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Playlists: songs about very specific or obscure numbers

October 15, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Doctor Steel and his robot band

How does it all add up? Is there any logic to it. There are thousands of songs that include numbers, but what about the very specific ones? Inspired by last week’s topic, see how it all took shape in this alternative Fibonacci sequence

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In avant-garde, African, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, numbers, mathematics, Paul Erdős, Doctor Steel, Wire, John Berberian & The Rock East Ensemble, Five Thirty, Tom Waits, Tennessee Ernie Ford, The Cure, Ansell Collins, The Rolling Stones, Chicago, paul simon, The Beatles, Toots and the Maytals, Geese, Brian Eno, The O'Jays, The Marvelettes, Wilson Pickett, Aphex Twin, Richard D James, Tropical Fuck Storm
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Playlists: songs about the frozen north

October 1, 2024 Peter Kimpton

Mush! The team all pulled together, leading to these splendid songs …

Stunning sights and sounds that will melt your heart, but hopefully not too much of the ice. From Siberia to Alaska, the Inuit to the Laps and beyond, Marco den Ouden takes us on a fabulous journey across the frozen north inspired by last week's topic

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, rock, reggae, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Arctic regions, Siberia, Alaska, Lapland, Finland, Johnny Horton, Hobo Jim, Show Of Hands, Momus, Torgeir Vassvik, Sverre Kjellsberg, Mattis Hætta, Tanya Tagaq, The Trews, Techno Sound Group, Jenny Räisänen, Redgum, Wire, Ludovico Einaudi, Lucinda Belle Orchestra, British Sea Power, Sea Power, Alan Parsons, Stompin' Tom Connors, The Pogues, Sólstöður, Kornet, Billy Bragg, Veda Hille, Bill Staines, Martin Carthy, John Denver, Neil Young, Shocking Blue, Lucy J Dalton, The Church, Mari Boine, Kardemimmit, Camel, Matt Elliott, Jet Blacks, Alestorm, Gladys Knight, Al Stewart, Jocelyn Dorian, Pamyua, Adam Bird’s Bowl of Fire, Jean Sibelius, Al di Meola, Oregon, Geir Bøhren, Bent Åserud, Woody Herman, Boreal Taiga, Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Australian Allstars, Finn Eriksen, Sun Ra, Charles Verstraete Et Son Orchestre, Terje Isungset, Hank Snow, Seth Boyer, Marco den Ouden
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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 inventively using acronyms

October 11, 2023 Peter Kimpton

What letters might form into songs?

From catchy hooks to deeper meanings revealed, a combination of letters can be a clever way to compose lyrics or a song title. Guest playlister ajostu unscrambles hundreds of suggestions from last week’s topic to superbly spell it all out

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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, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, acronyms, Ian Brown, The Streets, Wunmi, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Public Service Broadcasting, Kendrick Lamar, Rina Sawayama, Nat King Cole, Father John Misty, Jesca Hoop, Big Thief, Prefab Sprout, Emmy The Great, Bis, Daryl Hall, Robert Fripp, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Brakes, Wire, Peter Gabriel, Zeca Pagodinho, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Train, Steely Dan, Serge Gainsbourg, Everyone Was In The French Resistance ... Now!, Young Marble Giants, Scotch Rolex, M.I.A., Hitsujibungaku, SABA, Cornelius
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Playlists: songs about competition and competing

August 29, 2023 Peter Kimpton

It’s time to give those records a spin, but who will get round first?

It’s a competitive world out there, whether that’s in sports, business or looking for love. A stellar set of songs and nominators from last week’s topic, chosen by excellent referee Uncleben who waves the chequered flag, and they’re off …!

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, krautrock, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, competition, sport, George Jones, Steeleye Span, The Intruders, The Drifters, Otis Taylor, Mark Knopfler, Roxanne Shanté, Ethel Merman, Ray Middleton, Alex Chilton, Prefab Sprout, Little Carl Carlton, Sir Mack Rice, The Spelding's Jazz Orchestra, The Beach Boys, The Smiths, Spin Doctors, Just Jack, Fountains of Wayne, Archie Roach, Womack & Womack, Prince Far I, Wire, Barmy Army, The Real Sounds of Africa, DJ Krush, Miss Piggy, The Muppets, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs with more questions than answers

September 28, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Bande à part: Roxy Music

Inspired by Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave cinema movement, music poses questions in all forms - in sound, form, structure, as well as lyrics. Picking from last week’s topic, guest playlister pejepeine has excellent answers by example

