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Playlists: songs about cocktails and spirits

September 11, 2019 Peter Kimpton
High spirits … The Damned start early

High spirits … The Damned start early

It’s a rum do here at the Bar, and there’s no shortage of tequila or absinthe either. So take a seat, and pour yourself a stiff one and also enjoy a specially crafted cocktail of the tastiest playlists by guest Ravi Raman distilled down from all the nominations

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In blues, country, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, postpunk, prog, reggae, punk, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, calypso Tags songs, playlists, alcohol, drinks, cocktails, The Damned, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Fall, Nosequien y los Nosecuantos, Phil Lynott, Calypso Rose, Tom Fogerty, Cannonball Adderley, Tequila Mockingbyrd, Reverend Horton, The Jazz Butcher, Robert Earl Keene, David Allan Coe, !Action Pact!, Taxi, Ray Charles, The Meters, Klute, Joe Bonamassa, Art Tatum, Terry Allen, Rory Gallagher, Manhattan Transfer, Dave, The Pretenders, Chris Stapleton, Sammy Hagar, Ravi Raman
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High spirits: songs about cocktails and strong liquor

September 5, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Smokin' Sabrinatini

Smokin' Sabrinatini

Let’s distil down and mix: from brandy to gin, whisky, rum, absinthe, vodka, rum, baijiu, tequila, pisco, mezcal and more, and all the exotic, strong, elegant and sexy combinations are on offer in this week’s lyrical topic

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, colours, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, soul, songs, traditional Tags songs, playlists, drinks, cocktails, Ogden Nash, David Sedaris, Tommy Cooper
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Playlists: songs about inversions – upside down to inside out

September 4, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Cabinet meeting? Alice, Hatter, Dormouse, but who is that guy with the floppy ears? Read to find out more …

Cabinet meeting? Alice, Hatter, Dormouse, but who is that guy with the floppy ears? Read to find out more …

The table is set for tea, except not all is quite as it seems … guest playlister EnglishOutlaw explores the topsy-turvy, inside out and upside through a fictional Lewis Carroll universe, in lyrics and music, inspired by last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, country, disco, dance, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, jazz, instrumentals, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, soul, songs, traditional Tags songs, playlists, inversions, Johnny Cash, Tracy Chapman, Terminal Heads, Chumbawumba, Maddy Prior, The Carnival Band, Jan Garbarek, Lothar and the Hand People, The Stone Roses, Frank Zappa, Ziggy Marley, Meryl Streep, Kraftwerk, The Soft Machine, Amaral, Billie Eilish, Louis Jordan, The Kinks, Peter Hammill, Adrian Borland, Fela Kuti, Blancmange, Diana Ross, Frightened Rabbit, Tyla J Pallas, EnglishOutlaw, Lewis Carroll
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Inverted world: songs about the upside down to the inside out

August 29, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Shadow play. Where? On the square

Shadow play. Where? On the square

This week we enter the world of the topsy-turvy and the back-to-front, all reflected in song lyrics, literally or metaphorically, here with a perspective on other work, from reversed or mirror images to the distorted or refracted

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, metal, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, art, photography, optics, psychology, Jean Baudrillard, Frank Gehry, architecture, William Shakespeare, Christopher Priest, Iain Banks, NIck Lowe, Tom Waits, Robbie Williams, Dick Dale, Jimi Hendrix, Donatella Versace, Bertolt Brecht, Jean Cocteau, Hamlet, James Elkins, Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Adelbert Ames, They Might Be Giants, The Simpsons
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Playlists: songs about famous or notable animals

August 28, 2019 Peter Kimpton
His Master’s Voice

His Master’s Voice

Pigeons to felines, canines to bigger hairy beasts, from humour to the historical, tales of cruelty and caring, to cartoons, this week’s magical menagerie, inspired by last week’s topic is an ark of excellence brought picked by guest writer Uncleben

