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Playlists brave and brilliant: uncharacteristic, genre-switch songs

February 22, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Serafina Steer ... disco diva

Serafina Steer ... disco diva

Call the cops! Are music artists not doing what they are supposed to do? This week's guest writer Detective Sergeant Uncleben investigates, and finds that those who break the rules make brilliant playlists

Read more
In playlists, music, songs Tags songs, playlists, Mike Patton, Faith No More, Darius Rucker, The Blood, Dusty Springfield, Bunny Wailer, Talking Heads, Tony Orlando, Serafina Steer, Blondie, Dion, Radiohead, The Walker Brothers, Diego El Cigala, Joshua Bell, The Move, Scritti Politti, AFI, Cliff Richard, Shakti, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Steve Hillage, Bobby Darin, Sonic Boom 6, Kiss, Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, Neil Michael Hagerty, Royal Trux, Uncleben, Jarvis Cocker, pop, rock, country, northern soul, reggae, hip hop, Africa, Larry Levan, folk, disco, doo wop
Comment

Song Bar 1st Birthday playlists: songs about the number one

February 15, 2017 Peter Kimpton
More cake?

More cake?

Inspired by a flood of celebratory nominations from last week's birthday topic, our guest writer treefrogdemon adds one to another to create singularly superb playlists 

Read more
In playlists, songs Tags songs, numbers, treefrogdemon, The Monkees, Snarky Puppy, Malika Tirolien, Weaves, The Bangles, Sandy Denny, The Clovers, The Adverts, Gloria Sorchio, Mindy Smith, Otis Spann, Icons of Filth, Anti-Flag, Blondie, Bob Marley, Foo Fighters, King Crimson, The Platters, The Levellers, Folk Implosion, Gillian Welch, The Charlatans, Count Basie, Roy Harper, Billy Bragg, Wilco
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Playlists: songs about migrants, immigrants and refugees

February 8, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Syrian refugees in Greece

Syrian refugees in Greece

From Ireland and Cornwall, from Syria and Africa to America and elsewhere, it's hard not to be moved by stirring, and emotional playlists picked by this week's guest writer Marco den Ouden from last week's topic

Read more
In playlists, songs Tags songs, playlists, refugees, immigration, Show Of Hands, GIRSA, Bob Marley, Coco Tea, Vargas Blues Band, Merle Haggard, Al Stewart, The Wolfe Tones, Sonic Boom 6, Rokia Traoré, Chip Taylor, Crowded House, Pet Shop Boys, Steve Reich, Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond, Sting, Paul Brady, Gil Scott-Heron, Dolores Keane, Prince Far I, The Darkness, Bruce Springsteen, John Butler Trio, The Kinks, Lou Reed, Handel, New Model Army, Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, Knaan, Chris De Burgh, Marconius, Marco den Ouden, Syria, Israel, Egypt, United States of America
Comment

Well tasty: songs about meals and mealtimes

December 8, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Dinner at Jack Rabbit Slims. Care to dance?

Dinner at Jack Rabbit Slims. Care to dance?

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, elevenses, afternoon tea or midnight snacks? This week it's time to serve up a musical smorgasbord that's as much about the social setting and time of day as the food

Read more
In songs, music Tags meals, dinner, breakfast, lunch, eating, family, food, Pulp Fiction, film, Steven Wright, Francis Bacon, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Winston Churchill, Rocky Balboa, A Tribe Called Quest, Frank Zappa, animals, school, Orson Welles, Milton Friedman, France, Italy, Withnail & I, Tim Berners-Lee, Oliver Stone, Gene Simmons, Britains Got Talent, Festen, The Sopranos, Goodfellas, Nat King Cole
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Playlists: songs about winter

November 30, 2016 Peter Kimpton
One, two, three ... fox in snow

One, two, three ... fox in snow

Winter blues? Shivery nights? Dark mornings? Warm your cockles with these perfect playlists that shed a global light on this inspiring season, created by our guest writer Sidecar Shiv from last week's topic

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In music, songs, playlists Tags songs, music, winter, Sidecar Shiv, Spoons, Rod Stewart, Bill Morrissey, Darkwood, Faine Jade, Smith & Barnes, Jane Siberry, Atmosphere, The Cowboy Junkes, Belle & Sebastian, New Model Army, Gil Scott-Heron, Cornershop, ShivSidecar
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Playlists: songs about misunderstanding

November 23, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Van Der Graaf Generator ... in a state of some confusion?

