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Playlists: songs with lyrical zeugma

March 11, 2026 Peter Kimpton

Zeugma and more … Elvis Costello & The Attractions

It’s a figure of speech in which a word applies to two or more others in different senses, giving a concise form of wordplay. Inspired by last week’s topic nominations, guest playlister magicman picks out many sparkling examples and more

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, easy listening, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, lounge, music, musicals, playlists, musical hall, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rhythm and blues, RnB, rock, soul, trip hop, traditional, songs, ska, showtime Tags songs, playlists, zeugma, wordplay, words, lyrics, Bonnie Tyler, Elvis Costello, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Sergio Mendes, Brasil '66, Ursula Rucker, The Californians, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Flanders and Swann, Kanye West, The Carpenters, Alanis Morissette, The Weakerthans, David Bowie, The Cardigans, Jeremy Irons, The Lion King, Dorothy Ashby, Nara Leão, Belle & Sebastian, DIre Straits, Barry Manilow, Rufus Wainwright, Otis Redding, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Elton John, Amy Winehouse, Jeff Buckley, Kendrick Lamar, magicman, film soundtrack
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Playlists: songs for fictional commercials

December 28, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Fresh frozen? Give peas a chance …

Awash with ads for travel, clothing, leisure, painkillers, marijuana, vegetables, and even items to boost sex life? Well, it’s time to be entertained by a string of non-existent ones, framed in snappy marketing musical form, with playlists picked by guest magicman from last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, calypso, blues, classical, country, comedy, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags advertising, playlists, songs, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Say She She, James Brown, The Beach Boys, Les Paul, Mary Ford, Ned Doheny, Annette Hanshaw, Curtis Mayfield, Billy Ocean, Pete and the Pirates, Take That, Bing Crosby, U2, Elvis Presley, Ska-P, Gen Hoshino, Halmens, The Clash, Imagine Dragons, Katrina and the Waves, Frank Black, The Sleepy Jackson, Young Fathers, The Flying Lizards, Eurythmics, The Eurythmics, magicman
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Playlists: songs in Spanish

September 6, 2023 Peter Kimpton

Johnny Pacheco & Celia Cruz

¡Hola! Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile, USA, of course Spain itself and beyond, it’s a language of passion and storytelling. After last week’s big topic nominations, guest playlister magicman presents a wealth of wonderful numbers

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Tags songs, Spanish, Elvira Rios, Ela Minus, Invisible, Rosalía, Chalino Sanchez, Consuelo Velasquez, Los Saicos, Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, Los Chunguitos, Mercedes Sosa, Ibeyi, Mala Rodriguez, Aventura, Judy Santos, Las Ketchup, Fania All Stars, Hector Lavoe, Xavier Cugat, Carmen Castil, November Ultra, La Sonora Del Caribe, Shakira, Gipsy Kings, Lila Downs, The Plugz, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Chabuca Grande, Azucar Moreno, Jessie Reyez, David Byrne, Agapito Pascual, La Sonora Santanera, Victor Jara, La Luz Mandarina, Lecuona Cuban Boys, Buena Vista Social Club, Arsenio Rodriguez, Desi Arnaz, Sylvia Rexach, Chavela Vargas, Eddie Palmieri, Joe Cuba Sextet, Los Tigres del Norte, Benny Moré, Los Zafiros, Ibrahim Ferrer, magicman
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Playlists: songs about resilience

May 2, 2023 Peter Kimpton

There’s something inside … Labi Siffre

Love and marriage, fighting alcoholism, fearless drag queens, 400 years of black resilience, to being able to bend rather than be brittle and break – there’s something very strong going on here, thanks for playlists picked by guest magicman inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags resilience, songs, playlists, Maya Angelou, Mêlée, Kate Bush, Mel & Tim, Fiona Apple, Chk Chk Chk, Grace Petrie, Gerry Rafferty, Dub Syndicate, Aretha Franklin, Joe Walsh, B.J. Thomas, Labi Siffre, Todd Rundgren, Len Chandler, Manic Street Preachers, The Impressions, Mark Stewart & the Maffia, Christina Aguilera, Culture, The Whatnauts, Nat King Cole, Sault, Judy Garland, Little Richard, Long Promised Road, Prince Buster, Andrew Duhon, Jessie Ware, magicman
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Playlists: songs about everlasting love

