The Thrills - big sur, 2003

"Big Sur" is the third single released by Irish band the Thrills, taken from their debut album, So Much for the City (2003). The song contains elements from the 1966 song "(Theme from) The Monkees". "Big Sur" was released on 9 June 2003 and reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the most successful single release from the band. In their home country, the song reached number nine, giving them their second top-10 single, after "One Horse Town". Elsewhere, the song reached number 44 in Italy and number 55 in the Netherlands."

Tracey Thorn - dreamy, 1982

"A strange act of temporal travel occurs for me when hearing the voice of Tracey Thorn. Thanks to exposure at an impressionably young age to two songs which feature her voice, her soft tones still to this day have an overly powerful effect on me. For the most part, this power is melancholic, for it reminds that the home life which surrounded my childhood self when first listening to that voice no longer exists in the way it once did. Whenever versions of ‘Missing’ by Everything But The Girl or ‘Protection’ by Massive Attack come my way, I’m set at a certain distance from the present. Her voice is the sadness of adulthood, of broken relationships, of parental breakups and time juggled between fathers and mothers; all things occurring in my adulthood but which render me a child momentarily."

Electronic - until the end of time, 1996

"Until the End of Time" is a dance song by the English duo Electronic. It first appeared on their second album Raise the Pressure in 1996 and then on a fan club CD the following year. It was composed by members Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner with guesting writer Karl Bartos. The track is mainly programmed and played with synthesizers. Denise Johnson provides backing vocals. James Spencer is credited with engineering and mixing on the single, although Alan Meyerson is listed as the mixer in the album sleevenotes."

Club 8 - missing you, 1998

 

"Some of the records below have had a big influence on me as a person, some of them have influenced our music a lot and I think it’s quite easy to guess which ones.

• The Field Mice: Coastal
• Blueboy: If wishes were horses
• The Smiths: The Smiths
• The Radio Dept: Lesser matters
• Felt: Poem of the river
• Leonard Cohen: Songs
• Television Personalities: Far away and lost in joy
• The Sea Urchins: Stardust
• Ingenting: Mycket vasen for ingenting
• Mazzy Star: Among my swan"

 

Art Garfunkel - homeward bound live, 1996

"Across America is the only live album by American singer Art Garfunkel. It is the only official live recording he has released to date. The album was recorded live over two evenings - 12 and 13 April 1996 in The Registry Hall at Ellis Island, New York."

Genesis - hairless heart, 1974

"Hairless Heart" originated from a guitar melody from Hackett, for which Banks composed the other parts as a backing. Banks was fond of the piece and was dismayed when it was titled "Hairless Heart" in reference to a lyric from "Back in N.Y.C.", commenting, "shaving hair off the heart, it's a horrible concept!"

Beirut - scenic world first version, 2006

“Scenic World” was first released as part of Zach Condon’s first album, Gulag Orkestar in 2006, then updated with different background music on Lon Gisland in December of the same year, once he had expanded Beirut into an eight-man mini-orchestra. While the newer version has gone on to be more popular, the original one still has a strong following. There’s a good case that the song is about how the lead singer and songwriter, Zach Condon, writes his songs. “As a teenager and a young adult, I never felt like my own story was interesting enough to tell, so I always wrote lyrics from someone else’s perspective– told someone else’s story,” he told Pitchfork in a 2011 interview. This song is about him escaping into those stories."

The Housemartins - pirate aggro, 1987

"The Housemartins, along with The Smiths and The Ocean Blue, play a crucial role in my musical development. That jangly guitar is burned onto my soul! I remain a huge fan of the music they released in the brief window they existed, they deserve more credit and attention then they tend to get. It's nice to see a post on here about them, many thanks to the OP."

Marillion - fugazi, 1984

"Fugazi is the second studio album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released in 1984. Produced by Nick Tauber, it was recorded between November 1983 and February 1984 at various studios and was the first to feature drummer Ian Mosley, following the dismissal of the band's original drummer Mick Pointer. The album is titled after a military slang term well known at the time of release. According to AllMusic, the album "streamlined the intricacies of the group's prog rock leanings in favour of a more straight-ahead hard rock identity". Built upon the success of its predecessor, Script for a Jester's Tear, Fugazi reached the UK top five[4] and was certified Gold."

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - release, 2009

"Letting Up Despite Great Faults is an electronic-pop group from Los Angeles, Calif. that makes beautiful, lolling music with whispery vocals. Formed by Mike Lee in 2004, the six-piece band blends sampled sounds and polyrhythms with mandolin, cello, guitar and keyboards. The band got its unusually long name when Lee decided to start writing and recording songs despite feeling he wasn't very good."

