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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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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 endangered animal species

August 6, 2025 Peter Kimpton

It may not be long for the dugong, hauntingly heralded below in song …

From man-made causes – hunting to climate change and habitat loss, it’s a heartbreaking, tragic tale. But this musical menagerie also has poignant positivity, with guest Marco den Ouden adding conservation success stories in these moving, beautiful lists, picked from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, comedy, dance, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, samba, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, animals, Glenn Jones, Kokia, Burning Spear, Fox, Andrew Belew, Big Baby Driver, Dave Norman, Rob van der Touw, Let's Eat Grandma, Shonen Knife, Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull, Cosmo Sheldrake, Bowerbird Collective, Crosby Still & Nash, The Partridge Family, Vainica Doble, Bats For Lashes, The Monkees, Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Tokens, Desmond Dekker, France Gall, Ian Anderson, Great Lake Swimmers, Eric Whitacre, Yiannis Kalantzis, Omar Pène et Le Super Diamono, Linval Thompson, Renato Teixeira, Tom Rugg, Jeff Gulfoss, John Gregory and his Orchestra, Mandrill, Sly & The Family Stone, Walter Bishop Jr., Sven Libaek, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Henri Texier & Azur Quartet, Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea, David Fleming, Marco den Ouden, Jan Golfuss
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Playlists: songs about the circus

March 28, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Flying trapeze in 1890

It’s time to fly high with all the triumphs and tragedies of the arena, from escaping elephants to crazy clowns, tentative tightropes to human cannonballs! This excellent entertainment is provided by guest Loud Atlas, picking songs from last week’s Big Top-ic

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, circus, carnival, Hugh Jackman, The Monkees, Nerina Pallot, Jorge Ben, Band of Holy Joy, Beau Dommage, Leroy Carr, Scrapper Blackwell, Charles Mingus, Dave Davies, Plain White T's, Loudon Wainwright III, The Toy Dolls, Bruce Springsteen, Seeger Sessions Band, Circus Band, Fox, Van Morrison, Mark Erelli, Tom Waits, The Dickies, Three Dog Night, Harry Nilsson, Tucker Zimmerman, Men At Work, Michael Fix, Mark Cryle, Ralph McTell, The Marx Brothers, The Hollies, Floyd Bauler, Drew Nugent, Peter Evans, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs with music as nutrition

August 3, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens: undeniably beneficial

Some music feels so good you can just eat it. With a whole shopping spree of tasty ingredients and treats about the nutritious benefits of song, guest of the week ParaMhor prepares a three-course meal that’s bound to boost your health

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In African, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, health, food, psychology, Elvis Presley, Junior Senior, Buddy Holly, Mahlathini, The Mahotella Queens, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Heptones, Kate Bush, Cornershop, Toots and the Maytals, Billy Bragg, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Samantha Crain, Billy Joel, Cannonball Adderley, The Controllers, Sly & The Family Stone, The Chameleons, Mr Scruff, Steel Pulse, John Lee Hooker, Stanley Brinks and the Wave Pictures, Alasdair Roberts, The Doobie Brothers, Sault, Gillian Welch, Louis Armstrong, ParaMhor, Igor Stravinsky, Maya Angelou, Stanley Brinks, The Wave Pictures
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Playlists: songs about punctuality

June 29, 2022 Peter Kimpton

What time will love flower? The Foundations 1968

Something changed around the Enlightenment, with the advent of universal timepieces, but how did that affect human relationships? Inspired by last week’s nominations, Marco den Ouden clocks in with perfectly timely playlists

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, punctuality, time, The Charioteers, Billy Paul, Joni Mitchell, The Foundations, Dinah Washington, Tyler The Creator, David Bowie, The Kinks, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Bonnie Raitt, Violent Femmes, Mana Negra, Prince Buster, Lee Dorsey, The Big Bopper, Everly Brothers, Swaee Lake, Drake, Brewer & Shipley, Battlefield Band, Buddy Holly, The Grateful Dead, Paul Kelly, The Monkees, Mick Harvey, Long John Baldry, Nilsson, Kevin Morby, Vernon Dalhart, Sandie Shaw, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Dorsey Burnette, Rock Vito, Marshall Crenshaw, Ted Mulry Gang, Angus Stone, Julia Stone, Lord Creator, Tex Ritter, Hector Lavoe, George Faith, Robb Johnson, Leonard Cohen, Dolly Parton, Blondie, Elvis Presley, Marco den Ouden, Marconius
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Playlists: songs to start the morning

