Sidetracked with Annie and Nick

Nick is joined by one of his favourite singers, Elmiene, while Annie is away. Fresh from releasing his debut album ‘sounds for someone’, Elmiene tells Nick what it’s like to work with Raphael Saadiq, how Benji B and Virgil Abloh helped him get his big break, and why it all links back to BBC Bitesize. They also discuss the news of Kanye West’s upcoming return to the UK, and how conflicted lots of his former fans feel about it. Plus, Celine Dion’s iconic comeback announcement inspires a conversation about Cornwall, and Rosalía’s food poisoning nightmare raises some serious questions.
Get in touch with Sidetracked! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email [email protected]
And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio.
HOMEWORK: Listen to Elmiene’s debut album ‘sounds for someone’ and tell us your thoughts.
SONGS
D'Angelo – Untitled (How Does It Feel)
Elmiene – Golden
Elmiene – Light By The Window
Eric Clapton – Layla
Solange – Cranes in the Sky
Wesley Joseph – Peace of Mind
Wesley Joseph – Pluto Baby
Kanye West – Through the Wire
Kanye West – Heartless

ALBUMS
Elmiene – sounds for someone
Ye – Bully
Rosalía - LUX

It’s the inaugural Sidetracked Album Club: Annie and Nick travel down memory lane to 2005 after listening back to LCD Soundsystem’s debut album and answer questions like: What was life like then, how much have things changed, and does the music still hold up?
Elsewhere, Nick is preparing for 6 Music Festival (which will see him DJ with Beth Ditto), Annie reflects on some excellent gig crowds and Courtney Love is on a very relatable Geese journey. Plus, Annie and Nick review SNL UK’s first episode, and a listener gets in touch about Lily Allen’s West End Girl shows, inspiring a conversation around the ethics of enjoying music about someone’s deeply personal pain.
HOMEWORK: Send in your ideas for the next Album Club choice.
Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email [email protected]
And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio.
SONGS
LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge
LCD Soundsystem - Tribulations
LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing at My House
LCD Soundsystem - Too Much Love
LCD Soundsystem - Tired
LCD Soundsystem - Yeah
The Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers
The Killers - Mr. Brightside
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb
Geese - Trinidad
Hot Hot Heat - Bandages

ALBUMS
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
Robyn - Sexistential
RAYE - This Music May Contain Hope
Elmiene – sounds for someone
Courtney Barnett - Creature of Habit
The Killers - Hot Fuss

Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
Green Day - American Idiot
Kasabian - Kasabian
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & The Lash

David Byrne leaves Annie wanting to know more about his live show while Nick avoids any Rosalía Lux Live spoilers. Plus, Annie and Nick discuss the intimate production behind James Blake’s new album and how too many opinions can hold an artist back. Speaking of opinions, there have been many about Jack Harlow’s new album, “Monica,” and Annie and Nick explore what puts the soul into neo-soul. Meanwhile, Morrissey has been left in a “catatonic” state and Live Nation executives give people new reasons to be angry, as Annie and Nick try to wrap their heads around their recent settlement with the US Department of Justice.
Finally, Annie and Nick are paid a visit by Gail Mortley, an opera singer and singing teacher who kindly takes them through the importance of opera, instructions for our diaphragms, and a few vocal exercises for all burgeoning divas to follow - with Nick turning from reluctant singer to essential pillar of “Gail and the Gail-ettes.”
HOMEWORK: Don’t forget to listen to LCD Soundsystem’s self-titled debut album and send us your thoughts ahead of our first ever album club discussion.
Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email [email protected]
And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio.

SONGS
James Blake - Doesn’t Just Happen (feat Dave)

James Blake - Rest of Your Life

James Blake - Days Go By

ALBUMS
Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska

Jack Harlow – Monica

James Blake - Trying Times

Various Artists for War Child Records – HELP(2)

LIVE MUSIC

Altin Gün

David Byrne – Who's in the Sky?

David Byrne - Stop Making Sense, film directed by Jonathan Demme

Rosalía Lux Live

OPERAS

O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini

Harry Styles has had a big week with the release of “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” and even if he doesn’t pay attention to reviews, there’s a vital one in this episode. Annie and Nick discuss the new album, as well as a myriad of other new releases including War Child Records’ compilation album HELP (2), Yebba, and Eliza. Elsewhere, Timothée Chalamet has made a massive error by dismissing ballet and opera, but one good to come from it is Annie wants to learn how to sing classical music – and she takes some inspiration from Madonna to show how ready she is for the challenge. And Nick recently revealed the song that made him cry as a 10-year-old and now he has some scientific answers as to why music can inspire such intense emotional reactions.
HOMEWORK: Listen to the HELP (2) album and/or get in touch if you think you can teach Annie and Nick to sing opera.
Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email [email protected]
And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio.

SONGS
Harry Styles – Are You Listening Yet?

Harry Styles – Coming Up Roses

Harry Styles – Dance No More

Ezra Collective & Green Tea Peng – Helicopters

Wet Leg – Obvious

Fontaine’s D.C. – Black Boys on Mopeds

Arooj Aftab – Lilac Wine

Flying Lotus – Antelope Onigiri

Eliza – Pleasure Boy

Fever Ray – The Lake (Cinematic)

Sylvester – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)

ALBUMS
Harry Styles – Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. (aka KISSTO/KATTDO)

Yebba – Jean

Various Artists for War Child Records – HELP(2)

ELIZA – The Darkening Green

Flying Lotus – BIG MAMA

OPERAS

La Traviata

Carmen

7 Deaths of Maria Callas

Akhnaten

Rigoletto

Tristan und Isolde

So the BRITs was fun...Annie and Nick review the 2026 event, which took place in Manchester for the very first time. How did Nick feel about Rosalía bringing on Björk? Did Annie think it worked as a TV show? And find out why our red-carpet interview with Self Esteem may have secured her a new, unexpected job.
Elsewhere in the world of music, Rihanna has shared footage of her in an actual recording studio, Mitski has a brilliant new album, and Soulseek users are being trolled by an AI Homer Simpson.
Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email [email protected]
And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio.

HOMEWORK: The Sidetracked Album Club has officially started and March’s pick is LCD Soundsystem’s self-titled debut album. We’ll discuss it at the end of the month.

SONGS
Sam Fender & Olivia Dean – Rein Me In
Rosalía - Berghain
Harry Styles - Aperture
Hozier – Take Me to Church
Underworld – Born Slippy
Mary J. Blige – I’m Going Down

ALBUMS
Mitski - Nothing's About to Happen to Me
Altin Gün - Garip
Harry Styles – Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem