The Beatles - fixing a hole, 1967

"In his 2021 book The Lyrics, McCartney revealed that the most important influence for the song was a "little blue hole" he saw while under the influence of LSD. According to McCartney, "the most important influence here was not even the metaphysical idea of a hole… but this absolutely physical phenomenon – something that first appeared after I took acid. I still see it occasionally, and I know exactly what it is. I know exactly what size it is"."

The Charlatans - impossible, 1999

"Impossible" set the standard for the remainder of the album of "impeccably arranged '60s pop songs rich in pedigree and bankrupt in R&D"

Neil Young - big green country, 1995

"It's kind of like a bunch of flashes of things going on all at the same time or something. So you get kind of the feeling that your life is flashing before you. So that makes you think you're floating up on the ceiling somewhere watching. I just got caught up in this thing where everything just kept happening and all I could do was write it down."

Thomas Dybdahl - call me by your name, 2020

"According to Dybdahl, a chief reason his music turns out as it does is because of his experience with his initial instrument. “I see myself first and foremost as a guitarist,” he says. “That’s where my musicality started. There’s just no getting away from how if one is a guitarist then one thinks musically as a guitarist. As you evolve, you may go on, as I did, to singing as well, however you have started as a guitarist. You’re still approaching music through the guitar, and that has to carry some weight. It makes for some interesting choices along the way, melodically and structurally, because whatever you approach - singing, other instruments, songwriting - the work continues to come from the mind of a guitarist. That is controlling.”

Ride - lannoy point, 2017

“‘Lannoy Point’ is the result of going synth shopping in the States. I found an old Poly 61 exactly the same the as one I had when I was very young and the backing track is sound of my bank account emptying as I shipped it back to London.”

Beirut - gallipoli, 2019

"We were seeing signs for a city called Gallipoli. We get out of the car and we just decided to go for a walk and in that moment we happened to hit a procession. We happened to walk in at the exact moment as the Saint was leaving the church, carried by a bunch of priests. Behind them was this frenetic kind of brass band. Sound was bouncing off the walls, and simultaneously every church bell in town was ringing, which just made for utter chaos. And the city is just claustrophobic, streets winding — you would have to live there your whole life to know where you're going."

Green Day - worry rock, 1997

"I think my parents were into alt-rock in the '90s, because this 1997 release was probably the first record I remember hearing. And when I was 11, it was the first record I formed a bond with. Nimrod will alway hold a place in my heart as the record that brings me back to being 11, living care free and sitting in my first house's big tree with my Diskman. Plus, listening to a "punk rock" record gave me mad cred (not really) in grade school."

Luke Sital-Singh - almost home, 2020

"Luke co-wrote ‘Almost Home’ with his friend, fellow songwriter Steve Aeillo (Lana Del Ray, Mumford & Sons, Thirty Seconds To Mars). Explains Luke: “We made this during the first ever session I did after moving out to LA last year. I was opening my world to a whole new set of collaborators in a whole new place, whilst always questioning what it means to be at home.”

Sufjan Stevens - to the workers, 2005

"The varied instrumentation and experimental songwriting on the album invoked comparisons to work by Steve Reich, Neil Young, and the Cure. Besides numerous references to Illinois, Stevens continued a theme of his songwriting career by including multiple references to his Christian faith."

The Style Council - wanted or waiter there's some soup in my flies, 1987

"In their lyrics, the Style Council took a more overtly political approach than the Jam, with tracks such as "Walls Come Tumbling Down!", "The Lodgers" and "Come to Milton Keynes" being deliberate attacks on 'middle England' and the Thatcherite policies of the UK government during the 1980s. In 1985, Weller was persuaded by Billy Bragg to let the Style Council play a leading role in Red Wedge, a youth-orientated political campaign associated with the British Labour Party. Although his views at the time have since been described as those of a "traditional British socialist", in 2014 Weller admitted the experience had left him feeling "exploited" by politicians, noting further that: "Before the Wedge, the Style Council had done a lot independently, raised a lot of money in benefits. But after the Wedge we were so disillusioned it all stopped. We were totally cynical about all of it."[35] In a previous interview, whilst asserting that there was still "a place for outspokenness" in popular music, Weller had pointed out he was "first and foremost" a musician, and stated: "In the '80s, in the Style Council, we were involved with a lot of political things going on at that time. I think after a while that overshadowed the music a bit."

Isobel Campbell And Mark Lanegan - honey child what can i do, 2006

"On the first couple of times I saw Isobel Campbell perform Ballad of The Broken Seas, Eugene Kelly did a sterling job of filling in for Mark Lanegan and we were treated to a rather fine version of Son of A Gun by The Vaselines. I say that Kelly did a great job that was until the first time I saw Lanegan with Campbell which changed my opinion completely not by anything Eugene Kelly had down, it was just that he wasn't Mark Lanegan who although saying very little and moving even less filled the stage with his presence and you had the impression that Campbell was in awe of him."

