By late 1983, when Altered Images' third and final album, Bite, was released, Altered Images were already dead in the water. The group had never made any particular headway in the US, where their blend of Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Monkees (not to mention Claire Grogan's bizarre, baby-talk hiccup of a singing voice) was just a little too weird for mainstream tastes, and in their native UK, their colorful look and bubblegummy 1982 singles "I Could Be Happy" and "See Those Eyes" had forever typecast them as a kiddie-pop band. Grogan was already branching off in her second career as an actress (she played the title role in Bill Forsyth's 1982 cult classic Gregory's Girl), and Bite seemed like a mere contractual obligation. For the most part, it sounds like it, too, but the brilliant single "Don't Talk To Me About Love," which led off side two, was a welcome surprise, and possibly the best song they ever did. Mike Chapman's production recalls his work with Blondie, while the disco-tinged electronic beat, chicken-scratch electric guitar part and rubbery, melodic bass part all sound closer to New Order's "Blue Monday" than Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." Grogan herself is in an entirely different mood than usual, with her newly-lowered singing voice (and slightly improved enunciation) displaying a rueful, almost petulant edge that suits the cranky lyrics. Only at the very end does she shoot into her usual helium-pitched unintelligibility, with an air of "See, I can still do this, I just choose not to anymore." Coupled with the most indelible chorus of the band's entire career, it all adds up to a minor masterpiece. Sadly, however, nobody wanted to know.
(AMG)

Minimal, yet melodic, 'high-fashion' Electro.

This song is a mellow eletronica piece that blends the jittery feeling of jungle with the melodic nature of more ambient techno.

Guitar Rhythm, bass driven, melodic song. Beautiful vocals


available to buy at http://shop.kilburnstaterecords.com/track/sing-to-me

Melodic chaos...quite enjoyable

Acoustic gritty melancholic guitar, bossanova with electro Rap..haunting melodic chorus

if you love trio jazz ie bass, drums, and piano you will love this version of a great standard. along with chuck israels on bass and larry bunker on drums. i never get tired of this song also check out the 2nd cut elsa a very dreamy song

This album has been called "Britain's answer to 'Pet Sounds'", and while I wouldn't necessarily agree with that, it is certainly a masterpiece of psychedelic pop, and even more impressive when you factor in that Nicholls was barely 19 when he wrote & recorded it. Nicholls was indeed influenced by Brian Wilson in his melodic construction and orchestration, however...the album's sound is very reminiscent of the pseudo-Spector work that Andrew Loog Oldham was using with Del Shannon at this period (Oldham, not so coincidentally, also produced this LP). This song in particular, with it's intricate multi-tracked harmonies really hints at the kind of promise Nicholls' career had, and had this album not been shelved at the last minute, it's anybody's guess what may have followed.

Birgit Lystager is incredible, a Danish cross between Astrud Gilberto and Karen Carpenter with really artily written and composed pop songs. It's hard to choose just one tune from this magnificent and scarce album, but I'm often unable to get that "Eyes and hair and legs, oh what a sight/She's a flash of light in darkest night...." chorus out of my head for days at a time. To the above two chanteuses I might also add a dash of Joni Mitchell because of the conversational lyrics and melodic savoir-faire (maybe I should also mention Francoise Hardy right about here as well!). The arrangement is lush and expansive with more than a hint of Bacharach (whose "Another Night" is covered spectacularly on the same album). All this is already more than enough, but lovely Birgit also opted to go the extra mile and pose stark naked on the gatefold LP cover, tastefully exhibiting her considerable assets. (Heh heh, he said "assets.") In any event, this song, and the album it comes from, would be completely brilliant no matter what she looked like. Extremely hard to find, but WELL worth the search. I recommend Soulseek.....

One of Dylan's first electric folk recordings which blended a melodic tune with imaginative lyrics which piled one image on top of another creating an almost psychodelic picture

Richly melodic, attractively textured instrumental track at the end of an otherwise rather unassuming album. Nice chords. Nice synthesizer and guitar work. Co-written with the original guitarist of Genesis, Anthony Philips.

Chris Botti is an accomplished musician in the worlds of Jazz and Smooth Jazz. His style is reminicent of Miles Davis but with a more melodic approach. This song incorporates an ultra-lounge feel with a cool jazz vibe. Botti's trumpet playing here approaches Miles Davis' minimalist playing style.

'We won't do anything that shouldn't be done, only the groovy things like having fun'...& there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, in my book.

This is the title track to Chris Montez's third album with A&M, produced by Herb Alpert & it's very, very sweet, but, for some reason not sickly so. That's the magic of mid-'sixties Chris Montez.

