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Japanese gramophone puzzle
A two-fold topic: first we’re seeking songs that initially produce a mix of incomprehension, wonder, bafflement, bewilderment, mystification, and game-changer amazement, or those about puzzles themselves, jigsaws and other mental and physical solution-solving challenges
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Pizzicato Five
Sublime beauty to kick-ass cool, serene traditional to urban punk and pop, Japan’s got the lot. Inspired by last week’s topic and nominations, guest ajostu picks some personal favourites to capture the breadth of this country’s musical treasure trove
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Sleeve of Japrocksampler: How the Post-war Japanese Blew Their Minds on Rock 'n' Roll – by Julian Cope (2007)
It’s a huge market for the industry, inspired by outsider music, and this extraordinary land also delivers much of its own, but what songs captures the essence of Japanese people and culture? Here’s a tiny dish of metaphorical sushi to get your tastebuds tingling ….
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Underdog under dog
From the financially underprivileged to the militarily outnumbered, sporting longshots to those barred by the race, from last week’s topic suggestions, guest Loud Atlas’ powerful picks show how the apparent minnows can become mighty
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Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, was complete underdog when he faced Sonny Liston in the shock defeat of 1964
You’ll find them in real life or fiction, history and myth, sport, music, school, prison, books or film, but the arc of the underdog always inspires emotions and makes for a great story. How is it conveyed in song?
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On your deck …
Comfort, solitude, danger, voyeurism, power, inspiration, work or versatility? They can mean many things, and inspired by last week's topic, guest DiscoMonster plays marvellous musical chairs that sit across all tastes and styles
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Lounge lizard
We live much of our waking lives in them – working and socialising, swivelling to dining to reclining, sofas and couches, ornate thrones to humble stools, beanbags, pouffes, to the office, barber’s, dentist’s and beyond, but how do they sit up in song?
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Funkadelic: forever expansive
They're almost alway more expansive than the 7-inch versions, and this week guest DiscoMonster chooses albums cuts is simply far more satisfying experience, musically and lyrically, inspired by last week's topic
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Mush! The team all pulled together, leading to these splendid songs …
Stunning sights and sounds that will melt your heart, but hopefully not too much of the ice. From Siberia to Alaska, the Inuit to the Laps and beyond, Marco den Ouden takes us on a fabulous journey across the frozen north inspired by last week's topic
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Tricky Ricky …
Lookin' for trouble? Then you've found the right place. Lotharios, vamps, tramps and troublemakers are truly in force as guest of the week tincanman brings us a brilliantly badass selection inspired by last week's topic
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You simply don’t mess with Tura Satana, portraying Varla in 1965’s Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Ambiguous, mysterious, sexy, full of charm but also harm, they're the objects of obsession, as it's often unclear what the balance of good-bad may be. Fictional or real, famous or personal, let's find songs inspired by them ...
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Hello, what's that I hear? Songs about ...?
Teddys to Winnie The Pooh, Paddington to Rupert, grizzlies to polar bears, we've got the full range of soft, full and fierce for you as guest of the week Carpgate takes us from caves to woods and beyond, inspired by last week's topic
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Bear with us ...
We’re heading down into the woods today and beyond, hopefully in for a few surprises, and beyond naked necessity, with songs where bears feature prominently in title, lyric or theme, perhaps too in musical delivery capturing their qualities, and no doubt also in metaphor for all kinds of human contexts
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Siouxsie Sioux
Lipstick, eyeliner, powder and more, it's all going in these beautifully made-up lists by guest of the week Suzi capturing all the looks, identities and the emotions and dreams behind the creams, inspired by last week's nominations
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Just a little heavy on the foundation, fellas?
Lipstick to mascara, eyeshadow to foundation, music stars have always been putting on a performance persona mask. Cosmetics do strange things to us. In a narrative, they could leave traces of romantic encounters, make for a great vivid detail in lyrics, as well as an extended metaphor. So a rather different way this week, it's time to face the music …
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Howlin’ Wolf in his prime …
Tinted with the wrong associations and overshadowed by other colours, brown is heavily underrated. But it has a natural beauty and vast range, as shown by these perfect shade of playlists picked by guest Loud Atlas from last week's topic
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Prime humming: Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes
It’s a sound that draws you into the melody and can sometimes say more than words. Inspired by last week’s topic, guest ParaMhor picks a hum-dinger of a collection spanning many genres and eras. Hum along if you don’t know the words
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An Anna’s hummingbird at work
A hum-dinger, or at least a hum-singer of a topic, one in which we're seeking songs that feature that sound, perhaps mostly by the vocalist when not singing lyrics, but perhaps other effect and forms of vibrating hum, from rock and pop, famous classical operatic passages, jazz, R&B, reggae and much more
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Beautiful Golden Sebright
Start from scratch? No, there's a lot more fun in the farmyard and beyond with a brilliantly entertaining fluffy bird songs chosen by guest of the week Nicko from last week's topic. Now for the pecking order ...
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What’s been added to your cat-alogue this year?
It’s holiday time, so let’s take stock of music seen and heard this year, either here, but in fact anywhere, releases old or new. So please recommend and share in comments. These can be put into personal or collective playlists
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