Neil Young - my my hey hey out of the blue, 1979

"My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" is a song by Canadian musician Neil Young. An acoustic song, it was recorded live in early 1978 at the Boarding House in San Francisco, California. Combined with its hard rock counterpart "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)", it bookends Young's 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. Inspired by electropunk group Devo, the rise of punk and what Young viewed as his own growing irrelevance, the song significantly revitalized Young's career. The line, "it's better to burn out than to fade away" was taken from one of the songs of Young's bandmate in the short-lived supergroup The Ducks, Jeff Blackburn. It became infamous after being quoted in Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's suicide note. Young later said that he was so shaken that he dedicated his 1994 album Sleeps with Angels to Cobain."

James - getting away with it all messed up, 2001

"Getting Away with It (All Messed Up)", a slow-building indie rock track with a psychedelic bridge section. Davies said every instrument on the track was unintentionally out of tune. It talks about a guy called Daniel who saves a woman called Grace from drowning, and unbeknownst to him, saving her helps him save himself. Its original title was "Saving Grace"; the label had it changed as they reasoned the public wouldn't buy it with that title. A year after its release, it occurred to Booth that the song was about his son, whose middle name was Daniel, and his goddaughter Grace."

Saint Etienne - goodnight jack, 1998

"I recently discovered the band Saint Etienne and their album Good Humor. On the album there's a song called Goodnight Jack, which REALLY sounds like Current-era Tame Impala."

Dido - honestly ok, 1999

"This song always makes me sad, especially the line, But I'm so lonely I don't even want to be with myself anymore."

Demis Roussos - lost in love, 1980

"Asteroid 279226 Demisroussos, discovered by Russian amateur astronomer Timur Krjačko at the Zelenchukskaya Station in 2009, was named in his honor. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 14 May 2014 (MPC 88407)."

Postiljonen - go, 2015

"Stockholm-based dream-pop band Postiljonen, consisting of Norwegian singer Mia Bøe and Swedish multi-instrumentalists Daniel Sjörs and Joel Nyström Holm, have just unleashed a brand new single titled “Go!”. Following up on the previously released track “Wait”, “Go!” starts with a scream and turns quickly into an ecstatic dance track. An empowering mantra to make all your dreams come true, the track is a tour de force combining blissful synth-pop arrangements and ghostly, dreamy vocals."

Sambassadeur - the park, 2007

"Sambassadeur don't know whether to laugh or cry. Placing melancholy words on top of buoyant melodies isn't a new trick - and appears to have been made compulsory in Sweden, whence Sambassadeur hail - but done with pep, it can still charm. Opener The Park doesn't just go for tuneful buoyancy - it teeters on the brink of outright euphoria, even as Anna Persson breathily undercuts the joy with her vocal, while Final Say might as well be a lost Saint Etienne single."

Sintra, pôr-do-sol, 14 de Março de 2025, há uns minutos atrás

The Mary Onettes - the laughter, 2007

"The band describe it best themselves when they told us “Previous influences like The Cure and Joy Division have now been replaced by Sade, Whitney Houston, Peter Gabriel and Vangelis”. That just about sums it up doesn’t it? Put this one in the queue for your next new wave dance party."

The Housemartins - hopelessly devoted to them, 1988

"To me, it never mattered whether people got the lyrics or not. I didn’t have that snobbery. I listen to a record purely on the strength of the music and vocals, nothing to do with whether it says something profound or whatever. Like Smokey Robinson – there are all sorts of his songs that I’ve liked and then later on thought, “Jesus, what a good lyricist.” I still love Smokey. He could’ve been singing the alphabet for all I cared, the lyrics are an added bonus. But then, when people say to me, “I don’t like your politics,” I think, “So what?”

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - contender, 2009

"Though it is tempting to tag The Pains of Being Pure at Heart as dream pop, shoe gaze, or even twee, according to Kip Berman, they simply make pop music, "without hyphenation or any other strange and unnecessary caveats." Instead of allowing their vocals to be swallowed up under layers of effects, the male and female harmonies of Kip Berman and Peggy Wang-East ring out and become a real centerpiece of their music. Together, Berman and Wang-East sing about both saccharine-sweet topics like young love and some harder hitting topics like death, drugs, and heartache."

