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Time for change: songs about coins

July 1, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Heavy metal: American guitar pick coins

Heavy metal: American guitar pick coins

Penny for your thoughts? Spare a dime? Money may often be on anyone’s mind, but this week we’re spinning a theme in particular all about coins, incidentally or centrally in a song lyrics. Will your suggestions come up heads or tails?

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In African, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, musical hall, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, coins, money, busking
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Pride playlists: songs about gender and LGBTQ+

June 30, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Pride: coming out from black and white

Pride: coming out from black and white

Coded 30s black blues to a 1950s Mexican diva, 1970s and 80s politics to full on out dirty disco in 2021, this week’s guest playlister Pop Off! celebrates a personal birthday with Gay Pride parade that goes beyond the obvious anthems

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, experimental, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, LGBTQ, Gay Pride, gender, David Bowie, Bimini, Chavela Vargas, Christine and the Queens, Chumbawamba, Culture Club, Elvis Presley, Fat White Family, The Gossip, Grace Petrie, Jayne County and the Electric Circus, Jobriath, John Grant, Living Color, Living Colour, Ma Rainey, Michel Sardou, Panic! At The Disco, Peaches, Regina, The Replacements, Shemekia Copeland, Skyhooks, Utada Hikaru, Queen, Black Lips, D.A.F., The Damned, Divine, Dusty Springfield, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, George Michael, Hayley Kiyoko, Indigo Girls, Joan Armatrading, Josie Cotton, K.D. Lang, Katie Pruitt, Pansy Division, Pete Shelley, Revolting Cocks, Shirley Bassey, Scissor Sisters, Studio Killers, Tom Robinson, Teegan and Sarah, Turbonegro, Willie Nelson, Sylvester, Alaska y Dinarama, Against Me!, Melissa Etheridge, Kree Harrison, PopOff!
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Gay pride struggles and strides: songs exploring gender and LGBTQ

June 24, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Very fruitful: Little Richard

Very fruitful: Little Richard

It’s time to come out with our own Song Bar gay parade – songs exploring, expressing the experience from confusions and problems, all the way to coming out and celebrating gender, difference across the sex spectrum

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, drone, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, homosexuality, gender, Gay Pride, Little Richard, Sappho, Oscar Wilde, E.M. Forster, Jeffrey Eugenides, Harvey Milk, Derek Jarman, RuPaul, Simone De Beauvoir, Quentin Crisp, animal behaviour, LTBTQ, David Bowie, Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten, Noel Coward, Joe Orton, Cole Porter, Peter Tatchell, Alan Turing, Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, Grayson Perry, Adrian Street, Marc Almond, Anohni, Dusty Springfield, Y-Love, Ezra Furman, Sophie, Donna Summer, Village People, Lucille Bogan, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Kylie Minogue, Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga
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Playlists: songs about switches, buttons, knobs and levers

June 22, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Don’t adjust the dial. Stay tuned. All the buttons and songs are on this week’s Song Bar radio

Don’t adjust the dial. Stay tuned. All the buttons and songs are on this week’s Song Bar radio

Click! Radio to romance, computers to transport, even death and destruction, those switches are primed for all occasions, so stay tuned for super songs picked by guest Marco den Ouden from nominations that push all the right buttons

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, drone, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, musicals, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, buttons, switches, radio, machines, weapons, romance, sex, computers, transport, Edwin Starr, Agnetha Fältskog, Paul Casey, Terri Hooley, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Newcleus, Kirsty MacColl, Heath McNease, Dresden Dolls, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Murray McLauchlin, Brother Rodney, Black Box Recorder, Graham Parker, Gemma Ray, Bobby Bare, Mark Knopfler, Fairport Convention, Norah Jones, Lil Johnson, Object One, R Kelly, Ninette, Joni Mitchell, Freddy Cannon, Cornelius, Kate Bush, Teddy Prendergrass, Tori Amos, Propellerheads, The Champs, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, Phil Collins, Josh Ritter, The Dubliners, Kenny Burrell, English Beat, Van Morrison, Roomful of Blues, Royksopp, Lykke Li, Fats Waller, Cult With No Name, The Mountain Goats, Leroy Anderson, The Alan Parsons Project, Lena Horne, Earl Grant, Marco den Ouden
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Set the controls: songs about switches, buttons, knobs and levers

