It’s been 40 years since the release of Cocteau Twins’ “Victorialand.” In celebration of the anniversary, we heard two tracks from the album. We also heard a track from New Order celebrating their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Then we heard a classic from Bjork as she gears up for her rave during the eclipse in Iceland this August and a new limited edition 7’ single from Nation of Language, covering the Bruce Springsteen song, “Tougher Than The Rest.”

Plus a track from the debut album from the new Italian shoegaze band, Yumeia & Tre Flip. Portland-based Phosphene has a new album, “Velveteen,” due out in May. We listened to “Wired,” along with new Hammock, The Twilight Sad, and more!

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above. 

• “Lazy Calm” – Cocteau Twins
• “Skin in the game” – Slowdive
• “Emo Song” – The Haunted Youth
• “The Loudest Sound” – The Cure
• “Alma” – Deary
• “Vapour Trail” – Ride
• “Nirvana” – Glazyhaze
• “1963” – New Order
• “Wire” – Phosphene
• “Sweetest Perfection” – Depeche Mode
• “Slow (Clean Version)” – Basement Revolver
• “Falter” – Acopia
• “Drive That Fast” – Kitchens of Distinction
• “Back to Nature” – Doublespeak
• “Duel” – Propaganda
• “The Unsetting Sun” – Hammock
• “The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance” – Sinéad O’Connor
• “Lonely Town” – Steve Queralt & Emma Anderson
• “Spring And By Summer Fall” – Blonde Redhead
• “Pluto Drive / Solar Choir” – The Creatures
• “DESIGNED TO LOSE” – The Twilight Sad
• “500 (Shake Baby Shake)” – Lush
• “Gepetto” – Belly
• “Maid Of Orleans” – OMD
• “Fly to the Ceiling (feat. Rosa Rocca-Serra)” – Theis Thaws, Tricky
• “Death Cults” – Dead Can Dance
• “Unicorn” – Bel Canto
• “eterno riposo” – Yumeia & Tre Flip
• “Such A Shame” – Talk Talk
• “4ever” – Bathe Alone
• “Venus As A Boy (7″ American Dream Remix)” – Björk
• “Tougher Than the Rest” – Nation of Language
• “Little Spacey” – Cocteau Twins
• “Beauty*2” – Ladytron

Excited about some new music in Big Sonic Heaven this week. We played two tracks from the much-anticipated album “Birding” from dreampop three-piece Deary, which was released this week. We also heard the new single from She’s Green, “Paper Thin,” from their upcoming EP, “Swallowtail,” which is due in July.

Plus, the latest from The Julies, Dead Can Dance, Searows, and Miki Berenyi Trio, along with your favorite shoegaze, dream pop, and post-punk.

• “Elysium, Honor Him, Now We Are Free” – Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard
• “Doot Doot” – The Fauns
• “In Violet” – Searows
• “Baby’s Breath” – deary
• “Love’s Easy Tears” – Cocteau Twins
• “I Think I Knew” – The Church
• “A Night Like This” – The Cure
• “Low December Sun” – Air Formation
• “Paper Thin” – She’s Green
• “Sweetness And Light” – Lush
• “I’m So Tired” – Deserta
• “Out Of Sight” – Hooverphonic
• “Nobody Loves You More” – Kim Deal
• “Neon Afterlife” – The Julies
• “All Mine” – Portishead
• “Island Of One” – Miki Berenyi Trio
• “Run” – New Order
• “Orange of the Westering Sun” – The Innocence Mission
• “Primal” – Slowdive
• “Smile” – deary
• “Everywhere” – Cranes
• “New You” – My Bloody Valentine
• “Fine Friend” – Pale Saints
• “Stranglehold” – The Churchhill Garden
• “Hazlewood” – Toothpaste
• “Halo” – Depeche Mode
• “Thin Circle” – Bug Teeth
• “Success Has Made A Failure of Our Home” – Sinéad O’Connor
• “Vanity (feat. Rachel Goswell)” – Drab Majesty
• “Coldsweat” – Sugarcubes
• “Our Day Will Come” – Dead Can Dance
• “The Worst Taste In Music” – The Radio Dept.

Tonight in Big Sonic Heaven, we featured a new “60s-breezy” track from Miki Berenyi Trio, a new-ish song from Future Islands, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary with a rarities compilation album, and a dreamy collaboration between Hammock and The Flaming Lips, along with several other new releases.

