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A Ruckers Flemish harpsichord
From the mathematical perfection of Bach into the advent of electronica, its grand, courtly sound inspired psych rock and Baroque pop. From a huge set of nominations, guest pejepeine picks an inspired set of playlists that proves the harpsichord’s dynamic stylistic range
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Flemish harpsichord
Across all genres, it’s time to revive and bring out the delicate sound of this once popular, plectrum-triggering keyboard instrument – not just the harpsichord, but its smaller relatives – virginal, clavichord, clavicytherium, ottavino, pedal and other variants
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Beautiful hybrid: the speckled nightingale thrush (Catharus maculatus)
They must sing on, and will not stop. From the national bird of Ukraine to a whole variety of vocally dextrous thrushes, this enduring topic, coming from a huge flock of nominations last week, is given full and beautiful playlist flight by guest Severin
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The common nightingale
The inspiration of poets and songwriters for thousands of years, advertising with infinite music invention and energy, it’s also the national bird of Ukraine, defending its territory. So let’s celebrate the nightingale, and thrush cousin, in music and lyrics
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Living in a … Rock or Hard Place?
Tough neighbourhood? Bland or gentrified? Inhabiting this playlist space in response to a huge urban sprawl of song nominations, guest of the week DiscoMonster unveils a strong selection that capture many ups, downs and other aspects, architectural and social, of city life
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Urban jungle? A growing trend …
Ugly or beautiful, hostile or friendly, boring or dynamic, urban environments are where people live but they are constantly in flux. This week it’s time to get a different sense of place in this potentially vast subject that also can do into tiny detail
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Visions of the future: The Flaming Lips
Visions, prophets, psychics, spanning history and the future, with good news and bad – inspired by many nominations from last week’s topic, these superb playlists, picked by guest amylee, journey through time and space
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Preface to a translation of Nostradamus’s Prophecies
From Julius Caesar feeling the sharp end in the Roman Senate to Nostradamus and his verse of things to come that will make the world worse. But what predictions will come from this week’s quatrains? Some playlists, for sure …
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The heart-shaped island, Galesnjak, Croatia
Where are we going, exactly? With lyrical or title references as specific and detailed as possible, let’s take a global trip of songs and music giving affection to particular towns, areas, viewpoints, streets, or even smaller nooks and crannies
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Chet Baker: in search of the ideal
Days, nights or settings, love, relationships, words, compliments or phrasing, sounds, singing and so much more, guest of the week Loud Atlas comes up with all the aces with series of immaculate playlist choices reflecting last week’s perfect topic
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Evolution’s purest clickbait: kitten in field
Nothing’s ideal, no one’s impeccable, nothing’s completely pure, but this week it’s time to search for the beautifully formed, the perfectly pitched, the adorably flawless and more as the lyrical focus. Or that’s the plan …
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What goes around …
Record players and vinyl, cassettes and stereo systems, 8-tracks, radios and cassettes, this week we’ve got it taped on every format as guest MussoliniHeadkick spins superb playlists inspired by nominations from last week’s topic
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In living Memorex …
Lyrics that refer to listening methods: gramophones to turntables and records, radio, cassettes and reel-to-reels, CDs to MP3s, iPods to the internet cloud and streaming platforms. When it comes to revolutions, there’s always a revival …
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Cross my palm with song suggestions, and I see a future where there will be wonderful new playlists …
Do we have one, or is it fake? Both. But either way, this week’s theme, inspired by approaching the Song Bar’s Sixth Birthday as all about intuition, a gut instinct, a feeling in your bones, notions of unknown source, sensing something without knowing why
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Time to wake …
Songs to get your up and motivated, or songs that are also about the morning? Don’t be alarmed, it’s all covered in this special two-parter, picked by guest of the week DiscoMonster from a huge dawn chorus of nominations from the past week
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The flurry of first light
Morning always comes, but how might you start it musically? This is a topic not about the morning and everything that goes with it, although those details may figure, but is one more about complementary mood, style, feeling and pace
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Harvesting hope: The Isley Brothers
Chosen from a vast number of suggestions from last week’s topic, from the 1930s to the past year, jazz, soul, reggae, pop and more, guest playlister DiscoMonster reaps a harvest of uplifting songs to put a spring in your step
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From 1920s speakeasy …
Even in the face of despair, it’s something in our DNA, focusing on the unknown immediate or distant future, where there's a feeling, a desire, a belief, or confidence that something good might happen that can be expressed in all sorts of lyrics and stories
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Round and round: a timeless track coming up from Signs of Life by Penguin Cafe Orchestra …
Space, time, the rhythms of life, expressions of the divine, love? Eternity in its many permutations is to be found in these captivating playlists picked by guest ajostu, inspired by the near-endless nominations from last week’s topic
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Forever falling upwards down MC Escher’s stairs
How to we capture or express it? Through love, art, death, heaven, hell or other forms? Particularly song. This week’s largely lyrical topic ponders on the forever, the permanent, the endless and goes to infinity and beyond …
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