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, dub, experimental, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, rocksteady, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, animals, animal behaviour, Roky Erickson, Jon WIlks, Ketama, Toumani Diabate, Danny Thompson, Jose Soto, Mayte Martin, David Sudbury, Ritchie Lamy, The Jools Rimet Orchestra, Eartha Kitt, Norma Tanega, The Beatles, Luke Haines, Blue Oyster Cult, Peggy Lee, Vince Guaraldi, Hoyt Curtin, Sublime, Butthole Surfers, Philip Scheib, Marshall Barer, Cross Fire, Terry Bush, Mark Knopfler, The Dickies, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jarvis Cocker, Mandy Miller, The Pioneers, Uncleben
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You Tarzan, Me Cheeta: songs about famous or specific animals

August 22, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Cheeta with his co-stars Jane and Tarzan, aka Maureen O’Sullivan and Johnny Weissmuller

Cheeta with his co-stars Jane and Tarzan, aka Maureen O’Sullivan and Johnny Weissmuller

Dogs, cats, horses, apes, pigeons, elephants and more, stars of film, TV, science, history or art, in fact or fiction, this week we’re calling for songs that mention, or are chiefly about famous creatures, usually with a specific name

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, prog, punk, postpunk, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, A.A. Milne, animals, animal behaviour, Marlene Dietrich, Cheeta, Johnny Weissmuller, Tarzan, Maureen O'Sullivan, Uggie, Film, Lassie, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Eric Knight, James Lever, biography, autobiography, Harry Potter, television, documentary, Larry The Cat, racehorses, Russell Morris, Joy Adamson, Christian the Lion, William Shakespeare, Marocco, William Bankes, Jumbo the elephant, Laika, Space, Nasa, First World War, second world war, Dolly The Sheep, war heroes
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I know why the caged bird sings: songs about or expressing empathy

August 15, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Maya Angelou: “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.”

Maya Angelou: “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.”

I feel for you. Reach out and I’ll be there. This week we’re seeking song-related understanding and connection the form of songs about empathy, and though it’s different perhaps also little secondary sympathy, in form or content

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, metal, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, songs, ska, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, empathy, sympathy, relationships, Maya Angelou, William Blake, Leslie Jamison, Brené Brown, RIchard Louv, science, neurology, psychology, music, Brian Eno, Jay Griffiths, Gloria Steinem, Conor Oberst, Mary Gauthier, Viv Albertine, Anohni, Antony and the Johnsons, politics, Nathan Englander, Theodore Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Ben Harper, Steve Martin, Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker, Margaret Atwood, Marty Rubin, Yann Martel, Morgan Neville, Film, books, Justin Simien, Roger Ebert, Harper Lee, Joseph Conrad, Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Sterling K. Brown, James Baldwin, Mehmet Oz, John Connolly, Mohsin Hamid, Neil Gaiman, Rumaan Alam, Terry Pratchett, Nitya Prakash, Elizabeth Goudge, Paul Auster, Eric Micha'el Leventhal, Gustave Flaubert, Elizabeth Bowen, Walt Whitman, Jorge Luis Borges, William Shakespeare
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Playlists: songs about four-legged livestock

August 14, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Herd the one about …?

Herd the one about …?

Crazy cows, woolly bulls, pigs, sheep, goats, and even a camel and a llama, this week’s musical shepherd George Boyland rounds up wonderfully entertaining herd of songs tracked down from last week’s four-legged topic

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, dub, disco, electronica, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, prog, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, animals, livestock, Ella Mae Morse, Sam The Sham And The Pharoahs, Amon Düül, Amon Düül II, AronChupa, Lil Sis Nora, Hugh Masekela, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Neil Hannon, The Unthanks, Jane Siberry, Dresden Dolls, Quatermass, Sparklehorse, Pere Ubu, Ry Cooder, Robert Johnson, Dr John, Fotheringay, Papa Freddie, Nelcy Sedibe, Mikaela, Pluto Shervington, George Boyland
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Herd this one? Songs about four-legged livestock

August 8, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Woolly thinking? Alpacas are in on the act, of course.

Woolly thinking? Alpacas are in on the act, of course.

From cows to horses, sheep, pigs, ox, goats, donkeys, alpacas, llamas and more, this week let’s look into songs about the farming and husbandry of quadrupeds, our relationship with them and also what they say about us

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soundtracks, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, animals, livestock, farming, David Lynch, Johnny Mercer, Elvis Presley, Julian Cope, Gary Larson, religion, The Bible, Hinduism, George Orwell, Robert Plant, Grant Wood, Kate Bernheimer, art, books, Oliver Cromwell, Colin Wilson, Ray Davies, The Kinks, Alexander The Great, Thomas De Quincey, George Stubbs, John Miles (painter), Pigcasso, Matt Groening, The Simpsons, Zazie Beetz, climate change, kulning
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Playlists: songs containing indirect messages

August 7, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Did Dusty get a message. How?

Did Dusty get a message. How?

Rumour has it that there are a couple of great playlists around that totally nail the topic all about indirect communication, sometimes via a third party. Following last week’s topic, let’s just say that this week’s guest Olive Butler might be behind it …

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, dub, folk, funk, gospel, instrumentals, indie, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, indirect messages, relationships, Elvis Presley, Ed Townsend, Jackson 5, Dusty Springfield, The Lemonheads, Paul McCartney, Wings, Dr Hook, Joan Armatrading, JJ Cale, Nina Simone, Herb Albert, The Tijuana Brass, Diana Ross, The Slits, Wreckless Eric, Ricky Valance, Morrissey, Buddy Holly, The Ink Spots, Josephine Baker, Paul Evans, Kevin Coyne, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich
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Tell my wife I love her so: songs containing indirect messages

August 1, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Hound of love? Indirect delivery

Hound of love? Indirect delivery

Through a third party, on scribbled letters left, sent or hidden, on answering machines or other means, even via prayer, this week let's look at songs about communication to an individual sent via a roundabout route

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, messages, letters, telephone, relationships, family, politics, Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, animals, Kurt Cobain, Hunter S. Thompson, Vincent Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf, Wendy O. Williams, Robin Williams, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, paul simon, Art Garfunkel, Ray Davies, The Kinks, Abba, Fleetwood Mac, Edmond Rostand, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paul Verhoeven, Philip K Dick, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Lanegan
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Playlists: songs about puppets and puppetry

July 31, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Five … four … playlists are go!

Five … four … playlists are go!

It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights … roll up for a fabulous show, often with no strings attached, about puppets, but also featuring them, skilfully pulled together by guest playlister pejepeine from last week’s topic

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, instrumentals, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags puppetry, puppets, playlists, songs, The 5th Dimension, The Muppets, Jim Henson, Els Titelles, XTC, Fuzzbox, France Gall, Sandie Shaw, James and Bobby Purify, Tyler The Creator, Gregory and the Hawk, 10, 10000 Maniacs, Punishment of Luxury, Kevin Coyne, Elvis Costello, The Roots, LCD Soundsystem, Robin The Frog, Kermit The Frog, Pinocchio, Disney, Von Trapp Family, Julie Andrews, Torchy the Battery Boy, Levi Stubbs, Tingha & Tucka, Pinky & Perky, Mister Rogers, Spit The Dog & Bob Carogees, Fingerbobs, REM, Kate Person, Sesame Street, Louie Ramirez, Bernd das Bröt, pejepeine, Joan Manuel Serrat
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Who's pulling the strings? Songs about puppets and puppetry

July 25, 2019 Peter Kimpton
It’s time to play the music …

It’s time to play the music …

It’s all about manipulation. This week’s theme could centre around relationships, work, politics, or other forms of entertainment, where also the puppets do the performing and play on the theme of who is really in control …

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, instrumentals, metal, music, musicals, musical hall, pop, postpunk, punk, prog, rock, reggae, showtime, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, puppetry, puppets, The Muppets, ventriloquists, Nina Conti, Trey Parker, South Park, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, politics, Steve Bannon, Vladimir Putin, Punch and Judy, China, shadow puppets, Anthony Hosein, Stacey Loewen, Sesame Street, Shari Lewis, Sooty, Rod Hull and Emu, Johnny Carson, Angela Carter, Spitting Image, John Malvovich, Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jonze, Michael Redgrave
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In full swing: songs and instrumentals from New York City

July 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
There’s more than one way of having in ball in New York. The 1930s …

There’s more than one way of having in ball in New York. The 1930s …

It’s the city of the world that never sleeps, but this week let’s explore what kind of music, particularly instrumentals, but also lyrics, capture the particular spirit, culture, feel and rhythms of its extraordinary five boroughs

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, experimental, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, New York, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Beastie Boys, LCD Soundsystem, Henry Ford, Duke Ellington, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island, David Byrne, Talking Heads, George Gershwin, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Sonny Bono, paul simon, Broadway, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Blondie, The Ramones, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, B-52s, The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Dee-Lite, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Led Zeppelin, Joe Strummer, The Clash, Television (band), Prince, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Harlem, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Milos Forman, John Updike, Bette Midler, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Film, film soundtrack, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, gangs, Statue of Liberty
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Playlists: songs with and about ambiguity

July 17, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Stock image? Gazelle Twin – definitely, possibly otherwise

Stock image? Gazelle Twin – definitely, possibly otherwise

What indeed does it all mean? Weaving in and out of lyrics and songs like an outer-body radio station, inspired by last week’s nominations, guest magicman creates two mesmerising playlists that ask as many questions as they answer

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, experimental, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, reggae, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, ambiguity, Tedesci Trucks Band, Townes Van Zandt, Boeing Duveen & The Beautiful Soup, Electric Light Orchestra, Nona Hendryx, The Kinks, Rosa Leon, paul simon, Gazelle Twin, Dana & Karen Kletter, Harry Nilsson, Todd Rundgren, Chris Bell, Yola, Adrian Belew, Steely Dan, Wire, The Beatles, Peter Hammill, Aldous Harding, Sam Sham & The Pharoahs, REM, Fairport Convention, Dead Can Dance, Frank Zappa, Vampire Weekend, Laurie Anderson, magicman
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Playlists: songs about parades and processions

July 10, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Mardi Gras in New Orleans has a Zulu tradition

Mardi Gras in New Orleans has a Zulu tradition

Belfast to New Orleans, Romania to India, this week’s musical procession, inspired by a tremendous train from last week’s topic is led by the twirling baton of guest guru ParaMhor, who takes on a perfect parade of two playlists

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In blues, country, avant-garde, dance, disco, electronica, dub, experimental, folk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, metal, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, soul, songs, traditional Tags songs, playlists, parades, The Undertones, Zero 7, The Magnetic Fields, Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias, Mary Gauthier, The Staple Singers, Mary Coughlan, Dr John, Kimya Dawson, Darren Hayman, Jackson C Frank, The Blue Nile, Reina Republicana, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Earl King, Duke Ellington, Dejan's Olympia Brass Band, Professor Longhair, Mighty Sparrow, Urumbu, Grand Drive, Elvis Costello, Leon Rosselson, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, Nina Rota, Biber, Yes, ParaMhor, Thaikkudam Bridge, Miles Davis
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Fourth of July? Songs about parades and processions

July 4, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Onwards!

Onwards!

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?

