The Innocence Mission - on your side, 2020

"The acoustic-based guitar sounds and Karen’s angelic vocals make the writing very impactful, while the backdrop has a light and ethereal mood. This makes the lyrics feel discernibly powerful, while the quiet and classical sound creates a delicate fragility which emotionally manages to drive the overall package forward. Overall, this is a lovely track which highlights the beauty often found within the bleak."

Such a great song!

Franz Ferdinand - the dark of the matinée, 2004

"It is the frantic, catchy guitars, imposing drum and bass combinations, confident vocals, and complex, intriguing lyrics that combine to form the wholly unique and, at the time, revolutionary sound of Franz Ferdinand – one that would be constantly imitated, and still influential to bands today."

 Such a great song!

Mew - in a better place live, 2017

"There’s no other band quite like Danish trio Mew. They have a unique sound (a mix of art rock, dream pop, and prog rock, led by singer Jonas Bjerre’s unmistakable high-pitched voice) and a visual aesthetic all their own."

 Such a great song!

Ford Chastain - no way, 2023

"The musician featured in this piece of text is truly talented beyond words. Their proficiency in playing the guitar at such a young age is nothing short of impressive. The new single they recently released is a beautiful blend of dreamy, indie pop and rock, which creates a calming effect on the listener."

Morrissey - suedehead, 1988

"The suedehead subculture was an early-1970s offshoot of skinhead subculture in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Although sharing similarities to 1960s skinheads, suedeheads grew their hair longer and dressed more formally. Although often working class like skinheads, some had white collar jobs. A female suedehead was a sort."

The Radio Dept - the city limit, 2019

"i am so in love with this song. it's so breathtaking. this band is so good at capturing perfectly what they want to say in both lyrics and music. yeah this song's pretty straightforward... you're driving around with someone awesome and you want to do that forever."

Such a great song!

Alex Sanders - floating, 2024

"This musician has been providing us with fresh and dreamy lo-fi rock for quite some time, and we have been sharing it all with you. The latest single from Alex Sanders is out now, and once again, it is infused with a captivating and dreamy atmosphere that is sure to enchant you."

Basement Revolver - red light, 2024

"A beautifully crafted song birthed from one of those little life lessons we have all shucked and shared in our lives, ‘Red Light’ is an endearing piece of music set to the sounds of those collisions to the roadblocks that get in our way which can help us realize that we can either use that as a green, yellow, or red light."

The National - conversation sixteen, 2010

"Crafted from humming guitars, tinkling pianos, militaristic drumming and occasional orchestration, their fifth album is beautifully subtle and grows in power with each listen. There's nothing so obvious as a rocker, but a selection of understated, troubled anthems hinge on Matt Berninger's mournful baritone and wonderfully diverse lyrics. Covering issues from modern neuroses to medication to warfare, his words can be self-explanatory – "Sorrow got me when I was young ... put me on the pill" – or beguiling, like Bloodbuzz Ohio's "carried to Ohio on a swarm of bees". Their trump card is a brooding grandeur, which make the likes of grandeur Afraid of Everyone and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks some of the most exquisitely heartrending songs you'll hear all year."

Slowdive - alison, 1993

"Slowdive’s second album was marked by more than its share of misfortune, both in creation and reception. The band ditched their original batch of sessions to start over again, and the album debuted in mid-1993, the exact moment of the UK press’ firm backlash against anything shoegaze. On top of that, there was comically bad handling on the part of the group’s American label, including a heavily delayed release. But from a distance, Souvlaki can be seen and heard clearly for what it is: the rare sophomore effort that not only maintains the quality of a great debut but also avoids simply repeating its sound. The evanescent vocals of Just for a Day give way to new clarity in Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell’s singing and lyrics (the trading of sections in “Machine Gun” being one highlight of many)."

Memory Drawers - maybe, 2017

"The song “Maybe” by Memory Drawers is a beautiful representation of longing and uncertainty, as portrayed through its poetic lyrics. The lyrics paint a picture of someone contemplating their choices and questioning whether they should stay or go. It captures the desire for love and the pain that lingers when relationships end."