This song was almost a hit in Britain. It was released just as the pirate radio stations were about to be banned. It was 'Record Of The Week' on Radio London the week it was shut down and sadly never grabbed it's deserved foothold after that.

A lot of people are taken aback by how high Chris's voice was when he sang, but once you get over that, his music from the A&M era (1966-8) is strangely addictive. Very warm and melodic.

He did mostly cover songs, mostly 'hits of the day', but also generous helpings of classics from the 1940's & '50's. Always giving them a brand new very mid-'sixties treatment.

If you like progressive instrumentals, I urge you to give this song a listen. One of the best, most intense and melodically well-crafted instrumentals I've ever heard. Off their first album, "The 1st Chapter".

Really cheering to find so many other Longet recommendations on the site. This festive gift seems only to be available on the Japanese "Best of" but repays handsomely the effort in seeking it out. Highly melodic and atmospheric it begs you to curl up in front of a real fire with a loved one in a cottage miles from anywhere...

Claudine recorded a number of Margo Guryan songs which are all impossibly fey, seductive and bewitching and I couldn't get through a week without them. (BTW I would also recommend all of the tracks (not one duffer) on Margo Guryan's album Take a Picture)

Club 8, consisting of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Johan Angergaard and vcalist Karolina Komstedt, started of in the mid 90s with a twee indie pop sound, with jangly guitars (Angergaard being a major Smiths fan) and simple instrumetation. With the release of their self- titled album in 2001 they added some electronica without losing the general tone of their music which is basically well crafted, melodic, gentle, airy, etheral, melancholic indie pop. Karolina Komstedt vocals are quite similar to early Nina Person of The Cardigans or Claudine Longet in their airy, angelic, dreamlike delivery. "The Next Step You'll Take" is a bossa nova influenced track, with gentle acoustic and electric guitars, some percussion and vibraphone. Nothing groundbreaking, but they combine well known elements in such a charming, delicate way i find them hard to resist.

very laid back quality music.. uplifting just when i given up on pop music and along comes this great band.. great album to close to see to far.

Chill classic!

Former beat exponent Zoot Money quickly coming to terms with the arrival of psychedelia with almost soul selling precision .The bands only single has backward cymbals,flutes and lysergic lyrics but doesnt go the way of its peers of the time avoiding lightweight whimsy and stodgy jamming .In amongst these stellar components is a brilliant melodic pop song that gives a lesson in how to jump on a bandwagon without falling off.Co written by Andy summers later of The Police and if you know Synchronicity 2 by this band then "Madman" is where that may have come from

That rarest of anomalys, psychedelic Northern soul,a strange land where a late sixties slice of psyche pop can run amok with soul legends and funk obscurities in some dingy cellar club in the middle of Blackpool.Innocent and as catchy as hell ,some de riguer flanging and Who style backing vocals cannot deter this song from its righteous melodic path.

An incredible harp track that lives up to the title, establishing a late 60s/early 70s jet set lounge mood right from the beginning. Backed by a jazzy rhythm section with just bass, drums and some sparse guitar work it's due to Snell's melodic, dreamlike, almost etheral harp playing that makes the track so evocative. I was pleased to see the track was just selected by the Thievery Corporation as an opener on their compilation album "The Outernational Sound", good choice i must say.

Somewhat Math-y rock with beautiful instrumental guitar tones, unusual atmospherics, and a mind-blowing conclusion

A rather beautiful, melancholic song. Very West Coast 1968 sound, at it's emotional, sensitive, melodic best.



This song and artist should be and should have been far more well known.

I Won't Lie Down isn't just a punk song. It is more of a melodic punk song, then just punk. Face to Face originated in Southern Claifornia but has spread there wonder sound throughout the U.S. I Won't Lie Down isn't jus a song you can rock out to but a song you can groove to. I Won't Lie Down was also remixed (techno version) and put on the Mortal Combat souindtrack. Although the remix is good, it isn't as good as the original, but what is?

great melodic rock with fine lyrics.

melodic guitar, heavy feeling.

Great chord sequence...melodic shrieking vocal...magic instrumentation - one of my favourite soft(ish) rock songs. An under-appreciated gem from the Foreigner oevre which I'm certain will attract many musical tasters.

No diss on the Pixies, especially being a big fan myself, but there are times that I think Mr. Black Black has displayed a far more interesting range since breaking up the band. Teenager of the Year will always be up for consideration on my all-time top ten. I think that it's sadly and unfairly dismissed by too many people. But maybe I can assuage and tempt some of those doubters with this gem.

