This week's Spotify playlist is compiled by London-via-Brighton electro twiddlers (is that word? It is now...) Metronomy. Their album Nights Out received some fairly glowing reviews last year and now they're back with a new EP, 'Not Made for Love'. Their playlist is a suitably eclectic affair lurching from The Human League to Michael Nyman to Leonard Cohen to Chicks on Speed and on... Here's the tracklist. Enjoy!

1. The Human League - "Being Boiled"
2. Michael Nyman - "An Eye for Optical Theory"
3. Laurie Anderson - "Sharkey's Day"
4. Timbaland - "I Am Music"
5. Bootsy Collins - "I'd Rather be with You"
6. The Go Go's - "Vacation"
7. Out Kast - "She Lives in my Lap"
8. Foxy - "Get Off"
9. Chicks On Speed - "Chixmachine"
10. Leonard Cohen - "The Partisan"
11. Herman Dune - "Winners Lose"
12. The Flying LIzzards - "Hands 2 Take"
13. The Egyptian Lover - "I Cry (Night After Night)"

Click here to listen on Spotify (free, painless and not-at-all spammy registration required)

As Blur's reunion reaches an extended crescendo this week with a triumphant Glastonbury gig and their Hyde Park shows, it only seemed right and proper that this week's Spotify playlist would be Britpop thermed. It's been compiled by The Independent's resident Britpop expert, Cat Gordon - if you need someone to recite 14 year-old Pulp lyrics word for word, Gordon is tthe person for the job.

Here it is. Mad for it etc...

1. "Stereotypes" - Blur
2. "Ladykillers" - Lush
3. "Common People" - Pulp
4. "Laid" - James
5. "Great Things" - Echobelly
6. "Slight Return" - The Bluetones
7. "Drop Dead Gorgeous" - Republica
8. "Alright" - Supergrass
9. "Inbetweener" - Sleeper
10. "Good Enough" - Dodgy
11. "Animal Nitrate" - Suede
12. "Female of the Species" - Space
13. "Mulder and Scully" - Catatonia
14. "Sleep" - Marion
15. "Waking Up" - Elastica
16. "Not so Manic Now" - Dubstar
17. "Love is the Law" - The Seahorses
18. "Punka" - Kenickie

Click here to listen on Spotify (Free, painless and not-at-all spammy registration required)

For this week's Spotify playlist we've gone outside The Independent offices and enlisted the help of one Jesse Kanda, an acclaimed musician/producer who works under the name Friend. We've written about Friend already and he's received plenty of attention in various music blogs. Now he's compiled a little mixtape for us. Here's the full Friend tracklist. Enjoy.

1. "Sitting in the Park" - Georgie Fame
2. "Heaven" - The Rolling Stones
3. "Dancin'" - Chris Isaak
4. "The Look of Love" - Bill Plummer
5. "Kunst Or Ars" - Meanderthals
6. "Bed For Mig" - Avner
7. "Early Morning" - Fontan
8. "Pocket Porn Dub" - Renegade Soundwave
9. "Nothing Can Stop Us" - Saint Etienne
10. "When I Grow Up - D.Lissvik" - Fever ray
11. I Feel Electric" (Tiedye Remix) - Rubies
12. "Ni Upanja, Ni Strahu" - Borghesia
13. "Fight Sounds Pt. 1" - Circlesquare
14. "Hard Tops & Drops" - Keak Da Sneak feat. Paul Wall & Scoot
15. "One in a Million" - Aaliyah

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration required)

This week's Spotify playlist is an old-time blues jukebox compiled by John Matthew Hall, who looks after the online Arts&Entertainment section of The Independent.

Here's the tracklist. 

1. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" - Fisk University Jubilee Quartette
2. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" - Leadbelly
3. "That Black Snake Moan" - Blind Lemon Jefferson
4. "Death Letter" - Son House
5. "Statesboro Blues" - Blind Willie McTell
6. "Stack O'Lee" - Mississippi John Hurt
7. "Devil Got My Woman" - Skip James
8. "From Four Until Late" - Robert Johnson
9. "The Sky Is Crying" - Elmore James
10. "Rollin' Stone" - Muddy Waters
11. "Dimples" - John Lee Hooker
12. "Hound Dog" - Big Mama Thornton
13. "Help Me" - Sonny Boy Williamson
14. "Smokestack Lightnin'" - Howlin' Wolf
15. "My Babe" - Little Water
16. "I Got My Mojo Working" - Muddy Waters

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration required).

