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Playlists: songs about absurdity and absurdism

March 11, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Players enter. But where’s the Wurlitzer …?

Strange goings on and off occur this week as the curtain opens for a theatrical absurdity featuring cast of random characters including this week’s guest guru, Loud Atlas, inspired by last week’s topic and Samuel Beckett. Fish. Wurlitzer. Balloon.

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, disco, dance, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, theatre, Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus, Frank Zappa, Dicky Doo and The Don'ts, Norm Burns, The Burning Hell, Ivor Cutler, Bob Dylan, Sparks, Family Fodder, Erutan, Bodo Wartke, Marti Fischer, The Kinks, Serge Gainsbourg, The Deep Freeze Mice, Mono No Aware, Laibach, Bing Crosby, William Bendix, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Momus, Mr Scruff, Barnes & Barnes, Roger Miller, The Beatles, Chad Morgan, John Hiatt, Yello, Les Fleur De Lys, They Might Be Giants, Luan Luis Guerra 4.40, Manfred Mann, Scooter, Blind Blake, Comedian Harmonists, The Cure, Andrew Bird, Klaatu, Motion City Soundtrack, Loud Atlas
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Let's face: songs with lyrical symmetry

January 9, 2025 Peter Kimpton

‘Fearful symmetry’? More to reflect on …

It’s pleasing to ear and eye, verbally, musically and rhythmically, so let’s seek songs with forms of lyrical antimetabole, the repetition of one or more words in successive clauses, but a transposed order

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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, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, symmetry, Edith Wharton, Dave Van Ronk, Aristotle, Iannis Xenakis, Jack Vance, Paul Valéry, Lord Byron, William Shakespeare, Shakespeare, William Blake, Patti Smith, Jorge Luis Borges, John Updike, poetry, lyrics, David Bowie, antimetabole, John F Kennedy, Edouard Manet, Impressionism, Snoop Dogg, chiasmus, language, grammar, They Might Be Giants, Steven Weinberg, Chen-Ning Yang, Tony Buzan, Blaise Pascal, Helen Reddy, Derek Walcott
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Playlists: songs about detectives and private investigators

December 11, 2024 Peter Kimpton

They call him Mr Tibbs: Sidney Poitier shows Rod Steiger how real detective work is done - In The Heat of The Night (1967)

There’s a body, but what’s the motive, and whodunnit? Gathering a cast of famous detectives and a pile of tracks about them to spin in the Bar, Chief Inspector Marco den Ouden solves the case with musical cues and keys, inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, detectives, private investigators, Sidney Poitier, Film, film soundtrack, drama, television themes, Robb Johnson, Laurie Johnson, Sailor, The Regals, Yello, Joaquin Sabina, Steely Dan, They Might Be Giants, Stanley Brinks, Freschard, Jackie Leven, Bill Lloyd, DIre Straits, Thompson Twins, The Nipple Erectors, The New York Dolls, JJ Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Hall & Oates, Jon & Vangelis, Jon and Vangelis, Jon Anderson, Vangelis, Reverend & The Makers, Sparks, Tavares, Phish, Detective, Church, Weddings Parties Anything, Sammy Davis Jr, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Art of Noise, The Art of Noise, Chosen Few, The Four Tops, Travelling Wilburys, UK Subs, Jamo Thomas, Tommy Flanders, Poster Children, The Rolling Stones, Leon Nightingale, Nicoll Brothers Band, Gordon Giltrap, Rupert Holmes, James Taylor, James Taylor Quartet, Lalo Schifrin, Alan Tew, Max Harris & His Novelty Trio, Trevor Jones, Juji Ohno, Norrie Paramor, Enoch Light & The Light Brigade, Tom Beckham, Sean Callery, Alison Brown, Mark Snow, Madonna, Warren Beatty, Marco den Ouden
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Playlists: songs about museums, galleries and exhibitions

July 13, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Airing the sound: MOMA’s Music Gallery

Airing the sound: MOMA’s Music Gallery

It’s a private view where all are invited. Led by our expert guest curator EnglishOutlaw, chosen from a range of musical hanging fruit, welcome to the grand tour reopening of an entirely unique grand expo - a canticular spectacular