In keeping with the recent trend of music benefiting charitable causes, we played My Bloody Valentine​ in recognition of Robert Smith’s series of curated shows at Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust. These performances, which took place from March 23-29, featured My Bloody Valentine, Elbow, Mogwai, The Joy Formidable, Placebo, and Garbage. You can find clips of these performances online. The Teenage Cancer Trust provides specialized care and support for young people within the NHS.

Finally, ​we shared some details about the limited-edition Rough Trade release of Cocteau Twins’ “Head Over Heels“​ album on pearl vinyl. It includes an insert with interesting commentary from Robin Guthrie about the making of the album. It is a great read if you have the chance to check it out.

Of course, also your favorite classic shoegaze, dreampop, and postpunk.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above. 

• “Closedown” – The Cure
• “Birdseye” – Babehoven
• “Burrow” – AtticOmatic
• “Brighter” – Slowdive
• “Chemicals Make You Small (feat. The Flaming Lips)” – Hammock
• “Every Little Counts” – New Order
• “Poor Sweet Mary Millington” – The False Dawns
• “Musette and Drums” – Cocteau Twins
• “Sail” – Future Islands
• “Paris And Rome” – Cranes
• “Pagan Poetry” – Björk
• “Lights Out” – Roller Derby
• “Alfie” – deary
• “Pearl” – Chapterhouse
• “Our Day Will Come” – Dead Can Dance
• “Black Celebration” – Depeche Mode
• “Just Drive” – Postiljonen
• “Renaissance Affair” – Hooverphonic
• “Myth” – Beach House
• “Free, Free” – Ladytron
• “Fallin’ In Love” – Lush
• “No More Kissing In The Rain” – Trentemøller
• “We Have All the Time In the World” – My Bloody Valentine
• “Clusters” – Emma Anderson
• “Michael” – Beachy Head
• “Here And Now” – Ride
• “Island Of One” – Miki Berenyi Trio
• “Broken (Bedroom Version)” – The Haunted Youth
• “Black Boys On Mopeds” – Sinéad O’Connor
• “Fences” – Yndling
• “The Night Is Quiet” – Nonsense Rats
• “Dark Western” – Au Revoir Borealis
• “Sonnet” – The Verve

There’s been a lot of new music in Big Sonic Heaven over the last few weeks. This time around, we featured “Underground,” a new track by Inner Magic, the new band of former Chromatics and Smashing Pumpkins members, Adam Miller and Jeff Schroeder, respectively.

We heard the new single “Doing Laps” from Polly MacKay’s project called Art School Girlfriend, along with new tracks from Searows, Whitelands, AtticOmatic, Softcult, Good Day Father, and more. 

Chapterhouse is kicking off their North American Tour in May, where they’ll be performing their debut album, “Whirlpool,” in its entirety, with the Toronto show featuring another Big Sonic Heaven favorite, She’s Green. This is their first North American tour since 2010. We listened to “Pearl” to celebrate the announcement! Plus, a slew of your favorite Big Sonic Heaven classics!

Don’t forget that every show is available for replay for two weeks at wdet.org. Thanks for listening!

• “Lorelei” – Cocteau Twins
• “We Would Meet in Center City” – The Innocence Mission
• “Garden” – Maria Somerville
• “Duel” – Propaganda
• “Doing Laps” – Art School Girlfriend
• “Sooner Than You Think” – New Order
• “Goodbye” – Cigarettes for Breakfast
• “Soon” – My Bloody Valentine
• “Queen of Nothing” – Softcult
• “A Means to An End” – Joy Division
• “A Return” – The Tear Garden
• “Nothing” – Depeche Mode
• “8th Deadly Sin” – Miki Berenyi Trio
• “Brighter” – Slowdive
• “Golden Daze” – Whitelands
• “The Sulphur Man” – Doves
• “Underground (feat Ruth Radelet)” – Inner Magic
• “Lovelife” – Lush
• “All that We’ll Ever Be” – Mint Julep
• “Isobel” – Björk
• “Dirt” – Searows
• “All Night Long” – Peter Murphy
• “Jerusalem” – Sinead O’ Connor
• “Hljómalind” – Sigur Rós
• “Lewin” – AtticOmatic
• “Ballerina Out of Control” – The Ocean Blue
• “The Great Unknown” – Ivy
• “Sonic Amadea” – Good Day Father
• “Pearl” – Chapterhouse
• “Dreamweavers” – Trentemøller
• “Take Forever” – Japanese Popstars (feat Robert Smith)
• “Seabird” – Deary
• “Out of Sight” – Hooverphonic

Big Sonic Heaven celebrated a few milestones: The Cure’s re-release of the 1986 New Vocal Version of “Boys Don’t Cry” earned platinum status, with sales and streams exceeding one million. Plus, their album “Bloodflowers” turned 26!

