The House Of Love - hannah, 1990

"During the slow and argumentative recording process, The House of Love's rhythm section Chris Groothuizen and Pete Evans would moonlight as members of a separate band, My White Bedroom.[citation needed] More seriously affected was lead guitarist Terry Bickers, an introverted character who was already unhappy with the implications of the band's deal with Fontana. Bickers would retreat into manic depression as his relationship with Chadwick deteriorated into a non-speaking one in which the two were more likely to communicate by post rather than have a face-to-face conversation. Following the completion of the album, Bickers would acrimoniously quit The House of Love during the early days of the sixty-date promotional tour. A couple of years later he would comment "I just found at the time that I didn't have the same aspirations as the rest of the band. I was more into exploring music than exploring the exploitation of markets around the globe. They were really into crusading. And winning. I wasn't."

The Radio Dept - you stopped making sense, 2010

“You forgot all about us” I think he means both their relationship and the human nature at the same time. It makes so much sense. I love this song"

Kaoma - lambada, 1989

"Lambada", also known as "Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)", or "Llorando Se Fue (Lambada)" (both meaning "crying, he/she went away" in Portuguese and Spanish, respectively), is a song by French-Brazilian pop group Kaoma. It features guest vocals by Brazilian vocalist Loalwa Braz and was released as the first single from Kaoma's 1989 debut album, Worldbeat."

The Go-Betweens - poison in the walls, 2003

"Where Rachel Worth sounded like an experiment gone right, Bright Yellow exudes confidence. It doesn’t hurt that the songs are uniformly solid. On “Caroline and I,” Forster muses about being “born in the very same year” as Monaco’s Princess Caroline, with typically witty, intriguing results: “It gave me something small that I could feel.” McLennan provides two further highlights in the wistful “Poison in the Walls” and the inspiring “Old Mexico,” which takes a jaunty verse and pours it into a beautiful chorus in which McLennan encourages the subject to “turn the lights off…you’ll be blinded.” Bright Yellow features some of the barbed guitar lines that punctuated the Go-Betweens’ first few albums, while an occasional organ adds color to the clean, uncluttered production. More than conclusive proof that McLennan’s and Forster’s reunion was a good idea, the album is a career high-point for both men."

Etienne Daho - la mémoire vive, 2000

"Etienne Daho follows the steps of his favorite artist in picturesque central Soho. And how not embrace minds and make up stories in the adored Bacon’s bar, the French House? I am not sure about what is really French in this bar, except for the Sans Culotte signs."

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - too late, 1996

"I'd abandoned techno/house; it was like an old man dying his hair jet-black: ridiculous. I decided to follow the current trend of getting more acoustic, using real drums and bass."

Coldplay - paradise, 2011

"another slice of hug-warm ecstasy"

Oh Wonder - better now, 2019

"‘Better Now’ is an emotional track that reflects on the band hearing the sad news of a family member going through an incredibly tough and emotional first birth of their child. With a lot of complications involved, there was a lot of emotional trauma that the duo wanted to dissect and turn into a song of hope and understanding."

Saint Etienne - last days of disco beat connection remix, 2012

"The album refers to the “strange magic” of pop. About the special alchemy that transforms even the most mundane of experiences – walking home with the headphones on at night, sitting in a bedroom with your friends in the day, getting ready to go out on the weekend – into a lingering moment of seamless enchantment, one that resonates for the rest of your life. It is about how music affects your life. How it defines the way you see the world as a child, how it can get you through bad times in unexpected ways, and how songs you’ve known all your life can suddenly develop a new attachment, and hurt every time you hear them. More than how it affects and reflects your life though, the album is about believing in music, living your life by its rules."

Sparks - the girl is crying in her latte, 2023

"AI could never replicate the unique balance between deranged imagination and supreme sanity that is the mark of a great Sparks record like this"

The National - brainy, 2007

"That song has a lot of weird details like keeping fingerprints in folders as though you’re collecting information about someone. But not just about someone in an investigative sense."

Stars - one more night, 2004

"The band make no effort to avoid the inevitable charges of over-sentimentality; in fact, they indulge the calls: "The cold is a vindictive bride," reads their website bio, "she'll trap you between her thighs and turn your heart to ice if you're not careful." Despite overblown romanticism run rampant, Stars somehow remain understated. It's the "Soft Revolution", as the terrific penultimate track declaims. Hop aboard."

Franz Ferdinand - well that was easy, 2005

"A really good sound that compliment the desperate nature of the lyrics."

Genesis - the lady lies, 1978

"The Lady Lies" is the tenth track on the Genesis 1978 album …And Then There Were Three…, with music and lyrics written by Tony Banks. The lyrics tell the story of a man who rescues a woman from the mouth of a monster, but is later seduced by the woman, or as the band refer to her during the song, a demon, and led into an unknown fate."

The Housemartins - we're not going back, 1987

"The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death was ranked number nine among "Albums of the Year" for 1987 in the annual NME critics' poll."

AC Newman - young atlantis, 2009

"It’s a strange thing, I used to think that getting reviewed in Rolling Stone or Spin would be amazing and when that happened I was like, “Holy shit, we’ve arrived!” and now, as things change through the years, it’s not whether or not you’ll get reviewed, it’s “I wonder what they’re gonna say in their review.” That’s still very surreal when I think of things like that. Knowing that your record is going to get some attention, it’s just what are people going to say. “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about,” as Oscar Wilde would say."

Paul McCartney - bluebird, 1973

“a metaphor for the transcendent power of love and the liberation of the human spirit from mental and physical bondage”

The Lightning Seeds - happy satellite, 1999

"Overall, the Lightning Seeds might be a bit too sugary for some, but Ian Broudie mined that pop vein very well. Most of the albums sound quite similar. Lots of pop and fairly slick arrangements."

REM - the outsiders, 2004

"The Outsiders” is an interesting song for multiple reasons. One of them is the fact that this is a song that a lot of hardcore fans seem to respect despite it being on most people’s least favorite R.E.M. album. Another noteworthy fact about the song is that it features a rap from A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip. If I had a nickel for everytime this band had a rap featured in one of their songs, I would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it’s happened twice."

Fine Young Cannibals - ever fallen in love cover, 1986

"In 1986, Fine Young Cannibals had a No. 9 UK hit with their version, recorded for the soundtrack of the 1986 film Something Wild. It was later included on the band's album The Raw & the Cooked, released in January 1989. The song was also a top 20 hit in Australia and Germany and a No. 10 hit in Ireland, with its biggest success in South Africa, where it reached number one."

Le Fil Bleu, 1/1/2025

Morrissey - hairdresser on fire, 1988

"it is Morrissey looking at society and ashamed at how much people are concerned with their looks"

The Cranberries - the sweetest thing, 1999

"It all came to a head in February or March, 1990. Noel called up to the house to let me know about this whole realm of gigs he'd arranged and I had to tell him, 'sorry but my heart's not in it'. It had gotten to the stage where they were giving it 100%, and I was just doing it as a hobby which wasn't fair on them."

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."