Pet Shop Boys - pandemonium, 2009

"Like "Beautiful People," this track features harmonica, confirmed by Neil in an interview as having again been contributed by Johnny Marr. The Boys have stated that they originally wrote "Pandemonium" for Kylie Minogue, but she rejected it as well as several other songs they had offered."

Bruce Springsteen - downbound train, 1984

"Downbound Train" is a song that appears on the 1984 Bruce Springsteen album Born in the U.S.A. The song is a lament to a lost spouse, and takes on a melancholy tone. Author Christopher Sandford described the song as beginning "like a Keith Richards' riff" that ultimately moves to "one of those great country busted-heart lines, 'Now I work down at the car wash/where all it ever does is rain.'" The song was recorded on May 6, 1982 at the Power Station at the end of the "Electric Nebraska" sessions. Like several other Born in the U.S.A. songs, including "Working on the Highway" and the title track, a solo acoustic version of "Downbound Train" was originally recorded on the demo that eventually became the Nebraska album. "Downbound Train" is one of the few tracks that was successfully recorded at the "Electric Nebraska" sessions. Though it was not one of the seven singles released from the album, the song nevertheless gained some album-oriented rock radio airplay and was featured fairly regularly on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. It has been performed sporadically in tours since. Overall, the song has been played in concert about 130 times through 2008."

The Shins - phantom limb, 2006

"Phantom Limb" is a song by American indie rock band The Shins, and is the fourth track on their third album Wincing the Night Away. The song was also released as the first single from that album in the United States on November 14, 2006 as a digital download and a week later on CD. On January 22, 2007, "Phantom Limb" was released as a single in the United Kingdom. This song was #75 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. Songwriter and lead singer James Mercer described it as "a hypothetical, fictional account of a young, lesbian couple in high school dealing with the shitty small town they live in."

Moby - spiders, 2005

"Spiders" is a song by American electronica musician Moby. It was released as the third single from his seventh studio album Hotel on May 30, 2005 in the United Kingdom. It served as the second single from the album in the United Kingdom, where it was released in place of "Raining Again". "Spiders" is inspired by Moby's admiration for David Bowie. As such, it could be a reference to the Spiders from Mars, Bowie's touring band during the Ziggy Stardust era."

Crowded House - don't dream it's over, 1986

"Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from the album."

Sufjan Stevens - god'll ne'er let you down, 2001

"a lot of Sufjan's more religious songs have simple lyrics but very layered and deep imagery"

The Charlatans - page one, 1992

"Between 10th and 11th received unfavourable reviews from music critics, many of whom criticized the band, especially Burgess, for being lazy. Burgess' lyrics and the album's artwork also drew negative comments. Retrospective reviews of the album were more favourable, and some called it an underrated release. The album peaked at number 21 in the UK and number 173 on the US Billboard 200. "Weirdo" charted at number 19 in the UK, number 22 in Ireland and number 67 in the Netherlands, while "Tremelo Song" charted at number 44 in the UK."

Steve Hackett - spectral mornings, 1979

"The album finishes with the title track, which began life as a vocal piece. However, after Hackett played the vocal melody to his band on the guitar, Pete Hicks decided that the track sounded "great as it is", telling Hackett to "keep the piece as an instrumental", leading Hackett to joke later on that Hicks talked himself out of a job on the track. It has become his signature instrumental from his solo career. Many progressive rock guitarists, such as Steve Rothery (from Marillion), consider this track to be an inspiration."

Soft Cell - loving you hating me, 1983

“Loving You, Hating Me” was the proposed third UK single from the album The Art of Falling Apart by English synth-pop duo Soft Cell. It was never actually released in the UK and only saw release as a single in the US. The “Special Mix” contained in this US 12″ promo is unique to this release and has not appeared on CD. The duration of this track is printed on the sleeve as 6:59 while the label lists 7:50. The label is correct. “Loving You Hating Me” is a song about the battle of the sexes – a punch up rather than a full blown war! In a January 1983 interview with Soft Cell published in Melody Maker, Marc Almond explained: “Everybody has sadomasochistic tendencies, most people love to be hurt because of the drama and it’s pleasurable hurting somebody else because, afterward, you can feel really sorry for them”.

Vanishing Twin - magician's success, 2019

"Part psych-folk, part whimsical indie, London-based Vanishing Twin’s (comprised of Cathy Lucas, Valentina Magaletti, Elliott Arndt, Phil MFU and Susumu Mukai) “Magician’s Success” is a vintage-tinged tune. The track, from their forthcoming record The Age of Immunology (due 7 June) floats along, filled to its brim with quirky honking sounds, delicate strings, a steady guitar and easy-to-remember lyrics. It’s easygoing but delightfully grown."