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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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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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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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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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Inverted world: songs about the upside down to the inside out

August 29, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Shadow play. Where? On the square

Shadow play. Where? On the square

This week we enter the world of the topsy-turvy and the back-to-front, all reflected in song lyrics, literally or metaphorically, here with a perspective on other work, from reversed or mirror images to the distorted or refracted

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, metal, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, art, photography, optics, psychology, Jean Baudrillard, Frank Gehry, architecture, William Shakespeare, Christopher Priest, Iain Banks, NIck Lowe, Tom Waits, Robbie Williams, Dick Dale, Jimi Hendrix, Donatella Versace, Bertolt Brecht, Jean Cocteau, Hamlet, James Elkins, Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Adelbert Ames, They Might Be Giants, The Simpsons
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Playlists: songs about famous or notable animals

August 28, 2019 Peter Kimpton
His Master’s Voice

His Master’s Voice

Pigeons to felines, canines to bigger hairy beasts, from humour to the historical, tales of cruelty and caring, to cartoons, this week’s magical menagerie, inspired by last week’s topic is an ark of excellence brought picked by guest writer Uncleben

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, dub, experimental, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, rocksteady, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, animals, animal behaviour, Roky Erickson, Jon WIlks, Ketama, Toumani Diabate, Danny Thompson, Jose Soto, Mayte Martin, David Sudbury, Ritchie Lamy, The Jools Rimet Orchestra, Eartha Kitt, Norma Tanega, The Beatles, Luke Haines, Blue Oyster Cult, Peggy Lee, Vince Guaraldi, Hoyt Curtin, Sublime, Butthole Surfers, Philip Scheib, Marshall Barer, Cross Fire, Terry Bush, Mark Knopfler, The Dickies, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jarvis Cocker, Mandy Miller, The Pioneers, Uncleben
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Herd this one? Songs about four-legged livestock

August 8, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Woolly thinking? Alpacas are in on the act, of course.

Woolly thinking? Alpacas are in on the act, of course.

From cows to horses, sheep, pigs, ox, goats, donkeys, alpacas, llamas and more, this week let’s look into songs about the farming and husbandry of quadrupeds, our relationship with them and also what they say about us

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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, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soundtracks, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, animals, livestock, farming, David Lynch, Johnny Mercer, Elvis Presley, Julian Cope, Gary Larson, religion, The Bible, Hinduism, George Orwell, Robert Plant, Grant Wood, Kate Bernheimer, art, books, Oliver Cromwell, Colin Wilson, Ray Davies, The Kinks, Alexander The Great, Thomas De Quincey, George Stubbs, John Miles (painter), Pigcasso, Matt Groening, The Simpsons, Zazie Beetz, climate change, kulning
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Tell my wife I love her so: songs containing indirect messages

August 1, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Hound of love? Indirect delivery

Hound of love? Indirect delivery

Through a third party, on scribbled letters left, sent or hidden, on answering machines or other means, even via prayer, this week let's look at songs about communication to an individual sent via a roundabout route

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In avant-garde, blues, 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, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, messages, letters, telephone, relationships, family, politics, Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, animals, Kurt Cobain, Hunter S. Thompson, Vincent Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf, Wendy O. Williams, Robin Williams, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, paul simon, Art Garfunkel, Ray Davies, The Kinks, Abba, Fleetwood Mac, Edmond Rostand, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paul Verhoeven, Philip K Dick, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Lanegan
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Playlists: songs about puppets and puppetry

July 31, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Five … four … playlists are go!

Five … four … playlists are go!

It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights … roll up for a fabulous show, often with no strings attached, about puppets, but also featuring them, skilfully pulled together by guest playlister pejepeine from last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, instrumentals, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags puppetry, puppets, playlists, songs, The 5th Dimension, The Muppets, Jim Henson, Els Titelles, XTC, Fuzzbox, France Gall, Sandie Shaw, James and Bobby Purify, Tyler The Creator, Gregory and the Hawk, 10, 10000 Maniacs, Punishment of Luxury, Kevin Coyne, Elvis Costello, The Roots, LCD Soundsystem, Robin The Frog, Kermit The Frog, Pinocchio, Disney, Von Trapp Family, Julie Andrews, Torchy the Battery Boy, Levi Stubbs, Tingha & Tucka, Pinky & Perky, Mister Rogers, Spit The Dog & Bob Carogees, Fingerbobs, REM, Kate Person, Sesame Street, Louie Ramirez, Bernd das Bröt, pejepeine, Joan Manuel Serrat
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Who's pulling the strings? Songs about puppets and puppetry