Belle And Sebastian - you're just a baby, 1996

"I wanted to talk about Tigermilk as an example of their oeuvre in general – as the raw, often forgotten diamond. It’s their debut album, though I actually came to B&S first through If You’re Feeling Sinister, having picked it up from Fopp when I moved to the West End for university and decided a B&S CD was a good way of immersing myself in local culture. Tigermilk reminds me of that lost and lonely summer feeling, walking around the city killing time before going to work, worrying about all the books I had to read before September, the people and things and memories I was in love with, that paranoid and desperate desire to write myself and indeed keep writing. It’s a lo-fi sort of album; it feels sweet and magical in that simple way, and you can tell that it marks the moment when the band discovered they had something special going on."

Del Amitri - here and now, 1995

"early Del Amitri was not something you could dance to. It was quite angular and odd. I remember that first gig and just looking at a sea of nodding heads. It was quite inspiring."

Stars - going going gone live, 2008

"The music here burns slow and then smolders - not unlike the piles of autumn leaves (under cold gray skies!) that dot the lyrics - and it's easy to imagine this music serving, for a lot of concertgoers, as a wistful memento of That Cold Night We Saw Stars."

Sintra e mar no Magoito, hoje, 14 de Março de 2025

Saint Etienne - haunted jukebox summer camp remix, 2012

"they clearly regard their first proper album since 2006's Tales From Turnpike House as some kind of recapitulation or theme statement--a looking back that's warmly affectionate but too cool to melt into nostalgia. Announcing her intentions with a striking half-spoken reminiscence of a fandom that began at 10, Sarah Cracknell devotes most of these songs to the young clubbers and music lovers she was and knew. But at times you suspect her subjects and personas are older, still caught up in the same dreams. And the subject of "Twenty Five Years" is the time in front of her. Her male partners Bob Stanley and Peter Wiggs provide reliable disco-inflected pop or vice versa that the remixers on the optional bonus disc trick up with more wit and fidelity than we who avoid remixes sagely expect"

Easterhouse - cargo of souls, 1986

"Easily the best political rock band of the 80s with jangly guitars and leftist politics! Through my teenage years my choice of music was pretty much an exclusive diet of fast and noisy hardcore punk rock... but there were a handful of exceptions. I loved a bit of folk music. My Grandads Wolfe Tones albums I still cherish along with my Mammy’s Johnny Cash ones but I also fell in love with bands like The Kinks, The Band Of Holy Joy and New F.A.D.S who i just liked the music. One band though that has been a constant for me throughout my life has been Easterhouse. Virtually unknown to the outside world their brand of cool indie guitar rock and absolute unashamed working class communist polemic as well as support for the Irish republican movement reached to the very core of me and I’ve been listening to them ever since"

Sintra, ontem, 12 de março de 2025, entardecer

Saint Etienne - burnt out car balearico mix, 1997

"Burnt Out Car" is a single by Saint Etienne. It was released by Heavenly Records on 22 September 2008 to promote the November 2008 release of the band's latest best of album, London Conversations: The Best of Saint Etienne. The release of London Conversations was eventually delayed to February. "Burnt Out Car" was originally slated to be a single in 1996 and remixes were commissioned. The release was eventually dropped but the Balearico Mix surfaced on the Casino Classics remix collection and the Continental album. The original mix was not released until 2006, when it appeared on the outtakes collection Nice Price."

Jason Isbell — children of children live, 2016

"Whether you grew up in a happy home or a hotbed of dysfunction, feelings and memories concerning family are always emotionally complex. There are purely happy moments, sad times and shared coping, and of course there's always guilt about things said or unsaid."

Simon And Garfunkel - bye bye love cover live, 1968

"Simon & Garfunkel included a live version of the song on their 1970 album Bridge over Troubled Water. Following the end of filming of Catch-22 in October, the first performance of their tour took place in Ames, Iowa. The concert included "Bye Bye Love", backed by the audience's hand clapping. Simon & Garfunkel were fascinated with its sound, so they repeated it a second time for a recording; while the first try failed, they liked the second attempt and included it on Bridge over Troubled Water."

Enya - on my way home single remix, 1995

"Enya's dreamy, angelic voice is sewn into a quasi-classical arrangement of strings and acoustic guitars. Her performance ultimately grounds the song, as the music takes flight and winds through countless highs and lows."

Pet Shop Boys - domino dancing extended version, 1988

"Neil says that the title of this song was inspired during a stay on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. "In the evening there was nothing to do except play dominoes; this friend of ours [their personal assistant and Chris's roommate, the late Pete Andreas] always used to beat us, and he used to do this celebratory dance."