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, pop, playlists, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, parades, processions, fourth of July, Independence Day, Philip James Bailey, Mike Ditka, FKA Twigs, US presidents, US politics, Russia, Philippines, First World War, Jack Johnson, boxing, Hawaii, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Will Smith, Donald Trump, France, Emmanuel Macron, Richard Nixon, John Naisbitt, China, Oliver Stone, Tom Cruise, Mark Twain, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bette Midler, Tom Wolfe, Adam Smith, New Orleans, Rio Carnival, London 2012 Olympics, Gilbert K. Chesterton, David Lee Roth, Prince, Super Bowl
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Playlists: songs about hitchhiking

July 3, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Who will get a pickup this week?

Who will get a pickup this week?

Breakdowns to what’s around the bend, picking up from last week’s topic’s many passengers, our guest driver takeitawayGuru takes us on a fabulous rockin’ rollin’ journey with his pick of songs that really catch a musical ride

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, folk, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, hitchhiking, Sheryl Crow, Tom Robinson, Savoy Brown, Boston, Vanity Fair, Bruce Springsteen, Earl Wright and his Orchestra, Dolly Parton, David Allan Coe, Lyle Lovett, Travis Tritt, Attila The Stockbroker, Simon & Garfunkel, Pearl Jam, The Ramones, Gov't Mule, The Grateful Dead, Tom Waits, The White Stripes, The Mutton Birds, Roger Waters, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Red City Radio, Heart, Black Ace, Green Day, takeitawayGuru
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Thumbs up: catch songs about hitchhiking

June 27, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Where to?

Where to?

It’s time to give us all a lift, not only emotionally, but as Song Bar bus sets off on a road trip, picking up all sorts of musicians and other artists, in a quest to find for stories about hitching experiences – good, bad, scary or heartwarming

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In avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, hitchhiking, road songs, Janis Joplin, Vincent Gallo, John Waters, WH Auden, Kenneth Grahame, Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, books, Film, art, John Steinbeck, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, Tony Hawks, Serge Oldenburg, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Brownie McGhee, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler, Phil Brown, Hunter S. Thompson, Jackie Lomax, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Marvin Gaye, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson, Eminem, Lou Reed, Ruth Weiss, Bjork, Ursula K. Le Guin, Warren Zevon, Mama Cass Elliot, The Mamas and Papas, Kris Kristofferson, Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones, Les Paul, John Cage, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, The Beatles, Roger Waters, Pink Floyd, John Sayles, Terry Gilliam, Claudette Colbert, Clark Cable, Rutger Hauer, Tom Robbins, Tom Waits
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Playlists: songs about the lost and found

June 26, 2019 Peter Kimpton
Finding Julian? More than one saint is involved this week …

Finding Julian? More than one saint is involved this week …

On a mission for the missing to a feast of the found, from the divine inspiration of last week’s nominations, guest guru Maki turns to to more than one source of saintly wisdom to help ‘cope’ with choosing two supreme playlists

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In avant-garde, dance, country, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, indie, jazz, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, lost, found, saints, martyrs, Tom Waits, Regina Spektor, Steel Pulse, Julian Cope, Richard Hawley, Christine and the Queens, Pepé Kallé, Nyboma, The Cramps, White Lies, Ballboy, Fugazi, Barrington Levy, The Waterboys, The Fiery Furnaces, John Lee Hooker, Babyshambles, Lorraine Silver, Ketama, Toumani Diabate, Jose Soto, Sade, Lisa Stanfield, Argentina (music artist)
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New Albums …

Featured
Austra - Chin Up Buttercup.jpeg
Nov 19, 2025
Austra: Chin Up Buttercup
Nov 19, 2025

New album: This fifth studio LP as Austra by the Canadian classically trained vocalist and composer Katie Stelmanis brings beautiful electronica-pop and dance music, and has a bittersweet ironic title – a caustically witty reference to societal pressure to keep smiling despite a devastating breakup

Nov 19, 2025
Mavis Staples - Sad and Beautiful World.jpeg
Nov 18, 2025
Mavis Staples: Sad and Beautiful World
Nov 18, 2025

New album: A timelessly classy release by the veteran soul, blues and gospel singer and social activist from the Staples Singers, in a release of wonderfully moving and poignant cover versions, beautifully interpreting works by artists including Tom Waits, Curtis Mayfield, Leonard Cohen, and Gillian Welch

Nov 18, 2025
Stella Donnelly - Love and Fortune 2.jpeg
Nov 18, 2025
Stella Donnelly: Love and Fortune
Nov 18, 2025

New album: Finely crafted, stripped back musical simplicity combined with complex melancholic emotions mark out this beautiful, poetic, and deeply personal third folk-pop LP by the Australian singer-songwriter reflecting on the past and present

Nov 18, 2025
picture-parlour-the-parlour-album.jpeg
Nov 17, 2025
Picture Parlour: The Parlour
Nov 17, 2025

New album: Following last year’s EP Face in the Picture, a fabulously stylish, smart, swaggering glam-rock-pop debut LP by the Manchester-formed, London-based band fronted by the impressively raspy, gritty, vibratro delivery of Liverpudlian vocalist and guitarist Katherine Parlour and distinctive riffs from North Yorkshire-born guitar Ella Risi

Nov 17, 2025
FKA twigs - Eusexua Afterglow.jpeg
Nov 16, 2025
FKA twigs: EUSEXUA Afterglow
Nov 16, 2025

New album: Springing from her much lauded third LP Eusexua, out in January this year, and following a hugely successful and spectacular tour, the innovative British experimental pop artist, dancer and producer extends her palette of ethereal, otherworldly and sensual creations in this new, more carnal, harder, beat-filled parallel release

Nov 16, 2025
Celeste - Woman of Faces.jpg
Nov 15, 2025
Celeste: Woman of Faces
Nov 15, 2025

New album: The outstanding British singer returns, a long four years after her acclaimed debut Not Your Muse, with a classy, passionate set of nine, simmering, smoky, rippling dramatic, timeless numbers in which her vocal prowess is magnificently on show on songs playing on the theme of self and identity

Nov 15, 2025
Clark - Steep Stims.jpeg
Nov 14, 2025
Clark: Steep Stims
Nov 14, 2025

New album: The prolific British experimental electronica artist, Christopher Stephen Clark, who works on film and games music as well as albums, returns with a collection capturing the sprit of making music on old samplers and equipment, whipping up the rising, whooshing wave and piano styles of 90s dance music as well as more intricate sounds

Nov 14, 2025
Danny Brown - Stardust.jpeg
Nov 12, 2025
Danny Brown: Stardust
Nov 12, 2025

New album: The seventh album by the Detroit experimental, eclectic hip-hop and hyper-pop artist pushes the envelope with some extraordinary, dynamic sounds, dance music with warp-speed, slick rapping and multiple guests through an invented “90s-era pop star” persona called Dusty Star

Nov 12, 2025
Hatchie - Liquorice.jpeg
Nov 12, 2025
Hatchie: Liquorice
Nov 12, 2025

New album: With distinct echoes of Cocteau Twins and The Sundays, the third album from Australian indie pop singer-songwriter Harriette Pilbeam is beautifully awash with dream pop guitar effects and her high, sensual breathy vocals, largely co-written with her partner Joe Agius and produced by Jay Som

Nov 12, 2025
Paul Kelly - Seventy.png
Nov 11, 2025
Paul Kelly: Seventy
Nov 11, 2025

New album: The acclaimed, prolific Australian singer-songwriter (and perennial Song Bar playlist favourite) returns with his distinctive, Dylan-esque folk-rock-country with a landmark of age and his 30th studio album, with profound ballad, poetic detail and reflections on age, regrets, lust, love and death

Nov 11, 2025
Midlake - A Bridge To Far.jpeg
Nov 9, 2025
Midlake: A Bridge To Far
Nov 9, 2025

