Troika

Part one of a series of five, looking at the history of Shoegaze music. This part looks at the origins of the genre, with music from The Beach Boys, Cocteau Twins and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Music evoking big sunset skies, diners and deserts and featuring Raymond Richards, Chuck Johnson and Cowboy Sadness.

This episode is all about Tim Smith, formerly of Midlake, and his other projects. The Pills won't help you now with The Chemical Brothers, Grey Tower with Lost Horizons and Herstmonceux in his new band, Harp.

My favourite songs from 2023, featuring Lanterns on the Lake, Harp, boygenius, Molly, M83, The Clientele and more. With twenty-one tracks it will keep you busy for almost two hours!

This episode of Troika is in tribute to Brian McBride, one-half of ambient duo Stars of the Lid, who sadly died last month. His music is so important to me, that I couldn't let the opportunity pass to honour his work and memory. I didn't want to spoil this episode with my narration, so just sit back with headphones and enjoy a double-troika selection of his musical legacy. The Tracks are: Overture (for Other Halfs) - Brian McBride Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottage - Stars of the Lid Girl Nap - Brian McBride Darker Side of Sunshine - Bell Gardens Far From Home - Kenneth James Gibson (Brian McBride’s Diminished Stories Remix) Untitled - Brian McBride

Songs featuring, or inspired by, BBC Radio 4's Shipping Forecast. Featuring music by Ronald Binge, Tears for Fears, Solomon Grey and The Longest Johns.

To mark two years after my dad passed away, I'm dedicating a double Troika episode all to him. Featuring classical music by Elgar, Mahler, Vaughn Williams and William Walton, but also The Dave Clark Five and Sun Kil Moon. There's also a surprise pop connection with Pete Waterman. The atmosphere is a little melancholy, but not an all out tearjerker.

Episode #42 is all about The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, with music spanning the Radio and TV series and the movie from 2005. It features music from The Eagles, Paddy Kingsland, Joby Talbot, Marvin the Paranoid Android and Louis Armstrong.

In order to break the seal of the two year Troika hiatus, I've put together a quick episode, simply featuring some new music I'm listening to. Featured in this episode are Site Nonsite (a new music project from Simon Collison), Hamish Hawk and Gareth Quinn Redmond.

We had to say goodbye to our beautiful golden retriever Olive a few weeks ago. She really was the goodest of girls and the fluffiest of floofs, and as part of the Hicks family she deserves her very own episode of Troika. The tracks are: 'Olive, the other Reindeer' by Johnny Hart, 'Golden Retriever' by Super Furry Animals and 'We Watched you Disappear' by Hammock.

An episode of Troika to celebrate my son Daniel's 18th birthday, featuring music that he's chosen. A Moment Apart by *ODESZA, Freaking Out the Neighbourhood by Mac DeMarco and Taken For A Fool by The Strokes.

This special double episode is devoted to the music of one of my favourite artists, Montreal psychedelic rock band The Besnard Lakes! Featuring the tracks Like the Ocean/Like the Innocent, Chicago Train, Agent 13, Color yr Lights in, Necronomicon and The Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings. Also features interview snippets and extra bonus track!

I was feeling the need for a bit of a change, so for this episode, I've chosen some of the electronic music that I've been playing in the last month or so. I feel the beats might help balance out the amount of ambient/shoegaze that I play. We've got 'Disappear' by Meg Ward, 'Sundial' by Bicep, and as a bit of a curveball, 'Next to me' by DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ.

I've called this episode Dark Mode, partly in a nod to the UI trend, but mostly because as we enter Winter, light feels in short supply. I've already themed two Troika's on ambient/drone music, and this is the third (and won't be the last). This is the music that gives me comfort and escapism in the dark times. Featuring 'Kitchen' by This Will Destroy You, 'Goldsmith' by Hammock and 'Seagull Line' by Nine is the Level. It also represents the one and only time I've ever got permission in person from the artist involved…

This double episode celebrates my daughter Samantha''s 18th Birthday! The first half looks at the strange we choices we made for our ''birthing mixtape'', that didn''t work, and the second showcases artists that she''s introduced me too. Featuring, Frank Sinatra, Ben Folds Five, Radiohead, Florence and the Machine, American Football and Cigarettes after Sex.

For this episode I wanted to look at music that just used the voice, and choose some examples that were just a small part of that huge spectrum. 'Mouth Music' has so many variations globally, that it would impossible to cover properly, so instead I've picked 6 of my favourites. 'Salve Mater Misericordie' by Trio Mediaeval, 'Sleep' by Eric Whitacre, 'Boy 1904' by Jonsi and Alex, 'Hide and Seek' by Imogen Heap, 'Song for the Siren' by This Mortal Coil and finally, 'Who is it (Carry my joy, the left, Carry my pain on the right)'* by Björk.

It's been too long since I last managed to squeeze out a Troika, but it it's still very much a project I want to continue! So, in this episode I"m looking at 'Endings', those last tracks on an album that have a particular 'End credits of a film' feel about them. This Troika features: 'Sandpit' by Curve, 'Burger Queen' by Placebo and 'Everyone but me' by Starflyer 59. As I mention in the podcast, the last track is my favourite song of all time - I love the coda at the end. It's epic!

A double-troika of the my favourite sad songs! Featuring: Anais Mitchell - 'Shepherd', Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales - 'Tearjerker', Spiritualized - 'Broken Heart', Kate Bush - 'This Womans Work', Nick Cave (featuring Else Torp) - 'Distant Sky' and finally Radiohead - 'Harry Patch (In Memory Of)'

Carrying on the theme of ambient post-rock music that featured in the first ever episode, I've chosen three tracks that I particularly think of at dusk. 'Building Clouds' by Olavi Louhivuori, 'Even if You're Never Awake' by Stars of the Lid and finishing with 'God's Teeth' by This Will Destroy You.

This Troika revisits my youth, and the years 85–87, when I was a fan of three bands, all roughly linked in a family tree. The music this time is 'Bottom Line' by Big Audio Dynamite, 'Atari Baby' by Sigue Sigue Sputnik and 'Joy Rider' by Westworld