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Vote labour: choose songs about different jobs

November 14, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Panda nanny, anyone? Hours may be long …

Panda nanny, anyone? Hours may be long …

Habitual to unusual, the professional or the manual, the skilled or the basic, gig economy to obscure and hidden, this week we look at a variety of job titles and what they all entail, all evoked through song

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, soul, songs, soundtracks, traditional, ska Tags songs, song titles, jobs, work, careers, Lena Horne, Neil Young, Kathy Skaggs, Charles Bukowski, Jimmy Webb, Glen Campbell, Al De Lory, Ken Loach, Richard Dawson, Pablo Picasso, Mehmet Murat ildan, Michelle Obama, Jessie Belle Rittenhouse, Frederick Herzberg, David Graeber, Ken Poirot, Mokokoma Mokhonoana, Terry Pratchett, Studs Terkel, service industry, poetry, art, books
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Playlists: songs by girl groups and all-female bands

November 13, 2019 Peter Kimpton
How to choose from so many great girl group songs? It comes a little clearer with The Crystals

How to choose from so many great girl group songs? It comes a little clearer with The Crystals

With the rule that they should be three members or more, the nominations for songs by all-female groups came in a flood of adoration and joy. How did this week’s new playlister outoftheblue distil it down into two fabulous lists? Find out here …

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In country, dance, disco, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, indie, music, playlists, pop, punk, postpunk, soul, songs Tags songs, playlists, girl bands, women, The Pointer Sisters, Bond, The Belle Stars, Bananarama, Girls Aloud, The Raelettes, The Crystals, The Dixie Cups, Dixie Cups, Dixie Chicks, All Saints, Mediaeval Babes, The Three Degrees, Girl Ray, Vixen, AKB48, The Boswell Sisters, Pistol Annies, The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, The Marvelettes, The Bangles, Wilson Phillips, outoftheblue
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Women at work: songs by girl groups and all-female bands

November 7, 2019 Peter Kimpton
The fabulous Supremes

The fabulous Supremes

It’s a group dynamic. This week we celebrate landmark, iconic or noteworthy songs by groups of exclusively female artists of three or more, spanning genres from early classical to jazz and swing, 60s soul, to 70s, 80s, 90s and 21st century pop

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, The Supremes, Diana Ross, Joan Jett, girl groups, girl bands, female bands, Suzi Quatro, Viv Albertine, The Slits, The Woman's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago, Hamilton Sisters, Fordyce, Three X Sisters, The Boswell Sisters, The Andrews Sisters, The Chordettes, The Fontane SIsters, The Lennon Sisters, The McGuire Sisters, The DeCastro Sisters, The Bonnie Sisters, The Chantels, The Shirelles, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Ronettes, The Pleasure Seekers, The Runaways, The Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle, The Bangles, The Spice Girls, Destiny's Child, Beyonce, Lesley Gore, Bjork, Girls' Generation SNSD, Tits of Death, The Priscillas, Ye Nuns, Film, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Zohra Orchestra, Afghanistan
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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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Halloween? What comes after? Songs about stalking, following and chasing

October 31, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Play Misty For Me? Be careful what records you choose … Clint Eastwood and Jessica Walter in 1971

Play Misty For Me? Be careful what records you choose … Clint Eastwood and Jessica Walter in 1971

Do you follow? This week it could well be a creepy, but also complex topic, with tracking and pursuing people in all contexts, done or from the perspective of either party, for love or perhaps more sinister reasons

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, jazz, metal, instrumentals, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, stalking, chasing, following, The Shining, Albert Camus, David Coleman, Eric Cantona, social media, Twitter, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lily Allen, The Turtles, John Lennon, The Beatles, Madonna, David Tennant, paparazzi, Vince Vaughn, Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Waits, Clint Eastwood, Play Misty For Me, Steven Spielberg, The French Connection, Alfred Hitchcock, North By Northwest, Tobe Hooper, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Stanley Kubrick, Rutger Hauer, The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Playlists: songs about the colour white

October 30, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Chrysler Valiant Charger: but where does it drive a song?

Chrysler Valiant Charger: but where does it drive a song?

