The Style Council - the lodgers or she was only a shopkeepers daughter extended mix, 1985

"As well as the song's single release, it has featured on various compilation albums released by the Style Council. The song was included on The Singular Adventures of The Style Council, The Complete Adventures of The Style Council, and Greatest Hits."

Roger Waters - wish you were here live, 2025

"Waters has noted that the collaboration between himself and Gilmour on the song was "really good. All bits of it are really, really good. I'm very happy about it." Gilmour has playfully called "Wish You Were Here" "a very simple country song" and stated that "because of its resonance and the emotional weight it carries, it is one of our best songs."

Yndling - before it gets dark, 2025

"The song is part of a five-track EP that blends dreamy synths, reverb-heavy guitars, and introspective lyrics, characteristic of Yndling’s style inspired by bands like Mazzy Star and Beach House."

Sufjan Stevens - run away with me, 2020

"The Ascension is more weary than angry, with Stevens fighting against hopelessness while trying to cheer himself with kaleidoscopic arrangements as danceable as anything in his catalog."

Genesis - in the wilderness, 1969

"Songs which were primarily or wholly written by Banks-Gabriel include "The Serpent", "The Conqueror", "In Limbo", and "The Silent Sun", while songs which were primarily or wholly written by Phillips-Rutherford include "In the Wilderness". "Window" is a rare example of significant collaboration between the pairs; the music was composed on the roof of Thomas's house by Phillips and Rutherford, and the lyrics were written by Gabriel."

Sintra, hoje, 6 de Junho de 2025, há uns minutos atrás

Frank Turner - the fastest way back home, 2009

"My skin has thickened. I've got much better at weathering internet storms – and they pass very quickly. The internet is, generally speaking, a fantastic thing, a wonderful boon for humanity. It gives everyone a voice, which is a double-edged sword. The instinctive egalitarian democrat in me thinks that's a good thing, but at the same time it means that every bored, ignorant, bile-filled arsehole can send me hatemail. And they do."

Sufjan Stevens - video game, 2020

"Video Game" is a song written, recorded, and produced by American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens for his eighth studio album, The Ascension (2020). It was released as the album's second single on August 13, 2020, through Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty label. It has been called a synth-pop song with lyrics that describe the effects of social media upon society."

Zager And Evans - in the year twenty-five twenty-five, 1969

"In the Year 2525" is a song about the journey of mankind over a 10,000-year span. It predicts that man's thoughts, relationships and body will be negatively impacted by technological advances and ends with man's extinction."

Fait-divers on the brain and the music

Mystery of 101-year-old master pianist who has dementia. When it comes to music in general, we don’t have a great sense of where it exists in the brain.

Fait-divers on attention and consciousness

Attention is a series of beginnings, those mental rebirths that occur in consciousness when it heeds time’s instants.

Fait-divers on the mind and the brain

The mind isn’t locked in the brain but extends far beyond it. If the mind is not bounded by the brain or the skin, where does it stop? What is the boundary line?

Fait-divers: Brian Eno, the universe and music

"He was investigating the structure of the universe, not inspired by music, but with music."

Fait-divers by Charlie Chaplin

"Look up to the sky. You'll never find rainbows if you're looking down." (Charlie Chaplin)

The Beatles - all my loving, 1963

"It was the first song [where] I'd ever written the words first. I never wrote words first, it was always some kind of accompaniment. I've hardly ever done it since either."

Bear's Den - longhope, 2019

“We wanted to make an EP that felt intimate, nostalgic and felt united by the theme of winter. It was a chance between albums for us to work on and explore something more musically sparse and lyrically reflective, working with our longtime friend, collaborator, and producer Ian Grimble. The EP is a collection of songs united by a sense of what winter means to us. In all its beauty, sadness, stillness and its ability to transform and bring things back to life.”

Pink Floyd - embryo, 1970

"Embryo" (sometimes called "The Embryo") is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It was written by Roger Waters, recorded in 1968, and regularly performed live in 1970–71, but never released on any regular Pink Floyd album. A studio version appeared in 1970 on the rare multi-artist album Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air, which was reissued in 2007, and the 1983 band compilation Works. Live performances expanded on the studio original, stretching beyond ten minutes. Multiple renditions of "Embryo" appeared on the band's 2016 box set The Early Years 1965–1972; two versions were also included on the smaller 2-disc compilation The Early Years 1967–1972: Cre/ation."