February 2, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Time to wake …

Songs to get your up and motivated, or songs that are also about the morning? Don’t be alarmed, it’s all covered in this special two-parter, picked by guest of the week DiscoMonster from a huge dawn chorus of nominations from the past week

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, reggae, punk, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, morning, Dave Griffiths, Tim Renwick, The Stone Roses, The Boo Radleys, Spyro Gyra, The Monkees, Sheryl Crow, The Commodores, Saint Etienne, Mura Masa, slowthai, Block 16, Jon Lucien, Beck, Squeeze, Sandy Denny, Sparklehorse, Nina Persson, Lemon Sol, Gabriels, Marvin Gaye, war, Melanie, Franco & TPOK Jazz, Quincy Jones, Ras Michael, The Sons of Negus, Talk Talk, Holly Herndon, Journey, Nazz, Menace, Dr K Gyasi & His Noble Kings, DiscoMonster
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Playlists: songs about fun

May 5, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Koko Taylor: fun at work …

Koko Taylor: fun at work …

From various locations – in the bar, on the beach, down the street, and many forms – reggae to soul, rock to new wave. From a huge wave of fun nominations guest picker Olive Butler has a blast with brilliant set of playlists

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In African, blues, calypso, comedy, dance, country, disco, dub, experimental, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, fun, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Willie Dixon, The Monkees, Kevin Coyne, Belle & Sebastian, Prince, The New Power Generation, Betty Davis, Koko Taylor, Floetry, Shirley and Lee, Billie Holiday, Elton John, Yul Ogura, First Class, Prince Buster, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Fred Lane, Modern Jazz Quartet, Jimmy Giuffre, paul simon, Fleetwood Mac, Terry Jacks, Shirley Bassey, Peggy Lee, The Photos, Sparks, Julie London, Olive Butler
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Playlists: Aeolian airs – songs with audible breaths and breeze

January 19, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Deep breaths: Sweet Honey in the Rock

Deep breaths: Sweet Honey in the Rock

Inhale! Exhale! Sexy to smoky, exercise to sighs, plus bigger breaths from nature, this week’s playlists, compiled by breath-of-fresh-air guest Hoshino Sakura from a hurricane of nominations, will make you gasp with pleasure

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In African, avant-garde, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, musicals, playlists, pop, reggae, rock, songs, ska, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, breathing, breath, wind, Yello, Betty Carter, Miles Davis, The Chakachas, The Brides of Funkenstein, Sweet Honey In the Rock, Prince, The Mixtures, Yoko Ono, Bad Daughter, Ryo, Supercell, Jerry Lee Lewis, Salt-N-Pepa, Destiny's Child, Beyonce, Mischief Brew, Deep Purple, ELO, Seiko Oomori, Mungo Jerry, The Monkees, Kraftwerk, Spirit, Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, Daniel Herskedal, Armando Trovajo, Ottomix, Bette Midler, Guinney Pepper, Santa's Farting Elves, Ian Dury, Sandra Jullien and Miki Sugimoto, Cypress Hill, The Grateful Dead, Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, LiSA, Hoshino Sakura
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Playlists: songs about collecting, cataloguing and listing

September 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Cat-alogue of course …

Cat-alogue of course …

1) Why do them? 2) What are they for? 3) Are they positive or negative? 4) How do they appear in song? This set of questions and more are creatively catalogued and crafted into playlists by this week’s skilful guest Severin from the recent topic

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In avant-garde, blues, country, disco, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, catalogues, lists, playlists, Nine Inch Nails, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Nina Nastasia, Yapoos, Wilson Pickett, Marisa Monte, Saul Williams, Tracy Chapman, Husker Du, Mark Knopfler, The Legendary Pink Dots, Leonard Cohen, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, The Monkees, The Fall, Sparky, Christina Perry, The Go-Go's, Jeffrey Lewis, Joaquin Sabina, Talking Heads, Cate Le Bon, Kate Bush, Stephen Fry, Bryan Ferry, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Rolling Stones, Art Pepper, Milcho Leviev Quartet, Honolulu Mountain Daffodils, Severin, severin
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Not playlists? Yes playlists: songs with misleading or incongruous titles

December 5, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Scott Walker. Wave goodbye to any Manhattan meaning

