REM - i've been high, 2001

"There's an interview somewhere where Michael talks about this song as a reminder in times of distress that there are peaks and valleys throughout our lives to contemplate, he also mentions there might be an element of the 'real me' in the song."

Saint Etienne - avenue radio edit, 1992

"The album version is a 7-minute version with lengthy instrumental sequences; it was edited down to around 4 minutes for radio play, though the commercial single contained the full-length version, with the radio edit only released on promotional material."

Nada Surf - teenage dreams, 2012

"One of the best and catchiest songs on The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy comes relatively late on the album in the form of “Teenage Dreams,” where the lyrics are supported by some of the best musicianship on the record."

James - ring the bells live, 2007

"It is frantic acoustic guitar strumming, accompanied by an explosion of sound that will pick you right up out of your seat and get you dancing in a way that you can’t possibly sustain for its five minutes in length. I don’t even know how the band does it. But somehow we find the energy deep within ourselves and lose ourselves to the pure joy that the sounds evoke."

The Goon Sax - a few times too many, 2018

“A Few Times Too Many” itself pops out with a lot of variety and really sharp hooks that cut through the noise. This sense of really ferocious writing really ups the energy of the record and shows how The Goon Sax can stay relevant."

Fleet Foxes - jara, 2020

"a musically complex track that still proudly wears its folky heart on its sleeve. I think the addition of Meara O”Reilly is a stroke of genius and gives the track a modern edge and a wall of sound vibe when everything is clicking on all cylinders."

Editors - lights, 2005

"We still feel like we have things to say and ways of saying things that some people want to hear. It’s important what us five think and if you lose some people that’s fine. If you gain some others, that’s cool too."

Deerhunter - revival, 2010

"completely comfortable in its skin–jangly piano and acoustic instruments, playful percussion, all very clean and poppy and Beatles-esque (especially the electric guitar at the end). Melodic, economic."

Coldplay - everyday life, 2019

"Every day is great and every day is terrible … Everyday Life is our reaction to the perceived negativity that's everywhere. And there is a lot of trouble, but there's also so much positivity and so much great life happening. So in a way, it's just trying to make sense of things, saying what we feel and what we see."

Paul McCartney - hey jude live, 1990

"I started with the idea "Hey Jules," which was Julian, don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better. Hey, try and deal with this terrible thing. I knew it was not going to be easy for him. I always feel sorry for kids in divorces"

The Moody Blues - the night nights in white satin late lament greatest hits, 1989

"All of the Moody Blues' best songs and biggest hits from the 1980s are collected on Greatest Hits; it's the most mainstream pop-oriented material the band has ever recorded."

The Goon Sax - we can't win, 2018

“We Can’t Win” captures the slow erosion of a relationship due to conflicting desires and eventual despondence. Singer and guitarist Louis Forster stumbles over his words, saying one thing and then subsequently canceling it out with a contradicting sentiment."

Coldplay - arabesque, 2019

"Arabesque" is a song by British rock band Coldplay from their eighth studio album Everyday Life. It was released on 24 October 2019, along with the single "Orphans", and appears on the first side of the album Sunrise. The song features vocals by Belgian singer Stromae, horn sections by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti, and oud contributions from Palestinian group Le Trio Joubran."

Grant McLennan - in your bright ray, 1997

"With a top-notch backing group teasing all the little subtleties that a fan of crafted, gilded, lovely pop could want and McLennan's increasingly wizened, becalmed vocals, the mix of sounds and McLennan's marvelously well-developed material radiates, sparkles, and snaps, crackles, and pops with all his strengths and then some."

Saint Etienne - hobart paving alternative single mix, 2006

"An alternative mix of "Hobart Paving", created for the single but ultimately not used, was eventually released on the Nice Price outtakes collection in 2006."

The Cure - charlotte sometimes live paris, 1993

"There have been a lot of literary influences through the years; 'Charlotte Sometimes' was a very straight lift."

Ride - jump jet, 2019

"Jump jet” is like an explosion. It’s like the end of all things. The machine has failed and technology is crumbling and everything is coming to a disaster movie climax, the hero racing to save his or her family from the evil villain (or whatever menace, you pick). And Ride is performing the soundtrack to this final scene. The bass is driving, the drums are punishing, the synths are washing and pooling like dry ice fog, and of course, the guitars are firing above it all. It’s a song to play loud on your ear phones or speakers in your basement and just close your eyes to lose yourself for five minutes."

Kavinsky - nightcall, 2010

"Vincent Belorgey (born 31 July 1975), known professionally as Kavinsky, is a French musician, producer, DJ, and actor. His production style is reminiscent of the electropop film soundtracks of the 1980s."

Saint Etienne - who do you think you are cover original mix debsey vocal, 2006

"A cover version of a song by 1970's band Candlewick Green. The guest vocalist is Debsey Wykes, former member of Dolly Mixture and later, Birdie. It was originally recorded the previous year as a solo single for Debsey but shelved (this version appears on the album Nice Price) and eventually re-recorded and released as a duet, appearing on a double A-side with Hobart Paving as the lead track (though this cover achieved more radio play), the single reached #23 in the UK single chart."

Paul McCartney - here there and everywhere, 1984

"On the back of the LP cover, a remark alerts the listener: This record is longer than usual but due to the available playing time on a vinyl disc, some editing of the soundtrack has been necessary to retain full volume and dynamic range. Even longer versions exist on cassette and compact disc."

Étienne Daho - le premier jour du reste de ta vie live, 2005

"recorded during the "Tour De l'Eté Sans Fin" May, 6th & 7th 2001 - Bruxelles (Halles de Schaerbeek)."