Mojave 3 - who do you love, 1998

"Rolling Stone called the album "stunning" and "an unerring collection of floating, giant little moments." The Washington City Paper wrote that the album "showcases [Neil] Halstead’s considerable songwriting talent." The A.V. Club praised the band's "subtle and simple, yet surprisingly full-sounding, instrumentation, which includes doses of organ, horns, and pedal-steel guitar."

Guillemots - ice room, 2010

"Ice Room" is a song by the indie rock band Guillemots, featured on their 2011 album Walk the River. The track, written by the band, explores themes of emotional vulnerability and the struggle to let go, set against a backdrop of vivid imagery."

Fait-divers on art and attitude

Art isn't there to change your life, but how to look at it.

Fait-divers on art and chaos

Art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos.

Fait-divers on art

A real work of art destroys, in the consciousness of the receiver, the separation between himself and the artist.

Fait-divers by Muhammad Ali

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." (Muhammad Ali)

Coldplay - a head full of dreams, 2015

"The song "fades in with distantly chiming bells, a synthetic dance pulse, a drum set shuffling complicatedly, and a guitar repeatedly drawing a high, short melody".

Public Service Broadcasting - late night final, 2013

"Inform - Educate - Entertain is the first album by alternative British group Public Service Broadcasting. It features samples from the British Film Institute (BFI) and The National Archives (UK) and features themes from the first expedition of Mount Everest, the invention of colour television, road safety, fashion, the creation of the Spitfire plane and Thomas Woodrooffe's 1937 radio broadcast at the Spithead Review."

The Beatles - all you need is love live, 1967

"Broadcast at the height of the Vietnam war, Our World was the first live multinational satellite TV production. 14 countries participated, with The Beatles representing the UK."

Fait-divers on Love

A physician once said, "the best medicine for humans is love". Someone asked: "what if it doesn’t work?" He smiled and said: "Increase the dose."

Fait-divers

When you read a statistic, of any kind, be sure to ask how – and more importantly, why – the statistic was generated.

Fait-divers: humour on pessimism

Pessimism is the art of feeling worse when things get better.

Fait-divers on kindness and education

If you reward a baby with a gift for being kind, the propensity to help will decrease by up to 40 percent.

Fait-divers on peace by Elie Wiesel

“Peace is our gift to each other.” - Elie Wiesel

Fait-divers on silence by Paul Goodman

"the musical silence that accompanies absorbed activity"

Fait-divers on attitude by Gerry McCann

"Beware of trying to influence others by superficial tricks. Character ethic is deep and real." (Gerry McCann)

Fait-divers on attitude

What we perceive depends on what we look for.

Fait-divers on cynicism by Maria Popova

"Cynicism is a hardening, a calcification of the soul. Hope is a stretching of its ligaments." (Maria Popova)

Fait-divers on attitude by Ghandi

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. (Ghandi)

Fait-divers on randomness

"A random universe is hard to prove.”

“The statistical definition of random would be that two events are entirely unconnected”

"in reality, it’s almost impossible to prove that two events are unconnected"

random = we don't know? (there’s a problem with using the word "random")

Fait-divers on ego by Eckhart Tolle

“The moment you become aware of the ego in you, it is strictly speaking no longer the ego, but just an old, conditioned mind-pattern. Ego implies unawareness. Awareness and ego cannot coexist.” (Eckhart Tolle)

Laurent Voulzy - rockollection zero zero eight, 2008

"Rockollection 008" is a 2008 re-release by French artist Laurent Voulzy, celebrating the 30th anniversary of his 1977 hit "Rockollection." The song, originally a nostalgic blend of French lyrics by Alain Souchon and covers of 1960s English-language hits, was reimagined in this version with a duration of 15:43. It’s part of the album Recollection, certified platinum in France. For the first time, Voulzy included a French song, Michel Polnareff’s "L’Amour avec toi," alongside covers like The Beatles’ "Ticket to Ride," The Troggs’ "With a Girl Like You," and The Buggles’ "Video Killed the Radio Star." The tracklist features classics such as "Paint It, Black," "Eleanor Rigby," and "California Dreamin’."

Ozark Henry - it's in the air tonight, 2010

“Early in my career, I met David Bowie. He taught me that ego doesn’t matter. It is the work connecting us – the music we leave behind – that matters most. I never forgot this lesson.”

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - stay, 2017

"From the initial rush to the all-too-familiar crash, the Pains have spent the better part of a decade charting the highs and lows of young love. But Berman, like many of us, isn’t quite so young anymore. What happens when all the love in your life is no longer as fleeting as a three-minute pop tune? Echo of Pleasure tries to get to the heart of the matter."