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, experimental, folk, funk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, hip hop, gospel, electronica, songs, rock, reggae, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, French New Wave, Jean-Luc Godard, Charlie Parker, Joao Gilberto, Annette Peacock, Paul Bley, Roxy Music, Gang of Four, Boards of Canada, Cat Stevens, Reeps One, Jefferson Airplane, Public Enemy, Rosalia, Stereolab, Mitsujibungaka, Diana Ross, Johnny Nash, Supertramp, The Grateful Dead, Les Paul, Mary Ford, Moloko, Wire, Stump, Barry Mann, Hortense Ellis, Jean Constantin, Film, film soundtrack, pejepeine
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Playlists: songs about the impossible

July 5, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Impossibly bending the rules: Television’s landmark LP Marquee Moon

Can it be done? Can we only dream? It’s time to bend the rules through the incomparable prism of the Song Bar theme process – and see what happens. With a vibrant vortex of wonderful nominations last week, guest playlister Maki presents the amazing choices

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Tags impossible, songs, playlists, Wilco, NoMeansNo, television, Champion Jack Dupree, Martin Stephenson and the Daintees, The Grateful Dead, The Honeybus, Carmen McRae, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, Lalo Schifrin, Blancmange, Wire, Simple Minds, Radiohead, Tony Joe White, Jack Bruce, Maya de Vitry, Jeffrey Lewis, Jackie Leven, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Carlos Cano, Maki
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Playlists: meta-songs or songs that reference themselves

January 12, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Portrait of Laurence Sterne by Joshua Reynolds, 1760. Sterne’s revolutionarily divergent meta-novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, became a huge influence on great 20th century novelists from James Joyce to Italo Calvino and T…

Portrait of Laurence Sterne by Joshua Reynolds, 1760. Sterne’s revolutionarily divergent meta-novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, became a huge influence on great 20th century novelists from James Joyce to Italo Calvino and Thomas Pynchon

In the spirit of Laurence Sterne’s wonderfully original novel, and inspired by a hive mind of nominations, guest guru Uncleben embarks on a marvellous meandering journey of deliberate divergence to explore a self-referential mirror-hall of lyrical meta

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, meta-songs, Stan Kenton, Odyssey, Donny Hathaway, Yachts, The Frank and Walters, Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, Carla Bley, Billie Eilish, The Yummy Fur, David Bowie, Belle & Sebastian, Procul Harum, Marty Feldman, Simon & Garfunkel, Christine and the Queens, The Burning Hell, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Todd Rundgren, Neil Young, The Gladiators, The Four Intruders, Car Seat Headrest, Wire, Quiet Sun, Al Green, King Curtis, Pulp, Matching Mole, Chic, Baccara, Fujiya & Miyagi, The Beatles, Thin Lizzy, Camera Obscura, Public Image Limited, Magazine, Captain Beefheart, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs about written correspondence

October 28, 2020 Peter Kimpton
davidbowiewritingyletter.jpg Letter to Hermione Lyrics.jpg

Love, hate, broken hearts, glad tidings, bills, rejections, congratulations – here came many sackfuls of mail in response to last week’s topic, and sorting through it all was guest postmaster Maki, down to two splendid playlists

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In blues, avant-garde, comedy, country, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, Dean Friedman, John Prine, David Bowie, Siobhan Wilson, Fleet Foxes, Macy Gray, Pastor López, Prince Buster, Lorraine Bowen, Wire, The Ink Spots, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Blondie, REM, Brothers Johnson, Kevin Ayers, Burning Spear, The Police, The Soft Machine, The Who, Tim Buckley, Celtas Cortos, Niña Pastor, Juan Luis Guerra
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Playlists: songs about sand

July 15, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Made of soft rock? Far better to come on this week’s musical shoreline …

Made of soft rock? Far better to come on this week’s musical shoreline …

Songs about sand is a lot more than soft rock. These playlists, picked by skilful guest beachcomber George Boyland from waves of nominations, features a beautiful coast of styles from rock to reggae, postpunk to flamenco and electronica

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In African, blues, calypso, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, sand, geology, beaches, coasts, Jonathan Richman, The Modern Lovers, The Who, family, The Drifters, Freddie McGregor, Bomb The Bass, El Camaron de La Isla, Paco de Lucia, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Whiskey Rebellion, Misty in Roots, Taska Black, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Bonobo, Bill Nelson, The Bees, Temples, Donald Fagen, B-52s, Brain Ticket, The God Machine, Maggie Holland, The Youngbloods, Wire, Beyonce, Squeeze, George Boyland
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Playlists: songs with non sequiturs