February 15, 2023 Peter Kimpton

A whole lotta love: the great Barry White

Feel the huge embrace: following last week’s Song Bar seventh Birthday celebration that brought a huge heap of thematic nominations, guest of the week magicman plucks out an excellent, all-loving array of songs that capture those everlasting feelings

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In African, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, electronica, dub, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, love songs, eternity, Barry White, Jockstrap, Johnny Ace, Joy Crookes, Barbara Lewis, Eddi Reader, Randy Newman, Stromae, Cabilla Cabello, Earth Wind & Fire, Suede, The Love Affair, Adele, Heatwave, Choir of Trinity College, The Bangles, Jon Lucien, Whitney Houston, Sault, Elbow, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Randy Travis, Shirley Bassey, Captain & Tenille, Hozier, Los Chunguitos, Al Green, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Wynonna Judd, Ray Charles, Van Morrison, John Legend, Aaron Neville, paul simon, magicman
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Playlists: songs about orgasms

November 16, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Horn of plenty: Rosalía

Yes! Yes! Yes! After days of non-stop, multiple orgasmic musical nominations, it’s time to have a cigarette, sit back and relax as guest of the week magicman presents more than pleasurable playlists that reach even more climaxes …

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In African, avant-garde, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, orgasms, sex, Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention, Fairport Convention, Sugababes, The Rolling Stones, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Major Harris, The Beths, Lil Louis, Starlight Vocal Band, Teddy Prendergrass, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Prince, Machine Gun Fellatio, Rosalía, Turbonegro, Blonde Redhead, Marvin Gaye, Bebe, Alex Puddu, Janet Jackson, Max Romeo, Magic Dirt, Destiny's Child, Apollonia 6, The Dukes of Stratosphear, Liz Phair, Millie Jackson, The Beatles, magicman
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Playlists: songs from New Orleans and south Louisiana

August 31, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Mahalia Jackson at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, 1970

Where might you find some of the best music from NOLA and beyond? The streets are alive with it at every corner. After last week’s big blast of nominations, guest magicman takes us on a fantastic tour of some of the area’s finest artists. Oh what a night!

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In blues, country, dance, disco, folk, experimental, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, showtime, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Louisiana, New Orleans, Kid Sheik, John Handy, Aaron Neville, James Booker, Professor Longhair, King Oliver, Slim Harpo, Cleoma Breaux, Jackson Square Allstars, Sugar Boy Crawford, Iry LeJeune, Buckwheat Zydeco, Smiley Dorsey, Smiley Lewis, Lee Dorsey, Benny Spellman, Ernie K. Doe, Mahalia Jackson, Rebirth Brass Band, Irma Thomas, Robert Parker, Better Than Ezra, Galactic, Sidney Bechet, Lillian Boutte, Andrew Duhon, Zachary Richard, Jessie Hill, Fats Domino, Big Freedia, Kermit Ruffins, magicman
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Playlists: music and songs featuring the trombone

August 10, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Bill Watrous

Bill Watrous

Slide right in here for a blow-by-blow account of the beautiful, broad-ranging, classy, brassy repertoire of the ‘bone – from early jazz to reggae, ska, pop, soul, salsa, funk and film soundtrack and more, perfectly picked by guest magicman from a massive range of nominations