Belle And Sebastian - black and white unite, 2002

"Much like the film Storytelling itself, which was drastically edited and censored before finally reaching theaters at a running time just short of 90 minutes, Belle & Sebastian's music for the movie barely appeared in the final cut. All of their work appears on Storytelling, for better or worse - it's an occasionally jumbled, yet undeniably pleasant, collection that unsurprisingly feels like a hybrid of a proper Belle & Sebastian album and a more traditional film score. The strings, horns, and harmonicas that drive instrumental tracks like "Freak," "Night Walk," "Consuelo," and "Fuck This Shit" have a definite retro vibe that also extends to songs like "Wandering Alone" and "Black and White Unite," which sounds a bit like the band covering Simon & Garfunkel's soundtrack for The Graduate."

Fait-divers: God and Thomas Merton

Infinite sharing is the law of God’s inner life. (Thomas Merton)

Bear's Den - conversations with ghosts, 2019

“I wrote this while I was in Mexico. I was surrounded by Mexican culture and became fascinated in their perception of death with, for example, the Day of the Dead. I wanted to know more about it and read the book Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo. The story is about a guy who goes back to his family’s town which had turned into a ghost town. In the story, you don’t know who’s alive and who’s dead because they’re all communicating with each other. Coincidentally, I’d read another book just before that one called Lincoln in the Bardo, which is set in a graveyard and follows ghosts who talk to each other. All these stories were going around in my head in Mexico came together in this one song.”

Mint Julep - holding on, 2025

"Dream Shoegaze at its best. Close your eyes and let the dreams flow in."

Pet Shop Boys - i get along, 2002

"Written as a love song, Neil Tennant has stated that "I Get Along" is also a commentary on the then fraught relationship between British prime minister Tony Blair and New Labour architect Peter Mandelson after the latter had to resign again from the British Cabinet when he was involved in a second major scandal. It is the first in a trilogy of songs about Blair, followed by "I'm with Stupid" (2006) and "Legacy" (2009). The phrase "rock royalty" was inspired by t-shirts worn by Stella McCartney and Liv Tyler at the 1999 Met Gala, and the line, "The big boys are back and we need them", came from an interview with Richard Ashcroft in NME. The song, like its parent album, also stands in contrast to the Pet Shop Boys' predominantly electronic catalogue of songs. It opens with a piano and features a rock-style guitar, played by Johnny Marr, with percussion by Jody Linscott and bass guitar by Steve Walters. There are only sparse actual synthesised sounds in the song."

Mazzy Star - fade into you, 1993

"Fade into You" is a song by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star from their second studio album, So Tonight That I Might See (1993). The song was written by lyricist Hope Sandoval and composer David Roback, who also served as producer. The song reached number three on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1994 and is Mazzy Star's only single to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 44. The song also charted at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart and number three in Iceland. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "Fade into You" at number 468 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Pitchfork included the song at number 19 on their list of the "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". Australian alternative music radio station Triple J ranked the song the 32nd greatest of 1994."

Fait-divers on attitude

Before speaking, ask yourself: is this true? is this kind? is this necessary? is this helpful? If the answer to one of these questions is no, stay silent.

Fait-divers on attention and love

With the utmost love and attention the man who walks must study and observe every smallest living thing.

Fait-divers

Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.

The Flaming Lips - fight test, 2002

"I am really sorry that Cat Stevens thinks I'm purposefully plagiarising his work. I am ashamed. There is obviously a fine line between being inspired and stealing. But if anyone wanted to borrow part of a Flaming Lips song, I don't think I'd bother pursuing it. I've got better things to do. Anyway, Cat Stevens is never going to make much money out of us."

Sufjan Stevens - tell me you love me, 2020

"This song is lyrically and melodically simple, but sometimes less is more."

Fait-divers on attitude

The biggest gift you can give is to be absolutely present.

Fait-divers: Meet the philosopher ducklings that indulge in abstract thought

“This remarkable research demonstrates that baby ducklings spontaneously notice abstract relationships in the world around them,” says Elizabeth Brannon at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “Most people are aware that a baby duck will imprint on a random object – that is, they will follow it around as if it were their mother – but this shows that they can actually imprint on a concept as well, and without any training.” Kacelnik doubts whether it would be possible to engender abstract thought in older ducklings and ducks, given that the motivation to grasp the information is instinctive after hatching. “Logic dictates it would be more difficult after filial imprinting is complete,” he says."

