The Housemartins - we're not going back, 1987

"The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death was ranked number nine among "Albums of the Year" for 1987 in the annual NME critics' poll."

AC Newman - young atlantis, 2009

"It’s a strange thing, I used to think that getting reviewed in Rolling Stone or Spin would be amazing and when that happened I was like, “Holy shit, we’ve arrived!” and now, as things change through the years, it’s not whether or not you’ll get reviewed, it’s “I wonder what they’re gonna say in their review.” That’s still very surreal when I think of things like that. Knowing that your record is going to get some attention, it’s just what are people going to say. “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about,” as Oscar Wilde would say."

Paul McCartney - bluebird, 1973

“a metaphor for the transcendent power of love and the liberation of the human spirit from mental and physical bondage”

The Lightning Seeds - happy satellite, 1999

"Overall, the Lightning Seeds might be a bit too sugary for some, but Ian Broudie mined that pop vein very well. Most of the albums sound quite similar. Lots of pop and fairly slick arrangements."

REM - the outsiders, 2004

"The Outsiders” is an interesting song for multiple reasons. One of them is the fact that this is a song that a lot of hardcore fans seem to respect despite it being on most people’s least favorite R.E.M. album. Another noteworthy fact about the song is that it features a rap from A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip. If I had a nickel for everytime this band had a rap featured in one of their songs, I would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it’s happened twice."

Fine Young Cannibals - ever fallen in love cover, 1986

"In 1986, Fine Young Cannibals had a No. 9 UK hit with their version, recorded for the soundtrack of the 1986 film Something Wild. It was later included on the band's album The Raw & the Cooked, released in January 1989. The song was also a top 20 hit in Australia and Germany and a No. 10 hit in Ireland, with its biggest success in South Africa, where it reached number one."

Le Fil Bleu, 1/1/2025

Morrissey - hairdresser on fire, 1988

"it is Morrissey looking at society and ashamed at how much people are concerned with their looks"

The Cranberries - the sweetest thing, 1999

"It all came to a head in February or March, 1990. Noel called up to the house to let me know about this whole realm of gigs he'd arranged and I had to tell him, 'sorry but my heart's not in it'. It had gotten to the stage where they were giving it 100%, and I was just doing it as a hobby which wasn't fair on them."

My Sad Captains - orienteers, 2011

"A sumptuous synthesis of epiphanic pop and Krautrock–inflected drift and diffusion… Few British bands since Spiritualized in their ‘90s imperial phase have been as proficient at inducing a beatific state of drift"

STRFKR - armatron, 2023

"This was one of the songs that started as a demo of Keil’s that I kind of re/deconstructed. The second section was made mostly with the sh-2 mono synth building the chords one note at a time, which is a trick I love doing with that thing. It kind of lets you move around in ways that wouldn’t happen using a poly synth. Plus it makes the notes all move around in a slightly different pattern. Lyrically, for me, it has the feeling of a couple having a fight and being in that crazy intense space, and then cooling off."

Saint Etienne - archway people, 1993

"They're like Indie/electronic Pop with a huge swinging sixties influence. They're one of the artists who wear their labels with pride and haven't changed their sound to suit others, which is what I really admire about them. It's meant they've flown under the radar all their career, however."

The National - conversation sixteen live, 2011

"Aaron and Bryce use some incredible effects on their guitars, coupled with amazing musicianship. and damn, that rhythm section is flawless. and Matt... oh boy, what a perfect band."

The Radio Dept - mad about the boy, 2007

"We just make music. That’s the thing. We never thought about getting a specific community, or, like, feeding the fans or anything like that. We do feel extremely lucky, however, to have them. Of course, there are things we want to get get across from just the chords or just the music, but a lot of music is about politics and aesthetics."

Wild Nothing - rheya, 2012

"Tatum’s biggest accomplishment is that Nocturne can’t really be measured against the high expectations everyone had for his follow-up. He’s adopted a cerebral approach to these songs; simple as they are, they have a directness that people don’t expect from music like this. Platonic almost, like Stephin Merritt’s writing. Living up to his platform’s reputation for insincere dismissals, the reviewer in Vice referred to a “blankness to his vibe,” man."

AC Newman - elemental, 2009

"One issue I have—I don't know if it's a very common thing—but I have so many unfinished songs that I've begun to wonder if I'm going to get them all out before I die. That's an honest thought I'm having. And I thought, if I'm only releasing ten songs every year or two, I'm never going to get them all out before I die. So I thought, I've got to figure something else out here."

Beach House - on the sea, 2012

"I had this song on repeat all day and went through all the theories on songmeaning and genius. Of course, Victoria will say it's whatever you derive from it, but that's just what every artist says"

Praia pequena, hoje, 1 de janeiro de 2025

Tindersticks - the secret of breathing, 2024

"you struggle to find a contemporary artist to compare Tindersticks to in 2024, but then, it was hard to see where they fitted in 30 years ago. They seem content to inhabit a quiet space some distance away from the main action and understandably so: it’s a place that’s a pleasure to visit."

U2 - new year's day, 1983

"It would be stupid to start drawing up battle lines, but I think the fact that 'New Year's Day' made the Top Ten indicated a disillusionment among record buyers. I don't think 'New Year's Day' was a pop single, certainly not in the way that Mickie Most might define a pop single as something that lasts three minutes and three weeks in the chart. I don't think we could have written that kind of song."