Asobi Seksu - goodbye, 2006

“Goodbye” is a song that represents everything Asobi Seksu does best- catchy melodies, melancholy lyrics, and simple yet beautifully written messages about loss all veiled deeply in pop-shoegaze goodness."

Tindersticks - marbles, 1993

"another great song with the charmingly lilting guitars of 'Patchwork'. The truly stupendous, stop dead in your tracks sound of 'Marbles'. An organ figure repeats through the song. A different and utterly captivating guitar figure repeats through the song. Stuart tells a poetic, beautiful story, half singing-half speaking. It's lo-fi, and utterly suited to being so. 'You knew you'd lost as soon as you saw her, you saw your life as a series of complicated dance steps.....' and then? A gorgeous move upwards from Stuart, soft and tender. Like a lover cooing and blowing softly in your ear."

Au Revoir Simone - sad song, 2007

"There's this hazy memory buried somewhere in my mind. Something out of focus that becomes clearer the more I listen to this record. It’s of these two girls with long hair that used to live next door to my grandparents. They often wore green or brown summer dresses. They'd always be singing and throwing tea parties, inviting me over to gaze at their wonder world of plastic cutlery and serving me imaginary Battenberg with water for Earl Grey tea. They'd be giggling like only girls with mud for cake could. All I remember about them is their hair, really long hair, hair they seemed to never stop brushing. It's a warm memory."

Morrissey - alma matters, 1997

"Alma Matters" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in July 1997. It was the first single to be taken from the Maladjusted album and was released one week before the album. The single reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Morrissey's first top 20 hit since "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" in 1994. The song was also notable for seeing Morrissey reference the film A Taste of Honey for the first time since his early days in The Smiths in the line "it's my life to ruin my own way". The song title is a pun on Alma mater."

Saint Etienne - mr donut, 1998

"Good Humor is one of those records that registered with me instantly (that I had just discovered the band the previous year and anticipated it madly certainly helped), but it didn’t take long for me to love Fairfax High as well. For a time, this combo was my favorite Saint Etienne album. It remains in my top five of their voluminous catalog and is a solid entry point for newcomers to the band"

The House Of Love - christine, 1990

"The most melodic of their early shots at glory, it begins as a heat-haze drone, a hedge of sound, and without warning. (This was not a band to count a song in off the back of the drummer’s sticks.) From a standing start, this was the sound of shoegazing before shoegazing was a sound; something quite different from both the jangly pop and the grebo fuzz of the post-C86 pincer movement. Eyes down: things were looking up."

America - survival live, 1985

"In Concert is the second official live album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records in July 1985. This was the sixth and last release by America on the Capitol Records label and was the first America album ever issued on the budding compact disc format. This was America's first album that failed to chart. No singles were released from the album. Fans present at the actual performance at the Arlington Theater have claimed that additional songs performed by the group, but not included on the final release, included "Sandman," "Never Be Lonely," "Can't Fall Asleep To A Lullaby", and "Old Man Took."

Asobi Seksu - lions and tigers, 2006

"In the conversation of greatest shoegaze and dream pop bands of all time, you usually hear a lot of the same names: My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Ride, Slowdive, Beach House, or maybe even Mazzy Star. But one name that doesn’t get mentioned nearly as often as it should is Asobi Seksu. Asobi Seksu were an American indie rock band consisting of songwriting duo Yuki Chikudate on vocals and keyboards, and James Hanna as lead guitarist, with a rotating rhythm section that changed from LP to LP. Critics never really gave them a fair chance, but to me they are the finest band to lead the wave of “nu-gaze” that took place over the mid-to-late 2000s."

El Perro Del Mar - kiss of death, 2024

"I think of the album as a journey into the Underworld and back. "Kiss of Death" is about returning to the world of the living, scarred but with the insight of how close death is. Loss is a scar. We should carry it with us; not as a threat but as a promise of making the most of the time we’re here."

REM - high speed train, 2004

"Multiple times I've stumbled into the back part of this album and forgotten how many songs are crammed in here, there's definitely an overproduction adding to the sameness, but I wonder what dropping some and re-sequencing the album might have produced. The next two songs are very similar and although I love this song it doesn't grab me like it wants to and zooms past me. This is one of the songs name dropped in ACCELERATE's 'Sing for the Submarine' along with 'Feeling Gravitys Pull,' 'ITEOTWAWKI,' and 'Electron Blue,' which Michael has said puts them in the same futuristic water-world and seeing the song from that sci-fi theme furthers my interest. The lyrics are back in top form here and perhaps it's the eerie sounds Peter and Mike are laying down egging Michael on. It makes me think this is where R.E.M. are at their best, mining the possibilities of dark obscurities--the 'surface that forms underneath the underneath' so to speak. The feeling of this track reminds me of something from FOTR, but sits solidly in Michael's current obsession with desire, forgiveness, and intimacy. If the band were not rattled by what 'E-Bow' did to their standing I would've nominated this as a single, double down on the new direction rather than try to say all is well with something like 'Aftermath' or even 'Wanderlust.' What drives me nuttiest is that the band are almost there, they're getting through this phase and in hindsight, you can detect ACCELERATE is coming. Just a few more songs."

Stars - soft revolution, 2004

"dreamy lyrics, the seamless back and forth between vocalists Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell, and a rising and falling soundscape feel."

America - daisy jane live, 1985

"Great song...America is always better without the obtuse lyrics."

Belle And Sebastian - act of the apostle, 2006

"Faith, after all, takes work, and if in one sense The Life Pursuit is about belief in the redemptive power of music, it's also a manifestation thereof. On opener "Act of the Apostle, Part One", a girl with a seriously ill mother imagines an escape, plays the Cat Stevens hymn "Morning Has Broken", and contemplates an endless melody before stumbling upon the album's central question: "What would I do to believe?" Ostinato bass, splashy piano, and Sarah Martin's gentle harmonies point the way. Toward the end of the album's loose storyline, on "For the Price of a Cup of Tea", the heroine seeks solace in "soul black vinyl," as Murdoch channels an irrepressible Bee Gees falsetto."

Sérgio Godinho - a noite passada, 1972

"Godinho's first release was the EP Romance de um Dia na Estrada in 1971. The four songs in this EP would also appear in his first album, Os Sobreviventes, which was recorded in April 1971 and was released in 1972 in Portugal. He recorded his second album Pré-Histórias in 1972, and it was likewise released in the following year in Portugal."

Indochine - morphine, 2005

"If I had heard of the band back in the mid 1980s, I most likely would not have been interested in them as they were not metal. Fortunately, these days I am more opened minded and I was very impressed with what I had heard on that TV show and that has led me to explore them further and become even more impressed with this band. Their brand of new wave is definitely unique, if I were to try to make a comparison to another band, the closest would be Simple Minds but I still prefer Indochine."

Club 8 - those charming men, 1996

"Club 8, who are Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård, began their career in 1995 and have not stopped making their signature brilliant music since. Each of the seven albums they have released is testimony to Karolina and Johan’s mastery of their talent, the band’s evolution and the refinement of their sound. They make for an interesting study in the life of the pop sensation that they have become."

Pet Shop Boys - one thing leads to another, 1993

"The obscurity at one time of this marvelous song, tucked away on a limited-edition release that was for nearly 30 years no longer commercially available, earned it (at least in this writer's opinion) the title of "The Great 'Lost' PSB Track."

Violens - already over, 2008

"With their pun-like name straddling violence and violins, their music skirts between prettiness and something sinister, with lyrics and song titles playing into this too."

New Order - nineteen sixty-three ninety-four, 1994

"The original 1987 version ended in a fade-out while repeating the last line of the outro, "I will always feel free". The "94 album mix", also included on the international edition of (The Best of) New Order as "1963-94", had all new orchestration and is similar in structure to the original version, except that the outro is removed and replaced with a repeat of the final bridge and chorus, faded out."

Beirut - a candle’s fire, 2011

"It was hard for me not to listen to this album when it was readily available on Youtube. I promised myself only to listen to East harlem because it was the officially released song and nothing more. The day the album came in the mail was one of the most fantastic days I've had. Best album of 2011, in my opinion."

Architecture In Helsinki - one heavy february, 2003

"The architecture in the city of Helsinki draws from a few different eras, mostly neoclassical (which makes up the city centre) and Art Nouveau, a period of architecture in the romantic age. There was one architect in particular, Alvar Aalto, who is considered a love/hate architect. He built in a style called functionalism, where the purpose of the building is the primary influence on its design. Finlandia Hall, a concert hall in the congressional wing, is Aalto’s most famous work. Due to his style, the building is asymmetrical and puts the acoustics of the walls over their beauty or artisticness. After learning a little about Aalto, Architecture in Helsinki’s name makes sense, one of the few things about them that actually does."

U2 - miss sarajevo, 1995

"Miss Sarajevo" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and British musician Brian Eno, credited to the pseudonym "Passengers". It was released on 20 November 1995 as the only single from their album Original Soundtracks 1. Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti makes a vocal appearance, singing the opera solo. The song was written about a group of women who held a beauty pageant during the Siege of Sarajevo as an act of defiance."

Faithless - one step too far, 2001

"One Step Too Far" is a song by British electronic music group Faithless. The track features member Rollo Armstrong's sister Dido on vocals and was remixed for single release. "One Step Too Far" was released on 8 April 2002 as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, Outrospective (2001). The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, number four on the US Dance Club Play chart, and number 21 on the Australian Singles Chart."

Genesis - that's me, 1969

"It doesn't sound much like the future Genesis really and it hardly sells any copies whatsoever, despite being released on Decca, a major label."

Bright Eyes And Neva Dinova - tripped, 2004

"Much like Home, Vol. 4, Conor Oberst's collaboration with Spoon's Britt Daniel, One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels is a meeting of the minds between Oberst and his friends Neva Dinova. That band's singer/songwriter, Jake Bellows, and Oberst got together in fall 2003 to collaborate on some songs, and though the results aren't quite as accomplished as either band's work on their own, the six songs here are pretty and entertaining enough to please both Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova fans. Though the bands have pooled their resources, Oberst's and Bellows' identity still shine through on their respective tracks. Bellows' rounded vocals sound even better in the context of the EP's relaxed, between-friends atmosphere: the dreamy, slightly twangy "Tripped," "Poison," and "Get Back" have a pleasantly broken-in sound that recalls not only Neva Dinova's own work, but a slightly edgier take on Ron Sexsmith's sound as well."

