As a musician himself, Hrishikesh Hirway knows how much thought goes into a song.

So, he created Song Exploder, the series where all kinds of musicians – from big names like Madonna to lesser known indie acts – take listeners through the making of their greatest hits, piece by piece.

This week, Hrishikesh joins Podcast Playlist host Leah-Simone Bowen as guest curator. He's sharing what he's learned from the performers he's hosted on his show, and what's gained from looking beyond a song's hype or genre. Then, he'll take us through his favourite podcasts: the comedy talk show he listens to when he's hitting the gym, fictional stories that will crack you up and a series where interesting people read poetry.

All that, and more, on this week's episode of Podcast Playlist.

Featuring:

Song Exploder: "Monica Martin is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Before that, she was based in Madison, Wisconsin, where she was part of the indie rock band Phox. She's been a featured guest vocalist on songs by James Blake and Vulfpeck. In this episode, Monica breaks down her song "Go Easy, Kid," along with the tracks's producer, Khushi. It's a pretty meta story, as she talks about making a song that's in part about how hard it can be to make a song. And more generally, how hard it can be to let go of things we get hung up on."

Everything is Alive: "Atsuko is a set of bagpipes, and she's looking for some peace and quiet."

Hello from the Magic Tavern: "The premise of the show is that the host, Arnie Niekamp, fell through a dimensional portal behind a Burger King, into the fantastical land of Foon. In this episode, a lovely fox gives Chunt a mysterious box with a voice inside."

How Did This Get Made?: "Dom's never before mentioned brother, the return of Han, a car in space, and magnets. The HDTGM/Fast family is reunited as Adam Scott joins Paul, June, and Jason to discuss the ninth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise F9. So you know what that means…"

Interesting People Reading Poetry: "In this episode, Grian Chatten reads "The Windhover" by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Chatten is the frontman of the Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C., recently described by NME as "the new heroes of the rock resurrection." The members of the group met while attending music college in Dublin and initially bonded over a shared love for Irish literature. Their second album, A Hero's Death, has been nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album."