The Go-Betweens - caroline and i, 2003

"David Nichols in his book, The Go-Betweens, considers that "'Caroline and I' is a light engaging study of the rather vague parallels between Robert Forster and Princess Caroline of Monaco, with an irresistible melody line rather similar to that of the Buzzcocks' 'Paradise'." The book also contains an interview with Forster, in which he states that he wrote the song in 1997, when he was living in Germany, saying "She meant a lot to me when I was between the ages of about fifteen and nineteen. She was a glamour figure. Obviously, from the lyrics, she was the same age as me. She was someone I felt attracted to..." "...[Caroline] was my age. I was attracted to her, and it was like we were living these two parallel lives. She went to university at the same time as I did. I went to Queensland University, she went to a university in Paris. It seemed that we were moving in the same direction." The Guardian's Betty Clarke comments "The heavy-hearted nostalgia of 'Caroline and I' is the song Lou Reed could have written if he had fallen for Brian Wilson, not David Bowie." The Undercover Review believes that the song is "reminiscent of that sound that has buried them into the psyche of every underground lover in this country and abroad. Such simple melodies thrown together with also simple, yet thought-provoking lyrics is often shrugged off as easy to create, but in reality even the most hardened avoider of trends will find this hard to resist." The Oz Music Project is not so complimentary however stating "the sinewy sunburst of Robert Forster's typically clean-channeled arpeggio riffs winding their way throughout, it is Forster-by-numbers; skewed, jangly pop with that wildly oscillating warble whorling around over the top. Like much of ‘Rachel Worth' it lacks the invention and passion that made the Go-Betweens such a joy in the first place."

The Radio Dept - gibraltar, 2006

"Formed in 2001, The Radio Dept. is a celebrated Swedish dream pop band hailing from Malmö. Comprised of talents Johan Duncanson and Martin Carlberg, they have carved a niche in the indie music scene with their ethereal soundscapes and lush melodies. Often categorized under various genres such as dream pop, shoegaze, and Swedish indie pop, The Radio Dept. stands out with their unique blend of atmospheric instrumentation and introspective lyrics."

Morrissey - first of the gang to die, 2004

"The song, which tells the story of a gang member named Hector, is seen as a tribute to Morrissey's significant Hispanic fanbase. Whyte commented, "All these Hispanic kids were coming to see us, with quiffs and leather jackets, shouting for Morrissey. The Latinos embraced him because they relate to all that isolation in his lyrics. They feel like outsiders in their own country. Plus, they have a very romantic sensibility and love the whole rocker image."

Bruce Springsteen - dancing in the dark, 1984

"Springsteen wrote "Dancing In the Dark" overnight, after Jon Landau convinced him that the album needed a single. According to journalist Dave Marsh in the book Glory Days, Springsteen was not impressed with Landau's approach. "Look", he snarled, "I've written seventy songs. You want another one, you write it." Despite this reaction, Springsteen sat in his hotel room and wrote the song in a single night. It sums up his state of mind, his feeling of isolation after the success of his album The River, and his frustrations of trying to write a hit single. Six takes of "Dancing in the Dark" were recorded on February 14, 1984, at The Hit Factory, and after 58 mixes, work was completed on March 8, 1984. The 12-inch single was released May 9, 1984, and was the highest-selling 12-inch single in the US that year."

Pet Shop Boys - give it a go, 2012

"A simple, down-to-earth number that, like so many on Elysium, initially seems rather unimpressive but then grows on you to the point that you can't help but appreciate the brilliance behind it."

The Mary Onettes - symmetry, 2009

"The Mary Onettes - Islands has very warm songs written from the heart. Every song is dripping with emotional imagery of someone growing up and growing old. The strings could possibly use some variety of sounds, but are still hauntingly beautiful to listen to. The opener "Puzzles" is the lead single and a good intro for what is to come on the album. "Symmetry" is the song that drew me in and still my fav. The album closes with Bricks - a filled with acoustic guitar beauty and such a moving song. from this group I've had this It should have been released as a single. I've had this for over 8 years now and I never grow tired of it. If you assume that this is simply a retro 80s group think again."

Dolores O'Riordan - ordinary day, 2007

"Ordinary Day" is the lead single taken from Dolores O'Riordan's debut album, Are You Listening?. The single was the most added AAA track on US radio stations. The single peaked at number 2 in Italy, number 1 in Croatia and number 10 in Lebanon."

Stars - changes, 2010

"Montreal's Stars make a very different sound to the euphoric, genre-colliding racket of the members' other group, Broken Social Scene. Their fifth album typifies Stars' more epic melodrama – in awe of Prefab Sprout, New Order and the 1980s to the point where you can imagine videos featuring moody-looking types staring over windswept beaches, pondering Russian novels and their spots. It's all absurdly pretty. Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan's conversational vocals recall Sprout's Paddy McAloon and Dubstar's Sarah Blackwood respectively. However, with every synthesiser airbrushed to an AOR sheen things start to sound bland. Two sounds leap out from the wash of melancholy blue. We Don't Want Your Body is an unlikely tale of druggy vampires and knocking shops in Oxford Street set to harpsichord, featuring the improbable line: "You sold me some cheap Ecstasy, so you could have some sex with me". Changes – with Millan's voice at its sweetest – is simply unutterably lovely."

