My Sad Captains - orienteers, 2011

"A sumptuous synthesis of epiphanic pop and Krautrock–inflected drift and diffusion… Few British bands since Spiritualized in their ‘90s imperial phase have been as proficient at inducing a beatific state of drift"

STRFKR - armatron, 2023

"This was one of the songs that started as a demo of Keil’s that I kind of re/deconstructed. The second section was made mostly with the sh-2 mono synth building the chords one note at a time, which is a trick I love doing with that thing. It kind of lets you move around in ways that wouldn’t happen using a poly synth. Plus it makes the notes all move around in a slightly different pattern. Lyrically, for me, it has the feeling of a couple having a fight and being in that crazy intense space, and then cooling off."

Saint Etienne - archway people, 1993

"They're like Indie/electronic Pop with a huge swinging sixties influence. They're one of the artists who wear their labels with pride and haven't changed their sound to suit others, which is what I really admire about them. It's meant they've flown under the radar all their career, however."

The National - conversation sixteen live, 2011

"Aaron and Bryce use some incredible effects on their guitars, coupled with amazing musicianship. and damn, that rhythm section is flawless. and Matt... oh boy, what a perfect band."

The Radio Dept - mad about the boy, 2007

"We just make music. That’s the thing. We never thought about getting a specific community, or, like, feeding the fans or anything like that. We do feel extremely lucky, however, to have them. Of course, there are things we want to get get across from just the chords or just the music, but a lot of music is about politics and aesthetics."

Wild Nothing - rheya, 2012

"Tatum’s biggest accomplishment is that Nocturne can’t really be measured against the high expectations everyone had for his follow-up. He’s adopted a cerebral approach to these songs; simple as they are, they have a directness that people don’t expect from music like this. Platonic almost, like Stephin Merritt’s writing. Living up to his platform’s reputation for insincere dismissals, the reviewer in Vice referred to a “blankness to his vibe,” man."

AC Newman - elemental, 2009

"One issue I have—I don't know if it's a very common thing—but I have so many unfinished songs that I've begun to wonder if I'm going to get them all out before I die. That's an honest thought I'm having. And I thought, if I'm only releasing ten songs every year or two, I'm never going to get them all out before I die. So I thought, I've got to figure something else out here."

Beach House - on the sea, 2012

"I had this song on repeat all day and went through all the theories on songmeaning and genius. Of course, Victoria will say it's whatever you derive from it, but that's just what every artist says"

Praia pequena, hoje, 1 de janeiro de 2025

Tindersticks - the secret of breathing, 2024

"you struggle to find a contemporary artist to compare Tindersticks to in 2024, but then, it was hard to see where they fitted in 30 years ago. They seem content to inhabit a quiet space some distance away from the main action and understandably so: it’s a place that’s a pleasure to visit."

U2 - new year's day, 1983

"It would be stupid to start drawing up battle lines, but I think the fact that 'New Year's Day' made the Top Ten indicated a disillusionment among record buyers. I don't think 'New Year's Day' was a pop single, certainly not in the way that Mickie Most might define a pop single as something that lasts three minutes and three weeks in the chart. I don't think we could have written that kind of song."

Ladytron - all over by xmas, 2023

"They're the kind of band that really only appears in England, with this funny mixture of eccentric art-school dicking around and dressing up, with a full awareness of what's happening everywhere musically, which is kind of knitted together and woven into something quite new." Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop", while music journalists have also described their sound as synth-pop, electronic rock, post-punk, and new wave, among other genres. Some of the group's songs contain lyrics written by Aroyo in her native Bulgarian."

Fukushima Dolphin - talking with the bears live, 2023

"This excellent!!"

Asobi Seksu - trance out, 2011

"There's an Antoine de Saint-Exupéry quote I'm wont to mention that "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." As we all know, it's easier to change an extant thing than to create something new from scratch. My hunch is that in working on extant things, and doing so with enough distance to gain perspective they were able to distill the essence of their best work and build on it from there."

