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From the 1959 film Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro), a key year for bossa nova …
It’s time to source and serve out this charming, cool Brazilian rhythmic genre that began in the 1950s, whether it’s songs by the original artists, with different twists and mixes, as well as in many later songs it has flavoured
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Simmering power? That’s Cat Power
Renewed, re-imagined, whether by the same artist or covered by another, with a stripped back, unplugged sound, a song can be opened up anew in emotions and lyrics. Guest Loud Atlas artfully explores the magic of the acoustic, inspired by last week’s topic
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Time to grab a different instrument …
Revamped and newly performed by the original artists or as covers by others, the unplugged, undistorted and stripped back acoustic version can bring new feeling, meaning, audible lyrics and sometimes a sense of a whole new song
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Unchained vocals: Big Mama Thornton
Shackled or bound by love’s emotions, our DNA or the constraints of body or mind in and out of slavery or imprisonment, guest of the week MussoliniHeadkick finds all the right links to pull listeners in
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Grow the chain …
Everything’s linked, but this week we get more specific, literally or in metaphor on these metal or other material sets of serial bindings, all they pulling, confining, binding or joining, on any scale …
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Counting down…
It’s in the eyes, but also now in the ears. From the spellbinding to the entrancing, the auto suggestive to the regressive, it’s time to subliminally enter the super spiral – this week’s countdown is by VikingChild, who will mesmerise you with playlists inspired by last week’s topic
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Playing along? A hypnosis entertainment poster from 1900
From medical, curative, psychological and mystical to magical, illusionary entertainment hypnotists and subliminal suggestibility, this week it’s time to go under and come back with song on the mesmerisers, mesmeric and mesmerised
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Hit it …
It’s the heartbeat of so much music, but what about songs that lyrically pay tribute to the striking of these instruments? Inspired by last week’s topic, Uncleben’s resulting playlists and writeup are nothing short of top whack!
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Doubly great: John "Jabo" Starks and Clyde Stubblefield
Hit it! It’s a lyrical topic, where perhaps the singer might address, direct, encourage, or praise the band's drummer, any real or fictional player, or the beat, rhythm or instruments themselves
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Ibeyi: French-Cuban twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz
They cover a wide variety from identical, fraternal, or conjoined, but also doppelgangers, lookalikes, and twin objects. Marco den Ouden gets at the double with covering many aspects inspired by last week’s topic
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Double trouble: The Grady twins from The Shining (1980)
Especially when identical they almost always mesmerising, but even if not, and different genders, twins say a lot about human nature. They, as well as doppelgängers, and other sorts of pairing mirror a fascinating subject …
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Prickly points: the absurdity of the war shown in this striking image of Vietnamese women and children prisoners
Songs of protest, despair, grief and more, from western and Vietnamese artists, set during and in the aftermath of this lengthy, catastrophic war, poignantly brought to you by guest Loud Atlas from last week’s topic nominations
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Vietnam in ‘65
It’s 50 years since this devastating conflict ended, yet its consequences and lessons remain largely unlearned. But it also coincided with, and help inspire, a wealth of music. Here is some background …
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Everything Everywhere All At Once … but in which direction do this week’s song choices point?
With a digital delivery stretching many fascinating directions and contexts, this week’s guest playlister ajostu finds his touch with all sorts of musical and lyrical fingersmithing and thumb skills, inspired by last week’s topic
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Pygmy marmosets, like us, have all the digits
They’re one of evolution’s dextrous miracles, constantly in conscious or subconscious use, are a vital musical tool, but how do they come up in song lyrics, whether in literal, metaphorical or idiomatic senses? Here’s a few pointers …
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Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak
From China to the American Wild West, Tuvan singers to Sicily and beyond, the distinctive twang of this mouth instruments has a transportive effect. Inspired by last week’s topic response, guest guru Sidecar Shiv flicks out a beautifully broad boing of playlists
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Jaw harp player and throat singer Olena Uutai
It’s an oddball analogue voice distorter, a rural robot, a boing from history's beyond, but what’s the buzz? This instrument has many international variants, spans history and many genre from folk to blues, rock to pop and beyond right up to the present
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The great Dinah Washington enjoyed slipping one in
Various professions, food and all seemingly innocent activities get the full suggestive double meaning dose this week in a splendidly entertaining set of lists picked by Marco den Ouden from last week’s hot topic
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Doubly horny
It’s a figure of speech in which two meanings, one obvious, the other less so, sometimes suggestive or sexual, though not always, hover simultaneously. But how do they come up in song lyrics?
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Heard it through … The Slits
A genre-jumping, globe-spanning musical adventure brings glorious reinterpretative entertainment as guest of the week Nilpferd presents playlists inspired by last week’s topic
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