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In blues, calypso, dance, dub, funk, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, showtime, postpunk, gospel Tags trombones, playlists, Jackie Wilson, Kid Ory, Benny Spellman, Mon Rivera, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Don Drummond, Bill Watrous, Fred Wesley Jr, John Barry, Charles Mingus, Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey, Groove Armada, Andy Cato, The Avalanches, Honey Cone, Oscar D'Leon & Dimension Latina, Louis Armstrong, Melba Liston, Rico Rodriguez, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Sound Dimension, Freak Power, David Rose & His Orchestra, Art Blakey, Sergio Mendes, Brasil '66, Quincy Jones, Chris Barber, JJ Johnson, Dexys Midnight Runners, Maurice Ravel, Aswad, Mighty Sparrow, The Mighty Sparrow, Hoyt Curtin, Beny Moré, Blue Mink, Richard Wagner, magicman
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Playlists: songs about adultery and infidelity

March 23, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Blue tales? The magnificent Millie Jackson will always find out …

Blue tales? The magnificent Millie Jackson will always find out …

Saucy musical hall to broken-hearted blues to soaring heart-wrenching soul, guest magicman reveals all the ins and outs of secret liaisons, setting all affairs in order with three supreme playlists to capture the huge response by readers

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, pop, playlists, musicals, postpunk, rock, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags Vesta Victoria, Frankie Lee Sims, The Chicks, Franco & TPOK Jazz, Beyonce, Jimmy Rushing, Gene Pitney, Lefty Frizzell, Denise LaSalle, Robert Johnson, Millie Jackson, Sanford Townsend Band, Waterson & McCarthy, Ida Cox, The Ink Spots, Dream Wife, Gene Autry, Ann Peebles, Lloyd Brown, Brandy Clark, 100º Proof Aged In Soul, Crystal Gayle, Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting, Nancy Kerr, Taylor Swift, Haim, Muddy Waters, Dionne Warwick, Patsy Cline, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Squeeze, Dr John, The O'Jays, Howlin' Wolf, Johnnie Taylor, The Temptations, Jimi Hendrix, The Dubliners, Toni Braxton, George Harrison, adultery, infidelity, relationships, sex, magicman
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Playlists: no words, just dance instrumentals

December 29, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Get down, Soul Train style, to the likes of TSOP and a whole lot more, and dance the 2020 blues away …

Get down, Soul Train style, to the likes of TSOP and a whole lot more, and dance the 2020 blues away …

Let the music do the talking! This lyric-free set of lists, inspired by nominations from last week and picked by our dance maestro magicman, steps niftily across genres, leaves no muscle untouched, and will help dance those 2020 blues away

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In African, avant-garde, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, funk, folk, gospel, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, instrumentals, Lee Scratch Perry, Wamdue Project, La Bottine Souriante, MFSB, The Three Degrees, Glen Miller, Giorgio Moroder, Winifred Atwell, Mitchie M, Ray Charles, Perez Prado, 808 State, Treacherous Orchestra, David Bowie, The Detroit Experiment, Duke Ellington, Young-Holt Unlimited, Alfredo Linares, King Sunny Ade, Bob Holroyd, Four Tet, Rhythm Makers, Love Unlimited Orchestra, Herbie Hancock, Percy Faith Orchestra, Conjunto Sarau, Fatman Riddim Section, King Oliver, Charlie Byrd, Stan Getz, Aswad, Benga & Coki, West Nkosi, Makgona Tsohie Band, Willard McDaniel, Scientist, Maceo & The Macks, Todd Terje, David Shire, East of Eden, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, magicman
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Playlists: songs featuring choirs

September 2, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Soweto Gospel Choir

Soweto Gospel Choir

If ever a music genre brought people together, this is it. Sublime selections in a heartfelt tribute by guest playlister magicman from mass nominations spanning South Africa to Russia, America to India, France, Wales and well beyond