Neil Young - cortez the killer live, 1979

"Live Rust is a live album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, recorded during their fall 1978 Rust Never Sleeps tour. Live Rust is composed of performances recorded at several venues, including the Cow Palace near San Francisco. Young also directed a companion film, Rust Never Sleeps, under a pseudonym "Bernard Shakey", which consisted of footage from the Cow Palace. The CD version of the album was slightly edited to fit on a single compact disc, which were limited to 74 minutes at the time this album was first issued on CD. In 2014, a remastered, high-resolution download was made available on the Pono store, restoring the album to its original length. Between tracks 2 and 3 on side 2 there is a stage announcement calling for people to get off of a tower and comments on an ongoing rainstorm. This is actually taken from Woodstock, almost a decade prior where Young performed as a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young."

Riley's Mountain - plead, 2024

"Seattle, Washington"

El Perro Del Mar - how did we forget, 2008

"As we recall from high school Spanish class, El Perro Del Mar translates to “the dog of the sea” and sounds like it should be a quartet of jolly Mexican mariachis, but is actually comprised solely of the the lovely platinum blonde Swede Sarah Assbring. This tune sounds like it’s coming to you on a very old radio, wafting in from another room where it’s been playing all along. There is a timeless quality to the music – the coy bittersweetness of the blues, modern Swedish ambience, and moments where it feels like a gentle lullaby. From The Valley To The Stars is due tomorrow on fellow Swedes The Concretes‘ label Licking Fingers."

Gerry Rafferty - right down the line, 1978

"Rafferty grew up in a council house in the town's Ferguslie Park, in Underwood Lane, and was educated at St Mirin's Academy. His Irish-born father, an alcoholic, was a miner and lorry driver who died when Rafferty was 16. Rafferty learned both Irish and Scottish folk songs as a boy. He recalled, "My father was Irish, so growing up in Paisley I was hearing all these songs when I was two or three. Songs like 'She Moves Through the Fair', which my mother sings beautifully. And a whole suite of Irish traditional songs and Scots traditional songs". Heavily influenced by folk music and the music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, Rafferty started to write his own material."

The National - pink rabbits, 2013

"I don't care how many times I've heard "Pink Rabbits" it's an absolutely beautiful song"

Allo Darlin - wonderland, 2012

"As an Australian based in London, Morris obviously has a traveller’s eye, and it gives a lot of her songs a naturally observant feel, with themes of journeys and distance cropping up often. She goes back to her roots on ‘Capricornia’, double-tracked vocals recalling Kirsty McColl as Morris wistfully remembers the area she grew up, while ‘My Sweet Friend’ closes the album with a reflective tribute to records themselves. It’s a bittersweet nature that’s essential to any music like this, and Allo Darlin’ seem to have captured it on Europe, with wisps of lap steel guitar and hazy harmonies used artfully throughout."

Pet Shop Boys - leaving, 2012

"Despite this song's origins with the passing of Neil's parents, that's not what it's "about." Rather, Neil takes advantage of his recent personal experiences with such great loss to apply what he has learned to another situation altogether: the death not of loved ones but of love itself."

Pink Floyd - eclipse, 1973

"I don't see it as a riddle. The album uses the sun and the moon as symbols; the light and the dark; the good and the bad; the life force as opposed to the death force. I think it's a very simple statement saying that all the good things life can offer are there for us to grasp, but that the influence of some dark force in our natures prevents us from seizing them. The song addresses the listener and says that if you, the listener, are affected by that force, and if that force is a worry to you, well I feel exactly the same too. The line 'I'll see you on the dark side of the moon' is me speaking to the listener, saying, 'I know you have these bad feelings and impulses because I do too, and one of the ways I can make direct contact with you is to share with you the fact that I feel bad sometimes."

Wild Nothing - letting go, 2018

“Mourning, melodrama, psychedelic mushrooms, a bodybuilder, scarecrows, fetish rainwear, modernist architecture, catatonic schizophrenia, witchcraft, aquatherapy: Let It Go.”

AC Newman - the changeling get guilty, 2009

"Get Guilty is still a Carl Newman record -- so you get all the things you've come to expect from him: insanely catchy songs, loopy and indecipherable lyrics, and first-rate female backing vocals (here provided by Kori Gardner of Mates of State and Nicole Atkins). Call him a journeyman indie rocker if you like, take him for granted if you must, just don't write him off. Anyone who can craft a record that sounds and feels as good as Get Guilty deserves to keep on making records forever."