Van Der Graaf Generator ... in a state of some confusion?

Etta Jones to Dr John, the Cure to Bob Dylan, if you were unclear about misunderstandings, then our guest writer Suzi straightens it out with perfect playlists inspired by last week's topic

Read more
In music, playlists, songs Tags songs, misunderstanding, psychology, Parlet, Van Der Graaf Generator, D'Angelo and the Vanguard, Etta Jones, Dr John, Randy Newman, The Cure, Jens Lekman, Billy Joel, The Bravery, Action Pact, Mick Hucknall, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Audience, The Who, Andrew Bird, Fiona Apple, The Streets, Atmosphere, Bread, The Be-Good Tanyas, Clint Eastwood and the General Saint, Stephen Marley, Spiers and Boden, Fleetwood Mac, Tone Loc, Kevin Ayers, Karine Polwart, Suzi
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Playlists: elegies and other remembrance songs

November 16, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Andy. Remembered by Lou ...

Andy. Remembered by Lou ...

Soaring soul to gentle lament, Ray Davies on his sister to Lou Reed's farewell to Andy Warhol, guest writer barbryn's beautiful playlists inspired by last week's elegy topic will leave you moved and inspired

Read more
In playlists, songs Tags songs, remembrance, elegies, Maurice Ravel, Ólafur Arnalds, Shura Cherkassky, Sufjan Stevens, Sun Kil Moon, Guy Clark, Tim Rogers, Lou Reed, John Cale, The Kinks, Sheila Chandra, Hollie Cook, Virginia Astley, Jean Redpath, Ibeyi, Mark Hollis, Shearwater, Trash Can Sinatras, Southpaw Jones, The Cure, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Paxton, Mayte Martin, Emmylou Harris, Jesu, Peter Broderick, Barbryn
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The naked truth is nigh – again: songs about the apocalypse

November 3, 2016 Peter Kimpton
The naked truth ...

The naked truth ...

Apocalyptic tunes? From calamitous elections to climate chaos, the world may be going to hell in a handbasket, but let's try and carry ourselves there with dignity, humour and music to match

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In music, songs Tags songs, music, apocalypse, doomsday, Donald Trump, film, art, religion, US presidential election, armageddon, floods, television, Dad's Army, nuclear weapons, Raymond Briggs, Vladimir Putin, Dr Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick, conservation, climate change, The Daily Mail, refugees, John Martin, painting, Pieter Bruegel, Joseph Heintz, Hieronymous Bosch, Leonardo DiCaprio, documentary, Before The Flood, Nostradamus, Prince, David Bowie, Sleepy Hollow, Christopher Walken, Kajagoogoo, Jimi Hendrix, George A Romero, Dawn of the Dead, horror, Shawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later, Train to Busan, Tom Lehrer
Comment

Pumpkin up the volume: songs about the colour or term yellow

October 27, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Halloween theme? No, it's artist Yahoi Kusama's pumpkins

Halloween theme? No, it's artist Yahoi Kusama's pumpkins

Sunlight to stars, ribbons to rivers, animals, birds, to flowers and vehicles, from the firey to the sickly, have a look into the musical and other cultural associations of this sublime colour

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In songs, music, colours Tags songs, art, yellow, film, autumn, Utopia, The Wizard of Oz, Tour De France, Kill Bill, Uma Thurman, Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Lee, Kandinsky, Van Gogh, Music
Comment

