Coldplay - viva la vida, 2008

"Viva La Vida is genuine, musically ambitious, and filled with sonic dynamics as Chris Martin and crew guides the listener across an auditory play land that is equally familiar and foreign."

Tame Impala - nangs, 2015

"Have you ever stared into the sun and closed your eyes? Or maybe tapped rapidly on the sides of your eardrums? Well, that is exactly what this song sounds like."

The Waterboys - out of all this blue, 2019

"Scott may no longer be the young man who gave us "Don't Bang the Drum" and "A Girl Called Johnny" but he is far from being a Bono-like pompous windbag and on this evidence, he's not only not finished, but he may yet achieve the same mythic status of some of his own great influences."

Aimee Mann - goodbye caroline, 2005

"Mann’s record traces the relationship of John, an alcoholic boxer, and his love being the titular Caroline. And, this tune inside of that larger narrative just sings; a jangly pop classicist gem with a bit of folk-rock flavouring thrown in there too."

Pet Shop Boys - a red letter day, 1996

"Back in 1996 when the song was released, the Labour Party had been out of power for 17 years and the U.K. public itself was just waiting for the next year, 1997, for the General Election so that they could vote the Conservative government out.… [W]hen I saw Neil and Chris… on Top of the Pops surrounded in red light and singing, "Go to work and take your calls/Hang the fruits of your labour on the walls," I naturally thought the song was about, amongst other things, New Labour (as the Labour Party had been rebranded)."

Architecture In Helsinki - like a call, 2003

"The overall vibe is that of «little-angelish» innocence, due to all the xylophones, glockenspiels, high-pitched electronics, quasi-surf guitars, and pseudo-pre-pubescent vocals."

El Perro Del Mar - let me in, 2009

"That's an old story by now, but for some reason, it still means a lot to me. It's strange that it still does, but somehow I was right when I decided to use it. It came about during a time in my life when I was quite lost and had an existential and creative crisis. I was aimlessly trying to get away somewhere, and I happened to go to a Spanish island — and not in a romantic way at all, because I was really at a loss, and I really just had to flee somewhere. I ended up sitting by the ocean and staring out in the blue and just wondering, basically, what I was going to do with my life."

Saint Etienne - kiss and make up cover, 1991

"Kiss and Make Up" is a song by English band Saint Etienne, released as a single in 1990. It features Donna Savage of New Zealand indie pop band Dead Famous People and is a cover version of "Let's Kiss and Make Up", a song by The Field Mice from their 1989 album, Snowball. The single peaked at number 80 on the UK Singles Chart."

Wild Nothing - live in dreams, 2010

"Live in Dreams" reveals Jack Tatum's real love for synth-pop of the Reagan years."

AC Newman - last minute travel plans, 2014

"At a diner, Wallace tells Chantry about the trip and his feelings for her, and she responds unfavorably, informing him that she has accepted a work promotion and will be moving to Taiwan."

The Moody Blues - and the tide rushes in, 1970

"Ray was my best pal. I met Ray when I was 14. We were two young kids from Birmingham who were reaching for the stars — and I think we got there. I'm really pleased that Ray was around to know we'd be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I spoke to Ray just before Christmas — because his birthday was after Christmas, on the 29th — and we had a long conversation. We're very close friends — or were very close friends. Very sad. Very, very sad."

Belle And Sebastian - funny little frog, 2006

"Funny Little Frog" is the first single released from Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian's seventh studio album, The Life Pursuit (2006). The track was released in January 2006 on Rough Trade Records and was produced by Tony Hoffer. The single became the band's highest-charting single in the UK, reaching number 13. The artwork for the single features Julie Coyle and Marisa Privitera. A different version of "Funny Little Frog" appears on Stuart Murdoch's 2009 album God Help the Girl."

Club 8 - straight as an arrow, 2013

"The duo of composer-instrumentalist Johan Angergård and wispy-voiced singer Karolina Komstedt has cycled through aspects of bedsit pop, hi-NRG chic, trip-hop noir, and quiet-is-the-new-loud bossa nova, eventually encompassing many of those within a tender, nuanced take on acoustic pop-- and that's not mentioning the pair's prior work with the twee-leaning Poprace, or Angergård's ongoing roles in the noisier Legends and lushly orchestrated Acid House Kings."

Wild Nothing - summer holiday, 2010

"Right from the drop, it has a late Velocity Girl-type sound to it. I love that. You know. After they quit being so noisy. Not that I dislike the noise. To the contrary. Just that they were almost a completely different band. Anyway, there’s that. And it’s such a bubbly, bright, “summery” song. I like it quite a bit."

Saint Etienne - this is tomorrow, 2008

"When Saint Etienne were chosen as the first ever artists-in-residence at London's Southbank Centre, their mission was clear: to document the historic £100m reconstruction of the Royal Festival Hall. The resulting documentary, This Is Tomorrow, depicts that process in parallel with the story of the venue's original construction in 1949. It's a beautiful celebration not only of the Royal Festival Hall, but also of a certain British optimism about the power of the arts, and of London itself."

Enya - china roses, 1995

"Everyone has their own idea of heaven. What creates the beauty of the world is the love we have for it, connected to memories, wishes, desires. For each of us it is a different treasure we embrace – a changing sky, the crimson flower of the Keys of Heaven, a love token, the endless delight of fairy-tales, the ever-shifting pictures of our world that we find in the words of poets. For each one of us a different love becomes our own wood of dreams."

The Cranberries - ode to my family, 1994

"Let Dolores be your station's guardian angel. Real Christmas family spirit is generated by this ballad which surpasses all the rest currently available when it comes to sincerity."

Pet Shop Boys - gin and jag, 2009

"Boredom deplores a vacuum" – At least that what how this line of the song reads in the lyrics section of the Pet Shop Boys' official website. But in the actual recording, Neil clearly sings "Boredom abhors a vacuum" [my emphasis], which more closely matches how the original phrase that inspired this line is most often rendered. It's a takeoff on the ancient dictum "Nature abhors a vacuum," attributed to the Greek philospher-scientist Aristotle (384-322 BC). I know of no reason for the deplores/abhors discrepancy aside from a simple mistake on someone's part."

AC Newman - chantry's ticket, 2014

"Eighteen months later, Wallace and Chantry return home from Taiwan after becoming engaged. They marry and contemplate the rest of their lives while sitting on Wallace's rooftop."

REM - make it all okay, 2004

"The song begins with some piano which is quickly accompanied by Michael’s vocals and an acoustic guitar. The first thing I noticed was Michael’s melody, especially during the “Didn’t you now?” part. It’s really catchy and sounds just nice in general. Mike’s bass comes in with some tasty fills and we get a little distorted guitar bends from Peter which starts filling out the song’s space quite well. So why isn’t this song better? I think it’s because the verses are by far the best part about it. When we get into the chorus, it’s kinda hard to tell it’s even a chorus. It’s becomes a little more minor key and when the drums come in they just don’t add anything to the song."