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In African, classical, folk, gospel, indie, jazz, musicals, pop, showtime, songs, traditional, soul, rock, playlists, music, dance, disco Tags songs, playlists, choirs, Harry Nilsson, Pierluigi Palestrina, L. Subramaniam, Pavel Chesnokov, Michael Jackson, Caetano Veloso, Cerys Matthews, Fron Male Voice Choir, Gabriel Fauré, Soweto Gospel Choir, Aretha Franklin, The Southern California Community Choir, Reverend James Cleveland, Sweet Honey In the Rock, Bulgarian State Radio & TV Female Vocal Choir, Oysterband, Melanie, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ray Davies, Crouch End Festival Chorus, Samuel Barber, Chanteurs a la Croix de Cuivre, Zimna Wojna, The Carpenters, Rachmaninov, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, John Taverner, Andi Thakambau, Nicolas Jaar, The Jumping Jacques, Ray Stevens, Sam Smith, Kanye West, Abba, Rod Stewart, The Beatles, Swingle Singers, Vivaldi, Kuban Cossack Choir, magicman
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Playlists: songs applied to Covid-19 lockdown

May 27, 2020 Peter Kimpton
The look of 2020

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

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Tags songs, playlists, coronavirus, Covid-19, flu pandemic, history, New York, Taiwan, Brazil, Andrew Cuomo, Donald Trump, Sparks, Charley Patton, Bertha Lee, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Master KG, Cosmos People, The Jarmels, Tame Impala, Reg Meuross, Courtney Barnett, Emanel Lasky, Tricot, Tool, Fat Larry's Band, Jon Hopkins, King Creosote, Randy Newman, Hunters & Collectors, Brothers Johnson, Talking Heads, The Unthanks, Abba, The Ethiopians, The Statler Brothers, Jeffrey Lewis, Kate Bush, Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim, Jackie Lee, Kraftwerk, Kate Tempest, Vicetone, Tony Igy, Swans, Soapkills, The Specials, Luke Vibert, Ele, Matt Lucas, Sinead Harnett, Al Green, The Temptations, Massive Attack, Tracey Thorn, Cardi B, iMarkkeyz, Todrick Hall, magicman
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Playlists: songs that quote Shakespeare

March 11, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Pop art? The playlist is the thing … and Shakespeare comes in many colours

Pop art? The playlist is the thing … and Shakespeare comes in many colours

Prithee, come along, the bell doth ring! Hear thy song, the playlist is the thing! Rock, classical, funk, soul, hip hop, the Bard is present in all genres, here played out in three splendid acts by guest magicman from a cast of nominations

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags Shakespeare, William Shakespeare, theatre, Iron Maiden, Franz Schubert, Lucia Pop, Laurie Anderson, Jeff Buckley, Kevin Johansen, GLM, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Gentle Giant, Shelagh McDonald, Stormzy, Rufus, Chaka Kahn, Alec Costandinos, Motorhead, Henry Purcell, Half Man Half Biscuit, The Zombies, Bryan Ferry, Inkubus Sukkubus, Kilburn and the High Roads, Ian Dury, Queen, Meic Stevens, Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson, Prince, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Noel Coward, The Four Tops, Kate Tempest, Taylor Swift, Frank Ocean, magicman, Al Bowlly, Siouxsie and the Banshees
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Playlists: songs with great arrangements

December 11, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Sketching out … Miles Davis and Gil Evans

Sketching out … Miles Davis and Gil Evans

It’s an artful arrangement in itself: classical to jazz, pop to prog, the parts unfold and come together beautifully in these playlists picked by this week’s guest magicman, drawn from hundreds of suggestions from last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, rock, showtime, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, musical arrangements, Beethoven, Frank Sinatra, Nelson Riddle, Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Cilla Black, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Van Dyke Parks, Chico Buarque, Focus, Earth Wind & Fire, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Dan Hartman, Rufus Wainwright, Maurice Ravel, George Gershwin, A.R. Rahman, FKA Twigs, The Band, Glen Miller, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Spirit, Tower Of Power, Quincy Jones, Propaganda, Murcof, Nick Drake, John Hartford, June Tabor and the Oyster Band, Voice Squad, Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, Glenn Miller, Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Lana Del Rey, magicman
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Playlists: songs about stalking, following and chasing

