REM - it's a free world baby, 1992

"I don’t know why “It’s A Free World, Baby” is not on Out Of Time. It just doesn’t make sense. The song is distinct, fully formed, and superior to all but maybe four of the tracks that actually appear on the record, but something compelled R.E.M. to cast it aside. I suppose that it could be an issue of thematic consistency — though the arrangement most certainly fits the chamber pop aesthetic of Out Of Time, its oblique, infantilized lyrics stray far from the album’s theme of love and romance."

Brian Wilson - god only knows live for what love can do, 2009

"Brian Wilson, the heart of The Beach Boys, poured his soul into music that wrapped the world in warmth. His melodies, like "God Only Knows" or "Wouldn't It Be Nice," feel like a gentle wave carrying you through joy and heartache. He battled inner storms — mental health struggles, family pressures, and a relentless drive for perfection — yet crafted songs that shimmer with hope and vulnerability. His genius lies in those lush harmonies and raw emotion, a sound that feels like a hug from someone who’s been through it all. Even now, his work whispers: you’re not alone in your pain or your dreams."

Swiss Portrait - connection issues, 2025

"a single by Swiss Portrait, the music project of Edinburgh-based artist Michael Kay Terence, released in 2025. The song is the lead track from an upcoming EP set for release in September 2025. It was written and recorded in Terence’s home studio in Glasgow, mastered by Erik Thorsheim, and blends dream-pop and shoegaze elements with lo-fi guitar melodies. Lyrically, it explores the emotional weight of losing a loved one and the fear of an uncertain future, delivering a vulnerable reflection on human fragility."

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, Sé Catedral, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, ainda o Castelo ao longe com a Torre Sineira da Sé Catedral de Leiria, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, Castelo, Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Pena, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, vista do Castelo para a Sé Catedral ao longe, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, vista para os arcos de dentro do Castelo, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, Igreja de São Pedro, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, Castelo ao longe com a Torre Sineira da Sé Catedral de Leiria, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, tecto da Igreja da Misericórdia, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, Igreja da Misericórdia, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, Rio Lis, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Outros olhares: Portugal, Leiria, Castelo ao longe, dia 27 de Junho de 2025

Bee Gees - someone belonging to someone, 1983

"Someone Belonging to Someone" and the instrumental version of "I Love You Too Much" would become the second single off the Staying Alive soundtrack. Robin and Maurice are not clearly present on either of these songs. The musicians are not credited on the sleeve, but the single credits David Sanborn for the saxophone solo. Years later, Albhy Galuten recalled only that they were some of the usual session players they liked to use."

The Sound - iron years, 1987

"Thunder Up is the fifth and final studio album by English post-punk band the Sound, released in 1987 on Belgian record label Play It Again Sam. Two singles were released from the album: "Hand of Love" and "Iron Years". The album and its subsequent tour precipitated the band's breakup in early 1988. Like the Sound's previous records, the album was not commercially successful, but the band largely considered it to be their best work."

Stars - i died so i could haunt you, 2010

"I Died So I Could Haunt You" is a track from the 2010 album The Five Ghosts by the Canadian indie pop band Stars. The song, like much of the album, explores themes of love, loss, and the supernatural, wrapped in the band's signature lush, emotive sound. It features dreamy instrumentation and the interplay of vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan, with lyrics that evoke a haunting yet romantic longing."

Bee Gees - it's just the way, 1971

"The music all sounded meaningful, much of it displaying the same kind of faux-grandeur that the Moody Blues affected on their music of this era, the core group (playing pretty hard) acompanied by either Mellotron-generated orchestra or the real thing, with the group's soaring harmonies and Robin Gibb's quavaring lead vocals all over the place."

The Style Council - headstart for happiness live, 1986

"What “Headstart For Happiness” showed was that, at the very least, Weller hadn’t run out of melodies that spoke to me, and while it was less musically dense than the rest of the record, it was at least an entry point for his music moving forward."

The Beautiful South - i think the answer's yes, 1990

"The band’s music includes heavy doses of personal and public politics. This biting track is an indictment of the abuses of the political system and the crushing of the working class. Sung as sweetly as ever, it promises to do its best to bring down the power structure, seeing it as irrevocably corrupt. Although the narrator feigns fondness for the practitioners of greed, he assures the listener that his insider status merely allows him to find the quickest path to a better world. The answer is clearly “yes” and the question seems to be “do we need a revolution?”

