Beach House - other people, 2012

"I just wanted to shoutout an amazing song that I think is underrated and also cemented my love for Beach House. I first heard Zebra and thought it was cool but it didn't really connect with me then. Years later, Other People was my next introduction to BH and it just resonated. I loved the intro, Victorias vocals, and the buildup to an amazing chorus to then slowly fade out. I then listened to Bloom and well the rest is history. With all of my praise of their whole discography, Other People will always have a special place in my heart."

New Order - turn, 2005

"The most affecting songs here are about second chances, reaffirming commitments and the terrible seduction of straying. Sumner has rarely sung better and "Dracula’s Castle" and "Turn" feel like older, wiser revisions of "Run" or "Fine Time". The title track, meanwhile, is a superb example of the surging, bittersweet grace of classic New Order, at once Apollonian and mordantly English."

Echo And The Bunnymen - flowers, 2001

"Flowers features the familiar psychedelic-tinged pop songwriting, chiming guitars, and unmistakable voice that have always been the group's trademark, but 20 years down the road, experience, nostalgia, and longing have tempered the band's sound."

Saint Etienne - dj, 2012

"Over twenty years on the clock for Saint Etienne and, having been absorbed in various distractions for the last seven of those, here is album number eight. In the early-’90s, the indie dance scene was gathering steam and the band were swept up with it, providing a mellower antidote to bands with an inclination towards rock."

Genesis - undertow, 1978

"Undertow in unashamedly romantic for the ageing prog rockers and the whole album it was taken from – And then there were three – was generally more accessible to a mass market, including as it did tracks such as the rather lovely ‘Many too Many’ and ‘Follow You Follow Me’."

King Crimson - the lizard suite live, 2017

"Jamie also changed mine. I consider it a privilege to have known, and benefitted from the company of, a man of such quiet power, even briefly. He struck me as one of those about whom one might truthfully say he was a beautiful human being. He will be much missed. Goodbye, Jamie."

Electronic - second nature, 1996

"Second Nature" is a song by Electronic, released as the group's seventh single. It has an autobiographical lyric by Sumner which concerns his youth and growing up, while the music has a groovy shuffle which contrasts with the stricter dance tracks on its parent album Raise the Pressure."

The Cranberries - what's on my mind, 1999

"I was into The Cranberries in the mid nineties but lost interest when their third album came out. I re-discovered them a few weeks ago and am completely blown away with their brilliance. I've only heard the first four albums so far but I am seriously in love. My favourite is still 'No Need to Argue' due to it's anger and deepness ( a bit like Dog Man Star). But of course the real star is Dolores's voice. She is definitely my favourite female singer."

Art Garfunkel - bright eyes live, 2019

"The amazing thing about “Bright Eyes” the song is that it actually manages to live up to my terrified imaginings – Art’s lovely, strung-out vocal managing to sound like the graceful, fatal will-o-wisp of the film’s Black Rabbit, the vision you chase even though you know where it is leading you to: “following the river of death downstream”, what a great line, or at least it becomes one with Art singing it with that slight beckon in his voice."

The Thrills - big sur, 2003

"Big Sur" is the third single released by Irish band the Thrills, taken from their debut album, So Much for the City (2003). The song contains elements from the 1966 song "(Theme from) The Monkees". "Big Sur" was released on 9 June 2003 and reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the most successful single release from the band. In their home country, the song reached number nine, giving them their second top-10 single, after "One Horse Town". Elsewhere, the song reached number 44 in Italy and number 55 in the Netherlands."

Tracey Thorn - dreamy, 1982

"A strange act of temporal travel occurs for me when hearing the voice of Tracey Thorn. Thanks to exposure at an impressionably young age to two songs which feature her voice, her soft tones still to this day have an overly powerful effect on me. For the most part, this power is melancholic, for it reminds that the home life which surrounded my childhood self when first listening to that voice no longer exists in the way it once did. Whenever versions of ‘Missing’ by Everything But The Girl or ‘Protection’ by Massive Attack come my way, I’m set at a certain distance from the present. Her voice is the sadness of adulthood, of broken relationships, of parental breakups and time juggled between fathers and mothers; all things occurring in my adulthood but which render me a child momentarily."

Electronic - until the end of time, 1996

"Until the End of Time" is a dance song by the English duo Electronic. It first appeared on their second album Raise the Pressure in 1996 and then on a fan club CD the following year. It was composed by members Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner with guesting writer Karl Bartos. The track is mainly programmed and played with synthesizers. Denise Johnson provides backing vocals. James Spencer is credited with engineering and mixing on the single, although Alan Meyerson is listed as the mixer in the album sleevenotes."

Club 8 - missing you, 1998

 

"Some of the records below have had a big influence on me as a person, some of them have influenced our music a lot and I think it’s quite easy to guess which ones.

• The Field Mice: Coastal
• Blueboy: If wishes were horses
• The Smiths: The Smiths
• The Radio Dept: Lesser matters
• Felt: Poem of the river
• Leonard Cohen: Songs
• Television Personalities: Far away and lost in joy
• The Sea Urchins: Stardust
• Ingenting: Mycket vasen for ingenting
• Mazzy Star: Among my swan"

 

Art Garfunkel - homeward bound live, 1996

"Across America is the only live album by American singer Art Garfunkel. It is the only official live recording he has released to date. The album was recorded live over two evenings - 12 and 13 April 1996 in The Registry Hall at Ellis Island, New York."

