Was it the music, the voice, the lyrics, or all three? In a truly hair-raising (in the all the right ways) opener to 2023, guest playlister Maki creates two superbly shivery and inspiring lists from a wide choice of possibilities from last week’s topic
Read moreMove closer: slow, intimate, sexy love songs
They might range from the cheesiest, mirror-ball last dance, to the most intimate, close-to-the-mic moments of music history. But this week, while raising the heartbeat, we’re going slow in pace and minimal in sound. Let’s get it on …
Read morePlaylists: distinctively quiet songs
Looking to achieve a mind at peace? Take a stroll through a Finnish forest, the accompaniment to a beautiful selection of songs chosen by hundreds of nominations last week, as chosen and described by guest DiscoMonster
Read moreYou can call me Alias: songs about nicknames and pseudonyms
Nom de plume to nom de guerre, moniker, handle to sobriquet, this week let’s dig out songs that mention substitute names, from youth and the unknown to the famous, whether they come from affection, fear, pure description or hype
Read morePlaylists: songs about furniture
Tables, beds and daybeds, chairs to desks, sofas and all sorts, this week’s playlists, not only have legs, but give us the full suite of emotions, moods, settings and styles, expertly chosen this week’s guest Marco den Ouden
Read morePlaylists: songs with great arrangements
It’s an artful arrangement in itself: classical to jazz, pop to prog, the parts unfold and come together beautifully in these playlists picked by this week’s guest magicman, drawn from hundreds of suggestions from last week’s topic
Read moreFourth of July? Songs about parades and processions
They express the joys, hopes, triumphs and tragedies of the human race coming together, – mixed emotions, war to civil rights, weddings to funerals, religious and sports to military might to floral festivals. But where do they come up in song?
Read moreOut of this oeuvre? Songs and music that defy genre definition
This week let’s push the envelope and dig out often lesser known artists and works that wriggle away from definition, those who or mix sub-genres and styles with such originality it’s hard to place them. But can you still define them?
Read morePlaylists: songs about photographs and photography
Photography isn’t always happy holiday snaps and selfies. This week’s musical cameraman, EnglishOutlaw, creates two albums of perceptive, sensitive, thought-provoking songs, with a tale of love portraits that develop unexpectedly
Read morePlaylists: songs about determination
From personal obstacles to the wider struggle in war, this week’s selections by guest playlister Marco den Ouden meet the challenges of hundreds of nominations with wonderful vim, vigour and variety
Read morePlaylists: songs about substitutes
Replacements for players, soldiers, husbands, lovers, even robot sex – it’s all going on this these superb playlists chosen by our guest lister Marco den Ouden, who also replaces some of his words with those by nominators
Read morePlaylists: striking songs that end albums
Where will it all end? With medicine, moonlight, sleep or a starship? All of these and much more, as our guest playlist writer ParaMhor picks two superb sets of conclusions to hundreds of nominated songs
Read moreReady to rock? Or roll? Songs about all things rough and smooth
This week let's not only get sensual on surfaces, objects and textures, but also look at the rough and the smooth of people, behaviour, conditions and life experiences, all captured in lyrics and music
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