Inspired by real history and/or the movie "Chinatown," the subject matter is about bringing the Colorado river to the thirsty City of Angels, by hook or by crook, and all the fortune and fame to be had by the one to do it, thus the title. That's what makes the lyrics so fun.

But the real thrill is the "fukk yeah!" abandon of this melodically-twisting tune. It plain rocks...and is brain food to boot. I swear Eric Drew Feldman, of Pere Ubu fame, who produced and played on this album, takes Black's songs to magnificent heights. I've yet to hear a better album of his work.

This sample is an outro-guitar slide into homebase supplied by Lyle Workman. Standing as one of my all-time fave guitar parts, it is at once fret-adept, rhythmically punchy, and pure electrical flow exhiliration. Ol�!

The music itself is sort of like a darker Live, the group Live. Fury.. really didn't catch on to the alternative scene but that doesn't take away from its amazing music. Radio Orchid is by far their best song, melodic and serene. This song will make you want to buy their album. The voclas are a soothing mix to its already unique sound. It both relaxes and invigorates the soul. Hey if the song can't get to your soul then its just not that good. Also the lyrics play a big part in the song, not only are they good but they make you think. This was their second and last album, and eventhough they are relativley unknown, they are still alternative kings in my eyes.

Wonderfully melodic virtuoso blues guitar work. Minor key tonality. As usual on Gary's tracks, the vocals are rather dwarfed by the over top magnificence of his guitar playing.

Post Bossa-Nova, Pre-Tropicalia, Brasilian Samba at it's finest!

Glassjaw to me is by far the best emo band I have ever heard. Forget about live performances, just album music, they are phenomenal. I'll be honest with you emo is basically a required taste, not all people like it, let alone all metal heads but if you can dig Piano then you wil dig the rest of the album. Piano is by far the most melodic song on the album but don't let it fool you, it can still rock. It may take a few times for Glassjaw music to sink in but once it does it never leaves.

i love this song. the music is just right, the singer's voice is melodic and not too shrill. good lyrics, nice mood.

-Very Melodic in a way, with an exciting yet mellow tune and some very nice sounding instrument work

-Just an awesome sound to listen too

Classical melodic death metal brutality and beauty combined, interesting vocal message and important moreso now than ever. The vocals on this song are although as brutal atempting to follow the melody more than the rest of the album.

Simply beautiful music. Fontaine and Higelin take turns singing verses, accompanied by a jazz band that delivers spare, but beautifully affecting melodic touches. The chemistry of the two voices is great, and everytime I hear this song, I can't wait to hear the next reply in the flow of their odd, sad conversation about influenza, love, and death. "Ma grippe vous va tr�s bien... La mort vous ira tr�s bien." (My flu suits you very well... death will suit you very well.)

Jefferson (Geoff Turnton) was a member of the Rockin' Berries in the mid 60s. A couple of years later, top producer Tony MacAuley took him under his wings and he released a solo album. What can I say... these songs are 'tailor-made' for me, as if they written especially for my personal musical taste. He also released a couple of singles for PYE and some were meant for a second album, which was never released. I picked the single "You know how it is with a woman" but 'City girl" is equally good. I wouldn't know which one to choose... A recommendation ? 100% yeeeeeeeeees ! Did I mention it's all melodic and hugely orchestrated ? I guess not, but by now I think you'll know I like songs like that ;)

Unreal.
First of all, there's Jill Scott. With as much respect I have for her songwriting and singing abilities, I've never thought of her as a musical genius. Her music was, and stays, consistently the best soul music being released. And I'm sure that in twenty years I'll still have great fondness listening to her tunes. Yet, I don't hesitate to state that she is not a genius.

"Slowly Surely" is a great track off Jill Scott's "Who is Jill Scott: Words and Sounds, Vol. 1" album. The track, itself, is a departure from the rest of the album in composition. It is lyrically and melodically experimental, and deosn't perform as a very commercially radio friendly tune. Having said that, this is probably my favorite track on this sublime album.

Theo Parrish is a genius, however. There are no two ways about it. His music is difficult to understand. His path to fame and stardom seems as intentional as Donald Trump's efforts at staying unnoticed. He has a tendency to compose electronic dance music with beats so slow, they'd make Big Daddy Kane half step. This isn't a salmon swimming upstream. This fish is out of the water wondering why he can't fly.