November 6, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Follow the eyes … Annette Hanshaw

Follow the eyes … Annette Hanshaw

Innocent following to sinister stalking, this week’s guest magicman has got all the exits covered across two excellent playlists chasing down last week’s topic to cover all musical streets from romantic threats to thrilling car chases

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In avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, following, stalking, chasing, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carole King, Al Campbell, Mindy Gledhill, Lorraine Ellison, Annette Hanshaw, Candi Staton, The Police, Sting, Albert King, AC/DC, Los Jaivos, Sam Sham & The Pharoahs, Film, film soundtrack, Aqualung, Dalbello, UNKLE, Eminem, Dido, Walter TV, The Bangles, Bob Marley, Blossom Dearie, Snow Patrol, Fairport Convention, Chuck Berry, Frances Nero, Cody ChestnuTT, Kacey Musgraves, magicman, Lalo Schifrin, Sam Sham & The Pharaohs, Los Jaivas
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Playlists: songs from New York City

July 24, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus

It’s time to take the A Train and continue across the five boroughs on a musical journey. Inspired by last week’s topic, NY resident magicman takes us on fabulous tour of work recorded in, and capturing the spirit of the Big Apple

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, dance, disco, dub, experimental, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, funk Tags songs, instrumentals, New York, Duke Ellington, Princess Nokia, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Willie Colon, Joe Bataan, Dionne Warwick, Dion, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Eric B & Rakim, Bernard Herrmann, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, Miles Davis, Afrika Bambaataa, The Soul Sonic Force, Raymond Scott, Bruce Springsteen, Pat Metheny, Toots Thielemans, Harry Nilsson, Benny Goodman, Nas, Nuyorican Soul, Jocelyn Brown, Larry Corvell, St Vincent, Vampire Weekend, The Notorious B.I.G., Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, A Tribe Called Quest, Crown Heights Affair, Sister Sledge, Art Blakey, magicman
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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 influenced by gospel

December 12, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Al Green … holy and sexual in the same line

Al Green … holy and sexual in the same line

Hallelujah! This week’s divine lists, picked by guest magicman from countless nominations, not only shines light on gospel’s music in soul to jazz, disco and more, but will lift hearts and minds though dark times

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In country, dance, gospel, music, playlists, pop, songs, soul, blues Tags songs, playlists, gospel, Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Bed of Roses, The Statler Brothers, Ray Charles, Sam & Dave, Wynton Marsalis, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Kahn, Al Green, The Moody Blues, Bobby 'Blue' Bland, Jennifer Holliday, Kanye West, Kirk Franklin, Chance The Rapper, Donny Hathaway, The Impressions, The Staple Singers, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Against All Logic, Nicolas Jaar, Charles Mingus, Labelle, Patti Labelle, Ike and Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson, Ry Cooder, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, The Source, Candi Staton, Frankie Knuckles, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Billy Joel, Bobby Womack, Cannonball Adderley, Emmylou Harris, The Hollies, Jamie Lidell, John Legend, Michael Jackson, Midfield General, Randy Travis, Toots and the Maytals, Change, Nuyorican Soul, Jocelyn Brown, Earth Wind & Fire, Ben Folds Five, Toni Braxton, magicman
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Playlists: songs and music with harps, lyres or zithers

October 17, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Alice Coltrane

Alice Coltrane

Harp on? This week’s guest guru magicman argues it’s really best to just let the music speak for itself, especially when it comes to two playlists of exquisite sounds plucked and stroked those many strings