The film “Pretty In Pink,” where New Order graced the soundtrack turns 40, and let’s not forget the Rough Trade pearl-vinyl re-release of Cocteau Twins’ “Head Over Heels” as the label celebrates 50 years!

A lot of brand-new music this week coming from Stereolab, ACTORS, Plastic Milk, Searows, Ninon, Good Day Father, which is Tanya Donelly’s new band, and more!

Check out the playlist below. The show is available on demand at WDET.org for two weeks.

• “Drink Before the War” – Sinéad O’Connor
• “Sleepsong” – Deary
• “Burrow” – AtticOmatic
• “Screw” – The Cure
• “Sonic Amadea” – Good Day Father
• “Safari” – The Breeders
• “Heaven” – CASTLEBEAT
• “October Love Song” – Chris And Cosey
• “Blush” – The Secret French Postcards
• “Cloud Land” – Stereolab
• “Leave Me Alone” – New Order
• “Verdi Cries” – 10,000 Maniacs
• “Snow Heart” – Lucy La Dusk
• “Naive” – Softcult
• “Texture” – Catherine Wheel
• “Transatlantic” – Basement Revolver
• “CTRL” – ACTORS
• “Evelyn” – Xymox
• “Goodbye Vista” – Deserta
• “Looking Glass Girl” – The Glove
• “Sloppy Heart” – Frazier Chorus
• “Gilded Shadow” – Olive Kimoto
• “Ornaments of Gold” – Siouxsie & The Banshees
• “Until We Meet Again” – Lisa Gerrard & Marcello De Francisci
• “Thoughtforms” – Lush
• “Crystals (feat. Benjamin Gibbard)” – Sea Lemon
• “In Violet” – Searows
• “Ripple” – The Church
• “Wax Tongue” – Plastic Milk
• “When Mama Was Moth” – Cocteau Twins
• “Kisses” – Slowdive
• “Army Of Me” – Björk
• “Leave on your light” – NINON
• “Stare Into Light” – Velour 100
• “Cry” – The Sundays
• “Ascension” – There’s Talk

Big Sonic Heaven has always featured talented female vocalists, and this week was no exception. 

This episode included Olivia Lee of There’s Talk, Chrisy Hurn of Basement Revolver, Geike Arnaert of Hooverphonic, Dottie Cockram of Deary, Estonian singer-songwriter Iiris Vesik of Night Tapes, and Alessandra Stella of Nother and Moon Leap. We also heard from French vocalist Rosa Rocca-Serra, featured on Tricky’s project, “Theis Thaws.”

And let’s not forget the unmistakable voices of Karen Peris from The Innocence Mission, Harriet Wheeler from The Sundays, Björk, Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins, and Sinead O’Connor.

Checkout the playlist below and listen to the replay, available for the next two weeks at WDET.org.

Big Sonic Heaven Playlist for Jan. 11, 2025

• “Mercy Street” – Peter Gabriel
• “Prayer Remembered” – Slowdive
• “Until You Come Back Home” – Nother & Moon Leap
• “Pearl” – Chapterhouse
• “En Lögn, En Sanning (note: translates to “a lie, a truth.”)” – Kallsup
• “Sweetness and Light” – Lush
• “I’m so Tired” – Deserta
• “Six Different Ways” – The Cure
• “Louise” – Clan of Xymox
• “The Big Shake” – The Mary Onettes
• “Here’s Where the Story Ends” – The Sundays
• “Golden” – There’s Talk
• “Troy” – Sinead O’ Connor
• “Before” – The Giraffe Told Me in My Dream
• “Drive that Fast” – Kitchens of Distinction
• “The Robot Girl Psychiatrist” – The False Dawns
• “Morning Theft” – Jeff Buckley
• “Skin” – Basement Revolver
• “Those Eyes That Mouth” – Cocteau Twins
• “Renaissance Affair” – Hooverphonic
• “Helix” – Night Tapes
• “Life is Wrong” – Longwave
• “Swamp Thing” – The Chameleons
• “On Your Side” – The Innocence Mission
• “Fly to the Ceiling featuring Rosa Rocca” – Theis Thaws
• “I’ll Fall with your Knife” – Peter Murphy
• “Elegia” – New Order
• “My Love” – Silk Daisys
• “It’s Oh So Quiet” – Bjork
• “Fairground” – Deary
• “Become” – Beach House
• “Hollywood Daydream” – Cigarettes for Breakfast
• “Severance” – Dead Can Dance