Matt Berninger - serpentine prison, 2020

"Berninger’s sentimentality usually pushes back against the National’s reputation for self-serious art rock, but it doesn’t hold up as well on its own. “One More Second” was conceived as a response to “I Will Always Love You,” but the lyrics are so boilerplate (“The way we talked last night/It felt like a different kind of fight”) that it could be a response to just about anything. When Berninger ambles about, barely stringing together melodies on “Oh Dearie” as Andrew Bird’s violin soars and Mickey Raphael’s bass harmonica drones, he feels like the least talented person on his own album. He’s most at home revisiting familiar themes of intimacy and projection on the title track: “I feel like an impersonation of you/Or am I doing another version of you doing me?” It’s not that the emperor has no clothes, it’s that these don’t fit."

Sufjan Stevens - that was the worst christmas ever, 2006

"Something about Sufjan’s voice paired with the sparse acoustic arrangements really gets across the barrenness of a Midwestern winter, when everything is blanked out by snow. Christmas is supposed to be a colorful light in the middle of that, but sometimes it isn’t, and amid the celebrations represented elsewhere in the world and on these albums, Sufjan makes sure to make a place for those Christmases."

Kraftwerk - kometenmelodie two, 1974

"Autobahn is the fourth studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk, released in November 1974 by Philips Records. The album marked several personnel changes in the band, which was initially a duo consisting of Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter; later, the group added Klaus Röder on guitar and flute, and Wolfgang Flür on percussion. The album also completed the group's transition from the experimental krautrock style of their earlier work to an electronic pop sound consisting mostly of synthesizers and drum machines. Recording started at the group's own Kling Klang facility, but was predominantly made at Conny Plank's studio. Autobahn also includes lyrics and a new look for the group that was suggested by Emil Schult, an associate of Schneider and Hütter."

Father John Misty - hollywood forever cemetery sings, 2012

"Songwriting for me had always only been interesting and necessary because I saw it as this vehicle for truth, but I had this realization that all I had really done with it was lick my wounds for years and years, and become more and more isolated from people and experiences. I don’t even like wound-licking music, I want to listen to someone rip their arm off and beat themselves with it. I don’t believe that until now I’ve ever put anything at risk in my music. I was hell-bent on putting my preciousness at stake in order to find something worth singing about."

Foreign Fields - don't give up, 2020

"Don't Give Up" features a bewitching melting pot of electronic beats, tender guitars, lush strings, haunting piano, and lyrics that expose our sometimes-flawed attempts at bringing hope and recognition to those we hold close. A lead vocal performance that feels both understated and deeply personal lays the foundation for a gorgeous homage to the fast bonds of friendship, and the realization that sometimes solidarity is everything. This endearing nugget of sonic encouragement underscores the idea that eventually, everyone will need a moment to be vulnerable. Both Hillman and Holl are seasoned producers, and have between them produced albums by artists such as Matthew and the Atlas, Hembree, Joel Porter and Boom Forest as well as various soundtracks and video games."

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - falling thunder, 2020

"Sideways to New Italy was met with universal acclaim through critics' reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 80, based on 17 reviews."

Mojave 3 - bluebird of happiness, 2003

"Mojave 3 were a British rock band consisting of former Slowdive members Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar), Rachel Goswell (vocals, guitar) and Ian McCutcheon (drums) alongside keyboardist Alan Forrester and former Chapterhouse guitarist Simon Rowe. The band formed as a trio shortly after Slowdive's breakup in 1995, with Forrester and Rowe joining after the release of their debut album. Mojave 3 released five albums before going on a hiatus and returning to live performances in 2011, but have been inactive since."

The Digital Age - oceans where feet may fail, 2014

"A couple of months back a friend of mine shared a video on social media - a band doing a cover of All Sons and Daughters’ “All the Poor & Powerless”. Loving the song, and being the curious type, I gave it a look and proceeded to sit glued to the screen for the duration. Ironically, the video was shared by one of my American friends, somewhat proving the band’s rationale for their calling - friends no longer have to be in your own town, we are all connected in The Digital Age. Formed of the “band” element of the former David Crowder Band (DC*B), here we have the newly-formed band’s debut EP Rehearsals Vol.1. Let’s take a closer look."

Cold Hart - tammy and the t-rex, 2020

"Cold Hart has shared his new single “Tammy and the T-Rex,” a bright and hook-laden track, with signature hi-hats and driving guitar. A love song for the new age, co-written and produced by YAWNS, the song takes inspiration from the 90s cult classic film of the same name."

Oh Wonder - ultralife, 2017

"Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht of Oh Wonder began the writing process with a month in an Airbnb in Brooklyn, New York in April 2016. Later in the year, they returned to their hometown of London after a year of touring the world, and wrote the second half of the record. The twelve songs were recorded over a 10-day period at The Pool Studio, Bermondsey in December 2016 and finished at their home studio at the start of 2017. The duo wrote, recorded, produced and mixed the record themselves. The first single "Ultralife" was released on 31 March 2017 and hailed by the NME as "bright-eyed" and "dazzling".

Neil Young And Willie Nelson - heart of gold live, 1995

"The only time it bothered me that someone sounded like me was when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, in about '72 and the big song at the time was "Heart of Gold". I used to hate it when it came on the radio. I always liked Neil Young, but it bothered me every time I listened to "Heart of Gold." I think it was up at number one for a long time, and I'd say, "Shit, that's me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me."

