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Playlists: songs about caves and other subterranean places

July 18, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Antelope Slot Canyons, Arizona.

Antelope Slot Canyons, Arizona.

A rocky entrance to cool, calm caverns, deadly and beautiful tales of coal miners to digging dwarves, guest playlister takeitawayGuru, inspired by hundred of nominations, takes us on a fantastic underground musical journey

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In blues, classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, caves, mining, coal, JRR Tolkien, Dadorama, Lewis Carroll, Townes Van Zandt, Anais Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Joshua James, The Unthanks, Seth Lakeman, Joe Bonamassa, Johnny Cash, Dave Matthews Band, Jeff Wayne, Howard Shore, The Jam, Simon & Garfunkel, BB King, Caravan, Steely Dan, Mumford & Sons, Pink Floyd, Lee Dorsey, Alice In Chains, Johnny Flynn, T Rex, Rush, Foo Fighters, takeitawayGuru
Comment

Going underground: songs about caves and other subterranean places

July 12, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The astonishing Marble cave, in Rio Tranquilo, Brazil.

The astonishing Marble cave, in Rio Tranquilo, Brazil.

This week it's time to dig deep in your record collections for find all things subterranean, whether that's in the beauty of natural geology, to man-made caverns or even the metaphorical underground

Read more
In blues, classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, caves, underground, geology, Erasmus, Angus Young, AC/DC, Orson Welles, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, James Henry Greathead, Elon Musk, Pulp, Jarvis Cocker, Peak District Cavern, Ze Frank, Chuck Palahniuk, Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre
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Playlists: songs about nursing and healthcare

July 11, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Feeling better yet? It's all part of the service …

Feeling better yet? It's all part of the service …

Hospital care, pills, patients and patience, we’ve got a musical medicine cabinet of the finest healthcare for you, administered by guest playlist writer Dr Severin and readers nursing great song suggestions

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In blues, country, dance, electronica, folk, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, medicine, nursing, health, NHS, Vainica Doble, ナース (The Nurse), Jesca Hoop, The White Stripes, Country Joe McDonald, The Rolling Stones, Bo Diddley, PJ Harvey, Manic Street Preachers, Sinead O'Connor, Ministry, Gruff Rhys, Tiger, Joni Mitchell, Parsnip, Budgie, The Ramones, Billy Bragg, Poison Girls, The Who, The Taxpayers, The Buff Medways, Billie and De De and Their Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Goldfrapp, The Black Angels, The Marvelettes, Champion Jack Dupree, The Raw Herbs, Lee Perry, Frida Hyvönen, Frightened Rabbit, The Velvet Underground, Courtney Barnett, A Spectre Is Haunting Europe, Severin
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Notes for the NHS: songs about nursing and healthcare

July 5, 2018 Peter Kimpton
NHS founder Nye Bevan visits Park Hospital, Davyhulme, Manchester, in 1948.

NHS founder Nye Bevan visits Park Hospital, Davyhulme, Manchester, in 1948.

This week we’re giving it the special treatment to mark the NHS 70th anniversary, but also looking for music that mentions any kind of medical care, especially nursing, and its emotional effect in lyrics

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, medicine, NHS, playlists, Aneurin Bevan, doctors, nurses, hospitals, Florence Nightingale, Aretha Franklin, Val Saintsbury, Cabbage, John Lennon, US politics, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Noam Chomsky, Bernie Sanders, Mitt Romney, Michael Moore, Cuba, George Michael, Robbie Williams, George Clooney, Ellen Pompeo, television, film, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, ER, Grey's Anatomy, Carry On films
Comment

Playlists: songs about substitutes

July 4, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Irreplaceable: The Modern Lovers

Irreplaceable: The Modern Lovers

Replacements for players, soldiers, husbands, lovers, even robot sex – it’s all going on this these superb playlists chosen by our guest lister Marco den Ouden, who also replaces some of his words with those by nominators

