Andrew and Dominique know almost nothing about D’Angelo, so if they didn’t do a D’Angelo episode now, they might never learn.
 
We enlist LiteFM midday host and National Black Radio Hall of Famer Helen Little to help fill in the gaps in our knowledge.
 
Helen has worked at heritage R&B radio stations in both New York and Philadelphia since the '90s. She was in on the proverbial ground floor of D'Angelo's pop career, met him numerous times and has a strong connection to his first two studio albums.

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(Episode 42.)

We discuss the anomaly that is the 1993 stop-motion animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas — a gothic Halloween musical comedy for children that hinges of themes of death, depression, belonging and the Christmas spirit.
 
Extraordinarily offbeat and original, Nightmare has inspired generations of people with its music, aesthetic and lesson of embracing what makes each of us unique.
 
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This bonus episode is a loving tribute to the greatest and one true Halloween song.
 
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(NOTE: Andrew is of course referring to “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder when he says “Supernatural.” He is humiliated.)

We dive into John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s powerful 1972 statement on political violence, “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” which has just been re-released in a gigantic (potentially evil capitalist) box set.
 
Dominique rants about commercial art versus performance art, and we discuss Yoko Ono’s immense impact on the latter.
 
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U.K.-based rockers Dinosaur Pile-Up returned this year after a lengthy absence to remind us that contemporary rock music can deal with serious topics and be fun at the same time.

DPU singer-guitarist Matt Bigland re-evaluated much of his life and his choices during a hospital stay in 2021. Once healthy again, Matt recommitted himself to his music and his band. This past August, Dinosaur Pile-Up returned with its first new album in six years, I've Felt Better.

On this episode, we dive into the album's first single and lead track, "'Bout to Lose It."

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April Kae returns to the show to join the conversation around Cardi B's AM I THE DRAMA? album.

We discuss the high and low points of Cardi's highly-anticipated, 24-track (!) divorce album, her unending charm and how she constantly finds ways to push boundaries of pop music. 

April explains the debt she owes to Cardi B's "Up," as well as the challenges she’s faced while developing her own music and how a breakup clarified her vision for her music career. She also makes an "official" announcement about what's next for her solo music. 

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(Episode 41.)

We check out the recent single "Hiding in Plain Sight" by the L.A.-based metalcore band Holywatr.

Andrew has highly conflicting feelings about the band, but it's right up Dominique's alley. 

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We add some context to Hayley Williams' landmark third solo album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, discuss why it's a step into uncharted territory for her and what it means for the future of Paramore.

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(Episode 40.)

We're talking about a single from Blood Orange's new album, Essex Honey.

We marvel at the mulit-instrumental talent of songwriter/producer Dev Hynes and we discuss the pitfalls and freedoms that comes with being a true solo artist.

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Spotify is using weird rules to fine and de-platform independent artists from its service — are these honest mistakes or is something more nefarious going on?
 
Last week, Andrew’s band, One Hundred Thousand, got a notice from its distributor that one song from its 2021 album was flagged for “bot activity” and that the entire album was therefore being removed from Spotify, and all other digital streaming services as a penalty.
 
No one at Spotify appears to be concerned enough to respond to our requests for help and there is no apparent appeals process for artists who say they had nothing to do with the alleged bots.
 
OHT is not alone.
 
A number of independent artists are complaining that the world’s largest digital streaming music platform is throttling them for “bot activity” on their catalogs, removing their music and charging them bogus penalties.
 
Reddit is filling up with threads on the subject, and Spotify’s silence is only fueling belief that this is part of the company’s strategy to gradually replace independent music with A.I.-generated slop to reduce royalty payouts and bolster its profits.
 
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(Episode 39.)