Stars - backlines, 2012

"Backlines" sizzles, pops and fades out quickly like a summertime sparkler: With a running time that barely exceeds two minutes, it hardly bothers to clear its throat before bursting to alternately woozy and spiky life. Stars' music isn't often ambiguous — there's a song on The North called "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It," lest the mission statement get lost — but "Backlines" is instead content to get by on fizzy energy, vague references to romantic unease, and its own considerable charm."

Paul McCartney - uncle albert admiral halsey, 1971

"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is composed of several unfinished song fragments that Norwegian engineer Eirik Wangberg stitched together in a similar manner to the medleys from the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. The orchestral arrangements by George Martin were recorded in New York at A & R Recording, along with other instruments by McCartney and his new band. The project was moved to Los Angeles where vocals were added by Paul and Linda McCartney—her first experience of recording in a professional studio. The song is notable for its thunderstorm and environmental sound effects added by Wangberg in Los Angeles; he had been invited by McCartney to mix and sequence the Ram album in any way he saw fit, and he copied the thunder from a monaural film soundtrack, then fashioned an artificial stereo version of it for the song. McCartney stated that "Uncle Albert" was based on his uncle: "He's someone I recall fondly, and when the song was coming it was like a nostalgia thing." He also stated: "I had an uncle – Albert Kendall – who was a lot of fun, and when I came to write 'Uncle Albert'/'Admiral Halsey' it was loosely about addressing that older generation, half thinking, What would they think of the way my generation does things? That's why I wrote the line 'We're so sorry, Uncle Albert.'" McCartney also told an American journalist, "As for Admiral Halsey, he's one of yours, an American admiral", referring to Fleet Admiral William "Bull" Halsey (1882–1959). McCartney has described the "Uncle Albert" section of the song as an apology from his generation to the older generation, and Admiral Halsey as an authoritarian figure who ought to be ignored. McCartney additionally explained: "'Hands across the water/Heads across the sky' refers to Linda and me being American and British."

Simon And Garfunkel - the sounds of silence, 1964

"The Sound of Silence" (originally "The Sounds of Silence") is a song by the American music-duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon. The duo's studio audition of the song led to a record deal with Columbia Records, and the original acoustic version was recorded in March 1964 at Columbia's 7th Avenue Recording Studios in New York City for their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., released that October to disappointing sales."

Mount Eerie - real death, 2017

“She died at home with me and her parents holding her, hopefully having reached some last minute peace. It’s all very sad and surreal. So much is left unfinished for her. She was a firehose of brilliant ideas that never turned off. We loved her and everything is weird now.”

Morrissey - speedway, 1994

"Speedway: One of the songs that got me through high school. Spoke to me on every level in my mid-teens."

Purple Mountains - all my happiness is gone, 2019

"The warning signs were all over Purple Mountains"

Father John Misty - two wildly different perspectives, 2017

"It doesn't tell you what to think, it gives you a view in a window of the world, and will likely make you start to think about what you are seeing."

U2 - city of blinding lights live, 2005

"The earliest incarnation of the song was developed during sessions for the band's 1997 album, Pop. The lyrics were written by the band's lead vocalist Bono, taking partial inspiration from his recollection of his first trip to London, and from the band's experience playing in New York City in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks during their Elevation Tour in 2001. Other lyrics refer to Bono's relationship with his wife Ali. The song's underlying theme reflects lost innocence and was inspired by an image Bono saw of himself from the early 1980s. The sound has been compared to the tone of U2's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire and their 1987 single "Where the Streets Have No Name"."

Belle And Sebastian - my wandering days are over live, 2015

"What to Look for in Summer has time for more moody offerings, with "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" from Write About Love being a real down-tempo gem here, and an oddly crowd-pleasing one, enough that a listener almost wishes there was less audience noise on this one. "The Fox in the Snow" from If You're Feeling Sinister is elegantly peformed here, with Stuart Murdoch's vocals adding a kind of maturity and world-weariness to the tune that it may have been lacking in its earlier versions. Similarly, his performance on "My Wandering Days are Over" is just as warm and engaing."

The Smiths - ask, 1987

"Its lyrics discuss shyness and encourage listeners to overcome their inhibitions. Its multiple guitar parts and complex production led to disagreements regarding its final mix. Craig Gannon, who at the time was rhythm guitarist for the group, has claimed he wrote – and was denied credit for – the song's chord structure."

REM - every day is yours to win live, 2011

"they discover the glow of middle age, warmly acknowledging the past — hello again, Peter Buck’s mandolin — while realizing that the present can feel just as comforting. The sober, pretty “Uberlin” sounds like a happier cousin to “Drive.” Twinkling ballad “Every Day Is Yours to Win” updates “Everybody Hurts” for the other side of despair, when optimism seeps back in. “Discoverer” and “All the Best” deliver sexy crunch for Monster fans. It’s R.E.M.’s many faces, collapsing into now."

Father John Misty - so i'm growing old on magic mountain, 2017

"I’m someone who struggles daily with an overwhelming fear of death and I’ve never heard anything capture exactly what that feeling is like other than this song. “That was the last New Year I’ll ever see” feels pretty unambiguous to me - the protagonist will die this year. Either that or it’s the last time he is celebrating it, but I lean towards the former interpretation."

Billy Bragg - why we build the wall cover, 2017

“I first heard Anais Mitchell sing ‘Why We Build The Wall’ at Occupy London in November 2011, standing on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral. The power of the lyrics struck me then and, in the intervening years, the song has become even more powerful as the mass movement of people from Africa and Asia into Europe, North America and Australia has forced migration onto the political agenda. In 2016, matters came to a head when anti-immigrant sentiment was identified as a prime mover in Britain’s vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump was elected president after promising to build a wall along the Mexican border. In the coming years, driven by climatic changes in their home countries, more and more people are going to be on the move, looking for a better life for their families. Our children and our grandchildren will judge us on our response to those who come to our door looking for shelter.”

Beirut - landslide live, 2019

"Surround that by bright and uplifting harmonies – like ones from No No No – and what is created is a gorgeous combination of new and old, showcasing a maturation of sound that one would be hard-pressed not to have chills when listening to."

Del Amitri - spit in the rain, 1990

"Del Amitri's founding member and main songwriter, Justin Currie, explained in 2010 that the band's name "was invented to be meaningless – basically a corruption of the Greek name 'Dimitri'." In 2018, Currie clarified that 'Del Amitri' is a bastardisation of the name of a film producer who appeared in the closing credits of a film he saw in 1979: "probably Dimitri-something, but we couldn't remember... so eventually through osmosis or maybe Chinese Whispers 'Dimitri' became 'Del Amitri'." Many sources have repeated a claim that the name was chosen because it is Greek for "from the womb", but this is untrue."

Pet Shop Boys - se a vida é that's the way life is, 1996

"Neil says that this song was written to cheer up a depressed friend. The melody, much of the arrangement, and even the title was adapted from a Brazilian song—"Estrada Da Paixão" by the group Olodum—that the Boys had encountered and enjoyed during their South American tour. Hence they properly gave that song's composers a co-writing credit. The intensely rhythmic percussion was provided by She-Boom, an all-woman drum corps. The words "se a vida é," meant to be translated "that's the way life is," actually means "If life is." It's therefore an instance of bad Portuguese and borders on nonsense within the context of the song. But Neil never claimed to be fluent in the language. Nevertheless, it sounds good. And the song itself has emerged as a latter-day PSB concert staple, never failing to spread its infectiously cheery air through a crowd."

Ride - clouds of saint marie, 2019

"More than any of the other new Ride songs, “Clouds Of Saint Marie” shoots for straight-up effervescence. It’s got a chiming, almost Byrds-ian guitar riff, a lead vocal that sounds like a sigh, and a central melody that’s triumphant and wistful in equal measures. It’s a song that seems custom-built for festivals, or for sunny afternoons."

Clouds of Saint Marie I see Clouds of Saint Marie She's over me A memory A remedy A melody Clouds of Saint Marie Make me feel Clouds of Saint Marie Nothing's real (deleted) A memory (is needed) A remedy (repeated) A melody She reigns over me

In Tall Buildings - curtain, 2018

"In Tall Buildings, the music project of Erik Hall is about to release his newest album Akinetic"

Spain - spiritual live, 2012

"Well singing and performing can be two different things. On stage there’s a level of adrenaline that just isn’t there in the studio. Also I’ve learned over the years there’s a obligation to be entertaining that isn’t so immediate in the studio."

The Moody Blues - to share our love, 1969

"On the Threshold of a Dream is the fourth album by The Moody Blues, released in April 1969 on the Deram label. The album reached the top of the album charts, the group's first No. 1 album in the UK. According to guitarist Justin Hayward, "I think Threshold is the defining album for the Moody Blues. And it's the one in the '60's that you would find in people's homes when you went, they would have that album."

Billy Bragg - the red flag, 2006

"Singing songs won’t change the world, no matter how much we might want it to. Music can bring us together in common cause, engage and inspire us, focus our anger, and raise funds and awareness, but ultimately the only people with the ability to bring about real change are in the audience, not on stage. Tomorrow, the singer will be gone, bringing his or her music to another town, but those who were in the audience will still be there."

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - forever live and die, 1986

"it "achieves [the Beatles'] Magical Mystery Tour spirit with '80s tech"

Nada Surf - cold to see clear, 2016

"Since 1992, Caws has fronted the indie/alt-rock band Nada Surf, which similarly saw the height of its commercial success in the ’90s. Their peak came with the single ‘Popular,’ which hit No. 11. Though the band hasn’t had a single chart in the U.S. since then, they’ve found a diehard, adoring indie fan base and received critical acclaim for their string of early-'00s albums. ‘Let Go’ (2002), in particular, is often cited as the band’s high-water mark and seen as one of the top indie albums of the era."

The Style Council - it's a very deep sea, 1988

"Therein, in 2019, Lee, her former husband and bandmate Paul Weller, keyboardist Mick Talbot and drummer Steve White reunited to play 1988 cut It’s A Very Deep Sea. “I’d forgotten how beautiful that track was,” says Lee, “and it was lovely to do it. It got the old juices going again."

Pink Floyd - stay, 1972

""Stay" is one of the most beautiful Pink Floyd ballads. Rick Wrights bittersweet lyrics, uplifting piano playing and tender vocal delivery makes this track easily one of the best on Obscured by Clouds, and one of the most underrated Floyd songs. Also, David Gilmour's guitar work is sublime."