Playlists: songs with a gripping or intriguing narrative

October 26, 2016 Peter Kimpton
James Joyce knew how to riff on a narrative …

James Joyce knew how to riff on a narrative …

Leading us first into the magical world of an Irish boozer via the portal of the great James Joyce, this week's guest writer Uncleben plays out a prize-winning tale of supreme storytelling in song

Read more
In music, playlists, songs Tags songs, playlists, Giuseppi Verdi, Courtney Barnett, John Wesley Ryles, Sufjan Stevens, Bill Morrissey, Plan B, Lupe Fiasco, Barenaked Ladies, 10cc, The Grateful Dead, June Tabor and the Oyster Band, John Prine, Genesis, Mary Gauthier, Helen Reddy, Bad John, Kate Bush, Brian Eno, Ultimate Painting, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, Big Audio Dynamite, New Model Army, Tom Waits, Earl Zinger, Josh Ritter, Darrell Scott, Moon & The Album Leaf, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs about renewal, rebirth and starting over

September 21, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Ibeyi, aka tempestuous sisters Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz

Ibeyi, aka tempestuous sisters Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz

From cleaning up to getting dirty, leaving the country to new life at forty, black eyes to old blues, this week's guest writer Marco den Ouden's playlists show brilliant breadth of perspective on ways to start again 

Read more
In playlists, songs Tags songs, Marconius, starting over, rebirth, renewal, Ibeyi, Lavern Baker, Avril Lavigne, Linkin Park, Shania Twain, Bruce Springsteen, Camera Obscura, Evanescence, Bright Eyes, Johnnie Taylor, Sophie Tucker, Frank Sinatra, Alter Bridge, Peter Gabriel, Nina Simone, Johnny Nash, Mel & Tim, Nat King Cole, Stranger Cat, Erik Turffaz, Sophie Hunger, Amy MacDonald, Bob Dylan, Two Door Cinema Club, Sandra Nkake, Timelords, Odyssey, Fastball, Beautiful South, The Beautiful South, Nilsson, Peter & The Test Tube Babies, Jethro Tull, AKB48, Ruth B, Marco den Ouden
Comment

Playlists: songs about addiction

September 7, 2016 Peter Kimpton
The Dresden Dolls might have a few ... Bad Habits

The Dresden Dolls might have a few ... Bad Habits

Addiction is no laughing matter, so guest writer Violet Vivid gets down to the nitty gritty about 'It' and 'Them' in a visceral description of the inner process, mapped by some powerful music

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In playlists, music, songs Tags songs, addiction, drugs, alcohol, Marilyn Manson, Barenaked Ladies, Sisters of Mercy, Third Eye Blind, System of a Down, Placebo, Stone Sour, Natalie Imbruglia, Green Day, Dresden Dolls, The Verve, Chemical Brothers, Professor Elemental, Robert Palmer, Puretones, Afroman, Eurythmics, Metallica, Shamen, Queens of the Stone Age, Massive Attack, Portishead, Junior Kenna, Dillinger, Organ Donors, Violet Vivid, sex
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Playlists: songs inspired by machinery, industry and technology

August 3, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Shirley Manson of Garbage

Shirley Manson of Garbage

Dripping oil to pistons pumping, hammering anvils to steamy stovepipes, this week's guest writer Violet Vivid playfully recreates your suggestions into lists framed in the style of erotic fiction. Satisfaction will be reached ...

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In songs, playlists, music Tags songs, playlists, machines, industry, technology, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, MD, Abney Park, Funker Vogt, Anna Tivel, Madness, Garbage, Luna Sea, Giuseppi Verdi, Nitzer Ebb, Sonic Boom 6, New Model Army, The Drowning Season, Primus, Horrible Histories, Sisters of Mercy, Wurzels, Velvet Acid Christ, Tom Waits, Die Krupps, Nizlopi, Siouxsie and the Banshees, In Strict Confidence, Violet Vivid
Comment