Anna Meredith - inhale exhale, 2019

"London-based musician Anna Meredith had made her name as a composer of classical and electronic music before she ever wrote a pop song. But about 10 years ago, she decided she was interested in performing her own music, and was looking for a change. “I was honored and lucky to be making a living as a classical composer and writing orchestral pieces,” she said in a phone interview earlier this month. “But you write the score, you hand it over to the conductor, and your job is over. You’re not to have anything to do with the performance, and most of those pieces are played once, and not recorded, and never played again. And that’s just heartbreaking.”

The Housemartins - coal train to hatfield main, 1986

"I was like a kid at Christmas when the postman arrived (with the 12″ of this very single) that day and the final piece of the jigsaw was put into place. They may have only released 9 singles in total, but they made an everlasting impression on the early teenage me."

The House Of Love - shake and crawl, 1990

"A true masterpiece of indie music. For a short time between The Smiths and The Stone Roses; The House of Love were going to take over the world. It was a delicate blend of shoegaze and dream pop. Lush fragile melodies with beautifully written songs. This was there first album on the Fontana label and their third self-titled release. At the time of release the band was is disarray, it had just lost Terry Bickers, who was against the signing to Fontana. His departure at a motorway services from the tour bus and psychedelic guitar are legendary. I think that his influence on the album is much deeper than anyone could imagine."

The Radio Dept - the hide away, 2006

"I thought I had everything these guys have ever done !! wrong ! Supposedly this from an album called Rebell 10 år Only one track by The Radio Dept, but would love to hear the other tracks! Hope there is a new album this year.... been waiting too long"

Such a great song!

Beach House - ten mile stereo, 2010

"I’ve honestly always thought this song was about their journey making music and them putting their hearts into it and throwing it out into the world. In this way their spreading love through the sacrifices they’ve made in making it and devoting to it."

Cher - the music's no good without you, 2001

"The Music's No Good Without You" was written by Cher, James Thomas, Mark Taylor and Paul Barry, while production was done by Taylor, with co-production by Thomas and Jeff Taylor. The song is drenched in hypnotic synth lines and computer-savvy vocal effects."

Stars - the gift of love, 2017

“We make the small things big and the big things a chorus.”

Echo And The Bunnymen - get in the car album version, 1999

"Get in the Car" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in 1999. It was the second single to be released from their 1999 album, What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?. Released by London Records as a CD single, it contains two versions of the title track, the album version and a radio edit, as well as live versions of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" and "Rescue". The title track was written by Will Sergeant and Ian McCulloch."

Guillemots - clarion, 2008

"Kriss Kross" / "Clarion" is a double A-side single by multinational band Guillemots. It was released on 28 September 2008 as a digital download, then as a limited edition 10" record two weeks later. It was the first double A-side released by Guillemots. Lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield explained: "We've always meant to put out a double A-side at some point, and we couldn't decide which of 'Kriss Kross' and 'Clarion' should be the next single, so now seemed like the right time to do both." Dangerfield was the sole writer of "Clarion"; "Kriss Kross" was credited to the entire band. Both songs were produced by Guillemots and record producer Adam Noble, and both were featured on Guillemots' second album, Red."

The Cranberries - dreams, 1992

"Dreams" is the debut single of Irish rock band the Cranberries. It was originally released in September 1992 by Island Records and later appeared on the band's debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993). The song reached the top 50 of the US Hot 100 and the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart in early 1994. A 1990 demo version was released in Ireland only in the summer of that year under their initial band name, the Cranberry Saw Us. At the end of the song, the backing vocals are sung by Mike Mahoney, ex-boyfriend of Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan."

Bright Eyes - old soul song, 2005

"Incredible lyrics. Simple and real. I always took this song to be about witnessing people trying to fight to change the world, just see that nothing really changes, except maybe oneself."

Saint Etienne - erica america, 1998

"Bob was a music journalist whose review of the Lightning Seeds ‘Cloud Cuckooland’ once graced the pages of a leading music paper with the initials ‘MM’. Their first single together, “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”, was a cover of a Neil Young song, with Moira Lambert contributing guest vocals. It was followed by “Kiss And Make Up”, again a cover version – this time from obscure Indie band Field Mice. The vocalist is Donna Savage."

Asobi Seksu - strawberries, 2007

"Citrus was the CD that first hooked me to the band, with "Thursday", "Strawberries". There are just so many songs. They have that sweet feminine voice driving these aggressive guitars and drums. Fearless, power-shoe gaze, that gives you this instant feeling of nostalgia with the songs even without actually taking you back. You're still driving forward, just in an old muscle car."

