Saint Etienne - half light, 2024

“We realized that it had been several years since we’d actually done that, sprawling out on the carpet, mugs of coffee in hand, sheets of lyrics and half ideas for titles lying around us."

The Go-Betweens - mrs morgan, 1993

"Bright Yellow Bright Orange returns to more familiar territory, consisting almost entirely of mid-tempo, semi-acoustic folk-rock. While this sounds like a step in the right direction, it’s not; it still lacks the lushness that characterised their best period late albums like 16 Lovers Lane and Oceans Apart."

Hooverphonic - sometimes, 2002

"There was more Cocteau Twins and Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine influences. But like I said earlier, we just like to evolve and every time we try quite different directions."

Gorillaz - el mañana, 2006

"El Mañana" (Spanish for "The Tomorrow Or The Morning") is a song by British alternative rock band Gorillaz. It was released on 10 April 2006 in the United Kingdom as a double A-side, and the fourth and final singles from their album Demon Days. "El Mañana", along with its other A-side "Kids with Guns", reached number 27 upon its release in the UK."

Del Amitri - make it always be too late, 1997

"Make It Always Be Too Late" and "Sleep Instead Of Tears" are my favorite Del Amitri songs."

Pet Shop Boys - shameless, 1993

"One of the Pet Shop Boys most popular b-sides, this song shows Neil and Chris at their most outrageous and uninhibited—five minutes of sheer, unadulterated fun. Yet, as fun as it is, it's not without a serious point."

The Style Council - speak like a child, 1983

"Speak Like a Child" is the debut single by English pop band the Style Council, released on 11 March 1983 and was included on the mini-LP, Introducing The Style Council (1983). Backed with "Party Chambers", it became a hit, peaking at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Band members Paul Weller and Mick Talbot were already well-known from their previous bands, the Jam and the Merton Parkas, respectively."

A-ha - the sun always shines on tv, 1985

"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, released as the third single from their debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985). The song was written by guitarist Pål Waaktaar. In some commercial markets the single was not as popular as their previous (debut) single "Take On Me", which had reached the top spot in the United States and several other countries around the world, but in the United Kingdom and Ireland it improved upon the number-two charting of "Take On Me", reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1986, having been released there on 16 December 1985. Its success secured for the band the prestige of having number-one single status on both primary Anglo-American popular music charts on either side of the Atlantic."

The Beatles - ticket to ride, 1965

"Ticket to Ride" is a watershed single, the moment when the Beatles moved from cuddly mop-tops to strange and interesting sonic explorers. So it's fitting that it carries an enigma at its core [regarding the song's meaning] – the first Rosebud in a catalogue of many."

The Durutti Column - american view, 2003

"It’s easy to yearn these days for a label that’s releasing records because someone really just loves the music. Somehow it’s becoming increasingly rare to find that warm authenticity as the industry capitalises on our worst desires for nostalgia and consumer impulses. To be sure, so many new releases bear the earmarks of mere simulacra, reminding us of something sonic or visual we’ve encountered before but without sufficient substance to pay homage to the original. Lament no more. Kooky Records has new Durutti reissues planned on vinyl that will take you back to your love of the music and the truly distinctive sounds of the Manchester band."

Monaco - shine, 1997

"this opens with guitar that feels like it’s trying to sing the lyrics, but then Peter appears on the mic to show it how it’s done. This track doesn’t continue that catchiness, instead straying closer to the lovesick youth with a guitar and amp genre."

Damien Jurado - so on nevada live, 2012

"From the baroque pop of Life Away From The Garden to the desert country of the title track to the country and psychedelia-flecked So On, Nevada, this is a a record rich in softly-spoken classicism, quiet power and enough enigma to pull you in for repeated plays."

Simon And Garfunkel - leaves that are green, 1966

"A sprightly folk-pop tempo and feel highlight this song, which is one of the earliest tunes in the Simon & Garfunkel canon that shows the duo embracing the then-current folk-rock style. Buttressed by some inventive percussion and harpsichord, the shiny quality of the melody is highlighted throughout this fine pop confection. Lyrically, it's a sad, almost melancholy song of lost love that utilized the changing seasons to convey the feelings at the disintegration of a romance. This is indeed something that Paul Simon would utilize again in the very near future."

Beach House - darling, 2008

"the album "resonates with the same formless essence as its predecessor, but also far exceeds it in both composition and execution"

Cat Stevens - sitting, 1972

"Record World described "Sitting" as a "magnificently produced up tempo tune" that is "one of [Stevens'] best."

The Radio Dept - a token of gratitude, 2010

"This song brings back some very bittersweet memories. Such a good album."

Beirut - venice, 2009

"Venice is alil more lush and slower going than his Beirut music since he strips the track down to only him singing, a hypnotic synth melody, and muted horns."