Birds to animals, clothing, trains or boats, this week’s playlists, picked by guest writer philipphilip99 from vast shades of song nominations, comes in many forms that capture all aspects of the colour, alabaster to brilliant

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In avant-garde, colours, blues, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, colours, white, Marty Robbins, Jacky, It's A Beautiful Day, Jane Siberry, The dB's, The Mutton Birds, Super Furry Animals, Chilly Gonzales, Public Service Broadcasting, Day One, The Big Bopper, Vampire Weekend, Cat Stevens, SIX60, The Tubes, Belly, Ken Nordine, The Cult, Laid Back, La Dusseldorf, Laurie Anderson, philipphilip99
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Blanc expression: songs about the colour white

October 24, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Take a gallop through our musical landscape …

Take a gallop through our musical landscape …

Will it be all white on the night? The time is certainly white to suggest songs relating in every way to this colour, from skin and race to ghosts, food, clothing, weddings, purity and innocence to noise and light …

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, 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, colours, white, white supremacists, racism, Lao Tzu, Gilbert K. Chesterton, Dieter Appelt, White House, animals, Billy Idol, Christopher Lambert, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, food, Solange Knowles, Jennifer Lopez, New Edition, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, The Polyphonic Spree, Game of Thrones, poetry, Edward Thomas, Benjamin Zephaniah, Film, Zacharias Kunuk, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, Alec Guinness
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Playlists: songs about charisma

October 23, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Aimee Mann

Aimee Mann

What is charisma? Allow yourself to be pulled into the magnetic force of this week’s playlists, designed to fit on the C90 cassette. Variously profound and beautiful, they are chosen by guest ajostu from last week’s many nominations

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In country, electronica, folk, jazz, indie, music, musicals, playlists, pop, songs, soul, funk Tags songs, playlists, charisma, Japanese Breakfast, Aimee Mann, Suede, Carly Simon, Ella Fitzgerald, Flobots, Richard Thompson, The Jigsaw Seen, Missy Higgins, The Who, The Mountain Goats, John Kongos, Curtis Mayfield, Dana Bryant, Ronny Jordan, Marvin Gaye, Sugarhill All-Stars, Chew Lips, The Unthanks, The Shins, The Grateful Dead, Somi, ajostu
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My brilliant friend: songs about charisma

October 17, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Little Richard

Little Richard

Feel the magnetism. It’ s a quality of presence, an aura, a warmth, an energy, eyes and voice. It inspires and attracts others to good, or sometimes bad effect. But it isn’t only in the famous, but also unknown people brought to light in song

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In 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, postpunk, pop, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, charisma, character, Little Richard, books, Film, art, Elena Ferrante, Flannery O'Connor, Charles Dickens, Freddie Mercury, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, John F Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Ralph Archbold, Robert Breault, Vanessa Van Edwards, Max Weber, Umberto Eco, Peter Jackson, Kate Winslet, Charles Manson, Gerald Tyrwhitt / Baron Berners, Francis Henry Egerton, William Buckland, Keith Moon, Oliver Reed, Brian Blessed, George Best, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Helen Mirren, Holly Hunter, Jack Nicholson, Serge Gainsbourg, Lene Lovich, Iggy Pop, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Randy Newman
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Playlists: songs about footwear

October 16, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Betty Davis has got the boots

Betty Davis has got the boots

Sweet sole music! This week’s lists are talking the talk and walking the walk with beautiful steps brilliantly picked by this week’s guest DJ Bear, using as a platform the huge pile of footwear songs piled up from last week’s nominations

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In avant-garde, blues, country, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, rock, ska, songs, soul Tags playlists, footwear, Eric Bibb, Gladys Knight, Willie Bobo, Betty Davis, Mere Dead Men, Rhythms Del Mundo, Arctic Monkeys, The Cramps, Joe Jackson, Eric Donaldson, James Taylor, Kellie Pickler, Lucinda Belle Orchestra, !Action Pact!, Cleo Brown, Gretschen Hofner, paul simon, Franz Ferdinand, Amy Winehouse, Drive-By Truckers, The Auteurs, Kirsty MacColl, Leon Rosselson, Manolo Garcia, Run DMC, Kiss AMC, Paolo Nutini, Sandra Boynton, Carl Perkins, Mark Knopfler, Jane Siberry, The Black Sparrows, Blur, The Nipple Erectors, Paul Kelly, Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Reina Republicana, Bronski Beat, Eartha Kitt, Whitney Rose, The Black Sorrows
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Sole power: songs about footwear

October 10, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Walk this way and press play …

Walk this way and press play …

Shoes, boots, slippers, high-heels, trainers, loafers, brothel creepers, brogues, to clogs to spats and a whole lot more, from the sexy to the silly, the stylish to the smart, let’s get the sole of this subject in this lyrical theme