Johnny Marr - getting away with it live, 2014

"Getting away with it happened because Pet Shop Boys and Bernard and I had some mutual friends. And the word kind of got around that Bernard was doing something aside from New Order, and he was doing it with me."

Neil Young - hitchhiker, 1975

"Hitchhiker" dates from 1975, from the sessions for Zuma. The song chronicles various life changes and drug experiences of Young's life up until that point. Young jokes in a contemporary interview that "if it was a TV show, it would be called The Drug Chronicles, T.M.I.", or too much information. Young memorably recalls performing the new song for Bob Dylan and hearing his reaction in Special Deluxe: "One night, Dylan came by and I played him a couple of new songs, "Hitchhiker" and "Cortez the Killer." When he heard "Hitchhiker," a confessional about the progressive history of drugs I had taken through my life, he told me, 'That's honest.' That moment still crosses my mind. It makes me laugh every time I think of it because Bob's humor is so wry. I think it was his way of saying kindly that the song was not very inventive as far as creating a story goes, just that I was following a history and not making up anything new. It's still funny to me, at any rate, the way he put it." Young would revise the song and add a new verse during the sessions. He explains in Waging Heavy Peace: "We hit a groove and recorded "Love and War" and "Peaceful Valley Boulevard," two songs written in Hawaii, and an older song called "Hitchhiker" that I hadn't cut yet. The previous night I had added a couple of new verses and changed some words to make it more relevant to me now, and it was "a good 'un," as Ben used to say. I did that song on Old Black through some amps Daniel had set up, and it sounded rockin'!" An acoustic take of the song from August 1976 would later be released in 2017 on Hitchhiker."

Jeff Tweedy - laminated cat, 2006

"Not for the Season works better. Laminated Cat is a novel reinterpretation but it lacks the punchiness of the original (which is more power pop) and becomes more of a stoner dirge."

Prefab Sprout - all the world loves lovers,1990

"A 19-track album encompassing a variety of musical styles and themes, Jordan has been considered by the band and critics alike to be Prefab Sprout's most ambitious project. The album was produced by Thomas Dolby, who had helmed the band's acclaimed 1985 album Steve McQueen but had been unable to commit to the entirety of its 1988 follow-up From Langley Park to Memphis."

Robert Forster - let me imagine you, 2015

"there isn’t a great deal of melody, unlike the songs of Forster’s former songwriting partner in the Go-Betweens, the late Grant McLennan, who wrote the majority of that band’s better-known, poppier material"

The Beatles - now and then, 2023

"Now and Then" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 2 November 2023. Dubbed "the last Beatles song", it appeared on a double A-side single, paired with a new stereo remix of the band's first single, "Love Me Do" (1962), with the two serving as "bookends" to the band's history. Both songs were included on the expanded re-issues of the 1973 compilations 1962–1966 and 1967–1970, released on 10 November 2023. "Now and Then" is a psychedelic soft rock ballad that John Lennon wrote and recorded around 1977 as a solo home demo but left unfinished. After Lennon's death in 1980, the song was considered as a potential third Beatles reunion single for their 1995–1996 retrospective project The Beatles Anthology, following "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love", both based on two other Lennon demos of the same name. Instead, it was shelved for nearly three decades, until it was completed by his surviving bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, using overdubs and guitar tracks by George Harrison (who died in 2001) from the abandoned 1995 sessions. The final version features additional lyrics by McCartney. Lennon's voice was extracted from the demo using the machine-learning-assisted audio restoration technology commissioned by Peter Jackson for his 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back. Jackson also directed the music video for "Now and Then". The song received acclaim from critics, who felt it was a worthy finale for the Beatles. It topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria, and reached the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. It is the only Beatles UK number-one single not attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership."

The Blue Nile - tomorrow morning, 1996

"The members of the Blue Nile seem to have taken seriously all those articles and reviews about what audiophiles and technicians they are, and this time around they've spent a half-dozen years concocting an album that sounds like they made at least some of it in their living rooms rather than their space-age studio. They achieve the appearance of simplicity and humanity by foregrounding either an acoustic guitar or piano on most tracks, by restraining other instrumentation, by making their synthesizers sound like strings most of the time, and by using real strings on occasion."

Fleet Foxes- montezuma, 2011

"His voice is simply perfect, and his lyrics are pure poetry. They really spoke to me and continues to. It’s definitely one of my better songs to play on the guitar, and to sing it really takes stress away. Fleet Foxes are amazing, and I will talk more about them and why they are so incredible in perhaps a week or two. “Montezuma” is from Fleet Foxes’ third album, Helplessness Blues."

Wim Mertens - struggle for pleasure live, 2005

"Struggle for Pleasure" is a musical piece released in 1983 by Belgian composer Wim Mertens."

Etienne Daho - saudade, 1991

"Combining West Coast-style surf rock, Velvet Underground-like urban verse, stylish synth pop, and the romanticism of French singer Françoise Hardy, Algerian-born singer/songwriter and producer Étienne Daho has been a gold- and platinum-selling artist in France since breaking into the Top Five there with his fourth album, 1986's Pop Satori."

