Your Custom Text Here
Spin the music: this week’s playlists pull in a swirl of superb stories
Yaaaaar, me hearties! Troubled waters to dire straits, the world is full of hazardous seas from bad weather to human folly and war. Inspired by last week’s topic nominations, guest Captain Marconius tells many a rich tale with his canticle pickings …
Read more
Liquorice stick? It’s a whole feast of music as we tootle into this week’s lists …
Liquorice stick? This is more like a full musical feast as we tootle across multiple nations, eras and genres courtesy of the nimble fingers and ears of guest Nicko, who picks many great notes from last week’s theme
Read more
There’s no escaping it …
It has come to us all, inescapable feeling, a time of mixed dread and hope, as the old routine beckons. With Monday at the forefront, Loud Atlas captures all these feelings in a superbly entertaining schedule of songs from last week’s topic
Read more
Shadows and light: Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra have all the angles …
Jazz, funk, classical, African, Cuban, Balkan and beyond, this week it all came together beautifully in these fabulously powerful and erudite selections by guest of the week Nilpferd, from a many more nominations from last week’s ensembles theme
Read more
Let’s dance through some 19th century history ….
It brought enduring global change, from the Industrial Revolution to the American Civil War and abolition of slavery. Inspired by last week’s song nominations, guest Shiv SideCar captures the century in a series of historic playlists
Read more
Bumblebee: music collected from many sources
So what’s buzz? Literal or metaphor, and collecting nectar from a wide range of sources from last week’s topic, guest musical beekeeper Alaric gives takes on a world of the bluesy, folky and much more as his playlists fully bloom
Read more
Ibeyi’s Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz
Young, older, tender, close, bosom pals, supportive, mother-some to fierce, bitchy, inter-family rivals and constantly bothersome. They come in all shapes and types, and whether it’s by any songwriter, or from within a sibling band, let’s sing out for the sister
Read more
The Unthanks
Canny! Champion! Famous sons and daughters of Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and beyond bring a beautiful, humorous and moving portrait of this charismatic region, picked with a huge write-up, rich in historical and musical reference, by guest playlister Alaricmc
Read more
The look of 2020
Writing from a viral hotbed of Covid-19 lockdown - New York - guest playlister magicman recounts isolation, social chaos, cohesion, anger and laughter with his infectious collection of superb songs nominated by a global Song Bar audience
Read more
The Unthanks
Take a deep breath, slowly exhale, press play and let marvellous meta-songs flow out in the form two lovely playlists by guest Suzi, taking in folk to reggae, funk to soul along the way, and inspired by last week’s topic suggestions
Read more
‘The morning is here and there’s work to be done': Who sings a story of the ‘navvies’ who built our railways?
Drivers to traders, craftsmen to carers, traffic wardens to roadies, this week’s superb playlists by guest writer ShivSidecar capture a huge spectrum of styles, emotions, toil and characters, and after so many nominations, it’s a job very well done indeed
Read more
Aimee Mann
What is charisma? Allow yourself to be pulled into the magnetic force of this week’s playlists, designed to fit on the C90 cassette. Variously profound and beautiful, they are chosen by guest ajostu from last week’s many nominations
Read more
Pick collection …
Galleries to grand libraries, public or private, unusual or colourful objects, from the oddball to unhealthy obsession, this week we enter the extraordinary world of collecting, listing and cataloguing and everything that motivates it
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
Not much time? Ari Up! The Slits
It only takes a minute (or a second) to click on this link, but once you do, your brief encounter with these pithy, witty playlists by guest picker Severin will make you linger on lyrical gems about love’s fast passing and much more
Read more
Antelope Slot Canyons, Arizona.
A rocky entrance to cool, calm caverns, deadly and beautiful tales of coal miners to digging dwarves, guest playlister takeitawayGuru, inspired by hundred of nominations, takes us on a fantastic underground musical journey
Read more
Sir Jake Thackray (honorary knight of the Song Bar, posthumously given)
King, Queen or Lord, Big Chief to Brigadier, Corporal and more, from a list of titles nominated as long as history itself, this week's playlist writer, Sir Severin, serves up superb lists that would honour any ears
Read more
The Andantes: backing vocal mainstays of Motown – Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps. Who didn't they sing for?
They're the brilliant singers who blend beautiful and really make the music. From Motown and soul to to church and gospel, barbershop to pop or even punk, suggest songs made backed brillliantly by the unknown or famous
Read more
Relaxing with Elbow, in time-honoured fashion …
Busking on the beach to sailing with Jacque Brel, sipping beer with Elbow to looking at old photographs with Al Stewart, this week's guest writer Barbryn brings balm to any soul with two beautiful playlists
Read more