Haunting, beautiful, otherworldly, very much coming alive at night – and that’s just the music. Inspired by these mesmeric birds, guest of the week Maki creates two gorgeous and entrancing playlists picked from last week’s nominations
Read moreAlmost human: songs where instruments sound like the voice, and vice versa
Brass, woodwind, string or electronic? From the gruffest, grumbliest, deepest, growl, mid-range yowl of a wah-wah vowel, to the purest, highest angelic tone, let’s explore where instruments seem to ‘sing’ or ‘talk' and voices play
Read morePlaylists: songs where old and new eras combine
Intercutting genres with anything from musical saws to theremins, from electric to acoustic, jazz to hip hop, this week’s playlists, picked by guest Nilpferd, inspired by last week’s topic, truly traverse the ages
Read moreInverted world: songs about the upside down to the inside out
This week we enter the world of the topsy-turvy and the back-to-front, all reflected in song lyrics, literally or metaphorically, here with a perspective on other work, from reversed or mirror images to the distorted or refracted
Read moreGrand openings: great tracks to begin albums, mixtapes or radio shows
Songs or instrumentals, suggest music that sets a tone, a pace, a mood or is a statement of intent, and makes a great start to an album, at the top of a radio show or any other work or event
Read moreDon't fret about the riff: it's songs about guitars
Thrum! This week let's pluck out out songs that mention guitars in lyrics or title, whether electric, acoustic or bass, and what role or meaning they have – companion, inspiration, religion, weapon, language or more
Read morePicture this: songs about painters, painting and drawing
This week the Bar becomes a special gallery filled with music stars' work! Peruse the paintings and name their famous creators, and suggest songs inspired by art and artists from any period or genre
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