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In African, avant-garde, blues, comedy, dance, country, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rocksteady, rock, reggae, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, exhibitions, art galleries, museums, 10000 Maniacs, The Strawbs, P-Model, Regina Spektor, Mick Thomas' Roving Commission, Phillip Jeays, Andre Williams, David Dondero, Tiny Ruins, They Might Be Giants, Gecko, Grant Hart, Steve Taylor, Kraftwerk, 4Hero, Gretchen Peters, Rufus Wainwright, Josh Ritter, Sparks, Croydon Tourist Office, Perfume, Lorde, King Missile, X-Ray Spex, Weird Al Jankovic, EnglishOutlaw, Bongwater
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Playlists: songs about bodily motion, exercise and physiotherapy

December 16, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci

‘The heart’s a muscle. I pull it constantly’. Stretching not only the body, but also the mind and musical boundaries, these week’s playlists, expertly exercised by guest TatankaYotanka, help find parts we didn’t even know we had

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, ska, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, biology, medicine, exercise, Fred Smalls, Gazelle Twin, Christine and the Queens, They Might Be Giants, Jae Tyler, Moby, Beyonce, Chelmico, Ofenbach & Quarterhead, Superchunk, The Nightingales, Smog, British Sea Power, Kamasi Washington, The Beastie Boys, Howard Devoto, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy McCrackin, Madness, LNR, Shriekback, Diana Ross, The Untouchables, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Spinners, Tortoise, Varano, Wunmi, Franck Biyong, Peter Hammill, TatankaYotanka
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Playlists: songs with insults and sentiments that may offend

October 7, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Frank Zappa and the body beautiful

Frank Zappa and the body beautiful

Men, women, babies, society, people of statue, stardom or otherwise, this week no one escapes this week’s scattergun of superbly insulting songs inspired by last week’s topic, chosen with expert evil hilarity by guest Olive Butler

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In African, avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks, showtime Tags songs, playlists, insults, offensive material, Betty Davis, Fela Kuti, The Rolling Stones, Ceelo Green, Lana Del Rey, Ben Folds, Frank Zappa, Robyn Hitchcock, Morrissey, The Fall, Terminal Heads, Half Man Half Biscuit, John Cooper Clarke, Braindance, Chumbawamba, Ian Dury, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Mojo Nixon, NIck Lowe, The Jam, Richard Thompson, Steeleye Span, Randy Newman, They Might Be Giants, Adam Green, Machine Gun Fellatio, The Tiger Lillies, Olive Butler
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Playlists: songs about masks

September 23, 2020 Peter Kimpton
A signature cover version

A signature cover version

Whether current or the historic, for survival or entertainment, metaphorical, literal, medical, protective, theatrical, comical or disguise, inspired a sea of masks in last week’s topic, guest playlister severin has got it totally covered

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, masks, Billy Bragg, The Ramones, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Jussi Björling, Iggy Pop, Nancy Wilson, Robyn Hitchcock, Loreena McKennitt, Captain Beefheart, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Kurangan, Peter Hammill, Clinton Fearon, Dave Matthews Band, They Might Be Giants, Grace Jones, The Skids, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Ditty Bops, Carolyn Crawford, Max Romeo, Graham Parker, Idles, Johann Strauss II, The Mountain Goats, Fugees, Lou Reed, Thaikkudam Bridge, George Benson, Susanne Sundfør, Rob Brydon, Severin, severin
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Playlists: songs about being stubborn and ignoring advice

February 5, 2020 Peter Kimpton
There’s no dictating to Pauline Murray from Penetration …

There’s no dictating to Pauline Murray from Penetration …

An impressive collection of tough cookies feature in this week’s lineup of artists ready to take no nonsense from anybody, covering the full spectrum obstinacy, from soul to punk and beyond, picked by discerning ear of guest Maki

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In avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, stubbornness, obstinacy, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, The Lumineers, The Quireboys, The Kinks, Adrian Borland, Tool, Penetration, H.E.R., Robyn, The Grateful Dead, Richard Thompson, They Might Be Giants, Kirsty MacColl, Sex Pistols, Rod Stewart, Paco Ibáñez, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Mia Sheard, Mayte Martin, Maki
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Inverted world: songs about the upside down to the inside out

