Indiecast

After Ian hit up the Pitchfork Music Festival last weekend, Steven hits him up for a post-mortem in today's episode (6:31). Turns out Ian skipped out on Saturday — a day marred by weather delays — in order to eat custard in Wisconsin. Which means he missed out on the headline set by Big Thief, the weekend's most polarizing performance. Steven and Ian also talked about the band's recent single, "Vampire Empire," and whether it qualifies as a disappointment.

Another huge indie star who put out new music this week is Mitski (22:51). Ahead of her forthcoming album The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, due out in September, she released a quality single, "Bug Like An Angel." After discussing the song, the guys try to place Mitski in the galaxy of reigning indie stars. From there, they pivot in a non-indie direction to Post Malone, whose new album Austin is out today. Does he deserve a yay or nay? They report, you decide (32:41).

In the mailbag, a listener asks Steven and Ian to stop making fun of Sublime (43:44). This, predictably, only prompts more Sublime jokes. Ian also pulls out his San Diego card to justify the mockery.

In Recommendation Corner (52:13), Ian talks about the latest effort from the long-running British band The Clientele, while Steven endorses a recent live album from Father John Misty.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 148 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

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Let's say you are starting a record label. Money is no object, and every artist and band in the world is a free agent. Who would you pick? That's the premise of this week's episode. (31:21) This wholly original idea involves selecting acts that fall into five categories: prestige (they don't stream big but they get great reviews), popular (they don't get great reviews but they stream big), solo artist under the age of 28 (an up-and-comer you can lock in for a long time), band with three or fewer albums (ditto), and sacred cow (an act you sign because you love them).

Before Steven and Ian get to the draft, they talk about this weekend's Pitchfork Festival — Ian is going and Steven is not — and their favorite performances from previous festivals (4:44). They also address some non-indie rock topics: The terrible new Jason Aldean song (13:40) and the history of reactionary country hits that crossover into the mainstream for culture war reasons, and the forthcoming "Summer Of '99" cruise (23:46) featuring a reunited Creed plus a head-scratching mix of post-grunge and radio-friendly pop rock from the late '90s.

In Recommendation Corner (57:54), Ian talks about the new book by Thursday frontman Geoff Rickly, while Steven chats up the new album by Texas surf-punks Being Dead.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 147 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

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Last week, Steven briefly forgot how to work his podcast equipment, and the result was the first, instantly iconic "lost" Indiecast episode. Fortunately, Steven Googled "how to work podcast equipment" and he was able to match his vocals to Ian's for this week's episode.

The guys begin with a discussion of a weird new trend in live music: People throwing things at artists' faces. Not only is this stupid and dangerous, it also makes no sense. But what is causing it? Also: Is it really that new? (4:43) Steven shares the story about David Bowie getting hit in the face with a lollipop in the early aughts, as well as the strange history of yahoos bringing firecrackers to concerts in the 1970s.

From there, Steven and Ian launch into a discussion about the new Anohni album, My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross, as well as the outlook for potential Album Of The Year candidates in the second half of 2023 (14:38). The guys also discuss the latest effort from PJ Harvey, I Inside The Old Year Dying, and give her overall career the "yay or nay" treatment (31:20). Finally, they make time to address the new Wham! documentary on Netflix, directed by Chris Smith.

In the mailbag, a reader talks about a recent concert by the band Wednesday and asks whether Steven and Ian appreciate between-song banter (56:29). Then, in Recommendation Corner (1:02:47), Ian talks up the emo band Magazine Beach while Steven raves about the alt-rock-inspired band Palehound.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 146 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There's no fresh, funny, and incisive commentary on Indiecast this week due to technical issues. But here's a rundown of what you would have heard, including musing about Bluesky, The Bear's soundtrack, and the 30th anniversary of U2's Zooropa.

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On Indiecast, Steven and Ian try to keep the gap between what we talk about privately in the DM's and what we talk about on the show as narrow as possible. But given all the weird online discourse this week, that just wasn't possible in this episode. Between all the Boygenius gatekeeping and "state of music criticism" chatter, it was a very odd bunch of days online. Oh, and as if things were bad enough: Fall Out Boy released an updated version of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" covering the years between 1989 and now. The whole ordeal provoked another anti-Fall Out Boy rant from Steven (8:25).

Thankfully, the guys found solace in the mailbag (16:14). Listeners came through with some very good topics: Is it possible to separate your "critic" brain from your "fan" brain? How important are record labels now as arbiters of quality? What makes a good concert T-shirt? Also, the guys "yay or nay" the aughts era indie band Art Brut, which prompted a Fall Out Boy-style rant from Ian.

Finally, in Recommendation Corner (55:48), Ian talks up arty metalheads Loma Prieta while Steven stumps for the mellow Michigan folk-rock band Bonny Doon.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 145 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

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This week Steven and Ian reach back to a momentous year in music and both of their lives: 2013. One man discovered the joys of Phish and jam bands that year. And the other man fell hard for the burgeoning emo revival. Somehow, they both managed to also listen to music that wasn't Phish or emo. And we discuss a lot of that music in this episode.

