Johnny Marr - the messenger, 2013

"When you're away from your home city you're more compelled to write about it. Growing up in the city influences you, and as I've grown older I've continued to see beauty, energy and stories in it."

Nada Surf - out of the dark live, 2016

"They have every right to feel that they're a bit special. While their melancholy mix of harmonies, minor chords and the occasional rush of power-guitar is also practiced by every Tom, Dick and Dandy Warhol, Nada Surf's version of it is especially captivating. The voices of guitarist Matthew Caws and dreadlocked, chain-smoking bassist Daniel Lorca melted together, the hypnotic effect amplified by reverb-laden guitar and drums."

Sufjan Stevens - with my whole heart, 2019

"Even more surprising than the lyrical shift, however, is the music: five minutes of unabashed and (relatively) unadorned inspirational soft rock. On 2010’s The Age of Adz, Stevens embellished these types of simple pop melodies with queasy, complex arrangements that made it sound like the songs were spontaneously combusting beneath a heap of sputtering machinery. Now, he lays it bare, daring you to hold eye contact. There are rolling toms, glittery keys, call-and-response choruses, and a legit guitar solo to close things out. Love is a familiar subject, he reminds us, but it can also be radiant."

Damien Jurado - cloudy shoes live, 2010

"When we were figuring out the sequence, he suggested we open the album with that song because it really captured the spirit of the album. That song changed my life. I was never the same after that recording session. It plays such a significant role and symbolizes how I’d approach songwriting and recording from there on out. There was no time to edit or second guess and it was all about living in the moment."

Stars - fixed, 2010

"Stars have cited a wide variety of musical influences ranging from Berlioz to Outkast, citing among others Paddy McAloon, New Order, The Smiths, Brian Wilson, and Momus. They covered The Smiths' "This Charming Man" on 2001's Nightsongs and The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" in 2005. Other indie artists have been guest collaborators on many of their tracks, especially for an early period including the release of their first LP."

Jeff Tweedy - i know what it's like, 2018

"I've been a big Wilco fan for the past few years and picked up Jeff Tweedy’s album Warm after Brendan had played it in the car a few times – “I Know What It’s Like” really stood out to me as a great pop/rock song that I could put my own spin on the minimal structure of the original gave room for creative license. I sped up the original recording a decent amount so I'd have something to play along to and off I went. We decided it'd be fun to present the finished product as an interim release; post-Collector and pre-whatever's next."

Pete Yorn - can't stop you, 2019

"On “Can’t Stop You,” Yorn sings of a prominent figure in his life drawn to self-destructive behaviors; his rhythmic guitar playing lays the foundation for a disruption from Phillips as the song builds toward its pensive climax. As the song crescendoes, Phillips adds layers of synths and strings, adding sonic chaos to Yorn’s lyrical despair."

Prefab Sprout - desire as, 1985

"I don’t say many songs are perfect, but this song is perfect. The production is amazing, the main synth is beautiful and shows that synthesizer based music can portray human emotion as well as any “natural” instrument. Not to mention the perfect sprinklings of saxophone, guitar, breathy harmonies. It’s a painting in deep blues and purples."

Youth Lagoon - raspberry cane, 2013

"'Raspberry Cane' garnered nods of approval from Rolling Stone, Vice and Vimeo Staff Picks, amongst many others. A psychedelic trip through an ethereal, dreamy landscape populated by majestic monsters"

Bear's Den - the star of bethnal green, 2019

"I know that there are many of you out there that have been caught by a song, you were caught and taken along a spiritual journey. It can happen in a wide variety of ways, driving in your car, sitting on a bus with music in your ears or just sitting and quietly listening. There are times when music can simply transport you and take you through a thought or emotion, it can ease a pain or bring it to bear for you to be challenged and learn from. If that isn’t spiritual, I don’t know what is."

A Place To Bury Strangers - it is time, 2024

"A Place to Bury Strangers are an American rock band formed in 2002, in New York City. The trio is currently composed of Oliver Ackermann (guitar/vocals, bass), John Fedowitz (bass guitar) and Sandra Fedowitz (drums). Commonly known by the initials APTBS, the band plays a heavy, atmospheric Wall of Sound–influenced blend of noise rock, shoegaze and space rock."

Robert Wyatt - the internationale, 1994

"The Internationale" is an international anthem that has been adopted as the anthem of various anarchist, communist, socialist, democratic socialist, and social democratic movements. It has been a standard of the socialist movement since the late nineteenth century, when the Second International adopted it as its official anthem. The title arises from the "First International", an alliance of workers which held a congress in 1864. The author of the anthem's lyrics, Eugène Pottier, an anarchist, attended this congress. Pottier's text was later set to an original melody composed by Pierre De Geyter, a Marxist."

The Smiths - heaven knows i'm miserable now, 1984

"The music was written by Johnny Marr in an hour in a New York hotel room on 2 January 1984, using a red Gibson ES-355 guitar that was bought for him that day by Seymour Stein. After finishing the song, he wrote the music for B-side "Girl Afraid" the same evening. Marr considers the two songs "a pair"."

Damien Jurado - south, 2019

“’South’, like most songs that I write, is a collage of sorts, or collection of snapshots, that center around two characters. One could even presume me, or me as an alternate self. Dark, isolated, and slightly menacing in tone for a waltz number.”

Thomas Dybdahl - this love is here to stay, 2013

"Like the tragic folkie, Dybdahl combines acoustic guitars, gently brushed snare drums and ghostly orchestrations. However, he's not that easily pinned down."

Counting Crows - round here, 1993

"Round Here" is a song by American rock band Counting Crows, released as the second single from their debut album, August and Everything After (1993), on June 20, 1994, by Geffen Records. The song's origin predates the formation of Counting Crows, when the band's future frontman Adam Duritz wrote the song with The Himalayans members Dan Jewett, Chris Roldan and Dave Janusko."

Drive-By Truckers - what it means, 2016

The Drive-By Truckers have never been afraid to tackle heavy topics, and they're doing just that with their new song "What It Means." "What It Means" reflects on racism and the political turmoil facing the United States following numerous recent shootings of Black men by police. The Truckers don't veil the subject of the song, either, with lyrics that include specific references to the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin and the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown.

Pete Yorn - calm down, 2019

"Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is known for playing the bulk of the instruments on his records. Spin magazine, in a career retrospective article dated March 26, 2021, recognized Yorn as one of his generation's best songwriters. Yorn’s 10th full length album, Hawaii, was released on June 17, 2022."

Father John Misty - do you realize cover, 2021

"Father John Misty, American folk singer-songwriter and former member of indie rock bands Saxon Shore and Fleet Foxes, performed a version of the song in July 2012 for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series."

Oh Wonder - high on humans, 2017

"High On Humans was inspired by a tube journey. On the way back from Heathrow Airport, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two girls who worked in a sunglasses shop at the terminal. They were happily going back and forth discussing their favourite foods. When one girl declared that she didn’t like hot sauce, I rudely interrupted and said, ‘What do you mean you don’t like hot sauce?!’. We then proceeded to have a twenty minute conversation about food, and the three of us exited the carriage high on adrenaline having connected with strangers."