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In blues, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, songs, soul, rock, reggae, prog Tags Songs, playlists, substitutes, football, Jorge Ben, Richard Thompson, Sloan, Millie Jackson, The Modern Lovers, Jonathan Richman, Beyonce, Dr John, Tom Odell, Melvin Bliss, Neil Young, Brad Paisley, Hatsune Miku, The Who, Clout, Gregory Isaacs, Strawberry Switchblade, Lenny Kravitz, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Everlast, Prince, Frank Sinatra, The Magic Numbers, Billie Jo Spears, FKA Twigs, Jacques Brel, Elvis Presley, Karla Bonoff, Jesse Fuller, Stevie Wonder, George Jones, Melba Montgomery, The Seekers, Estelle, Yes, Tarnation, Dee D. Jackson, The Beautiful South, Chumbawumba, Fountains of Wayne, Ry Cooder, Mark Lanegan, Isobel Campbell, Marco den Ouden, Marconius
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World Cup? Not quite. It's songs about substitutes

June 28, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The real thing or substitutes? The Beatles at Madame Tussauds

The real thing or substitutes? The Beatles at Madame Tussauds

Are they meant to be better, or not as good, artificial or the real thing? From sport to food, people to plans, work to worries and distraction, let’s explore substitutions in life and music

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, gospel, folk, electronica, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, substitutes, The Beatles, Madame Tussauds, Tom Waits, Paul Simon, Adam Savage, Somerset Maugham, Christmas, childhood, John Lennon, teachers, work, Elon Musk, Alaister PIlkington, Aesop, Carl Jung, psychology, Malcolm Muggeridge, Christopher Hampton, Saint Augustine, Rush Limbaugh, Mary Wollstonecraft, Iris Murdoch, Robert Louis Stevenson, Anthony Burgess, Candice Bergen, computers, technology, Robert McNamara, Charles Dickens, Paul Cezanne, Mark Twain, Janet Fitch, Nick Nolte, Peter Falk, Ray Liotta, Goodfellas, The Sopranos, James Gandolfini, Liam Neeson, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Day-Lewis, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Macaulay Culkin, Tom Hanks, John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Al Pacino, film, food, Yotam Ottolenghi, cooking, sugar, gardening, football, Marlon Brando, sport, Yvonne Fair, Patsy Cline, Henrik Larsson, David Fairclough, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Paulo Coelho
Comment

Playlists: songs about conspiracy theories and paranoia

June 27, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The men from CIA? Fugs-style.

The men from CIA? Fugs-style.

Who are they? Where are they? And what are they doing? Are the answers in songs nominated? It’s time to burrow deep with our mystery guest playlister Deep Throat-Singer to see how the plot plays out …

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In blues, comedy, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, paranoia, conspiracy theories, CIA, The Dead Kennedys, The Fugs, Green Day, Rockwell, Garbage, Pearl Jam, Rubella Ballet, Michael Franti, Spearhead, Public Enemy, David Peel & Death, Johnny Bragg, Mojo Dixon and Skid Roper, Tom Waits, 10cc, Cheap Trick, Blink-182, M.I.A., Kraftwerk, Boomtown Rats, Robert Cray, The Testors, The Business, Dr. Alimantado, The Simpsons, Fleetwood Mac, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, television, drama, comedy, Deep Throat-Singer
Comment

Foul play? Songs about conspiracy theories and paranoia

June 21, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Meeting of metaphor or the literal? Well, it's all a question of scale …

Meeting of metaphor or the literal? Well, it's all a question of scale …

No, it’s not the World Cup. Or is it? This week let’s delve into music’s interpretation of the murky world of imagined or otherwise undercover plots from Roswell to JFK, 9/11 to Russian interference, and er … lizards

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, showtime, ska, songs Tags Songs, playlists, conspiracy theories, paranoia, politics, aliens, John F Kennedy, Howard Hughes, Hunter S. Thompson, John Buchan, Danny Bhoy, Comedy, Roswell incident, 9/11, Flat Earth Society, Paul McCartney, McCarthy era, Yuval Noah Harari, Jeff Greenfield, Peter Bergen, journalism, Felix Dennis, Marin Amis, David Icke, George HW Bush, The Queen, Kris Kristofferson, Theresa May, Michael Gove, Russia, Vladimir Putin, US presidential election, US presidents, Kardashians, science fiction, television, CIA, spying, smoking, cancer, James Baldwin, John le Carre, JD Salinger, William Burroughs, Mordecai Richler, Molly Ivins, Andy Grove, Thom Yorke, Ty Segall, David Sylvian, Cher, Billy Joel, Donald Trump, Louis Theroux, Kim Jong-un, Braindead (TV series), Star Trek, The Simpsons
Comment

