It’s taken us nearly seven years, but the time has come. Midnight Oil, one of Australia's quintessential bands, is probably best known for its tireless political activism as expressed through hits like "Beds Are Burning" and "Blue Sky Mine," as well as the on-stage acrobatics of their 6′4″ frontman, Peter Garrett. But behind the sloganeering and agitprop, the Oils are a fiendishly creative and charmingly oddball band, and their 1982 Australian breakout album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, recorded at a make-or-break moment for the group, was when they first really landed on their unmistakable aura. Rich has been an Oils fan literally since he was a teenager, and he’s called in Ben and returning special guest Dave Weigel to deconstruct 10 to 1 and all of the power and the passion that went into these incredible songs. 

Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Ben Marlin, Dave Weigel

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/157-midnight-oil-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-1982

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Discord & Rhyme continues its slow walk through the world of Post-Rock with an examination of the 1996 album Millions Now Living Will Never Die by the Chicago-based group Tortoise. John has been fascinated by the concept of Post-Rock for many years (even if many of the acts associated with it, Tortoise included, rejected it as a useful descriptor), and a large part of this fascination stems from a love he has had for this album for over 20 years. In this episode, John, Mike, Rich, and Dan try to make sense not only of how one should define one of the most ambiguous genres out there, but also of why an instrumental album in that genre (possibly), mostly lacking clear traditional melodies and traditional song structures (the opening “Djed” is 21 minutes by itself), is clearly one of the best albums any of us have ever heard.  Regardless of whether Tortoise is Post-Rock, Prog, both, or neither, this is an album worth learning about, and Discord & Rhyme is up to the challenge.

Cohosts: John McFerrin, Mike DeFabio, Rich Bunnell, Dan Watkins

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/156-tortoise-millions-now-living-will-never-die-1996

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Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

It's that time of year again: question time! We'll be releasing our annual Q&A in mid-April, so if you have any questions for the podcast, send them to discordpod (at) gmail (dot) com, or hit us up on BlueSky, Threads, Instagram, or Patreon @discordpod. Don't be afraid to be creative, within the bounds of good taste, at our discretion. Keep as cool as you can!

If you only know Talk Talk for their ‘80s night staple “It’s My Life,” you might well wonder what an experimental weirdo like Mike is doing hosting an episode about them. However, if you know a little more about their strange and fascinating career trajectory, it makes perfect sense. The sparse, atmospheric Spirit of Eden couldn’t be more different from Talk Talk’s synth-pop origins or from anything else in the musical landscape of 1988, and it more or less doomed the band’s career when it came out, but the sound of rock music in the 21st century wouldn’t be the same without it. Listening to Spirit of Eden is an experience that’s almost impossible to relate by means of such quotidian devices as “words,” but Mike, Phil, Rich, and John are all going to try anyway.

Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, John McFerrin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/155-talk-talk-spirit-of-eden-1988

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Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Due to some technical difficulties, we had to push back our Talk Talk episode, so to fix the hole in our schedule we are talking about the Beatles again! We've discussed covers of Beatles songs before, but there are millions of them so there will always be more to talk about. We're covering a lot of sonic ground in this episode, with a few songs we all love and a few that are more polarizing. Also: important information for Apple users regarding Patreon, some information about listening on Spotify, and more! 

The covers: 

• 801 - TNK (Tomorrow Never Knows)
• The B-52s - Paperback Writer
• Wes Montgomery - A Day in the Life
• Ghost - Here Comes the Sun
• Andre 3000 - All Together Now
• Tony Furtado & Alison Krauss - I Will
• The Melvins - I Want to Hold Your Hand
• Ella Fitzgerald - Savoy Truffle
• Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows
• The Jam - And Your Bird Can Sing
• Peter Serafinowicz - A Full Day in the Life
• Flaming Lips - She's Leaving Home

Other clips: 

• George Burns - Fixing a Hole
• The B-52s - Roam
• Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife
• King Crimson - The Sheltering Sky
• Peter Serafinowicz - Ringo Remembers (Christmas)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks - Do You Want to Know a Secret

A Full Day in the Life on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bren-murphy/a-full-day-in-the-life-by-peter-serafinowicz

Ringo Remembers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW1ou7SH3is

Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PvhYhqz6gOAKTGW1YnbG4?si=61ee29f8952541b5

Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Amanda Rodgers, Dan Watkins

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

We all know that Elton John is a top-tier singles artist, but he is also a top-tier albums artist. His run of nine albums from Empty Sky in 1969 through Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy in 1975 may very well be unmatched in modern music history. It was really hard to pick one to talk about on Discord & Rhyme, but we settled on Honky Chateau because it’s the perfect encapsulation of what Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin were best at (and worst at). Full of incredible musicianship, amazing singing, stellar arrangements, and awkward lyrics, this is an album that’s almost guaranteed to win over anyone who is still skeptical of Elton John. 