This week's Spotify playlist is compiled by Simmy Richman, music reviewer for The Independent on Sunday. It's a collection from various American bands which Simmy has entitlted "American Cosmic Music, Volume 1". Look out for further installments from Simmy at a later date on the Friday Playlist. Here's a full tracklist. Enjoy!

1. "Waiting for the Sun" - The Jayhwaks
2. "16 Days" - Whiskeytown
3. "Turpentine" - Brandi Carlile
4. "Imitosis" - Andrew Bird
5. "The Devil Never Sleeps" - Iron & Wine
6. "I've Been Riding With the Ghost" - Songs:Ohia
7. "Two Different Things" - Thad Cockrell, Caitlin Cary
8. "With Care From Someone" - Dillard & Clark
9. "Mykonos" - Fleet Foxes
10. "Roscoe" - Midlake
11. "White Daisy Passing" - Rocky Votolato
12. "Carry Me Ohio" - Sun Kil Moon
13. "Bad Education" - Tilly and the Wall
14. "Jesus, Etc." - Wilco

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

This week's Spotify playlist is compiled by Harriet Walker, a fashion writer at The Independent. Here's the full tracklisting. Enjoy.

1. "House Jam" - Gang Gang Dance
2. "Lights Out" - Santogold
3. "Xtatic Truth - Xtra Loud Mix" - Crystal Fighters
4. "Curly Tetth" - Micachu
5. "Zero" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6. "Cannonball" - The Breeders
7. "Good Fortune" - PJ Harvey
8. "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" - Kid Creole and the Coconuts
9. "Been Caught Stealing" - Jane's Addiction
10. "4th Chanber" - GZA feat Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest & RZA
11. "Courtship Dating" - Crystal Castles
12. "Banned From the End of the World" - Sleater Kinney
13. "You Gonna Want Me" - Tiga
14. "Son of a Gun" - Vaselines
15. "The Turtle" - Nathan Fake

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

This week's Spotify Playlist is compiled by David Lister, Arts Editor of The Independent, editor of the weekly Arts and Books magazine, and also editor of the monthly Independent Music Magazine. Here is the tracklisting:

1. "Intervention" - Arcade Fire

This week's Spotify playlist is compile by Michael Savage, Political Correspondent for The Independent.

Michael writes, "Record label executives must shudder at the prospect of recruiting an artist in the 'low-fi' scene. They’re not exactly the most ambitious bunch, in the traditional sense at least. For most of them, the ideal night consists of playing in front of 20-odd enthusiastic fans.

Our latest Spotify playlist is compiled by Elisa Bray, Music Editor of The Independent. There's no theme to the playlist this time, it's just a collection of some of Elisa's favourite music; largely comprised of strident Scottish guitar songs and Americana. Enjoy...

Here's the full tracklist:

1. "Blue Boy" - Orange Juice
2. "Just a Boy" - Angus & Julia Stone
3. "White as Diamonds" - Alela Diane
4. "You're a Wolf" - Sea Wolf
5. "What I Have Left" - Mike Bones
6. "Slow Show" - The National
7. "Pull the Wires from the Walls" - The Delgados
8. "Run" - Broadcast 2000
9. "Hush the Warmth" - Gorkys Zygotic Mynci
10. "We are the Sleepyheads" - Belle and Sebastian
11. "Lake Michigan" - Rogue Wave
12. "Fast Blood" - Frightened Rabbit
13. "For Emma" - Bon Iver
14. "Lights Off" - The Dears
15. "Our Life is Not a Movie of Maybe" - Okkervil River
16. "Disembodied Voices" - Finn Brothers

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

Ooooh. This is all very hi-tech isn’t it? In honour of all this new-fangled online malarkey, here's a playlist that pays tribute to some artists who’ve really embraced the digital age. Most of the people on my list play guitars, I'm afraid, so do please suggest some tech-loving bands from other genres. I’ve put in a couple of muso Twitterers, including Mike Skinner aka The Streets, and John Mayer, who turns tweeting into a fine art, with such gems as...

and...

