The Radio Dept - heaven's on fire live at pitchfork, 2011

"Songs like “Heaven’s On Fire” turn into singalongs, casting light on the fact that The Radio Dept. have reached a broader fanbase then anyone might realize. And, the journey continues as they play next weekend’s Pitchfork Music Festival. Sure, it will likely again be in the daylight, but the other likelihood is that it will be crowdpleasing, and memorable."

Tindersticks - boobar come back to me, 2008

"Arguably the standout track from the Tindersticks' latest long-player The Hungry Saw, 'Boobar Come Back To Me' is a potential classic within the band's considerable canon of works. Starting off as a brooding, darkly intoned ballad the song soon develops into something far more sophisticated and elegant, with a gorgeous, almost orchestrally-proportioned arrangement and a production for which all dials have been set to the position marked: 'swoon'. Going beyond the moderate grandeur of chamber pop convention, the song is more akin to bombastic '70s croon tunes like 'MacArthur Park', and despite the title, is presumably unconnected to the famous cartoon Elephant."

Del Amitri - keepers, 1985

"The lead singer (and main songwriter) of Del Amitri, Justin Currie, is quite simply one of the greatest troubadours I have ever heard. I've only seen him live once on a recent tour for his third solo album, but it was transcendent experience to say the least."

Band Of Holy Joy - evening world holiday show, 1990

"Evening World Holiday Show was a boisterously rampant, sometimes breathless, pop song the likes of which I could not previously have considered existing without at least two guitars. The Band of Holy Joy had precisely none. The single version was produced by Martin Hannett and sounded like the party I saw on stage; a less exuberant Nick Tauber-produced version would reveal itself later..."

Pet Shop Boys - the truck driver and his mate, 1996

"The line "Taking coals to Newcastle," unfamiliar to some, is an oft-used metaphor for doing a pointless job—sort of like taking sand to the Sahara—since Newcastle is in the heart of England's coal-producing region. (In addition, Neil spent much of his youth in Newcastle, which could conceivably provide another layer of meaning.)"

The Cranberries - when you're gone, 1996

"When You're Gone" is a song by Irish band the Cranberries. It is the third single from their third studio album, To the Faithful Departed (1996). The music video was directed by Karen Bellone and was released at the end of 1996. The song was first played during the North American leg of the No Need to Argue Tour in late 1994. Upon its release, the song peaked at number four in Norway, earning a platinum disc there, and reached number 15 in Canada. It additionally peaked within the top 30 in France, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic, stripped-down version on the band's Something Else album. The song was played at the end of Dolores O'Riordan's funeral on 23 January 2018, following her sudden death a week before in London at the age of 46. It was also played by the majority of Irish radio stations at the same time during the funeral."

The Mary Onettes - your place, 2014

"This time the mood is a bit more subdued, shoegazey and ethereal at times, and demands close and repeated listens to capture it's full glory."

Saint Etienne - summerisle, 2002

"‘Language Lab’ and ‘Summerisle’ recall the ambient style of ’Sound Of Water’, while ‘Stop And Think It Over’ would not have been out of place on ’Good Humor’ or its predecessor ‘Tiger Bay’."

Stars - the last song ever written, 2010

"They know bombast and melodrama, which makes a decent amount of their latest effort, The Five Ghosts, all the more off-putting. For the first time in the band's career, they sound defeated. There's not much urgency, or even a range of emotion, for that matter; rather, much of the record blurs together, forming a single streak of gray."

Frazier Chorus - prefer you dead, 1991

"By the time of Ray's release, Frazier Chorus had gone from relatively edgier work on 4AD to a crisper, cleaner sound via Virgin, something emphasized further by Ian Broudie's typically to-the-point production on the album (it's not hard to imagine Broudie immediately doing this on the heels of the first Lightning Seeds effort)."

Belle And Sebastian - winter wooskie, 2005

"Judy Is a Dick Slap" is the first instrumental released by the band while "Winter Wooskie" is the third and final song featuring lead vocals from former bass player Stuart David, who left the band in 2000. All three tracks from the single were later collected on the Push Barman to Open Old Wounds compilation."