Amy Macdonald - a wish for something more, 2007

"what’s funny is even then, everyone found it bizarre that I got a record deal from sending a demo, because this was when people were being discovered on MySpace — Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys; they were all doing it that way"

America - survival, 1980

"essentially, the album picks up where Silent Letter left off, meaning that it's a set of pleasant soft pop, but it's slicker and slighter than its predecessor."

The Lightning Seeds - ready or not, 1996

"But the real black mark is in not including the single version of Ready Or Not. La la la la. But that really is nitpicking in the extreme, so I’ll just be happy that there’s a new compilation out that I can play in the CD player player player player player (remember those? Ask your Dad) in my car to replace my knackered copy of Like You Do… Best of the Lightning Seeds."

The Radio Dept - david live, 2011

“David” is a bit surprising; featuring a highly melodic and downtempo key part similar to the sounds that enveloped Pet Grief but backed by a clean, relaxed bassline and relaxed percussion initially gives the listener a startle."

The Lightning Seeds - feeling lazy, 1994

"'Feeling Lazy' is another of Broudie's windows onto urban English life and brings to mind some of the more playful dabblings by The Kinks, albeit dressed up with a fair helping of strawberries and cream."

Bad Lieutenant - twist of fate, 2009

"it is impossible to make any sort of appraisal of Bad Lieutenant without numerous references to New Order. The facts: Bad Lieutenant comprise three members of New Order's most recent line-up, namely Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris (making several appearances on drums) and latter day additional axeman Phil Cunningham."

Pet Shop Boys - all over the world, 2009

"the Boys wrote the song "with a little help from Tchaikovsky," specifically the fanfare-like main theme of the March from the holiday classic The Nutcracker (Op. 71: II). Chris gets the credit for its inclusion."

U2 - staring at the sun, 1997

"Staring at the Sun" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 1997 album, Pop, and was released by Island Records as the album's second single on 14 April 1997. The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, number one in Canada and Iceland and number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the US, it topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Adult Alternative Songs charts. It also reached the top 10 in Finland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and Norway."

One Republic - secrets, 2009

"Secrets" is the second single released from American pop band OneRepublic's second studio album, Waking Up (2009). It was released as the first single in Germany and Austria owing to its presence on the soundtrack of Til Schweiger's film Zweiohrküken. The movie is the sequel to the film Keinohrhasen, for which "Apologize" was the film soundtrack. The song rocketed up the German and Austrian airplay charts. The song was released in the United States iTunes Store on November 3, 2010. The song was due for a UK release on April 5, 2011 but was later canceled. It was sent to U.S. Top 40/Mainstream radio on June 1, 2010. "Secrets" is written in the key of D major."

Asobi Seksu - goodbye, 2006

“Goodbye” is a song that represents everything Asobi Seksu does best- catchy melodies, melancholy lyrics, and simple yet beautifully written messages about loss all veiled deeply in pop-shoegaze goodness."

Tindersticks - marbles, 1993

"another great song with the charmingly lilting guitars of 'Patchwork'. The truly stupendous, stop dead in your tracks sound of 'Marbles'. An organ figure repeats through the song. A different and utterly captivating guitar figure repeats through the song. Stuart tells a poetic, beautiful story, half singing-half speaking. It's lo-fi, and utterly suited to being so. 'You knew you'd lost as soon as you saw her, you saw your life as a series of complicated dance steps.....' and then? A gorgeous move upwards from Stuart, soft and tender. Like a lover cooing and blowing softly in your ear."

Au Revoir Simone - sad song, 2007

"There's this hazy memory buried somewhere in my mind. Something out of focus that becomes clearer the more I listen to this record. It’s of these two girls with long hair that used to live next door to my grandparents. They often wore green or brown summer dresses. They'd always be singing and throwing tea parties, inviting me over to gaze at their wonder world of plastic cutlery and serving me imaginary Battenberg with water for Earl Grey tea. They'd be giggling like only girls with mud for cake could. All I remember about them is their hair, really long hair, hair they seemed to never stop brushing. It's a warm memory."

Morrissey - alma matters, 1997

"Alma Matters" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in July 1997. It was the first single to be taken from the Maladjusted album and was released one week before the album. The single reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Morrissey's first top 20 hit since "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" in 1994. The song was also notable for seeing Morrissey reference the film A Taste of Honey for the first time since his early days in The Smiths in the line "it's my life to ruin my own way". The song title is a pun on Alma mater."