James - strangers, 1999

"'We're Gonna Miss You' sports a great pop chorus, 'Strangers' far less produced (and better for it) but forgetting to include a tune. 'Hello' is a fairly forgettable ballad performance, although affecting in places."

Pet Shop Boys - my october symphony, 1990

"October Symphony" had been dedicated to the Soviet Union's October Revolution of 1917, but now he wistfully wonders whether he should "rewrite or revise" it, or "change the dedication from revolution to revelation." Hence, the song concerns the plight that confronts any artist—or, for that matter, any person—when nearly everything that gave meaning to his or her life and work has suddenly changed. To put it another way, it's about a personal existential crisis: "Who am I? What am I?" Cropping up in passing are other references that reveal Neil's familiarity with Russian history and culture. For instance, when he sings, "Shall we remember December instead?" he's probably citing the Decembrist Revolt of 1825, suppressed by Tsar Nicholas I. And the next line, "Or worry about February?" likely points to the February Revolution of 1917, which overthrew Nicholas II. (It wasn't until the October Revolution later that same year that the communists took control.) Even the words "from revolution to revelation" may suggest a return to Russian Orthodox Christian tradition."

The Radio Dept - on your side, 2010

"Are they dream pop or shoegaze? Indie or electronic? In the case of Swedish band The Radio Dept., the answer is all of the above. They’re my favorite post-2000 band, coming out on Labrador Records but sounding quite different from their labelmates. Hearing The Radio Dept. for the first time, I immediately loved the mix of fuzzy guitars, washes of synth, and casually understated vocals. The core duo of Johan Duncanson (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Martin Carlberg (guitar, bass, keyboards) has remained the same through various iterations, with Daniel Tjäder (keyboards/synth) rounding out the lineup."

Neil Young - from hank to hendrix live, 1993

"Young has often played "From Hank to Hendrix" in live sets, frequently to open concerts. Many times Young tells the story of how he acquired a guitar previously owned by Hank Williams before playing the song. Young played it as the last song of his 1993 MTV Unplugged concert and it was included on his Unplugged album."

Far Caspian - a dream of you, 2019

"There’s something blissfully inexplicable within Far Caspian’s music that has a tendency to make your heart ache – and I mean ache. I’ve found, however, that it’s a rather empathic ache, one that you’re able to understand and connect with immediately when nestled somewhere under the UK trio’s warm, comforting blankets of sweeping synths and textured guitar, realizing something soothing about embracing inevitable melancholy rather than continuously fighting it, something ultimately substantial in venturing deep inside your emotions when it is far easier to ignore them completely. At least, that’s what seems to happen to me when listening to “A Dream Of You,” one of the five absolutely beautiful tracks on the trio’s sophomore EP The Heights, released earlier this week. Everything about the track tends to evoke a lonely evening by an unpredictable seaside, with both the opening melody as well as frontman Joel Johnston’s vocals overlapping each other with grace despite the incredibly heartbreaking nature of the narrative, alluding to the helpless, frenzied feeling from slowly being abandoned by the ones you love."

Outros olhares: perto de Sintra, Peniche, mais uma tarde bonita de Inverno, em 27 de Dezembro de 2024

Saint Etienne - new thing, 2002

"Saint Etienne have always been a strange proposition. A blazing pop band, committed in widescreen and with no bones about it, their best songs still sound classically of their time. The band managed to straddle the magic three lanes of critical acclaim"

Poolside - harvest moon satin jackets remix, 2022

"Satin Jackets is the brainchild of German producer, Tim Bernhardt. Who teamed up with his friend, Den Ishu, as lead performer. Collaborations with highly demanded vocalists, as well as top-ranked remixing work, turned the project into a very recognisable brand name. Lush Indie Dance tunes with a pop appeal and a four-to-the-floor groove. They have toured three continents with over thirty gigs in the past years."

The The - the beaten generation live, 2021

"An amazing release, top to bottom very well done."

Wild Nothing - through windows, 2018

"I think when I started messing around with the idea for this song, really I just wanted another vehicle for saxophone. So I started writing this song with the intention that sax would be playing a pivotal part in this song. It’s the only song on the record where the sax isn’t necessarily a featured instrument. It’s more running throughout the song in a way."