August 29, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Shadow play. Where? On the square

Shadow play. Where? On the square

This week we enter the world of the topsy-turvy and the back-to-front, all reflected in song lyrics, literally or metaphorically, here with a perspective on other work, from reversed or mirror images to the distorted or refracted

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, metal, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, art, photography, optics, psychology, Jean Baudrillard, Frank Gehry, architecture, William Shakespeare, Christopher Priest, Iain Banks, NIck Lowe, Tom Waits, Robbie Williams, Dick Dale, Jimi Hendrix, Donatella Versace, Bertolt Brecht, Jean Cocteau, Hamlet, James Elkins, Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Adelbert Ames, They Might Be Giants, The Simpsons
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Playlists: songs about electricity

May 8, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Where will lightning strike in this week’s playlists?

Where will lightning strike in this week’s playlists?

Ancient lightning gods and rods to pioneers of current, this week’s bright spark EnglishOutlaw connects nature, history and scientific experiment into musical form with playlists inspired by last week’s electrifying topic

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In avant-garde, comedy, country, dance, electronica, experimental, folk, indie, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, reggae, soul Tags songs, playlists, electricity, science, Screeching Wheel, White Noise, The Grateful Dead, MGMT, Buzzcocks, The Decemberists, The Bee Gees, Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Frank Sidebottom, Photomartyr, Band of Holy Joy, The Cure, They Might Be Giants, The Waterproof Candle, Man or Astro-Man?, The Ramones, Jenny Hval, Joni Mitchell, Barenaked Ladies, Albert Hammond, Captain Beefheart, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, The Cravats, Mischief Brew, EnglishOutlaw
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Grandiloquent to gavotte: song lyrics with strange, rare or unlikely words 

September 13, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Let’s dust off, or blow away the ‘oose’ of our vocabulary air some great words

Let’s dust off, or blow away the ‘oose’ of our vocabulary air some great words

This week let’s delve deep into the musical lexicon for instances where unusual, oddball, inappropriate, funny, pretentious, antiquated or obscure words jump out, sometimes working well, or otherwise

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, words, dictionary, language, playlists, lyrics, The Police, Sting, Public Enemy, Chuck D, NWA, Tim Rice, musicals, Blondie, Radiohead, Cole Porter, Tom Lehrer, Vivian Stanshall, They Might Be Giants, Led Zeppelin, Carly Simon
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Playlists: bright songs about dark subjects

May 16, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Bouncy inappropriateness: The Smiths

Bouncy inappropriateness: The Smiths

Death, depression and other dark matter is given the jaunty, upbeat treatment by guest playlister DJ PP99, spinning superb and starkly contrasting styles and subjects from last week’s nominations

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, death, depression, Young Fresh Fellows, Reverend Gary Davis, The Smiths, Heavenly, Jun Togawa, Ben Lee, The Hold Steady, The Clash, Gin Blossoms, The Primitives, Richard Thompson, Hoodoo Gurus, Pink, Childish Gambino, They Might Be Giants, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols, The Mighty Diamonds, dBs, Katrina and the Waves, Mental As Anything, philipphilip99
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Playlists: songs with unusual narrators

February 28, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Song post from space: a 1959 Romanian stamp depicts Laika the Soviet canine cosmonaut 

Song post from space: a 1959 Romanian stamp depicts Laika the Soviet canine cosmonaut 

Dogs, cats, foxes, trucks, museum relics, or lighthouses, this week's playlist writer barbryn hasn't just collected songs, but a supremely illuminating story of alternative voices and perspectives

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, narrators, animals, They Might Be Giants, Nickel Creek, Guster, Jonathan Coulton, Nancy Kerr, James Fagan, Robert Wyatt, The Cure, Philip Jeays, The Dark, The Triffids, Red Simpson, Gecko, Joanna Newsom, Jackson C Frank, Scott Walker, Lucero, James Keelaghan, Grandaddy, Tom Waits, Johnny Marr, Maxine Peake, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, The Weakerthans, Gram Parsons, Harry Nilsson, Hurricane Harry, The Rolling Stones, Alias, Barbryn
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Playlists: songs with provocative, strange or humorous titles