Genesis - hairless heart, 1974

"Hairless Heart" originated from a guitar melody from Hackett, for which Banks composed the other parts as a backing. Banks was fond of the piece and was dismayed when it was titled "Hairless Heart" in reference to a lyric from "Back in N.Y.C.", commenting, "shaving hair off the heart, it's a horrible concept!"

Beirut - scenic world first version, 2006

“Scenic World” was first released as part of Zach Condon’s first album, Gulag Orkestar in 2006, then updated with different background music on Lon Gisland in December of the same year, once he had expanded Beirut into an eight-man mini-orchestra. While the newer version has gone on to be more popular, the original one still has a strong following. There’s a good case that the song is about how the lead singer and songwriter, Zach Condon, writes his songs. “As a teenager and a young adult, I never felt like my own story was interesting enough to tell, so I always wrote lyrics from someone else’s perspective– told someone else’s story,” he told Pitchfork in a 2011 interview. This song is about him escaping into those stories."

The Housemartins - pirate aggro, 1987

"The Housemartins, along with The Smiths and The Ocean Blue, play a crucial role in my musical development. That jangly guitar is burned onto my soul! I remain a huge fan of the music they released in the brief window they existed, they deserve more credit and attention then they tend to get. It's nice to see a post on here about them, many thanks to the OP."

Marillion - fugazi, 1984

"Fugazi is the second studio album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released in 1984. Produced by Nick Tauber, it was recorded between November 1983 and February 1984 at various studios and was the first to feature drummer Ian Mosley, following the dismissal of the band's original drummer Mick Pointer. The album is titled after a military slang term well known at the time of release. According to AllMusic, the album "streamlined the intricacies of the group's prog rock leanings in favour of a more straight-ahead hard rock identity". Built upon the success of its predecessor, Script for a Jester's Tear, Fugazi reached the UK top five[4] and was certified Gold."

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - release, 2009

"Letting Up Despite Great Faults is an electronic-pop group from Los Angeles, Calif. that makes beautiful, lolling music with whispery vocals. Formed by Mike Lee in 2004, the six-piece band blends sampled sounds and polyrhythms with mandolin, cello, guitar and keyboards. The band got its unusually long name when Lee decided to start writing and recording songs despite feeling he wasn't very good."

Pet Shop Boys - pandemonium, 2009

"Like "Beautiful People," this track features harmonica, confirmed by Neil in an interview as having again been contributed by Johnny Marr. The Boys have stated that they originally wrote "Pandemonium" for Kylie Minogue, but she rejected it as well as several other songs they had offered."

Bruce Springsteen - downbound train, 1984

"Downbound Train" is a song that appears on the 1984 Bruce Springsteen album Born in the U.S.A. The song is a lament to a lost spouse, and takes on a melancholy tone. Author Christopher Sandford described the song as beginning "like a Keith Richards' riff" that ultimately moves to "one of those great country busted-heart lines, 'Now I work down at the car wash/where all it ever does is rain.'" The song was recorded on May 6, 1982 at the Power Station at the end of the "Electric Nebraska" sessions. Like several other Born in the U.S.A. songs, including "Working on the Highway" and the title track, a solo acoustic version of "Downbound Train" was originally recorded on the demo that eventually became the Nebraska album. "Downbound Train" is one of the few tracks that was successfully recorded at the "Electric Nebraska" sessions. Though it was not one of the seven singles released from the album, the song nevertheless gained some album-oriented rock radio airplay and was featured fairly regularly on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. It has been performed sporadically in tours since. Overall, the song has been played in concert about 130 times through 2008."

The Shins - phantom limb, 2006

"Phantom Limb" is a song by American indie rock band The Shins, and is the fourth track on their third album Wincing the Night Away. The song was also released as the first single from that album in the United States on November 14, 2006 as a digital download and a week later on CD. On January 22, 2007, "Phantom Limb" was released as a single in the United Kingdom. This song was #75 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. Songwriter and lead singer James Mercer described it as "a hypothetical, fictional account of a young, lesbian couple in high school dealing with the shitty small town they live in."

Moby - spiders, 2005

"Spiders" is a song by American electronica musician Moby. It was released as the third single from his seventh studio album Hotel on May 30, 2005 in the United Kingdom. It served as the second single from the album in the United Kingdom, where it was released in place of "Raining Again". "Spiders" is inspired by Moby's admiration for David Bowie. As such, it could be a reference to the Spiders from Mars, Bowie's touring band during the Ziggy Stardust era."

Crowded House - don't dream it's over, 1986

"Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from the album."

Sufjan Stevens - god'll ne'er let you down, 2001

"a lot of Sufjan's more religious songs have simple lyrics but very layered and deep imagery"

The Charlatans - page one, 1992

"Between 10th and 11th received unfavourable reviews from music critics, many of whom criticized the band, especially Burgess, for being lazy. Burgess' lyrics and the album's artwork also drew negative comments. Retrospective reviews of the album were more favourable, and some called it an underrated release. The album peaked at number 21 in the UK and number 173 on the US Billboard 200. "Weirdo" charted at number 19 in the UK, number 22 in Ireland and number 67 in the Netherlands, while "Tremelo Song" charted at number 44 in the UK."