June 17, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Slide away …

Slide away …

Literal or metaphorical, mechanical, electrical or psychological, it’s time to switch your attention to these sorts of manual controls referred in song lyrics, and see what turns on and pushes those buttons …

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In country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, switches, levers, buttons, Archimedes, David Letterman, Muhammad Ali, Nikola Tesla, electricity, mechanics, music equipment
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Playlists: songs about acceptance

June 15, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Oumou Sangaré

Oumou Sangaré

People, circumstances, oneself or even death, there’s a huge sense of calm, relief and relaxation around this week’s beautifully benign and wisely accepted playlists, chosen by guest tincanman from a massive influx of nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags playlists, songs, acceptance, Suzanne Vega, The Grateful Dead, Oumou Sangare, Blind Alfred and Orville Reed, The Neville Brothers, The Smiths, Rick Nelson, Gil Scott-Heron, The Verve, Dead Moon, The Go-Betweens, The Fall, Ani di Franco, Nina Nastasia, Kacey Musgraves, Rumer, Joni Mitchell, Electric Six, The Herbiliser, The Dears, Jane Siberry, Tony Allen, The Afro Messengers, Leonard Cohen, Sebadoh, Pink Martini, The Humblebums, Dory Previn, Mac Davis, The Carter Family, Velvet Underground, Otis Gibbs, tincanman
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Playlists: songs about horizons

June 8, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Rising and setting …

Rising and setting …

Distant hillsides to sea sunsets, skylines and vapour. trails to massive events, this week’s playlists are a thing of timeless beauty, picked by guest ajostu from an ocean of nominations, stretching far and wide across the musical globe

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, horizons, Judee Sill, Supergrass, Ismael Silva, Ben E. King, Azymuth, The Beauty Room, Feist, Virginia Astley, Cornelius, Rush, Cat Power, The Blue Nile, Rachael Yamagata, Peter Hammill, Suns of Arqa, John Cooper Clarke, Stanley Unwin, New Order, Boards of Canada, Barenaked Ladies, Cranes, Trash Kit, Osibisa, Bonobo, Zulya, Erick Truffaz, Mike Nesmith, Kevin Penkin, ajostu
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Always beyond: songs about horizons

June 3, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The open road … all the way the vanishing point …

The open road … all the way the vanishing point …

It’s the inspiration for so many album covers, not to mention songs, and also an idea of infinity we never quite reach. From literal or metaphorical and lyrical, this week we reach for that imagined line where land, or sea, meets sky

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, horizons, poetry, books, Victor Hugo, Lord Byron, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Miller, Daniel Day-Lewis, Stephen Crane, astrophysics, Space, Lemon Jelly, Kraftwerk, Bring Me The Horizon, Lost Horizons, The Carpenters, Eddie Rabbit, Sun Ra, Charles McPherson, Genesis, Daft Punk, BZN, mirages, sunsets, black holes, Neil Armstrong, Henry David Thoreau, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Regina Spektor, Tom Petty, Åse-Marie Nesse, Albert Einstein
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Playlists: Welcome to the Festival of Drone

June 2, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Enter a dome of mesmerising drone ….

Enter a dome of mesmerising drone ….

You’ve got your ticket, now click to enter this special event, a festival of continuous sounds, otherworldly music that crosses the realms of pop, folk and other forms filling five special fields and domes, curated by guest organiser MussoliniHeadkick

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In avant-garde, drone, electronica, experimental, folk, instrumentals, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, prog, songs, soundtracks, traditional Tags John Cale, Thee Oh Sees, Beaver & Krause, Sarah Davanchi, Jimmy Aldridge, Sid Goldsmith, Liam O'Flynn, The Kathryn Tickell Band, David Hudson, Ustad Amir Khan, The Telescopes, My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, The Beatles, Gold Panda, Miles Davis, JayDee, Public Image Limited, Coil, Goat, Caterina Barbieri, Yo La Tengo, Oneohtrix Point Never, Chemical Brothers, Roxy Music, Eliane Radigue, Jean-Jaques Perrey, Steve Reich, Spacemen 3, Loop, MussoliniHeadkick
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Make extensive notes: drone songs and music

May 27, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Velvet Underground, including John Cale and Lou Reed

Velvet Underground, including John Cale and Lou Reed

It can be minimal, relaxing, and meditative, or disturbing, loud and challenging, but in its purest form or within any genre, drone music, played or sung, centres on a single sustained note or long chord that dominates the entire song or piece