Saint Etienne - mr donut, 1998

"Good Humor is one of those records that registered with me instantly (that I had just discovered the band the previous year and anticipated it madly certainly helped), but it didn’t take long for me to love Fairfax High as well. For a time, this combo was my favorite Saint Etienne album. It remains in my top five of their voluminous catalog and is a solid entry point for newcomers to the band"

The House Of Love - christine, 1990

"The most melodic of their early shots at glory, it begins as a heat-haze drone, a hedge of sound, and without warning. (This was not a band to count a song in off the back of the drummer’s sticks.) From a standing start, this was the sound of shoegazing before shoegazing was a sound; something quite different from both the jangly pop and the grebo fuzz of the post-C86 pincer movement. Eyes down: things were looking up."

America - survival live, 1985

"In Concert is the second official live album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records in July 1985. This was the sixth and last release by America on the Capitol Records label and was the first America album ever issued on the budding compact disc format. This was America's first album that failed to chart. No singles were released from the album. Fans present at the actual performance at the Arlington Theater have claimed that additional songs performed by the group, but not included on the final release, included "Sandman," "Never Be Lonely," "Can't Fall Asleep To A Lullaby", and "Old Man Took."

Asobi Seksu - lions and tigers, 2006

"In the conversation of greatest shoegaze and dream pop bands of all time, you usually hear a lot of the same names: My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Ride, Slowdive, Beach House, or maybe even Mazzy Star. But one name that doesn’t get mentioned nearly as often as it should is Asobi Seksu. Asobi Seksu were an American indie rock band consisting of songwriting duo Yuki Chikudate on vocals and keyboards, and James Hanna as lead guitarist, with a rotating rhythm section that changed from LP to LP. Critics never really gave them a fair chance, but to me they are the finest band to lead the wave of “nu-gaze” that took place over the mid-to-late 2000s."

El Perro Del Mar - kiss of death, 2024

"I think of the album as a journey into the Underworld and back. "Kiss of Death" is about returning to the world of the living, scarred but with the insight of how close death is. Loss is a scar. We should carry it with us; not as a threat but as a promise of making the most of the time we’re here."

REM - high speed train, 2004

"Multiple times I've stumbled into the back part of this album and forgotten how many songs are crammed in here, there's definitely an overproduction adding to the sameness, but I wonder what dropping some and re-sequencing the album might have produced. The next two songs are very similar and although I love this song it doesn't grab me like it wants to and zooms past me. This is one of the songs name dropped in ACCELERATE's 'Sing for the Submarine' along with 'Feeling Gravitys Pull,' 'ITEOTWAWKI,' and 'Electron Blue,' which Michael has said puts them in the same futuristic water-world and seeing the song from that sci-fi theme furthers my interest. The lyrics are back in top form here and perhaps it's the eerie sounds Peter and Mike are laying down egging Michael on. It makes me think this is where R.E.M. are at their best, mining the possibilities of dark obscurities--the 'surface that forms underneath the underneath' so to speak. The feeling of this track reminds me of something from FOTR, but sits solidly in Michael's current obsession with desire, forgiveness, and intimacy. If the band were not rattled by what 'E-Bow' did to their standing I would've nominated this as a single, double down on the new direction rather than try to say all is well with something like 'Aftermath' or even 'Wanderlust.' What drives me nuttiest is that the band are almost there, they're getting through this phase and in hindsight, you can detect ACCELERATE is coming. Just a few more songs."

Stars - soft revolution, 2004

"dreamy lyrics, the seamless back and forth between vocalists Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell, and a rising and falling soundscape feel."

America - daisy jane live, 1985

"Great song...America is always better without the obtuse lyrics."

Belle And Sebastian - act of the apostle, 2006

"Faith, after all, takes work, and if in one sense The Life Pursuit is about belief in the redemptive power of music, it's also a manifestation thereof. On opener "Act of the Apostle, Part One", a girl with a seriously ill mother imagines an escape, plays the Cat Stevens hymn "Morning Has Broken", and contemplates an endless melody before stumbling upon the album's central question: "What would I do to believe?" Ostinato bass, splashy piano, and Sarah Martin's gentle harmonies point the way. Toward the end of the album's loose storyline, on "For the Price of a Cup of Tea", the heroine seeks solace in "soul black vinyl," as Murdoch channels an irrepressible Bee Gees falsetto."

Sérgio Godinho - a noite passada, 1972

"Godinho's first release was the EP Romance de um Dia na Estrada in 1971. The four songs in this EP would also appear in his first album, Os Sobreviventes, which was recorded in April 1971 and was released in 1972 in Portugal. He recorded his second album Pré-Histórias in 1972, and it was likewise released in the following year in Portugal."

Indochine - morphine, 2005

"If I had heard of the band back in the mid 1980s, I most likely would not have been interested in them as they were not metal. Fortunately, these days I am more opened minded and I was very impressed with what I had heard on that TV show and that has led me to explore them further and become even more impressed with this band. Their brand of new wave is definitely unique, if I were to try to make a comparison to another band, the closest would be Simple Minds but I still prefer Indochine."