Guillemots - up on the ride, 2012

"Guillemots music has been described as “indie rock” (Wikipedia), “avant-garde pop and indie rock” (Last.FM) and “a cappella/pop/big beat” (Guillemots official Facebook page). The last of those is definitely different but, unfortunately, it’s also very misleading. There are no a cappella tracks on any of Guillemots four albums (although Blue Would Still Be Blue comes close) and I certainly wouldn’t call them a big beat band."

The Beatles - all i've got to do, 1963

"Lennon said he was "trying to do Smokey Robinson again," and Ian MacDonald compared it to "(You Can) Depend on Me" by the Miracles, both musically and lyrically. Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said it sounds like Robinson but also Arthur Alexander. Beatles biographer Bob Spitz said the song is "restlessly dark and moody", and compared it to the Shirelles' "Baby It's You" (a song the Beatles previously covered) and early Drifters recordings. It was one of three songs Lennon was the principal writer for on With the Beatles, with "It Won't Be Long" and "Not a Second Time". Lennon said that it was written specifically for the American market, because the idea of calling a girl on the telephone was unthinkable to a British youth in the early 1960s. For instance, Lennon said in an interview regarding "No Reply": "I had the image of walking down the street and seeing her silhouetted in the window and not answering the 'phone, although I have never called a girl on the 'phone in my life! Because 'phones weren't part of the English child's life."

Stars - privilege, 2017

"We made this record for ourselves, for our kids, and for you. And we are so happy and grateful that you’re still listening to our music."

Mark Knopfler - whistle theme, 1983

"The tune appears on four separate tracks with a different arrangement on each. The first one, "Wild Theme" is almost a solo acoustic piece starring Knopfler's gentle guitar. The second rendition, "The Ceilidh & The Northern Lights," is played by The Acetones, a Scottish folk band. Then Straits member Alan Clark simulates the beautiful Celtic tin whistle on his keyboard with Knopfler strumming behind him on "Whistle Theme." Finally, there is the most famous version, "Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero)," the one Dire Straits often used to close their concerts. This rock band arrangement, led by Brecker's saxophone, is played over the closing credits of the film. In any context it is the most memorable melody Knopfler ever wrote."

The Mary Onettes - god knows i had plans, 2009

"The title Islands came up because I see the tracks on the album as small islands in different shapes and forms where every song is like a record of it's very own. Johan on Labrador Records suggested the same title without having heard me mentioning the idea, so that was a coincidence too good not to pursue. The songs are almost too personal and I've had a hard time playing them for friends. It's like all I want to do is keep them to myself".

Suede - the sadness in you the sadness in me, 2023

"Of course, there was leftover material from Suede. How could there not be? The Sadness in You, the Sadness in Me, progresses the remarkable statement made on Autofiction with some bits and pieces which do not quite fit – but are far too good to rot away in the archives. Unbending and unwavering with a lighter swing and a sharper guitar piece, Brett Anderson and company stick to the tender and open themes found on their latest album and build up another song challenging the band and their listeners. In comes a dedication to a shared grievance – The Sadness in You, the Sadness in Me does as its title suggests it will – bring together heartbroken people under one umbrella."

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - secret, 1985

"Secret" is a 1985 song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the second single from their album Crush. Paul Humphreys sings lead vocals on the track. It became their second US Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 63, and also made number 34 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was featured in the 1988 movie Arthur 2: On the Rocks and on its soundtrack album; it was also re-released to radio in the US as the follow-up to The Best of OMD track "Dreaming", approximately one month prior to the movie's premiere. Though it received renewed airplay on several US contemporary hit stations, it did not re-chart on the Hot 100."

The House Of Love - feel, 1992

"Been playing this loads recently. I think it is something of a ‘lost classic’. Funny old band the House of Love, led by Guy Chadwick who appears a bit of a strange cat if you listen to his songs. He’d spent much of the 80s driving around London in his day job as a shop fitter whilst fronting unsuccessful bands in his spare time until he broke through into the “indie scene” with the House of Love in 1987. Two previous albums, both of them confusingly self-titled and referred to respectively by fans as ‘the German Album’ (88-on Creation) and ‘the Butterfly Album’ (90 on Fontana) had cemented a strong following and regular forays into the indie chart with songs such as ‘Shine On’, ‘Christine’ and ‘Beatles and the Stones’ progressively bringing them closer to what looked like mainstream success."