NOTE: Amanda made a mistake. Empty Sky wasn't released in the United States until 1975.

Cohosts: Amanda Rodgers, Ben Marlin, Rich Bunnell, John McFerrin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/154-elton-john-honky-chateau-1972

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

The Music Of Songs by Jimmy O'Donnell: https://jimmyodonnell.bandcamp.com/album/the-music-of-songs

If You Try Sometimes... by Benjamin Marlin: https://amzn.to/3ZFJCK5

Well, sit right down, my wicked son, and let us tell you a story, about the subject of this year’s Discord & Rhyme holiday episode: the Pixies! (Or technically, just Pixies.) Hailing from Boston, the alternative rock quartet dealt with mounting intra-band tension with little to nothing to show for it financially, leading bandleader Charles Thompson (alias Black Francis) to break up the band via fax in 1991. But the band’s critical stature gradually grew to gigantic proportions in the ‘90s, as their albums influenced bands like Pavement, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, Weezer, and especially Nirvana, who built an entire movement out of the classic Pixies “quiet-loud” formula. When they reunited for a reunion tour in 2004, they found, much to their shock and awe, that their songs had grown into anthems. Their 1989 album Doolittle is arguably the peak of their original run, featuring songs that could plausibly fill an arena without sacrificing their scrappy indie energy, so join Rich, John, and Dan as they sail away on a (festive) wave of mutilation.

Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, John McFerrin, Dan Watkins

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/153-pixies-doolittle-1989

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Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Malört: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit by Josh Noel: https://www.joshnoel.net/malort-book

Discord & Rhyme are taking a trip to Canterbury, England - UNESCO World Heritage Site, home of the Canterbury Cathedral, and birthplace of prog-rock legends Caravan. Springing forth from the rich Canterbury scene, Caravan created a style of progressive rock that managed to be complex while retaining a real sense of warmth. The group is not particularly well known outside of progressive rock circles, but Phil has loved them for a long time, and he’s excited to talk about the group’s most famous album, In the Land of Grey and Pink.

Cohosts: Phil Maddox, Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/152-caravan-in-the-land-of-grey-and-pink-1971

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Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

We're departing from our usual format for this episode. Everybody needed a pick-me-up, so instead of discussing an album, we're talking about songs: specifically, the ones that make us love music. Some of these are the songs we loved as little kids that built our musical foundations, and some of them are illustrations of specific things we adore. We went all over the map for this one and had a great time, so please enjoy the episode and tell us the songs that make you love music. 

The songs: 

• Simon and Garfunkel - Kathy's Song (Live)
• Claude Debussy - Prelude To the Afternoon of a Faun
• Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - King Kong
• The Beatles - I Am the Walrus
• The Beatles - Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight
• Justin Hayward - Heart of Steel
• Jethro Tull - Living in the Past
• They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse in Your Soul
• Madonna - Live To Tell
• Steve Hackett - Spectral Mornings
• Yes - Awaken
• James Horner - The Wrath of Khan (Main Theme)
• ABBA - Thank You for the Music

Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers

All of these songs in a Spotify playlist (turns out "Heart of Steel" is on there in Canada): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/31dDmAhSYpFCXRBCcnSHLD?si=1b85117917524b32

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Discord & Rhyme goes to the movies! This Halloween we're ringing in spooky season by exploring the work of filmmaker and musician John Carpenter. Best known for introducing the world to Michael Myers with the horror classic Halloween, Carpenter has built a solid filmography as a director while also providing his own distinctive musical vision with his scores. The 2017 career-spanning collection Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998 features fresh recordings of some of his most recognizable and beloved soundtrack work. Join Dan, Mike, and Rich as they slightly drift from the usual Discord & Rhyme format to indulge their movie nerd obsessions. 

Cohosts: Dan Watkins, Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/151-john-carpenter-anthology-movie-themes-1974-1998-2017

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod