Bob Dylan - hurricane, 1975

"Dylan had written topical ballads such as 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll' and Bob wasn't sure that he could write a song [about Carter]... He was just filled with all these feelings about Hurricane. He couldn't make the first step. I think the first step was putting the song in a total storytelling mode. I don't remember whose idea it was to do that. But really, the beginning of the song is like stage directions, like what you would read in a script: 'Pistol shots ring out in a barroom night.... Here comes the story of the Hurricane.' Boom! Titles. You know, Bob loves movies, and he can write these movies that take place in eight to ten minutes, yet seem as full or fuller than regular movies"

Paul McCartney - i've just seen a face live unplugged the official bootleg, 1991

"Paul McCartney's live acoustic performance of "I've Just Seen a Face" comes from his 1991 MTV Unplugged session, released as the album Unplugged (The Official Bootleg).Recorded on January 25, 1991, at Limehouse Studios in London, this was one of the earliest MTV Unplugged appearances and the first to get an official album release. Paul performed truly unplugged (no amplifiers), with microphones capturing the acoustic instruments directly. He explained the "official bootleg" title by noting they rushed the release to preempt unofficial bootlegs from the TV broadcast."

Club 8 - daydreams, 2025

"The Stockholm-based indie pop duo (Karolina Komstedt on vocals and Johan Angergård on everything else) continues their prolific 2025 output with this track. It features their signature breezy, hooky sound—described as nostalgia-inducing, with Karolina's ethereal and yearning vocals over shimmering guitars and a steady motorik groove. The song captures a pleasant, bittersweet reverie, acknowledging that good moments are fleeting."

Neil Young - clementine, 2012

"Every one of these songs has verses that have been ignored. And those are the key verses, those are the things that make these songs live. They're a little heavy for kindergarteners to be singing. The originals are much darker, there's more protest in them — the other verses in "This Land Is Your Land" are very timely, or in "Clementine", the verses are so dark. Almost every one has to do with people getting killed, with life-or-death struggles. You don't hear much about that; they've been made into something much more light. So I moved them away from that gentler interpretation. With new melodies and arrangements, we could use the folk process to invoke the original meanings for this generation."

Pink Floyd - jugband blues, 1967

"Jugband Blues" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, in 1968. Written by Syd Barrett, it was his sole compositional contribution to the album, as well as his last published for the band. Barrett and Pink Floyd's management wanted the song to be released as a single, but were vetoed by the rest of the band and producer Norman Smith."

Paul McCartney - let it be official music video filmed on the day after the January 30th rooftop concert, 2000

"On 30 January 1969, the Beatles performed a concert from the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row, in central London's office and fashion district. Joined by guest keyboardist Billy Preston, the band played a 42-minute set before the Metropolitan Police arrived and ordered them to reduce the volume. It was the final public performance of their career. They performed nine takes of five new songs as crowds of onlookers, many on lunch breaks, congregated in the streets and on the rooftops of nearby buildings to listen. The concert ended with "Get Back", and John Lennon joking, "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we've passed the audition."

Neil Young - for the love of man, 2012

"For the Love of Man" dates to the 1980s. Young has released a 1987 recording of the song on his online archival album Summer Songs."

Damien Jurado - wedding cake, 1997

"Waters Ave. S is a tentative but thoroughly charming debut. Backed by a ramshackle combo, Jurado can sound like J. Mascis fronting an indie-rock Nick Drake or Gordon Lightfoot tribute band."

John Van Deusen - jesus of nazareth acoustic live, 2025

"I’ll admit that I was skeptical of a much more straightforward “Jesus song” coming from John at first, especially coming on the heels of a few albums that were much more open to interpretation in terms of how the listener could apply the lyrics to their own experience of faith."

Chumbawamba - timebomb, 1994

"Born to a working-class family in Burnley, she had a bad relationship with her dad, got involved with drugs and left school with only a couple of O levels. Fortunately, she started hanging around with a more aspirational group of kids and that basically saved her. Together they became Chumbawamba. (I get knocked down, but I get up again.)"

Melody's Echo Chamber - eyes closed, 2025

“My eyes are closed not in denial, but in devotion—to vibrant memories, to the complexity of human feelings, to seeing more deeply. It’s also driven by a resilient aesthetic that emphasizes the beauty of transient things and the bittersweet feeling of their impermanence.”

The New Pornographers - avalanche alley, 2017

"the album is perfect for the long top-down drives that we all dream of at the start of summer. Though not shockingly different from The New Pornographers’ past works, the album does seem to capture an amount of gained perspective and perfectionism"

Paul McCartney - here there and everywhere live back in the us, 2002

"The broad arena-rock of expert nonentities robs the Beatle songs that jam this tour merch of all quirk and precision. Yet the Beatle songs still dwarf the proofs of his solo existence, which get lamer as he gets older. Either way his relentless smiley smile cloys on contact. And when he whips up some now-the-fellas now-the-ladies on "Hey Jude," it is to cringe with dismay at the survival of a generation."

Dumbo Gets Mad - makes you fly, 2019

"After four years of hiatus, Dumbo Gets Mad released a new single “Makes You Fly” with the French label “Nice Guys” in 2019 as a preview of a new full-length album. “Things Are Random And Time Is Speeding Up” came out in February 2021 and confirmed the psychedelic nature of the project. In early 2020 Dumbo Gets Mad started a North American tour but had to stop it due to the pandemic."

Sambassadeur - one last remark, 2005

"Sambassadeur are a Swedish pop band formed in 2003 in Gothenburg. They are named after the Serge Gainsbourg song "Les Sambassadeurs." The band are signed to the Labrador label, and to date, they have released four studio albums and a handful of EPs and singles."

Fait-divers on procrastination

Procrastination is the antidepressant that gives you panic attacks.

The New Pornographers - clockwise, 2017

"Calling the New Pornographers' music smart pop almost underestimates the group; there's smart, and then there's these folks, whose cleverness suggests their tunes got their undergrad degree at Yale and did their master's at Harvard. But A.C. Newman and his crew also have a keen understanding of the mind/body conundrum -- they want their music to be as intelligent as they are, but they also want it to feel good."

Neil Young - southern pacific live a treasure, 2011

"I hadn't heard these takes in 25 years, but when we unearthed them co-producer Ben Keith said, 'This is a treasure.'"

Praia pequena, litoral de Sintra, 13 de Dezembro de 2025, pôr-do-sol

Praia do Magoito, litoral de Sintra, 10 de Dezembro de 2025

Paul McCartney - band on the run live back in the us, 2002

"If anything, he's playing for the crowd even more than usual, filling out the set list with sentimental favorites, including a version of "Something" as a tribute to the recently departed George Harrison."

Neil Young - light a candle, 2009

"This blend of dreamy thoughts of yesteryear, spitting fury over the present, and planning for the future gives Fork in the Road a bit of a kick that propels it through a few songs that aren't much more than a garage groove, but the whole thing benefits from its messiness; the loose ends make it feel alive."

Club 8 - the sand and the sea, 2001

"The Sand and the Sea" is a super brief instrumental interlude at just 36 seconds long. It slips by in a blink, like a fleeting wave, fitting perfectly into the album's flow as a palate cleanser between "She Lives by the Water" and "Falling From Grace."

Meltt - in your arms, 2025

"Meltt – a mind-bending alternative-rock band with a love for heavy riffs, colourful instrumentation, detail oriented production, and under it all, multi-layered song-writing. Let them sonically paint your soundscape and sweep you into an ethereal dream."

Paul McCartney - for no one, 1984

"Give My Regards To Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the feature film of the same name, released in 1984 and based on a script written by Paul himself. The plot centres on a chaotic day in Paul’s life following the disappearance of the master tapes for a new album. The majority of the story is told through dream sequences, with each dream soundtracked by re-recorded versions of classic tracks from Paul’s Beatle and post-Beatle careers. The album was preceded by a new composition, ‘No More Lonely Nights’, a global smash that was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best Original Song. Once again, the soundtrack peaked at Number 1 in the UK and was certified platinum for sales of over 300,000 copies."

Neil Young - like a hurricane live weld, 1991

"Weld (1991) is a live album with Crazy Horse that was recorded on the 1991 tour following the release of Ragged Glory. Several songs from that album are featured, plus Young favorites such as “Powderfinger”, “Cinnamon Girl”, “Tonight’s The Night”, “Like A Hurricane”. It also includes a memorable cover of Dylan's "Blowing In The Wind".