Death Cab For Cutie - you moved away, 2018

"another realization that the Seattle scene Gibbard once knew and loved is no longer what it used to be comes to the forefront"

Per Sahlström - cross the line, 2009

"Per Sahlström is a Swedish songwriter and producer known for his melancholic yet catchy pop music with existential lyrics."

The Beatles - i'm looking through you anthology two version, 1996

"During October and November 1965, the Beatles recorded three versions of "I'm Looking Through You". Take 1 was recorded on 24 October and was slower than the version released on Rubber Soul, having a tempo of 132 beats per minute. It had a significantly different rhythm and lacked the "Why, tell me why..." middle eight of the final version. Take 1 was eventually released in 1996 on the Anthology 2 compilation. Take 1 also featured an electric twelve-bar blues jam, and a pitch centre in the key of G."

The Moody Blues - the night, 1967

“A lot of people grew up with that Days of Future Passed, along with our others, and in their own ways, they’re all fantastic.”

Moby - in my heart, 2002

“In My Heart” has a nice piano intro which is like Coldplay’s “Clocks” on acid. Tonnes of keyboards on this one and it’s quite an uplifting tune to boot. It’s definitely one of my faves."

The Flaming Lips - sunrise eyes of the young, 2017

"Coyne envisions a recreational wonderdrug from a not-so-distant future that induces a deep sleep, where the user's subconscious is transported into a fairy tale, childhood dreamscape. When they wake, they find themselves cured of life's personal and emotional problems."

Phil Collins - in the air tonight, 1981

"In the Air Tonight" remains one of Collins' best-known hits, often cited as his signature song, and is especially famous for its drum break towards the end, which has been described as "the sleekest, most melodramatic drum break in history" and one of the "101 Greatest Drumming Moments".

The New Pornographers - you tell me where, 2014

"This song was inspired by an a cappella version of Neil Young's "After The Gold Rush," by the English group Prelude, which was a hit in the early 1970s. The New Pornagraphers' A.C. Newman told Spin magazine: "It's got this thick wall of harmonies, which I kept coming back to when we were doing the song."

John Murry - things we lost in the fire, 2013

"Things We Lost in the Fire" is a track from John Murry's debut solo album, The Graceless Age, released in 2012 (UK) and 2013 (US/Australia). The song, clocking in at 6:12, is a haunting, introspective piece blending gothic country and folk elements, reflecting Murry’s struggles with substance abuse and personal loss."

Death Cab For Cutie - northern lights, 2018

"Northern Lights" is one of many tracks on Thank You for Today that coincidentally use seasons as metaphors for titles, alongside "Summer Years" and "Autumn Love". In the tune, Gibbard mentions Dyes Inlet, an inlet in western Washington, near Bremerton, where Gibbard grew up. In one live performance of the song, Gibbard dedicated the song to those living in Bremerton. In writing the track, Gibbard wanted to "write a song that was like a John Hughes movie that takes place in my hometown, about two people in this suburban wasteland with nothing to do who spend their time on this body of water, one pining for the other, yet both knowing that this place will be a temporary stop in a much longer life." The song features guest vocals from CHVRCHES vocalist Lauren Mayberry. Bassist Nick Harmer recalled that "She’s just got such great energy and her voice is incredible. She strolled into the studio one afternoon and just nailed it." Mayberry has since performed the song live with the band; their first time together was at the Anthem in Washington, D.C., on October 17, 2018."

The Style Council - when you call me live, 1986

"The Style Council was an English sophisti-pop band fronted by ex-Jam leader Paul Weller. Starting in 1983, they placed twelve songs on the UK Top 20, including “Speak Like a Child,” “Long Hot Summer,” “My Ever Changing Moods,” “Shout to the Top!,” and “The Lodgers.” Their popularity peaked with the 1984–85 Polydor albums Café Bleu and Our Favourite Shop. After their ambitious 1988 release Confessions of a Pop Group, Weller disbanded the group to launch a solo career."

Renaissance - can you understand live, 1976

"Live at Carnegie Hall is a 1976 live double album by the English progressive rock band Renaissance. It presented songs from all of the band's Annie Haslam-era studio albums thus far, including the forthcoming (at the time of the concerts) Scheherazade and Other Stories."