June 24, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Sparks are eating apparently nothing to do with what their song is about …

Sparks are eating apparently nothing to do with what their song is about …

From the witty to the weird, the irreverent to the irrelevant, the poetic to the potty, after a huge outpouring of nominations, guest playlister severin serves up a superb menu of cutting-edge and classic musical conundrums

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, music, jazz, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, non sequiturs, Wanda Jackson, Barenaked Ladies, Sparks, Homeboy Sandman, The Beatles, Beth Orton, Aldous Harding, Bob Dylan, The Go-Betweens, Shriekback, Captain Beefheart, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Chambers Brothers, Velvet Underground, Half Man Half Biscuit, Glenn Yarborough, Hombres, The Wind In The Willows, The Marvelettes, The Soft Machine, Cream, Guided By Voices, REM, Luke Westaway, Nirvana, David Bowie, Robyn Hitchcock, Memphis Jug Band, Skids, Sex Pistols, Santosh Narayanan, ABC, Wire, Suburban Lawns, The Sleepy Jackson, Talking Heads, Massive Attack, T Rex, The Flaming Lips, Stevie Wonder, Echo and the Bunnymen, Simple Minds, Brian Eno, Willie Colon, Jah Wobble, The Flys, Severin, severin
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Playlists: songs with and about ambiguity

July 17, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Stock image? Gazelle Twin – definitely, possibly otherwise

Stock image? Gazelle Twin – definitely, possibly otherwise

What indeed does it all mean? Weaving in and out of lyrics and songs like an outer-body radio station, inspired by last week’s nominations, guest magicman creates two mesmerising playlists that ask as many questions as they answer

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, experimental, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, reggae, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, ambiguity, Tedesci Trucks Band, Townes Van Zandt, Boeing Duveen & The Beautiful Soup, Electric Light Orchestra, Nona Hendryx, The Kinks, Rosa Leon, paul simon, Gazelle Twin, Dana & Karen Kletter, Harry Nilsson, Todd Rundgren, Chris Bell, Yola, Adrian Belew, Steely Dan, Wire, The Beatles, Peter Hammill, Aldous Harding, Sam Sham & The Pharoahs, REM, Fairport Convention, Dead Can Dance, Frank Zappa, Vampire Weekend, Laurie Anderson, magicman
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Playlists: songs about months of the year

March 27, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Timeless melodies: a page from the Antikamnia Chemical Company’s Skeleton Calendar for 1901

Timeless melodies: a page from the Antikamnia Chemical Company’s Skeleton Calendar for 1901

When does The Fall come, is it in autumn or spring? And what and when might Brian Eno or Vashti Bunyan bring? All this and more as this week’s playlister Rachel Courtney aka uneasy listening gets creative with musical calendars

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In blues, classical, country, comedy, dance, disco, electronica, folk, gospel, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, months, time, Wire, Hank Snow, Mulata Astatke, Pizzicato Five, Bambi OST, Acid Gallery, The Fall, Mark E Smith, Los Brincos, Brian Eno, Jessye Norman, Milton Nascimento, Vashti Bunyan, Scott Walker, Johnny Mathis, Pilot, Estalares, Ruth Etting, Jesus & Mary Chain, Bob and Rob Cropper, Fats Waller, Nina Simone, Love, Dinah Washington, Chris and Cosey, Sandy Denny, Bear Babes, The Cryin' Shames, Rachel Courtney / uneasy listening, Mulatu Astatke, The Cryan' Shames
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Playlists: songs about unexplained phenomena

October 11, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Flying saucer? Or just heavy metal?

Flying saucer? Or just heavy metal?

Aliens to Bigfoot, ghouls to ghosts, sea monsters to hairy hominids, Blondie to Brownsville Station, inspired by last week's avalanche of nominations, guest playlister Sidecar Shiv takes us on a marvellous musical journey into the unknown 

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In playlists, rock, songs, soul, music, folk, punk, indie, metal Tags Songs, playlists, unexplained phenomena, aliens, monsters, ghosts, supernatural, Charles Fort, The X Files, Fortean Times, UFOs, GBH, The Aliens, Paul Cauthen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Hot Chocolate, Jameson Raid, Blondie, Wire, Metallica, Jonathan Richman, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Jonathan Coulton, Bob Pegg, Four Below Zero, The Rezillos, Sheryl Crow, Sun Dial, Photomartyr, Type O Negative, Steeleye Span, The Handsome Family, Calexico, Shonen Knife, Mastodon, Don Jones, The Chills, Brownsville Station, Sidecar Shiv, ShivSidecar
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Playlists: songs about news, reporting and media