The remix, in the commercial music industry, has been tainted ever since the digital age. Starting off as a tool for DJs in night clubs, a track would have been remixed to have extended beats in the beginning and the end of the track. Thus, early remixes were plainly titled, "Extended Version". However, remixes on commercial radio are merely an effort to milk the popularity of whatever is popular at the moment. These remixes usually include a guest vocalist singing, or rapping, along the original track. Another version of the remix is the time filler. When albums were made with consideration to program times for opposing sides (as well as cassette tapes), remixes were often added when material was scarce. This practice would eventually wipe out the addition of the "Reprise" track. These remix tracks were usually the chosen radio friendly track with extra production on top of the original track.

The remix for "Slowly Surely" is none of the above. It is very unique as it's own being. It pulsates to it's own heartbeat. It moves on it's own, in no predictable direction, as if Theo Parrish had little control over his artistic output. That's his genius. That's his art.

i'm too tone deaf to fully describe why this song is so good. it's melodic and melancholic without being too depressing. vocals and production are outstanding.

Such a nice and melodic song.

A superb song from Cale's first solo LP after leaving the Velvet Underground. Very melodic, lushly orchestrated and sophisticated, an absolutely impeccably-crafted pop song. I really love the echo effect on the whole thing, coupled with Cale's ultra-fluid viola playing. A great album from start to finish, actually.

Quirky, upbeat -- and a little bit dark & twisted. And very, very melodic.

This is on my playlist for summer barbeque season. It's an unrelenting saxophone hurricane, with a beautiful warm sound, and great melodic soloing the whole way through. I love the tense break in the beginning that evolves into a total explosion, later punctuated with ecstatic moaning. A great groove.

The first track from the first of Joni�s �jazz� LPs of the late 1970�s is all about opposition and equilibrium, (as are all her songs from this period). It is both richly melodic and dense/chant-like in structure, empty and lush in arrangement, its propulsive/hypnotic groove studded with Jaco Pastorius� weird, atonal bass speed bumps. Joni�s words/voice/performance is likewise wildly romantic and knowingly jaded simultaneously. The song is the sound of best singer/songwriter ever elegantly/effortlessly pushing the envelope.

This is an absolutely magical song! Juana Molina is a singer/songwriter from Argentina. I first heard her on KCRW (Santa Monica radio station) when I was living in Los Angeles. Her music is totally captivating; it's melodic, ethereal, quirky, whimsical, a little melancholy sometimes, very very sweet. She often uses acoustic instruments (guitar, piano), but what makes her music unique is her use of electronic elements. It often sounds like she is recording in the middle of the rainforest. Tres Cosas, from the album of the same name, is a very up-beat, sparkly little song. Her live performances are archived on the KCRW website: http://www.kcrw.com/ (do a search for Juana Molina in the "Find it!" feature), and you can purchase her music at:
Gourmet Musical http://www.gourmetmusical.com

This song grabs you and doesn't let go. Catchy, melodic and flowing... It's very hard not to listen to this song without bobbing your head along with it. The slurred southern drawl of the lead singer, and the sparkly melody really put you in a specific place and time. A very cool track, and one that's perfect for drinking to.

A great, melodic ballad by Mr. Kinky himself about the victims of the Holocaust, something you rarely hear about in country

It's no matter what you do but how you do it! This is a darker song in the Ladytron repertoire and electro disco pop at its very best. Very synth bass heavy yet melodic thanks to these people who understand the recipe of making me happy! Ladytron succeed in making their highly synthetic music sound very organic. Just like Kraftwerk have always done. Apart from Kraftwerk this reminds me of... The Human League. But with a modern touch, leaving the trademark 8t's echoes out. Get up on the dancefloor!

Ad Gloriam is a beautiful, light, joyous psychedelic pop song. It's built on looping melodic layers of sound by the standard guitar/bass/drum combo as well as piano and background vocals. I challenge anyone not to smile when they hear this track.

This song is mostly carried by Leonard Cohen's voice, which meshes really well with his "longing/loving/musing on a wasted life" style lyrics. It moves really slowly, but that makes it nice.

When you consider just how wonderful it is, Les Baxter's 'exotic' work is under-represented on this site. From a superb and reasonably easy-to-find album, this cut is an intoxicating mix of shimmering 50s style strings and gentle bongo rhythms.

'Nightingale' is a Xavier Cugat original that is very much in the style of classic Lecuona songs like 'Taboo'. Melodically, it also reminds me of another standard, 'Invitation'.

A band who specialise in "petrochemical sounds", burning up every musical regulation on their sole album (thus far). Their sound ranges from very off-kilter semi-melodic noise, of which this song is a good example, and, well, a din. I love it all. Although I know not much about them, this is the best new-release album I have bought this year. Enough to make even the most jaded "music offers no surprises anymore" type rush back to the turntable.