Steve Hackett - spectral mornings, 1979

"The album finishes with the title track, which began life as a vocal piece. However, after Hackett played the vocal melody to his band on the guitar, Pete Hicks decided that the track sounded "great as it is", telling Hackett to "keep the piece as an instrumental", leading Hackett to joke later on that Hicks talked himself out of a job on the track. It has become his signature instrumental from his solo career. Many progressive rock guitarists, such as Steve Rothery (from Marillion), consider this track to be an inspiration."

Soft Cell - loving you hating me, 1983

“Loving You, Hating Me” was the proposed third UK single from the album The Art of Falling Apart by English synth-pop duo Soft Cell. It was never actually released in the UK and only saw release as a single in the US. The “Special Mix” contained in this US 12″ promo is unique to this release and has not appeared on CD. The duration of this track is printed on the sleeve as 6:59 while the label lists 7:50. The label is correct. “Loving You Hating Me” is a song about the battle of the sexes – a punch up rather than a full blown war! In a January 1983 interview with Soft Cell published in Melody Maker, Marc Almond explained: “Everybody has sadomasochistic tendencies, most people love to be hurt because of the drama and it’s pleasurable hurting somebody else because, afterward, you can feel really sorry for them”.

Vanishing Twin - magician's success, 2019

"Part psych-folk, part whimsical indie, London-based Vanishing Twin’s (comprised of Cathy Lucas, Valentina Magaletti, Elliott Arndt, Phil MFU and Susumu Mukai) “Magician’s Success” is a vintage-tinged tune. The track, from their forthcoming record The Age of Immunology (due 7 June) floats along, filled to its brim with quirky honking sounds, delicate strings, a steady guitar and easy-to-remember lyrics. It’s easygoing but delightfully grown."

Art Garfunkel - scarborough fair live, 2019

"How I've missed performing," says Art after singing the opening verses of 'Scarborough Fair/Canticle'. "It's been over a year now, so I wanna gather with my audiences this fall, and this is my calling card."

Stars - the big fight, 2004

"Glorious, shimmering torch songs for indie geeks is the lot of Stars, a Montreal act who sound as if they know their way around the bonfire of the vanities usually set off by broken-hearted romantics. Boy-girl vocals from Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan articulate everyday tales of desperation, chance encounters and melodramatic kitchen-sink rows (see The Big Fight for more on this)."

Sambassadeur - final say, 2007

"Everything about Sambassadeur's latest album is rich, from Anna Persson’s syrupy vocal tone, to the lush orchestration that garnishes each track. Having taken their name from the carnivalesque Serge Gainsbourg song ‘Les Sambassadeurs’ you expect there to be an abundance of vibrancy and passion on European, the band’s third release; though tempered by doubt and restraint, emotion lies beneath the layers of onion peel in the grey gutter of sadness."

Soft Cell - soul inside, 1984

"I had the huge pleasure of seeing 1980s icons Soft Cell at Hampton Court Palace this week. And what a joy it was. Marc Almond in magnificent voice exuding energy and charisma in abundance, Dave Ball (performing in a wheelchair following his fractured vertebrae last year) in every sense the straight man. From classics like Torch, Bedsitter, Say Hello Wave Goodbye and of course Tainted Love to newer material like Nostalgia Machine and rousing encore Purple Zone, the band soon had its somewhat ageing fan base on their feet and singing along. I thought they were the best band around in the 1980s – and hindsight hasn’t changed my mind. They are retrospectively so underrated it’s a crime."

Old Jerusalem - summer of some odd year, 2007

"A golden bell ornament that archeologists believed belonged to a priest or important leader from the Second Temple period, was found in an ancient drainage channel in ruins next to the Western Wall on Thursday, the Antiquities Authority announced. The small bell, which has a loop for attaching to clothing or jewelry, was found underneath Robinson’s Arch. The area underneath the arch was formerly the central road of Jerusalem, which led from the Shiloah Pools in the City of David to the Old City and the Temple Mount. The excavations were led by the Antiquities Authority and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and financed by the City of David Foundation, which runs the archeological park across the street. “It seems the bell was sewn on the garment worn by a high official in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period (first century CE),” the excavation’s lead archeologists, the Antiquities Authority’s Eli Shukron and Prof. Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa, said in a statement. “The bell was exposed inside Jerusalem’s main drainage channel at that time, among the layers of earth that had accumulated along the bottom of it.”

Etienne Daho - winter blue, 1988

"He was born in Oran (Algeria) in 1956. His childhood was marked by the departure of his father, who abandoned his wife and children, and by the Algerian war, which the family left behind when they settled in Rennes, France. It was music, and rock in particular, with which the teenager once again found an escape. He quickly tired of his studies, and from one odd job to the next, he tried his hand at songwriting, while keeping up with the local rock scene. In a bit of a gamble, he even managed to organize a concert, meeting up with some of his favorite bands, including Marquis de Sade and Elli and Jacno's Stinky Toys. A year later, in 1979, he took to the stage at a festival, overcoming his shyness on stage."