Saint Etienne - please, 1999

"It’s early Sunday afternoon, and very, very, much the day after the night before. Given the state of our heads (someone has performed open surgery and replaced our brains with cotton wool while we slept, it seems), it’s pretty appropriate that we’re headed off to the Hangover Lounge at London’s Lexington for the afternoon, who are hosting the listening party for St Etienne’s glorious new album, ‘Words and Music by St Etienne’. Painkillers are downed, rehydration is attempted, and before the main event we have the small matter of a date with one third of the band, the inimitable Pete Wiggs."

Del Amitri - out falls the past, 2002

"Del Amitri’s songs somehow glued themselves to the trajectory of my twenties. Nothing Ever Happens capped the canyon of my teenage years in Hobart, Tasmania, before Move Away Jimmy Blue propelled me to London when I was 21. Just Like A Man provided minor (very minor) solace when my girlfriend took some other guy to bed when I was 22. Be My Downfall offered absolution when it was my turn to burn love at 25. When I was 27, Here And Now sounded through cigarettes and summer days in my girlfriend’s Austin-Healey Sprite, before someone else pressed ‘play’ on Be My Downfall again..."

Enya - willows on the water, 1997

"In Greek mythology Aiglé was one of the Hespéridés, who were guardians to the tree that bore apples of gold. When the Minyans approached them, imploring them to reveal a river so that they could quench their thirst, the Hespéridés metamorphosed into trees, Aiglé becoming a willow. She was the one to show the Minyans where to find water."

The Radio Dept - the room tarzana, 2008

"This band, The Radio Department, was conceived in 1995 by schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson, who named the group after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" (Swedish for The Radio Department). However, Almered and Duncanson soon stopped playing music together, putting the band on hiatus. Then three years later, in 1998, Duncanson started making music again but now with Martin Larsson and they decided to adopt the same name. In 2001, Larsson's then girlfriend Lisa Carlberg joined the group on bass, followed by Per Blomgren on drums and Daniel Tjäder on keyboards."

Moby - sunday the day before my birthday, 2002

"Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)" is a song by American electronica musician Moby. It was released as the fourth single from his sixth studio album, 18, on February 24, 2003. The song features samples of American singer and Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson's song "Sunday".

Hospitality - argonauts, 2012

"After patiently honing their craft, playing concerts (and gaining converts), Hospitality have reached what will be its first apex with many more heights to come; from their modest debut in a Red Hook row house, the band has evolved from four-track low-fidelity to a luxury five-star future."

The Postmarks - ox four cover, 2008

"Rock-style drums and shimmery guitar lines do show up to grace the Postmarks' takes on Ride's "OX4" and the Jesus and Mary Chain's "Nine Million Rainy Days", but both manage to convey the nuance within the group's style rather than deviating too much from it – if Air could soundtrack a Sofia Coppola film, why not these cats?"

Pet Shop Boys - discoteca, 1996

"Bilingual opens with this intense song, ostensibly set in a foreign land in which the lost protagonist is asking passers-by for directions to the nearest discoteque. This scenario actually serves as an extended metaphor about one's sense of alienation and inability to communicate adequately in the modern world. Backed by a driving wall of percussion and a minor-key chord progression that augment its impact, it offers one of Neil's most profound lyrics, the first stanza of which ranks among the finest ever to come from his pen"

Mike Oldfield - tears of an angel, 2005

"The album offers two genres of music for two different moods, a division which Oldfield created by making two CDs of music. The first nine tracks are dubbed "Light" and feature brighter and quiet pieces; the second half of the album is the "Shade" portion and brings in a much darker feel."

America - you can do magic live, 1985

"In early 2024, it was announced that Gerry Beckley would be retiring from touring to spend more time at home with his family. Andy Barr, who had done stints with the band in 2015, and again in 2016-2018, was being brought back to replace Gerry on the road."

Marcus Mumford - timshel live, 2017

“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Au Revoir Simone - the lucky one, 2006

"I don't remember exactly when or how I discovered Au Revoir Simone. It was definitely in university, and it may have been from some early version of those online music suggestion websites. This was, of course, before the days of streaming online radio sites like Last FM or Pandora or Songza or Apple Music or KillerSweetTunz or whatever is coming next. The site I used looked like a brainstorming web. You would put in an artist you liked, and then the bubbles around it would populate with a bunch of similar artists. Then you could click on one of those, and the web would grow with artists similar to the one you clicked. On it would go, filling bubbles with names of artists, until you realized that it had a very limited number of musicians in its bank and so you very quickly knew all of the recommendations and then were forced to move on with your life. Anyways, Au Revoir Simone would have been one of those early-days internet discoveries that I quickly fell in love with. The little chimes at the beginning of this song just sound like nostalgic, slightly sad happiness"

The Durutti Column - telephone call, 1985

"Durutti's fifth studio album finds the core Reilly/Mitchell/Kellet/Metcalfe lineup of the mid-'80s still in excellent form, steering back from the lengthy excursion of Without Mercy in favor of shorter songs typical of Durutti's other recorded work. While the overall style and mood of the performers had little changed, Reilly in particular remains a master of his art, able to progress and experiment without making a big deal of it, and whose sound remains so unique still that almost any recording of it is worthwhile."

REM - wendell gee, 1985

"Wendell Gee, 69, of 695 John B. Brooks Rd., died Saturday, November 25, 1995. A native of Jackson, Ga., Mr. Gee was a son of the late Roy Gee, Sr. and Emma Fowler Gee and widow of Jenny Gee. He operated Wendell Gee Used Cars in Pendergrass and was a member of endergrass Baptist Church. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and was a member of the American Legion and the Georgia Sheriff's Association. He was preceded in death by a son, Randall Gee. Survivors include his wife, Lois Smith Gee; a daughter, Elaine Watson; a stepdaughter, Rebecca Skinner; two sons, Ronnie Gee and Ricky Gee; a stepson, Patrick Garrett; a brother, Roy Gee, Jr.; 14 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren."

The Radio Dept - heaven's on fire, 2010

"Even as music from Sweden becomes critically and commercially recognized, many fantastic acts from the country still fly under the radar. A number of these bands reside on the venerable twee-leaning Labrador label, including the long-running fuzz-pop trio the Radio Dept., who have released just two full-lengths (along with a number of EPs) over their 15-year career. Their 2003 debut Lesser Matters was well received, and they landed three songs to the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. But for the most part, bandleader Johan Duncanson and whoever's playing with him have been quietly refining their own soft-focus, shoegaze-indebted sound, occasionally adding drum machines or synthesizers for a slight change of pace."

Lily Allen - the fear, 2008

"I was walking down this street, in this village in the middle of the countryside in the U.K., and there was this little girl who must have been eight or nine, walking down the street with her mum in, like, high-waisted hot pants and a little crop top. And I just thought, 'That's not really right.' And I could tell she was the kind of girl that would be trying out for Pop Idol in five years time, and wants to be famous when she grows up. And there's definitely the whole culture of that where I come from, and it's not necessarily a culture that I think is particularly healthy. But at the same time, I'm very aware that I am a part of that culture – but it's not something that I feel particularly comfortable with."

Sétima Legião - por quem não esqueci, 1989

"It was one of the bands that marked the national music scene in the 80’s, both for the mix of styles they presented in their songs, as for the quality of some of their lyrics. Sétima Legião marked an era, and for that reason they occupy a prominent place in the history of Portuguese music. It was in 1982 that Rodrigo Leão (bass and keys), Nuno Cruz (drums) and Pedro Oliveira (vocals and guitar) began rehearsing on Avenida de Roma, running for the big night of Rock shortly after, managing to reach second place. They chose the name of Sétima Legião (the name of the Roman legion that came to Lusitania), and presented themselves mixing respect for national roots with the taste they had for English rock, even presenting some Celtic influences in their music."

The House Of Love - plastic, 1987

"‘The inspiration for the name of the band came from The Doors song, “The Spy”.’ Guy recalls. ‘I was a big Jim Morrison fan and he had been inspired by Anais Nin’s novel, A Spy In The House Of Love, to write “The Spy”. So, although the novel is where the name derives from it was filtered through The Doors song."

Soft Cell - happy happy happy, 2022

“Where did all our hopes go?” Marc Almond mourns on the opener to Soft Cell’s new album, Happiness Not Included. “All our naive dreams go?/ Were they just science-fiction stories?” The synth-pop duo were hardly upbeat to begin with, but this is downright miserable."

Pet Shop Boys - more than a dream, 2009

"Especially optimistic on an album full of optimistic songs, "More Than a Dream" sounds in some ways downright utopian. The Boys have confirmed that the lyric was partly inspired by the 2008 U.S. presidential election—specifically the candidacy of Barack Obama—and the feelings of hope and anticipation surrounding it, not just in the United States, but in other countries as well."

The Carpenters - reason to believe cover, 1970

"The Carpenters recorded "Reason to Believe" for their second LP, Close to You, in 1970. On television, the duo performed their version on The 5th Dimension Travelling Sunshine Show on August 18, 1971 and Make Your Own Kind of Music on September 7, 1971. Richard Carpenter remixed the song for the release of the 1995 compilation, Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration."

My Bloody Valentine - what you want, 1991

"the kind of distortion that we use, it's not classic rock distortion, or heavy metal distortion, it's super-rich harmonic distortion, so it has a kind-of psycho-acoustic affect that sounds loud."

Pope Francis speaking

I ask you to be vigilant against the temptation to cultivate a warlike spirit. Be vigilant lest you be poisoned by propaganda that instils hatred, divides the world into friends to be defended and foes to be fought.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 9, 2025

 

• Pope Francis often speaks against violence and war, aligning with his broader message of peace and reconciliation, which is evident in his World Day of Peace messages.
• The mention of being "poisoned by propaganda" relates to the ongoing global concern about misinformation and its role in fueling conflicts, as highlighted in discussions on hate propaganda and its legal implications.
• The post reflects Pope Francis's consistent stance on promoting a culture of peace, which has been a theme in his speeches, especially relevant in contexts like his homilies to armed forces or during significant religious events like the Jubilee.

 

Stars - how much more, 2010

"the album involves a loose concept about ghosts, with songs like “I Died So I Could Haunt You” and “He Dreams He’s Awake,” as it tips back and forth between melancholy yet shiny ballads and saturated, coffeehouse dance music."

Ozark Henry - eventide, 2010

"Hvelreki is the sixth studio album of Ozark Henry, released in October 2010. It is the first Ozark Henry album for EMI Music. Hvelreki is an Icelandic phrase that means 'good luck' and literally translates as: 'May a whole whale wash up on your beach.'"

Elton John - daniel, 1973

"Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics after reading an article in either Time or Newsweek about a Vietnam War veteran who had been wounded, and wanted to get away from the attention he was receiving when he came back home."

Azure Ray - look to me, 2003

"Whatever became of all the broken-hearted story tellers? Did being talked to by the TV for our entire childhood really kill our ability to talk back about how we really feel? If it wasn’t for those folks at Saddle Creek - producing soundtracks to the shy techno-trapped worlds of noughties indie-kids - the answer would be a doe-eyed, mumbled, 'yes'. But praise be to the Omaha music scene."

The Durutti Column - at first sight, 1991

"Over time, the group made a noticeable shift in a more artificial-sounding direction, and the crystalline guitar licks and tribal rhythms that once defined their sound became more or less usurped by the Reilly’s newfound affinity for synthesizers, sequencers, and cheesy-sounding drum machines."

Del Amitri - deceive yourself, 1985

"But in my head if no-one else’s, there was an immediate connection between two pieces of art of equal personal significance, one from long ago, one from just yesterday. Thank you for prompting that connection."

Saint Etienne - sycamore, 2000

"Compared to her breathy, often off-key delivery on So Tough, Cracknell’s voice has also gained sensitivity with age. On the beautiful ‘Sycamore’, she sings of remembrances fondly — "I’m thinking of them, I’m thinking of streams/Through the air the night was so long and dizzy" — before striking a gorgeously menacing note at its finish: "Let’s travel again to fall upon three chimneys/Well, the door was low, you were mistaken."

Hooverphonic - this strange effect cover, 1998

"This Strange Effect" is a song written by Ray Davies of The Kinks, and released first by Dave Berry in July 1965. The single was released in the United States in September 1965. It reached No.1 in the Netherlands, but peaked at No.37 on the UK Singles Chart. A studio recording was never officially released by The Kinks, but live recordings exist. An in-studio BBC recording by the Kinks from August 1965 was released in 2001 on BBC Sessions 1964-1977. Bill Wyman covered the track for his 1992 album Stuff. This version can also be found on A Stone Alone: The Solo Anthology 1974-2002. Belgian band Hooverphonic covered the song in 1998 for their album, Blue Wonder Power Milk. Their version of "This Strange Effect" was released as a single and was featured in the American television advertisement for the Motorola SLVR."

Editors - an end has a start, 2007

"An End Has a Start" is the title track and second single from Editors' second album. The single was released on 3 September 2007 on CD, maxi-CD and 7" vinyl. The B-side "Open Up" first appeared on the Japanese edition of the album as a bonus track. The song was used by the American Movie Channel as the backtrack in a montage style commercial, giving the track considerable exposure that it otherwise would not have received. It has also been covered by German folk metal band In Extremo on their 2008 album, Sängerkrieg."

Pet Shop Boys - listening, 2012

"Chris and Neil wrote and demoed this song during the early 2012 sessions for their album Elysium, but then decided to offer it to Morten Harket, the former lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop band A-ha, best known outside their native land for their big 1985 hit singles "Take on Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV." Harket himself is famed for what's described (quite accurately) in Wikipedia as his "extraordinary" vocal range, so powerfully exemplified in the falsetto notes he hits at the end of each chorus in "Take on Me." (Incidentally, A-ha subsequently reformed, allowing Harket once again to assume his role as lead singer of the band.) Harket included this rich, evocative midtempo ballad on his fifth solo album, Out of My Hands, released in April 2012. He apparently initiated the contact with the Boys, approaching them with a request for a new song. According to the Boys' official website, they offered "Listening" to him because they felt it "would suit his voice." Considering that Neil has said, "Morten Harket has a fantastic voice and A-ha has been one of our favorite bands for many years," it's not surprising that they would respond favorably to his request. But, as they have done so often in the past, the Boys subsequently released their own version of the song, offering it as one of the bonus tracks on their single "Memory of the Future."

America - amber cascades, 1976

"Amber Cascades" is a song written by Dewey Bunnell and performed by America. It reached number 17 on both the U.S. and the Canadian adult contemporary charts, number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 82 on the Canadian pop chart in 1976. It was featured on their 1976 album, Hideaway. The song was produced and arranged by George Martin."

The Walkmen - i lost you, 2008

"It's not a showy record, but one that when peeled apart reveals itself to be a darker and more engaging album than on first listen. But not only that, as it might also be the best thing they've ever done."

The Charlatans - no one not even the rain, 1992

"New songs mingled with old first album favourites. I definitely got to hear the little played Chewing Gum Weekend, a track I always liked on ‘Between 10th & 11th’. Paired with ‘(No One) Not Even The Rain’ I think the two are a great outro to the album."

Stars - calendar girl, 2004

"Sometimes the packaging is too big for the small sentiments, with the title track rattling inside so many pretty bows and colour. But most of these powerful pop songs bloom to match the intensity of the feelings they lament."

The Shadows - the savage, 1960

"In Canada, Cliff Richard and the Shadows had top 10 hits, especially from 1961 to 1965. Canadian guitarists Randy Bachman and Neil Young credit Marvin as influential, Young penning the song "From Hank to Hendrix" on his Harvest Moon album in partial tribute."

Neil Young - sugar mountain live, 1979

"He says that when he first wrote the song, he wrote 126 verses to it. Young: "Now, you can imagine that I had a lot of trouble figuring out what four verses to use... I was underneath the stairs at the time... Anyway, this verse that I wrote... It was the worst verse of the 126 that I wrote. So, I decided to put it in the song, just to give everybody a frame of reference as to, you know, what can happen. What I'm trying to say is, by stopping in the middle of the song, and explaining this to you, is that... I think it's one of the lamest verses I ever wrote. And, uhh...it takes a lotta nerve for me to get up here and sing it in front of you people. But, if when I'm finished singing, you sing the chorus 'Sugar Mountain' super loud, I'll just forget about it right away and we can continue." He then continues with the "worst verse", about being "underneath the stairs... And [...] giving' back some glares, To the people that you met, And it's your first cigarette".