Sufjan Stevens - blue bucket of gold remix, 2015

"I had quite a strange feeling about this at the beginning but in fact the song is also great with this electronic outfit"

Stars - heart radio edit, 2003

Paper Bag Records · STARS - Heart (radio edit)

 

"Set Yourself on Fire is full of such contradictory moments, using synths-and-strings arrangements to play up intra-band drama"

Pet Shop Boys - no time for tears seven inch mix, 2012

"Chris and Neil viewed this song from their Battleship Potemkin score as a possible single, and they went so far as to commission a couple of remixes, including one specifically hallmarked as a "seven-inch" mix. Nevertheless, someone decided against releasing it as a single."

The Moody Blues - the best way to travel bbc top gear session in search of the lost chord two thousand and eight release, 1968

"If the Moody Blues' most brazen, brave, and bold November 1967 mixture of conceptual rock and broad classical arrangements known as Days of Future Passed both saved their career and opened newer doors of sonic perception for them (and us) to walk through, then their mind-expanding July 1968 follow-up, In Search of the Lost Chord, truly cemented their position as purveyors of some of the headiest of mixes to essentially usher in a new era of progressive music."

Fine Young Cannibals - couldn't care more, 1985

"When Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger split from the rest of the English Beat to form General Public, guitarist Andy Cox and bassist Dave Steele originally advertised on MTV for a new lead singer for the Beat. When that didn't pan out, Cox and Steele hooked up with the unique vocalist Roland Gift and the trio formed the Fine Young Cannibals, issuing their self-titled debut album in 1985. Along the lines of early Everything But the Girl (the two groups share a producer, Robin Millar) with a heavier Motown influence, the songs on Fine Young Cannibals are uniformly strong."

Ozark Henry - out of this world, 2010

"Piet Goddaer (born 29 April 1970 in Kortrijk) is a Belgian musician, better known by his stage name Ozark Henry. As of June 2020, he has released nine studio albums under the name Ozark Henry. In 2001, he released the album To All Our Escapes under the name Sunzoo Manley, a collaboration with Frank Deruytter."

Saint Etienne - language lab, 2002

"By the new millennium, Saint Etienne had pivoted towards ambient music on Sound of Water (2000), while Finisterre (2002) and Tales from Turnpike House (2005) distilled these stylistic diversions and a return to their early influences. The 2010s, with Words and Music (2012) and Home Counties (2017), saw a contemporary update of their sound. The band incorporated samples for the first time in nearly two decades on I've Been Trying to Tell You (2021), which became their highest-charting album since 1994 at number fourteen."

James - protect me, 1992

"big, brash, unafraid, unashamed but also miserable, paranoid, eccentric and epically confused"

The Cure - lovesong acoustic version, 2001

"Smith originally wrote the song for his long-time girlfriend and then fiancée, Mary, as a wedding present."

REM - be mine, 1996

"At sound checks and ad hoc local studios, Michael Stipe preaches and exhorts more than he rambles or muses, Mike Mills spelunks with keybs, and Peter Buck pumps the folk-rock jangle that broadened Amerindie's first wave. Nothing epochal, and there's poetry in that--the poetry of a nominal community that has learned how to keep its dreams modest and enjoy them that way."

The Postmarks - eleven fifty-nine cover, 2008

"synthesis of the Dixie Cups and the Electric Prunes"

The House Of Love - beatles and the stones, 1990

"As one who loves the first half of the House of Love’s career, particularly the Creation period, believe me when I say that the performance on “Beatles and the Stones” is impeccable: it’s shuffly proto-Britpop loveliness with great vocals and moments of mellow-cello half-psych that border on charming pastiche."

Seapony - with you, 2011

"Seapony has the bleak sunniness of the end of summer, when the rays that have beating down for months start to feel almost feel oppressive and the world has a soft shimmer that needs to be viewed through a tight squint."

Cocteau Twins - bluebeard, 1993

"Bluebeard" marks a noticeable shift from previous Cocteau Twins releases, primarily in the form of Fraser's vocals that appear to be more understandable and less reliant on the "mouth music" approach that Fraser had adopted in previous recordings. Speaking about "Bluebeard", band member Robin Guthrie stated “Things don't influence us directly, but things do get through. To me, ‘Bluebeard’ sounds nothing like country music. It just sounds like us playing a twangy guitar. So it was really a guitar that created that song. A big guitar. It's just that if we do country it comes out sounding like Cocteau Twins. If we do anything it comes out sounding like Cocteau Twins.”

