The Montgolfier Brothers - the world is flat live, 2002

"Revered instrumentalist Mark Turner and vocalist Roger Quigley have worked together in the past, as well as putting together strong efforts on several artistic solo projects. This excursion, entitled The World is Flat is a beautiful concept album, complete with spirally guitars, a little touch of piano spice, and lush string and orchestral arrangements. A dreamy, ethereal piece of art, this album is indebted to the producer for bringing to the listener the state of the art sound we hear from this duet who hail themselves The Montgolfier Brothers."

The Lightning Seeds - what if, 1996

"What If..." was released October 1996 in the UK. It peaked at No. 14 in the charts and, continuing in the vein of the previous single, included a cover of The Beach Boys' "Here Today" as a cassette-only B-side. The single's title track, co-written by Terry Hall and Broudie, featured a poppy sound reminiscent of The Turtles' "Happy Together".The song is regarded as a stand-out track of the album by Broudie himself, who cites The Beach Boys and The Turtles as influences behind the song."

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - foi na cruz, 1990

"Cave has now suffered the death of two of his four sons, after his son Arthur died aged 15 after falling from a cliff near Brighton. In a statement announcing his death, he was described as a “beautiful, happy, loving boy”, and the impact of his death on Cave was explored in the documentary One More Time With Feeling, which focused on the making of the album Skeleton Tree."

Yot Club - dog song, 2019

"The song "Dog Song" by Yot Club is a playful look at life from the perspective of a dog. The artist suggests that life as a dog is much simpler than humans' lives are, and that the obligations and expectations we face in the human world do not exist for the dog. The lyrics suggest that life as a dog would be peaceful and carefree, with no pressure to meet anyone's expectations or succeed. The chorus asks the listener to consider how this life would feel, while the rest of the song paints a picture of what life could be like if one were a dog."

Jeff Buckley - hallelujah, 1994

"Buckley played guitar in a variety of styles, ranging from the distorted rock of "Sky is a Landfill", the jazz of "Strange Fruit", the country styling of "Lost Highway", and the guitar fingerpicking style in "Hallelujah". He occasionally used a slide guitar in live performances as a solo act, as well as for the introduction of "Last Goodbye", when playing with a full band. His songs were written in various guitar tunings which, apart from the EADGBE standard tuning, included Drop D tuning and an Open G tuning. His guitar playing style varied from highly melodic songs, such as "The Twelfth of Never", to more percussive ones, such as "New Year's Prayer"."

Stormzy - blinded by your grace pt two ft mnek, 2017

"Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2" is a song by English rapper Stormzy featuring British singer MNEK. It was released on 27 October 2017 as the fourth single from his debut studio album, Gang Signs & Prayer, where its first part is placed in the track listing. It was written by the rapper himself, and produced by Fraser T. Smith. Peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, it became his second-highest-charting single, behind "Big for Your Boots", the lead single from the LP released back in February 2017."

Spector - all the sad young men, 2015

“We spurred each other on to write, what I think are, some really good lyrics, really honest lyrics. I wanted to write something that sounded anthemic but wasn’t one of those life-affirming, ‘Everything’s gonna be fine’ affairs. It’s something for a slightly apathetic generation of people who’d rather hide and look at their phones, and aren’t very romantic or confident about the future.”

Absolutely Yours - walked in the garden, 2024

"Absolutely Yours is an indie band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Helmed by Bridget Collins, they take sonic inspiration from shoegaze and dreampop, but as you can hear on the ambrosia tones of Walked in the Garden, their sound is very much their own. The light and hushed tones of the vocals intertwine with a heavenly, shoegaze-influenced guitar melody, drawing out the emotional turmoil hinted at in the lyrics and the darker tones of the rhythm section. The song has a message, but brings the listener along on that journey, like a close friend or confidante. It’s a wonderful introduction to a sublime album that will appeal to fans of Alvvays, Cocteau Twins, and Broadcast."

The Coral - miss fortune live, 2016

"In 1996, school-friends Ian Skelly and Paul Duffy began jamming together in the basement of Flat Foot Sams pub in Hoylake. Over the following months they were joined by Bill Ryder-Jones on lead guitar, Ian's older brother James Skelly on vocals and main songwriting duties, and then Lee Southall on rhythm guitar. The band were known briefly as Hive before choosing the name "The Coral", and the line-up was completed with the addition of Nick Power, who joined as keyboard player in 1998."