Club 8 - those charming men, 1996

"Club 8, who are Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård, began their career in 1995 and have not stopped making their signature brilliant music since. Each of the seven albums they have released is testimony to Karolina and Johan’s mastery of their talent, the band’s evolution and the refinement of their sound. They make for an interesting study in the life of the pop sensation that they have become."

Pet Shop Boys - one thing leads to another, 1993

"The obscurity at one time of this marvelous song, tucked away on a limited-edition release that was for nearly 30 years no longer commercially available, earned it (at least in this writer's opinion) the title of "The Great 'Lost' PSB Track."

Violens - already over, 2008

"With their pun-like name straddling violence and violins, their music skirts between prettiness and something sinister, with lyrics and song titles playing into this too."

New Order - nineteen sixty-three ninety-four, 1994

"The original 1987 version ended in a fade-out while repeating the last line of the outro, "I will always feel free". The "94 album mix", also included on the international edition of (The Best of) New Order as "1963-94", had all new orchestration and is similar in structure to the original version, except that the outro is removed and replaced with a repeat of the final bridge and chorus, faded out."

Beirut - a candle’s fire, 2011

"It was hard for me not to listen to this album when it was readily available on Youtube. I promised myself only to listen to East harlem because it was the officially released song and nothing more. The day the album came in the mail was one of the most fantastic days I've had. Best album of 2011, in my opinion."

Architecture In Helsinki - one heavy february, 2003

"The architecture in the city of Helsinki draws from a few different eras, mostly neoclassical (which makes up the city centre) and Art Nouveau, a period of architecture in the romantic age. There was one architect in particular, Alvar Aalto, who is considered a love/hate architect. He built in a style called functionalism, where the purpose of the building is the primary influence on its design. Finlandia Hall, a concert hall in the congressional wing, is Aalto’s most famous work. Due to his style, the building is asymmetrical and puts the acoustics of the walls over their beauty or artisticness. After learning a little about Aalto, Architecture in Helsinki’s name makes sense, one of the few things about them that actually does."

U2 - miss sarajevo, 1995

"Miss Sarajevo" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and British musician Brian Eno, credited to the pseudonym "Passengers". It was released on 20 November 1995 as the only single from their album Original Soundtracks 1. Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti makes a vocal appearance, singing the opera solo. The song was written about a group of women who held a beauty pageant during the Siege of Sarajevo as an act of defiance."

Faithless - one step too far, 2001

"One Step Too Far" is a song by British electronic music group Faithless. The track features member Rollo Armstrong's sister Dido on vocals and was remixed for single release. "One Step Too Far" was released on 8 April 2002 as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, Outrospective (2001). The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, number four on the US Dance Club Play chart, and number 21 on the Australian Singles Chart."

Genesis - that's me, 1969

"It doesn't sound much like the future Genesis really and it hardly sells any copies whatsoever, despite being released on Decca, a major label."

Bright Eyes And Neva Dinova - tripped, 2004

"Much like Home, Vol. 4, Conor Oberst's collaboration with Spoon's Britt Daniel, One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels is a meeting of the minds between Oberst and his friends Neva Dinova. That band's singer/songwriter, Jake Bellows, and Oberst got together in fall 2003 to collaborate on some songs, and though the results aren't quite as accomplished as either band's work on their own, the six songs here are pretty and entertaining enough to please both Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova fans. Though the bands have pooled their resources, Oberst's and Bellows' identity still shine through on their respective tracks. Bellows' rounded vocals sound even better in the context of the EP's relaxed, between-friends atmosphere: the dreamy, slightly twangy "Tripped," "Poison," and "Get Back" have a pleasantly broken-in sound that recalls not only Neva Dinova's own work, but a slightly edgier take on Ron Sexsmith's sound as well."

Saint Etienne - please, 1999

"It’s early Sunday afternoon, and very, very, much the day after the night before. Given the state of our heads (someone has performed open surgery and replaced our brains with cotton wool while we slept, it seems), it’s pretty appropriate that we’re headed off to the Hangover Lounge at London’s Lexington for the afternoon, who are hosting the listening party for St Etienne’s glorious new album, ‘Words and Music by St Etienne’. Painkillers are downed, rehydration is attempted, and before the main event we have the small matter of a date with one third of the band, the inimitable Pete Wiggs."

Del Amitri - out falls the past, 2002

"Del Amitri’s songs somehow glued themselves to the trajectory of my twenties. Nothing Ever Happens capped the canyon of my teenage years in Hobart, Tasmania, before Move Away Jimmy Blue propelled me to London when I was 21. Just Like A Man provided minor (very minor) solace when my girlfriend took some other guy to bed when I was 22. Be My Downfall offered absolution when it was my turn to burn love at 25. When I was 27, Here And Now sounded through cigarettes and summer days in my girlfriend’s Austin-Healey Sprite, before someone else pressed ‘play’ on Be My Downfall again..."

