The Innocence Mission - on your side, 2020

"The acoustic-based guitar sounds and Karen’s angelic vocals make the writing very impactful, while the backdrop has a light and ethereal mood. This makes the lyrics feel discernibly powerful, while the quiet and classical sound creates a delicate fragility which emotionally manages to drive the overall package forward. Overall, this is a lovely track which highlights the beauty often found within the bleak."

Such a great song!

Franz Ferdinand - the dark of the matinée, 2004

"It is the frantic, catchy guitars, imposing drum and bass combinations, confident vocals, and complex, intriguing lyrics that combine to form the wholly unique and, at the time, revolutionary sound of Franz Ferdinand – one that would be constantly imitated, and still influential to bands today."

 Such a great song!

Mew - in a better place live, 2017

"There’s no other band quite like Danish trio Mew. They have a unique sound (a mix of art rock, dream pop, and prog rock, led by singer Jonas Bjerre’s unmistakable high-pitched voice) and a visual aesthetic all their own."

 Such a great song!

Ford Chastain - no way, 2023

"The musician featured in this piece of text is truly talented beyond words. Their proficiency in playing the guitar at such a young age is nothing short of impressive. The new single they recently released is a beautiful blend of dreamy, indie pop and rock, which creates a calming effect on the listener."

Morrissey - suedehead, 1988

"The suedehead subculture was an early-1970s offshoot of skinhead subculture in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Although sharing similarities to 1960s skinheads, suedeheads grew their hair longer and dressed more formally. Although often working class like skinheads, some had white collar jobs. A female suedehead was a sort."

The Radio Dept - the city limit, 2003

"i am so in love with this song. it's so breathtaking. this band is so good at capturing perfectly what they want to say in both lyrics and music. yeah this song's pretty straightforward... you're driving around with someone awesome and you want to do that forever."

Such a great song!

Alex Sanders - floating, 2024

"This musician has been providing us with fresh and dreamy lo-fi rock for quite some time, and we have been sharing it all with you. The latest single from Alex Sanders is out now, and once again, it is infused with a captivating and dreamy atmosphere that is sure to enchant you."

Basement Revolver - red light, 2024

"A beautifully crafted song birthed from one of those little life lessons we have all shucked and shared in our lives, ‘Red Light’ is an endearing piece of music set to the sounds of those collisions to the roadblocks that get in our way which can help us realize that we can either use that as a green, yellow, or red light."

The National - conversation sixteen, 2010

"Crafted from humming guitars, tinkling pianos, militaristic drumming and occasional orchestration, their fifth album is beautifully subtle and grows in power with each listen. There's nothing so obvious as a rocker, but a selection of understated, troubled anthems hinge on Matt Berninger's mournful baritone and wonderfully diverse lyrics. Covering issues from modern neuroses to medication to warfare, his words can be self-explanatory – "Sorrow got me when I was young ... put me on the pill" – or beguiling, like Bloodbuzz Ohio's "carried to Ohio on a swarm of bees". Their trump card is a brooding grandeur, which make the likes of grandeur Afraid of Everyone and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks some of the most exquisitely heartrending songs you'll hear all year."

Slowdive - alison, 1993

"Slowdive’s second album was marked by more than its share of misfortune, both in creation and reception. The band ditched their original batch of sessions to start over again, and the album debuted in mid-1993, the exact moment of the UK press’ firm backlash against anything shoegaze. On top of that, there was comically bad handling on the part of the group’s American label, including a heavily delayed release. But from a distance, Souvlaki can be seen and heard clearly for what it is: the rare sophomore effort that not only maintains the quality of a great debut but also avoids simply repeating its sound. The evanescent vocals of Just for a Day give way to new clarity in Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell’s singing and lyrics (the trading of sections in “Machine Gun” being one highlight of many)."

Memory Drawers - maybe, 2017

"The song “Maybe” by Memory Drawers is a beautiful representation of longing and uncertainty, as portrayed through its poetic lyrics. The lyrics paint a picture of someone contemplating their choices and questioning whether they should stay or go. It captures the desire for love and the pain that lingers when relationships end."

Manic Street Preachers - a song for departure, 2004

"‘A Song For Departure’ feels like something of a minor entry in the first half of Lifeblood, a mid-tempo piece which becomes significantly more interesting during its chorus but never quite shakes off a slightly inconsequential feel. Featuring a less major appearance by the piano of ‘Empty Souls’ and some rather flat-sounding machined drums, the verses of the song are entertaining enough but lack an intellectual hook. The lyrics for the song are intriguing, but never present a cohesive message, and the song suffers for it."

Phosphorescent - impossible house, 2024

“This is the song that made me realize I was writing an album”

Alvvays - pharmacist, 2022

"The song's lyrics tell the story of unexpectedly meeting someone at a pharmacy. NPR wrote the lyrics are "short and memorable, but don't necessarily portray any one narrative". Loud and Quiet described the "vivid details" of the lyrics as creating a "beguiling short story".

The Digital Age - captured, 2013

"There’s something mesmerizing about Evening:Morning, the debut album from The Digital Age, a quartet of former members of the immensely popular and eclectic worship ensemble, David Crowder Band. It’s proof that worship music doesn’t have to be generically simple; it can be fascinatingly enthralling and emotional."

Chumbawamba - tubthumping, 1997

"Originally from Burnley but have lived in Leeds since 1982. I moved here to live in shared squat with the rest of Chumbawamba. I’m not exactly sure how I ended up in the band, we wanted to live communally with shared money and tasks. It was a moment where we all wanted the same things… ie: massive social and revolutionary change. Made sense to be in a band together. For years we spent all our times either on demos or playing benefits. When it became harder to be on the dole, we had to start treating the band as a vocation and a job."

The Cranberries - just my imagination, 1999

"On 15 January 2018, O'Riordan was found unresponsive in the bathroom of her London hotel room, and was pronounced dead at 9:16 a.m. She was 46. An inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court held on 6 September, ruled that she died as a result of accidental drowning in a bath following sedation by alcohol intoxication. Empty bottles were found in O'Riordan's room (five miniature bottles and a champagne bottle) as well as some prescription drugs. Toxicology tests showed that her body contained only "therapeutic" levels of these medications but a blood alcohol content of 330 mg/dL (0.33%)."

William Fitzsimmons - everywhere cover live, 2016

"Fitzsimmons’s sense of humor and in-between song jokes complemented his music. He spoke sarcastically about the positivity of some of his lyrics, talked about his mother and her desire for him to write happier (which he obliged with the major-key sounding “Ever Could”), and even at one point quipped, “This music will send you over the edge.”

The Cars - drive, 1984

"Sometimes you get caught up in trying to be the current flavor, trying to go along and flavor your cooking with the food of the month ... I remember the records I listened to. 'Let's Dance'. Or 'Drive' by the Cars. Records that were of the time and I probably just thought, 'Yeah, it'd be quite nice to get into a bit of that'."

Au Revoir Simone - shadows, 2009

"Brooklyn’s Au Revoir Simone create moods pretty effortlessly within their music, and that particular skill is clearly evident on ‘Shadows’, the first single from their new album ‘Still Night, Still Light’. The hypnotic, pulsing Rhodes keyboards provide a wistful atmosphere upon which the song is built, and the track truly takes flight when the dreamy vocals and catchy chorus kicks in. There isn’t a whole lot of depth to dig into here, or substantial tone and time changes, but again it simply comes back to the mood and spirit created by the song, and that is inevitably more than enough to keep you listening."