Saint Etienne - southern train, 2008

"Boxette UK 2008 Foreign Office. FORMAT: 4CD. CAT#: FO 004. Pre-order December 13, 2007. Shipped January 2008. Saint Etienne fan club albums have become the stuff of legend - feted, collected, booted. 15 years ago in January 2008 Saint Etienne offered Lovers Unite members an opportunity to receive them re-packaged and re-mastered as a limited edition box of 3000. Boxette contained I Love To Paint, Built On Sand, Asleep At The Wheels Of Steel, and a fourth disc that collected odd tracks from other fan club cds and binded them together with a few rarities never before released."

Coldplay - fix you live deep cuts, 2018

"The song is a sobering meditation on grief in the face of the death of a loved one; frontman Chris Martin developed the song to comfort his then-wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, after her father Bruce Paltrow died. The anthemic track builds around an organ accompanied by piano and acoustic guitar, and develops into a spirited second half with group vocals, drums, and strings. The hopeful message of the song, and its two-part arrangement, was critically acclaimed."

Club 8 - så underbart va livet, 2019

"The very elegant, Så Underbart Va Livet, carries an intriguing title in Swedish, but its lyrics are solely in English, and it finds the band yet again toying with both the wistful and the more blissful aspects of their ingenuity."

Jenny Hval - six red cannas, 2019

"Trying to communicate. Although that sounds like we're just scratching the surface, I do think that is maybe quite central anyway, that trying to communicate. Not necessarily just trying to express something, but trying to communicate that to someone else and maybe drawing other people in."

Barry McGuire - eve of destruction, 1965

"Eve of Destruction" is a protest song written by P. F. Sloan in mid-1965. Several artists have recorded it, but the most popular recording was by Barry McGuire, on which Sloan played guitar. The song references social issues of its period, including the Vietnam War, the draft, the threat of nuclear war, the Civil Rights Movement, turmoil in the Middle East and the American space program. The American media helped to make the song popular by using it as an example of everything that was wrong with the youth culture of the time."

Death Cab For Cutie - near far, 2018

"I must be unable to detach myself from my emotions in relation to Death Cab’s songs, but I love the way this song makes me feel and the memories associated with it. The lyrics are simple and sad, but sweet. You’re here, so far away, so near. Hearing it live back on their tour was amazing too, I can always see Ben in my mind, swaying back and forth as he sings the lyrics."

Coldplay - up and up, 2015

"The song contains a chorus choir, which featured nearly all the artists who have collaborated with the group, including Brian Eno, the children and guests of the four musicians, and Beyoncé. Guitarist and singer Noel Gallagher also contributed a guitar solo, which was omitted in the radio edit."

REM - drive live, 2009

"Live at the Olympia is a live album[1] by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was recorded during the band's five-night residency at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, between June 30 and July 5, 2007, and released on October 27, 2009."

Saint Etienne - i've got your music extended version, 2012

"a vibrant, synth-driven pop song celebrating the joy of music and its emotional resonance."

James - sit down live, 2002

"Filmed at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester, this concert was to be the last appearance of James, the iconic Manchester Indie band in their home town. This didn't prove to be the case as the band reformed and continue to this day, but it doesn't alter the fact that this is a stirring gig featuring many of the songs adored by their fans."

Deerhunter - don't cry, 2010

"The opening track, “Earthquake,” opens with a plodding progression of electronic beats that mounts into a soothing line of arpeggiated guitar chords and electronic tones that creates the sensation of a steam locomotive slowly chugging out of the station and fading into the distance with a ribbon of steam and smoke trailing behind it. The second track, “Don’t Cry,” continues the train-journey theme with a pulsating drumbeat that transitions into the next track, “Revival,” the lyrics alluding to the resurrection of Jesus Christ along with the light, plinking banjo in the background. This creates a feeling of floating above the music at the beginning of the song. “I am saved, unscathed,” sings lead vocalist Bradford Cox, “and oh, could you believe it?”

Marillion - childhood's end demo, 1998

"The demo version of "Childhood's End?" offers a raw, pre-production glimpse into the song's evolution. Recorded during the Misplaced Childhood sessions in early 1985 (likely at Hansa Studios in Berlin), it features a more stripped-down arrangement compared to the polished studio cut—sparser instrumentation, rougher vocals, and a tentative structure that highlights the band's creative process. The demo was first made widely available on the 1998 remastered edition of Misplaced Childhood (EMI), as bonus track 16 on CD 2."

Fleet Foxes - can i believe you, 2020

“The wistful ‘Can I Believe You’ was the first song Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold started to write for Shore. It originated with a riff he came up with during a break from touring their third album, Crack-Up. Pecknold told EW [Entertainment Weekly] that for a while he struggled to get anywhere with the tune and it was actually the hardest track on the record to finish."

Saint Etienne - he's on the phone too young to die singles, 1995

"He's on the Phone" is a song by British pop group Saint Etienne in collaboration with French singer-songwriter Étienne Daho, released in October 1995 by Heavenly and MCA as a single from their third compilation album, Too Young to Die (1995). A fast-paced dance track, it is one of Saint Etienne's biggest hits, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, number 31 in Iceland, number 41 in Sweden and number 33 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart."

The Cranberries - i'm still remembering, 1996

“It was kind of sad how, you know, sometimes, when people die, you expect there to be a silence. But there wasn’t a silence. You know what RIP means. It means rest in peace. And I suppose it was kind of sad because nobody seemed to want to let it be. Everybody was just like, boom! It was just a big media thing, so it was kind of sad.”