Pink Floyd - eclipse, 1973

"I don't see it as a riddle. The album uses the sun and the moon as symbols; the light and the dark; the good and the bad; the life force as opposed to the death force. I think it's a very simple statement saying that all the good things life can offer are there for us to grasp, but that the influence of some dark force in our natures prevents us from seizing them. The song addresses the listener and says that if you, the listener, are affected by that force, and if that force is a worry to you, well I feel exactly the same too. The line 'I'll see you on the dark side of the moon' is me speaking to the listener, saying, 'I know you have these bad feelings and impulses because I do too, and one of the ways I can make direct contact with you is to share with you the fact that I feel bad sometimes."

Wild Nothing - letting go, 2018

“Mourning, melodrama, psychedelic mushrooms, a bodybuilder, scarecrows, fetish rainwear, modernist architecture, catatonic schizophrenia, witchcraft, aquatherapy: Let It Go.”

AC Newman - the changeling get guilty, 2009

"Get Guilty is still a Carl Newman record -- so you get all the things you've come to expect from him: insanely catchy songs, loopy and indecipherable lyrics, and first-rate female backing vocals (here provided by Kori Gardner of Mates of State and Nicole Atkins). Call him a journeyman indie rocker if you like, take him for granted if you must, just don't write him off. Anyone who can craft a record that sounds and feels as good as Get Guilty deserves to keep on making records forever."

James - strangers, 1999

"'We're Gonna Miss You' sports a great pop chorus, 'Strangers' far less produced (and better for it) but forgetting to include a tune. 'Hello' is a fairly forgettable ballad performance, although affecting in places."

Pet Shop Boys - my october symphony, 1990

"October Symphony" had been dedicated to the Soviet Union's October Revolution of 1917, but now he wistfully wonders whether he should "rewrite or revise" it, or "change the dedication from revolution to revelation." Hence, the song concerns the plight that confronts any artist—or, for that matter, any person—when nearly everything that gave meaning to his or her life and work has suddenly changed. To put it another way, it's about a personal existential crisis: "Who am I? What am I?" Cropping up in passing are other references that reveal Neil's familiarity with Russian history and culture. For instance, when he sings, "Shall we remember December instead?" he's probably citing the Decembrist Revolt of 1825, suppressed by Tsar Nicholas I. And the next line, "Or worry about February?" likely points to the February Revolution of 1917, which overthrew Nicholas II. (It wasn't until the October Revolution later that same year that the communists took control.) Even the words "from revolution to revelation" may suggest a return to Russian Orthodox Christian tradition."

The Radio Dept - on your side, 2010

"Are they dream pop or shoegaze? Indie or electronic? In the case of Swedish band The Radio Dept., the answer is all of the above. They’re my favorite post-2000 band, coming out on Labrador Records but sounding quite different from their labelmates. Hearing The Radio Dept. for the first time, I immediately loved the mix of fuzzy guitars, washes of synth, and casually understated vocals. The core duo of Johan Duncanson (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Martin Carlberg (guitar, bass, keyboards) has remained the same through various iterations, with Daniel Tjäder (keyboards/synth) rounding out the lineup."

Neil Young - from hank to hendrix live, 1993

"Young has often played "From Hank to Hendrix" in live sets, frequently to open concerts. Many times Young tells the story of how he acquired a guitar previously owned by Hank Williams before playing the song. Young played it as the last song of his 1993 MTV Unplugged concert and it was included on his Unplugged album."

Far Caspian - a dream of you, 2019

"There’s something blissfully inexplicable within Far Caspian’s music that has a tendency to make your heart ache – and I mean ache. I’ve found, however, that it’s a rather empathic ache, one that you’re able to understand and connect with immediately when nestled somewhere under the UK trio’s warm, comforting blankets of sweeping synths and textured guitar, realizing something soothing about embracing inevitable melancholy rather than continuously fighting it, something ultimately substantial in venturing deep inside your emotions when it is far easier to ignore them completely. At least, that’s what seems to happen to me when listening to “A Dream Of You,” one of the five absolutely beautiful tracks on the trio’s sophomore EP The Heights, released earlier this week. Everything about the track tends to evoke a lonely evening by an unpredictable seaside, with both the opening melody as well as frontman Joel Johnston’s vocals overlapping each other with grace despite the incredibly heartbreaking nature of the narrative, alluding to the helpless, frenzied feeling from slowly being abandoned by the ones you love."

Outros olhares: perto de Sintra, Peniche, mais uma tarde bonita de Inverno, em 27 de Dezembro de 2024

Saint Etienne - new thing, 2002

"Saint Etienne have always been a strange proposition. A blazing pop band, committed in widescreen and with no bones about it, their best songs still sound classically of their time. The band managed to straddle the magic three lanes of critical acclaim"

Poolside - harvest moon satin jackets remix, 2022

"Satin Jackets is the brainchild of German producer, Tim Bernhardt. Who teamed up with his friend, Den Ishu, as lead performer. Collaborations with highly demanded vocalists, as well as top-ranked remixing work, turned the project into a very recognisable brand name. Lush Indie Dance tunes with a pop appeal and a four-to-the-floor groove. They have toured three continents with over thirty gigs in the past years."

The The - the beaten generation live, 2021

"An amazing release, top to bottom very well done."

Wild Nothing - through windows, 2018

"I think when I started messing around with the idea for this song, really I just wanted another vehicle for saxophone. So I started writing this song with the intention that sax would be playing a pivotal part in this song. It’s the only song on the record where the sax isn’t necessarily a featured instrument. It’s more running throughout the song in a way."

