austrian artist, inspired by reading Patti Smith and Sam Shepard’s play of the same title, reimagining the play’s characters as Angel and Cowboy, and out now on Stones Throw Records

May 5, 2026
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May 4, 2026
Song of the Day: Hodge - Wiggler
May 4, 2026

Song of the Day: A hugely fun, energising, infectious, effervescent, repetitive electronic dance track by the Bristol-based DJ/producer (aka Jake Martin) featuring a 3D pipe bassline by Memotone, and released alongside another track,Trust, out on Local Action

May 4, 2026
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May 3, 2026
Song of the Day: Ibibio Sound Machine - Return To Sender
May 3, 2026

Song of the Day: Fizzing with vibrant energy and intricate rhythms, a fabulous new single with a personal accidental backstory by the London electronic afro-funk band out of London fronted by vocalist Eno Williams, out Merge Record

May 3, 2026
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May 2, 2026
Song of the Day: The Puppini Sisters - Total Eclipse of the Heart
May 2, 2026

Song of the Day: A fabulous new version of the Jim Steinman-penned 1983 Bonnie Tyler power pop hit, arranged by Marcello Puppini in an entirely different style for her swing-jazz trio and band, part of their 20th anniversary celebrations and album, The Birthday Party, out now on Millionaire Records

May 2, 2026
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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
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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

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
Veena player.jpg
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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