I think this is likely to be one of those songs you might accidentally come across on the radio or in a movie soundtrack, you don't know who performs it and you don't care because it just takes you in when you listen to it. You can't use words like "amazing" or "breathtaking" to describe it. It's just simple and beautiful and you'll love it if you like slow-paced songs with a acoustic guitar melody that sound really dreamy and wonderful.

An exciting instrumental version of Los Bravos' hit single, done sitar-style. Playing pop music on the sitar must be difficult, since it never was the most melodic of instruments. Lord Sitar is the best I've heard of the psychsploitation musicians that briefly came into vogue around 1967 or so.

Martin Briley is the same guy who did that catchy 80's song "The Salt in My Tears," which is the only one of his songs that got much airplay. It's a shame because Briley is such a talented artist.

"Put Your Hands On The Screen" begins with a solo bass drum beat that immediately gets your attention, followed by Briley's moody guitar riffs (the style reminds me of The Eagles "Those Shoes"). As a whole, the song is melodic with a slow, strong beat. It's also timeless. You can't tell whether it was a song from the 80's or a song from 2004.

It's all about TV evangelists and I love the lyrics:

...The choir is singing
And everybody's feeling good
The phones are ringing
From Bethlehem to Hollywood
So move in closer
Let your faces feel the glow
There's a holy presence
Right here in the studio...

The album is now considered rare, but you can google and find a copy.

Featuring a strange assortment of melodic percussion instruments, brass and punctuated with animal calls which are only equaled by those of Roger Waters on Pink Floyd's Umma Gumma, this is BY FAR the strangest (and coolest) version of this song ever recorded. The Residents must have developed their whole series of Mark of the Mole albums after hearing this recording. "Diga Diga Doo" was originally a show tune for a Broadway review called The Blackbirds of 1928.

It's a great funky, melodic tune with great Spanish hammond organist, Mauri Sanchis.
It is his first cd and his web is great also, www.maurisanchis.com

"Destination Unknown" sounds the least dated of all of Missing Persons' hits, most likely because it was their most melodically satisfying song. The fact that it's also Dale Bozzio's least mannered vocal performance, with none of her trademark hiccups, helps considerably as well. Her helium-pitched voice ? Dale Bozzio sang like a new wave Betty Boop ? keeps this song firmly in the Missing Persons tradition, but the low-key backing vocals by her male bandmates on the chorus are a nice touch. The lyrics are typically lightweight, your basic high school-level musings on alienation by someone who has just learned the word "existential" but is unclear about what it actually means, but Ken Scott's light-handed production and nice touches like the staccato programmed drum fills on the chorus make it pleasant on the ear regardless.
(AMG)

This song is one of the post-punk classics, performed by Boston legends Mission of Burma. As their kind-of hit, it is a standard of their live repertoire adored by fans. It features a standard three-piece rock band with guitar, bass and drums, but features jumpy and jagged rhythms, a very pronounced and melodic bass solo and intro, and great vocals and lyrics that, while somber, simply beg to be shouted along.

This is a very beautiful track.

Very 'West Coast' late-60's sound. Quite reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane.

Very sweet, very melodic/melancholic.

Strings. Strong female lead vocal.

I originally heard it many years ago on a vinyl album by a group called 'Mojo' which is what The Mojo Men were apparently calling themselves in 1969.

I searched for the song for years, confused by the change of name & eventually found it on their CD compilation.

It's another one of those songs that should have been very succesful, but was just stuck in the middle of a flop album

Jim James from My Morning Jacket sings this rock masterpiece with his new super-group side project Monsters of Folk (with M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis). Totally catchy with a brilliant theme. Not too "hooky," but very melodic and catchy. Jim's voice will MAKE you sing along to this song every time.

I heard this track again recently and it had an almost chemical effect on me. Why? It's hard to say. I can't claim to be especially moved by the lyrics, but the song captures a certain mood which makes me want to shake around. The track has a nice balance of instrumentation - New Order trademarks like strong, crisp drums and prominent bass, and a melody played on the melodica.

The other highlight of the song for me is the manically strummed guitar break near the end - a great moment. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but this track still has a lot of power for me.

I believe this song was written in the late 60's by Bob Dylan, however it was performed by Nico, whose original band was The Velvet Underground before she went solo. This track has a lovely up-beat combination of piano and violin to acompany Nico's deep, melodic voice. I love it because of it's artistic without being depressing or too complex.