Headlights - get going, 2009

"All of their albums have unforgettable tunes. This one, at the end of their music careers, like too many great unrecognized bands see, is just as great as all their others. Their groove is like no other. Buy all of their albums."

Prefab Sprout - america, 2017

"Like perhaps his closest early contemporary, Green from Scritti Politti, McAloon’s love songs often acknowledged their own impudence in seeking to follow in the footsteps of songwriters such as Jimmy Webb and Stevie Wonder. McAloon sometimes casts himself as a true believer in idealised love who nonetheless remains aware of evidence to the contrary."

Dido - see the sun, 2003

"See the Sun" sees Dido swoop in as saviour for a broken heart, which was described as a "mini-anthem that has all the right items in their proper places."

Saint Etienne - stop and think it over, 2002

"Stop and think it over is a beautiful acoustic glide through a well kept up garden near the city, before returning to fully be captured by the pure catchyness of "Shower scene" which brings the listener's full attention to what St Etienne sounds like when doing dance pop at their best attempt. Beautiful."

Art Garfunkel - the sound of silence, 1993

"Up ’til Now is a compilation album by Art Garfunkel. The album is a mixture of three previously released solo tracks, seven new songs, and two alternate takes of previously released songs."

Boney M - rivers of babylon cover, 1978

"Rivers of Babylon" is a Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Hebrew Bible. The Melodians' original version of the song appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1972 movie The Harder They Come, which made it internationally known. The song was re-popularized in Europe by the 1978 Boney M. cover version, which was awarded a platinum disc and is one of the top-ten, all-time best-selling singles in the UK. The B-side of the single, "Brown Girl in the Ring", also became a hit."

The Moody Blues - watching and waiting, 1969

"I think To Our Children’s Children’s Children [1969] is the one Moodies album that didn't come across on the radio. It didn't jump; it was soft, it was quiet. Everybody was so delicate with it and handling it with kid gloves. The way it was mastered was quiet, and the way it was transferred to disc was delicate. In the end, it ended up getting a little lost. "Watching and Waiting" — when we heard that song in its studio beauty, we thought, "This is it! All of those people who had been saying to us for the past 3 or 4 years, "You'll probably just do another Nights in White Satin with it" — no! We had shivers up the spine, and that kind of stuff. But when it came out and you heard it on the radio, you kept saying, "Turn it up! Turn it up!! Oh no, it's not going to make it." So it didn’t happen."

The Walkmen - angela surf city, 2010

"Angela Surf City" is sardonic, sad-eyed, and loud all at once - because, you know, it's the Walkmen."

The Jesus And Mary Chain - jamcod, 2023

“Our creative approach is remarkably the same as it was in 1984, just hit the studio and see what happens. We went in with a bunch of songs and let it take its course. There are no rules, you just do whatever it takes. And there’s a telepathy there – we are those weird not-quite twins that finish each other’s sentences.”

Stars - real thing, 2017

"Canadian indie-pop veterans Stars are throwing their hat into the ring for 2017 — this year of Canadian comebacks — and today they’ve shared another track from their forthcoming new album, There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light. They’ve already shared a few tracks from it — “Privilege,” “We Called It Love,” and “Fluorescent Light” — and today they’ve unveiled the album’s tracklist and a release date (10/13) alongside a big-sounding new song called “Real Thing.”

Keane - crystal ball, 2006

"Crystal Ball" is a song performed and composed by English rock band Keane, featured on their second studio album, Under the Iron Sea (2006). The song was released on 21 August 2006 as the third single from the album. "Crystal Ball" peaked at number 20 on both the Dutch Singles Chart and the UK Singles Chart."

Sea Shapes - chronically online, 2023

"New York’s Sea Shapes are a new name on my listening horizon. It’s a one man project and the previous releases have been influenced heavily by post-punk and shoegaze."

Fun - out on the town, 2012

"Ruess recalls that he was listening to "so much hip-hop" during the production that it became a big influence for him, specifically Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The band felt inspired and gradually began working on new songs, each carrying an obvious hip-hop influence. Consciously, the band began working in the hip-hop factor and realized they wanted a hip-hop producer."

The House Of Love - yer eyes, 2009

"it’s always worth noting the original presence of Andrea Heukamp on the early House of Love singles. Though she was gone by the time of the album debut, having left on good terms due to tiring of touring – a decision bandleader Guy Chadwick freely admitted later was a deep blow, and perhaps the root of the band’s slow but sure mutation over the following years – there’s little in the way of lads-all-together sentiments on those songs and on the full debut; more a considered, still questioning approach to what it is to be a man, exactly."

Marillion - childhood's end, 1985

"I was in 'Padres Bay' when suddenly I felt a child standing behind me on the stairs. I knew he was dressed as a soldier and vanished as soon as he entered the corner of my eye. Perhaps it was my muse; perhaps it was the drug. It was enough to propel me into reaming off a large scrawl of prose."

Enya - only time, 2000

"Only Time" is a song by Irish musician Enya. It was released on 6 November 2000 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, A Day Without Rain (2000). The song reached number one in Canada, Germany, Poland and Switzerland, number two in Austria, and became Enya's only top-10 single as a solo artist in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became an anthem for the victims of the September 11th attacks, with Enya donating to a fund for the victims' families."