AC Newman - thunderbolts, 2009

"Songs like Thunderbolts or The Collected Works, upon first listening, may confound you with their halting, stop & start nature and may seem at first an impossible beat, but once you "get" them, once you've heard them a few times, you will no doubt be unable to get them out of your head."

Neil Young - i’m the ocean acoustic live, 2023

"Before and After is a live album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young. It was released on December 8, 2023, through Reprise. Consisting of 13 tracks, the album features solo acoustic re-recordings of some of his past songs. The album tracks were recorded during Young's 2023 Coastal Tour."

Tame Impala - the moment, 2015

"I was listening to Currents for the second or third time, and it wasn’t until “The Moment” came on as I was passing through Escondido that reality started to sink in. This move was actually happening, and I had no way of knowing how it would all work out, or if I would end up regretting it. It was a moment of pure anxiety bordering on terror. But it was already too late to turn back, and I took a strange sense of comfort from that fact. And as the song continued on, I realized that psychedelic genius Kevin Parker was right: I couldn’t just spend my whole lifetime wondering. I’d have to trust in the moment and in myself."

Azure Ray - if you fall, 2003

"Azure Ray’s unique sound is highlighted by Taylor and Fink’s exquisite lead singing, combined harmony vocals, and delicate guitar playing; their lush and atmospheric music; and their tender and evocative lyrics."

Franz Ferdinand - the dark of the matinée live, 2013

"The song is about walking home from Bearsden Academy fantasising about a better life in the future, telling Terry Wogan about it on UK national television, then being shaken from the fantasy as its own ridiculousness shatters its very existence."

Sufjan Stevens - star of wonder, 2006

"Sufjan Steven’s breathtaking anthem, “Star of Wonder,” begins from a place of amazement. It leads you through the galaxy soaring past the clouds, comets, planets, and stars. Its one-minute intro serves as a tour guide through the solar system that allows the listener to view the celestial bodies from up close. The song is about people who are lost and in search of an answer. Some guided spirit that can lead them in the right direction, however as the song begins, it becomes evident that it’s not coming from the perspective of anyone on Earth, but from someplace above."

The New Pornographers - really really light, 2023

“Really Really Light” is an absolutely fantastic New Pornographers song, spilling over with hooks and striking an ideal balance of ornate beauty and fervent energy. A quarter-century into their run, these kids have still got it!"

Bright Eyes - christmas in prison cover, 2023

"Prine, a notoriously huge fan of the Christmas season (the office Christmas tree stays up year-round!!), was a friend and hero to Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)."

The Velvet Underground - oh sweet nuthin, 1970

"On Loaded there was a big push to produce a hit single, there was that mentality, which one of these is a single, how does it sound when we cut it down to 3.5 minutes, so that was a major topic for the group at that point. And I think that the third album to a great extent shows a lot of that in that a lot of those songs were designed as singles and if you listen to them you can hear the derivation, like this is sort of a Phil Spector-ish kind of song, or this is that type of person song."

Darksoft - yesteryear, 2023

"love this song"

EELS - christmas why you gotta do me like this, 2023

"Unafraid to try and break into the Christmas market, this is Eels’ third Xmas tune, with E himself stating, ‘Everyone should have at least three Christmas songs in their catalog. I’m sorry it took me so long.’"

Beirut - east harlem, 2011

"The song was chosen upon release as Pitchfork Media's "Best New Track". Marc Hogan stated that, "East Harlem looks poised to undergo a similar sort of ripening as it becomes more and more familiar. The lyrics are sparse and rooted in classic, instantly communicative tropes: "Another rose wilts in East Harlem," Condon croons, as he wastes no words in vividly describing an intra-Manhattan relationship that feels like it's separated by "a thousand miles" (have you tried getting from downtown to East Harlem lately?)." Hogan continues by saying, "the stately backing is what we've come to expect from Beirut, with swaying accordion, rich brass, lively piano, and trebly strums, all in all more like a 2010 Williamsburg performance. By the time Condon switches things up, repeating, "Oh, the sound will bring me home again," over wordless backing vocals, he might as well be describing the warm, cozy but still distinctive feeling "East Harlem" has achieved."

Hazel English - real life, 2023

“I don't really ever write with the intention of knowing where it's going to go. It's important not to think about that stuff in the moment.”