Breathe Out is one of those songs that no matter how many times you listen to it it still rocks. If you a metal head then you will appreciate the quality of music Nothingface throws at you. They are very heavy but melodic. The lead singer has a unique talent in which he can reach high notes as well as growl so deep he will make you shit yourself. Every time I hear this song all I can do is bang my head and scream along to the insanity that flows within my head.

-soft at first, has rock-ish bridges and soft ones too!
-melodic voice, really smooth
-male singer

Take a Motown classic, a French conductor, a harpsichord, a sitar and something that could be either a melodica or a kazoo, and what do you get? I'm not sure either, but it'd sound a lot like this. A truly odd version that sounds vaguely off-key the entire time (although it seems intentional). A great example of the "Now Sound".

A lovely, melodic, pensive guitar and piano piece.

Pink Floyd are heard at their best with this piece of film music, keeping it simple and atmospheric. I find so much of their output over-ambitious, but here I think they got it right - a short melodic vocal section followed by a very simple organ chord sequence repeated to a very slow fade. This manages to sound gently, atmospherically organic and hypnotic where so often Floyd sound ludicrously overblown.

Only Paddy McAloon has would have the audacity to open a song with a spoken section saying "Hi, this is God here". The song that follows is not a joke, but an enormously beautiful and spiritual melodic tune. Since then he probably has quite consciously avoided releasing stuff with almost religious overtones as in this one.

'Fault Lines' is a beautiful, slow melodic number from Radiogram's debut album 'Unbetween'.

After listening to 'Fault Lines' and 'Unbetween' it came as no great surprise to discover that this band has enjoyed great success in roots music circles in Canada and the UK.

Strangely, the 'ethereal' sound achieved by the producer [Chon] reminds me of Jane Siberry's 'When I Was a Boy'.

Sheer joy to listen to - a perfect example of the extended melodic heavy rock song. Superb control of tension and release. Super arrangement and guitar playing. Currently very under-valued...

For someone like me, the strangest thing about getting really into Roxy Music is the overt rockiness of a lot of their material. Even on this track, which is one more of their slower, more mournful numbers, there are a lot of very heavy rocky moments. They work pretty well though, and I'm certainly not complaining.

The atmospheric opening is breathtaking, and Bryan Ferry's vocal as he sings 'I've opened up my heart' is incredibly beautiful. The words and music seem to meld together in a very pretty way, but then before long the track mutates into a stomping, carnival like passage that clearly influenced Nick Cave to a considerable extent. Throughout the song there's this interchange between delicate, melodic verses and the rowdy, discordant section. Like another favorite Roxy track, 'Just like you', this song finishes with a clever chord change.

I'm sure many people would find 'Bitter-Sweet' much too dramatic and serious - perhaps some days I would too - but it does have an incredible elegance and style that makes me keep on listening.

A beautiful, melodic ode to sadness, from reclusive New Zealand guitar genius Roy Montgomery. (His first band, The Pin Group, released the first ever single on the now-legendary Flying Nun Records.) Lyrically and melodicly, this song would fit neatly into the canon of either Joy Division or The Smiths, although Monthgomery's beautiful guitar playing owes more to Tom Verlaine than Johnny Marr. Probably the best sad song ever written by a New Zealander .... maybe anyone.

This prog rock song is just truely amazing. I am yet to find someone who finds the soft melodic nature of it displeasing. I'd recomend it to anyone, enjoy...

Incredibly haunting melody from East Germany's 60s sci-fi series. This song brings half remembered experiences of things yet to come into my mind. Quite soothing.

Poppy Rocky Indie. This song is kind of funny but also kind of sad. Power-pop instrumentation with lots of harmonies. Great lyrics and melody, very cool arrangement.

A smooth jazz-funk groove with Rhodes and synths playing melodically against each other. It sounds like Azymuth. In fact, it is Azymuth. Conversation, glasses clinking, a girl laughs in the distance. And Silvio's voice comes in, nice and mellow, describing what it's like to have a bunch of friends over for a get-together. Although he's one of Brazil's hippest crooners, a man who specializes in somewhat cliched yet mysteriously cool and affecting love songs, he lays back here and lets the country's greatest jazz-fusion outfit do its thing. How many romantic crooners ever do that?

very grassrootsy sound, simple, melodic beautiful guitar, great bass, expertly recorded drums, sincere vocals, it's just an all-around beautiful track.
the points in the song where they are just "jamming," in that trademark sonic youth style, are some of the high points for me personally (that's not at all to say that the vocals aren't elegantly done).