The Cranberries - you and me, 1999

"You And Me and Animal Instinct were probably the first songs that Dolores wrote after she had kids, so that was kind of a love song for her son. Parenthood really does ground you a lot. When you come back off tour it takes a few days to adjust being back home, but with kids it’s like, Tough shit, get used to it! It brings you back down with a bang. It’s brilliant.”

The Postmarks - seven eleven cover, 2008

"These guys really did their homework! Wonderful warm-sounding drums that could easily be mistaken of being recorded at Gold Star, piercing castanets and a dramatic string arrangement. It’s a textbook example of how a well-executed Wall of Sound can pump up an ordinary song into sheer beauty. Basically, what Phil Spector did all the time in the 1960s. Postmarks singer Tim Yehezkely is no Darlene Love but her understated, crystal pure vocal approach definitely has its charm. And on this song it adds an eerie, ice-cold feel to the tragic storyline played out in the lyrics. The Postmarks’ own songs are well worth checking out by the way. Their most recent album, ‘Memoirs at the End of the World’, is a fantastic and at times cinematic piece of work with more than a nod towards the Wall of Sound on several tracks. I’ll probably feature an example in a later blog post."

The Lightning Seeds - sweet dreams, 1990

"I knew that the singles released from The Lightning Seeds debut CD Cloudcuckooland included the classic single "Pure" and the decent follow up "All I Want". With a bit of prodding I might have remembered that "Joy" was the other single release. Which made my discovery of this promotional single for "Sweet Dreams" just a little more intriguing. I couldn't say I remembered this track at all from the album - but then again I haven't heard the LP itself in years. So it was kind of a nice surprise."

Beach House - better times, 2010

"Sedate of pace, warm and soulful of texture, gentle of volume, and with a slightly background-ish quality that’s frequently punctured by the magic of singer Victoria Legrand’s almost supernaturally improved larynx; Teen Dream is a comforting record, not a demanding one, and there’s no shame in that."

Fine Young Cannibals - the flame, 1996

"The Finest is a greatest hits album by British rock band Fine Young Cannibals, released in 1996 by London Records (under the FFRR brand name) and licensed in the United States to MCA Records. It includes tracks from the band's two studio albums Fine Young Cannibals (1985) and The Raw & the Cooked (1989), plus a track from the film Something Wild and three new tracks. "The Flame" was released as an accompanying single, making number 17 in the UK chart."

Pet Shop Boys - the samurai in autumn, 2002

"Within a deceptively simple framework, the Boys have pulled off something quite remarkable, which can be fully understood only by peeling away its various layers. As befitting its ostensibly Japanese subject matter, the words are in the style of traditional Japanese poetry, striving for economy of language. While it doesn't fit the standard pattern of that most well-known of Japanese poetic forms, a haiku (three lines of five, seven, and five syllables), it's very haiku-like (three lines of eight, nine, and eight syllables). And like a traditional haiku, it focuses on a particular season of the year—in this case, autumn. But whatever you can say about the style, it seems most likely that the lyric is a metaphor for middle age. The samurai—a noble warrior figure, signifying a willingness to stand and fight against forces of opposition, whatever they may be, human or otherwise—is now in the autumn of his life (or the "September of his years," to paraphrase the title of a classic Frank Sinatra album from the mid-sixties). The lyrics neatly juxtapose present ("It's not …"), past ("… as easy as it was"), and future or alternate possibility ("Or as difficult as it could be …"). It's important to note that it's not a certain future (that would have been "Or as difficult as it will be"), but rather a possibility expressed as a conditional verb. While the past and present are known factors, the future is always tenuous and unknown. So this, the lyrics suggest, is what a noble middle age is all about: knowing that youth, the years of greatest ease (at least in physical terms), are now behind you and that the most difficult years (old age) are still ahead—if you're lucky enough to have any years ahead of you at all—and standing ready to face them bravely, come what may, as a warrior prepared for battle."

The Connells - slackjawed, 1993

"In the US, the album reached number 199 on the Billboard 200 with the single "Slackjawed" reaching number nine on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart."

America - daisy jane, 1975

"There was no such person as Daisy Jane and I had never even been to Memphis"

Indochine - pink water two, 2005

"Placebo fans know him and his band because of “Pink water”, Brian's collaboration with Indochine officiel. There are three versions of the song, two of them feature Mr. Molko and were released on the album ”Alice & June Limited edition" in December 2005."

Neil Young - cinnamon girl live, 1979

"the album does have its charms. It's nice to hear live versions of Young classics like "After the Goldrush", "Cinnamon Girl", and "Lotta Love"

Editors - the weight of the world, 2007

"singer Tom Smith tempers his constant anxiety with flashes of optimism, his brittle nihilism with gooey sentiment"

The Cranberries - saving grace, 1999

“When I got pregnant, I started singing again. It was my saving grace. I literally mean having this amazing human life, and our relationship in the sense of mother and child redeemed my soul.”