Scott Walker. Wave goodbye to any Manhattan meaning

Not a single song has anything to do with what it says on the tin. But after many wonderful wrongfooting nominations, brilliant guest playlister Olive Butler puts them in an entertaining form of order

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In blues, comedy, dance, country, disco, dub, folk, electronica, indie, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, Badfinger, Robert Plant, Of Montreal, Throbbing Gristle, Scott Walker, The Beach Boys, Burning Spear, The American Analog Set, Silver Jews, Tom Lehrer, Joe Henry, Half Man Half Biscuit, Morrissey, Stereolab, Smashing Pumpkins, Steely Dan, The Monkees, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Prefab Sprout, Cabaret Voltaire, Brian Eno, English Dogs, Gary Moore, Joy Division, Olive Butler, Primitive Radio Gods, Thee More Shallows
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Always look on the … bright songs about dark subjects

May 10, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Altogether now .... 

Altogether now .... 

The lyrics are about dark matters, but they are played with extremely contrasting upbeat music. This week let’s explore songs that, through stark contrast, can unlock humour, tragedy, comedy and empathy

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, metal, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, death, relationships, War, comedy, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Jerry Sadowitz, J. Cole, Charles Dickens, Monty Python, Eric Idle, Depeche Mode, Dave Gahan, Richard Llewellyn, Peter Ustinov, Robin Williams, Tom Lehrer, Harold and Maude, film, Cat Stevens, The Foundations, Motown, OutKast, The Monkees, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Jimmy Cliff, Vietnam War, The Smiths, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Go-Kart Mozart, Lawrence, depression
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Playlists: great tracks to begin albums, mixtapes or radio shows

January 10, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Blast off: many bright openings illuminate this week's playlists …

Blast off: many bright openings illuminate this week's playlists …

Is it best to set light slowly or start with a big bang? In what turned out to be topic of epic proportions and suggestions, this week's guest ParaMhor creates a superb selection of illuminating playlist openings 

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In soul, songs, rock, reggae, punk, pop, playlists, music, metal, indie, folk, electronica, dance, classical, blues Tags Songs, Music, playlists, opening tracks, Fairport Convention, Iggy Pop, Little Richard, The Temptations, Britney Spears, The Monkees, The Sweet, Meatloaf, Tom Petty, Bryan Ferry, Miles Davis, Massive Attack, Horace Andy, Richard Strauss, Thin Lizzy, Ty Segall, The Jacksons, Charles Mingus, The Gourds, Stevie Wonder, Echo and the Bunnymen, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Allman Brothers Band, Nick Drake, The Emotions, Intl Illimani, Inti-Illimani, John Barry, The Triffids, ParaMhor
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Song Bar 1st Birthday playlists: songs about the number one

February 15, 2017 Peter Kimpton
More cake?

More cake?

Inspired by a flood of celebratory nominations from last week's birthday topic, our guest writer treefrogdemon adds one to another to create singularly superb playlists 

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In playlists, songs Tags songs, numbers, treefrogdemon, The Monkees, Snarky Puppy, Malika Tirolien, Weaves, The Bangles, Sandy Denny, The Clovers, The Adverts, Gloria Sorchio, Mindy Smith, Otis Spann, Icons of Filth, Anti-Flag, Blondie, Bob Marley, Foo Fighters, King Crimson, The Platters, The Levellers, Folk Implosion, Gillian Welch, The Charlatans, Count Basie, Roy Harper, Billy Bragg, Wilco
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Playlists: songs about the first and last time

February 1, 2017 Peter Kimpton
The first, the last, or has Grace Jones simply done it again?

The first, the last, or has Grace Jones simply done it again?

A classroom kiss to a strange encounter, leaving town to a final continental farewell,  guest writer takeitawayGuru creates playlists from last week's topic that move and entertain from first to last

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Tags Songs, playlists, Hot Chocolate, Mary Wells, Frank Sinatra, The Four Seasons, Grace Jones, Wil Wagner, Dixie Chicks, Fine Young Cannibals, Isobel Campbell, Mark Lanegan, Bobby Paris, Lonnie Johnson, Spike, Europe band, Black Box Recorder, The Walker Brothers, PP Arnold, Impressions, Buddy Guy, The Contours, The Waifs, Boss Caine, Bryan Adams, Roger Whittaker, Tom Petty, The Monkees, The Electric Flag, John Martyn, Led Zeppelin, Guy Clark, Pearl Jam, takeitawayGuru
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Playlists: songs about or containing laughter