I'm From Barcelona - violins live, 2016

"Long awaited new cd from the Swedish group - and it is absolutely fabulous. As usual Emanuel Lundgren dominates, providing all the lyrics and music, producing and mixing and even providing the artwork for the excellent booklet.. His voice is as good as ever and the arrangements are once again imaginative and ear catching. Dig the tremendous bass figure on the opener Violins which also has the signature catchy chorus of IFB."

The Housemartins - the light is always green, 1987

"'The Light Is Always Green' offers a sharp critique of modern society's obsession with speed, materialism, and superficiality. The lyrics paint a picture of a world where people prioritize appearances and possessions over genuine human connections and meaningful experiences."

Stars - my radio am mix, 2001

"Stars reveal an obsession with stylish '80s rock on Nightsongs; the most obvious evidence is the band's cover of the Smiths' "This Charming Man." But that doesn't mean the Montréal group's debut sounds like it's from that decade. Drawing equally from new wave and the sophisticated electronic pop of acts such as Saint Etienne and Momus, Stars make every note painfully romantic."

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - dream of me based on love's theme, 1993

"Dream of Me (Based on Love's Theme)" is a song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released in July 1993 by Virgin Records as the second single from their ninth studio album, Liberator (1993). The song uses a sample from "Love's Theme", a 1973 instrumental piece recorded by Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. It was remixed by Gregg Jackman for release as a single and reached the top 30 in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom."

Cliff Richard - please don't tease live, 1960

"Please Don't Tease" is a 1960 song recorded by Cliff Richard and the Shadows. Recorded in March and released as a single in June, the song became their third No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart spending three weeks at the summit. The song was written by the Shadows' rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch together with Pete Chester."

New Order - regret sabres slow n low mix, 1993

"New Order's "Sabres Slow 'n' Low"" from the Weatherall Mixes, released in 1993 in tandem with the "Sabres Fast 'n 'Throb" remix". Today. we're feeling more "slow n' low"."

Marillion - misplaced rendezvous demo, 1998

"Touching upon his early childhood experiences and his inability to deal with a slew of bad breakups exacerbated by a never-ending series of rock star-type "indulgences," Misplaced Childhood would prove to be not only the band's most accomplished release to date, but also its most streamlined."

Stars - hold on when you get love and let go when you give it, 2012

"The song starts with whisper-like vocals and by the end it’s emotive; vocals want to burst out of the speakers. The single’s sound has a tinge of New Order, who the band has cited as an influence before."

Damien Jurado - onalaska, 2016

"Father John Misty talks about how you’ve almost created a religion. You’ve spoken about Maraqopa as a place of the mind. In the liner notes for the new album you write “All glory and praise be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Frazier Chorus - never wake up, 1991

"Brighton’s Frazier Chorus never got a whiff of top 40 action, and for at least the first act of their career it was largely down to bad timing. This is one of the more vexing things about pop – it’s entirely possible to record a brilliant album that’s completely in tune with the times, but by the time it’s actually released it’s hopelessly out of step with current trends."

The National - graceless, 2013

"‘Graceless’ sums up what makes the band so special – their ability to achieve (relative) success and exposure without compromising on their own artistic values. Any album since Alligator could have seen them stray toward the commercial end of the musical continuum, but instead they somehow managed to ignore the notion entirely and just produce high quality songs that seem designed for no purpose other than being as good as humanly possible."

The Decemberists - the legionnaire's lament, 2002

"The song takes place in a desert setting. Since the legionnaire is himself French (a sizable minority of legionnaires were not actually "foreign"), this desert is unlikely to be in Algeria, as that was considered part of France. It is probably intentionally vague."

Marillion - market square heroes alternative version, 1997

"the "market square hero" is a "would-be revolutionary with all the necessary charisma and presence of a leader without direction or goals, just a sense of frustration and anger"

Keane - the lovers are losing, 2008

"Now, I’ve never paid them much mind, let alone bought any of their guitarless records, but every bedwetter has its day and Keane’s arrived when they decided to beef up a bit, tighten up the songs and listen to a shedload of A-ha records. Because that’s what the best bits of Perfect Symmetry are – Scoundrel Days ‘08. ‘Spiralling’ was the eye-opener, the rather too eager Bowie-aper that put down an emphatic marker saying, “We’ve changed! We’re still pop, only more so, and look – guitar!” (seriously, it said that), but ‘The Lovers Are Losing’ has one of the most startlingly great choruses of the year so here it is."