Manic Street Preachers - a song for departure, 2004

"‘A Song For Departure’ feels like something of a minor entry in the first half of Lifeblood, a mid-tempo piece which becomes significantly more interesting during its chorus but never quite shakes off a slightly inconsequential feel. Featuring a less major appearance by the piano of ‘Empty Souls’ and some rather flat-sounding machined drums, the verses of the song are entertaining enough but lack an intellectual hook. The lyrics for the song are intriguing, but never present a cohesive message, and the song suffers for it."

Phosphorescent - impossible house, 2024

“This is the song that made me realize I was writing an album”

Alvvays - pharmacist, 2022

"The song's lyrics tell the story of unexpectedly meeting someone at a pharmacy. NPR wrote the lyrics are "short and memorable, but don't necessarily portray any one narrative". Loud and Quiet described the "vivid details" of the lyrics as creating a "beguiling short story".

The Digital Age - captured, 2013

"There’s something mesmerizing about Evening:Morning, the debut album from The Digital Age, a quartet of former members of the immensely popular and eclectic worship ensemble, David Crowder Band. It’s proof that worship music doesn’t have to be generically simple; it can be fascinatingly enthralling and emotional."

Chumbawamba - tubthumping, 1997

"Originally from Burnley but have lived in Leeds since 1982. I moved here to live in shared squat with the rest of Chumbawamba. I’m not exactly sure how I ended up in the band, we wanted to live communally with shared money and tasks. It was a moment where we all wanted the same things… ie: massive social and revolutionary change. Made sense to be in a band together. For years we spent all our times either on demos or playing benefits. When it became harder to be on the dole, we had to start treating the band as a vocation and a job."

The Cranberries - just my imagination, 1999

"On 15 January 2018, O'Riordan was found unresponsive in the bathroom of her London hotel room, and was pronounced dead at 9:16 a.m. She was 46. An inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court held on 6 September, ruled that she died as a result of accidental drowning in a bath following sedation by alcohol intoxication. Empty bottles were found in O'Riordan's room (five miniature bottles and a champagne bottle) as well as some prescription drugs. Toxicology tests showed that her body contained only "therapeutic" levels of these medications but a blood alcohol content of 330 mg/dL (0.33%)."

William Fitzsimmons - everywhere cover live, 2016

"Fitzsimmons’s sense of humor and in-between song jokes complemented his music. He spoke sarcastically about the positivity of some of his lyrics, talked about his mother and her desire for him to write happier (which he obliged with the major-key sounding “Ever Could”), and even at one point quipped, “This music will send you over the edge.”

The Cars - drive, 1984

"Sometimes you get caught up in trying to be the current flavor, trying to go along and flavor your cooking with the food of the month ... I remember the records I listened to. 'Let's Dance'. Or 'Drive' by the Cars. Records that were of the time and I probably just thought, 'Yeah, it'd be quite nice to get into a bit of that'."

Au Revoir Simone - shadows, 2009

"Brooklyn’s Au Revoir Simone create moods pretty effortlessly within their music, and that particular skill is clearly evident on ‘Shadows’, the first single from their new album ‘Still Night, Still Light’. The hypnotic, pulsing Rhodes keyboards provide a wistful atmosphere upon which the song is built, and the track truly takes flight when the dreamy vocals and catchy chorus kicks in. There isn’t a whole lot of depth to dig into here, or substantial tone and time changes, but again it simply comes back to the mood and spirit created by the song, and that is inevitably more than enough to keep you listening."

The Style Council - long hot summer, 1983

"On March 1, 1983, Weller gave this new project a name: The Style Council. And over the next six years, Weller and his new musical foil, keyboard whiz Mick Talbot, would blaze trails that would alternately thrill and puzzle his huge following. They emerged with a strong and purposeful European image, shunning Weller’s working-class mod image and replacing it with Italian loafers and photo shoots at Paris sidewalk cafes sipping cappuccinos in full-length raincoats. Politics were embraced, as were French lyrics and polka-dot scarves. Weller from Woking was now a bona-fide European Son."

REM - it's the end of the world as we know it and i feel fine, 1987

"The words come from everywhere. I'm extremely aware of everything around me, whether I am in a sleeping state, awake, dream-state or just in day to day life. There's a part in 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It' that came from a dream where I was at Lester Bangs' birthday party and I was the only person there whose initials weren't L.B. So there was Lenny Bruce, Leonid Brezhnev, Leonard Bernstein... So that ended up in the song along with a lot of stuff I'd seen when I was flipping TV channels. It's a collection of streams of consciousness."

Portugal. The Man - live in the moment, 2017

“Live in the Moment” is such a common, well-known phrase…everybody’s heard that before. I love the idea of trying to give something like that new life. It looks easy until you hear it in your context, and you see the bigger picture."

Discovery Zone - pair a dice, 2023

"Pair a Dice has perky synthpop bobbing in an empty sea of minor chords, the perfect musical analogue for the lyrics: “How can you leave when you’re living in somebody else’s dream?” The innate melancholy of nostalgia, plus the comforting commercialism of 80s nostalgia in particular, is teased out by the album’s strongest melody on Mall of Luv – “Take me back to the Mall of Luv / I wanna buy it, I wanna live inside of it” – which will sate anyone who set their John Maus albums aside after he attended the 6 January Capitol riot."

Fazerdaze - lucky girl, 2017

"There are a lot of things to love about this song. From the lo-fi dream pop aesthetic, to the catchy chorus, to the melancholic and nostalgic atmosphere instilled to the song in part by the retro-ish instrumentation, but especially by Fazerdaze’s vocal delivery. All of these aspects combined, together with the music video, which uses images often associated with summer, like fields of flowers in bloom, blue skies, sea waves, make this song feel like it’s the soundtrack to a lazy summer day."

The Mary Onettes - henry, 2007

"The songs are catchy, the atmosphere is pleasantly foggy, and Philip Ekström is a subtle and versatile vocalist to boot."

Death Cab For Cutie - here to forever, 2022

“It’s also about wanting to believe in something bigger even when it feels like nothing is out there.”

Bob Dylan - blowing in the wind live, 1963

"There ain't too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain't in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it's in the wind – and it's blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won't believe that. I still say it's in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it's got to come down some ... But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know ... and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong. I'm only 21 years old and I know that there's been too many wars ... You people over 21, you're older and smarter."

Michael Stipe And Big Red Machine - no time for love like now, 2020

“I’ve looked up to Michael and R.E.M. for so long; they were really such a huge influence on us and we became friends on tour, but I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to make a song with him”

Such a great song! 

Elton John And Dua Lipa - cold heart pnau remix, 2021

"It traces the adventure of John and Lipa together with four other animated characters as they explore the colorful and nature-filled psychedelic landscapes."

Noah And The Whale - shape of my heart ukulele version, 2008

"I don't think with our songs where we come from really comes into it, because it's rare that we write about it"

The Beautiful South - life vs the lifeless, 2003

"I think the person who loves their country the most would be the most critical. You want to keep it good. There are not many people who would go around on a bicycle trip to support their local pubs. I think that’s just another thing that shows that I’m proud of the English countryside, the culture and the people. There are parts of it I hate. I hate the way things are going, silly language changes imported from America and Australia, other things that drive me mad about the place. I’d never leave here, and I’ll always pay my tax here."

Ambrose Akinmusire - launchpad, 2023

"Ambrose Akinmusire’s musical gifts developed rapidly. He grew up in Oakland, California, and while in high school he caught the attention of saxophonist Steve Coleman. Akinmusire joined Coleman’s Five Elements at age nineteen, touring while also a student at Manhattan School of Music. He then pursued further study—earning a master’s degree at the University of Southern California, then attending the Thelonius Monk Institute in Los Angeles, where his mentors included Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. He is currently the Artistic Director of the Hancock Institute."

The Mary Onettes - what i feel in some places, 2022

“What I Feel In Some Places” was one of the first songs we experimented with when we wanted to explore the direction for the new album. We had some idea to take inspiration from Peter Gabriel”s typical 80s rhythms and let it blend with the more dreamy The Mary Onettes landscapes. The song is about always being a bit unsure about your surroundings. Having the feeling that you take in everything. That the room eats you up. Buildings fall over you. That the world constantly points at you like a spear.”

Beach House - myth, 2012

"On a surface level, there's no mistaking Myth for a Beach House song. All the sonic elements that have travelled with the Baltimore dream-pop duo during their steady ascent over the last five years are intact: Alex Scally's narcotic guitar, a steady backbeat, and Victoria Legrand's smoky ache of a voice. What sets 'Myth' as another sonic evolution for Beach House, then, is all in the details."

Outros olhares: Tailândia, Bangkok, 7 de Março de 2024

The Triffids - falling over you, 1989

"often been considered a stylistic mess but we thought it just our kind of mess. What's the matter with mess anyway? I've gone out on a limb with this one, at Dave's request. He had hoped this record could be a double album when it was recorded - he knew it was so varied that it sounded like nothing else anyone was doing at the time and he thought you shouldn't do things by halves."

Sufjan Stevens - john my beloved, 2015

“It's something that was necessary for me to do in the wake of my mother's death—to pursue a sense of peace and serenity in spite of suffering. It's not really trying to say anything new, or prove anything, or innovate. It feels artless, which is a good thing. This is not my art project; this is my life.”

The National - the system only dreams in total darkness, 2017

“We’re in a different kind of thing now,” Matt Berninger notes in the chorus of the National’s new song, “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness.” It could be his way of addressing the dark turn things have taken in the four years since the band’s last album, Trouble Will Find Me. But “The System” is also a different kind of thing for the National. While many of their songs, records, and even the trajectory of their nearly 20-year career could be described as a slow build, now they’re not wasting any time. “The System” sounds heavy and urgent and surprisingly aggressive—and not just because of Aaron Dessner’s gnarly guitar solo in the middle."

Bob Dylan And Johnny Cash - girl from the north country, 1969

"Girl from the North Country" (occasionally known as "Girl of the North Country") is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City in April 1963, and released the following month as the second track on Dylan's second studio album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Dylan re-recorded the song as a duet with Johnny Cash in February 1969. That recording became the opening track on Nashville Skyline, Dylan's ninth studio album."

Poolside - harvest moon cover, 2012

"Was this quintessential summertime record really a celebration of Autumnal Ecliptic Longitudes?"

REM - leaving new york, 2004

"It’s tempting to say that R.E.M. lost their focus after Bill Berry quit the band in 1996 and they never made another great album, but it’s simply not true. They may have ceased to be a commercial force, but records like Accelerate, Reveal, Collapse Into Now and even Up are stellar albums even if they fail to reach the absurd highs of their earlier works. The only time the group really stumbled was on 2004’s Around the Sun. “The Outsiders,” featuring Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, aims to replicate their KRS-One collaboration from 1991’s Out of Time, but it feels forced. “Final Straw” is a noble, if boring, protest against the Iraq War. The rest of the album simply feels lazy. And if you don’t believe us, listen to the band. “[It] just wasn’t really listenable,” Peter Buck said in 2008, “because it sounds like what it is: a bunch of people that are so bored with the material that they can’t stand it anymore.”

 Such a great song! In such a great album!

Wilco - california stars live, 2015

"Forty years later, these lyrics would fall into the hands of Billy Bragg and the group Wilco and they would put melodies to them, bring them to full life and record them. It was all done under the direction of Woody's daughter Nora. These performers probably weren't even born when I had made that trip to Brooklyn."

The Mountain Goats - autoclave, 2008

"I was in Alaska when I read about the discovery of a life-form that can not only survive an autoclave (The instrument used for sterilizing surgical instruments; It's supposed to kill any and all bacteria on the tools), but which seems to really enjoy the whole autoclave scene: at temperatures fatal to all other life forms, this bacteria would begin to breed. Naturally this got me to thinking about people whose hearts involuntarily pulverize any good feelings that come within a city block of them."

Jackson Browne - these days live, 2020

"A man who long claimed to be the son of French film star Alain Delon through his relationship with the iconic German singer Nico was found dead in Paris on Saturday"

Johnny Marr - hi hello, 2018

"it’s got a unifying theme going through it about the Earth welcoming a different intelligence from the cosmos to save us from our own plight"

Chumbawamba - one by one, 1997

"Everyone remembers where they were when they learned that Chumbawamba was more than a ‘90s one-hit-wonder and actually a long-running anarcho-communist punk band with a loyal following in jolly ol’ England; it may even be happening to you right now! Mel Magazine is marking the 25th anniversary of 1997 and wrote about the alcohol-propelled Trojan horse that was “Tubthumping,” a song that brought the band’s subversive politics to the top of the Billboard Alternative charts and provided the pop culture zeitgeist with one of the most memorable choruses of the decade."

 

Pontius Pilate came to our town

Up to the dockyards to see the

picket line

We asked him to help but he just

turned around

He's the leader of the union now

Leader of the union

All of our questions he ignored

He washed his hands and he

dreamed of his reward

A seat in the House of Lords

One by one

The ships come sailing in

One by one

The ships go sailing out

We live for words and die for words

Principles we can afford

When all our Brothers turn to Lords

Whose side are you on?

You tell the world your hands are

tied

History three times denied

A sea of changes three miles wide

Whose side are you on?

One by one

The ships come sailing in

One by one

The ships go sailing out

This conspiracy of shame

Murder by some other name

Play up and play the game

Whose side are you on?

If any ask us why we died

We tell them that our leaders lied

Sold us out down the riverside

Whose side are you on?

One by one

The ships come sailing in

One by one

The ships go sailing out

 

Slade - far far away, 1974

"Far Far Away" originated with Holder. While on tour in America, he came up with the opening line while sitting on a balcony overlooking the Mississippi river in Memphis. Manager Chas Chandler urged him to go away and write the song immediately. Holder went to his hotel room and returned half an hour later having completed a basic version of the song, with the title "Letting Loose Around the World". Lea later developed the song further, in particular the chorus. In the band's 1984 biography Feel the Noize!, Lea recalled: ""Far Far Away" was a real collaboration between Nod and myself. The verse was Nod's and the chorus was mine. I wanted to record it like a barrelhouse song with a very airy feel for us but Chas wasn't keen."

The Waterboys - the three day man, 1983

"With the help of a drum machine, Scott sang, played the piano and guitar on each of five songs. Two recordings from this studio demo session would eventually make their way onto the first Waterboys album, "December" and "The Three Day Man". The quality of the session convinced Scott to leave Funhouse. Scott made further series' of recordings on his own at Redshop in February, April and August 1982, which yielded the following tracks: "Savage Earth Heart", "It Should Have Been You", "Gala" and "Where Are You Now When I Need You?"

Simon And Garfunkel - a heart in new york live, 1982

"The Concert in Central Park is the first live album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released on February 16, 1982, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded on September 19, 1981, at a free benefit concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York City, where the pair performed in front of 500,000 people.[1][2] A film of the event was shown on TV and released on video. Proceeds went toward the redevelopment and maintenance of the park, which had deteriorated due to lack of municipal funding. The concert and album marked the start of a three-year reunion of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel."

Lee Scratch Perry - blackboard jungle dub version one, 1981

"Black Board Jungle, often called Blackboard Jungle Dub, is a studio album by The Upsetters. The album, originally released in 1973 under artist name "Upsetters 14 Dub", was pressed in only 300 copies and only issued in Jamaica. It was one of the first dub albums."

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - dig up, 2017

"Cries of guitar bands going the way of the pterodactyls may be a bit premature as long as Australian groups like Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are flitting about. Steeped in the rich tradition of six string slingers like Belle & Sebastian or Teenage Fanclub, they also have taken studious notes from seminal bands closer to their environs. I can’t imagine they don’t have handfuls of records from Flying Nun in their collective possession and certainly Australian bands such as The Go-Betweens, Died Pretty and The Church must have made an impression on them."

Wilderado - sometimes, 2024

"Wilderado just goes down easy. The new four-piece melds americana and alt-rock with explosive pop choruses and just enough twang, courtesy of the boys’ Texas and Oklahoma roots."

Ford Chastain - do it anyway, 2024

"Indie bedroom pop artist based in Oklahoma City"

The Radio Dept - the absence of birds, 2020

"Swedish dream-pop heroes The Radio Dept. are low-key masters of restraint. Whether soundtracking Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette in 2006 or sampling a classic Thurston Moore manifesto on 2010’s U.S. breakout Clinging to a Scheme, their gauzy, often-bittersweet songs tend to hint at a mood and leave listeners just enough space to bring their own meanings. And with four albums spread out between 2003 and 2016, the band’s intermittent release schedule has ensured they always felt like furtive, welcome strangers."

I love Elon Musk because he loves The Radio Dept.

Blocked this fucking idiot pic.twitter.com/AWgbVrqFWe

— The Radio Dept. (@theradiodept) April 30, 2022

The Radio Dept - pulling our weight, 2003

"It’s a lovely album, and a fine piece of dream pop that varies from song to song without changing its ambience. The Radio Dept. paid a great deal of attention to the recording process. It’s lulling and pleasing and nice in a complimentary way. You won’t find much innovation on Pulling Our Weight, but you will find five very listenable songs and a good example of the craft involved in pop writing. You’d be best served listening to it through headphones, while sitting in a tree, close to napping." 

 Such a great song!

The Cure - pictures of you, 1989

"the inspiration of the song came when a fire broke loose in Robert Smith's home. After that day, Smith was going through the remains and came across his wallet which had pictures of his wife, Mary. The cover of the single is one of the pictures."

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - mixtape receipt, 2006

"Letting Up Despite Great Faults is an electronic-pop group from Los Angeles, Calif. that makes beautiful, lolling music with whispery vocals. Formed by Mike Lee in 2004, the six-piece band blends sampled sounds and polyrhythms with mandolin, cello, guitar and keyboards. The band got its unusually long name when Lee decided to start writing and recording songs despite feeling he wasn't very good."

U2 - pride in the name of love, 1984

"Slane Castle had some great rooms. When I first went there I had it in mind to record everything in the ballroom, which was this beautiful very tall room with big mirrors, chandeliers and windows overlooking the river. As it turned out, it was just a little too 'splashy' sounding. It was good for tracks that had an openness but not good for tracks that were quick and required punch. So we used what they called the library for most of the sessions. It was just a rectangular room but we could achieve a denser more powerful sound. We had The Edge's amp outside on this balcony; like there is this long balcony going around the castle and we had him out there for a little while. Initially, it was for the purpose of isolation but it turned out to be a good sound."

Tilly And The Wall - coughing colors, 2006

"Tilly and the Wall's music is childlike in the sense that it celebrates the tactile and emotional world with the verve of unjaded perception; organs of pure sense probe the enticing recesses of the night. Their music is a prism that refracts the wonder of the human pageant from various angles, making familiar colors bend fantastically."

Gabriel's Dawn - loose canyon, 2022

“The song is about escapism, this year more than any we’ve all probably felt the need to escape. As a band we love the 1960s Laurel canyon Scene and would have loved to be have been part of it. It was a time where it felt like anything could happen both socially and musically and as a band it’s a big influence on us”.

Easterhouse - nineteen sixty-nine,1986

 

 "Named after the Easterhouse area of Glasgow, the band was formed in Stretford, near Manchester by Ivor Perry and Andy Perry (...). Perry's political stance reflected the perspectives of the then active Revolutionary Communist Party, with particular regard to Irish politics."

 

"It seem that I remember
Scattered Shreds of far off days
The savage beat of Soliders fume
On streets of broken glass
That crashed the lie of justice
England brings to foreign lands
The truth came out
Without a doubt
In Nineteen Sixty Nine

[Verse 2]
How many must have thought
That things would work out differently
With Labor men in government
"The workers Own Party"
Who brought out their true colours
And nailed them to the mast
Served the Union Jack
As they always have
In Nineteen Sixty Nine

[Chorus]
You have to draw the Line
Sometimes
And I drew mine
At Laborers home trained "socialists"
The lowest form of hypocrite
Who talk best when the chips are down
Stay Loyal to their King and Crown

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Cargo of Souls

Easterhouse

Whistling in the Dark

Easterhouse

Get Back to Russia

Easterhouse

[Interlude]

[Verse 3]
How desperately they try though
Schemes of treachery and lies
To hide their hands stained
Red with Blood
Of Countless Irish Lives
They talk of "dangerous gunmen"
'The sectarian divide'
And they try to kill the truth behind
Nineteen Sixty Nine

[Chorus]
You have to draw the Line
Sometimes
And I drew mine

As this machine of murder
This system of brutality
At H-Block cells; a concrete fell
To bury the truth alive

[Bridge]

[Verse 4]
No man can serve two masters
This surely is the truth
Your country or your class
When it comes down our kind
Must choose
From Dark chains of Oppression
We must forge ourselves a lesson;
While we are part of this
Then we cannot make ourselves free

[Chorus]
You have to draw the Line
Sometimes
And I drew mine
At Laborers home trained "socialists"
The lowest form of hypocrite
Who talk best when the chips are down
Stay Loyal to their King and Crown

You have to draw the Line
Sometimes
And I drew mine
At Laborers home trained "socialists"
The lowest form of hypocrite"

 

Hollow Coves - coastline acoustic, 2016

"Hollow Coves is an independent band from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The band consists of two members, Ryan Henderson and Matt Carins, who sing and play guitar in folk style."

Charlie Haden - spiritual cover, 2008

"Josh Haden, the composer of "Spiritual" is best known for fronting Spain, a low-key down-tempo rock ensemble. They have recorded the song on their album The Blue Moods of Spain."

Absolutely Yours - field of nothing, 2024

"Absolutely Yours would delight the type of fans who are secretly holding out for that Rae Jepson/Malkmus duet series. Beautifully airy, reverb-packed tracks might hypnotize a listener, but it’s certainly not all sunshine and rainbows."

The Doors - touch me live, 1968

"We had done three albums of the Doors, and John and I, being the jazzers, we always wanted to bring in some horns and strings," Manzarek espoused. "On 'Touch Me' is the great Los Angeles, Southern California jazz saxophone player, Curtis Amy, who does that fabulous solo at the end. So that's why we did it – jazz and classical, the Doors bring it all together, man!"

Tigran Hamasyan - love song live, 2009

"Even on his most overt jazz compositions and renditions of well-known jazz pieces, his improvisations often contain embellishments based on scales from Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian traditions."

Vampire Weekend - this life, 2019

"The upbeat pop and pop rock song incorporates bright guitars, handclaps and brushed percussion with a Latin shuffle. The bright music is contrasted against Koenig's lyrics, which explore spiritual uncertainty and inevitable suffering."

The Innocence Mission - stars that fall away from us, 2020

"Stereogum said themes of "Love, connection, community and understanding" are "at the core of the album, one that is steeped in awe and wonder, intense longing, sadness and joy; a rich sequence of songs that attempt to describe the essence of what makes us human."

The Montgolfier Brothers - the world is flat live, 2002

"Revered instrumentalist Mark Turner and vocalist Roger Quigley have worked together in the past, as well as putting together strong efforts on several artistic solo projects. This excursion, entitled The World is Flat is a beautiful concept album, complete with spirally guitars, a little touch of piano spice, and lush string and orchestral arrangements. A dreamy, ethereal piece of art, this album is indebted to the producer for bringing to the listener the state of the art sound we hear from this duet who hail themselves The Montgolfier Brothers."

The Lightning Seeds - what if, 1996

"What If..." was released October 1996 in the UK. It peaked at No. 14 in the charts and, continuing in the vein of the previous single, included a cover of The Beach Boys' "Here Today" as a cassette-only B-side. The single's title track, co-written by Terry Hall and Broudie, featured a poppy sound reminiscent of The Turtles' "Happy Together".The song is regarded as a stand-out track of the album by Broudie himself, who cites The Beach Boys and The Turtles as influences behind the song."

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - foi na cruz, 1990

"Cave has now suffered the death of two of his four sons, after his son Arthur died aged 15 after falling from a cliff near Brighton. In a statement announcing his death, he was described as a “beautiful, happy, loving boy”, and the impact of his death on Cave was explored in the documentary One More Time With Feeling, which focused on the making of the album Skeleton Tree."

Yot Club - dog song, 2019

"The song "Dog Song" by Yot Club is a playful look at life from the perspective of a dog. The artist suggests that life as a dog is much simpler than humans' lives are, and that the obligations and expectations we face in the human world do not exist for the dog. The lyrics suggest that life as a dog would be peaceful and carefree, with no pressure to meet anyone's expectations or succeed. The chorus asks the listener to consider how this life would feel, while the rest of the song paints a picture of what life could be like if one were a dog."

Jeff Buckley - hallelujah, 1994

"Buckley played guitar in a variety of styles, ranging from the distorted rock of "Sky is a Landfill", the jazz of "Strange Fruit", the country styling of "Lost Highway", and the guitar fingerpicking style in "Hallelujah". He occasionally used a slide guitar in live performances as a solo act, as well as for the introduction of "Last Goodbye", when playing with a full band. His songs were written in various guitar tunings which, apart from the EADGBE standard tuning, included Drop D tuning and an Open G tuning. His guitar playing style varied from highly melodic songs, such as "The Twelfth of Never", to more percussive ones, such as "New Year's Prayer"."

Stormzy - blinded by your grace pt two ft mnek, 2017

"Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2" is a song by English rapper Stormzy featuring British singer MNEK. It was released on 27 October 2017 as the fourth single from his debut studio album, Gang Signs & Prayer, where its first part is placed in the track listing. It was written by the rapper himself, and produced by Fraser T. Smith. Peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, it became his second-highest-charting single, behind "Big for Your Boots", the lead single from the LP released back in February 2017."

Spector - all the sad young men, 2015

“We spurred each other on to write, what I think are, some really good lyrics, really honest lyrics. I wanted to write something that sounded anthemic but wasn’t one of those life-affirming, ‘Everything’s gonna be fine’ affairs. It’s something for a slightly apathetic generation of people who’d rather hide and look at their phones, and aren’t very romantic or confident about the future.”

Absolutely Yours - walked in the garden, 2024

"Absolutely Yours is an indie band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Helmed by Bridget Collins, they take sonic inspiration from shoegaze and dreampop, but as you can hear on the ambrosia tones of Walked in the Garden, their sound is very much their own. The light and hushed tones of the vocals intertwine with a heavenly, shoegaze-influenced guitar melody, drawing out the emotional turmoil hinted at in the lyrics and the darker tones of the rhythm section. The song has a message, but brings the listener along on that journey, like a close friend or confidante. It’s a wonderful introduction to a sublime album that will appeal to fans of Alvvays, Cocteau Twins, and Broadcast."

The Coral - miss fortune live, 2016

"In 1996, school-friends Ian Skelly and Paul Duffy began jamming together in the basement of Flat Foot Sams pub in Hoylake. Over the following months they were joined by Bill Ryder-Jones on lead guitar, Ian's older brother James Skelly on vocals and main songwriting duties, and then Lee Southall on rhythm guitar. The band were known briefly as Hive before choosing the name "The Coral", and the line-up was completed with the addition of Nick Power, who joined as keyboard player in 1998."

The Strokes - at the door, 2020

"Lyrically, the album explores unease, inaction and alienation. “I want new friends, but they don’t want me/They’re making plans while I watch TV” is the chorus to one song. On “At the Door,” Casablancas knows he is a lost soul, but offers hope: “Use me like an oar/Get yourself to shore.”

Toquinho+Maria Bethânia+Vinicius De Moraes - tarde em itapoã live, 1971

"The beach at Itapuã was originally a small fishing village and fishermen can still be seen there today. It’s said the Vinicius’ inspiration for the song was given to him while watching these men at work. Another version is that the great poet hated Itapuã beach and was actually inspired by the nearby Praia dos Coqueiros (although, this beach’s name doesn’t quite have the same musical ring to it)."

Thomas Dybdahl - man on a wire, 2013

"That Thomas Dybdahl isn't more well known outside his native Norway, where he boasts multi-platinum status and Norwegian Grammy awards aplenty, could well be down to the fact he's the kind of artist that fans want to keep to - and for - themselves. Hailed by the NME as 'Norway's answer to Nick Drake', he certainly inspires the same kind of quasi-religious devotion, very much in evidence among the reverent crowd at his spellbinding Communion showcase at St Pancras Old Church recently."