Red Sleeping Beauty - breaking up is easy, 2016

"Never heard of Red Sleeping Beauty before? They’re a Swedish group named after a song by 80’s Marxist band McCarthy? Still nothing? Well its little wonder, since they’ve been away for over two decades. Now they’re back after nearly 20 years with a brand new album, Kristina. Named as a tribute to band-member Kristina Borg, who has struggled with breast cancer over the past few years but is now doing well. Imagine, if you will, the fey lovelorn bittersweet male/female vocal interplay of Belle and Sebastian inter-playing with the sounds of early Pet Shop Boys and OMD, bathed in the modernist glow of Swedish sensitivity. Then you are someway to picturing the sound that Red Sleeping Beauty have concocted since their first releases in the early 90s."

Mew - introducing palace players, 2009

"Mew is a Danish alternative rock band from Copenhagen, formed in 1995. The band is made up of Jonas Bjerre (lead vocals), Johan Wohlert (bass) and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen (drums). From 1995 to 2015, the band also featured guitarist Bo Madsen, while bassist Wohlert left the band from 2006 to 2013. The band began to receive attention with their third album Frengers (2003). Whilst their music may be classified as indie and on occasion progressive rock, former guitarist Bo Madsen said "I usually say we are 'indie stadium.' A mix between 'feelings' and 'thinking' is usually good."

The Beatles - i'm a loser live, 1964

"Anyone who is one of the best in his field - as Dylan is - is bound to influence people." This statement from John Lennon in 1964 indicated where he placed the credit for his change in songwriting style. While other songs written earlier that year touched on aspects of the Bob Dylan sound (such as the puffing harmonica on "I Should Have Known Better"), the first Lennon song that is openly credited by all sources as being musically and lyrically influenced by Bob Dylan is the second track on the British "Beatles For Sale" album, "I'm A Loser."

The Housemartins - i bit my lip, 1987

"I Bit My Lip" by The Housemartins was released as the B-side to their 1987 single "Me and the Farmer" on Go! Discs (catalog: GOD 19). It’s a jangle pop/indie pop track, consistent with their sound, featuring Paul Heaton’s socially aware lyrics about aspiration and frustration in a working-class context. The song’s lyrics, like “I bit my lip until it bled / ‘Yes please’ was all I ever said,” reflect themes of suppressed emotion and hope for a better life."

Neil Young - just singing a song, 2009

"Inspired by his long term hobby of tinkering with vintage automobiles, he and a friend decided to convert a 1959 Lincoln Continental to green fuel substitutes and then drive it across the States. In amongst the fairly uptempo, four-to-the-floor chug and dirty funk of car-related fare such as Johnny Magic (a strangely backing vocal-ed tribute to his partner in grime: Jonathan Goodwin), Get Behind The Wheel and the title track we get a few broadsides at the state of the economy (Cough Up The Bucks). Only Just Singing A Song appraoches his more pastoral side. Much like Greendale or Living With War this is Neil just following his muse because he can and screw the critics. The results may not be pretty (one suspects that despite Prairie Wind's gentle flow, Neil doesn't really like to do pretty any more). There's little of his wild fretboard explorations either. But as companion piece to greater, more focussed work like Sleeps With Angels, this rusty bit of rock buffs up quite nicely."

James - all i’m saying, 2014

"All I’m Saying is the tenth and final track on the 2014 James album La Petite Mort. A radically changed radio edit of the song was released digitally as the fourth single off the album in November 2014 and a video was directed by the Hungarian animator Péter Vácz. The song is about the death of Tim’s close friend and mentor Gabrielle Roth. He often tells the story with the song that she had kept her illness from him and other friends and he was on his way to see her in New York when she died."

The Beatles - i feel fine live at the bbc, 1964

"There are many quotes from the individual Beatles regarding the songwriting origins of "I Feel Fine." As usual, some of them are contradictory, as are John's above quote about "going into the studio one morning" with this song already written as compared to his 1974 interview where he claims "I wrote this at a recording session." Paul also claims partial credit for the song, stating in his book "Many Years From Now": "The song itself was more John's than mine. We sat down and co-wrote it with John's original idea."

The Style Council - the whole point of no return live, 1986

“I was really into the Modern Jazz Quartet. I really loved the sophistication thing they had going. They’d done a record called Place Vendôme [recorded in Paris in 1966, with The Swingle Singers]. And thought, ‘What a great idea — to take us off and go and record in Paris.’ At the time, I was thinking about doing a run of these EPs: doing an Alpine record in Switzerland… and going to different European cities. It never came about: it was a shame, really.”