Arlo Parks - last christmas cover, 2020

"Covering a Christmas classic as beloved as Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ can be difficult. However, when Arlo Parks was in a festive mood back in 2020, the singer-songwriter rose to the challenge with aplomb and put a cosy spin on the holiday favourite."

Pink Floyd - the show must go on, 1979

"As with the other songs on The Wall, "The Show Must Go On" tells a segment of the story of Pink, the story's protagonist. This song leads into "In the Flesh", where the show is performed by Pink as he begins to mentally unravel and hallucinate that he is a fascist dictator."

The New Pornographers - sing me spanish techno, 2005

"The band’s third album is their best, adding a layer of sophistication to their energetic power-pop. The main attraction on ‘Sing Me Spanish Techno’ is the beautifully harmonised bridge – ‘Traveling at godspeed/Over the hills and trails”.

The Innocence Mission - cloud to cloud, 2024

"the captivating acoustic arpeggios of “Cloud to Cloud”, where the melodies seem especially colorful and melancholy, and even if the whole experience is starting to feel a bit like Groundhog’s Day, at least it’s one of those beautiful winter days where the sun peeks out between the clouds and offers the promise of spring amidst the hush of a chilly Pennsylvania winter."

The Doors - unhappy girl, 1967

"The band explored musique concrète techniques during the album's recording sessions. While recording "Unhappy Girl" for example, keyboardist Ray Manzarek played his keyboard introduction backwards, and the corresponding overdubs were later made."

Fanfarlo - tunguska, 2012

"In this song they are singing about mysterious event in 1908 that destroyed 80 million trees in Siberia with a force 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima."

The KVB - happy xmas war is over cover, 2024

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" was the culmination of more than two years of peace activism"

Saint Etienne - last orders for gary stead, 2005

"After a somewhat deceptive, slow piano intro, “Last Orders For Gary Stead” suddenly locks into a two-chord glam rock groove, complete with electric guitar, pounding piano and Cracknell sounding like the love child of David Bowie and Dusty Springfield."

Tom McRae - wonderful christmastime cover, 2004

"a cover version of "Wonderful Christmastime" to a Christmas compilation album: Maybe This Christmas Tree released in 2004."

The Smashing Pumpkins - appels oranjes, 1998

"Appels + Oranjes" has the distinction of being the first song written for Adore, demoed out during a session with Matt Walker, as other music was being put together for what became the Ransom Soundtrack. And here lies another story, as the famed composer I was to share the album's cover with had me summarily kicked off it. Why? Because he claimed the work I'd done was not 'music,' and he would not be sullied by it. To him, and to you, I say it is better to make original noise than luke-warm, adopted themes trolled from the greats. To he, I dedicate this hymn. For what if his shining, erstwhile baton refused to shudder at our collective rebellion?"

Bad Lieutenant - this is home, 2009

"It's all rather strange actually as Bad Lieutenant' are essentially just New Order without Peter Hook. I suppose it's less about what's technically been lost and rather something more esoteric."

Scorpions - wind of change, 1991

"Wind of Change" is a song by German rock band Scorpions, recorded for their eleventh studio album Crazy World (1990). A power ballad, it was composed and written by the band's lead singer, Klaus Meine, and produced by Keith Olsen and the band. The lyrics were composed by Meine following the band's visit to the Soviet Union at the height of perestroika, when the enmity between the communist and capitalist blocs subsided concurrently with the promulgation of large-scale socioeconomic reforms in the Soviet Union."

Pet Shop Boys - you choose, 2002

"Neil has himself noted that this song expresses the exact opposite philosophy from that of "Love Comes Quickly." That is, the earlier song maintains that love happens to people unwillingly, without their consent. It's not a matter of choice. "You Choose," by contrast, states matter-of-factly that people do choose to fall in love. As a result, those who fall in love must accept responsibility for the measure of pain and sorrow that almost inevitably comes with it. "Choosing to love is risking a lot.… You take a chance and see it through."

U2 - where the streets have no name, 1987

"Lead vocalist Bono wrote the lyrics in response to the notion that it is possible to identify a person's religion and income based on the street on which they lived, particularly in Belfast."

Wild Nothing - bend, 2018

“Bend” is the goodbye this album deserves; huge harmonies, skyscraper highs, and a melodic uplift that sounds like the credits should start rolling any second."