Enya - willows on the water, 1997

"In Greek mythology Aiglé was one of the Hespéridés, who were guardians to the tree that bore apples of gold. When the Minyans approached them, imploring them to reveal a river so that they could quench their thirst, the Hespéridés metamorphosed into trees, Aiglé becoming a willow. She was the one to show the Minyans where to find water."

The Radio Dept - the room tarzana, 2008

"This band, The Radio Department, was conceived in 1995 by schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson, who named the group after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" (Swedish for The Radio Department). However, Almered and Duncanson soon stopped playing music together, putting the band on hiatus. Then three years later, in 1998, Duncanson started making music again but now with Martin Larsson and they decided to adopt the same name. In 2001, Larsson's then girlfriend Lisa Carlberg joined the group on bass, followed by Per Blomgren on drums and Daniel Tjäder on keyboards."

Moby - sunday the day before my birthday, 2002

"I absolutely love the song In This World by Moby, and the video that goes with it. There’s just so much that you can take from the video and many elements that I feel that I can identify with quite a bit, and of course those aliens are super cute!"

Hospitality - argonauts, 2012

"After patiently honing their craft, playing concerts (and gaining converts), Hospitality have reached what will be its first apex with many more heights to come; from their modest debut in a Red Hook row house, the band has evolved from four-track low-fidelity to a luxury five-star future."

The Postmarks - ox four cover, 2008

"Rock-style drums and shimmery guitar lines do show up to grace the Postmarks' takes on Ride's "OX4" and the Jesus and Mary Chain's "Nine Million Rainy Days", but both manage to convey the nuance within the group's style rather than deviating too much from it – if Air could soundtrack a Sofia Coppola film, why not these cats?"

Pet Shop Boys - discoteca, 1996

"Bilingual opens with this intense song, ostensibly set in a foreign land in which the lost protagonist is asking passers-by for directions to the nearest discoteque. This scenario actually serves as an extended metaphor about one's sense of alienation and inability to communicate adequately in the modern world. Backed by a driving wall of percussion and a minor-key chord progression that augment its impact, it offers one of Neil's most profound lyrics, the first stanza of which ranks among the finest ever to come from his pen"

Mike Oldfield - tears of an angel, 2005

"The album offers two genres of music for two different moods, a division which Oldfield created by making two CDs of music. The first nine tracks are dubbed "Light" and feature brighter and quiet pieces; the second half of the album is the "Shade" portion and brings in a much darker feel."

America - you can do magic live, 1985

"In early 2024, it was announced that Gerry Beckley would be retiring from touring to spend more time at home with his family. Andy Barr, who had done stints with the band in 2015, and again in 2016-2018, was being brought back to replace Gerry on the road."

Marcus Mumford - timshel live, 2017

“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Au Revoir Simone - the lucky one, 2006

"I don't remember exactly when or how I discovered Au Revoir Simone. It was definitely in university, and it may have been from some early version of those online music suggestion websites. This was, of course, before the days of streaming online radio sites like Last FM or Pandora or Songza or Apple Music or KillerSweetTunz or whatever is coming next. The site I used looked like a brainstorming web. You would put in an artist you liked, and then the bubbles around it would populate with a bunch of similar artists. Then you could click on one of those, and the web would grow with artists similar to the one you clicked. On it would go, filling bubbles with names of artists, until you realized that it had a very limited number of musicians in its bank and so you very quickly knew all of the recommendations and then were forced to move on with your life. Anyways, Au Revoir Simone would have been one of those early-days internet discoveries that I quickly fell in love with. The little chimes at the beginning of this song just sound like nostalgic, slightly sad happiness"

The Durutti Column - telephone call, 1985

"Durutti's fifth studio album finds the core Reilly/Mitchell/Kellet/Metcalfe lineup of the mid-'80s still in excellent form, steering back from the lengthy excursion of Without Mercy in favor of shorter songs typical of Durutti's other recorded work. While the overall style and mood of the performers had little changed, Reilly in particular remains a master of his art, able to progress and experiment without making a big deal of it, and whose sound remains so unique still that almost any recording of it is worthwhile."

REM - wendell gee, 1985

"Wendell Gee, 69, of 695 John B. Brooks Rd., died Saturday, November 25, 1995. A native of Jackson, Ga., Mr. Gee was a son of the late Roy Gee, Sr. and Emma Fowler Gee and widow of Jenny Gee. He operated Wendell Gee Used Cars in Pendergrass and was a member of endergrass Baptist Church. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and was a member of the American Legion and the Georgia Sheriff's Association. He was preceded in death by a son, Randall Gee. Survivors include his wife, Lois Smith Gee; a daughter, Elaine Watson; a stepdaughter, Rebecca Skinner; two sons, Ronnie Gee and Ricky Gee; a stepson, Patrick Garrett; a brother, Roy Gee, Jr.; 14 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren."