Pet Shop Boys - here, 2002

"This song traces its genesis back to the Boys' musical Closer to Heaven. Originally titled "Home" (which does strike me as a more appropriate title), it was going to be sung by the characters of Vic and Billie to Dave as they try to console him after the death of Lee. Dave is seriously considering shucking it all and hopping back on the next boat back to Ireland. But Vic and Billie ask him to stay, persuading him that he has indeed found a home in London with his new friends and his new life: "You've got a home here." Neil, Chris, and their collaborator on the musical, Jonathan Harvey, decided to cut this number late in the show's development. Instead, it appears here in a modified form. The lyrics simply extol the importance of having a place you can call "home," a place where you feel safe, comfortable, and contented. The narrator is telling someone—obviously someone about whom he cares a great deal—that home is "here" with him."

Belle And Sebastian - the book of you, 2015

"We were living as cheaply as possible, but in that void of life ideas came in, and spirituality. I found God on the dole! I do wonder how our band would exist nowadays. The slight upside is that, with technology, people can record themselves to an amazing degree."

Hooverphonic - out of sight, 2000

"The band first set out to re-record "2Wicky" with Liesje's vocals for Stealing Beauty and that demo version was the one that was used in the movie and subsequently on the soundtrack. Hooverphonic began recording their first album in their home studio and in Galaxy Studios. British producer/mixer Roland Harrington (Soul II Soul, Björk, Simply Red, Catatonia) mixed A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular at Whitfield Studios in London. The album was released in Europe on July 29, 1996 and had its U.S. release on April 15, 1997."

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - gentle sons, 2009

"pure indie-pop to hold close to your heart."

Saint Etienne - tonight, 2012

"I confess to not being a huge Saint Etienne fan but great art has to be acknowledged and given credit for what it is worth. “Tonight” is one great pop single that the year 2012 will undoubtedly be remembered by for those that measure the greatness of music solely on the basis of its artistic merit."

Jethro Tull - requiem, 1975

"The album's title refers to the use of a minstrel's gallery in the great hall of castles or manor houses, inspired by a balcony in the recording space which is shown in a photo of the band on the back cover of the original LP. The minstrel analogy is used thematically in the lyrics of the title track and "Baker St. Muse". "Cold Wind to Valhalla" is based on elements of Norse mythology, such as the afterlife hall of Valhalla mentioned in the song's title and lyrics."

James - ring the bells, 1992

"Ring the Bells" was released as a single on 23 March 1992, with "Fight", "Once a Friend", and remixes of "Come Home"; the music video for "Ring the Bells" was directed by Scammell. In June 1992, the band performed at the Glastonbury Festival. James played their only UK headlining show of the year at an open-air concert at the Alton Towers leisure park on 4 July 1992, where they performed to a crowd of 30,000, with support from Public Image Ltd. Galliano was also due to support but had to pull out after weather conditions threatened to destroy the stage's roof."

Beach Fossils - caustic cross, 2013

"Imagine Joy Division, and now imagine that they were actually enjoyable to listen to and not dark and depressing"

Barclay James Harvest - spirit on the water, 1977

"Holroyd's 'Spirit on the Water', a very nice slow number, firmly rooted in the British pop- rock tradition, but wisely taken to an art rock level thanks to Wolstenholme's keyboard parts and the clever use of simplicity in the guitar riffs"

The Lightning Seeds - fingers and thumbs, 1996

"Fans of early Lightning Seeds hits like "Pure" and "Life of Riley" will recognize hints of them in the catchy "Like You Do," although Broudie has spiced things up considerably with a bit of techno."

The Cure - boys don't cry acoustic version, 2001

"Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by English rock band the Cure. It was first released in Japan on 7 November 2001, before being released in the UK and Europe on 12 November and then in the US the day after. The band's relationship with longtime label Fiction Records came to a close, and the Cure were obliged to release one final album for the label. Lead singer Robert Smith agreed to release a greatest hits album under the condition that he could choose the tracks himself. The band also recorded a special studio album released as a bonus disc to some versions of the album. The disc, titled Acoustic Hits, consists of the eighteen songs from the North American release re-recorded using acoustic instruments."