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My log saw something … songs about the strange, disturbing and surreal

April 27, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Time to log on …

Time to log on …

Log Lady to Blue Velvet, Beefheart and fantasy fish, doppelgängers and all-seeing owls, this week we delve in an alternative world where lyrics and music capture an area between dream and reality

Read more
Tags Songs, Surrealism, Dada, Twin Peaks, David Lynch, Rene Magritte, John Lennon, Salvador Dali, David Bowie, Mark Frost, television, Film, film soundtrack, Andre Breton, art, poetry, lyrics, owls, animals, William Burroughs, books, Tristan Tzara, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Silver Jews, The Killers, Robbie Williams, Captain Beefheart, The Black Eyes Peas, The Beatles, Oasis, Noel Gallagher, The Who, Pete Townshend, The Teardrop Explodes, Echo and the Bunnymen, Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, Monsters and Men, Barnes & Barnes, Meret Oppenheim, Dorothea Tanning, Kikuji Yamashita, Alejandro Jodorowsky
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Playlists: Who's got the funk?

April 26, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Ooh Betty. Davis.

Ooh Betty. Davis.

Inspired by last week's pyroclastic flow of song suggestions, the Song Bar Landlord takes a visit to see who is playing at the House of Funk and finds a vibe that is both super cool and hot, hot, hot

Read more
In playlists, songs, music Tags songs, playlists, funk, Betty Davis, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Sly & The Family Stone, Isaac Hayes, Rose Royce, Talking Heads, Scritti Politti, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Zainichi Funk, David Bowie, David Byrne, Charles Bradley, Ike and Tina Turner, Tina Turner, James Brown, The O'Jays, Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, Funkadelic, Wild Cherry Pie, Bobby Byrd, The Philadelphia International All Stars, War, Eumir Deodato, The Explosions, Anette Peacock, A Certain Ratio, Thundercat, Cameo, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Digital Underground, Basement Jaxx, The Meters, Archie Bell and the Drells, Prince
Comment

Who's got the funk? Prince, Parliament and more – elect your favourites

April 20, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Prince, Godfather and King. Three funky greats, among others …

Prince, Godfather and King. Three funky greats, among others …

To commemorate a year since the passing of the Purple One, let's get into the groove to find out what funk is all about, with fat, sexy bass lines, and rhythmic, syncopated riffs running through the body

Read more
Tags songs, funk, Prince, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Bootsy Collins, Parliament, George Clinton, Sly & The Family Stone, The Time, Afrika Bambaataa, jazz, hip hop, Missy Elliott, The Smiths, Talking Heads, Chk Chk Chk, !!!, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Kraftwerk, Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Johnny Marr, Stevie Wonder, Zapp Band, Zapp & Roger, Chaka Khan, Rufus, Lyn Collins, Professor Longhair, New Orleans, Dr John, Living Colour, Minneapolis, Chaka Kahn, King Krule, Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, Jah Wobble, Beyonce, Digital Underground, Lenny Kravitz, The Pop Group, A Certain Ratio, 23 Skidoo, Cabaret Voltaire
Comment

Playlists: Easter egg songs – hidden or ghost album tracks

April 19, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Hidden lines … Nick Drake

Hidden lines … Nick Drake

Digging out treasures of all shapes and sizes from last week's topic, guest playlister Maki cracks open songs ranging from Gorillaz to The Jam, REM to Nick Drake

Read more
In playlists, music, songs Tags Easter egg songs, songs, playlists, The Saints, Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, UB40, Turin Brakes, The Jam, The Clash, The Cowboy Junkes, REM, Alanis Morissette, Nick Drake, Pink, Jarvis Cocker, David Bowie, Beck, The Coral, Nirvana, Ronny Elliott, Dexys Midnight Runners, Tedesci Trucks Band, Supernaut, Los Fresones Rebeldes, Maki
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Easter egg songs? Find those hidden or ghost album tracks …

April 13, 2017 Peter Kimpton
What Easter egg has Jarvis Cocker hidden?

What Easter egg has Jarvis Cocker hidden?