There are some acts who've appeared in the wonderful (and Webby-nominated) Black Cab Sessions, including recent additions Doves. Radiohead have to get a look in, of course, for their early and continuing commitment to the net. And for old times' sake I'll chuck in Lily Allen (who also tweets) and the Arctic Monkeys from the MySpace generation. The Lonely Island really must be seen to be appreciated because, like OkGo, they've harnessed the full publicity potential of YouTube. Trent Reznor recently launched an iPhone app for fans of his band Nine Inch Nails. James Murphy aka LCD Soundsystem released 45:33 as a download for Nike+ to go with their iPod nano software for joggers. It was years ago now, but I wanted an excuse to stick one of his tracks on the list. And I also wanted to include those old Luddites Metallica and the Beatles, for their final, grudging acceptance of the digital future in the form of dedicated videogames Metallica: Guitar Hero and The Beatles: Rock Band. Funnily enough, however, neither of their catalogues are available on Spotify yet...

Here's the full playlist:

1. "The National Anthem" - Radiohead
2. "Turn The Page" - The Streets
3. "Maple Leaves (EP version) - Jens Lekman
4. "I Keep Havin' These Dreams" - Micah P HInson
5. "I Could Say" - Lily Allen
6. "Someone Great" - LCD Soundsyatem
7. "Help Me Somebody" - Brian Eno, David Byrne
8. "The Lovecats" - OK Go
9. "Sax Man" - The Lonely Island, featuring Jack Black
10. "Ada" - The National
11. "10.03" - Doves
12. "Do Me A Favour" - Arctic Monkeys
13. "The Day The World Went Away" - Nine Inch Nails
14. "Good Love Is On The Way" - John Mayer

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

This week's Spotify playlist is compiled by Ian Birrell, Deputy Editor of The Independent (and one-time reviewer for the now defunct Melody Maker). Ian is also a founder of Africa Express, which brings African and Western musicians together for unique live collaborations. Africa Express has staged a series of acclaimed shows by renowned musicians from around the world in Brixton, Bamako, Glastonbury, Kinshasa, Liverpool, Lagos and Camden.

Here it is:

"The Absurdity of World Music"

1. "Jesus of the Moon" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2. "Poliomyelite" - Staff Benda Bilili
3. "Out of Time" - Blur
4. "Nikusaidiaje" - Professor Jay featuring Ferooz
5. "Get By" - Talib Kweli
6. "What's Hardcore?" - K'naan
7. "Feel Free" - Kano
8. "Yah!" - Buraka Som Sistema featuring Petty
9. "The Menace" - Mongrel
10. "Bassekou" - Bassekou Kouyate, Ngoni ba
11. "Send Him Away" - Franz Ferdinand
12. "Chantez-chantez" - Amadou & Mariam
13. "Lucretia Mac Evil" - Blood Sweat & Tears
14. "Lonely" - Ayo
15. "Love's a Game" - The Magic Numbers
16. "Water No Get Enemy" - Fela Kuti
17. "Sankofa" - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
18. "Round the Globe" - Us3
19. "Rock El Casbah" - Rachid Taha

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

With new fangled websites like Spotify offering freely streamed, easily accessible music, (and apparently taking on iTunes in a vicious battle to the death), we've decided to give you a selection of music, new and old, to listen to every Friday for no better reason than to just pass the time with some nice tunes.

In today's paper there is a story about the first song of the bailout era - country singer, John Rich's "Shutting Detroit Down" (a caveat; he also sang "Raisin' McCain" during the US election). In light of this and the events of the week, I decided to theme the playlist vaguely on recession, politics, money, jobs and the like... Granted, some songs are fairly tenuously linked to the theme, but hopefully the music is still good.

Here's a tracklist:

1. "Free Money" - Patti Smith Group
2. "Straight to Hell" - The Clash
3. "Running the World" - Jarvis Cocker
4. "Golden Age" - TV on the Radio
5. "Teen Age Riot" - Sonic Youth
6. "Napoleon Says" - Phoenix
7. "I Want More" - Can
8. "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (remix) - Kanye West, featuring Jay-Z
9. "Life During Wartime" - Talking Heads
10. "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" - Nina Simone
11. "Maggie's Farm" - Bob Dylan
12. "No Depression" - Uncle Tupelo
13. "That Black Snake Moan" - Blind Lemon Jefferson
14. "Life's A Bitch" - Nas
15. "Peace Piece" - Bill Evans

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify (free registration)

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