New album: The Denton, Texas band make a welcome return with their distinctively warm, rich, psychedelic folk-rock, marked by close vocal harmonies, acoustic and pedal steel, keyboards and flute, this sixth studio album themed around hope, humility and perseverance, all as a human necessity

Nov 9, 2025
Sorry - COSPLAY.jpeg
Nov 8, 2025
Sorry: COSPLAY
Nov 8, 2025

New album: Consistently excellent singles before and heralding this brilliantly odd, clever third album by the London indie band all cement their reputation for a truly original sound filled with a variety of styles, captured in the experimental title of their third LP following 2022’s Anywhere But Here

Nov 8, 2025
Juana Molina - Doga 2.jpeg
Nov 8, 2025
Juana Molina: DOGA
Nov 8, 2025

New album: A wondrously mesmeric, clever and quirky eighth album of experimental pop by the Argentinian singer, musician and comedian composed largely of analogue synths, originally from improvisations and recorded over several years in her home studio surrounded by her pets

Nov 8, 2025
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Nov 7, 2025
ROSALÍA: LUX
Nov 7, 2025

New album: Grandiose, dramatic, passionate, with extraordinary soaring vocals, melodies and string arrangements, multi-lingual lyrics, the London Symphony Orchestra and with guests including Björk, the Catalan superstar’s fourth LP is a fabulous extravaganza, broadly themed around female saints through history, religion, sex and violence

Nov 7, 2025

new songs …

Featured
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Nov 22, 2025
Song of the Day: Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl
Nov 22, 2025

Song of the Day: The London experimental violin-infused indie band return with a catchy, playful love song single that’s popular on their live sets, and their first via Fiction Records

Nov 22, 2025
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Nov 21, 2025
Song of the Day: David Byrne - T Shirt
Nov 21, 2025

Song of the Day: In addition to his acclaimed latest album Who Is The Sky?, with which he is now touring to rave reviews, the former Talking Heads frontman releases a new, catchy electro-pop, humorous but pointed political number co-written with old friend and collaborator Brian Eno, and out now on Matador Records

Nov 21, 2025
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Nov 20, 2025
Song of the Day: Hen Ogledd - Scales Will Fall
Nov 20, 2025

Song of the Day: A strikingly different, wonderfully odd, eccentric and alternative folk and protest song by the British quartet of Richard Dawson, Dawn Bothwell, Rhodri Davies and Sally Pilkington, heralding their upcoming third album Discombobulated, out on 20 February 2026 on Weird World / Domino Records

Nov 20, 2025
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Nov 19, 2025
Song of the Day: Lisa O'Neill - The Wind Doesn't Blow This Far Right (EP)
Nov 19, 2025

Song of the Day: This beautiful title track from the new EP by the Irish folk singer-songwriter from Cavan is a powerful original about man-made, greed-motivated unnatural disasters, joining with five other poignant numbers, including a new version of The Bleak Midwinter, out now on Rough Trade

Nov 19, 2025
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Nov 18, 2025
Song of the Day: congratulations - Fought 4 Love
Nov 18, 2025

Song of the Day: Following This Life, another fun-filled single, here with a floor-stomping glam-style riff, by the Brighton quartet who embrace 80s pop and 90s rock plus a dash of Field Music, Electric 6 and Devo with this stylish anti-love song with entertaining video, heralding their debut LP Join Hands, out on 13 February via Bella Union

Nov 18, 2025
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Nov 17, 2025
Song of the Day: Avalon Emerson & The Charm - Eden
Nov 17, 2025

Song of the Day: Following a series of tracks collectively titled Perpetual Emotion Machine, this separate new release by the New York artist is a breezy, shimmery indie-pop love song with a funky bassline, and out on Dead Oceans

Nov 17, 2025
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Nov 16, 2025
Song of the Day: Elanor Moss - Again, My Love
Nov 16, 2025