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In avant-garde, blues, 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, footwear, shoes, boots, nursery rhymes, fairytales, Cinderella, Dr Seuss, Marilyn Monroe, Brian Robertson, Thin Lizzy, Steve Mann, Abebe Bikila, Haile Gebrselassie, running, trainers, football, Craig Johnston, Adidas, Nike, smart technology, Billy Connolly, Elton John, The Who, Kiss, Lady Gaga, fashion, Alexander McQueen, Kobi Levi, The Wizard of Oz, The Red Shoes, Film, film soundtrack, protest, climate change, REM, Michael Stipe, Paul Weller, David Bowie, Maxine Peake, Dolly Parton, Joey Ramone, Twiggy
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Playlists: songs with notable key changes

October 9, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Enter the key of … The Fifth Dimension

Enter the key of … The Fifth Dimension

Through twists and turns of love, from cleverly hidden changes to sudden stepped surprises, drawing from last week’s topic, guest philipphilip99 moves us through the emotional keys with two perfect playlists that illustrate this songwriting skill

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In avant-garde, blues, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, instrumentals, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, key changes, songwriting, REM, Elton John, Mina, Beyonce, The Beatles, paul simon, Ella Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Linda Lewis, The Fifth Dimension, Jimmy Webb, Tommy Roe, The Ventures, Talking Heads, Petula Clark, Berlin (band), Coldplay, Super Furry Animals, Portishead, Booker T and the MGs, Boston, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Belinda Carlisle, Bros, philipphilip99
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Can you hear it? Songs with notable key changes

October 3, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Michael Jackson had more than his fair share of changes. In one instance he takes a breath before sharpening his G

Michael Jackson had more than his fair share of changes. In one instance he takes a breath before sharpening his G

No technical knowledge required. Michael Jackson to the Beatles, they've all done it. From a single step up to lift or alter the mood, to more complex modulations, if you can feel or hear a significant change in the song, it could be a key one

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Joni Mitchell, Charlie Parker, Joanna Newsom, key changes, Al Wilson, The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Roger Nichols, Paul Williams, The Flaming Lips, John Coltrane, Tommy Flanagan, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Paul Weller, The Jam, Jimmy Ruffin, Garbage, Ray Davies, The Kinks, The Who, The Police, Randy Crawford, Lady Gaga, Beyonce
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Playlists: songs about September and October

October 2, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Feast for the eyes, and ears: Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Autumn

Feast for the eyes, and ears: Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Autumn

The time is ripe, the harvest has arrived, and this week’s guest TatankaYotanka reaps the rewards of all the fruitful song suggestions of the the past week into two brilliantly bountiful playlists that straddle this fertile pair of months

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, country, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, instrumentals, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, autumn, September, October, harvest, Mary Ann Haynes, Amy Winehouse, Witch, Captain Beefheart, Tricky, Alison Goldfrapp, Yves Montand, Pet Shop Boys, Incognito, XTC, Sun Ra, Tommy McCook, Centipede, Astor Piazzolla, Chris & Cosey, Chet Baker, Stevie Wonder, Bert Jansch, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Carole King, Jackie O Motherfucker, Israel Vibration, International Harvester, Robb Johnson, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, TatankaYotanka
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Heading for a fall: songs about September and October

September 26, 2019 Peter Kimpton
There is a light …

There is a light …

With this week’s topic cycle straddling two months, let’s capture both in songs that may be autumnal, seasonal, celebratory or mournful, during a time of year of change, activity and a strange red-tinged beauty

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In avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, colours, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, rock, rocksteady, reggae, punk, postpunk, prog, metal Tags songs, playlists, September, October, autumn, Christina Rossetti, Harry Warren, Al Dubin, George Cooper, weather, poetry, history, October Revolution, USSR, Russia, Cuban missile crisis, 9/11, festivals, climate change, food, Portugal, China, Vietnam, Japan, Alexander Theroux, Henry Rollins, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Wallace Stegner, Johnny Mercer, Denis Norden, Caroline May, Susan Lendroth, Nova Schubert Blair, Elizabeth Chase Akers Allen, Trembling Bells, Earth Wind & Fire
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Playlists: songs with wordless vocals

September 25, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Lusty: Bas Sheva

Lusty: Bas Sheva

This week’s playlists, picked by guest pejepeine, are simply beyond words – joiking to scat, konnakol to yodel, inspired by from last week’s nominations larynx and lips combine to take music to a whole new place

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, country, dance, dub, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, playlists, pop, rock, prog, songs, reggae, traditional, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, wordless songs, scat, joiking, konnakol, yodelling, Jimmie Rodgers, Ella Fitzgerald, Bas Sheva, Swingle Singers, Karl Denver, Francis Lai, Barbara Moore, David Crosby, The Beach Boys, Matching Mole, Torgeir Vassvik, Tanya Tagaq, Adjagas, Shawn Phillips, Oscar Peterson, Cab Calloway, Nina Simone, Henry Whitter, Julie Fowlis, Cocteau Twins, Bobby McFerrin, Milton Nascimento, Bob Marley, The Wailers, Selva Ganesh & Brothers, Sheila Chandra, Paul Horn, Novi Singers, Collage, pejepeine
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A very sound idea: songs with wordless vocals

September 19, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Welcome to the bar. What else is happening here besides whisky …?