Fait-divers

Clouds are in love with horizons.

Fait-divers by Thomas Merton

We live in a state of constant semiattention to the sound of voices, music, traffic, or the generalized noise of the happenings around us. (Thomas Merton)

Fait-divers by Niels Bohr

Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it. (Niels Bohr)

Fait-divers by Milan Kundera on kitsch

"In the realm of totalitarian kitsch, all answers are given in advance and preclude any questions." - Milan Kundera

Fait-divers on cynicism

Cynicism is simple but unhelpful. Instead, embrace a different perspective to learn and evolve.

Fait-divers - thoughts

When all of our external conditions are stripped away, be they fortuitous or wretched, who are we?

Fait-divers on interpretation

Once a poem is made available to the public, the right of interpretation belongs to the reader.

Ride - i don't know where it comes from, 1994

"Carnival of Light is the third studio album by British rock band Ride, released in June 1994 via Creation Records. The album is named after a lost song by the Beatles. The album showcased the band's shift from shoegazing to a more traditional, folk rock sound. It was well received by some critics, magazine Select calling it "another fantastic British album in the old tradition" and reached the UK Top 5. However, by the end of 1994 even the band members had become disillusioned, referring to it amongst themselves as "Carnival of Shite", although in a 2022 interview Andy Bell stated that he had "made peace with it."

Fait-divers by Sylvia Plath

Then bed, and again the luxury of dark. (Sylvia Plath)

Fait-divers on attitude

All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

Fait-divers by Vala Afshar and attitude

We are defined by how we *respond* to adversity. (Vala Afshar)

Fait-divers by Pope Francis on our common humanity

Each one of us can be a bridge of encounter between diverse cultures and religions, a way to rediscover our common humanity. (Pope Francis)

Fait-divers: society

Finally, rich people convinced poor people that their greatest enemies are even poorer immigrants.

I Break Horses - ascension, 2014

"Ascension" is a song by the Swedish duo I Break Horses, from their 2014 album Chiaroscuro, released by Bella Union. The track features an '80s synth-pop sound with Maria Lindén’s vocals blending into a lush, atmospheric soundscape, evoking themes of love and forgiveness. Critics describe it as optimistic and dreamy, with a layered, electronic texture that contrasts with darker tracks on the album."

Fine Young Cannibals - i'm not the man i used to be, 1988

"Written by lead vocalist Roland Gift and bassist David Steele, "I'm Not the Man I Used to Be" contains prominent drum beats with keyboards and finger-picked guitar accompaniment. The song utilises, throughout the track, a sample from "Funky Drummer" by James Brown. Allmusic writer Jo-Ann Greene described the song as having "a futuristic jungle beat and an almost housey production".

Fait-divers on the attention of the universe

We might have come along so that the universe could look at itself... we’re almost obliged to pay attention.

Enya - it's in the rain, 2005

"A small oasis. A harbour. A haven. The sound of the rain can soothe the mood. Quiet moments of reflection and imagination."

Fait-divers on attention

To be a moral human being is to pay, be obliged to pay, certain kinds of attention.

Fait-divers by Pope Francis on Love

Love, by its nature, is communication; it leads to openness and sharing. (Pope Francis)

Fait-divers by Martin Luther King on peace

"violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers."

REM - imitation of life, 2001

"In the booklet for R.E.M.'s 2003 "best of" album, In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003, the band states that the song's title comes from Douglas Sirk's 1959 film of the same name, which none of the band members had ever watched, and that the title is a metaphor for adolescence and adulthood."

Fait-divers on thoughts

"It’s not clear how your brain decides which are the right connections, but it’s obvious that the farther your brain can roam, the better. Research has shown that your brain builds bigger creative webs when you’re in a positive mood. This makes sense, because when you’re anxious you’re less likely to take a chance on creativity. Even when resting or taking a break, anxious brains tend to obsess on linear solutions. This may be part of the reason that when you bring a way to record your thoughts into the equation—such as a notebook, voice recorder or word processor—the thoughts worth recording become scarce."

Beirut - fountains and tramways, 2007

"Pompeii is an EP by Beirut, released in 2007. It features only the work of Zach Condon and pre-dates the Gulag Orkestar debut album. While initially only available exclusively through eMusic and Rough Trade Digital, it later could be found on iTunes and Amazon. The Amazon version included a third song called "Monna Pomona". The album cover features Zach Condon (on the left) and his younger brother Ross Condon (on the right)."