Genesis - window, 1969

"The song opens with a piano riff that creates a lot of excitement and anticipation, but don’t get fooled. That riff disappears abruptly after twenty seconds, never to return. Instead, we get Peter singing a lovely little melody with understated horns spelling a very pretty guitar sound from Ant, and strings"

Pet Shop Boys - left to my own devices album version, 1988

"'Left to My Own Devices' was an experiment in seeing how mundane a pop song could be, before setting it against extravagant music."

Of Monsters And Men - sloom, 2011

"It’s about a six-hour flight from the East Coast of the United States to Reykjavík, Iceland, the hometown of up and coming sextet Of Monsters and Men. And the band’s debut album is like that moment during such a transatlantic flight where travelers realize that the journey is just a little bit too long, but ultimately worthwhile."

Sérgio Godinho - o primeiro dia, 1978

"His last albums in the 1970s are Pano-Cru, from 1978, and Campolide, from 1979. In these albums, Godinho starts a transition to less politically-charged lyrics and singing more about everyday life."

Art Garfunkel - bright eyes, 1979

"Bright Eyes" is a song written by British songwriter Mike Batt and performed by Art Garfunkel. It was written for the soundtrack of the 1978 British animated adventure drama film Watership Down. The accompaniment was re-orchestrated for the film from its original form as a pop song. The original pop track appears on British and European versions of Garfunkel's 1979 Fate for Breakfast and on the US versions of his 1981 album Scissors Cut. "Bright Eyes" topped the UK Singles Chart for six weeks and became Britain's biggest-selling single of 1979, selling over a million copies. Richard Adams, author of the original novel, is reported to have hated the song."

The Radio Dept - this past week live, 2007

"There’s been fights and threats regarding contracts. They’ve cancelled more interviews than all the other bands I’ve worked with altogether. They are unworldly time optimists (they can miss a deadline by three years). They’ve demanded – and received – so much advances that we haven’t been able to pay our bills. I’ve had to bribe them with drugs to persuade them to talk to selected parts of the press. They’ve been soundly pissed off when a colour of their artwork didn’t turn out exactly the shade they intended … the story goes on.”

 Such a great song!

 

Saint Etienne - join our club, 1992

"Join Our Club" is a song by English musical group Saint Etienne, released by Heavenly Records in May 1992 as a double-A side with "People Get Real". Saint Etienne wrote the song after the label refused to release "People Get Real" as a single. The band deliberately tried to write the most commercial song they could, and it ultimately reached number 21 in the UK Top 40. The lyric alludes to a number of other songs, some recent hits at the time it was written (e.g. "Smells Like Teen Spirit", “Justified and Ancient,” “We Got a Love Thang”), others older favourites of the group (including Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" - coincidentally, a hit cover version for Incognito the following month - and The Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic", which like "Join Our Club" itself is a celebration of the pleasure of listening to music, and whose title is used as a recurring hook). In the UK, it was a between-album single, released between Foxbase Alpha and So Tough. "Join Our Club" appeared on the US version of So Tough (the announcer’s intro mention the “Chicken Soup Mix” with a chuckle), while "People Get Real" appeared on the US release of Foxbase Alpha. Both later were included on You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone, a b-side collection in the UK."

Anna Meredith - ribbons, 2019

“If the sweet, drifting “Ribbons” and wide-eyed finale “Unfurl” feel underwhelming, that’s probably relative to the album’s more daring soundworlds. FIBS highlights Meredith as a much-needed creative force. Her shape-shifting genre-defiance constantly surprises and intrigues, but it’s good to get back down to Earth afterwards”.

Cat Stevens – morning has broken cover live, 2022

The hymn originally appeared in the second edition of Songs of Praise (published in 1931), to the tune "Bunessan", composed in the Scottish Islands. In Songs of Praise Discussed, the editor, Percy Dearmer, explains that as there was need for a hymn to give thanks for each day, English poet and children's author Eleanor Farjeon had been "asked to make a poem to fit the lovely Scottish tune." Farjeon later included a slight variation on the original hymn text under the new title, "A Morning Song (For the First Day of Spring)", in her collection of poems for children entitled The Children's Bells, published by Oxford University Press in 1957."

Beirut - mount wroclai idle days, 2006

"Twenty-year-old Zach Condon's war-torn alias is just the start of his obsession with conflict. The title of his debut album evokes Stalin's notorious labour camps and he's found inspiration in the battle-scarred spirit of the Balkans. Yet his music is a sublime mix of optimism and resignation. Mandolin, ukelele, horns and simmering percussion conjure up mournful celebrations; violins strike the tangled melee like shards of lightning."

The Cranberries - twenty one, 1994

“Twenty One was written on September 6th 1992” (Dolores’ 21st birthday)"

Micheál And Eilish - mná na héireann cover, 1990

"Mná na hÉireann" (English: Women of Ireland) is a poem written by Irish poet Peadar Ó Doirnín (1700–1769), most famous as a song, and especially since set to an air composed by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971). Peadar Ó Doirnín lived in Forkhill in south Armagh, Ireland and is buried in Urnaí graveyard nearby in County Louth. He is best known for his song 'Úrchnoc Chéin Mhic Cáinte'. It was the editor of an anthology of his poems (1969), Dr. Breandan Ó Buachalla who gave the lyrics its title 'Mná na hÉireann'."