Welcome to the bar. What else is happening here besides whisky …?

Jazz scat to beatboxing, Appalachian eefing to Scottish Puirt à beul, Indian bol and Blackfoot songs to Tuvan throat-singing, this week we go beyond language to explore the intricacy of the voice as a non-lexical instrument

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, vocals, Archibald Macleish, Robert Smith, The Cure, Helen Keller, Blackfoot peoples, Tuvan throat singing, Batzorig Vaanchig, Mongolia, Scotland, folk, Film, Ealing comedy, Whisky Galore!, Cocteau Twins, Elizabeth Fraser, Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughan, Cab Calloway, George Benson, Sheldon Reynolds, Earth Wind & Fire, Glenn Gould, India, Fat Boys, Doug E. Fresh, Joel Turner, Bjork, Biz Markie, Sigur Rós, Jimmie Riddle, Appalchian mountain music, Michael Winslow, beatboxing, Bobby McFerrin, Reggie Watts, Mr Bean, Rowan Atkinson, The Two Ronnies, Clare Torry, Pink Floyd, Dakhabrakha, Martin Scorsese, Harvey Keitel, The Chips
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Playlists: songs about collecting, cataloguing and listing

September 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Cat-alogue of course …

Cat-alogue of course …

1) Why do them? 2) What are they for? 3) Are they positive or negative? 4) How do they appear in song? This set of questions and more are creatively catalogued and crafted into playlists by this week’s skilful guest Severin from the recent topic

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In avant-garde, blues, country, disco, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, reggae, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, catalogues, lists, playlists, Nine Inch Nails, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Nina Nastasia, Yapoos, Wilson Pickett, Marisa Monte, Saul Williams, Tracy Chapman, Husker Du, Mark Knopfler, The Legendary Pink Dots, Leonard Cohen, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, The Monkees, The Fall, Sparky, Christina Perry, The Go-Go's, Jeffrey Lewis, Joaquin Sabina, Talking Heads, Cate Le Bon, Kate Bush, Stephen Fry, Bryan Ferry, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Rolling Stones, Art Pepper, Milcho Leviev Quartet, Honolulu Mountain Daffodils, Severin, severin
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Take your pick: songs about collecting, cataloguing and lists

September 12, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Pick collection …

Pick collection …

Galleries to grand libraries, public or private, unusual or colourful objects, from the oddball to unhealthy obsession, this week we enter the extraordinary world of collecting, listing and cataloguing and everything that motivates it

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, rock, ska, songs, soundtracks, traditional, rocksteady Tags songs, playlists, collectables, collecting, lists, John Connolly, Ray Bradbury, Umberto Eco, Bob Dylan, Alec Baldwin, David Lynch, Andy Goldsworthy, Sir David Attenborough, Neil Perryman, art, books, documentary, oology, animals, John Fowles, Marcel Proust, Vladimir Putin, Mikko Hyppönen, surveillance, technology, internet, Trinity College Dublin, libraries, Horniman Museum, Jorge Luis Borges, Penelope Lively, Walter Benjamin, Lynda Resnick, Julie Andrews, Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, Jeff Tweedy, Roisin Murphy, John Mayall, Anita Shreve, Howard Hodgkin, Cornelia Parker, David Elliott, Paul Mellon, Mackenzie Crook, The Detectorists, television, The Unthanks
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High spirits: songs about cocktails and strong liquor

September 5, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Smokin' Sabrinatini

Smokin' Sabrinatini

Let’s distil down and mix: from brandy to gin, whisky, rum, absinthe, vodka, rum, baijiu, tequila, pisco, mezcal and more, and all the exotic, strong, elegant and sexy combinations are on offer in this week’s lyrical topic

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, colours, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, soul, songs, traditional Tags songs, playlists, drinks, cocktails, Ogden Nash, David Sedaris, Tommy Cooper
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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 …

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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

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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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