Troika

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.