Fukushima Dolphin - bizarre love triangle live cover, 2022

"Sunset. Bizarre love triangle cover…old man getting out of chair dancing….life is beautiful"

The Band Of Holy Joy - real beauty passed through acoustic version, 2007

"how surprisingly little the ever affable singer Johny Brown has changed at all. Time has not quelled his passion, fire and sheer commitment to his art: always creative, often enigmatic, but forever engaging."

Etienne Daho - le premier jour du reste de ta vie, 1998

"Etienne Daho cover of Sarah Cracknell's 'Ready or Not'"

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - walking on the milky way, 1996

"It was released as a single on 5 August 1996 and appeared on their Universal album a month later. The song reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's first UK top-20 hit in over five years, and their last UK top-40 single. The band were flanked by a full string orchestra for their Top of the Pops performance of the song broadcast on 16 August 1996."

Micheál And Eilish - only her rivers run free, 1990

"Arranged By, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Melodica, Percussion, Synthesizer, Keyboards, Electric Guitar – Micheál Tuttle Arranged By, Producer, Tin Whistle, Piano, Accordion, Synthesizer – Eilish Donnellan Engineer, Arranged By, Producer – Kenny Ralph"

The Radio Dept - stay off route, 2010

"Stay off Route is a very emotional song by The Radio Dept. with a tempo of 121 BPM. It can also be used half-time at 61 BPM or double-time at 242 BPM.The track runs 1 minute and 42 seconds long with a D key and a major mode. It has high energy and is not very danceable with a time signature of 4 beats per bar."

Saint Etienne - primrose hill, 2004

"Travel Edition 1990–2005 is a compilation album by the British pop band Saint Etienne. It was released 22 November 2004 in the United States only on the Sub Pop label. Travel Edition is the band's first compilation released in the US, as previous collections Too Young to Die and Smash the System: Singles and More were released in Europe only. As a sweetener to fans, the compilation features two new tracks: "Primrose Hill" and "Fascination." "Primrose Hill" is essentially a stripped-down instrumental version of the single "Soft Like Me." The collection also features the rarely heard edit of "Avenue."

The Beatles - i'll be back take two, 1964

"The Beatles tried different arrangements in the studio before settling on the final version. Takes two and three were issued on Anthology 1. The first of these shows how Lennon originally conceived ‘I’ll Be Back’ as a waltz, though the recording breaks down with him claiming it too hard to sing."

The Radio Dept - let me have this demo, 2009

REM - all the way to reno you're gonna be a star, 2001

"Sometimes the best songwriters work behind the scenes. Jimmy Webb was one such songwriter. Born in 1946, the composer and singer has crafted a dizzying number of American classics. Despite shunning the limelight to pen tracks for artists such as Art Garfunkel, Glen Campbell, and The 5th Dimension, Webb established an incredibly distinctive style. Here, R.E.M pay homage to the musical world of Jimmy Webb with their 2001 track, ‘All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)’."

The Radio Dept - you fear the wrong thing baby radio edit, 2020

"Reinvigorating! Can't get enough of this second wind they're on."

The Mountain Goats - andrew eldritch is moving back to leeds live, 2017

"Andrew Eldritch is the frontman of the British post-punk band The Sisters of Mercy."

The Phoenix Foundation And Fazerdaze - beside yourself, 2021

“I really enjoyed working with Samuel on this track. We recorded the vocals one morning at his place after we drank green juice and joked about how bougie and salubrious we were. It was special for me to see the inner workings of their creative process while they were still in the thick of their new material. Really chuffed to have this track out now, I’ve been a massive fan of The Phoenix Foundation for years.”

Stars - turn it up, 2014

"Stars' dedication to genuine human emotions married to strong pop melodicism has stayed with them since day one and No One Is Lost is merely another chapter in their unique story."

Mike Oldfield - enigmatism, 1999

"Oldfield plays all the music on the album, using only guitars of various types. The most remarkable usage is that of his Roland MIDI-equipped guitars, which he uses to trigger drum samples and produce string-like sounds. "Four Winds" is a four-part work, whose sections are musical portraits of the four compass points (North, South, East and West)."

Saint Etienne - russian, 1995

"Like most bands founded by former music journalists, Saint Etienne were a highly conceptual group. The trio's concept was to fuse the British pop sounds of '60s London with the club/dance rhythms and productions that defined the post-acid house England of the early '90s. Led by songwriters Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, and fronted by vocalist Sarah Cracknell, the group managed to carry out their concept, and, in the process, Saint Etienne helped make indie dance a viable genre within the U.K. Throughout the early '90s, Saint Etienne racked up a string of indie hit singles that were driven by deep club beats -- encompassing anything from house and techno to hip-hop and disco -- and layered with light melodies, detailed productions, clever lyrics, and Cracknell's breathy vocals. They revived the sounds of swinging London as well as the concept of the three-minute pop single being a catchy, ephemeral piece of ear candy, in post-acid house Britain, thereby setting the stage for Brit-pop. Though most Brit-pop bands rejected the dance inclinations of Saint Etienne, they nevertheless adopted the trio's aesthetic, which celebrated the sound and style of classic '60s pop."

Renaissance - ashes are burning, 1973

"Most of the songwriting for the album was handled through the mail. Dunford would send a tape containing a melody line to Betty Thatcher, who composed the lyrics, and Dunford then mailed a tape of himself singing the completed song to Renaissance, who put together the arrangements in the studio."

The Beatles - i feel fine, 1964

"Lennon wrote the song's guitar riff while the Beatles were in the studio recording "Eight Days a Week" in October 1964, and kept playing it between takes. He later recalled: "I told them I'd write a song specially for the riff. So they said, 'Yes. You go away and do that', knowing that we'd almost finished the album Beatles for Sale. Anyway, going into the studio one morning, I said to Ringo, 'I've written this song but it's lousy'. But we tried it, complete with riff, and it sounded like an A-side, so we decided to release it just like that."

Simon And Garfunkel - the only living boy in new york, 1970

"Simon wrote the song as a thinly veiled message to Art Garfunkel, referencing in the first stanza a specific incident where Garfunkel went to Mexico to act in the film Catch-22. Simon was left alone in New York writing songs for Bridge over Troubled Water, hence the very lonely feelings of "The Only Living Boy in New York." Simon refers to Garfunkel in the song as "Tom", alluding to their early days when they were called Tom and Jerry, and encourages him to "let your honesty shine... like it shines on me". The background vocals feature both Garfunkel and Simon recorded together in an echo chamber, multi-tracked around eight times."

The Radio Dept - this time around, 2010

"Last month, fan favorite and shoegaze-heavy “Freddie and the Trojan Horse” transitioned flawlessly into delicate electro-pop ballad “The Worst Taste in Music”, which then paved the way for an equally proper lead-in to Clinging to a Scheme standouts “This Time Around” and “Never Follow Suit”. When surprising closer “City Limit” followed after that, it provided a finale that proved The Radio Dept. as fearless in exploring new ideas and abandoning older stale ones. The band claims to be shy on stage, but you would never know it."

Alvvays - atop a cake, 2014

“Atop A Cake” sounds like a cross between Real Estate’s “Days” and Nina’s “99 Luft Balloons”. It’s a beautiful combination, in case you were thinking otherwise."

Pet Shop Boys - where the streets have no name i can't take my eyes off you, 1990

"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. The song is a medley of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", a 1967 song by Frankie Valli, though in an arrangement informed by the 1982 disco version of the song by the Boys Town Gang rather than the original. The song accompanied "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?", the third single from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990), as a double A-side in the United Kingdom (both singles were released separately in the United States). Released in March 1991 by Parlophone, the song became the duo's 15th consecutive top-20 entry in the UK, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart."

The Radio Dept - too soon, 2003

"everything they touch turns to gold."

Saint Etienne - i was born on christmas day, 1994

"Xmas 93" is a Christmas-themed single by English alternative dance band Saint Etienne. It was released in the United Kingdom on 6 December 1993 by Heavenly Recordings. The lead track "I Was Born on Christmas Day" features guest vocals from The Charlatans singer Tim Burgess, and peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's title is a nod to band member Bob Stanley, who was born on 25 December 1964."

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - pretending green grass, 2006

"I had a lot of insecurities about it, namely it being too upbeat and me not being confident in my vocals. I think you can hear some elements that appear in our other songs…jangly guitars, high basslines…melancholy lyrics over a dancey beat…"

Saint Etienne And Etienne Daho - accident week-end à rome, 1995

"The song is a remix by Motiv8 of "Accident", which appeared on the Saint Etienne/Étienne Daho Reserection EP, released a few months previously in June 1995. "Accident" itself is a rewritten version of Daho's 1984 French-language hit single "Weekend à Rome", with original English lyrics. Daho's spoken-word vocals are from the Reserection opening track, "Reserection".

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - come saturday, 2009

"driving beat, massive guitars and the overall sanguine mood of the track. It’s a falling in love in the summer song for the indie set, and the world doesn’t seem to ever have enough of those."

The Beatles - thank you girl, 1963

"Originally titled "Thank You, Little Girl", the song was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney as a tribute to the band's many female fans. McCartney said, "We knew that if we wrote a song called, 'Thank You Girl', that a lot of the girls who wrote us fan letters would take it as a genuine 'thank you'. So a lot of our songs were directly addressed to the fans." Written “eyeball to eyeball", a phrase Lennon and McCartney would later use to describe their early formulaic writing sessions, "Thank You Girl" demonstrates how they were able to produce a song from scratch by working in total partnership."

Pet Shop Boys - you only tell me you love me when you're drunk, 2000

"You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 3 January 2000 as the third and final single from their seventh studio album, Nightlife (1999). It reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart but failed to chart in the United States."