July 25, 2019 Peter Kimpton
It’s time to play the music …

It’s time to play the music …

It’s all about manipulation. This week’s theme could centre around relationships, work, politics, or other forms of entertainment, where also the puppets do the performing and play on the theme of who is really in control …

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, metal, music, musicals, musical hall, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, rock, reggae, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, puppetry, puppets, The Muppets, ventriloquists, Nina Conti, Trey Parker, South Park, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, politics, Steve Bannon, Vladimir Putin, Punch and Judy, China, shadow puppets, Anthony Hosein, Stacey Loewen, Sesame Street, Shari Lewis, Sooty, Rod Hull and Emu, Johnny Carson, Angela Carter, Spitting Image, John Malvovich, Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jonze, Michael Redgrave
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Playlists: songs from New York City

July 24, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus

It’s time to take the A Train and continue across the five boroughs on a musical journey. Inspired by last week’s topic, NY resident magicman takes us on fabulous tour of work recorded in, and capturing the spirit of the Big Apple

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, dance, disco, dub, experimental, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, funk Tags songs, instrumentals, New York, Duke Ellington, Princess Nokia, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Willie Colon, Joe Bataan, Dionne Warwick, Dion, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Eric B & Rakim, Bernard Herrmann, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, Miles Davis, Afrika Bambaataa, The Soul Sonic Force, Raymond Scott, Bruce Springsteen, Pat Metheny, Toots Thielemans, Harry Nilsson, Benny Goodman, Nas, Nuyorican Soul, Jocelyn Brown, Larry Corvell, St Vincent, Vampire Weekend, The Notorious B.I.G., Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, A Tribe Called Quest, Crown Heights Affair, Sister Sledge, Art Blakey, magicman
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In full swing: songs and instrumentals from New York City

July 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
There’s more than one way of having in ball in New York. The 1930s …

There’s more than one way of having in ball in New York. The 1930s …

It’s the city of the world that never sleeps, but this week let’s explore what kind of music, particularly instrumentals, but also lyrics, capture the particular spirit, culture, feel and rhythms of its extraordinary five boroughs

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, experimental, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, New York, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Beastie Boys, LCD Soundsystem, Henry Ford, Duke Ellington, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island, David Byrne, Talking Heads, George Gershwin, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Sonny Bono, paul simon, Broadway, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Blondie, The Ramones, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, B-52s, The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Dee-Lite, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Led Zeppelin, Joe Strummer, The Clash, Television (band), Prince, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Harlem, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Milos Forman, John Updike, Bette Midler, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Film, film soundtrack, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, gangs, Statue of Liberty
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Meet me in the middle? Songs about compromise

June 13, 2019 Peter Kimpton
John, Yoko and Paul. Compromise is a divisive but potent issue …

John, Yoko and Paul. Compromise is a divisive but potent issue …

It’s all about the C-word in song, but does it strengthen or weaken us? Does it hold society together or kill artistic integrity? You can’t always get what you want, but can you give a little, take it a little? Can we work it out, or just do it my way?

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, compromise, politics, US politics, Brexit, Donald Trump, climate change, climate change denial, music, Film, books, football, sport, George Herbert, Henrik Ibsen, Edmund Burke, Janis Joplin, Bay City Rollers, Marc Bolan, punk, new romantics, goths, heavy metal, rockers, mods, Alain Prost, Scott Walker, PJ Harvey, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Abba, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Talib Kweli, T Bone Burnett, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Bat For Lashes, Peter Hook, New Order, Viv Albertine, Matt Dillon, Louis MacNiece, Irvine Welsh, Mike Leigh, Andrei Tarkovsky, Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, Alan Greenspan, George Clooney, Angela Merkel
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Bright and beautiful: songs about the colour orange

May 30, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Orangutan. Of course

Orangutan. Of course

From animals to objects, plants to birds, and all of its cultural associations, the meeting of red and yellow, symbol of change, joy, entertainment and also warning, this week let’s explore songs are about anything clearly of this colour