Playlists: songs about or containing laughter

July 27, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Ella and Louis

Ella and Louis

Gentle giggles to hearty howls, nervous triggers to evil sniggers, this week's guest writer Hoshino Sakura takes a playful and poetic path with your song suggestions to leave you truly tickled

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In songs, playlists Tags songs, laughter, poetry, Manfred Mann, The Brilliant Corners, Gorillaz, Toots and the Maytals, The Soulmates, Wilson Simonal, Jerry McCain, Little Leroy and the Milestones, Tiruchi Loganathan, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Spike Jones and His City Slickers, Morecambe & Wise, Ozzy Osbourne, The Dogs D'Amour, The Sweet, Bevis Frond, The Monkees, David Bowie, Mott The Hoople, Adam and the Ants, Raif Bendix, Slim Gaillard and His Peruvians, Serge Gainsbourg, Randy Newman, Hoshino Sakura
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Playlists: songs about lust

July 13, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Patti Smith. Why? Because …

Patti Smith. Why? Because …

Heavy breath to throbbing riff, finger exercise to femme fatale, this week's selection by guest writer AmyLee from last week's big bulge of nominations will leave you hot under more than the collar

Read more
In music, playlists, songs Tags Songs, lust, sex, relationships, The Cramps, Jesus & Mary Chain, James, Divinyls, Queens of the Stone Age, Derek and the Dominoes, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, Nick Cave, Femme en Fourrure, Akua Naru, Nine Inch Nails, Patti Smith, Jane Birkin, Serge Gainsbourg, Alice Cooper, Plasmatics, Rammstein, The Stranglers, Wade Flemons, Sam and Dave, Andre Williams, Morphine, Happy Mondays, New Model Army, The Stems, Bruce Springsteen, The Temperance Movement, Millie Jackson, Steeleye Span, The Rolling Stones, AmyLee, Led Zeppelin
Comment

Playlists: songs with screams, howls, grunts and shrieks

June 22, 2016 Peter Kimpton
John Lennon

John Lennon

This week's guest writer Hoshino Sakura takes us on a fantastical, loud, emotional and joyously entertaining trip through experience of choosing nominations from last week's topic 

Read more
In playlists, songs Tags Songs, screams, grunts, howls, Judas Priest, The Jesus Lizard, Flower Travellin' Band, Soundgarden, Johnny Jones & The King Casuals, Sly & The Family Stone, Ms Betty Davis, Charles Wright, Sam Cooke, 3rd Line Butterfly, Max Roach, John Lennon, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, T-Rex, Marc Bolan, Jarboe, The Cult, Misfits, Harold Alexander, Joe Cocker, Bundhu Boys, Pharoah Sanders, Lee Scratch Perry, Bob Cobbing, Hoshino Sakura
Comment

Playlists: songs about curves and spheres

May 18, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Whose song sees the curves of Earth through Yuri Gargarin's eyes?

Whose song sees the curves of Earth through Yuri Gargarin's eyes?

Space, time, the sun; smacking sports balls to curvy bodily fun; this week's well rounded playlists by this week's guest guru Marco den Ouden arch across the far reaches of the universe from the intimate to the infinite

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In playlists, songs Tags songs, Marconius, curves, spheres, geometry, Loquat, Al Stewart, Esborn Svensson Trio, Ray Charles, The Dickies, Natalie Cole, DIre Straits, The Little Willies, Smoke City, Sinead O'Connor, Queen, Jukebox, Oi Polloi, Jan and Dean, Inspiral Carpets, The Beatles, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, The Go-Go's, Robert Calvert, Cheryl Crow, The Night Crawlers, The Rolling Stones, Tomita, Ella Fitzgerald, William Orbit, Kenna, Sugababes, AC/DC, Beastie Boys, Steve Miller Band, The Orb, Lee Scratch Perry, Gustav Holst, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Vangelis, Michael Nesmith, The Walker Brothers, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The Waterboys, Jackie Leven, Dee Dee Warwick, The Three Suns, Yuri Gagarin, space, Marco den Ouden
Comment