Elbow - all disco, 2017

"Elbow's seventh studio album, Little Fictions, harks back to those simpler times when the band were first beginning, before the stadium tours, and the Mercury Prizes, and truckloads of records sold. It's slower, and more personal, swapping the grandiosity of, for example, tracks like "One Day Like This" off the their platinum-selling album The Seldom-Seen Kid, for quiet introspection."

Sufjan Stevens - carrie and lowell live, 2017

“How’s the master of melancholy?”

“The sovereign of sorrow?”

“The duke of dolor?”

Club 8 - just like heaven, 2024

"it's pretty much impossible to listen to a Club 8 release without getting completely lost in their back catalogue, and it's a place definitely worth escaping to."

Johnny Marr With Tim Burgess - getting away with it live, 2023

"Introducing Burgess, Marr told the crowd, “We’re going to play a disco song from Manchester, from the Haçienda.” He added, “What’s even better, we’re going to be joined by my friend — he’s a national treasure — Mr. Tim Burgess from The Charlatans.” After the show, Burgess posted footage of the moment, calling it “such a thrill.”

The New Pornographers - whiteout conditions live, 2017

"Songs about depression, society and the environment sound euphoric, with elements of 80s synth pop and 90s fuzz and the racing tempos only slowing slightly for evocative closer Avalanche Alley."

The Smiths - stop me if you think you've heard this one before, 1987

"I was really pleased that the first solo as such on a Smiths record was one you could sing... I liked the melody at the end of 'Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before,' but it just felt a little too accomplished. I wanted it to sound like a punk player who couldn't play, so I fingered it on one string, right up and down the neck. I could have played it with harmonics or my teeth, or something clever, but the poignancy would have gone out of the melody."

Luke Sital-Singh - strange and beautiful i'll put a spell on you cover, 2019

"Like a lot of people I first heard the magical tones of Aqualung on that VW advert way back when, and ever since Matt Hales has been one of my favourite modern day singer/songwriters”

Thomas Dybdahl - moving pictures, 2017

"To feel totally immersed in the soul of an album is something that I seldom experience of late. However, in Thomas Dybdahl’s latest record, ‘The Great Plains’, I find my soul submerged in a sonic ocean, caressed by waves from an ethereal plane of reality hitherto uncharted. It may sound pretentious, but bear with me."

Johnny Marr - there is a light that never goes out live, 2015

“For a long time I worked on the premise that we should always have a song on each album that people said, ‘That should be a single.’ But in fact really wasn’t,” he said. “‘Reel Around the Fountain’ was that for the first album and ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ for The Queen Is Dead.”

Bonnie Prince Billy And Matt Sweeney - i gave you, 2005

"No matter your tastes, somewhere there's a Will Oldham record waiting just for you: Superwolf sees Oldham's Bonnie "Prince" Billy incarnation pairing with Chavez guitarist Matt Sweeney to crank out grim, skeletal gothic folk that's alternately absurd and heartbreaking. For the most part, Superwolf is so bare-boned it feels spontaneous, looping around a stark guitar melody or a bit of nonsensical wordplay, and eventually oozing into something so weird and beautiful it's almost hard to hear."

Club 8 - shape up, 2010

"Johan Angergård has been like a musical sponge soaking up his current interest, whether it was noise pop, synth pop, or post-punk, and then re-creating it with uncanny precision."

Wim Mertens - no testament live, 2015

"Wim Mertens continues to perform and record in different formats: solo piano, duo (violin or clarinet/saxophone, piano), trio (violin or clarinet/saxophone, cello, piano) with different ensembles and also with a symphony orchestra."

Pet Shop Boys - being boring seven inch version, 1990

"Not just one of the greatest songs about the Aids epidemic, but one of the greatest songs written about mortality and memory, Being Boring was a lightning bolt even amid Pet Shop Boys’ imperial phase (the imperial phase for which that phrase was coined). The lyrical evocations of impetuous youthful optimism and painful reflection are magnificent, the lines about bolting through a closing door a perfect example of their ability to turn something specific – the loss of innocence and carefree hedonism wreaked on the gay community by HIV – into something universal about youth. The music perfectly mirrors them, its melodic shift from melancholy to warmth, midway through the verses, understated but extraordinarily powerful."

The The - the beaten generation, 1989

"Instead of the darkly polished dance-pop styling of earlier albums Soul Mining and Infected, Mind Bomb opens up the music to reveal a slow, winding textured world of sound, thanks in no small measure to Marr. Lyrical subjects include politics, religion, and romance."

Elbow - seven veils, 2019

"The album has a darker lyrical tone than previous Elbow albums, with singer Guy Garvey's lyrics relating to Brexit, the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy and the deaths of his father and two close friends. It was widely praised by critics, and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, becoming the band's third consecutive chart-topping studio album."

Kevin Morby - dorothy, 2016

"Kevin Morby's "Dorothy" is an ode to his guitar (in turn, named for his grandmother), which he serenades like a lover overcome by gratitude."