Noah And The Whale - jocasta, 2008

"This album is absolutely perfect if, like many University students, you often find yourself at registers on Friday nights contemplating the meaning of love in the context of an uncertain life with death around every corner. Or maybe you’re just going through a bad breakup, or you’re in love with an uninterested best friend. Either way, Fink’s lyrics packs a powerful emotional and philosophical punch. It’s not for the light of heart, as shown through songs like “Jocasta.” For those of you that don’t know Greek mythology, she’s the mother of Oedipus. For those of you that still don’t understand, ask a psychology major and get prepared for a really uncomfortable conversation."

My Morning Jacket - the way that he sings, 2001

"I love the song and the sentiment. And as great as Jim's voice is, the last minute of the song when they're all just jamming is just incredible.... chills inducing.....I always hope they extend that outro when I heard it live. It's just too short."

Azure Ray - other than this world, 2002

"Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink have always had the unique ability to transform tragedy into transcendent, healing music. Azure Ray, their main creative outlet since 1999, began as a response to the horrific death of Taylor’s boyfriend, Peter Smith. For many musicians the gravity of this kind of trauma would be inescapable but Taylor and Fink managed to face it head on then build a fascinating, sonically adventurous body of work that has subtly reformatted part of the singer/songwriter landscape."

Art Garfunkel - so much in love cover, 1988

"So Much in Love" is a song written by George Williams, Billy Jackson, and Roy Straigis (initially under the name John Joseph). It was originally performed by Williams's American soul vocal group the Tymes and was released in the summer of 1963 on Cameo Parkway Records, which produced many pre-Beatles hits of the 1960s such as The Twist. It quickly became The Tymes' first hit single, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on August 3, 1963, and remaining there for one week, as well as peaking at No. 4 on the Hot R&B Singles chart."

Mike Oldfield - blues, 2003

"Tubular Bells III is the eighteenth studio album by English guitarist, songwriter, and producer Mike Oldfield. It was released on 31 August 1998 by Warner Music UK as the third instalment in his Tubular Bells album series. After relocating from England to the Spanish island of Ibiza in 1996, Oldfield started work on the album and gained inspiration to incorporate electronic music from the island's local bars and clubs."

The Radio Dept - lean back lean forward, 2003

"Lean Back, Lean Forward", Album Mjuk I Mössan, Compilation released by Swedish label, Absurd Records."

The Moody Blues - legend of a mind, 1968

"The song's lyrics are about 1960s LSD icon Timothy Leary. Leary was an advocate for the use of the drug, enjoying its spiritual benefits, with one of his catchphrases being "Turn on, tune in, drop out." A re-recorded version of the song, with different lyrics, "Legend of a Mind (Timothy Leary Lives)" appears on the 1996 album Beyond Life With Timothy Leary. The song is perhaps best known for its opening lines: "Timothy Leary's dead / No, n-n-no he's outside looking in", which allude to Leary's use of eastern mysticism (most notably The Tibetan Book of the Dead) to frame the psychedelic experience."

The Go-Betweens - caroline and i, 2003

"David Nichols in his book, The Go-Betweens, considers that "'Caroline and I' is a light engaging study of the rather vague parallels between Robert Forster and Princess Caroline of Monaco, with an irresistible melody line rather similar to that of the Buzzcocks' 'Paradise'." The book also contains an interview with Forster, in which he states that he wrote the song in 1997, when he was living in Germany, saying "She meant a lot to me when I was between the ages of about fifteen and nineteen. She was a glamour figure. Obviously, from the lyrics, she was the same age as me. She was someone I felt attracted to..." "...[Caroline] was my age. I was attracted to her, and it was like we were living these two parallel lives. She went to university at the same time as I did. I went to Queensland University, she went to a university in Paris. It seemed that we were moving in the same direction." The Guardian's Betty Clarke comments "The heavy-hearted nostalgia of 'Caroline and I' is the song Lou Reed could have written if he had fallen for Brian Wilson, not David Bowie." The Undercover Review believes that the song is "reminiscent of that sound that has buried them into the psyche of every underground lover in this country and abroad. Such simple melodies thrown together with also simple, yet thought-provoking lyrics is often shrugged off as easy to create, but in reality even the most hardened avoider of trends will find this hard to resist." The Oz Music Project is not so complimentary however stating "the sinewy sunburst of Robert Forster's typically clean-channeled arpeggio riffs winding their way throughout, it is Forster-by-numbers; skewed, jangly pop with that wildly oscillating warble whorling around over the top. Like much of ‘Rachel Worth' it lacks the invention and passion that made the Go-Betweens such a joy in the first place."

The Radio Dept - gibraltar, 2006

"Formed in 2001, The Radio Dept. is a celebrated Swedish dream pop band hailing from Malmö. Comprised of talents Johan Duncanson and Martin Carlberg, they have carved a niche in the indie music scene with their ethereal soundscapes and lush melodies. Often categorized under various genres such as dream pop, shoegaze, and Swedish indie pop, The Radio Dept. stands out with their unique blend of atmospheric instrumentation and introspective lyrics."

