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Daniel Johnston: 1961 -2019
Song of the Day: A short tribute to the recently departed 58-year-old American singer-songwriter. Eccentric, troubled, mentally fragile, his emotional, vulnerable style helped created songs of lo-fi, acoustic, quirky, rough-edged beauty
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David Berman of Silver Jews, 1967-2019
Song of the Day: In tribute, two songs, that could be any number from the pen of the tragically departed David Berman, singer of Silver Jews and more recently Purple Mountains, one of the greatest lyricists of the past 30 years
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D-day – 6 June 1944
Song of the Day: To mark the 75th anniversary of the D-day landings in Normandy, three songs of contrasting styles, beginning with one by Hull-born 90-year D-day veteran, old folk singer and peace campaigner
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John Myrtle
Song of the Day: After POZI’s Diggers and Squid’s Houseplants, it’s time to dig out an actual gardening connection, from the point of view of an unwanted guest, in a delightfully eccentric offbeat number by the London singer and songwriter
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The cover of 1997’s Momus album Ping Pong
Song of the Day: To mark the 30th anniversary of the world wide web, a very prescient 1997 song about the online world by the prolific Scottish artist also known as Nick Currie from his 11th studio album (of dozens), Ping Pong
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Single cover for PJ Harvey’s Sheela-Na-GIg (1992)
Song of the Day: Today’s song, in celebration of women, is from the British singer-songwriter from her debut album Dry – a robust defence of and pride in the female body in response to an insulting lover
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Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis, 1955-2019
Song of the Day: A triple-song tribute the Mark Hollis, founder songwriter and frontman of the extraordinarily innovative and influential 80s band, whose death, at 64, was recently reported
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Louisa Roach from She Drew The Gun
Song of the Day: A pair of finely crafted and powerful songs addressing pain and ongoing social problems from the Liverpool indie pop band fronted by singer and songwriter Louisa Roach from the 2018 album Revolution of Mind
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From the cover of R.E.M.’s 1988 album
Song of the Day: After yesterday’s Problem Child by Hed Ogledd, a rarely played, but beautiful, pathos-rich song from the perspective of an outsider, perhaps with a physical or mental disability, looking at other children playing
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Merry Christmas, from Sufjan Stevens
Song of the Day: From the prolific US singer-songwriter’s second box set of festive songs, Silver and Gold, a cosy, beautiful, if slightly melancholy of depiction of a couple-only non-family occasion of just watching TV
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Julia Jacklin
Song of the Day: “It’s just my body. I guess it’s just my life.” Two of several telling lines from a pair of beautifully powerful songs by the the Australian singer-songwriter from her forthcoming album, Crushing
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Christian Fitness aka Andrew Falkous
Song of the Day: “Hard work is a trap.” Continuing the employment theme, an explosion of hilarious, caustic wit and rapier guitar riffs of angry moral decency from Cardiff-based Andrew "Falco" Falkous
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Economic gigging: Mush
Song of the Day: Continuing from Bas Jan's songs, a recent number by the indie Leeds-formed quartet that with frantic energy reveals the impossibility of the 21st century model of freelance employment
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PJ Harvey and autoharp
Song of the Day: Continuing on the First World War Armistice Day centenary, a trio of some of the finest songs about war from the British singer and composer from her acclaimed 2011 album Let England Shake
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Mark E Smith and ex-wife and guitarist Brix in 1988
Song of the Day: Moving along now to the taxi ranks of Manchester and the unmistakable sound of Mark E Smith’s barking voice, one of many Fall songs in which taxis appear, in a frenetic schedule between gig, studio and pub
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Waiting for a cab? Arctic Monkeys in their early days, with frontman Alex Turner, second from right
Song of the Day: After Jens Lekman’s quiet, contemplative black cab ride, a riot of vivid images and late-night chaos clambering into a taxi in Sheffield with Alex Turner and co from their 2006 debut album
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A scene from the New York section of Night On Earth (1991)
Song of the Day: From Bernard Herrmann’s music from Taxi Driver, let’s catch a ride with another cab film, Jim Jarmusch’s 1991 five-vignettes plot, connected by a soundtrack by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan
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Lead Belly
Song of the Day: Also known as In The Pines, and Black Girl, today we move onto another traditional song variously interpreted, dark and brooding, haunting in its melody, and simmering with suspicion and jealousy
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The Animals may have done the best-known cover version, but there are arguably others than better it
To some it’s a masterpiece, to others a dirge, but from 17th century England to 20th century New Orleans, with artists that include Woody Guthrie, Nina Simone, The Animals and alt-J it’s a song that keeps evolving
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My Bloody Valentine in their earlier days
Song of the Day: Another sleep-themed song, not so much evoked by lyrics, but by the extraordinarily loud but also woozy sound of the band headed by Kevin Shields and his innovative tremolo guitar technique
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