The Beatles - fixing a hole, 1967

"In his 2021 book The Lyrics, McCartney revealed that the most important influence for the song was a "little blue hole" he saw while under the influence of LSD. According to McCartney, "the most important influence here was not even the metaphysical idea of a hole… but this absolutely physical phenomenon – something that first appeared after I took acid. I still see it occasionally, and I know exactly what it is. I know exactly what size it is"."

The Charlatans - impossible, 1999

"Impossible" set the standard for the remainder of the album of "impeccably arranged '60s pop songs rich in pedigree and bankrupt in R&D"

Neil Young - big green country, 1995

"It's kind of like a bunch of flashes of things going on all at the same time or something. So you get kind of the feeling that your life is flashing before you. So that makes you think you're floating up on the ceiling somewhere watching. I just got caught up in this thing where everything just kept happening and all I could do was write it down."

Thomas Dybdahl - call me by your name, 2020

"According to Dybdahl, a chief reason his music turns out as it does is because of his experience with his initial instrument. “I see myself first and foremost as a guitarist,” he says. “That’s where my musicality started. There’s just no getting away from how if one is a guitarist then one thinks musically as a guitarist. As you evolve, you may go on, as I did, to singing as well, however you have started as a guitarist. You’re still approaching music through the guitar, and that has to carry some weight. It makes for some interesting choices along the way, melodically and structurally, because whatever you approach - singing, other instruments, songwriting - the work continues to come from the mind of a guitarist. That is controlling.”

Ride - lannoy point, 2017

“‘Lannoy Point’ is the result of going synth shopping in the States. I found an old Poly 61 exactly the same the as one I had when I was very young and the backing track is sound of my bank account emptying as I shipped it back to London.”

Beirut - gallipoli, 2019

"We were seeing signs for a city called Gallipoli. We get out of the car and we just decided to go for a walk and in that moment we happened to hit a procession. We happened to walk in at the exact moment as the Saint was leaving the church, carried by a bunch of priests. Behind them was this frenetic kind of brass band. Sound was bouncing off the walls, and simultaneously every church bell in town was ringing, which just made for utter chaos. And the city is just claustrophobic, streets winding — you would have to live there your whole life to know where you're going."

Green Day - worry rock, 1997

"I think my parents were into alt-rock in the '90s, because this 1997 release was probably the first record I remember hearing. And when I was 11, it was the first record I formed a bond with. Nimrod will alway hold a place in my heart as the record that brings me back to being 11, living care free and sitting in my first house's big tree with my Diskman. Plus, listening to a "punk rock" record gave me mad cred (not really) in grade school."

Luke Sital-Singh - almost home, 2020

"Luke co-wrote ‘Almost Home’ with his friend, fellow songwriter Steve Aeillo (Lana Del Ray, Mumford & Sons, Thirty Seconds To Mars). Explains Luke: “We made this during the first ever session I did after moving out to LA last year. I was opening my world to a whole new set of collaborators in a whole new place, whilst always questioning what it means to be at home.”

Sufjan Stevens - to the workers, 2005

"The varied instrumentation and experimental songwriting on the album invoked comparisons to work by Steve Reich, Neil Young, and the Cure. Besides numerous references to Illinois, Stevens continued a theme of his songwriting career by including multiple references to his Christian faith."

The Style Council - wanted or waiter there's some soup in my flies, 1987

"In their lyrics, the Style Council took a more overtly political approach than the Jam, with tracks such as "Walls Come Tumbling Down!", "The Lodgers" and "Come to Milton Keynes" being deliberate attacks on 'middle England' and the Thatcherite policies of the UK government during the 1980s. In 1985, Weller was persuaded by Billy Bragg to let the Style Council play a leading role in Red Wedge, a youth-orientated political campaign associated with the British Labour Party. Although his views at the time have since been described as those of a "traditional British socialist", in 2014 Weller admitted the experience had left him feeling "exploited" by politicians, noting further that: "Before the Wedge, the Style Council had done a lot independently, raised a lot of money in benefits. But after the Wedge we were so disillusioned it all stopped. We were totally cynical about all of it."[35] In a previous interview, whilst asserting that there was still "a place for outspokenness" in popular music, Weller had pointed out he was "first and foremost" a musician, and stated: "In the '80s, in the Style Council, we were involved with a lot of political things going on at that time. I think after a while that overshadowed the music a bit."

Isobel Campbell And Mark Lanegan - honey child what can i do, 2006

"On the first couple of times I saw Isobel Campbell perform Ballad of The Broken Seas, Eugene Kelly did a sterling job of filling in for Mark Lanegan and we were treated to a rather fine version of Son of A Gun by The Vaselines. I say that Kelly did a great job that was until the first time I saw Lanegan with Campbell which changed my opinion completely not by anything Eugene Kelly had down, it was just that he wasn't Mark Lanegan who although saying very little and moving even less filled the stage with his presence and you had the impression that Campbell was in awe of him."