Ride - vapour trail, 1990

"Vapour Trail" is a song by British shoegaze band Ride. It is the closing track of the band's debut album, Nowhere (1990), released on Creation Records, and was later released as a single in the United States in early 1991. Written by lead guitarist Andy Bell (but credited to the whole band), the song features a distinctive swirling guitar riff, a strong, fill-based drum beat, and a coda that includes a string quartet."

Suede - broken music for broken people, 2025

“Broken music” is the closest thing to a classic Suede song as this album gets but it is bigger and more epic, every rimshot, every guitar lick, every hip shake dialled up to eleven. It is an anthem, a call to arms, celebrating the broken people, rather than looking down on them. And it’s not singling anyone out. We are all broken people in our own sense, with our own histories, but we are shined on in a positive light. We are all in this together."

Wedgy - i can't address it, 2025

"On the surface, I Can’t Address It is a combination of shoegaze and grunge, and these elements are quite clear. They’re there, but there’s much more bubbling beneath."

Paul McCartney - here there and everywhere live unplugged the official bootleg, 1991

"It was the very first time Paul had ever performed the song live (not even The Beatles played it in concert)."

The New Pornographers - high ticket attractions, 2017

"It's filled with hooks linked in the most straightforward way possible. The drum beat just drives through with minimal transitions, the vocals are fast and dance around harmonies. Just enough guitar, just enough synths."

The Beach Boys - california dreamin cover, 1986

"The Beach Boys' 1986 version of “California Dreamin’” is a seriously underrated gem. They took a folk-pop standard and gave it that warm, polished, late-period Beach Boys treatment, with richer production, those impeccable harmonies, and a slightly rockier edge that suits the mid-80s vibe. Carl Wilson’s lead vocal is especially soulful; he was in great voice during that era, and you can hear the emotional weight he brings to lines like “All the leaves are brown…”. Al Jardine complements him perfectly, and having Roger McGuinn reprise his signature 12-string Rickenbacker sound was a brilliant touch. It ties the song back to the jangly Byrds-influenced sound of the original era while still feeling fresh. It was recorded for Mike Love’s side project but ended up credited to The Beach Boys, and released during a period when they were having a bit of a commercial resurgence (thanks in part to “Kokomo” a couple years later). Though it only reached #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, it’s aged really well and holds up as one of their stronger covers in their catalog. Fun fact: the music video even featured McGuinn, John Phillips, and Michelle Phillips, which gave it a nice passing-of-the-torch feel between the two iconic California acts.Definitely a version that deserves more love. Great song, great voices, great arrangement."

Neil Young - powderfinger live weld, 1991

"Young wrote "Powderfinger" as a Southern Gothic tale of a young man's doomed encounter with federal agents during Prohibition-era bootlegging. The lyrics evoke isolation and fatalism"

Bluhm - slow rewind, 2025

"The song fits into the shoegaze revival scene, blending ethereal vocals with layered guitars and introspective lyrics about longing, regret, and fleeting connections."

Søren Bødker Madsen - the house of the rising sun cover instrumental, 2020

"Soren Boedker Madsen was born in Denmark,1956. He studied the classical guitar with Maria Kämmerling and Leif Christensen at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, where he received his diploma in 1982. He continued his studies in the soloist class at Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel, and later in Konrad Ragossnig´s concert class at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna."

The New Pornographers - leather on the seat, 2019

"Really love the tone and production on this. It feels like swaying. I have no idea what the lyrics are about. Seems really random. I like the imagery of the devil and a couple breaking up in a mall parking lot."

Paul McCartney - let it be live back in the us, 2002

"A double live album, Back In The US features highlights of Paul’s 2002 tour, in support of the previous year’s Driving Rain album. Like the DVD of the same name, it presented highlights from Paul’s first full tour in nearly a decade, from solo classics to Beatles favourites. It also marks the emergence of Paul’s most enduring stage band, including his long term sideman Paul “Wix” Wickens, the guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. The album’s release was in fact exclusive to North America and Japan, and it found tremendous success in both."

Club 8 - none of this will matter when you are dead, 2025

"a wistful, driving indie pop gem blending dreamy melancholy with urgent synth-pop edges—think The Radio Dept.'s hazy atmospherics crossed with The Raveonettes' rock-infused hooks, all wrapped in sugary melodies and sharp lyrics about fleeting worries."