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In classical, dance, electronica, folk, instrumentals, jazz, indie, hip hop, music, playlists, pop, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags Songs, playlists, harp, zither, lyre, Sarah Deere-Jones, Alice Coltrane, Lila Downs, Zeena Parkins, Joanna Newsom, Brandy & Monica, Dorothy Ashby, Agnes Obel, Sona Jobarteh, Cat Power, Claude Debussy, Joni Mitchell, Inez & Charles Foxx, Stevie Wonder, Edmar Castaneda, Harpo Marx, DnA: Delyth and Angharad Jenkins, Andreas Vollenweider, Ketama, Toumani Diabate, Jose Soto, Catatonia, Philip Glass, Lucinda Belle Orchestra, The Carter Family, Kasumi Watanabe, John Zorn, The Gnostic Trio, Dizzee Rascal, Florence and the Machine, magicman
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Playlists: electronic music and songs up to 1983

June 6, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Machines unmasked: Hideki Matsutake from the Yellow Magic Orchestra

Machines unmasked: Hideki Matsutake from the Yellow Magic Orchestra

Hums, beats, squelches and clicks, banks of sound and theremins, Delia Derbyshire to Bowie, Eno to the Yellow Magic Orchestra, this week’s guest magicman turns it all on with two brilliant playlists from a host of superb nominations

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In electronica, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, songs, soundtracks Tags Songs, music, electronics, electronic music, electronica, Clara Rockmore, Camille Saint-Saëns, Rose Royce, Tonto's Expanding Horizon, Harmonia, Emerson, Keith Emerson, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Raymond Scott, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Abba, Todd Rundgren, Curved Air, Conrad Schnitzler, Brian Eno, David Bowie, Delia Derbyshire, Vangelis, Suzanne Ciani, Afrika Bambaataa, Al Massrieen, Annette Peacock, Ashra, Tangerine Dream, Pierre Boulez, This Heat, The Tornados, Louis & Bebe Barron, Lenny White, Beaver & Krause, Kraftwerk, Jean-Jaques Perrey, Nirvana (UK), Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Lipps Inc., Laurie Anderson, magicman
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

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New Albums …

Featured
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
Eaves Wilder - Little Miss Sunshine.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Eaves Wilder: Little Miss Sunshine
Apr 22, 2026

New album: After 2023’s Hookey EP, a strong, passionate indie-dream-pop-shoegaze full debut by the London singer-songwriter, whose breathy voice intertwines with strong, stirring riffs and textured sounds, themed around cycles of nature aiming to explain and celebrate the mercurial nature of human emotional weather

Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon - The Nightlife.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon: The Nightlife
Apr 22, 2026

New album: The irrepressible, prolific and charismatic London-based Chicago DJ, musician, producer and vinyl lover returns with a flamboyantly fun celebration of club and queer culture through the prism of dance music from disco to house, with a wide variety of guest vocalists

Apr 22, 2026
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Apr 21, 2026
Tiga: HOTLIFE
Apr 21, 2026

New album: Montreal’s acclaimed electronica/techno/dance artist Tiga Sontag returns with his fourth album - inventively packed with head-nodding, toe-tapping, oddly itchy, infectious grooves, cleverly crafted retro sounds recalling Kraftwerk to acid house and electroclash, insistent bold beats and synth riffs, with lyrics of the existential, droll and surreal

Apr 21, 2026
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Apr 20, 2026
TOMORA: Come Closer
Apr 20, 2026

New album: A striking, dynamic collaboration between Norwegian experimental pop sensation Aurora and Tom Rowlands, one of half of Chemical Brothers, with a sensual, otherworldly energetic fusion of mystical, sensual ambience, and block-rocking dance beats

Apr 20, 2026
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Apr 20, 2026
Jessie Ware: Superbloom
Apr 20, 2026

New album: Following 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? and 2023’s That! Feels Good!, as well as the successful food podcast Table Manners she hosts alongside her mother, the British pop singer continues to ride the 70s disco ball train, catering to the clever, kitsch and catchy with an ironic wink, adding also a luxuriant garden metaphor

Apr 20, 2026
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Apr 16, 2026
Juni Habel: Evergreen In Your Mind
Apr 16, 2026