Before we get to that, the guys talk about the upcoming tour pairing emo legends The Hotelier with Foxing, which is a big deal in Ian's world. But will audiences turn out? They also answer a listener question about The Idol in comparison to another poorly reviewed HBO show about the music business, Vinyl (11:01). Steven has seen both shows and he has some thoughts. (Also, the conversation also drifts back to Tulsa King, as it often does on this show.)

Finally, Steven and Ian get to 2013 (21:56). Our categories include "Most 2023 Album Released In 2013" and "Most 2013 Album Released In 2013" along with more straightforward fare like "Most Underrated." They also try to figure out if there's a difference between the "best" and "favorite" albums for the year.

In Recommendation Corner (1:02:14), Ian goes to bat for hardcore favorites Militarie Gun while Steven praises U.K. singer-songwriter Hamish Hawk.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 144 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before getting to the serious business of handing out their mid-year Indiecasties awards for indie music semi-excellence, Steven and Ian try to make sense of the most nonsensical TikTok trend of 2023: The Pinegrove Shuffle. Apparently, there are young people doing this weird dance to a deep cut by the rootsy indie-Americana band. Why? Who knows? Listen to two guys in their 40s try to explain it.

In non-TikTok news, Steven is planning a trip to Dayton in September for two 40th anniversary Guided By Voices shows that also feature Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill, Wednesday, and others. It's the middle-aged indie fan Woodstock! The guys also briefly discuss new albums out today by Queens Of The Stone Age, Sigur Ros, and Killer Mike.

Finally, it's time for the Indiecasties! All of your favorite categories are back: Most Valuable Album Cycle, Most Annoying Music Writer Twitter Story, Most Memory-Holed Album, and more. No spoilers, but expect lots of fireworks from the likes of Boygenius and Foo Fighters.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian recommends a new emo oral history from writer Chris Payne, Where Are Your Boys Tonight?, while Steven discusses the new 20th anniversary edition of the classic Drive-By Truckers album, The Dirty South.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 143 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

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Last week Steven and Ian had to bank an episode because Steven was on vacation. Which is why they did their first all "Yay Or Nay?" episode rather than address possibly the most annoying music story of the year (and maybe decade?) so far — the short-lived dating relationship between Taylor Swift and The 1975's Matty Healy, and the insane online reaction it sparked. Sadly, they do touch on this kerfuffle briefly this week (:25), but only to note that in terms of annoying music stories, this thing is basically Everything Everywhere All At Once, an unstoppable juggernaut that can't possibly be topped in the field of irritation.

Speaking of annoying stories: Steven and Ian also address the recent takedown of Hannah Gadsby's "It's Pablo-matic" art exhibit in the New York Times, and whether the cathartic reaction to the review speaks to a larger backlash against the "therapeutic" and prescriptive art of the Trump era, and how that might translate to the indie world (6:39).

Finally, Steven and Ian set about sharing their favorite albums of the year so far (16:21). While Steven shared an unranked list of 15 favorites this week in his column, here he and Ian each share their ranked top five lists for the first part of 2023. Incredibly, there were zero overlaps in our picks!

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 142 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It started out as a joke: Wouldn't it be funny if Indiecast did an entire episode of just "yay or nay?" responses to various stimuli? But then, listeners deluged Steven and Ian with "yay or nay?" emails about seemingly every band known to mankind. Clearly, they had no choice but to go full-on "yay or nay."

They tackled quite the range of topics this week. Listeners wanted to hear their takes on the British dream pop band The Clientele (4:07) and the short-lived Canadian psych-rock outfit The Unicorns (13:30). Listeners were also curious about Indiecast's takes on indie bands who use backing tracks in their live shows and, most intriguingly, their views on the surprisingly convoluted world of Mortal Kombat soundtracks from the '90s.

Steven and Ian also posited "yay or nay?" scenarios to each other. Ian wanted to know Steve's feelings about Pulp (41:30), and Steven presented an elaborate theory on why it feels weird to eat food at concerts (48:10).

Is this the greatest episode of Indiecast ever? Quite possibly.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 141and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's episode begins with Ian telling Steven about his recent experience seeing The Cure in concert. Turns out they are playing a lot of new songs live, and they sound a lot like Disintegration. Steven reveals that Jason Isbell said something similar about his experience seeing The Cure in New Orleans (5:06).

Next, they address the most hyped release in the indie world of late, The Sex EP by NYC throwback dance-punk act The Dare (15:39). A lot of people are talking about this four-song release, and a lot of that talk is negative. But for Steven, what's interesting is that a collection of dumb tunes about sex and drugs is being treated as a novelty, when "dumb songs about sex and drugs" sum up a lot of popular music from the past 50 years, from rock to rap to country to basically every other genre. Is there a reaction brewing to the Trump/Covid era of music?

From there, Steven and Ian have a wider conversation about indie sleaze and whether it's a real phenomenon or a trumped-up fantasy by shadowy "Brooklyn-based trend forecasters" (32:29). Speaking of fantasies, the guys also addressed reunion rumors surrounding two very different bands: Oasis and Modern Baseball (44:55).

In Recommendation Corner (50:42), Ian talks about two electronic acts, Blawan and Overmono, while Steven brings up the catchy French indie pop En Attendant Ana.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 140 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.