I like this song for alot of the same reasons I like other Spoon songs-- driven melody and attractive vocals. The melody is driven as much by piano as guitar, which is always delicious. The song is also well-written; it's the all-around harmony of these different elements that make it have all the repeat value that it does.

the song starts out with three crisp hi-hat clicks, the bell of a ride, then the drums and a sweet, warm toned bass lock in for a driving, mid-tempo, beautifully melodic cut time. guitars, once in, are clean-toned and somewhat polyphonically arranged, (that is, they play alot of single-note lines that swirl around each other, harmonizing at spots, and creating counterpoint). the vocals are potentially a little hard to swallow at first, jeremy has a tendency to sing a little through the nose, but it's really quite endearing. i personally find that after a bit of exposure to it, not only does it fit the music perfectly, but i really have grown to love it, (i listen to them ALOT).
this is one of those songs that you put on when you need to feel better- a kind of resolute, "well, time to go on, and hope for the best" feel. it can also easily be listened to when in a great mood. best listened to outside, looking at the sky.
when listening to ANY sunny day real estate, you must be patient. it's patient music, and it requires a certain amount of consideration that keeps it from being good "background music."
i fucking love this stuff.

approaching bands with a back catalogue as large and diverse as super furry animals can be daunting, but sometimes perserverence brings enormous rewards. i'd like to recommend 'ice hockey hair' on the basis that whilst it doesn't appear on any of the band's studio albums, it is for me one of the tracks that best illustrates what they are about. for all their innovation and diversity it's driving, melodic songs like this that are always at heart of the furries' records and long may they continue.

Wedding Day is a guitar rock song with a mid-tempo dance beat. The lyrics are tight and concise. It's about a young man's fear of commitment. It's just over two minutes, and it has superb movement. The simple guitar leads in the closing bars are brilliant. I like this song for the steady, thumping drums, the sweetly melodic underlying riff, and the general resignation of its singer.

This reminds me of The Velvet Underground. Not musically in the slightest but just on one point - while absolutely great, paved the way for some awful copycats.

This is ultra-soft funk, luxuriating in comfort like the fluffy fur Striplin is wearing on the sleeve. Absolutely adorable, and so finely nuanced that it never cloys and just improves with repeated listening. It's hard to pick one song from this LP not just because they're all so damn brilliant but because each and every one of the songs sounds better nestled between their bedfellows.

Unfortunately this kind of style was robbed of all its subtlety and beauty in the 80's leading to the formula of soulless soul that began to proliferate. Enjoy this album for what it is; a creative apex between the decades.

I love the organ used in this song's intro, and Tyson Ritter has really yummy vocals. :D Okay, well, besides that, it's a soppy, lovey-dovey song about loneliness and heartbreak and losing your girlfriend (I guess). The lyrics may seem a bit tacky but it's still a cool melodic song with lots of catchy hooks and a great sing-along!

Any label searching for the perfect pop cover to resurrect from the forgotten early-90s (as with "There She Goes") would do well to give several listens to this equally bustling-yet-melodic paean to the bittersweet tang of youthful somethingorothers. Jangling electric guitars, singalong choruses (it doesn't get any easier than "come and see/trampoline"), mumbling, presumably insightful scatting over the reprise, layered harmonies, and a throwback yowling guitar solo. Merely sneering, "I already have one Oasis album," does not excuse you from the obligation to hear and love this song!!!

When I hear the opening bars of this song, I can still remember the utter bewilderment I felt as a 16 year old hearing it in 1978 for the first time. It came on a 2 track flexi (the other track being 'Reverberation' by the 13th Foor Elevators) with Zigzag, a UK music magazine. Up to this point I had been listening to mainly melodic pop like Blondie. This completely blew my mind. When Mayo Thompson sang "On the shelf I have six buckets and they are for you. They're full of little things that we can do", I was genuinely scared. This is the song that proves beyond all reasonable doubt that singing in tune is overrated. For me this tops the version on their 1966 'Parable of the Arable Land' version.