July 27, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Ella and Louis

Ella and Louis

Gentle giggles to hearty howls, nervous triggers to evil sniggers, this week's guest writer Hoshino Sakura takes a playful and poetic path with your song suggestions to leave you truly tickled

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In songs, playlists Tags songs, laughter, poetry, Manfred Mann, The Brilliant Corners, Gorillaz, Toots and the Maytals, The Soulmates, Wilson Simonal, Jerry McCain, Little Leroy and the Milestones, Tiruchi Loganathan, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Spike Jones and His City Slickers, Morecambe & Wise, Ozzy Osbourne, The Dogs D'Amour, The Sweet, Bevis Frond, The Monkees, David Bowie, Mott The Hoople, Adam and the Ants, Raif Bendix, Slim Gaillard and His Peruvians, Serge Gainsbourg, Randy Newman, Hoshino Sakura
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New Albums …

Featured
Kim Gordon - Play Me album.jpeg
Mar 13, 2026
Kim Gordon: Play Me
Mar 13, 2026

New album: Following 2024’s The Collective, the former Sonic Youth frontwoman’s fourth solo LP continues her extraordinary experimental, innovative journey, moving to more melodic beats and shorter tracks with a motorik krautrock-style driven coloured by strange sounds, intense emotions and sharply angled, dark, droll social commentary

Mar 13, 2026
ELIZA - The Darkening Green.jpeg
Mar 11, 2026
ELIZA: The Darkening Green
Mar 11, 2026

New album: The London artist Eliza Caird (formerly under the mainstream pop moniker Eliza Doolittle) returns with more of the cool, slow, sensual, gentle, sophisticated experimental soul-funk style evolving from her 2022 album A Sky Without Stars, here with particularly polished, silky, stripped back grooves and vocals

Mar 11, 2026
Irreparable Parables by Andrew Wasylyk.jpeg
Mar 11, 2026
Andrew Wasylyk: Irreparable Parables
Mar 11, 2026

New album: The Scottish multi-instrumentalist and composer returns with a new selection of soothing, meditative mix of experimental classical and jazz, but this time joined with six different singers represented by the birds on the album artwork

Mar 11, 2026
waterbaby - Memory Be A Blade.jpeg
Mar 10, 2026
waterbaby: Memory Be A Blade
Mar 10, 2026

New album: A delicate, experimental, understated soulful chamber pop debut by the pure-voiced Stockholm-born singer-songwriter (aka Kendra Egerbladh) in 25-minute, eight-track release of lo-fi, lyrically semi-improvised numbers about heartbreak and self-renewal in a world of gorgeous musical sensations

Mar 10, 2026
Joshua Idehen - I Know You're Hurting ....jpeg
Mar 10, 2026
Joshua Idehen: I know you're hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try
Mar 10, 2026

New album: With a strikingly long title, a euphoric and honest full debut LP by the British-born Nigerian poet, spoken word artist and musician based in Sweden, working with his musical partner Ludvig Parment’s sonic layers, packed pacy dance and hip-hop grooves, clever sampling, slower reflections, and articulate expressions of positivity through the ups and downs of grief and hope

Mar 10, 2026
Atlanta by Gnarls Barkley.jpeg
Mar 10, 2026
Gnarls Barkley: Atlanta
Mar 10, 2026

New album: Finally, after an 18-year gap since their last collaboration in the heady days of the hit Crazy, with the St Elsewhere and The Odd Couple LPs a third and supposedly final album from fabulous singer CeeLo Green and producer and musician aka Brian Burton with a mix of soaring soul, hip-hop, pop and RnB with songs filled with vivid lyrical memories and strong, emotive melodies

Mar 10, 2026
War Child - Help(2).jpeg
Mar 9, 2026
Various: HELP(2) - War Child Records
Mar 9, 2026

New album: Not only a timely and topical milestone charity record following the first in 1995 to help bring aid and wide variety of support to children in war zones around he world, but an impressive double-LP array of stellar British and international talent and powerful, poignant 23 songs from Arctic Monkeys to Young Fathers

Mar 9, 2026
Bonnie Prince Billy - We Are Together Again.jpeg
Mar 9, 2026
Bonnie “Prince” Billy: We Are Together Again
Mar 9, 2026

New album: Just over a year after 2025’s The Purple Bird, but from parallel recording sessions and familiar co-musicians, the veteran Louisville-Kentucky singer-songwriter Will Oldham returns with another collection of exquisite, intimate, gently defiant lo-fi folk to troubled times, an ode to community with a beautiful array of acoustic instruments and his poignant, insightful lyrics and delivery