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, colours, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, 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, colours, orange, animals, art, plants, Frank Sinatra, Wassily Kandinsky, Michel Gondry, Tae Yun Kim, Ram Charan, Vincent Van Gogh, painting, Film, The Netherlands, Greek mythology, Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri Matisse, Confucius, China, Buddhism, Hinduism, food, biochemistry, vegetables, Tango, Orange mobile, Orange guitars, Fender, orange sunburst, Donald Trump, Agent Orange, Vietnam War
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Bostin'! Songs from or about Birmingham and The Black Country

May 9, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Roy would …

Roy would …

This week’s topic takes a particular accent towards music inspired by the great British West Midlands city and its surrounding area, a rich cultural mix of ethnicities and styles, industrial history, upheaval and humour

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, experimental, electronica, folk, 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, Birmingham, West Midlands, The Black Country, Roy Wood, slang, The Beat, Black Sabbath, The Move, The Moody Blues, Traffic, Dexys Midnight Runners, ELO, Felt, Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood, Joan Armatrading, Roland Gift, Steel Pulse, Laura Mvula, Mike Skinner, The Streets, Ocean Colour Scene, The Nightingales, UB40, industry, Francis Brett Young, Donald Trump, Stewart Lee, Jasper Carrot, Milton Jones, comedy, Jim Capaldi, JRR Tolkien, David Lodge, Jim Crace, WH Auden, Benjamin Zephaniah, Peaky Blinders
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Current topic: songs about electricity

May 2, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Bright sparks ArcAttack make the Tesla connection

Bright sparks ArcAttack make the Tesla connection

Capacitance, or resistance? This week on the circuit it’s time for bright sparks to plug in and make lyrical connections with songs that refer to electricity in all literal or metaphorical forms, from famous inventors to natural forces

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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, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, electricity, power sources, energy, Nikola Tesla, Ray Charles, George Carlin, George Gobel, Bill Bryson, Spike Milligan, climate change, Bob Dylan, Luigi Galvani, biology, evolution, Pliny The Elder, Scribonius Largus, Otto von Guericke, Robert Boyle, Stephen Gray, C. F. du Fay, Benjamin Franklin (scientist), Pieter van Musschenbroek, Alessandro Volta, Hans Christian Ørsted, André-Marie Ampère, Michael Faraday, Goerg Ohm, Thomas Edison, Charles Steinmetz, Wilhelm Eduard Weber, David Bowie, Bjork, ArcAttack, Joe DiPrima, Black Sabbath, Bram Stoker, James Gleick, James Whale, Film, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, Boris Karloff, Earl Wilson, Anton Chekhov, Chance The Rapper, Sanober Khan, Lou Reed, Steven Magee, Clio Barnard
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Playlists: songs enhanced by impressive videos

May 1, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Over the moon with Smashing Pumpkins

Over the moon with Smashing Pumpkins

What a production! Cartoons to big-screen movie references, emotional stories, quirky comedies and extraordinary dancing, from a massive choice, this week’s guest Marco den Ouden chooses two perfectly eye-popping playlists

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, indie, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, Film, videos, Georges Méliès, Xavier Cugat, Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Killers, Bob Dylan, Soul Asylum, Miley Cyrus, Smashing Pumpkins, Guns 'n' Roses, Sia, OK Go, Beth Hart, The Hu Band, World Order, Goyte, Kimbra, Leonard Cohen, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Chris Rea, Aerosmith, Silent Movie Susie, Beyonce, Kate Bush, Anderson .Paak, Elton John, Phil Collins, t.A.t.u., Bjork, Two Door Cinema Club, The Beatles, Gene Kelly, Jay-Z, David Bowie, 3 Doors Down, Killing Jokes, Michael Nesmith, Cab Calloway, Marco den Ouden
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The gift of sound and vision: songs enhanced by impressive videos

April 25, 2019 Peter Kimpton
What will be your weapon of choice this week?

What will be your weapon of choice this week?