Matt Berninger - serpentine prison, 2020

"Berninger’s sentimentality usually pushes back against the National’s reputation for self-serious art rock, but it doesn’t hold up as well on its own. “One More Second” was conceived as a response to “I Will Always Love You,” but the lyrics are so boilerplate (“The way we talked last night/It felt like a different kind of fight”) that it could be a response to just about anything. When Berninger ambles about, barely stringing together melodies on “Oh Dearie” as Andrew Bird’s violin soars and Mickey Raphael’s bass harmonica drones, he feels like the least talented person on his own album. He’s most at home revisiting familiar themes of intimacy and projection on the title track: “I feel like an impersonation of you/Or am I doing another version of you doing me?” It’s not that the emperor has no clothes, it’s that these don’t fit."

Sufjan Stevens - that was the worst christmas ever, 2006

"Something about Sufjan’s voice paired with the sparse acoustic arrangements really gets across the barrenness of a Midwestern winter, when everything is blanked out by snow. Christmas is supposed to be a colorful light in the middle of that, but sometimes it isn’t, and amid the celebrations represented elsewhere in the world and on these albums, Sufjan makes sure to make a place for those Christmases."

Kraftwerk - kometenmelodie two, 1974

"Autobahn is the fourth studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk, released in November 1974 by Philips Records. The album marked several personnel changes in the band, which was initially a duo consisting of Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter; later, the group added Klaus Röder on guitar and flute, and Wolfgang Flür on percussion. The album also completed the group's transition from the experimental krautrock style of their earlier work to an electronic pop sound consisting mostly of synthesizers and drum machines. Recording started at the group's own Kling Klang facility, but was predominantly made at Conny Plank's studio. Autobahn also includes lyrics and a new look for the group that was suggested by Emil Schult, an associate of Schneider and Hütter."

Father John Misty - hollywood forever cemetery sings, 2012

"Songwriting for me had always only been interesting and necessary because I saw it as this vehicle for truth, but I had this realization that all I had really done with it was lick my wounds for years and years, and become more and more isolated from people and experiences. I don’t even like wound-licking music, I want to listen to someone rip their arm off and beat themselves with it. I don’t believe that until now I’ve ever put anything at risk in my music. I was hell-bent on putting my preciousness at stake in order to find something worth singing about."

Foreign Fields - don't give up, 2020

"Don't Give Up" features a bewitching melting pot of electronic beats, tender guitars, lush strings, haunting piano, and lyrics that expose our sometimes-flawed attempts at bringing hope and recognition to those we hold close. A lead vocal performance that feels both understated and deeply personal lays the foundation for a gorgeous homage to the fast bonds of friendship, and the realization that sometimes solidarity is everything. This endearing nugget of sonic encouragement underscores the idea that eventually, everyone will need a moment to be vulnerable. Both Hillman and Holl are seasoned producers, and have between them produced albums by artists such as Matthew and the Atlas, Hembree, Joel Porter and Boom Forest as well as various soundtracks and video games."

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - falling thunder, 2020

"Sideways to New Italy was met with universal acclaim through critics' reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 80, based on 17 reviews."

Mojave 3 - bluebird of happiness, 2003

"Mojave 3 were a British rock band consisting of former Slowdive members Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar), Rachel Goswell (vocals, guitar) and Ian McCutcheon (drums) alongside keyboardist Alan Forrester and former Chapterhouse guitarist Simon Rowe. The band formed as a trio shortly after Slowdive's breakup in 1995, with Forrester and Rowe joining after the release of their debut album. Mojave 3 released five albums before going on a hiatus and returning to live performances in 2011, but have been inactive since."

The Digital Age - oceans where feet may fail, 2014

"A couple of months back a friend of mine shared a video on social media - a band doing a cover of All Sons and Daughters’ “All the Poor & Powerless”. Loving the song, and being the curious type, I gave it a look and proceeded to sit glued to the screen for the duration. Ironically, the video was shared by one of my American friends, somewhat proving the band’s rationale for their calling - friends no longer have to be in your own town, we are all connected in The Digital Age. Formed of the “band” element of the former David Crowder Band (DC*B), here we have the newly-formed band’s debut EP Rehearsals Vol.1. Let’s take a closer look."

Cold Hart - tammy and the t-rex, 2020

"Cold Hart has shared his new single “Tammy and the T-Rex,” a bright and hook-laden track, with signature hi-hats and driving guitar. A love song for the new age, co-written and produced by YAWNS, the song takes inspiration from the 90s cult classic film of the same name."