�Something Better Change� was released in July of 1977 as the first single from The Stranglers upcoming second album No More Heroes which would appear in mid September. Along with the albums title track, �Something Better Change� would signal a move in a more overtly pop direction that was only hinted at on the group�s first album and would manage to peak at #9 on the U.K. singles chart. This is not to say that The Stranglers abandon their reputation as caustic agitators as No More Heroes was littered with politically contentious tracks such as �I Feel Like A Wog�, �Bring On The Nubiles� and �Bitching�, but the song�s infectious guitar riff and winning melody suggests a tenuous party rock atmosphere. It�s left to singer J.J. Burnel�s particularly gruff vocal performance to keep thing in the punk zone as he alternates between a gnarly throated delivery and a melodic toned timbre. Pumping organ and a buoyant mid-tempo rhythmic romp keep the energy high as he confronts the status quo with a tirade against stifling apathy, flaunting the punk new order with the taunting second verse, �Don�t you like the way I dance? / Does it bug you? / Don�t you like the cut of my clothes? / Don�t you like the way I seem to enjoy it? / Stick my finger right up your nose!� The bridge becomes a jubilant anthem where Burnel voices a punk battle cry to a flurry of organ runs and a growling bass line, �Something�s happening and it�s happening right now / You�re too blind to see it / Something�s happening and it�s happening right now / Ain�t got time to wait�. The chorus is a simple statement, Burnel demanding �Something better change!� with support from the boys in the band who join in for a group shout. Ironically, the arrangement also shows signs of classic rock moves, including a stinging guitar solo and an old school build up of the chorus late in the track.
(AMG)

Hard rock song, quite energic, but also melodic. That voice full of rage sounds great to me.

I was looking up and down the list and wondered "why wasnt there any Todd Rundgren"? This is one of my all-time favorites from him at his creative peak. Although sometimes his ego and additudes about the music business (and fans) gets in the way of me enjoying his music, on this track he keeps his ego in check and uses his melodic (and commercial) smarts to make this one of this greatest ballads.

This is just an wonderful track, along with a amazing Stevie Wonder meets Brian Wilson all synth production. Also check the solo piano version on his "Back to The Bars" 2-CD set.

I was really into the Polyphonic Spree record about a year ago and read somewhere that frontman Tim Delaughter was the singer in Tripping Daisy. There were some pretty rabid recommendations on Amazon for the third TD album - "Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb," so I ordered a used copy. It took a few spins to get into, but damn it's a keeper. Melodic art pop heaven. If ya care: it's produced by Eric Drew Feldman - who was a member of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, played keyboards for Pere Ubu for a while, and also produced some of Frank Black's earlier solo stuff.

Anyways, as its title suggests, "Our Drive to the Sun / Can a Man Mark it?" comes in two parts. "Our Drive ..." is sunshiney modern pop in the vein of the Flaming Lips, with hooks galore (there are like four parts that could qualify as killer choruses). At about the four minute mark, the track morphs into "Can a Man ...", which sounds something like a Gary Numan song remixed by Kevin Shields. Great change ups throughout and just a real nice listen.

Driving, melodic, hardcore emo Christian sound, with screaming vocals on top and behind melodic vocals. There are a few vocal breaks, pauses, and major crescendos. It is just an amazing emotional song, and it also has amazing lyrics.

Title and final track from the awesome 1972 album. Very imaginative music. I think the song makes the biggest impact being heard after the rest of the album!

This is my favorite song and is very close to a Christmas carol,especially "Walking in the air"
It appeared on the Indie charts in early 1983 peaking at No.5,sharing the chart with no end of punks.
Virginia Astley had little to do with Rock,never mind Punk

great electronic effects-laden psychedelia from their 1969 album "an electric storm". a spooky and beautiful track with lots of echo and spacy non-melodic digressions. oddly, it stays quite coherent despite all the insane stuff going on in the background. Female singer, beautyful breathy voice, kind of a "nico light-" thing going on.
the track "firebird" from the same album is also highly recommended.

by the way, i�m pretty sure each member of broadcast have their own copy of this album. The song "marooned" on wire's 1978 album "chairs missing" shares some melodic qualities with this track. would probably sound great if mixed together..

(if you're interested in aquiring the whole album, it�s pretty hard to come by, at least in vinyl form. i think it's been reissued on cd by some obscure label, but as i only have a cd-r copy, i'm not sure. side a is very good, but from what i heard they ran out of studio time, forcing them to make side b a bit more...shall we say, "experimental" in order to make it lp lenghth...)

A short sweet pop song played with a concentration that belies its melodic simplicity,mellow for a new wave act but too edgey for pure pop .Imagine something from late sixties San Francisco finding itself in late seventies London amidst domestic turmoil and rain and you will have a clearer picture of the mood and times surrounding this gorgeous little nugett.

Zoot Woman is basically the child of Les Rhythmes Digitales' Jaques Lu Cont aka Stuart Price. They emerged with a sound as if the 90s never happened, even daring to cover "The Model" by Kraftwerk on the album, and they sound so confident with their 80s sound as if sounding like Hall & Oates at times is just nothing to be ashamed of nowadays. "Jessie" is pure melodic 80s pop sounding, without being tongue-in-cheek about it.