Music and film are often intertwined commercially, but where does a video become an artform to the level that the visual elements enhance, complement and become symbiotic with the song? Let the action commence …

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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, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, showtime Tags songs, playlists, videos, Film, YouTube, MTV, David Lynch, Bessie Smith, Louis Jordan, Tony Bennett, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc, Jacques Brel, The Moody Blues, Kenneth Anger, The Beatles, Queen, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Chris Cunningham, Spike Jones, Spike Jonze, Michael Gondry, Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin, Bjork, Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim, Bootsy Collins, Christopher Walken, Electric Six, Peter Gabriel, Aardman Animations, Radiohead, Childish Gambino, Cate Le Bon, Fat White Family, Ibeyi, Arctic Monkeys, Philip Glass, Godfrey Reggio
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Out of this oeuvre? Songs and music that defy genre definition

April 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Genres? What are they?

Genres? What are they?

This week let’s push the envelope and dig out often lesser known artists and works that wriggle away from definition, those who or mix sub-genres and styles with such originality it’s hard to place them. But can you still define them?

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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, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, genres, fusion genres, Tom Waits, Kamasi Washington, Billie Eilish, Arctic Monkeys, Alex Turner, Albert Finney, Alan Sillitoe, David Bowie, Miles Davis, Gazelle Twin, The Residents, FKA Twigs, Avicii, David Byrne, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Damon Albarn, Gorillaz, Public Enemy, Chuck D, Henry Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Jessie J, Taylor Swift, Beck, Danny Boyle, Todd Haynes, Fever Ray, Jeanette Winterson, Italo Calvino, Anthony Newley, J Dilla
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

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New Albums …

Featured
Tyler Ballgame - For The First Time Again.jpeg
Jan 30, 2026
Tyler Ballgame: For The First Time, Again
Jan 30, 2026

New album: With that sublime, soaring, soulful voice, and echoes of Roy Orbison, the Rhode Island-raised singer-songwriter’s truly gorgeous debut LP captures all the range of of the love – warmth, longing, tenderness and heartbreak through classy and crafted retro sound of 60s and 70s rock

Jan 30, 2026
Tessa Rose Jackson - The Lighthouse.jpeg
Jan 29, 2026
Tessa Rose Jackson: The Lighthouse
Jan 29, 2026

New album: Beautiful, intricate, understated, poetic and intelligent, this warm, inviting experimental folk by the Dutch-British singer-songwriter is the first LP under her own name, having previously released three as the artist Someone

Jan 29, 2026
Lucinda Williams - World's Gone Wrong.jpeg
Jan 28, 2026
Lucinda Williams: World's Gone Wrong
Jan 28, 2026

New album: The acclaimed veteran country, rock and Americana singer-songwriter and multi-Grammy winner’s latest LP has a title that speaks for itself, but is powerful, angry, defiant and uplifting, and, recorded in Nashville, features guest vocals from Norah Jones, Mavis Staples and Brittney Spencer

Jan 28, 2026
Clotheline From Hell.jpeg
Jan 27, 2026
Clothesline From Hell: Slather On The Honey
Jan 27, 2026

New album: His moniker mischievously named after a wrestling move, a highly impressive, independently-created experimental, psychedelic rock debut the the Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Adam LaFramboise

Jan 27, 2026
Dead Dads Club.jpeg
Jan 27, 2026
Dead Dads Club: Dead Dads Club
Jan 27, 2026

New album: Dynamic, passionate, heart-stirring indie rock in this project fronted by Chilli Jesson (formerly bassist of Palma Violets) with songs spurred by the trauma of losing his father 20 years ago, retelling a defiant and difficult aftermath, with sound boosted by producer Carlos O’Connell of Fontaines D.C.

Jan 27, 2026
The Paper Kites - IF YOU GO THERE, I HOPE YOU FIND IT.png
Jan 25, 2026
The Paper Kites: If You Go There, I Hope You Find It
Jan 25, 2026

New album: Warm, tender, gently-paced, calmly reflective, beautifully soothing, poetic, melancholic alternative folk and Americana by the band from Melbourne in their seventh LP in 15 years

Jan 25, 2026
PVA - No More Like This.jpeg
Jan 24, 2026
PVA: No More Like This
Jan 24, 2026

New album: Inventive, alluring, sensual, mysterious, minimalistic electronica, trip-hop and experimental pop by the London trio of Ella Harris, Joshua Baxter and Louis Satchell, in this second album following 2022’s Blush, boosted by the creativity of producer and instrumentalist Kwake Bass

