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Elvis Costello. But which side?
What music pumps up, or becalms your pulse? From fast pace, to a fierce vocal, searing lyrics, to minimalism, silence and space? Inspired by nominations from last week’s topic, guest playlister MussoliniHeadkick picks two highly effective and contrasting A-lists …
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Some of the groundbreaking cast of The Real Ambassadors, including Dave Brubeck and Louis Armstrong
Traversing not just wildernesses, this week’s topic celebrates those who found forms of new territory, land, sea, or space, to those who broke new ground in their specialist field. For these, guest of the week Marco den Ouden creates landmark playlists inspired by last week’s topic
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Red Cormorant Woman, Olive Oatman and Biddy Mason from the history – Brave Hearted: The Women of the American West, by Katie Hickman (2022)
It’s a word that summons up a rich history of tough trails across the American west, but also of key figures in many other fields, from science and medicine to space, politics and civil rights to music and art. To it’s time to capture all sides of breaking new ground …
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What letters might form into songs?
From catchy hooks to deeper meanings revealed, a combination of letters can be a clever way to compose lyrics or a song title. Guest playlister ajostu unscrambles hundreds of suggestions from last week’s topic to superbly spell it all out
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Cat scan?
They’re a very common part of our language, but in lyrics or titles where are they consciously and creatively used? With meaning instantly recognisable or more cryptically unpacked, their sound might perhaps be used musically or to help create memorable lines or rhymes
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Ladysmith Black Mambazo
From Africa to Jamaica, punk, to soul to jazz and church choirs, the act of prayer in song covers many styles and gods, and sometimes isn’t even about religion. Guest playlister Severin picks a heavenly selection from last week’s theme
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Eyes wide shut?
What does it mean, and what form does it take? From formal religion to private conversation, hope and supplication to comfort and meditation, and even parody of well-known prayers, it’s time explore this mysterious human activity in song
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Freud’s famous paper was published exactly a century ago
It’s time to wrestle with the conflicts and complexities of the conscious and sub-conscious mind captured in song lyrics. From that famous paper published by Freud a century ago, there’s also inspiration here in film, literature, comedy, musicians and more …
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Talking Heads - but what’s in the book?
Read all about it! Or in some cases, don’t believe a word. From books to letters to the media and more, guest of the week George Boyland picks out a classy selection from last week’s topic nominations. Browse and enjoy …
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Voluminous …
It’s an essential part of life - defined as a cognitive, active process of decoding these symbols to arrive at meaning, perhaps for a purpose to direct or extract information, to focus a goal, to simply to discover and escape, but how does it come up in song?
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The fabulous Ezra Furman and a famous fan …
Who is singing? It’s a magical moment of uncertainty. In a highly subjective topic, not only with non-binary artists but with those whose gender is better known, guest of the week ParaMhor picks perfectly balanced playlists of excellent and ambiguous gender vocals from last week’s topic nominations
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Reina de las Rancheras… Rocío Dúrcal
From Spain itself to the Americas – Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Argentina, Puerto Rico and more – to the US and beyond, it’s the second most spoken native language in the world. From soothing, passionate, poetic beauty to the gritty and guttural, let’s gather some of the most melodious examples …
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It’s time to give those records a spin, but who will get round first?
It’s a competitive world out there, whether that’s in sports, business or looking for love. A stellar set of songs and nominators from last week’s topic, chosen by excellent referee Uncleben who waves the chequered flag, and they’re off …!
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Stevie Wonder has a strong connection with the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr …
It runs within us all, but how is it expressed in song? From major moments and figures in history to personal stories, and even the legacy in our genes, guest Marco den Ouden covers a brought range in fine detail with playlists picked from last week’s topic
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Honest legacy? Park (bench) your musical heritage here …
How will you leave it, or be left? It’s a profound idea to think of how we’ll be remembered, or forgotten, as material, ethereal and emotional remains, or what others might leave to us. So let’s widen our musical legacy with some more song ideas on this topic …
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Silence, knowledge, and lust - it’s all to be found in the library …
Objects of intellectual interest to persons of desire – it all goes on in the library. Picking from the shelves of last week’s nominations, guest playlister Loud Atlas presents a carefully crafted catalogue that captures the A-Zs of library’s social intrigue
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New York manic street preacher, 1987. Photograph by DiscoMonster
Good, bad, mad and sometimes downright nasty, they come in many forms, but preachers are almost always charismatic. Inspired by last week’s congregation of nominations, guest playlister DiscoMonster delivers an inspiring bible-sized musical sermon on the subject
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Peoples Temple leader Reverend Jim Jones in his classic shades at an anti-eviction rally in San Francisco in 1977 with Rev. Cecil Williams
From the divine to the ridiculous, they’ve accompanied others’ lives from birth to marriage and death, stand for moral guidance but sometimes go badly astray, but are fascinatingly charismatic, flawed and human. With inspiration here from real life to film and fiction, how are they captured in song?
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Late nights with a transcendent genius: Mark E Smith with Brix
Leading you down the garden path and beyond? Taking liberties with the facts? After a flurry of fabulous stories from last week’s topic, guest playlister ParaMhor narratives a host of colourful tale tales that can’t help but pull you in …
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Leaps of imagination …
Witty, mischievous absurdity, hairy hopelessness, irrelevant incidents, or audible anticlimax and a pointless punchline? It’s time to examine the art of tall storytelling in song. Enjoy some examples in comedy and literature here, but how will your suggestions end up?
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