Playlists: songs that inspire pathos

April 13, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Fist of fingers ... Janis Joplin's smile comes at a price

Fist of fingers ... Janis Joplin's smile comes at a price

Joplin to Harris, Moyet to Mann, Waits to Wainwright, Barbryn's wonderful playlists from last week's topic are soaked in pity, heartbreak, drinking, plus a dash of black humour, so make sure you have a handkerchief handy …

Read more
In playlists, songs Tags pathos, songs, music, Janis Joplin, Tom Waits, Gil Scott-Heron, Loudon Wainwright III, Abba, Aimee Mann, solitude, Alison Moyet, Emmylou Harris, Amanda Palmer, Thirty Pounds of Bone, The Weakerthans, The Smiths, Etta James, Tom Petty, John Wesley Ryles, Kenny Rogers, Nick Cave, Dory Previn, The Pogues, Ralph McTell, Frightened Rabbit, Frank Sinatra, Tom Hickox, Barbryn
Comment

Playlists: Songs with misheard, nonsense or inaudible lyrics

March 9, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Vivian Stanshall – masterful procurer of nonsense. Photograph: Ian Burt

Vivian Stanshall – masterful procurer of nonsense. Photograph: Ian Burt

Magical mondegreens to oddball earslips, tongue-twisting turns to total incoherence, guest writer swawilg takes us on an inspired and entertaining playlist journey into lyrics that just aren't quite how they sound

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In music, playlists, songs Tags songs, playlists, REM, Talking Heads, Dixie Cups, Manfred Mann, The Velvettes, The Goons, Yellowman, Yes, Wire, Procul Harem, ZZ Top, Vivian Stanshall, Iron Butterfly, Cranes, Leroy Van Dyke, Budgie, Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Violent Femmes, Flying Saucer Attack, Roof, Dawn of the Replicants, Boy Hit Car, Sum Svistu, Butthole Surfers, Barenaked Ladies, Traveling Wilburys, Magma, TC Matic, swawilg
Comment

Playlists: Upbeat breakup songs

March 3, 2016 Peter Kimpton
Pete Doherty fronting Babyshambles. No shortage of breakup stories ... Photograph: Patrik Ragnarsson

Pete Doherty fronting Babyshambles. No shortage of breakup stories ... Photograph: Patrik Ragnarsson

Babyshambles to Beautiful South, ironic response to frantic fornication, this week's guest writer angryirishpunk puts the passionate past behind him with an equally powerful playlist

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In playlists, songs, music Tags Blink-182, songs, playlists, Rueben, Mike Scott, Sin Cos Tan, Babyshambles, Strawberry Switchblade, The Beautiful South, Queen, Cyndi Lauper, Crash Test Dummies, M-People, The Dandy Warhols, The Libertines, Washed Out, Van Der Graaf Generator, Bill Wells, Aidan Moffat, Richard Thompson, Brian, Noah And The Whale, Bob Dylan, Carrie Underwood, The Vaccines, Florence and the Machine, Squeeze, angryirishpunk, breakup songs
Comment
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

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New Albums …

Featured
Evergreen In Your Mind by Juni Habel.jpeg
Apr 16, 2026
Juni Habel: Evergreen In Your Mind
Apr 16, 2026

New album: Exquisite, delicate, ethereal finger-picking folk by the Norwegian singer-songwriter in this third album, one that poetically and musically inhabits a mysterious half-dream state flitting between two worlds

Apr 16, 2026
Gretel - Squish.jpeg
Apr 16, 2026
Gretel: Squish
Apr 16, 2026

New album: After several years of excellent EPs and singles such as Drive, a much anticipated and strong rock-pop debut by the London singer-songwriter who delivers catchy, energising numbers, here themed around wanting the warmly craved feelings of love, lust and relationships, but also finding overwhelming of being squashed and consumed by them

Apr 16, 2026
Kammerkonzert by Squarepusher.jpeg
Apr 15, 2026
Squarepusher: Kammerkonzert
Apr 15, 2026