Song of the Day: Exquisite, intimate folk with finger-picked guitar and gentle brass accompaniment by the London-based singer-songwriter in this wintry song about how loss and change are necessary for transformation, her first new music for three years, out on Merge Records

Nov 16, 2025
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Nov 15, 2025
Song of the Day: Night Swimming - Submarine
Nov 15, 2025

Song of the Day: Unfolding with a quiet intensity, layered guitars and restrained urgency, this latest single about loss and shock by the Bath/Bristol indie dream-pop/ shoegaze band is a striking way to announce their recent signing to Venn Records

Nov 15, 2025
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Nov 14, 2025
Song of the Day: The Dears - Doom Pays
Nov 14, 2025

Song of the Day: A pulsating new track with a political message and a sound reminiscent of early Roxy Music by the Montreal indie-rock band from their latest album Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! out on Next Door Records

Nov 14, 2025
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Nov 13, 2025
Song of the Day: Bill Callahan - The Man I’m Supposed to Be
Nov 13, 2025

Song of the Day: Resonant, poetic, moody, profound, the acclaimed American singer-songwriter returns with a song exploring feelings of a life that was lived and one that's meant to be, heralding his latest album, My Days of 58, out on 27 February 2026 via Drag City Records.

Nov 13, 2025
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Nov 12, 2025
Song of the Day: Charli xcx - House (featuring John Cale)
Nov 12, 2025

Song of the Day: A potent, surprise collaboration comes all aswirl in this dark, haunting, gothic, cinematic piece of jagged strings and nightmarish, crashing sounds with a spoken monologue by the Velvet Underground Welsh legend dominating this song by British pop superstar best known for Brat, taken from the soundtrack to director Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming film adaptation of Wuthering Heights

Nov 12, 2025
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Nov 11, 2025
Song of the Day: Pictish Trail - Another Way
Nov 11, 2025

Song of the Day: A mesmeric, slow-build psychedelic-electronica-pop eight-minute number of gradual transformation rising to a krautrock-inspired crescendo by the isle of Eigg-based Scottish musician Johnny Lynch heralding his sixth LP Life Slime, produced by Mike Lindsay of Tunng and LUMP, out on 14 November on Lost Map / Fire Records

Nov 11, 2025

Word of the week

Featured
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Nov 20, 2025
Word of the week: discalceate
Nov 20, 2025

Word of the week: A rarely used, but often practised verb, especially when arriving home, it means to take off your shoes, but is also a slightly more common adjective meaning barefoot or unshod, particularly for certain religious orders that wear sandals instead of shoes. But in what context does this come up in song?

Nov 20, 2025
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Nov 6, 2025
Word of the week: erythrophyll
Nov 6, 2025

Word of the week: A seasonally topical word relating to the the red pigment of tree leaves, fruits and flowers, that appears particularly when changing in autumn, as opposed to the green effect of chlorophyll, from the Greek erythros for red, and phyll for leaves. But what of songs about this?

Nov 6, 2025
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Oct 22, 2025
Word of the week: fennec
Oct 22, 2025

Word of the week: It’s a small pale-fawn nocturnal fox with unusually large, highly sensitive ears, that inhabits from African and Arab deserts areas from Western Sahara and Mauritania to the Sinai Peninsula. But has it ever been seen in a song?

Oct 22, 2025
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Oct 9, 2025
Word of the week: gongoozler
Oct 9, 2025

Word of the week: A fabulous old English slang term for someone who tends to stand or sit for long periods staring at the passing of boats on canals, sometimes with a derogatory or at least ironic use for someone who is useless or lazy. But what of songs about this activity and culture?

Oct 9, 2025
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Sep 17, 2025
Word of the week: hiemate
Sep 17, 2025

Word of the week: Pronounced “Hiya Mate”, this is in fact not a friendly informal greeting, but an Old English word, derived from Latin, meaning to spend the winter elsewhere, sounding a bit like hibernate, but different as it requires moving to another place rather than sleeping in the same

Sep 17, 2025

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