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John Schroeder and Sounds Orchestral – Money Runner / Blowin' Your Mind / Cast Your Fate to the Wind

October 9, 2018 Peter Kimpton
John Schroeder

John Schroeder

Song of the Day: After three belters from Quincy Jones, today let’s move on to full fat funk TV and movie orchestra sounds from the 60s and early 70s, with tracks rarely recognised, but whose still hits home instantly

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In 1971, 1965, funk, classical, jazz Tags song of the day, songs, instrumentals, funk, television, film, film soundtrack, John Schroeder, Sound Orchestral, Quincy Jones, Zack Laurence, Gordon Parks, Helen Shapiro, Johnny Pearson, Vince Guaraldi
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Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft

October 2, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Shaft (1971) with the lead role played by Richard Roundtree, but perhaps best known for Isaac Hayes’s music

Shaft (1971) with the lead role played by Richard Roundtree, but perhaps best known for Isaac Hayes’s music

Song of the Day: Who is the man? Isaac Hayes - that is. Damn right! Today’s choice of orchestral funk, and another film theme, comes from the great Stax songwriter and singer from Tennessee, king of the deep voice

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In 1971, funk, soul Tags songs, song of the day, film soundtrack, funk, Isaac Hayes, Shaft, Stax Records, South Park, Memphis Horns, Memphis Strings, Willie Hall, Otis Redding, Charles Pitts, Bill Withers, Steve Cropper, John Fogerty
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Frankie Smith – Double Dutch Bus

July 24, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Frankie Smith and friends twirl the rope

Frankie Smith and friends twirl the rope

Song of the Day: After Malcolm McLaren and echoes of The Boyoyo Boys, another skipping-related number, a 1981 funk hit less about the music, more notable about the first use of "izzle" hip hop stylings

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In funk, hip hop Tags songs, song of the day, Frankie Smith, funk, The O'Jays, The Spinners, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Tone Loc
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William Onyeabor – Fantastic Man

July 20, 2018 Peter Kimpton
A Nigerian billboard of the last William Onyeabor release

A Nigerian billboard of the last William Onyeabor release

Song of the Day: From one fantastic man – Nelson Mandela – to another, this time from Nigeria, the enigmatic 1970s and 80s electro-funk maestro who was a true original, spreading joy and positive politics in his music

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In 2013, funk, electronica, dance, 1979 Tags songs, song of the day, William Onyeabor, funk, dance, David Byrne, Damon Albarn, Tune-Yards, Nigeria, Luaka Bop
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Janelle Monáe – Make Me Feel

March 10, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Janelle Monáe

Janelle Monáe

Song of the Day: It's Saturday, time to get a little bit sexy, and  bang up to date with a brand new number that might remind you of someone? Yes Prince did indeed help US singer and rapper Monáe with this before he left us.

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In 2018, funk, pop Tags songs, song of the day, Janelle Monáe, Prince, pop, funk, sexuality
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J Dilla – Two Can Win / The Sylvers – Only One Can Win

February 3, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Maybe nine can win? Fabulous family band The Sylvers

Maybe nine can win? Fabulous family band The Sylvers

Song of the Day: After yesterday's Ty Segall/Hot Chocolate cover comparison, more material playing on the topic of who or may not be the winner in a relationship from the brilliant hip hop and jazz producer and the 70s funk and soul family group

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In 1972, 2006, funk, hip hop, pop, soul Tags songs, song of the day, J Dilla, The Sylvers, soul, funk, pop, jazz, hip hop, Ty Segall, Hot Chocolate, Leon Sylvers III, Edmund Sylvers
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Weather Report – Birdland

January 6, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Funk-jazz fusion kings Weather Report

Funk-jazz fusion kings Weather Report

Song of the Day: The opening track to the jazz-funk fusion band's 1977 album Heavy Weather is not only a tribute to the legendary New York jazz club inspired by Charlie Parker, but a wonderfully evocative instrumental conjuring up sights and sounds of the city streets

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Tags songs, song of the day, instrumentals, jazz, fusion, funk, Weather Report, New York, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Louie Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Count Basie, Jaco Pastorius, Alex Acuna, Manolo Badrena
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Sly and the Family Stone – Everyday People / Dance To The Music / If You Want Me To Stay

November 21, 2017 Peter Kimpton
The ever stylish Sly and co, who together made a very special musical family

The ever stylish Sly and co, who together made a very special musical family

Song of the Day: Following yesterday's We The People by A Tribe Called Quest, an earlier, and even more influential message of racial unity from the funk pioneers of the late 60s and early 70s

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In funk, 1973, 1968, 1969 Tags songs, song of the day, Sly and the Family Stone, funk, Sly Stone, Larry Graham, Prince, Michael Jackson, The Jacksons
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Beyoncé - Crazy In Love / The Chi-Lites – Are You My Woman?

