The Moody Blues - never comes the day, 1969

"Never Comes the Day" is a 1969 single by the progressive rock band the Moody Blues. It was written by band member Justin Hayward, and was the only single released from their 1969 album On the Threshold of a Dream."

Sambassadeur - falling in love, 2007

"I found Sambassadeur a few weeks ago only after searching for some post rock Swedish bands that aren’t just The Mary Onettes and The Radio Dept. They have a Cranberries/The Sundays feel, this was the only track I picked up but after a few listens I definitely want more."

Fleet Foxes - drops in the river, 2008

"Drops in the River possesses an intriguingly blunt concision, as though Fleet Foxes have no time for the luxury of long, slow crescendos or meandering jams."

Bruce Springsteen - the river, 1980

"The 2012 biography Bruce by Peter Ames Carlin includes an interview with Springsteen's sister Ginny, in which she plainly states that the song is a precise description of her early life with her husband Mickey, to whom she is still married. In his 2016 autobiography Springsteen confirmed that he wrote the song as a tribute to his sister and his brother-in-law."

The Cure - plainsong, 1989

"It took me years to finally understand the complex beauty in The Cure’s Disintegration. I always felt from the opening “Plainsong” that Disintegration was an evocative funeral procession for someone who was already contemplated eternal sleep. But in 1989, I was a scared, confused and lonely teenager who avoided anything I believed had to do with death. What I didn’t realize is that within the dark seas of Disintegration lay pools of illumination, radiating truths of fear and premonition that appear from time to time in our ever changing lives. Boy did I misread the magic of Disintegration as Robert Smith explained when he said, “The essence of this album is the disgust concerning the loss of the ability to feel profound feelings when you grow older. That’s the disintegration I mean. I’m concerned about it, just as about everybody else I know of my age.”

Etienne Daho - week-end à rome live, 1992

"Last year, at the age of 44, I visited Paris for the very first time. Quite how it took me so long to get there is frankly inexplicable, but the problem with leaving it until middle age is that your entire vision of a place is composed entirely of all the famous good bits and you run the risk of being hugely disappointed."

Stars - sleep tonight, 2004

"this song is so beautiful that you should never listen to it while going through a breakup. it will just break your heart."

Marillion - white feather, 1985

"The superstition goes that a white feather plucked from a game cock and placed in the clothing of a person marked a poor or cowardly fighter. This is because a pure-bred gamecock wouldn't have white tail feathers. This term was first used in the eighteenth century."

Enya - only if, 1997

"Only If" is as peaceful and memorably melodic as any other of her inspirational, soul-purifying songs, which traditionally are etched with a unique combination of background voices with drums and violin lines. It's a combination that makes all her songs seem antique, almost, if not angelic."

Aimee Mann - video, 2005

"Aimee Mann has been at this rock and roll game a long, long time. She got a big profile boost at the turn of the century when her soundtrack to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia lead to an Oscar nomination for her song Save Me. She might not be a superstar, but Mann seems to have carved out a solid and manageable level of fame and success."

AC Newman - encyclopedia of classic takedowns, 2012

"Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns is the song where I’m talking about how self-conscious I am and how being in a band just seems absurd. When I sing the big chorus, “I didn’t mean to live that many lies,” I think that’s what I’m talking about."

Pet Shop Boys - dreaming of the queen, 1993

"This song of course references two real-life figures: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her one-time daughter-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, who was popularly known as "Lady Di." It was of course recorded and released several years before the latter's untimely accidental death—an event that has since lent the song even greater poignancy. It's worth noting in the context of the song that Diana was known for her support for AIDS-related charities; she was, in fact, one of the first high-profile U.K. public figures outside the entertainment industry to be actively involved in the fight against AIDS."