Playlists: striking songs that end albums

June 20, 2018 Peter Kimpton
How does Two Suns end up? Bat For Lashes is joined by Scott Walker

How does Two Suns end up? Bat For Lashes is joined by Scott Walker

Where will it all end? With medicine, moonlight, sleep or a starship? All of these and much more, as our guest playlist writer ParaMhor picks two superb sets of conclusions to hundreds of nominated songs

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In blues, classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, endings, Julian Barnes, Neneh Cherry, Pink Floyd, Dexys Midnight Runners, Lorde, FKA Twigs, Lynden David Hall, Bat For Lashes, The Triffids, Paul Kantner, Jefferson Starship, Love, The Rolling Stones, Ry Cooder, REM, The Stone Roses, The Zombies, Roxy Music, Jimi Tenor, Kool & The Gang, Super Furry Animals, Echo and the Bunnymen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, Funkadelic, David Bowie, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Scott Walker, ParaMhor
Comment

Late goals: striking song and album endings

June 14, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Sunset ending? Not every ride goes so smoothly …

Sunset ending? Not every ride goes so smoothly …

No – it’s not the World Cup. This week we’re looking at all kinds of ends of albums and other songs – from surprising, sudden, or summing up, to those that are ambiguous, serious, comical or take us to a new place

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, punk, reggae, playlists, pop, postpunk, ska, songs, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, endings, albums, Film, books, death, Julian Barnes, Margaret Atwood, Orson Welles, Arthur Miller, Jim Morrison, The Doors, Dylan Thomas, poetry, relationships, Stephen King, George RR Martin, Game of Thrones, Samuel R Delany, Friedrich Nietzsche, Frank R Baum, The Wizard of Oz, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joseph Conrad, Truman Capote, George Orwell, JD Salinger, Haruki Murakami, James Joyce, William Shakespeare, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Blake's 7, The Sopranos, Journey, Casablanca, Alejandro Jodorowsky, John Lennon, Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles, Buster Keaton
Comment

Playlists: songs about cannabis / marijuana

June 13, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Peter Tosh. No need to ask which side of the fence he's on.

Peter Tosh. No need to ask which side of the fence he's on.

Bongs to the Byrds, ditch weed to Nick Drake, spliff to Steppenwolf and tea’n’tree to Peter Tosh, everybody must get stoned with a woozily wonderful playlists by guest writer megadom from last week’s theme

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In blues, dance, electronica, folk, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs Tags Songs, playlists, marijuana, cannabis, drugs, medicine, Kevin Ayers, Flight of the Conchords, The Association, Nick Drake, Joe Boyd, Parquet Courts, Culture, Steppenwolf, Eek-a-Mouse, Fraternity of Man, The Stairs, Peter Tosh, The Wailers, Bob Marley, The Supremes, The Byrds, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Georges Garvarentz, Black Uhuru, Bobby Darin, Keith Hudson, Cab Calloway, Neil Young, Dub Syndicate, Barrington Levy, Joe Gibbs, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, Man, Steel Pulse, Lindisfarne, The Toyes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, megadom, The Big Lebowski
Comment

Joint effort? Let's weed the stoned grass: songs about marijuana / cannabis

June 7, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Louis Armstrong liked a good blow now and then

Louis Armstrong liked a good blow now and then

Mary Jane to hash, pot to pipes, it's time to take a toke on songs that hit on this long-established recreational drug and painkiller, from its many names to the effect it has on mind, society and music

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, jazz, metal, music, musicals, reggae, punk, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, marijuana, cannabis, drugs, medicine, health, Bob Marley, Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, John Lennon, Canada, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bill Hicks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charles Baudelaire, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson, William Burroughs, Oliver Sacks, Heroditus, Rastafari, George Washington, Film, Richard Linklater, Jack Nicholson, Cheech & Chong, Richard Neville, Withnail & I, Bruce Robinson
Comment

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
Comment

Playlists: songs about milk and other non-alcoholic drinks

May 30, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Shonen Knife are stirring the hot chocolate

Shonen Knife are stirring the hot chocolate

Looking for some musical refreshment? From Shonen Knife’s Hot Chocolate to Emmylou Harris’s Deeper Well of water, this week’s playlist writer Rachel Courtney has a fully-stocked bar for you inspired by last week’s nominations