November 14, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Beyoncé's Crazy In Love, but where does the inspiration come from, other than Jay-Z?

Beyoncé's Crazy In Love, but where does the inspiration come from, other than Jay-Z?

Song of the Day: You ready? Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no. An uncharacteristically commercial behemoth to be appearing on SOTD, and while it's hard to resist a song that is so undeniably catchy and brilliant, passionate pop, where does the inspiration, and indeed music, come from?

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In 2003, 1970, funk, pop, soul Tags songs, song of the day, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, hip-hop, soul, R&B, funk, The Chi-Lites, Rich Harrison, Eugene Record
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Shuggie Otis / The Brothers Johnson – Strawberry Letter 23

November 11, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Shuggie Otis in his days as teenage prodigy. He is now 63 and still going strong

Shuggie Otis in his days as teenage prodigy. He is now 63 and still going strong

Song of the Day: A psychedelic soul classic from Shuggie, aka Johnny Alexander Veliotes Jr, the California singer-songwriter from his 1971 album Freedom Flight, which 1977 became a funk hit produced by Quincy Jones

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In 1971, 1977, soul, psychedelia, funk Tags songs, song of the day, Shuggie Otis, The Brothers Johnson, Quincy Jones, love songs, psychedelia, funk, soul, Frank Zappa, Johnny Otis, Quentin Tarantino, OutKast, Beyoncé, J Dilla, RJD2, Digable Planets
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RJD2 – A Beautiful Mine (Mad Men theme) / 1976 / Let There Be Horns

November 8, 2017 Peter Kimpton
From the video for Let There Be Horns

From the video for Let There Be Horns

Song of the Day: Echoing yesterday's great drum break, let's now celebrate the work of the Ohio multi-instrumentalist and hip-hop artist, who is behind the theme tune to Mad Men, and so much more

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In jazz, funk, electronica, hip hop, 2004, 2006, 2010 Tags songs, song of the day, instrumentals, TV theme, funk, jazz, Mad Men, MHz Legacy, Icebird, Aceyalone, Pigeon John, RJD2
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Allen Toussaint – Last Train

May 30, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Allen Toussaint

Allen Toussaint

Song of the Day: Continuing our train theme from Gladys Knight yesterday, we hop on to a seminal work by the New Orleans genius, establishing a new sound on his 1975 album Southern Nights 

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Tags song of the day, songs, Allen Toussaint, New Orleans, funk, soul, blues, trains
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The Bamboos – You Ain’t No Good

May 15, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Melbourne's The Bamboos

Melbourne's The Bamboos

Song of the Day: A supremely, catchy, if cynical song from the Melbourne eight-piece funk and soul outfit bringing a new sound to their genre

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Tags song of the day, songs, The Bamboos, Australia, funk, soul, James Brown, Grant Green, The Meters, Lyrics Born, Lance Ferguson, Kylie Auldist
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Razzy – I Hate Hate

April 22, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Razzy Bailey, a soulful country singer

Razzy Bailey, a soulful country singer

Song of the Day: On the eve of the French presidential elections, and a world divided by politics and racial tension, what better way to address this than by this supremely effective message from 1974

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Tags song of the day, songs, Razzy, Razzy Bailey, soul, funk, Alabama, racism, politics, Brexit, French elections
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Prince – Sometimes It Snows In April / Sign O’ The Times / Kiss / Purple Rain

April 21, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Prince reigning purple in 2007

Prince reigning purple in 2007

Songs of the Day: A special tribute selection of four songs to mark exactly a year since the Purple One suddenly passed away – variously sad, political, funky, and triumphantly emotional

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Tags song of the day, songs, Prince, funk, pop, rock, AIDS, drugs, gang violence, environment, poverty, nuclear war, Paisley Park, Mazarati, Wendy & Lisa, Superbowl
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De La Soul – The Magic Number

March 23, 2017 Peter Kimpton
De La Soul back in the day. They are still touring.