The Radio Dept - every time live, 2011

The Mary Onettes - the disappearance of my youth, 2009

"The year 2008 was characterized by the deaths of close relatives and friends of Philip Ekström (singer and songwriter of the band) and on 'Islands' he's put more focus on the lyrics. 'The Disappearance of My Youth' and 'Cry For Love' were written in his girlfriend's mother's estate and most of the songs on the album are highly marked by his time in Stockholm after her death. "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." (Philip). The lyrics are retrospective with themes of lost youth, transience and death."

Tom McRae - christmas eve nineteen forty-three, 2015

"The son of Christian missionaries, this songwriter from Essex decamped to the US a decade ago and is now based in France (he enjoys a loyal European following). McRae’s seventh album has a fire and brimstone flavour, and in his mid-forties he’s acquired the malevolent eloquence of Tom Waits and Nick Cave. On The High Life, he sings in a conspiratorial whisper over a rackety rhythm, while the majestic Americana of Christmas Eve, 1943 has him hoping for “one last shot of whisky, one last shot of lead” before descending to hell. We Are the Mark is even better – an apocalyptic protest tune with strings. Middle age and exile have only sharpened his songwriting."

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - my terrible friend, 2011

"It seemed that everyone who came was satisfied with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s performance. The crowd became much happier when we suddenly saw Kip came out from backstage to greet the fans. Suddenly more and more people gathered around him. I realized what a sweet person he was. He smiled, talked and took picture with everyone. Then, two other members also walked out from the backstage. Alex and Peggy also greeted the fans. Lots of fanboys who already kept calling Peggy’s name after the gig were over suddenly circled around her. Some of them also asked a hug from her. Looked like every one couldn’t resist the loveliness of this keyboardist."

The Radio Dept - it's been eight years, 2003

“We just want to create something strong, meaningful and different–something that matters to us.” So far, they have accomplished this with each of their releases, even if the styles contrast with one another. One thing will remain constant though: that The Radio Dept. will continue churning out great pop music for years to come, without the selfish or fame-driven ideology that many contemporary artists succumb to."

The Beatles - if i fell, 1964

"The song ends with the hypothetical If I fell in love with you. It’s a fascinating framing for a love song, one that leaves you guessing where this situation is headed. But you didn’t need to guess to know that with “If I Fell” as one of their first tries, The Beatles were going to the top of the balladeers’ heap very soon after."

The Housemartins - the people who grinned themselves to death, 1987

"Comparisons to the Smiths are essentially irrelevant by the point of the Housemartins' underrated sophomore effort – the melodies and arrangements move away from the upbeat guitar pop shimmer of London 0, Hull 4 to further explore the group's fascination with Motown and gospel, while P.D. Heaton's lyrics articulate a leftist anger and scathing social commentary the likes of which Morrissey's insularly personal lyrics only hint at."

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - speed of light, 1991

“Speed Of Light” had a quicker tempo than anything else here and the science metaphor of the title was a glimpse of the old OMD. Speaking of the old OMD, the song sounded like McCluskey had recycled some of the Bruce Forest house mixes of “Dreaming” for this one. The tempos and fills sounded identical and the melodic refrain certainly had a lot of “Dreaming” DNA in it."

Laurent Voulzy - rockollection first version intégrale, 1977

"The song is a nostalgic first-person recollection of what is presented as a typical 1960s French adolescence. While the story is sung in French, several English-language hits of the 1960s are used to illustrate the memories. An English and Spanish version were made by Voulzy, adapting the lyrics. Since its original release date, he has re-released the song several times in different renditions."

The House Of Love - the girl with the loneliest eyes, 1991

"Despite the release of four strong singles from the album, House of Love mysteriously lost its longstanding UK popularity with Babe Rainbow. If not as dramatic or sweeping as its predecessors, Babe Rainbow is no less ambitious and even more lovely. Perhaps the quieter, more contemplative guitar tone of “Feel,” “Crush Me” and the outrageously pretty “Girl With the Loneliest Eyes” was out of fashion in the wake of shoegazing’s rise, but Chadwick’s continued ability to pen dripping choruses and tickling, lithe riffs make this graceful charmer an underrated masterwork."

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - folding under stories told, 2009

"This is an album for those who lamented The Radio Dept’s recent stray from their fuzzy electro-pop beginnings into something a bit cleaner and danceable, as well as for those who continue to love everything by that band yet fully cherish their early days as well (I fall into the latter camp)."

Death Cab For Cutie - marching bands of manhattan, 2005

"It's such a beautiful song! The melody and instrumentation are gorgeous, and once again we see Ben making great use of metaphors."

Saint Etienne - sometimes in winter, 1996

"We like things that are good from certain periods. And we incorporate them into our music. We don’t go all the way. We don’t want to be a seventies group. Or a sixties group. But there’s certain things about those periods that were really cool. And we can adapt them to modern usage."

Bee Gees - melody fair, 1969

"a graceful melody that makes them sound like a grand, mournful proclamation: the stately verse melodies move in a circular up-and-down fashion before giving way to a grand chorus that starts in a minor-key fashion but quickly gives way to a yearning pattern of ascending notes that reach for the sky in an emotional fashion."