New album: An eclectic, dramatic, polyrhythmic mix of jazz, modern classical and drum’n’bass by the experimental British musician and producer Tom Jenkinson, in this dramatic, abstract, cerebral and cinematic release featuring a host of instruments from bass to chamber strings and harpischord

Apr 15, 2026
Pictish Trail - Life Slime.jpeg
Apr 15, 2026
Pictish Trail: Life Slime
Apr 15, 2026

New album: Mesmeric, slow-build, mid-tempo, woozy, psychedelic-electronica folk of gentle, personal, reflective dark humour, profundity and melancholy by the Isle of Eigg-based Scottish musician Johnny Lynch in his sixth LP, here produced by Mike Lindsay of Tunng and LUMP themed around metaphorical ooze, transformation, exhaustion, hope, guilt, and renewal

Apr 15, 2026
Flea - Honora.jpeg
Apr 14, 2026
Flea: Honora
Apr 14, 2026

New album: The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist turns his skills to another passion – trumpet – and the result is an absorbing, eclectic, fusion of experimental jazz, electronica, spoken word of six originals and four covers, with collaborators including Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, and Nick Cave

Apr 14, 2026
Maybe Not Tonight by Lime Garden.jpeg
Apr 12, 2026
Lime Garden: Maybe Not Tonight
Apr 12, 2026

New album: Zesty, fresh, infectiously catchy, smash-and-grab synthy indie-pop-rock by the Brighton quartet, packed with fabulous riffs and melodies and droll, tongue-in-cheek lyrics that engagingly chart the highs and lows, the joys and insecurities of a big night out

Apr 12, 2026
My New Band Believe album.jpeg
Apr 11, 2026
My New Band Believe: My New Band Believe
Apr 11, 2026

New album: A superb, rapturous swirl of energy, invention, passionate emotions and originality, this debut album by Cameron Picton, the bassist of the acclaimed British experimentalists Black Midi, features shapeshifting structures with a host of acoustic instruments, all originating from a hotel room fever dream of weird imagery and scrambled text

Apr 11, 2026
Wendy Eisenberg by Wendy Eisenberg.jpeg
Apr 9, 2026
Wendy Eisenberg: Wendy Eisenberg
Apr 9, 2026

New album: An absolutely gorgeous, delicate, subtle, brilliantly inventive LP of folk-rock-country-pop by the Brooklyn-based guitarist, improviser, composer and singer-songwriter, themed around the artist’s newfound queerness and love, all coloured by a sense of personal awe and reinvention

Apr 9, 2026
LuxJury - Giving Up.jpeg
Apr 8, 2026
LuxJury: Giving Up
Apr 8, 2026

New album: Catchy, funky, witty, insightful and candid soulful indie-pop debut by the London trio fronted by Nicole ‘Lux’ Fermie, with songs inspired by a formative first queer relationship and subsequent exploration of identity

Apr 8, 2026
Snail Mail - Ricochet.jpeg
Apr 7, 2026
Snail Mail: Ricochet
Apr 7, 2026

New album: American indie singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan returns with a third LP, awash with natural tendency for shoegaze-y melancholy, but also with a warm embrace of jangly and acoustic guitars in this introspective release about time, fading friendships, mortality, the afterlife, and the quiet terror of watching the things you love slip away

Apr 7, 2026
Dark Sky Reservation by LYR.jpeg
Apr 6, 2026
LYR: Dark Sky Reservation
Apr 6, 2026

New album: Filled with beautiful stillness and vivid, intricate images, gentle wit, lilting profundity and contemplative moments, this gorgeously illuminating third experimental LP by the trio of UK poet laureate Simon Armitage and musicians Richard Walters and Patrick J Pearson begins on the constellatory contradiction that the furthest points of light in our skies can only be seen in the dark