AC Newman - thunderbolts, 2009

"Songs like Thunderbolts or The Collected Works, upon first listening, may confound you with their halting, stop & start nature and may seem at first an impossible beat, but once you "get" them, once you've heard them a few times, you will no doubt be unable to get them out of your head."

Neil Young - i’m the ocean acoustic live, 2023

"Before and After is a live album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young. It was released on December 8, 2023, through Reprise. Consisting of 13 tracks, the album features solo acoustic re-recordings of some of his past songs. The album tracks were recorded during Young's 2023 Coastal Tour."

Tame Impala - the moment, 2015

"I was listening to Currents for the second or third time, and it wasn’t until “The Moment” came on as I was passing through Escondido that reality started to sink in. This move was actually happening, and I had no way of knowing how it would all work out, or if I would end up regretting it. It was a moment of pure anxiety bordering on terror. But it was already too late to turn back, and I took a strange sense of comfort from that fact. And as the song continued on, I realized that psychedelic genius Kevin Parker was right: I couldn’t just spend my whole lifetime wondering. I’d have to trust in the moment and in myself."

Azure Ray - if you fall, 2003

"Azure Ray’s unique sound is highlighted by Taylor and Fink’s exquisite lead singing, combined harmony vocals, and delicate guitar playing; their lush and atmospheric music; and their tender and evocative lyrics."

Franz Ferdinand - the dark of the matinée live, 2013

"The song is about walking home from Bearsden Academy fantasising about a better life in the future, telling Terry Wogan about it on UK national television, then being shaken from the fantasy as its own ridiculousness shatters its very existence."

Sufjan Stevens - star of wonder, 2006

"Sufjan Steven’s breathtaking anthem, “Star of Wonder,” begins from a place of amazement. It leads you through the galaxy soaring past the clouds, comets, planets, and stars. Its one-minute intro serves as a tour guide through the solar system that allows the listener to view the celestial bodies from up close. The song is about people who are lost and in search of an answer. Some guided spirit that can lead them in the right direction, however as the song begins, it becomes evident that it’s not coming from the perspective of anyone on Earth, but from someplace above."

The New Pornographers - really really light, 2023

“Really Really Light” is an absolutely fantastic New Pornographers song, spilling over with hooks and striking an ideal balance of ornate beauty and fervent energy. A quarter-century into their run, these kids have still got it!"

Bright Eyes - christmas in prison cover, 2023

"Prine, a notoriously huge fan of the Christmas season (the office Christmas tree stays up year-round!!), was a friend and hero to Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)."

The Velvet Underground - oh sweet nuthin, 1970

"On Loaded there was a big push to produce a hit single, there was that mentality, which one of these is a single, how does it sound when we cut it down to 3.5 minutes, so that was a major topic for the group at that point. And I think that the third album to a great extent shows a lot of that in that a lot of those songs were designed as singles and if you listen to them you can hear the derivation, like this is sort of a Phil Spector-ish kind of song, or this is that type of person song."

Darksoft - yesteryear, 2023

"love this song"

EELS - christmas why you gotta do me like this, 2023

"Unafraid to try and break into the Christmas market, this is Eels’ third Xmas tune, with E himself stating, ‘Everyone should have at least three Christmas songs in their catalog. I’m sorry it took me so long.’"

Beirut - east harlem, 2011

"The song was chosen upon release as Pitchfork Media's "Best New Track". Marc Hogan stated that, "East Harlem looks poised to undergo a similar sort of ripening as it becomes more and more familiar. The lyrics are sparse and rooted in classic, instantly communicative tropes: "Another rose wilts in East Harlem," Condon croons, as he wastes no words in vividly describing an intra-Manhattan relationship that feels like it's separated by "a thousand miles" (have you tried getting from downtown to East Harlem lately?)." Hogan continues by saying, "the stately backing is what we've come to expect from Beirut, with swaying accordion, rich brass, lively piano, and trebly strums, all in all more like a 2010 Williamsburg performance. By the time Condon switches things up, repeating, "Oh, the sound will bring me home again," over wordless backing vocals, he might as well be describing the warm, cozy but still distinctive feeling "East Harlem" has achieved."

Hazel English - real life, 2023

“I don't really ever write with the intention of knowing where it's going to go. It's important not to think about that stuff in the moment.”

Arlo Parks - last christmas cover, 2020

"Covering a Christmas classic as beloved as Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ can be difficult. However, when Arlo Parks was in a festive mood back in 2020, the singer-songwriter rose to the challenge with aplomb and put a cosy spin on the holiday favourite."

Pink Floyd - the show must go on, 1979

"As with the other songs on The Wall, "The Show Must Go On" tells a segment of the story of Pink, the story's protagonist. This song leads into "In the Flesh", where the show is performed by Pink as he begins to mentally unravel and hallucinate that he is a fascist dictator."

The New Pornographers - sing me spanish techno, 2005

"The band’s third album is their best, adding a layer of sophistication to their energetic power-pop. The main attraction on ‘Sing Me Spanish Techno’ is the beautifully harmonised bridge – ‘Traveling at godspeed/Over the hills and trails”.

The Innocence Mission - cloud to cloud, 2024

"the captivating acoustic arpeggios of “Cloud to Cloud”, where the melodies seem especially colorful and melancholy, and even if the whole experience is starting to feel a bit like Groundhog’s Day, at least it’s one of those beautiful winter days where the sun peeks out between the clouds and offers the promise of spring amidst the hush of a chilly Pennsylvania winter."