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - the asp at my chest, 2014

"Listen to the way “The Asp at My Chest” closes out the whole affair with a waft of brass, and you’ll hear a new kind of dusk glowing on Pains. It’s not particularly ambitious, but it’s incredibly pleasant, and you’ve got to hand it to a guy who can keep a smile up even as he’s skipping through his melancholy."

Paul McCartney - here there and everywhere live, 1993

"I sat out by the pool on one of the sun chairs with my guitar and started strumming in E, and soon had a few chords, and I think by the time he’d woken up, I had pretty much written the song, so we took it indoors and finished it up."

Car Culture - nothingburger, 2025

"Daniel Fisher, AKA Physical Therapy, is releasing a new album under his Car Culture alias. Due out on October 9th via NAFF Recordings, Rest Here includes contributions from Patrick Holland, NAFF cofounder Priori, J. Albert, Squirrel Flower and Ms Ray. Fisher recorded the 12-track album between New York and Montréal over the past three years—it also features his own vocals. Fisher debuted his Car Culture alias back in 2021, releasing the record Dead Rock to launch a sub-label of Allergy Season, Lighthead Records. He shared his most recent solo EP, Nothingburger, in June of this year—it was recently named one of our staff's favourite summer releases."

Pacific - barnoon hill, 1988

"Barnoon Hill" is a track by the British indie pop band Pacific, released in 1988 as the lead song on their debut EP, Sea of Sand. The band, hailing from Brighton, was fronted by Dennis Wheatley (vocals, guitars, Atari computer programming, and various noises), with contributions from Vanessa Norwood, Nick Wilson, Simon Forest, and Rachel Norwood. The EP blended jangly indie guitars with experimental elements like cello, trumpet, and a spoken-word intro in Japanese on the title track."

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - life after life, 2014

"This was one of the first Pains tracks to prominently feature Peggy Wang on backing vocals less (she left the band before the album cycle), marking the shift to a slightly new lineup and poppier direction."

Neil Young - cortez the killer live weld, 1991

"Where Young's previous double live album, Live Rust, which bore some similarities to this one, was a career retrospective including some acoustic numbers, Weld was all electric rock with Crazy Horse."

The New Pornographers - born with a sound, 2014

"In “Born With a Sound,” Bejar casts his purring voice against Amber Webber’s, and the resulting vocal layers are delicious, like a cake that looks just too perfect to eat."

Club 8 - i wish you'd stay, 1998

"I Wish You'd Stay" is one of the standout early tracks that defined Club 8’s signature sound at the time: fragile, breathy female vocals over gentle acoustic guitar, subtle synths, and a bittersweet melody. It’s a perfect example of late-90s twee/shibuya-kei-influenced Scandinavian pop."

Peter Bjorn And John - blue period picasso, 2009

"This song is sung from the point of view of a Picasso painting hanging on a wall in a Barcelona gallery, which wishes to escape."

Melody's Echo Chamber - the house that doesn't exist, 2025

"The House That Doesn't Exist" is exactly the kind of groovy, glamorous, pillowy music that Melody's Echo Chamber makes so well. It's got funky-ass drums and dizzy cinematic strings, and Melody Prochet sounds like she lives in an old European art film. In a press release, she says that the song "turns the impossible perspective of a joyful human life in today’s world into reality, evoking a new sense of faith."

Neil Young - people on the street, 1986

"People on the Street" is a track by Neil Young from his 1986 album Landing on Water, released by Geffen Records. The song, written and produced by Young with contributions from Danny Kortchmar, explores urban alienation and the struggles of the homeless, set against a rhythmic, almost hip-hop-influenced beat with synth elements that marked Young's experimental '80s phase."

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - the garret, 2017

"The Echo of Pleasure, the fourth LP by New York’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, is an exquisite—if also occasionally too familiar—entry into the modern landscape of retro synth pop. Led by the “big-hearted, idealistic” songwriting of frontman Kip Berman—and fleshed out by a variety of players and singers, plus producer Andy Savours—the album bursts with breezy and tight arrangements, meditative melodies, and beautifully poignant lyricism, making it a simultaneously boyish and mature exploration of love, longing and everything in-between."