Jan 24, 2026
Imarhan - Essam.jpeg
Jan 20, 2026
Imarhan: Essam
Jan 20, 2026

New album: A mesmeric fourth LP in a decade by the band from Tamanrasset, Algeria, whose name means ‘the ones I care about’, their Tuareg music mixing guitar riffs, pop melodies and African rhythms, but this time also evolves slightly away from the desert blues rocky, bluesy influence of contemporaries Tinariwen with electronic elements

Jan 20, 2026
Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine.jpeg
Jan 20, 2026
Courtney Marie Andrews: Valentine
Jan 20, 2026

New album: Emotional, beautiful, stirring, Americana, folk and indie-pop by singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, in this latest studio LP in of soaring voice, strong melodies, love, vulnerability and heartbreak, longing and bravery

Jan 20, 2026
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore - Tragic Magic.jpeg
Jan 18, 2026
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore: Tragic Magic
Jan 18, 2026

New album: Delicate, beautiful, ethereal, meditative new work by the two American experimental composers in their first collaborative LP, with gentle understated vocals, classic synth sounds, and rare harps chosen from from the Paris Musée de la Musique Collection

Jan 18, 2026
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Jan 16, 2026
Sleaford Mods: The Demise of Planet X
Jan 16, 2026

New album: The caustic wit of Nottingham’s Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn return with a 13th LP of brilliantly abrasive, dark humoured hip-hop and catchy beats, addressing the rubbish state of the world, as well as local, personal and social irritations through slick nostalgic cultural reference, some expanded sounds, and an eclectic set of guests

Jan 16, 2026
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Jan 14, 2026
SAULT: Chapter 1
Jan 14, 2026

New album: As ever, released suddenly without fanfare or any publicity, the prolific experimental soul, jazz, gospel, funk, psychedelia and disco collective of Cleo Sol, Info (aka Dean Josiah Cover) and co return with a stylish, mysterious LP

Jan 14, 2026
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Jan 14, 2026
The Cribs: Selling A Vibe
Jan 14, 2026

New album: A first LP in five years by the likeable and solid guitar indie-rock Jarman brothers trio from Wakefield, now with their ninth - a catchy, but at times with rueful, bittersweet perspectives on their times in the music business

Jan 14, 2026
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Jan 9, 2026
Dry Cleaning: Secret Love
Jan 9, 2026

New album: This third LP by the London experimental post-punk quartet with the distinctive, spoken, droll delivery of Florence Shaw, is packed with striking, vivid, often non seqitur lyrics capturing life’s surreal mundanities and neuroses with a sound coloured and polished by Cate Le Bon as producer

Jan 9, 2026

new songs …

Featured
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Jan 30, 2026
Song of the Day: Robber Robber - The Sound It Made
Jan 30, 2026

Song of the Day: Striking, dynamic, noisy stop-and-start, stylish experimental post-rock and post-rock by the band from Burlington, Vermont, fronted by Nina Cates, heralding their new album, Two Wheels Move the Soul, out on 3 April via on Fire Talk

Jan 30, 2026
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Jan 29, 2026
Song of the Day: Holly Humberstone - To Love Somebody
Jan 29, 2026

Song of the Day: Shimmeringly catchy and singalong, effervescent Abba-esque and Fleetwood Mac-ish piano and synth pop with an eye-catching, vampiric-themed video by the British singer-songwriter from Grantham, heralding her second album Cruel World out on 10 April via Polydor/Universal.

Jan 29, 2026
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Jan 28, 2026
Song of the Day: Nathan Fake - Slow Yamaha
Jan 28, 2026

Song of the Day: Hypnotic electronica with woozy layers of smooth resonance and a lattice of shifting analogue patterns by the British artist from Norfolk, taken from his forthcoming album, Evaporator, out on InFiné Music

Jan 28, 2026
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Jan 27, 2026
Song of the Day: Charlotte Day Wilson - Lean (featuring Saya Gray)
Jan 27, 2026

Song of the Day: Stylish, striking, sensual experimental electro-pop and R&B in this fabulous collaboration between the two Canadian singer/ multi-instrumentalist from Toronto, out on Stone Woman Music/ XL Recordings