The Style Council - luck, 1985

"Time has not been kind to The Style Council. Heck, I don't think the 1980s were kind to The Style Council. They were a pretty polarizing group, especially to Mod folk then and now."

The Rolling Stones - under my thumb, 1966

"It's never about a real woman, but simply about this instrument that the guitarist has to tame, which probably gets him into trouble at first, but which he finally manages to dominate with his fingertips—under his thumb!"

Wishy - spinning, 2023

“Spinning” is a warm, shimmery dream-pop jam driven by a propulsive breakbeat and some incandescent, reverb-heavy vocals from Nina Pitchkites, who also wrote the track. In a press release, she says, “This song is purely about self-discovery and letting yourself have fun even in the midst of uncertainty. I wrote it during a time of confusion in my early 20s. I was very inspired by the jangle-pop nature of the Sundays, which is a band that inspires a lot of my songwriting.”

The Flaming Lips - waitin for a superman remix, 1999

"When the Flaming Lips first appeared in the mid-80s, there was little indication of the stunning sonic masterworks that lay ahead."

Wim Mertens - no testament, 1989

"Welcome to the select and intimate world of Belgian minimalism. Never heard of Belgian minimalism? This is not entirely surprising, since Wim Mertens has long been its lone representative and one-man pioneer."

AC Newman - the heartbreak rides, 2009

"To listen to the music of A. C. Newman is to be invited into an imaginary world. Not your typical sort of imaginary world with dragons and sorcerors or robots and spaceships, but the kind where words themselves are pulled and stretched, chosen more for the value of their alliteration or rhyme rather than their meaning in logically constructed sentences."

Del Amitri - buttons on my clothes, 2002

"check out “buttons on my clothes” by the oft underrated del amitri which is my unofficial theme song"

Travis - why does it always rain on me, 1999

"Fran Healy started writing the song while on holiday in Eilat, Israel. According to Healy, he was looking for some winter sun when his accountant suggested Eilat, which is known for its hot weather even during winter time. However, on the way to the hotel, it began to rain, which lasted until he left a week later."

Windows 96 - apartments, 2024

"Apartments is incredible"

Club 8 - something's wrong in my head, 2024

"Club 8 have long been the kind of restless band not content to keep making the same record over and over. Unlike many groups who strike out when they attempt new things, the duo of Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård pretty much knock the cover off the ball every time they take a swing. Previous albums have taken on trip-hop, African pop, sample-based electronic, and synth pop, to name a few. 2025's A Year with Club 8 delves into fuzzy punk-pop with big hooks, guitars that jangle and crash, and tempos that inspire dancing around the room with abandon -- or staring moodily into space on the slower numbers."

Moscow Olympics - second trace, 2007

"Born in the sticky Philippines summer of 2006, the five-piece known as Moscow Olympics produce music that has been described by Alistair Fitchett (on his Unpopular blog) as "Blueboy leaping from the clouds and snogging The Wake in the sunset whilst drifting down over the Oresund bridge." Indeed, the band's fuzzy, dreamy pop is deliciously reminiscent of our most favourite bands of past decades, but they have a genuine just-for-the-love-of-music spirit/sound that's uniquely their own."

Keane - silenced by the night, 2012

"Silenced by the Night" is a song by English rock band Keane from their fourth studio album Strangeland."

Voxtrot - raised by wolves, 2005

"a pleasant and breezy introduction to a group for which indie pop fans should have high hopes."

Tame Impala - eventually, 2015

"Eventually" is a song by Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala. It is the fifth track on the 2015 album Currents"

Enya - book of days, 1992

"With her trademark understated drama in full flow many other places, especially on the wonderful "Book of Days" (replaced on later pressings with an English language version done for the film Far and Away), Enya shows herself to still have it, to grand effect."

The Radio Dept - in america, 2010

"I discovered them from the Marie Antoinette soundtrack and fell in love pretty hard with these guys. A year later I found myself at the actual Versailles and all I cared about was touring the grounds and listening to their music."

