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Someone's had a bad day … a rock star from 2010's Norwegian film triumph, Troll Hunter (director André Øvredal)
Dragons to fairies, griffins to Godzilla, ogres to orks, this week it's time to troll (in the old sense) for songs that mention non-human, or part-human fictitious animals from stories, poetry, art and other forms in many cultures
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Frank Zappa: Shut Up'n Play Your Guitar
The instrument as a friend, lover, a symbol of society, or something that sings? Beatles to BB King, Stillwater to Frank Zappa, this week's guest Marco den Ouden finds that they all hold narrative, inspired by last week's topic
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What songs have made the cut?
Baked bread to perfect pies and pastry, Bessie Smith's Sweet Jelly Roll to Jake Thackray's Roly Poly, this week's guest chef Maki pulls it all out of the oven into two tasty playlists, inspired a big dollop of song nominations
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Beyoncé ... imagining herself as a boy, if that's not a stretch …
If only, maybe or perhaps it happened differently? From Beyoncé to Beach Boys and Belle & Sebastian, this week's guest playlister EnglishOutlaw skilfully treads alternative paths inspired by last week's song nominations
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The Seekers … look no hands.
Talking Heads tothe Tams, the Seekers to Stevie Wonder, childhood to cherished days, this week's guest playlister megadom captures a perfect and purer state of mind, inspired by last week's nominations
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Flying saucer? Or just heavy metal?
Aliens to Bigfoot, ghouls to ghosts, sea monsters to hairy hominids, Blondie to Brownsville Station, inspired by last week's avalanche of nominations, guest playlister Sidecar Shiv takes us on a marvellous musical journey into the unknown
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James Boswell. The biographer and man of letters helps draft this week's list of canticles … Portrait: Sir Joshua Reynolds
It began with a letter. Schoolboys to murderers, fist-fighting ruffians to race horses, from last week's voluminous nominations, peruse these superbly compiled playlists by guest biographer Uncleben through the muse of James Boswell
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Good call … the Undertones are requesting you to pick up the phone.
Undertones to Louis Armstrong, Lady Gaga to Bruce Springsteen, if you're asking for two excellent playlists, then this week's guest writer angryirishpunk, inspired by last week's topic, has all he answers
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James Brown. Pleasing.
Gentle query to formal demand, subtle hint to outright down-on-your-knees supplication, let's ask questions about songs that include the expression of wanting something or someone
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This week's playlists are whipping up a storm
Pompeii to pollution, plague, pestilence and pressure drop, volcanoes, falling rocks, Fiery Furnaces to forest fires, this week's playlists by guest writer ParaMhor, whipped up by last week's topic, will surely go down a storm
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You give me femur … Jack and Sally - The Nightmare Before Christmas
After a week of readers digging deep in their collections, this week's osteology expert takeitawayGuru pieces together a superb skeleton of songlists, threaded together by a story of the musically macabre
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'When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle! And this'll help things turn out for the best ...' – Eric Idle, Monty Python's the Life of Brian.
Life may be short, it may be long, but as guest writer SweetHomeAlabama neatly shows, with two playlists inspired by last week's topic, however things go, take your lips and tongue, and, just blow …
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Room for imagination. House shown in picture may differ from that which is advertised …
Leaving plenty of room for the imagination from a palace of nominations from last week's topic, guest agent EnglishOutlaw presents a musical property currently on the market that's a must-see and listen
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Who's a boy …
Pithy, witty and straight to-the-point, this week's guest writer treefrogdemon picks two playlists inspired by last week's topic that, while about all types of obvious, are never predictable
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Can anyone soar higher than Yma Sumac?
Inspired by hundreds of songs nominated in last week's topic, guest curator Hoshino Sakura creates two beautifully elevated playlists, taking it up to even higher art with a wonderful, painterly gallery display
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Cat Power
Candi Staton to Cat Power, Camera Obscura to Cherry Smash, guest playlister Barbryn creates two beautifully reflective playlists inspired by many marvellous nominations on last week's meta-topic
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A Granstand finish? Des Lynam back in the day, with almost everything except the medallion
From unforgettable film and TV soundtracks to readers' associated memories, this week's guest director EnglishOutlaw calls the action on a wide variety of genres inspired by last week's topic
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Love was good to him: Johnny Cash, set to rest next to his beloved June Carter Cash
Cash to Cohen, Brown to Bhundu Boys and Fauré's farewell, this week's guest playlister Uncleben lays to rest a sublime set of beautiful goodbyes, moved by many great nominations from last week's topic
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Lotte Lenya as Pirate Jenny in Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera (1928)
German cabaret opera to New York hip-hop, French chansons to Caribbean reggae, sailing in the full breeze of last week's topic, guest pirate commander ParaMhor steers us to open many a musical treasure chest
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Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Brushes and paints at the ready? From Magritte to Old Masters, our guest writer Severin, inspired by nominations from last week's topic, turns the bar into an art class distinctly in the hue of Joyce Grenfell
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