Chorus Vs. Chorus

We stop thinking with our heads, and start thinking with our chests. That’s right, singing nerds: your hosts are doing an episode about vocal registers. We discuss our favorite instances of singers using the four types of vocal registers: (1) whistle (2) falsetto (3) modal (4) vocal fry. Featuring music from Björk, Ariana Grande, Ruth Brown, and more.

We're joined by Charles Frantz to explore what it actually means to feel guilty about the media we consume, touching on songs by problematic faves, shameless sugar pop, room-clearing nuisances, and evilest of all: Shaggy. The categories are: (1) guilty guilty pleasures; (2) guiltless guilty pleasures; (3) should I feel guilty about this?

We’re joined by Nana Adjoa, the versatile and virtuosic Dutch indie rock musician dubbed this month by NPR a “Name You Should Know” and a "2021 Artist to Watch." Nana took the time to chat with us about her skill with multiple instruments; her extraordinary new album, “Big Dreaming Ants"; and, because she is such a solo visionary, songs by artists who execute full control over their music. We explore our favorite songs by an artist who: (1) plays every instrument; (2) sings every vocal part; (3) self-produces their tracks. (The interview in this episode has been edited and condensed for clarity).

We hawk a miracle tonic for all those songwriters stuck in a rut. Chord progressions stale? Emotional climax unreachable? Song not "karaoke-ready"? Try modulation – otherwise known as a key change!  The categories are key changes that are most: (1) joyful (2) cheap (3) emotional (4) unexpected. Featuring music from O-Town, David Bowie, The Beta Band, and more.

We hope you’ll join us for a year-end wrap-up episode as organized as our country’s COVID-19 response and as cohesive as our populace’s mask compliance. No categories, no competition – just 10 songs that we loved, that we needed, that got us through this Kevin Federline of a year. Auld lang syne, suckas! Featuring music from Nana Adjoa, Antibalas, Ohmme, and more.

We're joined by Elif Bereketli, a powerhouse culture and arts journalist, to discuss the intersection of marginalization and music, exploring Turkish Arabesk, New Orleans bounce, Puerto Rican reggaeton, Romani folk, and more. The categories are: (1) A marginalized genre that later became mainstream; (2) A marginalized artist that later became mainstream; (3) A marginalized genre that deserves attention. Featuring music from Orhan Gencebay, The Velvet Underground, Mahotella Queens, and more.

We're doing it live. Joining us is Nicole Feinberg, fellow Semite and chronic venue hopper, to celebrate the experience we so dearly miss right now: paying $18 for a Stella Artois, waiting through two hours of opening bands, and losing your nice spot in the crowd to go to the bathroom. In this episode, we explore live songs that are: (1) Better than the original (2) Revisions of the studio version (3) With audience participation. Featuring music from Jill Scott, Ween, Vulfpeck, and more.

This week, we take our show undercover, celebrating that brazen artistic move that traces all the way back to music's oldest roots in folk tradition. NOTE: Quiet Riot was not harmed during the making of this podcast. (1) Best faithful cover (2) Best revisionist cover (3) Cover that shouldn't work, but somehow does (4) Cover that's better than the original. Featuring music from Aretha Franklin, Ministry, Punch Brothers, and more.

We find ourselves in the midst of – shall we say – bad times, and with bad times come bad feelings. But it's not so bad – that's why humans listen to music: to make us feel not-bad. Our categories are songs that: (1) cheer us up (2) help us face the day (3) make us feel fuzzy (4) make us laugh.