De La Soul back in the day. They are still touring.

Song of the Day: The eclectic hip-hop connection continues with an upbeat look back to 1989, where the trio, who were high school friends, introduced their philosophy with quirky lyrics and samples

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Tags songs, song of the day, De La Soul, hip-hop, sampling, numbers, three, Bob Dorough, Johnny Cash, children's television, Syl Johnson, The Fatback Band, Double Dee & Steinski, James Brown, funk, Eddie Murphy, Run-DMC
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Jane’s Addiction – No One's Leaving

March 7, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction

Song of the Day: Leaving yesterday's gentle song we take a different departure, with the LA punk-funk-rock-metal band's number about a family row over a mixed-race relationship

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Tags song of the day, songs, Jane's Addiction, Ritual de lo habitua, racism, family, relationships, Los Angeles, rock, metal, funk, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Perry Farrell, RIck Avery, Dave Navarro, Flea, Lollapalooza festival, Nine Inch Nails, The Butthole Surfers, Rollins Band, The VIolent Femmes
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Bobbie Gentry/George Jackson - Find 'em, Fool 'em, Forget 'em

February 25, 2017 Peter Kimpton
Bobbie Gentry spins a disc or two

Bobbie Gentry spins a disc or two

Song of the Day: Best known for the gentler Ode to Billie Joe, this dark, funky number from Gentry came out in 1970 a year after Jackson's original. Let's hear both to hear from two gender perspectives

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Tags song of the day, songs, Bobbie Gentry, George Jackson, soul, funk, relationships
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Sing out, act on CLIMATE CHANGE

Black Lives Matter.jpg

CONDEMN RACISM, EMBRACE EQUALITY

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DRINK OF THE WEEK

Prune juice


SNACK OF THE WEEK

celery sticks in guacamole dip


New Albums …

Featured
Sam Grassie - Where Two Hawks Fly.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Sam Grassie: Where Two Hawks Fly
Apr 29, 2026

New album: Beautiful debut LP by the London-based Glaswegian fingerstyle folk guitarist and singer-songwriter, with added saxophone, double bass, flute, clairsach and clarinet in a release of mostly the traditional, covers, sung or instrumental, and supported by the Bert Jansch Foundation

Apr 29, 2026
Irmin Schmidt - Requiem.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Irmin Schmidt: Requiem
Apr 29, 2026

New album: A strangely mesmeric, avant-garde and analogue-ambient, field recording-based experimental release by the last surviving founding member of experimental ‘krautrock’ band CAN, who, approaching the age of 89, has also written over 40 TV and film scores

Apr 29, 2026
Gia Margaret - Singing.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Gia Margaret: Singing
Apr 28, 2026

New album: Gently profound, and full of wondrous, mesmeric, slow, delicate experimental songs, this simple title has a powerful resonance – it is the Chicago artist’s first vocal album since 2018’s There’s Always Glimmer (there have been two instrumental LPs since), having suffered and recovered from a severe vocal injury, she returns with a delicate, candid, whispery but hauntingly beautiful delivery

Apr 28, 2026
Angel In Plainclothes by Angelo De Augustine.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Angelo De Augustine: Angel in Plainclothes
Apr 28, 2026

New album: A beautiful, delicate fifth LP from the Los Angeles singer-songwriter, friend and collaborator with Sufjan Stevens with whom he shares a stylistic resemblance, here with themes on life's fragility, second chances, and picking up the pieces after an undiagnosed illness forced him to re-learn basic abilities

Apr 28, 2026
Carla dal Forno - Confession.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Carla dal Forno: Confession
Apr 28, 2026

New album: This lo-fi, darkly minimalist but also oddly candid fourth LP by the Australian, Castlemaine-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist centres on the conflicted, obsessive feelings about “a friendship that became emotionally charged in an unexpected way”, and “an album about closeness that arrives late and unexpectedly. About stability rubbing up against desire.”