Morrissey - first of the gang to die, 2004

"The song, which tells the story of a gang member named Hector, is seen as a tribute to Morrissey's significant Hispanic fanbase. Whyte commented, "All these Hispanic kids were coming to see us, with quiffs and leather jackets, shouting for Morrissey. The Latinos embraced him because they relate to all that isolation in his lyrics. They feel like outsiders in their own country. Plus, they have a very romantic sensibility and love the whole rocker image."

Bruce Springsteen - dancing in the dark, 1984

"Springsteen wrote "Dancing In the Dark" overnight, after Jon Landau convinced him that the album needed a single. According to journalist Dave Marsh in the book Glory Days, Springsteen was not impressed with Landau's approach. "Look", he snarled, "I've written seventy songs. You want another one, you write it." Despite this reaction, Springsteen sat in his hotel room and wrote the song in a single night. It sums up his state of mind, his feeling of isolation after the success of his album The River, and his frustrations of trying to write a hit single. Six takes of "Dancing in the Dark" were recorded on February 14, 1984, at The Hit Factory, and after 58 mixes, work was completed on March 8, 1984. The 12-inch single was released May 9, 1984, and was the highest-selling 12-inch single in the US that year."

Pet Shop Boys - give it a go, 2012

"A simple, down-to-earth number that, like so many on Elysium, initially seems rather unimpressive but then grows on you to the point that you can't help but appreciate the brilliance behind it."

The Mary Onettes - symmetry, 2009

"The Mary Onettes - Islands has very warm songs written from the heart. Every song is dripping with emotional imagery of someone growing up and growing old. The strings could possibly use some variety of sounds, but are still hauntingly beautiful to listen to. The opener "Puzzles" is the lead single and a good intro for what is to come on the album. "Symmetry" is the song that drew me in and still my fav. The album closes with Bricks - a filled with acoustic guitar beauty and such a moving song. from this group I've had this It should have been released as a single. I've had this for over 8 years now and I never grow tired of it. If you assume that this is simply a retro 80s group think again."

Dolores O'Riordan - ordinary day, 2007

"Ordinary Day" is the lead single taken from Dolores O'Riordan's debut album, Are You Listening?. The single was the most added AAA track on US radio stations. The single peaked at number 2 in Italy, number 1 in Croatia and number 10 in Lebanon."

Stars - changes, 2010

"Montreal's Stars make a very different sound to the euphoric, genre-colliding racket of the members' other group, Broken Social Scene. Their fifth album typifies Stars' more epic melodrama – in awe of Prefab Sprout, New Order and the 1980s to the point where you can imagine videos featuring moody-looking types staring over windswept beaches, pondering Russian novels and their spots. It's all absurdly pretty. Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan's conversational vocals recall Sprout's Paddy McAloon and Dubstar's Sarah Blackwood respectively. However, with every synthesiser airbrushed to an AOR sheen things start to sound bland. Two sounds leap out from the wash of melancholy blue. We Don't Want Your Body is an unlikely tale of druggy vampires and knocking shops in Oxford Street set to harpsichord, featuring the improbable line: "You sold me some cheap Ecstasy, so you could have some sex with me". Changes – with Millan's voice at its sweetest – is simply unutterably lovely."

Anna Meredith - inhale exhale, 2019

"London-based musician Anna Meredith had made her name as a composer of classical and electronic music before she ever wrote a pop song. But about 10 years ago, she decided she was interested in performing her own music, and was looking for a change. “I was honored and lucky to be making a living as a classical composer and writing orchestral pieces,” she said in a phone interview earlier this month. “But you write the score, you hand it over to the conductor, and your job is over. You’re not to have anything to do with the performance, and most of those pieces are played once, and not recorded, and never played again. And that’s just heartbreaking.”

The Housemartins - coal train to hatfield main, 1986

"I was like a kid at Christmas when the postman arrived (with the 12″ of this very single) that day and the final piece of the jigsaw was put into place. They may have only released 9 singles in total, but they made an everlasting impression on the early teenage me."

The House Of Love - shake and crawl, 1990

"A true masterpiece of indie music. For a short time between The Smiths and The Stone Roses; The House of Love were going to take over the world. It was a delicate blend of shoegaze and dream pop. Lush fragile melodies with beautifully written songs. This was there first album on the Fontana label and their third self-titled release. At the time of release the band was is disarray, it had just lost Terry Bickers, who was against the signing to Fontana. His departure at a motorway services from the tour bus and psychedelic guitar are legendary. I think that his influence on the album is much deeper than anyone could imagine."

The Radio Dept - the hide away, 2006

"I thought I had everything these guys have ever done !! wrong ! Supposedly this from an album called Rebell 10 år Only one track by The Radio Dept, but would love to hear the other tracks! Hope there is a new album this year.... been waiting too long"

Such a great song!

Beach House - ten mile stereo, 2010

"I’ve honestly always thought this song was about their journey making music and them putting their hearts into it and throwing it out into the world. In this way their spreading love through the sacrifices they’ve made in making it and devoting to it."

Cher - the music's no good without you, 2001

"The Music's No Good Without You" was written by Cher, James Thomas, Mark Taylor and Paul Barry, while production was done by Taylor, with co-production by Thomas and Jeff Taylor. The song is drenched in hypnotic synth lines and computer-savvy vocal effects."