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In blues, colours, dance, electronica, gospel, indie, instrumentals, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, soul, songs Tags Songs, playlists, drinks, fizzy drinks, Coca-Cola, Jesus & Mary Chain, Lithics, The Faction, Priests, Shonen Knife, Chineapple Punx, The Boys, Beat Happening, Chumbawumba, Jackie Mittoo, Emmylou Harris, Leadbelly, Bobby Darin, Cats and the Fiddle, Tommy Johnson, Sons of the Pioneers, Kid Stormy Weather, Desmond Dekker, William Bell, Astrud Gilberto, Air Miami, Rachel Courtney / uneasy listening, Sheena & The Rokkets
Comment

Refresh your page: songs about milk and other non-alcoholic drinks

May 24, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The Song Bar is really milking this topic …

The Song Bar is really milking this topic …

This week at the Bar we're putting aside the booze, and ’cordial’ly invite song suggestions about any amount of softer beverages, from the fizzy to juicy, milkshakes to mocktails, and hot or cold water drinks

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, metal, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, drinks, milk, fruit, vegetables, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Ray Davies, The Kinks, William Shakespeare, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, fizzy drinks, Dustin Hoffman, cocaine, advertising, Mad Men, television, The New Seekers, Billy Davis, Mark Prendergast, Tizer, Vimto, Ribena, Irn-Bru, Tango, Babycham, James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Film, Michael Klaper, health, Macka B
Comment

Playlists: music that marks artistic trends of the 21st century

May 23, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Beyoncé. She's in Formation

Beyoncé. She's in Formation

Dance, hip hop, jazz, soul, indie, rock or pop, music is alive and kicking in new directions this century. Kendrick Lamar to Beyonce, Dizzee Rascal to Sleaford Mods, this week’s playlister Nilpferd picks out some pertinent themes

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In dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, 21st-century, millennium, The White Stripes, Jack White, Pussy Riot, Sleaford Mods, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Dizzee Rascal, Disclosure, Sam Smith, Jlin, Catrin Finch, Sekou Keita, Snarky Puppy, Beyonce, Jason Moran, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Janelle Monae, Sage Francis, Kamasi Washington, The XX, St Vincent, Fazerdaze, Missy Elliott, Robert Glasper Experiment, Sons of Kemet, GoGo Penguin, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Ray, TootArd, Rokia Traoré, Green Day, The Strokes, Agnes Obel, Cigarettes After Sex, The Killers, Gorillaz, Fall Out Boy, We The Kings, Arctic Monkeys, Die Antwoord, Troye Sivan, My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots, Bastille, Panic! At The Disco, Nilpferd
Comment

Made post-millennium: music that marks artistic trends of the 21st century

May 17, 2018 Peter Kimpton
London Olympic Stadium, 2012. An internet message, but does it also help define music-making culture this century?

London Olympic Stadium, 2012. An internet message, but does it also help define music-making culture this century?

This week we’re looking for songs or instrumentals recorded since 2000 that help define what the first 18 years of this century are all about: genres, landmarks, movements, trends, sounds and fusions

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In classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, instrumentals Tags Songs, playlists, 21st-century, 9/11, credit crunch, internet, social media, music production, music industry, David Bowie, electronica, data, Facebook, surveillance, Bjork, Jean-Michel Jarre, Chuck D, fusion genres, Grayson Perry, Top of the Pops, television, reality television, immigration
Comment

Playlists: bright songs about dark subjects

May 16, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Bouncy inappropriateness: The Smiths

Bouncy inappropriateness: The Smiths

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

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

Always look on the … bright songs about dark subjects

May 10, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Altogether now .... 

Altogether now .... 

The lyrics are about dark matters, but they are played with extremely contrasting upbeat music. This week let’s explore songs that, through stark contrast, can unlock humour, tragedy, comedy and empathy

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, metal, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, death, relationships, War, comedy, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Jerry Sadowitz, J. Cole, Charles Dickens, Monty Python, Eric Idle, Depeche Mode, Dave Gahan, Richard Llewellyn, Peter Ustinov, Robin Williams, Tom Lehrer, Harold and Maude, film, Cat Stevens, The Foundations, Motown, OutKast, The Monkees, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Jimmy Cliff, Vietnam War, The Smiths, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Go-Kart Mozart, Lawrence, depression
Comment

Playlists: songs about bags and other portable, personal containers

May 9, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Ghetto blaster beach bag. What? You don't have one?

Ghetto blaster beach bag. What? You don't have one?

