Discography Divers

Grateful Dead are one of the all time jam bands and on this episode of Discography Divers Nick and Shannon are going in head first. They are both relatively new to the Dead experience. Luckily they have their friend Andrew McDonaugh-Lee to ramble on with them. 

Grateful Dead are famous for their live concert experience, but for this episode they are only discussing the Dead's studio albums. Their studio album experience tells a story of a true American band. Over the course of 13 albums Grateful Dead begin as a prototypical 1960s San Fransisco psychedelic band, focus their song writing into a folk rock oriented sound, and then gain mainstream radio success in the 1980s. Grateful Dead fuse rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, reggae, folk, country, blues, and psychedelia into a one of a kind sound. 

How do the Discography Divers react to this original sound? Do they have similar taste or does the eclectic nature of Grateful Dead divide their rankings? Would the Deadheads approve of their ultimate ranking? 

Listen now and beat it on down the line.  

This, right here, is the first Shannon Pick! Shannon went back into her history of buying CDs at Fred Myer and chose Death Cab For Cutie. Death Cab began as a lo-fi local Pacific Northwest band and grew into to a major radio player. On this episode Nick and Shannon dive into their career and discuss how Death Cab fit into the definition of emo music, why Ben Gibbard's lyrics are so perfectly poetic, and if their themes of unrequited love is dangerous. It is just the two hosts on this episode and their goofiness comes out. Shannon can't help but discuss her love of the Forbidden Love EP and The Postal Service and Nick just can't help but singing.  

Want to catch up on Death Cab? Listen to our accompanying Spotify playlist at this link.

The Discography Divers are back with a special episode, Bob Dylan. Obviously Bob Dylan has too many albums over the course of his entire career to rank in one episode, so this episode is just his work in 1960s. Still, Dylan released 9 albums across the decade, many of which are considered masterpieces. Comparing and ranking Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, The Times They Are A-Changin, Bringing It All Back Home seemed like an impossible task but somehow the Discography Divers pulled it off!

This episode features a very special guest, Nick's dad, Frank Busichio! Frank has firsthand experience listening to Dylan in the 1960s. He shares personal stories about protesting while listening to Dylan, his perspective on Dylan going electric, and why Dylan's music is still relevant today. 

Check out our accompanying Spotify playlist!

The Discography Divers are back and jumping into the career of one of the most accomplished women in pop music, Beyoncé. With the help of their friend Janah Valenzuela Cardin, Nick and Shannon discuss her rise coming out of Destiny's Child, her persona Sasha Fierce, the complicated relationship she had with her manager/father, and how her music continued to evolve and become more confident through her career. Beyoncé is undeniably a cultural force of nature. Do all of her albums hold up? How does Dangerously in Love stack up to Lemonade? What makes her concert film Homecoming so special? These are all questions the Discography Divers answer as they rank the discography of the great Queen Bey. 

Want to catch up on Beyoncé? Check out our accompanying playlist. 

The Discography Divers are back with their season 3 premiere featuring one of the most impactful indie rock bands in recent history, Arcade Fire. There are a few things special about this episode. Arcade Fire is the shortest discography we have covered. It makes for an interesting experience because most of their albums are great! As we dive in, we’ll discuss what aspects make Arcade Fire so timeless, how they tap into nostalgia in a meaningful way, and how they expand and push their sound with every release. Also, Brandon Bowlby is back as our first returning guest.

Check out our Arcade Fire accompanying playlist on Spotify!

My Morning Jacket has made a name for themselves as quintessential American rock. Right out the gate they had a strong Southern Rock sound which evolved over time to incorporate psychedelic rock, funk, alternative country, jam band, and indie rock. Listen as Nick and Shannon explore My Morning Jacket's discography with guest Nick Soriano as they discuss the divisive Evil Urges, the song order on Circuital, Jim James' genuine earnestness, and how everything seems to come together on The Waterfall. 

Want a My Morning Jacket refresher? Listen to our Spotify playlist!

Led Zeppelin is arguably the most influential band of the 70s. They rocked hard, partied harder, and made some of the best music of all time. This was a fun episode. It is mostly the Discography Divers gushing over the massive blues riffs, heavy drum solos, and transcendent vocals. They are joined by lifelong Zeppelin fan Eric Jaderquist who brings knowledge and the "ramble on" spirit. The hardest part was determining which Zeppelin album would rank out at #1. Would it be I at #1 or would IV be #1? But don't count out II or Houses of the Holy! And you can't forget Physical Graffiti?! Man, Zeppelin rules. 

Want more Zeppelin?! Listen to our accompanying playlist on Spotify. 

On this episode of the Discography Divers, it is a house divided. Nick grew up listening to Blink 182, they're one of his all-time bands. Shannon never liked them and thinks they're dweebs. They are joined by longtime friend Andrew Manseth, another Blink-Boy, who used to pass Blink CDs back and forth with Nick in middle school. They break down the albums and get into what it means to grow up with Mark, Tom, and Travis. Stories and laughs are had as they reminisce on embarrassing antics at the Pop Disaster Tour, buying explicit CDs, and pissing off your parents. So roll down your widows and sing along when the Discography Divers discuss Blink 182. 

Check out our accompanying Blink 182 playlist at this link. 

Sufjan Stevens is the definition of an eclectic musician. His career spans from lo-fi Christian folkiness to epic indie-pop bangers to anxiety ridden electronica freakouts to ambient meditations. He does it all. On this episode, Shannon and Nick are joined by another married couple, Cow and Clare Shea to dive into what makes Sufjan such a captivating and emotional artist. They talk about what made his unrealistic 50 states project so interesting, how he creates his own folk tales, and how he captures the human condition. There are some real sad moments, but life is full of sad moments, and Sufjan is all about exploring the complexity of life. 

Don't forget to check out our Spotify playlist soundtracking the songs we discuss on the episode. 

Black Sabbath may be the founders of heavy metal but Nick and Shannon mostly floated on the surface with their music. Sure, everyone knows "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" but Nick and Shannon are here to dive deep into the layers of metal and what makes Sabbath so delicious. Luckily, their friend Carlos Madrid is here to walk hand and hand with the Discography Divers through the gates of hell so Nick and Shannon do not need to face satan and the apocalypse alone. 

This is the first episode the Discography Divers cover part of a band's career. Ozzy Osbourne help found Black Sabbath but only recorded their first eight albums with the original lineup. He returned for their (as of now) final album 13 in 2013. Sabbath put out a lot of great music but this episode is all about the transformative Ozzy years and how his return to the group created closure. 

Don't forget to listen to our Spotify playlist based on the songs we talked about on the show.