The Radio Dept - heaven's on fire, 2010

"Even as music from Sweden becomes critically and commercially recognized, many fantastic acts from the country still fly under the radar. A number of these bands reside on the venerable twee-leaning Labrador label, including the long-running fuzz-pop trio the Radio Dept., who have released just two full-lengths (along with a number of EPs) over their 15-year career. Their 2003 debut Lesser Matters was well received, and they landed three songs to the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. But for the most part, bandleader Johan Duncanson and whoever's playing with him have been quietly refining their own soft-focus, shoegaze-indebted sound, occasionally adding drum machines or synthesizers for a slight change of pace."

Lily Allen - the fear, 2008

"I was walking down this street, in this village in the middle of the countryside in the U.K., and there was this little girl who must have been eight or nine, walking down the street with her mum in, like, high-waisted hot pants and a little crop top. And I just thought, 'That's not really right.' And I could tell she was the kind of girl that would be trying out for Pop Idol in five years time, and wants to be famous when she grows up. And there's definitely the whole culture of that where I come from, and it's not necessarily a culture that I think is particularly healthy. But at the same time, I'm very aware that I am a part of that culture – but it's not something that I feel particularly comfortable with."

Sétima Legião - por quem não esqueci, 1989

"It was one of the bands that marked the national music scene in the 80’s, both for the mix of styles they presented in their songs, as for the quality of some of their lyrics. Sétima Legião marked an era, and for that reason they occupy a prominent place in the history of Portuguese music. It was in 1982 that Rodrigo Leão (bass and keys), Nuno Cruz (drums) and Pedro Oliveira (vocals and guitar) began rehearsing on Avenida de Roma, running for the big night of Rock shortly after, managing to reach second place. They chose the name of Sétima Legião (the name of the Roman legion that came to Lusitania), and presented themselves mixing respect for national roots with the taste they had for English rock, even presenting some Celtic influences in their music."

The House Of Love - plastic, 1987

"‘The inspiration for the name of the band came from The Doors song, “The Spy”.’ Guy recalls. ‘I was a big Jim Morrison fan and he had been inspired by Anais Nin’s novel, A Spy In The House Of Love, to write “The Spy”. So, although the novel is where the name derives from it was filtered through The Doors song."

Soft Cell - happy happy happy, 2022

“Where did all our hopes go?” Marc Almond mourns on the opener to Soft Cell’s new album, Happiness Not Included. “All our naive dreams go?/ Were they just science-fiction stories?” The synth-pop duo were hardly upbeat to begin with, but this is downright miserable."

Pet Shop Boys - more than a dream, 2009

"Especially optimistic on an album full of optimistic songs, "More Than a Dream" sounds in some ways downright utopian. The Boys have confirmed that the lyric was partly inspired by the 2008 U.S. presidential election—specifically the candidacy of Barack Obama—and the feelings of hope and anticipation surrounding it, not just in the United States, but in other countries as well."

The Carpenters - reason to believe cover, 1970

"The Carpenters recorded "Reason to Believe" for their second LP, Close to You, in 1970. On television, the duo performed their version on The 5th Dimension Travelling Sunshine Show on August 18, 1971 and Make Your Own Kind of Music on September 7, 1971. Richard Carpenter remixed the song for the release of the 1995 compilation, Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration."

My Bloody Valentine - what you want, 1991

"the kind of distortion that we use, it's not classic rock distortion, or heavy metal distortion, it's super-rich harmonic distortion, so it has a kind-of psycho-acoustic affect that sounds loud."

Pope Francis speaking

I ask you to be vigilant against the temptation to cultivate a warlike spirit. Be vigilant lest you be poisoned by propaganda that instils hatred, divides the world into friends to be defended and foes to be fought.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 9, 2025

 

• Pope Francis often speaks against violence and war, aligning with his broader message of peace and reconciliation, which is evident in his World Day of Peace messages.
• The mention of being "poisoned by propaganda" relates to the ongoing global concern about misinformation and its role in fueling conflicts, as highlighted in discussions on hate propaganda and its legal implications.
• The post reflects Pope Francis's consistent stance on promoting a culture of peace, which has been a theme in his speeches, especially relevant in contexts like his homilies to armed forces or during significant religious events like the Jubilee.

 

Stars - how much more, 2010

"the album involves a loose concept about ghosts, with songs like “I Died So I Could Haunt You” and “He Dreams He’s Awake,” as it tips back and forth between melancholy yet shiny ballads and saturated, coffeehouse dance music."

Ozark Henry - eventide, 2010

"Hvelreki is the sixth studio album of Ozark Henry, released in October 2010. It is the first Ozark Henry album for EMI Music. Hvelreki is an Icelandic phrase that means 'good luck' and literally translates as: 'May a whole whale wash up on your beach.'"