Apr 28, 2026
Friko - Something Worth Waiting For album.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
Friko: Something Worth Waiting For
Apr 26, 2026

New album: Passionate, powerful, dynamic indie rock in this sophomore LP by the Chicago-based quartet that gallops forwards with a driving momentum, some elements of early PJ Harvey and Radiohead, and is produced by John Congleton

Apr 26, 2026
White Denim - 13.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
White Denim: 13
Apr 26, 2026

New album: This 13th LP in two decades by the Austin, Texas rock band fronted by James Petralli has a particularly mischievous experimentalism, spreading styles far beyond breathlessly paced prog rock, with wrily humorous, surreal, personal and passionate numbers across heavy funk, dub, soul, psyche, country, dirty blues and more, joined by host of outstanding extra musicians

Apr 26, 2026
Asili ya Mama by Hukwe Zawose Foundation.jpeg
Apr 24, 2026
Hukwe Zawose Foundation: Asili ya Mama
Apr 24, 2026

New album: Wonderfully evocative field recordings release of Wagogo, Waluguru and Wasambaa Tanzanian women singing traditional songs in their villages, rarely heard outside of their own circles, the title is translated as The Origin of Mother, rich in stories and capturing the place where song is first learned, first felt, first shared

Apr 24, 2026
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
They Might Be Giants - The World Is To Dig
Apr 23, 2026

New album: Four decades since their self-titled debut, Brooklyn alternative rockers John Flansburgh and John Linnell return with their 24th LP, packed with of punchy, pacy, wistful, whimsical, clever wordplay and indie rock-pop, buoyantly satirical and also a little world weary at times, they remain oddball, lively commentators on the ongoing absurdity of life

Apr 23, 2026
Eaves Wilder - Little Miss Sunshine.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Eaves Wilder: Little Miss Sunshine
Apr 22, 2026

New album: After 2023’s Hookey EP, a strong, passionate indie-dream-pop-shoegaze full debut by the London singer-songwriter, whose breathy voice intertwines with strong, stirring riffs and textured sounds, themed around cycles of nature aiming to explain and celebrate the mercurial nature of human emotional weather

Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon - The Nightlife.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Honey Dijon: The Nightlife
Apr 22, 2026

New album: The irrepressible, prolific and charismatic London-based Chicago DJ, musician, producer and vinyl lover returns with a flamboyantly fun celebration of club and queer culture through the prism of dance music from disco to house, with a wide variety of guest vocalists

Apr 22, 2026
Tiga - HOTLIFE.jpeg
Apr 21, 2026
Tiga: HOTLIFE
Apr 21, 2026

New album: Montreal’s acclaimed electronica/techno/dance artist Tiga Sontag returns with his fourth album - inventively packed with head-nodding, toe-tapping, oddly itchy, infectious grooves, cleverly crafted retro sounds recalling Kraftwerk to acid house and electroclash, insistent bold beats and synth riffs, with lyrics of the existential, droll and surreal

Apr 21, 2026
Tomora - Come Closer.jpg
Apr 20, 2026
TOMORA: Come Closer
Apr 20, 2026

New album: A striking, dynamic collaboration between Norwegian experimental pop sensation Aurora and Tom Rowlands, one of half of Chemical Brothers, with a sensual, otherworldly energetic fusion of mystical, sensual ambience, and block-rocking dance beats

Apr 20, 2026
Jessie Ware - Superbloom.jpeg
Apr 20, 2026
Jessie Ware: Superbloom
Apr 20, 2026

New album: Following 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? and 2023’s That! Feels Good!, as well as the successful food podcast Table Manners she hosts alongside her mother, the British pop singer continues to ride the 70s disco ball train, catering to the clever, kitsch and catchy with an ironic wink, adding also a luxuriant garden metaphor

Apr 20, 2026

new songs …

Featured
metric romanticize-the-dive.jpeg
Apr 29, 2026
Song of the Day: Metric - Crush Forever
Apr 29, 2026

Song of the Day: Uplifting, effervescent electro-disco-pop by the Toronto indie rock band, with a song vocalist/keyboardist Emily Haines describes as “my love letter to strong girls in this world”, taken from their recently released 10th album, Romanticize the Dive, out on Metric Music via Thirty Tigers

Apr 29, 2026
Jim Ghedi - The Hungry Child single.jpeg
Apr 28, 2026
Song of the Day: Jim Ghedi - The Hungry Child
Apr 28, 2026

Song of the Day: Dark, gripping, visceral folk by the Sheffield singer-songwriter, with a striking number based on an early 19th-century German poem about the fatal story of a child pleading for food, and, following last year’s acclaimed album, Wasteland, also out on Basin Rock, it heralds his upcoming soundtrack for the Hugh Jackman film, The Death of Robin Hood.