Saint Etienne - lightning strikes twice, 2005

"In the vast world of music, certain songs have the power to captivate us, leaving us wondering about their deeper meaning and significance. One such song is “Lightning Strikes Twice”

The Jesus And Mary Chain - never understood, 1998

"Never Understood is aimed less at the general public than at interested parties; this is an oral history with no contextualisation. Nonetheless, it provides a little bit of everything that anyone with a grasp of this extraordinary band, or their era, could want: candour, trivia (an early single and one of their guitars features Jackson Pollock-inspired paint spatters, possibly influencing the Stone Roses). There are cringe-inducing cameos from the Reids’ idols – Iggy Pop, David Bowie."

Demis Roussos - my reason, 1972

"My Reason" is a song by Greek singer Demis Roussos. It was released as a single in 1972. The song was included on Roussos' 1973 album Forever and Ever."

Sufjan Stevens - blue bucket of gold, 2015

"Stevens’ mother – the Carrie of the album’s title – was a strange presence in his family. She left him and his siblings early in their lives, and from then on contact was allegedly sporadic, and smudged with tension. Her own life was pockmarked with troubles of her own, including depression, substance abuse schizophrenia, and biopolar disorder: issues which left their scars throughout Stevens’ family. Carrie & Lowell indicates that Stevens spent a lot of time following his mother’s death trawling through this muddy past in the hopes of finding closure. However, anyone hoping for a record of hard-earned catharsis is out of luck: Stevens’ emotions are too complex to be reduced to crystal-clear wisdoms."

High School - colt, 2023

"uplifting transient sound that invokes a feeling is what we’re trying to do with HighSchool. The lyrics are often the last thing."

Saturday Looks Good To Me - invisible friend, 2013

"A tuneful blend of watery reverb, shuffling Charlie Brown piano riff and bittersweet pop vocals, "Invisible Friend" is a fresh variation on what Thomas & Co. do best."

Cocteau Twins - for phoebe still a baby, 1988

“There was an element of freedom about the whole thing. It really felt like a period of creativity and freedom, we were all getting on great musically and socially, Liz and Robin were about to have a baby, I was about to get married, there was lots of joy around. Very productive! It was a really fun record to make.”

The Go-Betweens - born to a family, 2005

"Born to a Family is the B side off the Go-Betweens single Finding You taken from their 9th studio album Oceans Apart (see image above). Finding You peaked at Number 17 on the Australian music charts and will feature later in this music project. Grant McLennan described Born to a Family as a “sort of knees-up, 2/4 kind of jump song.” It has a chanty, jangly chime. I can’t help but think of The Smiths when I hear it."

Dido - stoned, 2003

"stoned. Not sure what to make out of this one. Seems she wants more out of the relationship besides making love while drunk and stoned. The intro music is pretty long,but it is catchy."

The Cranberries - never grow old, 2001

“Never Grow Old is a song I wrote with no music whatsoever. I was walking outside here, with my little baby in a pram and my son with me and I started singing. I have a dream / Strange it may seem / This is my perfect day. So I ran home and tried to get down the chords on the piano but didn’t because I was distracted. The baby was crying! So I lost it. But the next day I woke up and it came back to me so I wrote it at the piano, then played it with the lads”

Mike Oldfield - north point, 1987

"The superior Hegland-sung piece follows, however, with “North Point.” Here the guitar is more prominent and Hegland’s voice becomes a choir, similar to the multi-tracking methods used by Enya, among others."

Wild Nothing - this chain won't break, 2012

"Songs like "The Chain Won't Break", will effortlessly delve the listener into the world of "Dream-pop", turning the listen into a fascinating hazy and bewildering escapade."

The Radio Dept - the idle urban contemporaries, 2009

"A Radio Dept. top ten wouldn’t be complete without one of the band’s gorgeous instrumentals. There are so many good ones to choose from (including a few album openers), but I ultimately went with B-side The Idle Urban Contemporaries. The city sounds of sirens and loudspeakers melt away to reveal a beautiful melody that builds up to a sweeping finish."