Elton John - daniel, 1973

"Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics after reading an article in either Time or Newsweek about a Vietnam War veteran who had been wounded, and wanted to get away from the attention he was receiving when he came back home."

Azure Ray - look to me, 2003

"Whatever became of all the broken-hearted story tellers? Did being talked to by the TV for our entire childhood really kill our ability to talk back about how we really feel? If it wasn’t for those folks at Saddle Creek - producing soundtracks to the shy techno-trapped worlds of noughties indie-kids - the answer would be a doe-eyed, mumbled, 'yes'. But praise be to the Omaha music scene."

The Durutti Column - at first sight, 1991

"Over time, the group made a noticeable shift in a more artificial-sounding direction, and the crystalline guitar licks and tribal rhythms that once defined their sound became more or less usurped by the Reilly’s newfound affinity for synthesizers, sequencers, and cheesy-sounding drum machines."

Del Amitri - deceive yourself, 1985

"But in my head if no-one else’s, there was an immediate connection between two pieces of art of equal personal significance, one from long ago, one from just yesterday. Thank you for prompting that connection."

Saint Etienne - sycamore, 2000

"Compared to her breathy, often off-key delivery on So Tough, Cracknell’s voice has also gained sensitivity with age. On the beautiful ‘Sycamore’, she sings of remembrances fondly — "I’m thinking of them, I’m thinking of streams/Through the air the night was so long and dizzy" — before striking a gorgeously menacing note at its finish: "Let’s travel again to fall upon three chimneys/Well, the door was low, you were mistaken."

Hooverphonic - this strange effect cover, 1998

"This Strange Effect" is a song written by Ray Davies of The Kinks, and released first by Dave Berry in July 1965. The single was released in the United States in September 1965. It reached No.1 in the Netherlands, but peaked at No.37 on the UK Singles Chart. A studio recording was never officially released by The Kinks, but live recordings exist. An in-studio BBC recording by the Kinks from August 1965 was released in 2001 on BBC Sessions 1964-1977. Bill Wyman covered the track for his 1992 album Stuff. This version can also be found on A Stone Alone: The Solo Anthology 1974-2002. Belgian band Hooverphonic covered the song in 1998 for their album, Blue Wonder Power Milk. Their version of "This Strange Effect" was released as a single and was featured in the American television advertisement for the Motorola SLVR."

Editors - an end has a start, 2007

"An End Has a Start" is the title track and second single from Editors' second album. The single was released on 3 September 2007 on CD, maxi-CD and 7" vinyl. The B-side "Open Up" first appeared on the Japanese edition of the album as a bonus track. The song was used by the American Movie Channel as the backtrack in a montage style commercial, giving the track considerable exposure that it otherwise would not have received. It has also been covered by German folk metal band In Extremo on their 2008 album, Sängerkrieg."

Pet Shop Boys - listening, 2012

"Chris and Neil wrote and demoed this song during the early 2012 sessions for their album Elysium, but then decided to offer it to Morten Harket, the former lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop band A-ha, best known outside their native land for their big 1985 hit singles "Take on Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV." Harket himself is famed for what's described (quite accurately) in Wikipedia as his "extraordinary" vocal range, so powerfully exemplified in the falsetto notes he hits at the end of each chorus in "Take on Me." (Incidentally, A-ha subsequently reformed, allowing Harket once again to assume his role as lead singer of the band.) Harket included this rich, evocative midtempo ballad on his fifth solo album, Out of My Hands, released in April 2012. He apparently initiated the contact with the Boys, approaching them with a request for a new song. According to the Boys' official website, they offered "Listening" to him because they felt it "would suit his voice." Considering that Neil has said, "Morten Harket has a fantastic voice and A-ha has been one of our favorite bands for many years," it's not surprising that they would respond favorably to his request. But, as they have done so often in the past, the Boys subsequently released their own version of the song, offering it as one of the bonus tracks on their single "Memory of the Future."

America - amber cascades, 1976

"Amber Cascades" is a song written by Dewey Bunnell and performed by America. It reached number 17 on both the U.S. and the Canadian adult contemporary charts, number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 82 on the Canadian pop chart in 1976. It was featured on their 1976 album, Hideaway. The song was produced and arranged by George Martin."

The Walkmen - i lost you, 2008

"It's not a showy record, but one that when peeled apart reveals itself to be a darker and more engaging album than on first listen. But not only that, as it might also be the best thing they've ever done."

The Charlatans - no one not even the rain, 1992

"New songs mingled with old first album favourites. I definitely got to hear the little played Chewing Gum Weekend, a track I always liked on ‘Between 10th & 11th’. Paired with ‘(No One) Not Even The Rain’ I think the two are a great outro to the album."

Stars - calendar girl, 2004

"Sometimes the packaging is too big for the small sentiments, with the title track rattling inside so many pretty bows and colour. But most of these powerful pop songs bloom to match the intensity of the feelings they lament."