Hidden tracks between vinyl grooves to ghost tracks in pre-gaps or at the end of albums on CD, this week's Easter special is all about finding those secret treasures, jokey or serious, but always tasty

Read more
Tags Songs, hidden tracks, ghost tracks, secret tracks, Easter egg songs, Jarvis Cocker, vinyl, CDs, Brian Eno, Hermann Hesse, Pablo Neruda, Martin Handford, Where's Wally?, Where's Waldo?, books, film, Easter, football, spot the ball, Vinnie Jones, Paul Gascoigne, Marilyn Manson, The Eels, Nirvana, Franz Ferdinand, Monty Python, Jack White, Super Furry Animals, Bowling For Soup, The Beatles, The Clash, The Jam, Apple, David Fincher, Fight Club, Brad Pitt, Starbucks, coffee, Deadpool, Toy Story, The Shining, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Mel Gibson, Apocalypto
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Playlists: songs inspired by movie and TV stars

April 12, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Johnny Depp and Patti Smith - mutual admiration

Johnny Depp and Patti Smith - mutual admiration

Marilyn Monroe to Jodie Foster to Johnny Depp, Sidney Poitier to Sigourney Weaver, this week's playlists made by guest Mnemosene2 from last week's topic create a constellation of stars. Let's roll the credits …

Read more
In playlists, music, songs Tags songs, Bryan Ferry, Marilyn Monroe, Patti Smith, Johnny Depp, Lou Reed, Andy Warhol, Royal Trux, Steven Seagal, John Grant, Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Film, Alien, Earthling, Mau, Boris Karloff, Star Trek, Harvey Keitel, Berry Blue, Juliette Binoche, I-Roy, Sidney Poitier, Submarine, Jodie Foster, Slint, Nostagia, The Voodoo Queens, Keanu Reeves, Southpaw Jones, Fatty Arbuckle, Gomez, Sean Connery, Steve McQueen, Suzanne Vega, Gorillaz, Nirvana, Half Man Half Biscuit, The North Sea Scrolls, Luke Haines, Cathal Coughlan, Andrew Mueller, The Jellybottys, Jackie Leven, Eels, Julian Cope, Madonna, James, The Broken Family Band, Yo La Tengo, Blue Oyster Cult, Belle & Sebastian, Mnemosene2, Hollywood, television, fame, Readers Wifes
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Play that again: songs inspired by movie and TV stars

April 6, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Stars of screen, but what about music?

Stars of screen, but what about music?

Brando, Dean, Bette Davis to Bart Simpson, in titles, lyrics, quotes or even sampling, let’s roll the credits to see which stars of the silver or small screen gathering at the bar will get their rock’n’roll moment

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Tags songs, film, movies, acting, Hollywood, Bollywood, television, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Prince, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Johnny Depp, Noel Gallagher, Bela Lugosi, Dracula, Peter Lorre, Montgomery Clift, Rudolph Valentino, Errol Flynn, Moira Shearer, The Red Shoes, Powell and Pressburger, Grace Kelly, Frances Farmer, Robert Mitchum, Spike Lee, The Simpsons, Night of the Hunter, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, River Phoenix, Steve McQueen, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Yul Brynner, Natalie Portman, Sherilyn Fenn, Bart Simpson, Marlon Brando, King Kong, James Dean
Comment

Playlists: songs about bad decisions, poor judgement and U-turns

April 5, 2017 Peter Kimpton
The Ramones … slightly regretting opening that door …

The Ramones … slightly regretting opening that door …

Brexit or breakup? Heartbreak or international crisis? Hitting the hurt and mistakes hard, from Ramones to Radiohead, guest writer Violet Vivid tells a personal tale of woe with a wonderful set of playlists from last week's topic

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In playlists, music, songs Tags Songs, playlists, The Woodentops, Kim Weston, The Rose of Avalanche, The Dirtbombs, Soft Cell, Cadaver Club, Half Man Half Biscuit, Everything But The Girl, The Adverts, KKKKitchens, The Long Blondes, The Ramones, Megadeth, Radiohead, Meatload, Meatloaf, New Model Army, The Housemartins, Bobby Vee, Fela Kuti, Public Image Limited, Cassette Boy, UK Subs, Mischief Brew, Sex Pistols, Desmond Dekker, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Stranglers, Cornershop, Violet Vivid, KK Kitchens
Comment

Look or leap? Songs about bad decisions, poor judgement and U-turns

March 30, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Jump they say? Or just an almighty cockup?

Jump they say? Or just an almighty cockup?

Ever get the feeling an almighty cockup is on the cards? This week we look at why gaffes and blunders are made – across culture, history and psychology – and also songs on this topic

Read more
Tags Songs, decisions, U-turns, mistakes, Albert Einstein, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joni Mitchell, Albert Camus, animal behaviour, Brexit, Article 50, Theresa May, Europe, European Union, Daniel Bernoulli, mathematics, economics, gambling, psychology, Tulip Mania, Dan Gilbert, money, guns, death, accidents, Donald Trump, George W Bush, George HW Bush, evolution, society, The Young Knives, The Blair Witch Project, film, Deliverance, horror, DIY
Comment

Playlists: songs about channelling mental and physical pain

March 29, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Antony Hegarty, now known as ANOHNI 