The Legends - no way out, 2004

"One of the most consistent independent labels in recent years has been Labrador. Initially formed in Stockholm by Bengt Rahm at the tail end of 1998, its first couple of releases being compilation seven-inch singles showcasing Swedish bands of the time. One of those bands were Acid House Kings, and it was through their involvement that main mouthpiece and songwriter Johan Angergård became involved with the label. Running his own label (Summersound) at the time, it was this merging of ideas with Rahm that built the foundations from which Labrador has grown ever since. Having been responsible for releases by the likes of The Radio Dept., The Mary Onettes, Sambassadeur, Club 8, The Legends, The Sound Of Arrows and Pelle Carlberg among a host of others, the label celebrated its tenth birthday in 2008 by releasing the 'Labrador 100: A Complete History Of Popular Music' boxset. Encompassing artists and songs from those first ten years, it also signified the label's 100th release."

Mike Oldfield - celtic rain, 1996

"The music on this album is the most overtly Celtic music Mike Oldfield has produced. The album was originally recorded using only acoustic hand-played instruments. After the daughter of a Warner Music exec said it sounded boring, Oldfield added synthesizers and more instruments to the album."

Pink Floyd - wot’s uh the deal, 1972

"Wot's... Uh the Deal?" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1972 album, Obscured by Clouds. The song features multi-tracked vocals by David Gilmour, who also wrote the music, and lyrics by Roger Waters that describe taking advantage of certain opportunities life gives and how they affect a person later on."

The Lumineers - ho hey, 2012

"That song was an effort to get under people's skin at shows in Brooklyn, where everyone is pretty indifferent"

Rádio Macau - há dias assim, 1986

"In the age of innocence, a group of friends lived in a house in Algueirão, municipality of Sintra. The boys in their late teens. The girl a little younger. Everyone aspired to be something, it remained to know what."

The Cranberries - shattered, 1999

"The actual songs found on Bury the Hatchet, however, vary in terms of quality. On one hand, you have excellent cuts which include the likes of the blistering singe Promises; the upbeat Loud and Clear; Just My Imagination, a softer song which reminds me of the band's No Need to Argue album; and the laidback Shattered."

Pet Shop Boys - flamboyant, 2003

"The second previously unreleased track on PopArt, "Flamboyant" was the follow-up single to "Miracles." Co-produced by the German producer/remixer Tomcraft (Thomas Brückner), who generally works in an "electro" style, it's an uptempo, techno-oriented dance track"

Saint Etienne - milk bottle symphony, 2005

"Choosing a highlight from a concept album is always tricky. It could have been 'Relocate', in which Ms Cracknell and one David Essex argue about whether leaving London is leaving life itself. Having just done that very thing, my ears burned. But not as hotly as they did throughout 'Teenage Winter', where 'middle youth' is forced to accept that it's just middle-aged, and the local pub jukebox has been replaced by 'Aussie bar staff playing the Red Hot Chili Peppers'. But the vote goes to 'Milk Bottle Symphony', partly because it's the only pop anthem I own that stars the milk company Unigate, but mainly because it has the most fabulous melody of the year. The song simply introduces the album's central characters by waking them up and having them deliver and drink milk. That's it. But the symphony is the sum of all the melodies they are whistling and humming, making the morning bearable, transforming the mundane into the hope contained in every new day. It conjures memories of the early Seventies, when there was only one pop radio station and everyone emerged from their homes singing the same song in a silly symphony of human joy. Except, of course, that that never happened. Which is what this album is really all about, and what this song does its damnedest to redress."

AC Newman - there are maybe ten or twelve, 2009

"If you aren't familiar with the man's work, then I'd both urge you to make yourself so and also tell you that his work (particularly his solo work) sounds kind of like a mix between mid-period Kinks/Ray Davies (the sensibility), Randy Newman (the melodies), pre-Wild Honey Beach Boys (the harmonies), The Go-Betweens, and whatever other super-crisp power-pop records of which you can think. Maybe The Smithereens, from time to time? Lots of lazer (with a "z") guitars, lots of start-and-stop vocal melody lines, infrequent bouts of ornate and lush orchestration, etc.."