June 14, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Iggy Pop and friend are watching the news

Iggy Pop and friend are watching the news

How did it all unfold on election night? Narrated through perfect playlists of running coverage, our guest reporter EnglishOutlaw, inspired by last week's topic, cleverly sneaked inside No 10 Downing Street … 

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In playlists, music, songs Tags Songs, playlists, general election, Theresa May, Hüsker Dü, The Vapors, Iggy Pop, Cock Sparrer, Robert Plant, Nick Cave, Skyhooks, Madness, Prince, Kaiser Chiefs, John Fogerty, Roger Taylor, Elvis Costello, Betty Davis, UK Subs, Crass, The Imposter, Smog, Wire, The Clash, Flatt & Scruggs, Mischief Brew, New Model Army, Billy Bragg, EnglishOutlaw, politics, BBC, David Dimbleby, media, television news
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Playlists: songs about the strange, disturbing and surreal

May 3, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Feast your eyes on Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Feast your eyes on Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Fairy-tale dreams to strange train journeys, Visions of Johanna to Elvis Presley's lost Jesse, guest writer Severin takes us into weird and wonderful world inspired by last week's song nominations

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In playlists, music, songs Tags songs, playlists, Dickie Lee, Psychic TV, Genesis P Orridge, Let's Eat Grandma, Wire, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, This Heat, Suburban Lawns, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Scott Walker, X-Ray Spex, Vivian Stanshall, John Martin, Future of the Left, The Stranglers, Powersolo, Captain Beefheart, Mr Concept, De La Soul, Boeing Duveen & The Beautiful Soup, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Flotation Toy Warning, Sparklehorse, Sparks, Diamanda Galas, Elvis Presley, Severin, David Lynch, Martin Green, Dave Von Ronk
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Playlists: songs about tools

October 12, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Peter Gabriel gets tooled up ...

Peter Gabriel gets tooled up ...

Stitching to scything, hammering to drilling, this week's guest writer Mnemosene2 gets busy with a musical toolkit to build a practically perfect playlist from last week's suggestions

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Tags Songs, playlists, tools, Peter Gabriel, Dessa, Dougie Maclean, Ry Cooder, Miracle of Sound, The Beta Band, Chairman of the Board, Rocco Deluca, Wire, Nick Cave, The Staple Singers, Think Tank, I Like Trains, Mnemosene2
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Playlists: Songs with misheard, nonsense or inaudible lyrics

March 9, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Vivian Stanshall – masterful procurer of nonsense. Photograph: Ian Burt

Vivian Stanshall – masterful procurer of nonsense. Photograph: Ian Burt

Magical mondegreens to oddball earslips, tongue-twisting turns to total incoherence, guest writer swawilg takes us on an inspired and entertaining playlist journey into lyrics that just aren't quite how they sound

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In music, playlists, songs Tags songs, playlists, REM, Talking Heads, Dixie Cups, Manfred Mann, The Velvettes, The Goons, Yellowman, Yes, Wire, Procul Harem, ZZ Top, Vivian Stanshall, Iron Butterfly, Cranes, Leroy Van Dyke, Budgie, Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Violent Femmes, Flying Saucer Attack, Roof, Dawn of the Replicants, Boy Hit Car, Sum Svistu, Butthole Surfers, Barenaked Ladies, Traveling Wilburys, Magma, TC Matic, swawilg
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CONDEMN RACISM, EMBRACE EQUALITY

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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
Gia Margaret - Singing.jpeg
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
Angel In Plainclothes by Angelo De Augustine.jpeg
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
White Denim - 13.jpeg
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
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig.jpeg
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
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
Cowboy Mouth by Sophie Royer.jpeg
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
Hodge - Wiggler.jpeg
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
Return to Sender by Ibibio Sound Machine.jpeg
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
The Puppini Sisters - The Birthday Party.jpeg
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Apr 25, 2026
Song of the Day: Pigeon - Miami
Apr 25, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, sunny, upbeawt indie synth-pop with an African twist by the Margate band fronted by Falle Nioke, with flavours of William Onyeabor, Hot Chip and New York 70s disco, heralding their upcoming album OUTTANATIONAL, out on 1 May via Memphis Industries

Apr 25, 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
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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
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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
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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
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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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