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In drone, blues, African, electronica, experimental, avant-garde, classical, indie, jazz, playlists, rock, songs, traditional Tags songs, instrumentals, drone music, Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, John Cale, Pythagoras, William Congreve, Beethoven, WH Auden, Max Richter, Brian Eno, Peter van der Merwe, La Monte Young, The Theatre of Eternal Music, Marian Zazeela, Tony Conrad, Angus MacLise, Terry Jennings, Billy Name, Jon Hassel, Alex Dea, Phill Niblock, Guinness Book of Records, Richard Wagner, Anton Bruckner, Felix Mendelssohn, Mahler, Berlioz, Bartok, Arvo Pärt, Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Taverner, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Cocteau Twins, Jesus & Mary Chain, Sun O))), Klaus Weise, time, philosophy, meditation
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Playlists: songs about roses

May 25, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Roses of many colours decorate this week’s lists …

Roses of many colours decorate this week’s lists …

Whether wild or cultivated, on western plains to eastern mountains, country gardens or inner city, guest flower picker AmyLee creates a bloomin’ marvellous bouquet of music to display a fabulous selection of aural and lyrical colours

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, roses, flowers, The Smithereens, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Otis Taylor, The Temptations, Chris & Cosey, The Association, Elliott Smith, Oysterband, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Hope Sandoval, The Warm Invention, Waxahatchee, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Airto Moreira, The Maytals, Shawn Phillips, Peter Hammill, Gary Lucas, Van Morrison, Praetorius, Ben Webster, OutKast, Betty Harris, Dub Syndicate, Bobby Hebb, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, PJ Harvey, The West Coast Pop Art Experiment, Squeeze, Clear Light, Marianne Faithfull, television, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Jerry Garcia, Ray LaMontagne, Rosanne Cash, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Ben Harper, Tom Waits, Thin Lizzy, The Magnetic Fields, Pete Docherty, Them, Fairport Convention, Kaia Kater, Captain Beefheart, Nazareth, Bijan Chemirani, James P. Johnson, St. German, St Germain, Oscar Peterson, Johann Strauss II, Benjamin Britten, Handel, George Friederic Handel, Henry Purcell, Mouse on Mars, Virgil Fox, Tony Gould, Vangelis, Brian Eno, Roger Eno, AmyLee
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Soft and sharp: songs about roses

May 20, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Red and white Rosa Osiria

Red and white Rosa Osiria

Romance, death, pain or beauty, petals or thorns? In titles or lyrics of song, literal or metaphor, as symbols or even as names, including also instrumentals, it’s time to gather musical blooms inspired by this particular flower

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, roses, flowers, botany, poetry, books, Film, television, art, Robert Burns, Henri Matisse, Syd Barrett, Matshona Dhliwayo, Oscar Levant, Ancient Greece, religion, Christianity, Wars of the Roses, Thin Lizzy, Joni Mitchell, Twin Peaks, Pan's Labyrinth, H.L. Mencken, Bernard Williams, Dale Carnegie, Arthur Miller, Jean Cocteau, Fidel Castro, Tina Charles, Charles Bradley, Johnny Mercer, Ellen Key, Emily Bronte, Daphne du Maurier, William Blake, WB Yeats, Ireland, Sylvia Plath, Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave
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Playlists: songs with a distinctly retro style

May 18, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Retro chanteuse: the fabulous Yola

Retro chanteuse: the fabulous Yola

The opposite of cover versions, some new songs sound like they’ve come straight from a time machine from decades before. This week’s guest music timelord, Dr philipphilip99, presents playlists recreating pasts with a perfect retro fit

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In blues, comedy, dance, disco, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, classical Tags The Romantics, Bruno Mars, Sailor, The Real Tuesday Weld, Bud Flanagan, Dad's Army, Carmel, Spandau Ballet, Gary Kemp, Samantha Crain, Yola, Primal Scream, Jet, The Vines, Madonna, Alabama Shakes, Billy Joel, Everything But The Girl, Noisettes, The Darkness, Black Country Communion, Oxymoron, The Maisonettes, Blue Angel, playlists, retro, philipphilip99
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Out of their time: original songs with a striking retro style

May 13, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Get on the retro (dance) floor …

Get on the retro (dance) floor …

This week we look back to look forward with artists who wrote new songs with a style from the past, ignoring their zeitgeist and harking back to a former era or decade though musical stylings, choice of instruments, lyrics and more