Mar 9, 2026
deadletter-existence-is-bliss.jpeg
Mar 5, 2026
DEADLETTER: Existence Is Bliss
Mar 5, 2026

New album: This second LP by the South Yorkshire/London six-piece expands their post-punk sound palette with a collection of arresting, thrumming songs, often dark and challenging, with richly exploratory lyrics across dystopian and existential questions, yet despite a climate of difficult, shows how gasping for life’s oxygen is essential

Mar 5, 2026
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Mar 5, 2026
Lala Lala: Heaven 2
Mar 5, 2026

New album: Moving from Chicago to New Mexico, Reykjavík, then London and now Los Angeles, the UK-born artist Lillie West’s experimental indie dream pop is a fascinating release about restless escapism while trying to stay where she is

Mar 5, 2026
Hen's Teeth by Iron & Wine.jpeg
Mar 3, 2026
Iron & Wine: Hen's Teeth
Mar 3, 2026

New album: Timeless, poetic, gentle folk-rock in this eighth solo album by the North Carolina multi-instrumentalist and producer Sam Beam, in warm, tender album with a title that suggests the idea of the impossible yet real, and an earthier, darker, more more tactile companion to his Grammy-nominated 2024 album Light Verse

Mar 3, 2026
Buck Meek - The Mirror 2.jpeg
Mar 3, 2026
Buck Meek: The Mirror
Mar 3, 2026

New album: The Brooklyn-based Texan guitarist of Big Thief returns with his fourth solo LP filled with tender, thoughtful, beautiful folk-country-rock, a tiny splash of analogue synths, joined by bandmate James Krivchenia as producer, Adrianne Lenker on backing vocals, plus guitarist Adam Brisbin and harp player Mary Lattimore

Mar 3, 2026
Nothing's About to Happen to Me by Mitski.jpeg
Mar 1, 2026
Mitski: Nothing’s About To Happen To Me
Mar 1, 2026

New album: Following 2023’s acclaimed The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, now an eighth LP of sublime beauty, wit and melancholy and silken vocal tones from the American singer-songwriter, mixing pop, rock, echoes of Laurel Canyon era, and stories and metaphors of love and loss, insecurity, independence and solitude all set at home – and no shortage of cats

Mar 1, 2026
Gorillaz - The Mountain.jpeg
Mar 1, 2026
Gorillaz: The Mountain
Mar 1, 2026

New album: Released with an art book, new games, and extended videos, a multicultural, multifarious and multilingual return for the collective cartoon pop-hip-hop project led by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, with many intercontinental guest appearances, and a particular Indian musical and visual flavour centred on fictional Himalayan peak as metaphor for life’s journey and illusionary truths

Mar 1, 2026

new songs …

Featured
Jaakko Eino Kalevi 2.jpg
Mar 16, 2026
Song of the Day: Jaakko Eino Kalevi - Black Diamond
Mar 16, 2026

Song of the Day: A splendidly rousing eight-minute retro-style electro-pop baroque melodrama by the Finnish artist with the deep, rich voice, one that stylistically and in his own fashion, draws a pentagram between Goblin, Rondo Veneziano, Cerrone, Doris Norton and Lindstrom, out on Domino Records

Mar 16, 2026
Hannah Lew album.jpeg
Mar 15, 2026
Song of the Day: Hannah Lew - Sunday
Mar 15, 2026

Song of the Day: An appropriate day to highlight this classy latest single of shimmering 80s-style synth-pop with echoes of OMD, with themes about pain, love and grief from the upcoming debut album by the Richmond, California artist, out on 10 April via Night School Records

Mar 15, 2026
Mei Semones.jpeg
Mar 14, 2026
Song of the Day: Mei Semones - Tooth Fairy (featuring John Roseboro)
Mar 14, 2026

Song of the Day: A charming cross-genre fusion of bossa nova, jazz, folk and chamber pop sung in English and Japanese by the Brooklyn-based American musician with a tale of losing a tooth on the subway and friendship, from the upcoming album Kurage, out 10 April on Bayonet Records

Mar 14, 2026
Robyn - Blow My Mind.jpeg
Mar 13, 2026
Song of the Day: Robyn - Blow My Mind
Mar 13, 2026

