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Just a little heavy on the foundation, fellas?
Lipstick to mascara, eyeshadow to foundation, music stars have always been putting on a performance persona mask. Cosmetics do strange things to us. In a narrative, they could leave traces of romantic encounters, make for a great vivid detail in lyrics, as well as an extended metaphor. So a rather different way this week, it's time to face the music …
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Howlin’ Wolf in his prime …
Tinted with the wrong associations and overshadowed by other colours, brown is heavily underrated. But it has a natural beauty and vast range, as shown by these perfect shade of playlists picked by guest Loud Atlas from last week's topic
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Prime humming: Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes
It’s a sound that draws you into the melody and can sometimes say more than words. Inspired by last week’s topic, guest ParaMhor picks a hum-dinger of a collection spanning many genres and eras. Hum along if you don’t know the words
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An Anna’s hummingbird at work
A hum-dinger, or at least a hum-singer of a topic, one in which we're seeking songs that feature that sound, perhaps mostly by the vocalist when not singing lyrics, but perhaps other effect and forms of vibrating hum, from rock and pop, famous classical operatic passages, jazz, R&B, reggae and much more
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Beautiful Golden Sebright
Start from scratch? No, there's a lot more fun in the farmyard and beyond with a brilliantly entertaining fluffy bird songs chosen by guest of the week Nicko from last week's topic. Now for the pecking order ...
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What’s been added to your cat-alogue this year?
It’s holiday time, so let’s take stock of music seen and heard this year, either here, but in fact anywhere, releases old or new. So please recommend and share in comments. These can be put into personal or collective playlists
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Serving now …
Seductive servings, unusual flavours, and mystery men and women. This week’s musical serving has got it all, packed with colours and innuendo, it’s a delicious combination put together by guest skilful scooper EnglishOutlaw from last week’s topic
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Music in the air …
Take a world trip from standup straight to unusual traditionals, or distorted version radicals, alternative interpretations to parodies, as well as new lyrical angles, guest Severin creates a truly global selection from last week’s Olympic-inspired topic
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Allons enfants! It’s time for those anthems, but with a deeper look, as the Paris Olympics opens and celebrates its centenary
As the 2024 Paris Olympics opens, we examine the strange nature of the national anthem, for better or worse, not merely in versions thereof, but also songs and works which feature clips or renditions, or lyrically reference or talk about the concept itself even in more general terms
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Gil Scott-Heron: Detroit disaster just averted …
From the almost did to only just happened, close encounters of all kinds – from romantic situations, haircuts, or averting nuclear meltdown, inspired by last week’s nominations, guest playlister Loud Atlas just makes it happen in the best possible lyrical way
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Crosstown traffic: he’s luckier even than Donald Trump …
This week it’s the almosts, the nearly happenings, the white-knuckle moments, the narrow escapes, for better or worse, however, and whatever way you look at them, the tiny marginal could-have-gone-either-way events that make you think, gasp, feel relieved, grateful, sorry, or change your perspective
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Doubly happy: Stevie Wonder jokes around with a wax double of himself at London Piccadilly’s Rock Circus in 1989
It’s an emotional state that comes in many forms and has attracted waves of joyful nominations. Guest playlister of the week MussoliniHeadkick picks a selection that will give a spring to your step and a leap to your heart with a personal expression of love
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Live and Letta Mbulu
From politics to personal life, sexuality and personal liberation to broader social issues, on the back of recent elections and a topic covering freedom of speech, guest playlister Maki spans geography, genre and time to give the subject a full hearing
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Elvis snaps to it
Got that rhythm? This week, songs on which we hear prominently the body percussion rhythms of dexterous human extremities – of fingers, hands, feet and toes, snapping, tapping, and stamping, though not the more common hand-clapping which has been a separate topic
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Trumpet solo …
Trumpet solos, roar power to the sound of mew-sic, after a melodious menagerie of nominations from last week’s topic, nature-loving playlister Uncleben cleverly tracks down creatural participants for their own perspective on fabulous avine, bovine, elephantine, feline, galline, leonine, lupine, phocaenine and porcine contributions to the genre
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Three-part harmony …
It’s a vast sonic language, mostly beyond our understanding, but with a more subconscious appreciation, has been incorporated in different genres of music, from field recordings and samples, or even those mimicked by the human voice or by instruments
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Reflection on Omaha beach in the aftermath of D-Day battles on 6 June 1944
Following the 80th anniversary of one of the most significant events of the 20th century, guest playlister Maki picks poignant and powerful selections abuot that event as well as other do-or-die metaphors inspired by last week’s D-Day topic
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Singularly different: The Undisputed Truth
Sometimes they were an inspiration improvement, sometimes an editing and style aberration. Picking out the differences from last week’s singular topic, guest playlister ParaMhor cleverly chooses the contrasts for better or worse
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Stack of 7-inches
Brutally, or mercifully truncated, radio-edited in musical mix or lyrical content, decorously tarted up with orchestra or other instruments, added or deleted solos, made dancier or more ethereal, it’s time to dig up some the contrasting versions that have surprised, delighted or frustrated you
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Long player: A young Diego Maradona enjoying one of his other hobbies, 1980
At the zenith of the season, with tournaments ending and beginning, let’s pass our attention to the beautiful game, skill, artistry, eccentricity, but also history, culture, with metaphors, and hopefully avoiding the bad songs, the goal is dig deep into music from around the world …
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