February 7, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Mac users: Amon Düül II

Mac users: Amon Düül II

Psychological perspectives to sexual proclivities, social commentary to downright silliness, our guest playlist writer attwilightlarks covers a large articulate range of the human psyche in the wordy titles from last week's topic

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In blues, classical, country, comedy, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, titles, sex, philosophy, Carl Jung, Martin Heidegger, Amon Düül II, A Sunny Day In Glasgow, The Deep Freeze Mice, Garfunkel And Oates, They Might Be Giants, Los Campesinos, Joan Armatrading, The Soft Machine, The Turtles, Jackie Leven, Felt, Indians In Moscow, The Movement, Billie Holiday, The Gourds, The Ramones, The Faces, Tony Joe White, Sam The Sham And The Pharoahs, Mental As Anything, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Ricky Warwick, Desmond Dekker, attwilightlarks
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Playlists: songs about pirates and piracy

July 5, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Lotte Lenya as Pirate Jenny in Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera (1928) 

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

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In playlists, songs, music Tags songs, playlists, pirates, financial industry, financial crisis, banking industry, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lawrence Lessig, Kurt Weill, piracy, Lotte Lenya, Beastie Boys, Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson, Flogging Molly, Joaquin Sabina, Nina Simone, Home T. Cocoa Tea, Shabba Ranks, The Viceroys, John Cale, Jacques Loussier, Neil Innes, Horrible Histories, Adam and the Ants, Lee Scratch Perry, Mad Professor, Louie Culture, Anthony Selassie, Chrome, Cadaver Club, Procol Harum, Joan Baez, They Might Be Giants, The Pogues, Tom Waits, New Model Army, Abney Park, Gilbert & Sullivan, books, ParaMhor, Monty Python
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Playlists: songs about channelling mental and physical pain

March 29, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Antony Hegarty, now known as ANOHNI 

Antony Hegarty, now known as ANOHNI 

Through the haunting voices of Antony Hegarty and Karen Dalton to memories of Syd Barrett and racing with the Boss, this week's guest writer ParaMhor plays through the pain barrier with perfects lists inspired by last week's topics 

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Tags Pink Floyd, songs, playlists, pain, PP Arnold, Orange Juice, The Brilliant Green, They Might Be Giants, Susan Cadogan, Noah And The Whale, Dexys Midnight Runners, Anthony and the Johnsons, Karen Dalton, The Folk Implosion, Bruce Springsteen, Curved Air, Nazareth, Fairport Convention, REM, M.A.S.H., Richard Thompson, Mary Coughlan, Dusty Springfield, Propaganda, Culture Club, Judas Priest, Alter Bridge, Eric Clapton, Florence and the Machine, The Sonics
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Playlists: whimsical, strange and silly songs

December 21, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Flying fish to dance to this week's lists. It was never going a sensible picture, was it?

Flying fish to dance to this week's lists. It was never going a sensible picture, was it?

The joint is jumping, and with Christmas silly season in full swing at the bar, our guest writer Flatfrog causes more than tapping feet and belly laughs with fabulous choices from last week's topic

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Tags songs, Music, Flatfrog, Leroy Anderson, Velvet Underground, Katzenjammer, Ohio Players, AC/DC, Chaos UK, Green Jelly, Boeing Duveen & The Beautiful Soup, Fred Penner, Petula Clark, Napoleon XIV, Leon Rosselson, Mr Scruff, They Might Be Giants, Alia Bhatt & Shahid Kapoor, Kevin Hearn, Barenaked Ladies, Rick Dees, Pink Floyd, Slapp Happy, Henry Cow, Sheb Wooly, Groucho Marx, Max Splodge, The Incredible String Band, Lorraine Bowen, 7 Seconds of Love, Alondra Bentley
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'DRINK' OF THE WEEK

Lucky 13 Seed Co. romulan ale

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Baker's Dozen (+) mini donuts

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 shorter tracks, and motorik krautrock-style driven coloured by strange sounds, intense emotions and sharply angled and abstract 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
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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
Song Bar spinning.gif