Welcome to the left luggage office. Baggage to boxes, trunks, baskets or handbags, look inside this clutch of music with two wonderful playlists by this week’s playlist writer takeitawayGuru opened from last week’s theme

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In blues, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, bags, boxes, David Crosby, Nirvana, The Contours, The Mother Hips, Rod Stewart, The Night Crawlers, The Syndicate of Sound, James Brown, Living In A Box, Fairfield Parlour, Meiko, Pigbag, Doris Day, The Invisible Man, Grady Tate, L7, David Garza, Motorhead, Stormzy, ZZ Top, Rory Gallagher, CCR, Stroke 9, Madness, takeitawayGuru, Splodgenessabounds
Comment
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New Albums …

Featured
Favourite Albums of 2025 - Part 3.jpeg
Dec 18, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Three
Dec 18, 2025

Welcome to the third and final part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There is also Part One, and Part Two. There is no countdown nor describing these necessarily as “best” albums of the year, but they are chosen by their quality, originality and reader popularity

Dec 18, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Two.jpeg
Dec 17, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part Two
Dec 17, 2025

Welcome to the second part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There is also a first part and a third part this week. There is no countdown nor describing these necessarily as “best” albums of the year, but they are chosen by their quality, originality and reader popularity

Dec 17, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part 1 updated.jpg
Dec 16, 2025
Favourite albums of 2025 - Part One
Dec 16, 2025

Welcome to the first part of Song Bar favourite albums of 2025. There will also be a second and third part this week. There is no countdown nor describing these necessarily as “best” albums of the year, but they are chosen by their quality, originality and reader popularity

Dec 16, 2025
Juliana Hatfield.jpeg
Dec 16, 2025
Juliana Hatfield: Lightning Might Strike
Dec 16, 2025

New album: Personal upheaval, grief, powerlessness, trauma, sudden change inform the title and colour the lyrics of this latest LP by the seasoned Boston indie artist but her songs are packed with brutally honest, candid, concise reflections and warm, catchy, stirring riffs and melodies

Dec 16, 2025
Dove Ellis - Blizzard.jpeg
Dec 9, 2025
Dove Ellis: Blizzard
Dec 9, 2025

New album: An extraordinarily mature, passionate, poetic, and outstandingly powerful debut by the Manchester-based Galway-born singer-songwriter, whose soaring delivery has instant echoes of Jeff Buckley and lyrics that go above and beyond

Dec 9, 2025
Spíra by Ólöf Arnalds.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Ólöf Arnalds: Spíra
Dec 5, 2025

New album: A gorgeous, delicate, ethereal first release in a decade by the Icelandic singer-songwriter, acoustic instruments and her gentle, high, pure voice, all in her native language, caressing this listening experience like pure waters of some slowly trickling glacial stream

Dec 5, 2025
Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded.jpeg
Dec 5, 2025
Melody's Echo Chamber: Unclouded
Dec 5, 2025

New album: A fourth album, here full of delicious uplifting, dreamily chic, psychedelic soul pop by the French musician Melody Prochet, with bright, upbeat, optimistic numbers and a title lifted from a quote by the acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, about achieving equilibrium

Dec 5, 2025
Devotion & The Black Divine by anaiis.jpeg
Dec 2, 2025
anaiis: Devotion & The Black Divine
Dec 2, 2025

New album: Following a summer Song of the Day - Deus Deus, a review of the autumn release and third LP by the London-based French-Senegalese singer-songwriter of resonantly beautiful, dynamic, sensual soul, gospel, R&B and experimental and chamber pop, with themes of new motherhood, uncertainty, religion, self-love and acceptance

Dec 2, 2025
De La Soul - Cabin In The Sky.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
De La Soul: Cabin In The Sky
Nov 26, 2025

New album: The hip-hop veterans return with their first without, yet including the voice of, and a tribute to, founding member Trugoy the Dove, AKA Dave Jolicoeur who passed away in 2023, alongside many hip-hop luminary guests, with trademark playful skits, and all themed around the afterlife

Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats- Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
The Mountain Goats: Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan
Nov 26, 2025

New album: An evocative musical journey of a concept album by the indie-folk band from Claremont, California, fronted by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, based on a dream of his in 2023 about a voyage to a fictional island by the titular captain, charting adventure, wonder and tragedy