Apr 28, 2026
holybones with Baxter Dury - SLUGBOY.jpg
Apr 27, 2026
Song of the Day - holybones (with Baxter Dury) - SLUGBOY
Apr 27, 2026

Song of the Day: Dark, unsettling, sleazy and strange, this is arrestingly vivid new collaborative single between the clandestine London electronic collective and the downbeat, deep-voiced poetic Londoner, out on Promised Land Recordings

Apr 27, 2026
Hand Habits - Good Person.jpeg
Apr 26, 2026
Song of the Day: Hand Habits - Good Person
Apr 26, 2026

Song of the Day: Gentle, droll, humorously self-deprecatingly, and also delicately beautiful, this new experimental folk single by the moniker of Los Angeles singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Meg Duffy addresses the love-hate relationship with making music, out on Fat Possum

Apr 26, 2026
Pigeon - Miami.jpeg
Apr 25, 2026
Song of the Day: Pigeon - Miami
Apr 25, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, sunny, upbeawt indie synth-pop with an African twist by the Margate band fronted by Falle Nioke, with flavours of William Onyeabor, Hot Chip and New York 70s disco, heralding their upcoming album OUTTANATIONAL, out on 1 May via Memphis Industries

Apr 25, 2026
Tricky - Out of Place.jpeg
Apr 24, 2026
Song of the Day: Tricky - Out of Place (featuring Marta Złakowska)
Apr 24, 2026

Song of the Day: A pulsating fusion of beats, orchestral strings and the Bristol trip-hop pioneer’s distinctive, deep, croaky voice, with an emotional reference to his daughter Mina Topley-Bird (1995–2019), and heralding his first solo album for six years, Different When It’s Silent, out on 17 June via False Idols

Apr 24, 2026
Beck - Ride Lonsome.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
Song of the Day: Beck - Ride Lonesome
Apr 23, 2026

Song of the Day: Beautiful, simmering, slow, melancholy and reflective, a surprise single and welcome return by the acclaimed US artist, evoking the haunting, sun-bleached landscapes and musical textures of his 2015 Grammy winning album Morning Phase, out now on Iliad Records/Capitol Records

Apr 23, 2026
Gelli Haha - Klouds.jpeg
Apr 22, 2026
Song of the Day: Gelli Haha - Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep
Apr 22, 2026

Song of the Day: Described appropriately as somewhere between Studio 42 and Area 51, eccentric, effervescent, spacey, catchy and eclectic disco pop by the Los Angeles artist (aka Angel Abaya, co-written with Sean Guerin) out on Innovative Leisure

Apr 22, 2026
Leenalchi band 2.jpeg
Apr 21, 2026
Song of the Day: LEENALCHI 이날치 - Here Comes That Crow 떴다 저 가마귀
Apr 21, 2026

Song of the Day: Wonderfully catchy, funky, psychedelic and quirky new work by the seven-piece Seoul-based Korean pansori band led by bassist Jang Young Gyu with the title track of their new EP, out on 12 June via Luaka Bop, and heralding a European and North American tour

Apr 21, 2026
Jesca Hoop - Big Storm.jpeg
Apr 20, 2026
Song of the Day: Jesca Hoop - Big Storm
Apr 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, quirky experimental indie folk-pop by the innovative Manchester-based California artist, featuring a clever video that old footage and Hoop in various vintage guises, heralding her upcoming album Long Wave Home, out on 1 May via Last Laugh / Republic of Music

Apr 20, 2026
Gia Margaret - Singing.jpeg
Apr 19, 2026
Song of the Day: Gia Margaret - Alive Inside
Apr 19, 2026

Song of the Day: Delicate, dream-like, reflective experimental folk-pop by the American singer-songwriter and producer from Chicago, heralding her upcoming fourth album, Singing, out on Jagjaguwar

Apr 19, 2026
Prima Queen
Apr 18, 2026
Song of the Day: Prima Queen - Crumb
Apr 18, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, playful, gently humorous, self-deprecating experimental indie pop by the inventive transatlantic duo of Louise Macphail and Kristin McFadden, with a number about having a fragile crush on someone, and their first new music of 2026, out on Submarine Cat Records

Apr 18, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Song thrush 2.jpeg
Apr 23, 2026
Word of the week: throstle
Apr 23, 2026

Word of the week: An archaic, evocative noun with two connected meanings, originally for the song thrush, then later a textiles industrial frame for spinning, twisting and winding machine for cotton, wool, and other fibres simultaneously

Apr 23, 2026
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

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