Apr 6, 2026
Birding by deary.jpeg
Apr 5, 2026
deary: Birding
Apr 5, 2026

New album: A shimmering, sparkling, ethereal dream-pop and shoegaze debut by the London trio with an ornithological theme in the context of human impact, and significant echoes in flight of their key influences Cocteau Twins, Lush, My Bloody Valentine, and Slowdive

Apr 5, 2026
Vol.II by Angine de Poitrine.jpeg
Apr 4, 2026
Angine de Poitrine: Vol. II
Apr 4, 2026

New album: A weirdly wonky hot sensation on social media, the mysterious Quebec duo are instantly recognisable by their oddball, masked polka dot disguises, but this second release of mostly instrumental prog-rock bendy loops and riffs between guitar and drums remain just as mesmeric in their musical skill and complexity

Apr 4, 2026
Thundercat - Distracted.jpeg
Apr 4, 2026
Thundercat: Distracted
Apr 4, 2026

New album: Rich, deep, squelchy grooves and high falsetto in the distinctively funky-jazz-soul-afrofuturistic-cosmic-rock return of the outstanding Los Angeles bass player with his first LP for six years, and an impressive array of collaborators, including Mac Miller, Tame Impala, Flying Lotus, A$AP Rocky, and The Lemon Twigs

Apr 4, 2026

new songs …

Featured
Olivia Rodrigo - You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.jpeg
Apr 17, 2026
Song of the Day: Olivia Rodrigo - Drop Dead
Apr 17, 2026

Song of the Day: A bright, shimmering, effervescent, soaring new single by the American pop superstar, with stylistic parallels to Chappell Roan and ABBA, heralding her upcoming third album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, out on 12 June via Geffen

Apr 17, 2026
Massive Attack - Boots On the Ground.png
Apr 16, 2026
Song of the Day: Massive Attack with Tom Waits – Boots on the Ground
Apr 16, 2026

Song of the Day: Now 35 years since the hugely influential Blue Lines, and 16 since their last LP, Robert Del Naja and co return, joined by the unmistakeable voice of the American musician, with a powerful, poignant, topically political number portraying the perspective of a boorish, monstrous warmonger

Apr 16, 2026
The Gnomes - Magic Man.jpeg
Apr 15, 2026
Song of the Day: The Gnomes - Magic Man
Apr 15, 2026

Song of the Day: Fresh, energised, guitar-driven 60s-style retro garage-rock-pop fun from the young Melbourne four-piece taken from their the new EP, More, out on 13 May

Apr 15, 2026
Getdown Services - live.jpeg
Apr 14, 2026
Song of the Day: Getdown Services - The Radiator
Apr 14, 2026

Song of the Day: Weirdly wonderful and oddly mesmeric, catchy, surreal and silly groove electro-pop by the Bristol duo of Josh Law and Ben Sadler, best known for the single Dog Dribble and their joyous, comedic, frenzied live shows, out on Breakfast Records

Apr 14, 2026
Tamikrest.jpeg
Apr 13, 2026
Song of the Day: Tamikrest - Imanin
Apr 13, 2026

Song of the Day: A stirring, evocative song of defiance and resistance to the repression of northern Mali people by the acclaimed Saharan rock band, from their upcoming sixth album, Assikel, out on 15 May via Glitterbeat Records

Apr 13, 2026
Royel Otis - Sweet Hallelujah.jpeg
Apr 12, 2026
Song of the Day: Royel Otis - Sweet Hallelujah
Apr 12, 2026

Song of the Day: Soaring, strident, anthemic rock about a bittersweet farewell and enriched with stirring orchestral backing in this latest single by the Sydney, Australia duo of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, out on Ourness/Capitol Records/UMG

Apr 12, 2026
Kelela.jpeg
Apr 11, 2026
Song of the Day: Kelela - Idea 1
Apr 11, 2026

Song of the Day: Sensual, smoky, stripped back soul, R&B dream-pop and electronica about facing an uncertain world by the acclaimed American singer-songwriter of Ethiopian ancestry with first new music since her second album Raven (2023), out on Warp Records