The Lightning Seeds - marvellous, 1994

"This song is another great catchy number, and Marvellous is definitely far better than Perfect, even if UK chart placings say otherwise (#24 vs #18 respectively)."

The Stranglers - always the sun, 1986

"From bad-mannered yobs to purveyors of supreme pop delicacies, the group was responsible for music that may have been ugly and might have been crude – but it was never, ever boring."

The Style Council - sweet loving ways, 1993

"The Style Council also released an amazing list of B-sides like The Piccadilly Trail, It Just Came To Pieces In My Hands, Spin Drifting and Sweet Loving Ways, which I find flawless."

The Beatles - don't bother me, 1963

"Liverpool journalist Bill Harry claims that he encouraged Harrison to write a new song, and that Harrison's response of "Don't bother me" served as inspiration for the song's title."

The Shins - australia, 2007

"Still familiar and addictive, the song nevertheless turns the tried and true formula on its ear, coming off slightly like a New Wave dance anthem."

Editors - bones, 2007

"Bones" was the fifth and final single from An End Has a Start, the second album by Editors. It was only released in Continental Europe under the PIAS label as a download-only single. It was released to help promote the band during the festival run and their support of R.E.M. in July during their German shows. "Bones" was one of the first songs off An End Has a Start to be performed live, along with "The Weight Of The World" in 2006. It has since gone through many changes, most notably the bridge and outro of the song which was previewed via a short video made by the band months before the album came out."

REM - near wild heaven, 1991

"Near Wild Heaven" "already overdoes the contrast between dark-edged lyrics and a light-hearted melody by folding Mike Mills' lead vocal into a sugary arrangement. Adding strings to the recipe is like putting frosting on cherry pie."

Voxtrot - missing pieces, 2005

"When Voxtrot appeared in early 2004 with the single “The Start of Something”, fans and critics alike both made immediate comparisons to The Smiths, mainly due to the vocals of Ramesh Srivastava, a trait that often sounded remarkably similar to Morrissey himself. I certainly echoed their sentiment, though they sounded more like a Housemartins mold to me, as I wrote here about a year ago. The song eventually landed on the excellent Raised By Wolves EP, a debut which set the tone for their reputational growth and British jangle-pop comparisons. Despite the quick judgments, I also found several of Voxtrot’s songs to be quite unique."

Imagine Dragons - demons, 2012

"Demons" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. It was written by Alex da Kid, Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Josh Mosser and produced by Alex da Kid. The song appears on their major-label debut extended play, Continued Silence, and also makes an appearance on their debut studio album, Night Visions, as the fourth track. "Demons" was solicited to American triple-A radio stations on January 28, 2013, and to modern rock stations two months later, on April 1, 2013."

Fanfarlo - let's go extinct, 2014

"with Let’s Go Extinct, Fanfarlo have dodged the bullet fired by the Smith & Wesson revolver of irony (a rare model) by ensuring that the quality of their songwriting remains solid."

Barclay James Harvest - friend of mine, 1977

"a rarely seen country rock side to the group propelled by Holroyd. It is remarkably effective and, after the initial shock and several listens, actually works well in the surroundings of the more progressive numbers."

Azure Ray - silver sorrow, 2010

"‘Silver Sorrow’ succeeds on aesthetics alone, its layers of vocal adornments recalling Cocteau Twins’ sublime Liz Fraser."

The Durutti Column - tomorrow live, 1985

"I really don’t like my own music. I really enjoy doing it when I’m doing it, it gives me a great feeling of expression and fulfillment and pleasure – just the physicality of playing a guitar and putting a piece of music together. I just love all that. And for maybe half an hour after I’ve done it, it feels great. But it soon passes. And after that, I really don’t want to hear it again."

Pet Shop Boys - bright young things, 2012

"The PSB song bears in many ways a marked similarity to one of their other soundtrack numbers, "Nothing Has Been Proved" (from the film Scandal), most noticeably in the way that its lyrics refer cryptically (from the perspective of anyone who hasn't seen the movie) to various characters in the story, providing tantalizing "snapshots" of their attitudes and actions. It's obvious that these are people who lead lives of scarcely concealed desperation, partying ceaselessly to escape their troubles."

Neil Young - comes a time live, 1979

"The guitar always sounds like Young’s dipped the strings in a mixture of honey and carpet fluff just before coming onstage and his vocals are always out there."

Seapony - go away, 2011

"I expect this band to grow and provide its fans, which includes me, with good songs for a long time. But for the present, I doubt that fans of indie pop will find a more perfect summer album than this one."

Etienne Daho - tombé pour la france, 1986

"Tombe pour la France, a synthpop torch song that set off Dahomania in his home country."