Antony Hegarty, now known as ANOHNI 

Through the haunting voices of Antony Hegarty and Karen Dalton to memories of Syd Barrett and racing with the Boss, this week's guest writer ParaMhor plays through the pain barrier with perfects lists inspired by last week's topics 

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Tags Pink Floyd, songs, playlists, pain, PP Arnold, Orange Juice, The Brilliant Green, They Might Be Giants, Susan Cadogan, Noah And The Whale, Dexys Midnight Runners, Anthony and the Johnsons, Karen Dalton, The Folk Implosion, Bruce Springsteen, Curved Air, Nazareth, Fairport Convention, REM, M.A.S.H., Richard Thompson, Mary Coughlan, Dusty Springfield, Propaganda, Culture Club, Judas Priest, Alter Bridge, Eric Clapton, Florence and the Machine, The Sonics
Comment

Hurt so good: songs about channelling mental and physical pain

March 23, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Tina Turner ... turning suffering into art just like JMW Turner (see below)

Tina Turner ... turning suffering into art just like JMW Turner (see below)

Hurt can be the source of most songs, but this week we look at the when pain can be positive, and suggest songs that take the upbeat, or even pleasurable view of pain in the mind and body

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Tags songs, pain, hurt, physical endurance, Tina Turner, art, Ai Weiwei, George Michael, Tori Amos, Aeschylus, Laurence Sterne, Carl Jung, psychology, Lord Byron, Star Trek, religion, William Shatner, mental health, Kanye West, The Beatles, Pulp, JMW Turner, film, Mike Leigh, Timothy Spall, Henry Rollins, Jill Scott, Mary J Blige, Link Wray, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, Christian Louboutin, fashion, Marquis de Sade, The Cramps, Queen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, exercise, bodybuilding, health, David Blaine, Dinosaur Jr, Melissa Etheridge, Ben Harper, Susan Cadogan
Comment

Playlists: songs about contentment and tranquility

March 22, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Relaxing with Elbow, in time-honoured fashion …

Relaxing with Elbow, in time-honoured fashion …

Busking on the beach to sailing with Jacque Brel, sipping beer with Elbow to looking at old photographs with Al Stewart, this week's guest writer Barbryn brings balm to any soul with two beautiful playlists

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In playlists, songs, music Tags Songs, playlists, The Decemberists, Gunter Kallman Choir, Sir Douglas Quintet, Andy Hickie, The Poozies, Elbow, Trash Can Sinatras, Al Stewart, Paul Simon, Jacques Brel, Ben Folds, Groove Armada, George Butterworth, Vaishnava Janato, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Cantaloube, The Unthanks, Rachel Unthank, The Winterset, Virginia Astley, Sateenkaarilaulu, Alice Coltrane, Shine Like Stars, The Go-Betweens, Barbryn
Comment

Calm waters: songs about contentment and tranquility

March 16, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Cat contentment

Cat contentment

Want to escape from chaos to a state of stillness, simplicity and calm? This week we explore music and songs that aspire to, or express, a physical or mental place we can all yearn for

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Tags songs, happiness, contentment, calm, tranquility, animals, nature, Dale Carnegie, Socrates, Alfred Nobel, Lao Tzu, philosophy, Doug Larson, Donald Hall, poetry, William Wordsworth, James Thurber, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Florence Welch, Florence and the Machine, Buzz Aldrin, Earth, the moon, space, Claude Debussy, Frédéric Chopin, Erik Satie, piano music, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Greenwood, Radiohead, Film, film soundtrack, Scientology, religion, Jo Stafford, Elvis Presley, Artie Glenn
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Playlists: songs about days of the week

March 15, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Who's going big on a Saturday night? Kirsty MacColl, of course.

Who's going big on a Saturday night? Kirsty MacColl, of course.

Lazy Sundays to stormy Mondays, wet Wednesdays to going big on Saturday night, our guest writer EnglishOutlaw fills out a week of wonderful music inspired by our most recent topic 

Read more
In songs, playlists, music Tags Al Bowlly, playlists, Songs, The Stairs, T-Bone Walker, Chairman of the Board, The Siddelys, The Icicle Works, Shed Seven, Jens Lekman, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Kirsty MacColl, Beau Dommage, The Levellers, Queen, Fats Domino, Curtis Mayfield, Men Without Hats, Elvis Perkins, Isobel Campbell, Bob Evans, Paul Kelly, Johnny Farnham, The Beatles, Mischief Brew, Ricky Warwick, Misfits, The Quireboys, Johnny Cash, Badshah, Indeep Bakshi, EnglishOutlaw
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Go ahead, punk, make my … songs about days of the week

March 9, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Band of the week: the performing planets