Moby - summer, 2000

"Moby was famous for his devout Christian beliefs, as well as his environmental and vegan activism. First breaking into the British Top Ten with the 1991 single "Go," he soon established himself in the U.S. as one of the scene's premier producers with 1995's critically acclaimed Everything Is Wrong. After a brief foray into punk rock introduced fans to his other sonic inspirations, Moby transitioned into a new role as a crossover pop star with 1999's seminal blockbuster Play. While his chart success would not reach the same heights again, he maintained his fan base with steady, reliable output, swapping between traditional house tracks and expansive ambient collections into the 2020s. Occasionally, he even dipped back into guitar-based, politicized anthems with side band the Void Pacific Choir. In 2021, he issued his 19th full-length, the reimagined retrospective Reprise. Born Richard Melville Hall, Moby received his nickname as a child, derived from the fact that Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick, is his great-great-granduncle."

Club 8 - spring came rain fell, 2002

"Maybe I shouldn't be listening to this as the sun lowers on the last warm afternoon of the year. Clouds hover and obscure the rays from time to time as the soft sounds play. Six months ago this would have fitted well, floaty music and breathed vocals being more apt when the promise of warmth is due. How it will fare in colder months is anyone's guess. Being from Sweden they should be used to cold though, so they'll survive. The problem might be the frailty, in the sunshine it is easy to drift along with the soft vocals and restrained chugging and noodling. The title track is lovely, shimmering and glowing, as does Baby, I'm Not Sure If This Is Love and they surpass anything that St Etienne could muster, which is probably the closest comparable band. Maybe the problem I have is that I don't like that sort of thing over the long haul. Luckily, maybe, they up gear by track six, The Chance I Deserve kicks in like Beck and grooves away happily and I Give Up Too provides a (very) brief intermission of strangeness. Then it's back to afternoon lazing mode, fading in and out with your sleepy brain. Teenage Dreams tells of young love and fits the summery mood of holiday romance, but some of the songs do flounder in the soft air, Karen Song being one, coming too close to the Kings Of Convenience, but full of good intentions nonetheless. As We Set Ourseves Free wafts off into the horizon you're ready for something heavier, with more bite, something that will shake the afternoon slumbers away. Still, it's not a bad way to while away the time on a sunny afternoon, just as long as the storm clouds hold off."

Vaya Con Dios - heading for a fall, 1992

”I'd like something that sounds like Hot Chocolate”

Barclay James Harvest - child of the universe, 1974

"Everyone Is Everybody Else is the fifth studio album by British Rock Band Barclay James Harvest released in June 1974. This was their first album for the Polydor label after they had parted company with EMI. The album was produced by Rodger Bain, who had previously worked with Black Sabbath in producing their first three albums. He also produced heavy rock bands Judas Priest and Budgie. There was said to be strained relations between Bain and the band, due to the preference of his musical style, with the band unhappy with the results of the song "Child of the Universe" in particular; Woolly Wolstenholme's only contribution was also left off the original album."

Laurent Voulzy - rockollection scène ten, 1977

"Laurent Voulzy, whose real name is Lucien Voulzy, is a French singer-songwriter who started his musical career at the age of 14. He goes from group to group ("Les tigers", "Les Ellences", "Mark Robson Sound", "Temple de Vénus", "Le Poing" ...) without meeting the expected success until 1974, a very decisive year for him because he will meet a certain… Alain Souchon. Their first collaboration gave birth to the album "Petite Annonce", renamed a few years later "J'ai 10 ans". In 1976 the album "Bidon" was released, then "Jamais content". And finally in 1977, the enormous tube which will explode the singer's career, namely the now legendary "Rockollection".

Laurent Voulzy - jelly bean, 1977

"Be still my heart. My two favorite French Pop stars! Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon! I died on the spot!"

Amanda Mair - it's gonna be long, 2012

"Mair sounds more like Kate Bush than Kate Bush does on her gorgeous, grown-up debut track"

Micheál And Eilish - dublin in the rare old times cover, 1990

"In the song, the narrator, Sean Dempsey, who comes from Pimlico, a working-class neighbourhood in the Dublin Liberties, recalls his upbringing. He laments the changes that have occurred in the city since his youth, mentioning the loss of Nelson's Pillar, the Metropole ballroom, the "Royal" (Theatre Royal). He dislikes the "new glass cages", the modern office blocks and flats being erected along the quays, and says farewell to Anna Liffey (the River Liffey)."

Micheál And Eilish - the mountains of mourne cover, 1990

"The song is a whimsical look at the styles, attitudes and fashions of late nineteenth-century London as seen from the point of view of an emigrant labourer from a village near the Mourne Mountains. It is written as a message to the narrator's true love at home. The "sweep down to the sea" refrain was inspired by the view of the mountains from Skerries in north County Dublin. It contrasts the artificial attractions of the city with the more natural beauty of his homeland."

Art Garfunkel - a heart in new york, 1981

"Paul's poetic style was so advanced, with its shades of dark grey. He had an unusually sophisticated poetic gift."

The Radio Dept - bound to happen, 2009

"Over the years there have been many songs written by the band, some appear on records, some were discarded and some are only played at certain live shows. This [...] never made it onto official releases."

Mike Oldfield - muse, 1999

"Oldfield plays all the music on the album, using only guitars of various types. The most remarkable usage is that of his Roland MIDI-equipped guitars, which he uses to trigger drum samples and produce string-like sounds. "Four Winds" is a four-part work, whose sections are musical portraits of the four compass points (North, South, East and West)."