The Strokes - at the door, 2020

"Lyrically, the album explores unease, inaction and alienation. “I want new friends, but they don’t want me/They’re making plans while I watch TV” is the chorus to one song. On “At the Door,” Casablancas knows he is a lost soul, but offers hope: “Use me like an oar/Get yourself to shore.”

Toquinho+Maria Bethânia+Vinicius De Moraes - tarde em itapoã live, 1971

"The beach at Itapuã was originally a small fishing village and fishermen can still be seen there today. It’s said the Vinicius’ inspiration for the song was given to him while watching these men at work. Another version is that the great poet hated Itapuã beach and was actually inspired by the nearby Praia dos Coqueiros (although, this beach’s name doesn’t quite have the same musical ring to it)."

Thomas Dybdahl - man on a wire, 2013

"That Thomas Dybdahl isn't more well known outside his native Norway, where he boasts multi-platinum status and Norwegian Grammy awards aplenty, could well be down to the fact he's the kind of artist that fans want to keep to - and for - themselves. Hailed by the NME as 'Norway's answer to Nick Drake', he certainly inspires the same kind of quasi-religious devotion, very much in evidence among the reverent crowd at his spellbinding Communion showcase at St Pancras Old Church recently."

Electronic - get the message, 1991

"Writing in the NME, Andrew Collins called the song "draught genius" and concluded that "New Order can now split up", while David Quantick stated that "nothing anyone has ever done has sounded even vaguely like 'Get the Message'" in the same publication a month later."

God Help The Girl - come monday night, 2009

"A few years back, Murdoch found himself in a unique situation: he had a set of songs but no proper performers for them. Through a series of auditions that date back to 2006, he found three girls - Brittany Stallings and Dina Bankole from the States, and Catherine Ireton, an Irish girl who'd recently moved to Glasgow. Ireton was tabbed to be the star of the album (and soon, film), and she duly gets center stage on "Monday Night". Her voice is a bit stronger than, say, Isobel Campbell's, but it still hovers within that angelic range that Murdoch has always preferred. She sounds precious and poised, in other words, but importantly, she's also not averse to daydreaming."

The Radio Dept - never follow suit one, 2010

"Never Follow Suit" is the second track we've heard from the Radio Dept.'s upcoming album Clinging to a Scheme. More deliberate and relaxed than its predecessor, the mighty "Heaven's on Fire", "Never" combines a mutant electro beat and keyboard stabs with a delicate, classically Swedish pop vocal."

Such a great song! 

The Bilinda Butchers - tulips, 2011

"Though we tend to throw the word around so frequently it risks losing meaning, I admit that the idea I most associate with The Bilinda Butchers is nostalgia. I’ve experienced my fair share of it over the years, but the exact definition of the word has always eluded me, despite my ongoing penchant for sentimentality and of course, my perpetual fascination with music’s ability to administer the feeling in beautifully inexplicable ways."

Alice On The Roof - easy come easy go, 2016

"Alice Dutoit, known professionally as Alice on the Roof (born 23 January 1995 in Soignies, Hainaut) is a Belgian singer."

The Beatles - octopus's garden, 1969

"The idea for the song came about when Starr was on a boat belonging to comedian Peter Sellers in Sardinia in 1968. He ordered fish and chips for lunch, but instead of fish he got squid (it was the first time he had eaten squid, and he said, "It was OK. A bit rubbery. Tasted like chicken.") The boat's captain then told Starr about how octopuses travel along the sea bed picking up stones and shiny objects with which to build gardens. Starr's songwriting was further inspired by his desire to escape mounting hostility among the Beatles; he would later admit that he had "just wanted to be under the sea, too". Uncredited assistance in developing the song's chord changes was provided by Harrison, who can be seen helping Starr work the song out on piano, with Lennon later joining in with drums, in the documentaries Let It Be (1970) and The Beatles: Get Back (2021), both using the same footage."

The Walkmen - angela surf city live, 2010

"it's not characteristic of these guys to show their cards right off the bat, so Hamilton Leithauser starts off sharing his concerns in that elegantly dour, slightly burnished croon of his: "Angela/ What's the difference?/ Today's a day like any other."

Disturbed - the sound of silence cover, 2015

"This is a new version with so much more depth. I felt it pulling me into the hopelessness and helplessness of someone struggling against the cruelties of life."