Band of the week: the performing planets

Blue Mondays to lazy Sundays, strange Tuesdays to Fridays on your mind, peruse your calendar of titles and lyrics to make it a cultural and musical week to remember 

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Tags Songs, days of the week, astronomy, myth, astrology, Robert Smith, The Cure, religion, work, history, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, time, Ozzy Osbourne, Sid Vicious, ancient gods, calendars, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams, books, Nilsson, John F Kennedy, financial crisis, retail industry, The Easybeats, Saturday Night Sunday Morning, Film, Albert Finney, Sam Cooke, John McNaughton, poetry, Margo Guryan, New Order, David Bowie, Anthony Newley, Charles Mingus
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Playlists: songs with close harmony singing

March 8, 2017 Peter Kimpton
The Platters

The Platters

Beach Boys to Byrds, Gladiators to Platters, this week's guest writer Hoshino Sakura makes beautiful harmony by interweaving voice choices from a huge chorus of nominations from last week's topic

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In music, playlists, songs Tags songs, playlists, harmony, The Chordettes, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, The Gladiators, The Uniques, The Platters, En Vogue, Sweet Honey In the Rock, Amadou & Mariam, Manu Chao, Grupo Vocal Desandan, Mediaeval Babes, The Early Music Consort of London, Antoine Brumel, Everly Brothers, Wilson Phillips, Maddy Prior and the Girls, Oysterband, Little Big Town, Impressions, Southern California Community Choir, Scala and Kolacny Brothers, Bob Marley, The Wailers, The Four Seasons, Olavi Virta and the Harmony Sisters, Decameron, Spirit, Hoshino Sakura
Comment

Sweet intervals: songs with close harmony singing

March 2, 2017 Peter Kimpton
The Puppini Sisters

The Puppini Sisters

Barbershop to Bulgarian, folk to rock, church, gospel to swing, from the sacred to the profane, it's time to suggest songs where two or many more voices sing closely formed, but independent melodies

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Tags songs, vocals, harmony, The Puppini Sisters, The Everly Brothers, Iceland, animals, Basiani Ensemble, Georgia, Kate Bush, Great Voices of Bulgaria, Quincy Jones, The Beach Boys, Yehudi Menuhin, Eric Whitacre, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Blind Boys of Alabama, The Blackwood Brothers, The Polyphonic Spree, The Andrews Sisters, The Chordettes, Missy Elliott, Carris Jones, St Paul's Cathedral Choir, church music, gospel, swing, folk, rock, barbershop
Comment

Playlists: songs about chance and coincidence

March 1, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Turning a final corner … George Michael

Turning a final corner … George Michael

Crossing The Streets and serendipity, to turning different corners with George Michael, this week's guest writer Maki takes his chance with not entirely random nominations to create inevitably perfect playlists 

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Tags songs, playlists, chance, coincidence, The Streets, Peter Hammill, Dory Previn, Barenaked Ladies, Jake Thackray, Lise Hvoslef, George Michael, Liza Minnelli, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Public Enemy, Paris, Big Country, Megson, Al Stewart, Silver Jews, dBs, John Martyn, Momoiro Clover Z, The Grateful Dead, Guy Clark, Brother to Brother, Funkadelic, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, Strangelove, I Am Kloot, U2, Maki, Bill Bryson
Comment

Of all the bars, in all the world … songs about chance and coincidence

February 23, 2017 Peter Kimpton
You must remember this ... Casablanca

You must remember this ... Casablanca

Let's roll with it. From songs about chance encounters to taking them, to random events coming together, this week it's time to see what the musical dice can come up with from your collections …

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Tags songs, chance, coincidence, destiny, luck, misfortune, Casablanca, Film, Humphrey Bogart, GK Chesterton, fiction, Paul Thomas Anderson, Magnolia, murder, shipwrecks, travel, Shakespeare, Vladimir Nabokov, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, David Copperfield, Julio Cortázar, Douglas Coupland, Milan Kundera, Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, US presidents, Marilyn Monroe, First World War, Enzo Ferrari, Mesut Özil, football, Rupert Murdoch, The Daleks, Donald Trump, The Dice Man, The Fall, Sweet Sensation, Amy Grant
Comment

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

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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
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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 …

Featured
Yumi Zouma - No Love Lost.jpeg
Dec 22, 2025
Song of the Day: Yumi Zouma - 95
Dec 22, 2025

Song of the Day: A beautiful, gentle, reflective new single by the New Zealand experimental indie-pop band referencing the US east coast Maine to Miami interstate road about homesickness and more, heralding the new album No Love Lost to Kindness, out on 30 January, out on Nettwerk Music

Dec 22, 2025
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
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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

Word of the week

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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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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
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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
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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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