Suddenly, out of nowhere we are 10 years old! A big celebration then, and a theme that’s surprising (or is it?) with lyrically with narrative twists, or unpredictable turns of phrase, bizarre sounds, odd instruments, strange key changes, or structures made to take the listener by surprise

Liquorice stick? This is more like a full musical feast as we tootle across multiple nations, eras and genres courtesy of the nimble fingers and ears of guest Nicko, who picks many great notes from last week’s theme

Across all the genres it's time for a tootle on the old liquorice stick. Versatile in sound, from a smooth, pure voice, to a dirty growl, a gradual glissando to a noisy blast of so-called blarinet, from resonant, lovely soloist to a voluminous harmonised group

Across pop, rock, jazz, electronica, African and beyond, the fingers of many musicians have continued to create the timeless catchy. Guest playlister ajostu really hooks us in with excellent picks from last week’s lick-filled topic

A term coined in the early the 20th century, often played on guitar but also on piano and other instruments, this core, repetitive musical phrase could be even more memorable and catchy than the sung melody. But what riffs have you humming from the last 25 years?

New album: A beautifully delicate, melodious, thoughtful and poetic indie-folk-pop debut, following EPs, by the London singer-songwriter, formerly of shoe-gaze band Big Deal, here on themes of grief and growth, purging, personal rebuilding and creative detangling

New album: A mesmeric, experimental, otherworldly, hypnotic fusion of trip-hop, dub, electronica of nocturnal ambience, haunting, intimate vocals and sensual grooves by the south London/Atlanta multi-instrumentalist and producer Jacob Allen, centred around the existential theme of strangely knowing when and how were going to die

New album: Vibrant, catchy, reflective, clever indie rock and pop with an twangy, effervescent, country flavour in this sixth LP by the Chicago band fronted by the candid clarity gentle humour, and emotional insight of singer-songwriter Julia Steiner

New album: Throbbing, pulsating, dark, deep-voiced indie post-punk pop with a double-edged theme and an 80s goth-rock feel in this fifth LP in a decade by the Manchester quartet known for delivering exciting gigs

New album: Arresting, intelligent art rock and electronica, krautrock and psychedelia and a marriage of the analogue and electronic, all intermingle wonderfully different and intelligent new LP by the London band fronted by Rhys Edwards

Song of the Day: Beautiful, fragile, vulnerable indie-folk by the Canadian singer-songwriter with a fellow famous guest, heralding her upcoming sixth album, Hurts Like Hell, out 27 March on Merge Records / Next Door Records

Song of the Day: Classic acoustic indie-pop with wistful, witty songwriting with a wonderful melody, bridge key change and entertaining video, heralding the Chicago band’s sophomore album Something Worth Waiting For, produced by the Grammy-winning John Congleton, and out on 24 April via ATO Records

Song of the Day: A pulsating duet between two outstanding artists, in which the acclaimed singer-guitarist turns to Iggy as perfect character to embody the voice of her passionate, destructive internal monologue, heralding the new EP Is This All There Is? out on 20 March on Domino Records

Song of the Day: Catchy, caustic, satirical and fun post-punk by the Manchester-based band fronted by charismatic singer Jacob Peck and with the latest of so-called “fenland gothic” preoccupation, and stylistic echoes of Sports Team and Deadletter

Song of the Day: A beautiful, sparsely crafted, mesmeric new single with gorgeous haunting violin and vocals by the Danish, Copenhagen-based singer-songwriter who previously performed and recorded as Broken Twin, returning after a decade, and now out on Broken Records