Jan 27, 2026
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Jan 26, 2026
Song of the Day: Lime Garden - 23
Jan 26, 2026

Song of the Day: Wonderfully catchy, witty, quirky indie pop about age and adjustment by the Brighton-formed quartet fronted by Chloe Howard, heralding their upcoming album Maybe Not Tonight, out on So Young Records on 10 April

Jan 26, 2026
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Jan 25, 2026
Song of the Day: Madra Salach - The Man Who Seeks Pleasure
Jan 25, 2026

Song of the Day: A powerful, slow-simmering and gradually intensifying, drone-based original folk number about the the flipsides of love and hedonism by the young Irish traditional and alternative folk band, with comparisons to Lankum, from the recently released EP It's a Hell of an Age, out on Canvas Music

Jan 25, 2026
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Jan 24, 2026
Song of the Day: Adult DVD - Real Tree Lee
Jan 24, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, witty, energised acid-dance-punk with echoes of Underworld and Snapped Ankles by the dynamic, innovative band from Leeds in a new number about a dodgy character of toxic masculinity and online ignorance, and their first release on signing to Fat Possum

Jan 24, 2026
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Jan 23, 2026
Song of the Day: Arctic Monkeys - Opening Night (for War Child HELP 2 charity album)
Jan 23, 2026

Song of the Day: A simmering, potent, contemplative new track by acclaimed Sheffield band, their first song since 2022’s album The Car, with proceeds benefiting the charity War Child, heralding the upcoming HELP (2) compilation out on 6 March with various contributors

Jan 23, 2026
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Jan 22, 2026
Song of the Day: White Denim - (God Created) Lock and Key
Jan 22, 2026

Song of the Day: The Austin, Texas-formed LA-based rockers return with an infectiously catchy groove fusing rock, funk, dub, soul, and down-dirty blues with some playful self-mythologising and darker themes, heralding 13th album, 13, out on 24 April via Bella Union

Jan 22, 2026
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Jan 21, 2026
Song of the Day: Holy Fuck - Evie
Jan 21, 2026

Song of the Day: The Canadian experimental indie rock and electronica quartet from Toronto return with a pulsating new track of thrumming bass and shimmering keyboards, heralding their forthcoming new album Event Beat, out on 27 March via Satellite Services

Jan 21, 2026
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Jan 20, 2026
Song of the Day: KAVARI - IRON VEINS
Jan 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Exciting, cutting-edge electronica and hardcore dance music by innovative the Birkenhead-born, Glasgow-based artist Cameron Winters (she), with a stylish, striking video, heralding the forthcoming EP, PLAGUE MUSIC, out digitally and on 12-inch vinyl on 6 February via XL Recordings

Jan 20, 2026
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Jan 19, 2026
Song of the Day: A$AP Rocky - Punk Rocky
Jan 19, 2026

Song of the Day: The standout catchy hip-pop/soul/pop track from the New York rapper aka Rakim Athelston Mayers’ (also the husband of Rihanna) recently released album, Don’t Be Dumb, featuring also the voice of Cristoforo Donadi, and out on A$AP Rocky Recordings

Jan 19, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Zumbador dorado - mango bumblebee Puerto Rico.jpeg
Jan 22, 2026
Word of the week: zumbador
Jan 22, 2026

Word of the week: A wonderfully evocative noun from the Spanish for word buzz, and meaning both a South American hummingbird, a door buzzer, and symbolic of resurrection of the soul in ancient Mexican culture, while also serving as the logo for a tequila brand

Jan 22, 2026
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Jan 8, 2026
Word of the week: aspectabund
Jan 8, 2026

Word of the week: This rare adjective describes a highly expressive face or countenance, where emotions and reactions are readily shown through the eyes or mouth

Jan 8, 2026
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Dec 24, 2025
Word of the week: bellonion (or belloneon)
Dec 24, 2025

Word of the week: It sounds like a bulbous, multi-layered peeling vegetable, but this obscure mechanical musical instrument invented in 1812 in Dresden consisted of 24 trumpets and two kettle drums and, designed to mimic the sound of a marching band, might also make your eyes water

Dec 24, 2025
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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
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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

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