Love, food, shelter, identity, meaning? Rare vinyl? Most of our existence is about searching for something, but in what ways is this expressed in song lyrics? Here’s some other forms of inspiration and, after all, what is the true holy grail?
Read moreMake extensive notes: drone songs and music
It can be minimal, relaxing, and meditative, or disturbing, loud and challenging, but in its purest form or within any genre, drone music, played or sung, centres on a single sustained note or long chord that dominates the entire song or piece
Read moreNew meets old: songs where different-era elements combine
This week we seek strange combinations from starkly different times – old songs covered on new instruments, new songs played on old instruments, traditional musicians playing with younger, or old styles mashed up with the new
Read moreSoftly, softly, it's still here: distinctively quiet songs
Pianissimo, sotto voce to whispering vocals, or acoustic lo-fi to minimalistic electro tones, gentle intimacy to slow menace, this week we move from songs about quietness, turning instead to those performed and recorded at a perceptively low level
Read moreTake me higher: soaring songs with high-pitched vocals
Male or female, soul or opera stars to pop or metal rockers, boy sopranos to countertenors, this week we elevate our range to pick out how a high-range voice can lift a song even greater heights
Read morePlaylists: songs with dynamic volume changes
Otis Redding to Arvo Pärt, Beach Boys to Beau, Kate Bush Waking The Witch to Wedding Present's Bewitched, guest writer Rachel Courtney turns up diverse and distinguished playlists from last week's topic
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