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In African, country, comedy, calypso, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, songs, ska, soul, soundtracks, traditional, funk Tags songs, playlists, retro, TS Eliot, Michel de Montaigne, Salvador Dali, Criss Jami, WH Auden, Quentin Tarantino, David Bowie, Bauhaus, fashion, Mary Quant, Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Muddy Waters, Phil Spector, Stray Cats, Brian Setzer, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Queen, Freddie Mercury, Wilson Mizner, Stephen Fry, William Burroughs, Chuck Palahniuk, Jean Cocteau, Jean-Luc Godard, Jim Jarmusch, Mick Jagger, Fritz Lang, Terry Gilliam, LoneLady, Pearl Charles, Silvertwin, Carly Simon, Abba, Cabaret Voltaire, Neneh Cherry, St Vincent, Steely Dan, His Master's Voice
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Playlists: songs that offer advice

May 11, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The Happiest Days Of Your Life: Margaret Rutherford, Joyce Grenfell and Alastair Sim (1950)

The Happiest Days Of Your Life: Margaret Rutherford, Joyce Grenfell and Alastair Sim (1950)

Quiet please! Are you listening? It’s the last day of school, and at assembly headteacher Uncleben gives out advice to pupils departing the building for the final time. It’s a wealth of worldly wisdom, rich in detail, and perfectly delivered from a huge influx of song suggestions

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, ska, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, advice, education, Nada Surf, John Hartford, Ruth Etting, Laura Marling, The Blenders, Kacey Musgraves, Jorge Ben, Karine Polwart, Femi Kuti, National Lampoon, Kate Tempest, Abbey Lincoln, Haitiando, The Black Angels, Hot Tuna, Fanny, Solomon Burke, Busi Mhlongo, Cornershop, Vince Guaraldi, The Wedding Present, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Four Seasons, Millie Jackson, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Kiri and Lou, Cannonball Adderley, Art Tatum, The Ventures, Rebirth Brass Band, John McLaughlin, Charles Mingus, Wolfgang Dauner Quintet, Uncleben
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Take a piece: songs that quote or offer advice

May 6, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Handing out key advice …

Handing out key advice …

Reported or direct, the practical or philosophical, the benevolent or biased, critical or contradictory, from parent to child, expert to novice, or general, this week it’s all about useful instruction, ignored or taken and ideally as detailed and unusual as possible

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, funk, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, advice, William Shakespeare, Bruce Lee, Maya Angelou, Oscar Wilde, John Steinbeck, PG Wodehouse, Lemmy, Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, REM, Bobby McFerrin, Harry Chapin, parental advice, childhood, children, Baz Luhrmann, Mary Schmich, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Charles Bukowski, Josh Billings, Erica Jong, Henry Wheeler Shaw, Helen Fielding, Shirley Temple, Noel Coward, Gore Vidal, musicals, Thomas Tusser
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Playlists: songs about fun

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

Koko Taylor: fun at work …

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

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

April 29, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Jumping for joy? Goats. See the brown one? Reminds me of when I was a kid …

Jumping for joy? Goats. See the brown one? Reminds me of when I was a kid …

It comes in so many forms that this week’s topic has to mention fun, or its synonyms specifically, from getting your kicks to seeking your pleasure or leisure, frolic or merrymaking, carousing or joy. Let the games begin!

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, dub, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, fun, pleasure, leisure, Dr Seuss, Joseph Epstein, Noel Coward, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Vincent Price, James Hetfield, Kin Hubbard, Dean Koontz, Aldous Huxley, animals, animal behaviour, Ancient Rome, Caligula, Genghis Khan, Game of Thrones, Bill Hicks, Emo Philips, music festivals, Edwyn Collins, Emily Barker, Marry Waterson, Film, Michael Crichton, Westworld, Yul Brynner, James Caan, Rollerball, Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence, Battle Royale, Kinji Fukasaku, Beat Takeshi Kitano, Jim C. Hines, Kim Kardashian, Katharine Hepburn, Morten Harket, Ray Bradbury, Helen Mirren, Ian McShane, George Clooney, Danny Devito, Stanley Kubrick, Barry Gibb, Billy Joel, Chick Corea
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Playlists: songs by underrated, unsung and overlooked bands and artists

April 27, 2021 Peter Kimpton
The great guitarist Peggy Jones, aka Lady Bo -  vastly underrated and in the shadow of her beau, Bo Diddley

