The two hundred and thirty-second TV show: #197 Welt am Draht

Twin Peaks and The Kingdom have given me a good start at the mystery genre, together with a number of other shows and movies, and for that reason Welt am Draht gave ma a lot of the same feelngs. The similarity to Black Mirror in its point of view is notable (without spoiling this series), which meant we were probably a bit further ahead than most viewers, but then, that might depend on different levels of media savviness.

The first half is the most interesting part, as the suspense builds to a big reveal. It follows it up with a more tepid second half, which goes between long drawn out, too artsy conversations and then action pieces that feel disconnected and at that point unengaging. It tries to be a character study without a character that works, and an action movie with a lack of action. It's a bit predictable, and it feels like it needed more exploration of these themes before they would have had the language to pull this off.

The one thousand and second song: Feels Like We Can Only Go Backwards – Tame Impala

As a deliberate throwback to an earlier psychedelic rock era, this hits a gentle note that just feels like a breezy run through. It's not inconsequential, but there's less going on that makes it feel sweeter and simpler, a nice drift through things.

The one thousand and third song: Angels – The xx

Even for an indie rock band, this is such a sparse ballad - not much pushing it forward, more drifting again as a sweet and simple love song that celebrates its simplicity.

The one thousand and fourth song: Doom and Gloom – The Rolling Stones

This is a classic Stones song that could have fit in the seventies as much as it does here. It's a straight forward rock song, sound effects and all, showing how they can still bring that sound.

The one thousand and fifth song: Where Are We Now? – David Bowie

I don't know whether to read too much into this, but Where Are We Now sounds incredibly frail - from Bowie's nearly broken vocals to the memories of a past visit, it's a track that feels like a final hit, a good bye to a better time that, considering it was one of the last tracks released before his death, fits that pattern.

The one thousand and sixth song: Drunk In Love – Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z

As a power couple collaboration, this feels like it should be reaching certain heights, but this might be the first track where I feel I might say I'm too old for it - the tapping beat doesn't work for me and the sound is just as often too off putting, the house beat not meshing with Beyonce's vocals or anything else.

The one thousand and seventh song: My Silver Lining – First Aid Kit

This folk rock track suits me a lot better, although that might be from familiarity as well. It's memorable, got a good tune, takes in some embellishments but not too many, and musically it's got the right, straight forward build.

The two hundred and thirty-first TV show: #13 Adventures of Superman

Dramas from the fifties tend to be a chore, with action/adventures shows like the Adventures of Superman usually getting to be quite formulaic and simple, with no serialization possible. Here, though, it was more promising. The pilot episode sets up a version of the normal backstory, but takes it time to investigate the politics behind it. It's surprisingly deep and effective. It holds up - the plots generally stay interesting, with a basis in science, and following more, but you can see a decline in later seasons, especially as it switches to colour. It's not something to watch everything off, but it's more than enough to dip your toe into.

The two hundred and thirtieth TV show: #34 Il Musichiere

The Italian edition of Name That Tune is fairly similar in its gameshow concept, although with the downside, as a modern viewer, that I don't really recognise any of the songs because of age and Italianness. The presentation feels oddly filler-like as well at times - our host is charismatic, but it feels like he takes his time more than needed. It's fine, but hard to get into in the modern era.

The six hundred and fortieth album: #640 Madonna - Like A Prayer

While the Queen of Pop has some proper 80s pop songs on this album - Cherish for one - there are also a lot deeper songs in there. The titular Like A Prayer has a lot of subtext that give it a few different readings, while Promise To Try feels like a really sensitive and raw ballad. A lot of them still work these days, and the bigger tracks are probably more timeless than what happened to most pop of the era.

That's all of the first edition's songs done, just before the end of 2025! I'm going to follow up with the second and third edition additions in the new year, but it's close!

The nine hundred and ninety-second song: Dog Days Are Over - Florence & The Machine

The combination of Florence Welch's vocals and the band's strong backing music works to create a lovely combination here. While her voice can easily carry being almost the only sound during the quieter parts of the music, it melds perfectly with the abundant and loud music that celebrates the rest of the song. There's a relief behind it that works well, and the whole abundant sound stays gorgeous.

The nine hundred and ninety-third song: The Fear - Lily Allen

The loud electropop of The Fear never drowns out Lily Allen's more sensitive vocals, the lyrics staying clear throughout the song, providing a lot of meaning and direction to your listening. It's an interesting commentary, while staying accessible and a good song.