Enya - lothlórien, 1991

"Lothlórien, the land of enchantment and wonder in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings. Lothlórien is as beautiful as a dream, as pure as the dawn of creation and as old as the beginning of time. Here, the leaves of the Mallorn trees in Autumn do not fall, but turn to gold. Various translations and suggested origins of the name Lothlórien give us colourful and imaginative expressions such as ‘the vale of the land of singers’, ‘the valley of the singing Gold’ and ‘Dreamflower’."

New Order - nineteen sixty-three, 1987

"In New Order Music 1981–89, the band's lyricist Bernard Sumner writes a tongue-in-cheek account of the song's lyrics that relate it to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. Sumner facetiously theorises that Kennedy arranged for Lee Harvey Oswald to shoot his wife so that "J.F. could do one with M. Monroe". Monroe commits suicide when Oswald hits the wrong target (in reality, Marilyn Monroe died in 1962, over a year before the assassination took place) and Oswald is later shot by his boss (implied to be Jack Ruby), for "doing such a bad job and causing his hit-man business to go bust."

Cocteau Twins - half-gifts, 1996

"Take the spacious, drowsy lilt of ‘Half-Gifts’, which suggests the spectre of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Suzanne’. It may be ironic that a Cocteau Twins song should evoke a man known for his deep, restricted delivery and precise imagery, though the lyrics which float up through the musical mists are not only occasionally understandable – shock horror! – but, seeing as the thirteen-year relationship between Fraser and Guthrie had not long ended, startlingly candid. ‘I have my friends, my family,’ sings Fraser. ‘I have myself, I still have me.’"

Echo And The Bunnymen - all my life, 1987

"McCulloch sings in a mannered and understated way that allows the conflicted emotions within the song to play out on their own merits and the rest of the band plays in a restrained but beautiful fashion that serves the song. I especially love drummer Pete de Freitas’ martial fills during the verse that uses military imagery in the lyrics. It is a subtle touch in a song that is surprisingly subtle and mature for an early Bunnymen track. It is a song about the ebbs and flows of life and is the perfect way to end the last album that the original line-up would make before McCulloch left for a time and de Freitas died in his accident."

Fine Young Cannibals - suspicious minds cover, 1986

"Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by the American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was recorded by Elvis Presley with the producer Chips Moman. Presley's version reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, his 18th and final no. 1 single on that chart. In 1999, Presley's RCA Victor Records version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame."

Marillion - warm wet circles, 1987

"Warm Wet Circles" is a song by the British neo-prog band Marillion. It was the third single from their fourth studio album Clutching at Straws, released on 26 October 1987. "Warm Wet Circles" peaked at number 22 in the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's 9th top-thirty hit in a row, and remained on the chart for four weeks. The music video featured footage of the band's concert at Lorelei in West Germany on 18 July 1987. The B-side is a live recording of "White Russian", another track from Clutching at Straws also made during the Loreley concert. The 12" version additionally contains a version of "Incommunicado" from this concert. In Argentina, the single was published under the Spanish title "Círculos Húmedos y Cálidos".

Pet Shop Boys - winner, 2012

"As major pop stars, they've experienced virtually everything described in the lyrics: the struggles, the practice, the paying of "dues," the cheers and acclaim of roaring crowds, the feeling of being on top of the world—indeed, enjoying it while it lasts. Becoming a big-time pop star must feel like being a "winner," too. Neil himself noted in the January 2013 issue of their fan club publication Literally that while writing this song, "Part of me was also thinking about when we got to number one with 'West End Girls' and we were winners."

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - teenage tide, 2011

“Teenage Tide” is off that EP and it finds the band picking up where their debut left off. The song maintains that perfect dream-pop sound, with consistent guitar riffs draped softly in a fuzzy reverb and fronted by airy vocals. Like the earlier stuff, “Teenage Tide” hints lightly of The Radio Dept. circa Pet Grief. But Letting Up Despite Great Faults brings out the vocals a bit more and plays off the youthful nature of the band. These are songs about love and life, and so they find that middle ground between hope and despair. “Teenage Tide” is uplifting yet has to it a hint of sadness. It’s a core element that made Letting Up Despite Great Faults such a strong LP."

Keane - sovereign light café, 2012

"Sovereign Light Café" is a song by English alternative rock band Keane released as the third single from their fourth studio album, Strangeland. The band played the song for first time during the Perfect Symmetry World Tour on 17 September 2009 in Thunder Bay Ontario. It has been a staple of Keane setlist since 2012 and the primary closing song since 2019. The song was written with inspiration drawn from the town of Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex, where the café is located in real life, and also the town of Battle, where many of the roads mentioned are close to where the members of Keane grew up."

Bodywash - massif central, 2023

"Bodywash’s “Massif Central” Is an Anthem of Solidarity for Anyone Whisked Into the Bureaucratic Abyss"

Of Monsters And Men - yellow light, 2012

"Set closer “Yellow Light” pits Þórhallsson as a will-o’-the-wisp leading Hilmarsdóttir off her path and into danger, urging her to “Just follow my yellow light / And ignore all those big warning signs.”

Amanda Mair - sense, 2012

"Amanda Mair is Swedish, which means that she has a particular knack for writing songs that you can keep returning to like catheterised lab rats to their teeny weeny opiate dispensers. Sure, before you know it you’ve completely warped your last.fm profile but you don’t mind because you’re now hooked on that chorus, making everything else in your life seem like faint background static."