Song of the Day: Quirky, sensual electro-pop with a dash of Kraftwerk by the acclaimed Swedish singer, songwriter and producer Robin Miriam Carlsson, in this latest from the upcoming album Sexistential out on 27 March via Konichiwa / Young Records

Mar 13, 2026
Lava La Rue 2 new.jpeg
Mar 12, 2026
Song of the Day: Lava La Rue - Scratches
Mar 12, 2026

Song of the Day: The latest single by the London singer-songwriter is punchy, powerful psychedelic rock number with tearing riffs and lyrics about damage from troubled relationship, abuse and self-harm, from the forthcoming EP Do You Know Everything?, out on BMG

Mar 12, 2026
Alewya - City of Symbols.jpeg
Mar 11, 2026
Song of the Day: Alewya - City of Symbols (featuring eejebee)
Mar 11, 2026

Song of the Day: A stylish fusion of electronica, soul, hip hop and Ethiopian rhythmic influences centring on themes of heritage, family by London singer, songwriter, producer and multidisciplinary artist, with drums from eejebee and guitar from Vraell, heralding from the forthcoming new debut Zero out 22 June via LDN Records / Because Music

Mar 11, 2026
Huarinami - Carried Away.jpeg
Mar 10, 2026
Song of the Day: Huarinami - Carried Away
Mar 10, 2026

Song of the Day: Explosive, stylish, gritty, restless indie-psychedelic punk with angular, angry guitars, driving bass and wonderfully arresting vocals by Pauline Janier (aka Cody Pepper) fronting the French London-based four-piece in this single fuelled by the frustration of big-city life, and heralding their sophomore EP Nothing Happens, due for release on 6 June

Mar 10, 2026
Avalon Emerson - Written Into Changes album.jpeg
Mar 9, 2026
Song of the Day: Avalon Emerson & The Charm - Written into Changes
Mar 9, 2026

Song of the Day: Following the singles Eden and Jupiter and Mars, another stylish, experimental indie synth-pop release by the New York artist with the title track of upcoming second Charm moniker album, out on 20 March via Dead Oceans

Mar 9, 2026
Aldous Harding - One Stop.jpeg
Mar 8, 2026
Song of the Day: Aldous Harding - One Stop
Mar 8, 2026

Song of the Day: An enigmatic, oddly stylish, stripped back, piano-based new experimental folk single by the New Zealand singer-songwriter, namechecking John Cale, and from her upcoming album Train on the Island out May 8 via 4AD

Mar 8, 2026
Max Winter - Candlelight.jpeg
Mar 7, 2026
Song of the Day: Max Winter, Asha Lorenz & Rael - Candlelight
Mar 7, 2026

Song of the Day: A dark, stylish, striking fusion of hip-hop, trip-hop, spoken word, and jazz by the London-based rapper and friends, and the the first single from the collaborative mixtape Like the season!, out on Secret Friend

Mar 7, 2026
SPRINTS - Trickle Down.jpeg
Mar 6, 2026
Song of the Day: SPRINTS - Trickle Down
Mar 6, 2026

Song of the Day: The feisty, ferociously fun Dublin post-punk band return with a punchy, on-point angry new number about the flawed economic term, watching systems fail in slow motion, housing crisis, rising costs, culture wars, climate collapse, and frustratingly being told to stay patient while everything burns

Mar 6, 2026
Jordan Rakei - Easy To Love.jpg
Mar 5, 2026
Song of the Day: Jordan Rakei & Tom McFarland - Easy to Love
Mar 5, 2026

Song of the Day: Elevating, soaring soul with the high vocals of the New Zealand-Australian singer and songwriter joined by one half the British band Jungle, heralding the collaborative EP Between Us, out on 24 April on Fontana Records / Universal Music

Mar 5, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
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
Korean musicians in 1971.jpeg
Feb 12, 2026
Word of the week: yanggeum
Feb 12, 2026

Word of the week: A form or hammered dulcimer, this traditional Korean instrument, with a flat and trapezoidal shape, has seven sets of four metal strings hit by thin bamboo stick

Feb 12, 2026
Zumbador dorado - mango bumblebee Puerto Rico.jpeg
Jan 22, 2026
Word of the week: zumbador
Jan 22, 2026

Word of the week: A wonderfully evocative noun from the Spanish for word buzz, and meaning both a South American hummingbird, a door buzzer, and symbolic of resurrection of the soul in ancient Mexican culture, while also serving as the logo for a tequila brand

Jan 22, 2026
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

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