Nov 26, 2025
Allie X - Happiness Is Going To Get You.jpeg
Nov 26, 2025
Allie X: Happiness Is Going To Get You
Nov 26, 2025

New album: A hugely entertaining, witty, droll, inventive, chamber and synth-pop fourth LP with a goth twist by the charismatic and theatrical Canadian artist Alexandra Hughes, who brings paradox and dark themes through sounds that include string quartet, harpsichord, classical and pure pop piano with killer lyrics

Nov 26, 2025
Tortoise - Touch.jpeg
Nov 25, 2025
Tortoise: Touch
Nov 25, 2025

New album: A welcome return with a cinematic and mesmeric groove-filled first studio LP in nine years, and the eighth over all by the eclectic Chicago post-rock/jazz/krautrock multi-instrumentalists Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire and Jeff Parker

Nov 25, 2025
What of Our Nature by Haley Heynderickx, Max García Conover.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Haley Heynderickx and Max García Conover: What of Our Nature
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Beautiful, precise, poignant and poetic new folk numbers inspired by the life and music style of Woody Guthrie as the Portland, Oregon and New Yorker, now Portland, Maine-based singer-songwriters bring a delicious duet album, alternating and sharing songs covering a variety of forever topical social issues

Nov 24, 2025
Tranquilizer by Oneohtrix Point Never.jpeg
Nov 24, 2025
Oneohtrix Point Never: Tranquilizer
Nov 24, 2025

New album: Ambient, otherworldly, cinematic, mesmeric, and at times very odd, the Brooklyn-based electronic artist and producer Daniel Lopatin returns with a new nostalgia-based concept – constructing tracks from lost-then-refound Y2K CDs of 1990s and early 2000s royalty-free sample electronic sounds

Nov 24, 2025

new songs …

Featured
Deadletter - To The Brim.jpeg
Dec 19, 2025
Song of the Day: DEADLETTER - To The Brim
Dec 19, 2025

Song of the Day: A moody, mysterious minute-long intro with gentle bursts of brass and woodwind veils what becomes a punchy new lead single by the Leeds post-punk band heralding their second LP - Existence is Bliss out on 27 February via SO Recordings

Dec 19, 2025
Greentea Peng - Prisoners Round.jpeg
Dec 18, 2025
Song of the Day: Greentea Peng - Prisoners Round
Dec 18, 2025

Song of the Day: Following March 2025’s acclaimed album, Tell Dem It’s Sunny, the south-east London artist (aka Aria Wells) returns with another smoky, dark, track with hues of blues, dub and soul and Portishead-esque trip-hop, focusing on the trappings and challenges of modern life

Dec 18, 2025
Kaitlyn Aurela Smith - I Miss The Way You Swim.jpg
Dec 17, 2025
Song of the Day: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - I Miss the Way You Swim
Dec 17, 2025

Song of the Day: Beautiful modular synths and intermingling orchestral sounds ripple in this work by the American composer, performer and producer in a piece shaped by loss of someone loved, taken from an upcoming instrumental album Thoughts On The Future, out on Nettwerk Music

Dec 17, 2025
The Paper Kites - If You Go There.jpeg
Dec 16, 2025
Song of the Day: The Paper Kites - Change Of The Wind
Dec 16, 2025

Song of the Day: A beautiful, reflective number by the alternative folk-rock band from Melbourne fronted by Sam Bentley, heralding their seventh studio album If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, out on 23 January via Nettwerk Music Group

Dec 16, 2025
Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine.jpeg
Dec 15, 2025
Song of the Day: Courtney Marie Andrews - Little Picture Of A Butterfly
Dec 15, 2025

Song of the Day: Beautiful, delicate, fluttering, eclectic, heartbreak folk and Americana by the singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, heralding her forthcoming new album, Valentine, out on 16 January via Loose Future

Dec 15, 2025
Peter Perrett - Proud To Be Self-Hating.jpeg
Dec 12, 2025
Song of the Day: Peter Perrett - PROUD TO BE SELF-HATING (irony and provocation)
Dec 12, 2025

Song of the Day: The veteran British artist, originally frontman of The Only Ones, and now with three solo albums, who actually has Jewish heritage, releases a gently powerful, nuanced, pro-Palestine acoustic number as a response to ongoing genocide by the Israeli government, out on Domino Records