Fanfarlo - life in the sky, 2014

"Though seemingly complicated in theme, the London band, led by Swedish musician Simon Balthazar, makes it all eminently palatable with hook-laden choruses and a relaxed delivery. This strange but pleasing amalgam of sounds"

Lee Scratch Perry - dyon anaswa, 1978

"Lee "Scratch Perry" was never quite one of us mortals. Every word that came from his mouth was a spiritual or linguistic riddle or game and you’d be hard pressed to find any human being on the face of the earth who dressed more outlandishly cool for so long. When I first discovered his music I’d try to turn all my friends onto him by saying something trite like, “he’s the Sun Ra of reggae” or some such stuff."

New Order - mr disco, 1989

"platinum leftfield electronic pop, full of cool riffs & melodies, seamless production, and thumpingly good beats and bass. Being so spoiled for choice is a measure of the band’s (and indeed Technique’s) greatness. Mr Disco brings the groove on the album’s side-B trilogy of bliss, and there’s little left in the tank at the end. It’s a textbook example of top drawer late-’80s New Order electronica: wistful verse and punchy chorus vocals, over rolling layers of synth & rock bass, lush synths, bells & strings, plus superlative drum programming (i.e unlike most house/acid at the time, which was necessarily simplistic and repetitious)."

Everything But The Girl - twenty-fifth december, 1994

"the penultimate “25th December” is the album’s true centerpiece. Again, the music’s sparse—mostly gently chiming guitars (including an guest solo from Richard Thompson, another Fairport Convention member) backing Watt’s introspective, vulnerable, undeniably personal lyrics. The first verse reflects on how “my old man plays the piano for Christmas,” being surrounded once again by family for this most celebrated and often melancholy of holidays."

Black Sabbath - changes, 1972

"Changes" was not recorded with a real string ensemble. Instead, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi used a Mellotron to create the sound of an orchestra. The ballad is generally an outlier in the band’s discography as it does not feature guitar or drums. To alleviate concerns about the band departing their well-known heavy sound, Osbourne promised in a 1972 interview "We're certainly not going to get any less heavy, we will probably do 'Changes' on stage with a Mellotron, but we'll never take strings on stage with us or anything like that."

Pet Shop Boys - the survivors, 1996

"With this track Neil and Chris responded to recurring rumors that one or both of them have AIDS. In essence, they simply express how they feel as "survivors" of the epidemic (which by 1996 seemed to have peaked since more effective treatments had recently become available), being able to continue and flourish while so many others, including close friends, sicken and die. They're grateful for their good fortune, yet saddened by the losses around them. They feel the best thing they—or anyone—can do to commemorate those who have passed on is indeed to survive, carrying on in their stead. "Somehow we'll survive."

The Jesus And Mary Chain - till it shines, 1994

"Anyone who has ever written a song is a romantic. A song isn't life - it's supposed to depict a part of life. Anything that isn't real life is romanticism. Anything that's under the heading of art is romanticism. Art exists to make us feel exalted and above bunny rabbits."

Wim Mertens - houfnice, 1991

"I'd never heard anything like it before. Mertens seemingly played on some kind of electronic piano and sang along in his falsetto voice without lyrics. The staccato introduction was instantly arresting. Tension pulled as the music built up. Suddenly it paused. A soothing melody then caressed the rippling rhythm. When the vocal entered, I had some heavenly images in my head."

The Shins - the past and pending, 2001

"At this time of the year, I usually feel a sense of anticipatory loss over the passing of summer, but this year feels slightly different. Maybe I’m growing into a state of being more appreciative of the present moment, instead of dreading each one being over. Time will tell. I look forward to what’s next."

Elton John - nikita, 1985

"Nikita" is a song by English musician Elton John from his 19th studio album, Ice on Fire (1985). It was released as the album's lead single on 4 October 1985, charting at number three on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number seven in the United States, and reaching the top 10 worldwide, topping the charts of eight countries. The song features George Michael on backing vocals and Nik Kershaw on guitar."

Seapony - blue star, 2011

"Seattle’s Seapony make a dreamy bliss pop that is so easy and enjoyable to listen to that I don’t quite understand why it isn’t on every blog in the whole wide world."

Saint Etienne - le ballade de saint etienne, 2001

"Saint Etienne have deftly escaped the clutches of obscurity. Mainmen Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs have nipped and tucked their once dancefloor-tailored sound over the years."

Neil Young - like a hurricane unplugged, 1993

"no doubt in my mind that this song is a classic, and the unplugged version might even be better than the original."