The nine hundred and ninety-fourth song: Summertime Clothes - Animal Collective

Some songs really have that power of sticking with you even if you couldn't tell you where you would have heard it. Summertime Clothes has a great flow to its electronic sound, while its lyrics flow through all of that really nicely. It's increasingly memorable as it feels like it ambles along in a simple happy song.

The nine hundred and ninety-fifth song: Rain Dance - The Very Best feat. M.I.A.

The Afro-western beat that underlies rain dance feels modern and in tune that M.I.A.s rap doesn't feel out of place in any of this track. It blends together well, anything traditional slotting in with anything more modern, and the effects surrounding it add to that same atmosphere in an incredibly enjoyable mix.

The nine hundred and ninety-sixth song: Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

Written as an anthem for New York, there's an affection towards the city that fits that of a big city - a lot of love for it while staying a bit low on it, rather than idealizing it. It's a simple setup, Alicia Keys' chorus perfect for the song and as a contrast to Jay-Z's rap.

The nine hundred and ninety-seventh song: Tenalle chegret - Tinariwen

The Saharan sound of this song stands out in this era, a traditional sound that stands out in a louder world. It features a simple, gorgeous build of music, with lovely vocals and a nice backing.

The nine hundred and ninety-eighth song: Harry Patch (In Memory of) - Radiohead

In quite a contrast of what I'd otherwise associate with Radiohead's music, this track is sombre, a lament based on the experiences of a WWI veteran. It's lovely, rich in its sounds and never getting extravagant, staying sombre but not overly aggressive with it. It's just gorgeous and the emotion will reach you.

The nine hundred and ninety-ninth song: Go Do - Jonsi

I'm not entirely sure what it is, but there's still something gorgeous about Icelandic music and its instincts. Go Do is a wonderfully flowing track with the touches other bands from there have, with some lovely vocals in this and a lovely playfulness to the entire thing. 

The one thousandth song: Me and the Devil - Gil Scott Heron

From the early days where his music presaged rap music, this becomes a slow blues lament, which feels like it fits the downward path of his life. There's no fight left and the spirit is gone, and the song exudes that really well in all its facets.

The one thousand and first song: Stylo - Gorillaz

The style and set up of Gorillaz' collaborative approach gives them a lot of flexibility on the sounds they want to go with and while the electronic rock is in there, Bobby Womack's chorus pulls the full track in a funky direction that it feels like the band is perfectly happy to follow along on. It's set up to give everything a chance to shine and the collaboration is one that - as is so ofthe the case with Gorillaz - works to create something beautiful.

The six hundred and thirty-ninth album: #639 New Order - Technique

The heavy electronic undercurrent of New Order's fifth album, inspired by the dance and house music that was on the rise and clearly big in Ibiza, where the album was recorded. The style differs from almost pure rock sounds to almost purely electronic and in fact Fine Time, the track that kicks off the album, feels more like a house music track with distorted vocals than any sort of rock. The style varies deeply through the album, in a way that is satisfying and that feels like it'll give you something regardless of your musical leanings.

The two hundred and thirty-sixth classical recording: #56 Alessandro Scarlatti - Cantatas

Early on, I talked about how the vocals of early choral work didn't appeal. Clearly, by this point it had been worked out, as the songs Scarlatti composed sound amazing, here with a beautiful soprano performance, and the underlying music supporting it so well. 

The two hundred and twenty-ninth TV show: #30 The Nat King Cole Show

It's undoubtably an accomplishment to be the first succesful African American (variety) TV host, and he does well at it. He's charming, striking the right balance, and especially in a segregated country walks the line quite well in what he can do. The bits of skits are okay, but barely feature, and it's really a half hour of songs from various guests as well as Nat King Cole. It's also a program that gives you songs from the fifties - just not something that connects as much with a modern audience.

The six hundred and thirty-eighth album: #638 John Lee Hooker - The Healer

This whole album is a blues throwback, down to lyrics that feel like they belong more in the fifties than the eighties (how many in the American audience would have connected to anything related to train travel?). The production values show it's a newer album, and the instruments that accompany John Lee Hooker, as well as the duets, have an upbeat that make it sound more modern, but it still feels out of time.