Miki Berenyi Trio - eighth deadly sin, 2025

"The album’s richly layered, imaginative, and uniquely slanted strain of dream pop is an often euphoric and sometimes melancholic mix of guitars and electronica, fronted by Miki’s instantly recognizable vocal, overlaid with an often profound and sometimes abrasive or yearning view of the world."

Nation Of Language - silhouette, 2025

"At their best... they offer a seemingly contradictory melancholic uplift"

Peter Bjorn And John - hard sleep, 2016

"When the content sails over pleasant memories and dips into more troubled waters, an inoculating melodies aid the various travails, like the trials and tribulations symptomatic of post-relationship regrets explored on 'Hard Sleep'."

Pacific - december with the day, 1989

"The Doris Days. English indie rock group from Brighton. Changed their name to Pacific after a successful audition for Alan McGee."

The New Pornographers - another drug deal of the heart, 2014

“Another Drug Dealer of the Heart” has Newman’s niece Kathryn Calder on lead. I definitely recommend this one."

Paul McCartney - hey jude live back in the us, 2002

"Paul McCartney wrote "Hey Jude" to comfort Julian Lennon, John’s 5-year-old son, during his parents’ divorce. Julian only found out the song was about him years later... and by then, Paul had been closer to him during that painful time than his own father was. John even mistakenly thought the song was about him and Yoko at first. So the world’s most famous comfort song is literally a little boy’s heartbreak... and he didn’t even know it was for him until he was grown up."

Ulrika Spacek - square root of none, 2025

“On this song we kinda embraced the notion of throwing as many ideas onto the canvas at once. We wanted this overwhelming feeling musically with the lyrics talking formulas and code. It always felt forward moving, and despite feeling free when contributing more and more layers it was troublesome to mix to make sure every detail is heard. Some songs feel made to be played live and this is certainly one of them for us.”

Nada Surf - out of the dark, 2016

"Out of the Dark" plays bright and has a tinge of nostalgia to it. It evokes comps to more 90's alt (which Nada Surf was obviously a part of). One aspect of the song that makes it pop is the use of horns throughout. They complement the upbeat acoustic beat perfectly and help lift it where it needs it. It was a perfect addition and represents another evolution in Nada Surf's sound."

Neil Young - cinnamon girl live weld, 1991

"The version of the coda released on Weld is from February 27, 1991 is truly severe and seemingly conveying the audio version of the tracer fire and missile launches viewed nightly during the Gulf War. In the middle of this mayhem, Young quotes the melody of “Norwegian Wood.” At first, this reference could be considered as a respite during the thunder and lightning or a reminder of gentler times, but then recalling how The Beatles’ song ends with the narrator either imagining or actually setting fire to his departed lover’s apartment, suddenly the allusion is appropriate to the rest of Young and Crazy Horse’s performance."

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - coral and gold, 2014

"Coral and Gold" and "Beautiful You" feel really towering and fragile at the same time - which is something I really like in music, sonic and emotional"

Nada Surf - friend hospital, 2016

"For music fans of a certain age, it brings back memories of the halcyon days of indie rock; a reminder of when it seemed perfectly natural to stay up until 1 a.m. to catch every last crunchy guitar chord of the headliner and then be at work bright and early the next morning."

Neil Young - touch the night, 1986

"Touch the Night" is the most guitar driven song on the album. Its lyrics consider the sudden loss of a partner. Biographer Jimmy McDonough compares it to its predecessor "Like a Hurricane."

Of Monsters And Men - we sink, 2015

"The music video is dedicated to the current refugee crisis, as millions of people are fleeing their homes in search of a safe place to live. The Icelandic folk band reached out to members of the Red Cross in Iceland, who connected them with refugees in their home country to be featured in the video."

Peter Bjorn And John - every other night, 2018

"This song is about what’s keeping you awake between the midnight hour and the hour of the wolf. It’s like a warning sign in neon letters."

Nada Surf - when i was young acoustic, 2012

"The Dulcitone Files is a fantastic 5-track acoustic EP by Nada Surf, released on March 20, 2012, as a companion to their album The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy. It features intimate, solo-acoustic recordings by frontman Matthew Caws, captured at Dulcitone Studios in Sheffield, England (hence the name—named after the vintage keyboard instrument, but no actual dulcitone samples here)."