Pet Shop Boys - i want a dog, 1988

"I've always found this an extremely lonely song, sung from the perspective of a narrator who considers the possibility of relying on a pet to keep him company more feasible — and perhaps more appealing — than relying on another human being. But, to be sure, this song invites a variety of other interpretations."

Dear Boy - kelly green, 2025

"With its swirling vocals and inescapable grooves, ‘Kelly Green’ weaves together shoegaze, trip-hop and ‘90s alternative into Dear Boy’s singular sound. Jangly / fuzzed-out guitars and visceral Southern California poetry. It’s the sound of a band rediscovering pure, creative joy—confident, liberated, and utterly captivating."

The Beatles - things we said today live, 1964

"McCartney wrote the song while holidaying in the United States Virgin Islands with his girlfriend, actress Jane Asher. The lyrics address the singer's love for a girl despite the distance between them. McCartney later described the song as exhibiting "future nostalgia", being "nostalgic about the moment we're living in now." The music is melodically complex, using chords more typical of classical music and jazz than pop music."

Bee Gees - i started a joke, 1968

"The melody to this one was heard aboard a British Airways Vickers Viscount about a hundred miles from Essen. It was one of those old four engine "prop" jobs, that seemed to drone the passenger into a sort of hypnotic trance, only with this it was different. The droning, after a while, appeared to take the form of a tune, which mysteriously sounded like a church choir. So it was decided! We accosted the pilot, forced him to land in the nearest village and there, in a small pub, we finished the lyrics [with Barry]. Actually, it wasn't a village, it was the city, and it wasn't a pub, it was a hotel, and we didn't force the pilot to land in a field ... but why ruin a perfectly good story?"

Turnstile - never enough, 2025

"Turnstile is an American hardcore punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2010. They have released five EPs and four studio albums. The band's third album Glow On was released in 2021 to critical and commercial success; the songs "Holiday" and "Blackout" earned the band three nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards."

Death Cab For Cutie - gold rush, 2018

"Gold Rush" originated as a demo that the band planned to discard, but was revisited at the suggestion of producer Rich Costey and combined with another demo. The song was written by lead vocalist and guitarist Ben Gibbard as "a requiem for a skyline", inspired by the rapid changes to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, where Gibbard had lived for 20 years and some areas were "almost unrecognizable" due to the influx of workers for companies like Amazon."

The Mary Onettes - eyes open, 2025

“Eyes Open” builds upon the aftermath of themes, unraveling the emotional conflict between letting go and holding on. Maja Milner’s ethereal vocals add another layer, immersing the listener in a shimmering haze of nostalgia and longing. Soaring synths and melancholic melodies amplify the song’s emotional depth, crystallizing the internal struggle that inspired it."

The Style Council - with everything to lose live, 1986

"The album captures the band’s energetic live set, featuring Paul Weller (vocals, guitar), Mick Talbot (keyboards), Dee C. Lee (vocals), and Steve White (drums), with Billy Chapman on saxophone adding to the soulful and jazzy vibe. The performance of "With Everything to Lose" showcases the band’s sophisti-pop sound, blending soul, jazz, and pop elements, which was characteristic of their live shows during this period."

The Flaming Lips - they punctured my yolk, 1995

"The same extraordinary madness that infected the best work of Brian Wilson rears its head on the shimmering and melodic Clouds Taste Metallic, a masterful collection which completes the Flaming Lips' odyssey into the pop stratosphere. The Pet Sounds comparisons are obvious - two of the highlights are titled "This Here Giraffe" and "Christmas at the Zoo" - yet not unfair; like Brian Wilson, Wayne Coyne has refined his unique vision into something both highly personal and powerfully universal."

Strand Of Oaks - passing out, 2017

“Passing Out” is far from the psychedelic blackholes or fire-breathing rock moments on Hard Love. Rather, it’s a reflective, mellow, and bleary track that sounds like a mixture of ’80s indie and early ’90s Creation Records material. Which is to say, if you happened to spend your formative years driving through Showalter’s adopted home state listening to that type of music like I did, “Passing Out” is a familiar and welcome direction for Strand Of Oaks to be exploring, an autumnal meditation perfect for this time of year."