Thomas Dybdahl - three mile harbor, 2017

"Three Mile Harbor" is a song by Thomas Dybdahl, a Norwegian singer-songwriter known for his introspective and soulful music. The song is from his album "The Great Plains," released in 2017. Dybdahl's music often blends elements of folk, pop, and jazz, and his lyrics often explore themes of love, longing, and self-reflection. "Three Mile Harbor" is a poignant and atmospheric track, showcasing Dybdahl's distinctive vocals and emotive songwriting style.

Outros olhares: ilha de Suomenlinna, Helsinquia, Finlândia, Outono a começar, em 2023

The Jesus And Mary Chain - almost gold, 1992

"Honey's Dead is the fourth studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, released in 1992 on Blanco y Negro Records. It marked a return to a more abrasive sound for the group, as well as incorporating elements of alternative dance. The title refers to one of the band's early hits, "Just Like Honey", and is intended to demonstrate a complete departure from their earlier musical style."

Lee Scratch Perry - enlightened, 2019

“Him white, but him think black. And he’s not a bad-minded person neither. So me choose good-minded people to work with, people with scientifical mind, educational brain, arts and craft, because he’s a scientist, doing music science and music obeah. The album was a display of some magical vibration like curse and healing. I like the album, because me speak my mind, talk what me want to talk and speak the truth; there’s nothing funny about it. I talk about how people funny and we’re supposed to love one another but we can’t love one another because we’re too grudgeful. Individually, people don’t want nothing else but what the other man have and the Devil makes them, because the Devil copy and make people too. The Devil want to be God, so the Devil form a gang with gangsters, killers, murderers, thieves and fakes to trick the wise people. But most of the people, it’s not God make them, it’s the Devil make them.”

REM - electron blue, 2004

"Electron Blue" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released as the third single from their thirteenth studio album Around the Sun on February 28, 2005. Written by group members Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, the song features a synthesizer-heavy arrangement. Its lyrics describe an electric hallucinogenic drug made of light, a concept which was developed from a recurring dream of Stipe's. Upon release as a single, "Electron Blue" peaked at numbers 43 and 26 on the singles charts of Ireland and the United Kingdom respectively. Michael Stipe performed on the Around the Sun tour with a blue band painted across his eyes as a reference to the song, his personal favorite from Around the Sun."

 Such a great song!

Johnny Marr - the messenger, 2013

"When you're away from your home city you're more compelled to write about it. Growing up in the city influences you, and as I've grown older I've continued to see beauty, energy and stories in it."

Nada Surf - out of the dark live, 2016

"They have every right to feel that they're a bit special. While their melancholy mix of harmonies, minor chords and the occasional rush of power-guitar is also practiced by every Tom, Dick and Dandy Warhol, Nada Surf's version of it is especially captivating. The voices of guitarist Matthew Caws and dreadlocked, chain-smoking bassist Daniel Lorca melted together, the hypnotic effect amplified by reverb-laden guitar and drums."

Sufjan Stevens - with my whole heart, 2019

"Even more surprising than the lyrical shift, however, is the music: five minutes of unabashed and (relatively) unadorned inspirational soft rock. On 2010’s The Age of Adz, Stevens embellished these types of simple pop melodies with queasy, complex arrangements that made it sound like the songs were spontaneously combusting beneath a heap of sputtering machinery. Now, he lays it bare, daring you to hold eye contact. There are rolling toms, glittery keys, call-and-response choruses, and a legit guitar solo to close things out. Love is a familiar subject, he reminds us, but it can also be radiant."

Damien Jurado - cloudy shoes live, 2010

"When we were figuring out the sequence, he suggested we open the album with that song because it really captured the spirit of the album. That song changed my life. I was never the same after that recording session. It plays such a significant role and symbolizes how I’d approach songwriting and recording from there on out. There was no time to edit or second guess and it was all about living in the moment."

Stars - fixed, 2010

"Stars have cited a wide variety of musical influences ranging from Berlioz to Outkast, citing among others Paddy McAloon, New Order, The Smiths, Brian Wilson, and Momus. They covered The Smiths' "This Charming Man" on 2001's Nightsongs and The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" in 2005. Other indie artists have been guest collaborators on many of their tracks, especially for an early period including the release of their first LP."

Jeff Tweedy - i know what it's like, 2018

"I've been a big Wilco fan for the past few years and picked up Jeff Tweedy’s album Warm after Brendan had played it in the car a few times – “I Know What It’s Like” really stood out to me as a great pop/rock song that I could put my own spin on the minimal structure of the original gave room for creative license. I sped up the original recording a decent amount so I'd have something to play along to and off I went. We decided it'd be fun to present the finished product as an interim release; post-Collector and pre-whatever's next."

Pete Yorn - can't stop you, 2019

"On “Can’t Stop You,” Yorn sings of a prominent figure in his life drawn to self-destructive behaviors; his rhythmic guitar playing lays the foundation for a disruption from Phillips as the song builds toward its pensive climax. As the song crescendoes, Phillips adds layers of synths and strings, adding sonic chaos to Yorn’s lyrical despair."

Prefab Sprout - desire as, 1985

"I don’t say many songs are perfect, but this song is perfect. The production is amazing, the main synth is beautiful and shows that synthesizer based music can portray human emotion as well as any “natural” instrument. Not to mention the perfect sprinklings of saxophone, guitar, breathy harmonies. It’s a painting in deep blues and purples."