Stars - the gift of love, 2017

“We make the small things big and the big things a chorus.”

Echo And The Bunnymen - get in the car album version, 1999

"Get in the Car" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in 1999. It was the second single to be released from their 1999 album, What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?. Released by London Records as a CD single, it contains two versions of the title track, the album version and a radio edit, as well as live versions of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" and "Rescue". The title track was written by Will Sergeant and Ian McCulloch."

Guillemots - clarion, 2008

"Kriss Kross" / "Clarion" is a double A-side single by multinational band Guillemots. It was released on 28 September 2008 as a digital download, then as a limited edition 10" record two weeks later. It was the first double A-side released by Guillemots. Lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield explained: "We've always meant to put out a double A-side at some point, and we couldn't decide which of 'Kriss Kross' and 'Clarion' should be the next single, so now seemed like the right time to do both." Dangerfield was the sole writer of "Clarion"; "Kriss Kross" was credited to the entire band. Both songs were produced by Guillemots and record producer Adam Noble, and both were featured on Guillemots' second album, Red."

The Cranberries - dreams, 1992

"Dreams" is the debut single of Irish rock band the Cranberries. It was originally released in September 1992 by Island Records and later appeared on the band's debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993). The song reached the top 50 of the US Hot 100 and the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart in early 1994. A 1990 demo version was released in Ireland only in the summer of that year under their initial band name, the Cranberry Saw Us. At the end of the song, the backing vocals are sung by Mike Mahoney, ex-boyfriend of Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan."

Bright Eyes - old soul song, 2005

"Incredible lyrics. Simple and real. I always took this song to be about witnessing people trying to fight to change the world, just see that nothing really changes, except maybe oneself."

Saint Etienne - erica america, 1998

"Bob was a music journalist whose review of the Lightning Seeds ‘Cloud Cuckooland’ once graced the pages of a leading music paper with the initials ‘MM’. Their first single together, “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”, was a cover of a Neil Young song, with Moira Lambert contributing guest vocals. It was followed by “Kiss And Make Up”, again a cover version – this time from obscure Indie band Field Mice. The vocalist is Donna Savage."

Asobi Seksu - strawberries, 2007

"Citrus was the CD that first hooked me to the band, with "Thursday", "Strawberries". There are just so many songs. They have that sweet feminine voice driving these aggressive guitars and drums. Fearless, power-shoe gaze, that gives you this instant feeling of nostalgia with the songs even without actually taking you back. You're still driving forward, just in an old muscle car."

Amy Macdonald - a wish for something more, 2007

"what’s funny is even then, everyone found it bizarre that I got a record deal from sending a demo, because this was when people were being discovered on MySpace — Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys; they were all doing it that way"

America - survival, 1980

"essentially, the album picks up where Silent Letter left off, meaning that it's a set of pleasant soft pop, but it's slicker and slighter than its predecessor."

The Lightning Seeds - ready or not, 1996

"But the real black mark is in not including the single version of Ready Or Not. La la la la. But that really is nitpicking in the extreme, so I’ll just be happy that there’s a new compilation out that I can play in the CD player player player player player (remember those? Ask your Dad) in my car to replace my knackered copy of Like You Do… Best of the Lightning Seeds."

The Radio Dept - david live, 2011

“David” is a bit surprising; featuring a highly melodic and downtempo key part similar to the sounds that enveloped Pet Grief but backed by a clean, relaxed bassline and relaxed percussion initially gives the listener a startle."

The Lightning Seeds - feeling lazy, 1994

"'Feeling Lazy' is another of Broudie's windows onto urban English life and brings to mind some of the more playful dabblings by The Kinks, albeit dressed up with a fair helping of strawberries and cream."

Bad Lieutenant - twist of fate, 2009

"it is impossible to make any sort of appraisal of Bad Lieutenant without numerous references to New Order. The facts: Bad Lieutenant comprise three members of New Order's most recent line-up, namely Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris (making several appearances on drums) and latter day additional axeman Phil Cunningham."

Pet Shop Boys - all over the world, 2009

"the Boys wrote the song "with a little help from Tchaikovsky," specifically the fanfare-like main theme of the March from the holiday classic The Nutcracker (Op. 71: II). Chris gets the credit for its inclusion."

U2 - staring at the sun, 1997

"Staring at the Sun" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 1997 album, Pop, and was released by Island Records as the album's second single on 14 April 1997. The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, number one in Canada and Iceland and number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the US, it topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Adult Alternative Songs charts. It also reached the top 10 in Finland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and Norway."

One Republic - secrets, 2009

"Secrets" is the second single released from American pop band OneRepublic's second studio album, Waking Up (2009). It was released as the first single in Germany and Austria owing to its presence on the soundtrack of Til Schweiger's film Zweiohrküken. The movie is the sequel to the film Keinohrhasen, for which "Apologize" was the film soundtrack. The song rocketed up the German and Austrian airplay charts. The song was released in the United States iTunes Store on November 3, 2010. The song was due for a UK release on April 5, 2011 but was later canceled. It was sent to U.S. Top 40/Mainstream radio on June 1, 2010. "Secrets" is written in the key of D major."