Dec 12, 2025
Maddie Ashman - Jaded.jpeg
Dec 11, 2025
Song of the Day: Maddie Ashman - Jaded
Dec 11, 2025

Song of the Day: Magical, delicate, eclectic, intricate, experimental microtonal music by the London musician and singer, released alongside a longer track, In Autumn My Heart Breaks

Dec 11, 2025
Ye Vagabonds.jpeg
Dec 10, 2025
Song of the Day: Ye Vagabonds - The Flood
Dec 10, 2025

Song of the Day: Wonderfully warm, rich, lively fiddle-driven Irish folk by the award-winning band fronted by Carlow brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn with a heartbreaking number about the housing crisis, heralding their upcoming new album, All Tied Together, out on Rough Trade’s River Lea Recordings on 30 January

Dec 10, 2025
DBA! band.jpeg
Dec 9, 2025
Song of the Day: DBA! A Poet And A Clown
Dec 9, 2025

Song of the Day: Catchy fuzz-guitar indie rock with a swagger by the Liverpool-formed trio of Sam Warren, James Lindberg and Joshua Grant in a song described as “a confessional story of desire tangled with religious guilt”

Dec 9, 2025
Puma Blue - Croak Dream.jpeg
Dec 8, 2025
Song of the Day: Puma Blue - Croak Dream
Dec 8, 2025

Song of the Day: A dark, esoteric, mysterious and stylish title track with a hint of Radiohead and playing with the idea of knowing your future death, from the experimental indie/goth/ambient London artist Jacob Allen’s forthcoming album out on 6 February via Play It Again Sam

Dec 8, 2025
ELIZA - Anyone Else.jpeg
Dec 7, 2025
Song of the Day: ELIZA - Anyone Else
Dec 7, 2025

Song of the Day: Stripped-back, bluesy, fuzzy funk with slight echoes of Prince and alt-R&B are conjured up in this love song by the London-based singer-songwriter Eliza Caird, her first single for two years, now off the mainstream and out on Log Off Records

Dec 7, 2025
SILK SCARF by Tiga & Fcukers.jpg
Dec 6, 2025
Song of the Day: Tiga (featuring Fcukers) - Silk Scarf
Dec 6, 2025

Song of the Day: A fun, sensual, quirkily oddball electronica dance single with a slick, fetish-flirtatious ode to a favourite smooth material by the Montreal musician (Tiga James Sontag) joined here with vocals by the New York band (Shanny Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis), and heralding Tiga’s upcoming album Hotlife, out in April on Secret City Records

Dec 6, 2025

Word of the week

Featured
Hangover.jpeg
Dec 4, 2025
Word of the week: crapulence
Dec 4, 2025

Word of the week: A term that may apply regularly during Xmas party season, from the from the Latin crapula, in turn from the Greek kraipálē meaning "drunkenness" or "headache" pertains to sickness symptoms caused by excess in eating or drinking, or general intemperance and overindulgence

Dec 4, 2025
Running shoes and barefoot.jpeg
Nov 20, 2025
Word of the week: discalceate
Nov 20, 2025

Word of the week: A rarely used, but often practised verb, especially when arriving home, it means to take off your shoes, but is also a slightly more common adjective meaning barefoot or unshod, particularly for certain religious orders that wear sandals instead of shoes. But in what context does this come up in song?

Nov 20, 2025
autumn-red-leaves.jpeg
Nov 6, 2025
Word of the week: erythrophyll
Nov 6, 2025

Word of the week: A seasonally topical word relating to the the red pigment of tree leaves, fruits and flowers, that appears particularly when changing in autumn, as opposed to the green effect of chlorophyll, from the Greek erythros for red, and phyll for leaves. But what of songs about this?

Nov 6, 2025
Fennec fox 2.jpeg
Oct 22, 2025
Word of the week: fennec
Oct 22, 2025

Word of the week: It’s a small pale-fawn nocturnal fox with unusually large, highly sensitive ears, that inhabits from African and Arab deserts areas from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula. But has it ever been seen in a song?

Oct 22, 2025
Narrowboat.jpeg
Oct 9, 2025
Word of the week: gongoozler
Oct 9, 2025

Word of the week: A fabulous old English slang term for someone who tends to stand or sit for long periods staring at the passing of boats on canals, sometimes with a derogatory or at least ironic use for someone who is useless or lazy. But what of songs about this activity and culture?

Oct 9, 2025

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