Youth Lagoon - raspberry cane, 2013

"'Raspberry Cane' garnered nods of approval from Rolling Stone, Vice and Vimeo Staff Picks, amongst many others. A psychedelic trip through an ethereal, dreamy landscape populated by majestic monsters"

Bear's Den - the star of bethnal green, 2019

"I know that there are many of you out there that have been caught by a song, you were caught and taken along a spiritual journey. It can happen in a wide variety of ways, driving in your car, sitting on a bus with music in your ears or just sitting and quietly listening. There are times when music can simply transport you and take you through a thought or emotion, it can ease a pain or bring it to bear for you to be challenged and learn from. If that isn’t spiritual, I don’t know what is."

A Place To Bury Strangers - it is time, 2024

"A Place to Bury Strangers are an American rock band formed in 2002, in New York City. The trio is currently composed of Oliver Ackermann (guitar/vocals, bass), John Fedowitz (bass guitar) and Sandra Fedowitz (drums). Commonly known by the initials APTBS, the band plays a heavy, atmospheric Wall of Sound–influenced blend of noise rock, shoegaze and space rock."

Robert Wyatt - the internationale, 1994

"The Internationale" is an international anthem that has been adopted as the anthem of various anarchist, communist, socialist, democratic socialist, and social democratic movements. It has been a standard of the socialist movement since the late nineteenth century, when the Second International adopted it as its official anthem. The title arises from the "First International", an alliance of workers which held a congress in 1864. The author of the anthem's lyrics, Eugène Pottier, an anarchist, attended this congress. Pottier's text was later set to an original melody composed by Pierre De Geyter, a Marxist."

The Smiths - heaven knows i'm miserable now, 1984

"The music was written by Johnny Marr in an hour in a New York hotel room on 2 January 1984, using a red Gibson ES-355 guitar that was bought for him that day by Seymour Stein. After finishing the song, he wrote the music for B-side "Girl Afraid" the same evening. Marr considers the two songs "a pair"."

Damien Jurado - south, 2019

“’South’, like most songs that I write, is a collage of sorts, or collection of snapshots, that center around two characters. One could even presume me, or me as an alternate self. Dark, isolated, and slightly menacing in tone for a waltz number.”

Thomas Dybdahl - this love is here to stay, 2013

"Like the tragic folkie, Dybdahl combines acoustic guitars, gently brushed snare drums and ghostly orchestrations. However, he's not that easily pinned down."

Counting Crows - round here, 1993

"Round Here" is a song by American rock band Counting Crows, released as the second single from their debut album, August and Everything After (1993), on June 20, 1994, by Geffen Records. The song's origin predates the formation of Counting Crows, when the band's future frontman Adam Duritz wrote the song with The Himalayans members Dan Jewett, Chris Roldan and Dave Janusko."

Drive-By Truckers - what it means, 2016

The Drive-By Truckers have never been afraid to tackle heavy topics, and they're doing just that with their new song "What It Means." "What It Means" reflects on racism and the political turmoil facing the United States following numerous recent shootings of Black men by police. The Truckers don't veil the subject of the song, either, with lyrics that include specific references to the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin and the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown.

Pete Yorn - calm down, 2019

"Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is known for playing the bulk of the instruments on his records. Spin magazine, in a career retrospective article dated March 26, 2021, recognized Yorn as one of his generation's best songwriters. Yorn’s 10th full length album, Hawaii, was released on June 17, 2022."

Father John Misty - do you realize cover, 2021

"Father John Misty, American folk singer-songwriter and former member of indie rock bands Saxon Shore and Fleet Foxes, performed a version of the song in July 2012 for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series."

Oh Wonder - high on humans, 2017

"High On Humans was inspired by a tube journey. On the way back from Heathrow Airport, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two girls who worked in a sunglasses shop at the terminal. They were happily going back and forth discussing their favourite foods. When one girl declared that she didn’t like hot sauce, I rudely interrupted and said, ‘What do you mean you don’t like hot sauce?!’. We then proceeded to have a twenty minute conversation about food, and the three of us exited the carriage high on adrenaline having connected with strangers."

Gorillaz - don't get lost in heaven, 2005

"Don't Get Lost In Heaven", the first part of "Demon Days" ending statement, started out as a weird experimental country and bluegrass piece involving James Dring's simple drumming, Jason Cox's bouncing distorted bass guitar and Damon Albarn playing a diverse range of banjos, synthesizers and acoustic guitars. The original lead vocal was done by Damon Albarn in what I can assume is him doing a cross of both Brian Wilson and Bob Dylan accompanied by happier sounding harmonies meant to invoke the other members of The Beach Boys."

Youth Lagoon - afternoon live, 2011

"July", the first song we heard from Youth Lagoon bandleader Trevor Powers' debut The Year of Hibernation, was filled with emotional surges, a seemingly modest tune that made a small racket with a big-hearted finish. "Afternoon" from Year also builds gradually, but right from the opening whistled riff, it's obvious that the stakes aren't as high. Which is not a bad thing: "Afternoon" bounces and stomps along, Powers' wavering, occasionally wordless vocals constantly present throughout. It's not always easy to make out his lyrics, but that's okay-- the feeling in his music is easy to find."