Apr 11, 2026
Lambrini Girls - Cult of Celebrity.jpeg
Apr 10, 2026
Song of the Day: Lambrini Girls - Cult of Celebrity
Apr 10, 2026

Song of the Day: Taking a punchy shot at the sinister, dark underbelly of global elites and backdoor dealings of notorious super-wealthy inner circles who prey on the young and innocent, a fabulously feisty new single by the Brighton British punk duo of Phoebe Lunny and Selin Macieira, out on City Slang

Apr 10, 2026
Surfbort - Hot Dog.jpeg
Apr 9, 2026
Song of the Day: Surfbort - Hot Dog
Apr 9, 2026

Song of the Day: Tasty, catchy, satirical fun, suggestively themed around the popular fast-food snack, with an even more entertaining video filled with colourful characters by the Brooklyn punk band, taken from their recent third album Reality Star, out on TODO

Apr 9, 2026
Beth Orton - The Ground Above.jpeg
Apr 8, 2026
Song of the Day: Beth Orton - The Ground Above
Apr 8, 2026

Song of the Day: The British singer-songwriter returns with a profound and beautiful new 8-minute eclectic folk-rock number about how humans are “all vulnerable beings living out invincible lives”, suffused with piano and trumpet, and out on Partisan Records

Apr 8, 2026
Liz Lawrence 2.jpeg
Apr 7, 2026
Song of the Day: Liz Lawrence - Black Ulysses
Apr 7, 2026

Song of the Day: A beautifully moving, melodic and poignant acoustic indie-pop single by the acclaimed British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, from the upcoming album fifth album Vespers, out on 5 June via Chrysalis Records

Apr 7, 2026
Angelo De Augustine - Angel in Plainclothes.jpeg
Apr 6, 2026
Song of the Day: Angelo De Augustine - Empty Shell
Apr 6, 2026

Song of the Day: Beautiful, delicate, tender, elegiac indie folk with chamber strings, by the California singer-songwriter, and friend and associate of Sufjan Stevens, who is an inspiration, heralding his upcoming fifth album Angel in Plainclothes, out on 24 April via Asthmatic Kitty Records

Apr 6, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Undine - Novella.jpeg
Apr 9, 2026
Word of the week: undine
Apr 9, 2026

Word of the week: It might sound like the act of abstaining from food, but this noun from derived from undina (Latin unda) meaning wave, refers to mythical, elemental beings associated with water, such as mermaids, and stemming from the alchemical writings of the 16th-century Swiss physician, alchemist and philosopher Paracelsus

Apr 9, 2026
Veena player.jpg
Mar 27, 2026
Word of the week: veena
Mar 27, 2026

Word of the week: This ornate, curvaceous, south Indian classical instrument, the saraswati veena, is a special bowl lute with a rich, resonant tone, has 24 copper frets with four playing strings and three drone strings, and is used for Carnatic music

Mar 27, 2026
Snail on a wall.jpeg
Mar 12, 2026
Word of the week: wallfish
Mar 12, 2026

Word of the week: It sounds like the singing finned picture ornament Big Mouth Billy Bass that became popular in the late 1990s, but this is a much older noun, derived in Somerset, England, pertains to the climbing gastropod that can slowly climb up any surface

Mar 12, 2026
Swordfish.jpg
Feb 25, 2026
Word of the week: xiphias
Feb 25, 2026

Word of the week: Get the point? This is the scientific name for the swordfish, in full Xiphias gladius (from the Greek and Latin for sword), that extraordinary sea creature with the long, pointy bill. But what of it in song?

Feb 25, 2026
Korean musicians in 1971.jpeg
Feb 12, 2026
Word of the week: yanggeum
Feb 12, 2026

Word of the week: A form or hammered dulcimer, this traditional Korean instrument, with a flat and trapezoidal shape, has seven sets of four metal strings hit by thin bamboo stick

Feb 12, 2026

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