Bear's Den - napoleon, 2016

"I’ve never really talked about the lyrics of ‘Napoleon’. It’s a song about my mother who has struggled with an alcohol addiction for a long time and most recently has also been struggling with dementia. When clearing out and moving her into an assisted care home from her old house a few years ago now, I stumbled onto this old wooden pencil case that belonged to my grandmother, my mother’s, mother. It was clearly from back when she was a kid at school and she’d carved the words ‘it’s not too late to mend’ onto the pencil case and when i saw those words, I totally fell apart. It was like she was talking to us from beyond the grave or something and in seemingly such a difficult moment, she was out of nowhere saying something so intrinsically positive and fundamentally true."

John McKeag - if cover, 2013

John McKeag · IF (Pink Floyd cover)

 

"I was born. Then I did some stuff. I'm still doing some stuff. I hope to do stuff for some time longer but Tomorrow Never Knows...."

Pink Floyd - if, 1970

"Written and sung by Roger Waters, like "Grantchester Meadows" before it, "If" carries on a pastoral and folky approach, but instead deals with introspection."

Bear’s Den - auld wives, 2016

"The new track, which presents a dynamic progression from their folk roots, is a deeply personal one to singer Andrew Davie who explains its meaning: “Where my grandparents live in Scotland, and where my mum grew up, there’s this cottage I used to go to write. It’s always been a bit of an escape for me but also reminds me a lot of growing up, which has always been a trigger for me with songwriting. Nearby there’s three rocks called the Auld Wives Lifts. No one knows how they got there, and there are faces carved into the rocks. There’s all sorts of folk tales around them that have stayed with me growing up. The song is about my grandad who lived near there. He developed Alzheimer’s in his old age. Knowing someone, and them not knowing you any more, is a difficult thing to go through. Auld Wives became this way of talking about it, of venting about that feeling, and make more sense to me.”

Stars - what the snowman learned about love, 2003

“What The Snowman Learned About Love” is a lyric book that I illustrated for a song of the same title by the band Stars. It’s a very short but beautiful song about how a snowman falls in love with the sun, but due to the sun’s heat begins to melt and eventually dies. While the story is quite dark, the song is written in a really sweet and almost lighthearted way. It is sad but beautiful."

Stars - this is the last time, 2014

"The track features the band’s signature blend of introspective lyrics and lush, electronic-infused pop melodies. It was written by Torquil Campbell, Amy Millan, and other band members, reflecting themes of love, closure, and emotional finality."

The Style Council - long hot summer live, 1984

"The Style Council is rock’s most underrated band of all-time. Many of you will be scratching your heads at that statement. How in the heck can a man who grew up in Central Indiana, spent four short years in Southwestern Ohio, then moved back to his hometown, the one in which our said hero claimed to which he would never return, to raise his family, ever hear of the UK-centric and generally altogether European artist The Style Council?"

Cemeteries - nightjar, 2015

"The whole basic idea is that this witch was burned in this small town and then 100 years later she's returning to punish the sins of the people's forefathers that killed her. In a weird way that's kind of the overarching thing but I also don't really like to say that because there's so many other little ideas in there."

Fait-divers by C. S. Lewis

Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief. (C. S. Lewis)

Fait-divers

Nothing is easier than having an opinion and nothing is harder than changing it.

Del Amitri - i won't take the blame, 1992

"Justin Currie was born in Glasgow and established the band Del Amitri in the early 1980s[1] after putting up a sign in a music shop asking for other people who could play instruments to get in contact with him."

Echo And The Bunnymen - in the margins, 2005

"In the Margins" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen that was released on 31 October 2005 in the UK and on 3 November 2005 in the US It was the second single to be released from the 2005 album, Siberia. It reached number 226 on the UK Singles Chart."

Sufjan Stevens - ativan, 2020

"Lorazepam, sold under the brand name Ativan among others, is a benzodiazepine medication. It is used to treat anxiety (including anxiety disorders), insomnia, severe agitation, active seizures including status epilepticus, alcohol withdrawal, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting."

Bear's Den - broken parable, 2016

"From start to end, this song is perfection. With excellent percussion, a very interesting electronic riff, and an unexpected melody on the choruses, I couldn’t find a moment of this song that warranted any criticism. The lyrics discuss loss and regret, providing an intimate look into the narrator’s insecurity."