New album: Exquisite, delicate, ethereal finger-picking folk by the Norwegian singer-songwriter in this third album, one that poetically and musically inhabits a mysterious half-dream state flitting between two worlds

Apr 16, 2026
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Apr 16, 2026
Gretel: Squish
Apr 16, 2026

New album: After several years of excellent EPs and singles such as Drive, a much anticipated and strong rock-pop debut by the London singer-songwriter who delivers catchy, energising numbers, here themed around wanting the warmly craved feelings of love, lust and relationships, but also finding overwhelming of being squashed and consumed by them

Apr 16, 2026

new songs …

Featured
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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
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Apr 24, 2026
Song of the Day: Tricky - Out of Place (featuring Marta Złakowska)
Apr 24, 2026

Song of the Day: A pulsating fusion of beats, orchestral strings and the Bristol trip-hop pioneer’s distinctive, deep, croaky voice, with an emotional reference to his daughter Mina Topley-Bird (1995–2019), and heralding his first solo album for six years, Different When It’s Silent, out on 17 June via False Idols

Apr 24, 2026
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Apr 23, 2026
Song of the Day: Beck - Ride Lonesome
Apr 23, 2026

Song of the Day: Beautiful, simmering, slow, melancholy and reflective, a surprise single and welcome return by the acclaimed US artist, evoking the haunting, sun-bleached landscapes and musical textures of his 2015 Grammy winning album Morning Phase, out now on Iliad Records/Capitol Records

Apr 23, 2026
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Apr 22, 2026
Song of the Day: Gelli Haha - Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep
Apr 22, 2026

Song of the Day: Described appropriately as somewhere between Studio 42 and Area 51, eccentric, effervescent, spacey, catchy and eclectic disco pop by the Los Angeles artist (aka Angel Abaya, co-written with Sean Guerin) out on Innovative Leisure

Apr 22, 2026
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Apr 21, 2026
Song of the Day: LEENALCHI 이날치 - Here Comes That Crow 떴다 저 가마귀
Apr 21, 2026

Song of the Day: Wonderfully catchy, funky, psychedelic and quirky new work by the seven-piece Seoul-based Korean pansori band led by bassist Jang Young Gyu with the title track of their new EP, out on 12 June via Luaka Bop, and heralding a European and North American tour

Apr 21, 2026
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Apr 20, 2026
Song of the Day: Jesca Hoop - Big Storm
Apr 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, quirky experimental indie folk-pop by the innovative Manchester-based California artist, featuring a clever video that old footage and Hoop in various vintage guises, heralding her upcoming album Long Wave Home, out on 1 May via Last Laugh / Republic of Music

Apr 20, 2026
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Apr 19, 2026
Song of the Day: Gia Margaret - Alive Inside
Apr 19, 2026

Song of the Day: Delicate, dream-like, reflective experimental folk-pop by the American singer-songwriter and producer from Chicago, heralding her upcoming fourth album, Singing, out on Jagjaguwar

Apr 19, 2026
Prima Queen
Apr 18, 2026
Song of the Day: Prima Queen - Crumb
Apr 18, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, playful, gently humorous, self-deprecating experimental indie pop by the inventive transatlantic duo of Louise Macphail and Kristin McFadden, with a number about having a fragile crush on someone, and their first new music of 2026, out on Submarine Cat Records

Apr 18, 2026
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Apr 17, 2026
Song of the Day: Olivia Rodrigo - Drop Dead
Apr 17, 2026

Song of the Day: A bright, shimmering, effervescent, soaring new single by the American pop superstar, with stylistic parallels to Chappell Roan and ABBA, heralding her upcoming third album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, out on 12 June via Geffen

Apr 17, 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
Swordfish.jpg
Feb 25, 2026
Word of the week: xiphias
Feb 25, 2026

Word of the week: Get the point? This is the scientific name for the swordfish, in full Xiphias gladius (from the Greek and Latin for sword), that extraordinary sea creature with the long, pointy bill. But what of it in song?

Feb 25, 2026

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