The great guitarist Peggy Jones, aka Lady Bo - vastly underrated and in the shadow of her beau, Bo Diddley

Picked from a vast array of suggestions, 24 excellent artists from the past and present, hidden or strangely unsuccessful, emerge into our spotlight and become happily less undervalued, thanks to two superbly inspired playlists by guest Nilpferd

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In African, blues, avant-garde, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, soul, songs, ska, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, underrated, Spearmint, Peggy Jones, Bettye LaVette, Gabby Young and Other Animals, Cymande, Homeboy Sandman, Scotty, UK Decay, Kleenex, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Nisennenmondai, Two Lone Swordsmen, Big In Japan, The Ordinarys, The Weather Station, Wendy Waldman, Leslie Winer, The Passage, Folk Devils, Future of the Left, Yargo, Nico Wayne Toussaint, Roots Manuva, The Verlaines, The Ethics, Eddie Harris, Mary-Lou Williams
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Unsung: songs by underrated, overlooked artists and bands

April 22, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Ignored and alone, down in the tube station at midnight

Ignored and alone, down in the tube station at midnight

This week it’s time to dig deep and broad for new names that rarely get a mention, certainly never make the charts or win prizes, sell much or get the recognition they deserve. Let’s refresh the synapses of musical hive mind knowledge

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, experimental, electronica, folk, gospel, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Carl Smith, Stewart Stafford, Truman Capote, Mary-Louise Parker, Mae West, Tom Paxton, Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Film, Vincent Van Gogh, John Kennedy Toole, education, teachers, Steve McQueen, racism, gender, Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, Sixto Rodriguez, Anvil, documentary, Jackson C Frank, Blaze Foley, Sibylle Baier, Ry Cooder, Stanley Clarke, Ray Gomez, Harvey Pekar, Kenny Werner, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, New Order, Kamasi Washington, Ms. Melodie, Heather B, MC Lyte
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New Albums …

Featured
Madeleine by Diagonale des Yeux.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Diagonale Des Yeux: Madeleine
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Wonderfully weird, wonky, woozy, avant-garde, absurdist oddness by the French duo of Laurène Exposito and Théo Delaunay, with their lo-fi, ramshackle, DIY postpunk and retro-electronica, sharing sung and spoken vocals across French, German, English and Spanish

Mar 18, 2026
Yebba - Jean.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Yebba: Jean
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Following 2021’s Dawn, a second LP by the American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas, aka Abigail Smith, moves towards an eclectic mix of gentler, more understated pop, folk, gospel, R&B, and soul, is named after her late grandmother, and has candid, personal themes of mourning and spiritual healing

Mar 18, 2026
The Sophs - Goldstar.jpeg
Mar 17, 2026
The Sophs: Goldstar
Mar 17, 2026

New album: A fairytale story of a debut for the Los Angeles six-piece fronted by Ethan Ramon, who cold-emailed demos to Rough Trade Records before even playing a live gig and were signed – that instinctive leap of faith rewarded by this stylish, bold, mercurial, confident, darkly humorous, eclectic debut leaping between rock, indie, pop, hoedown country, delta blues and beyond

Mar 17, 2026
Kim Gordon - Play Me album.jpeg
Mar 13, 2026
Kim Gordon: Play Me
Mar 13, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mar 10, 2026
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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
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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
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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

new songs …

Featured
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Mar 18, 2026
Song of the Day: Rostam - Like A Spark
Mar 18, 2026

Song of the Day: A beautiful new acoustic folk-pop single with echoes of early 70s Van Morrison by the US musician, producer and former member of Vampire Weekend, heralding his upcoming third solo album American Stories out on 15 May via Matsor Projects

Mar 18, 2026
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Mar 17, 2026
Song of the Day: Kacey Musgraves - Dry Spell
Mar 17, 2026

Song of the Day: A catchy, witty, innuendo-filled new number about being and single and lonely, with some stylistic echoes of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac, heralding the acclaimed Grammy-winning Texas country singer-songwriter’s upcoming seventh album, Middle of Nowhere, out 1 May on Lost Highway

Mar 17, 2026
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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

Word of the week

Featured
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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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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
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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
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Jan 8, 2026
Word of the week: aspectabund
Jan 8, 2026

Word of the week: This rare adjective describes a highly expressive face or countenance, where emotions and reactions are readily shown through the eyes or mouth

Jan 8, 2026

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