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It Gets So Hot: MUNA's Dancing On the Wall
Episode 8 brings us two awesome things...our first full length album review and our special guest, Marin Wilts! We are thrilled about both!
And of course, queue up MUNA's Dancing on the Wall.
Follow along with our episode playlist here.
A little about Marin: Marin Wilts is a singer/songwriter/producer based in Phoenix, AZ. She works with We Make Noise, supporting women and gender-expansive musicians through education, community-building, and professional development opportunities. Marin also teaches songwriting at Arizona State University.
Jana's monologue waxes poetic about the ritual of listening to an album in-depth. Jana's got a system (or a ceremony)...a late night, a glass of something good, and a dedicated and focused first listen to projects by her favorite artists. Alex and Jana share a deep love of MUNA, so of course this episode was a much looked-forward-to episode for them. Marin was not familiar with MUNA at all, and as you listen, you'll hear the magic of introducing a pal to a band you love.
But first, a drink. Alex made two this week!
-------------
This week's cocktail:
IT GETS SO HOT
- 2oz Diplomatico Mantuano Rum
- 1oz St. Germain
- .75oz lime juice
- 8 basil leaves
- Tepache
1. Put liquid ingredients in shaker without ice.
2. Add in basil and using a muddler or fork, macerate the basil leaves into the liquid.
3. Add ice and shake.
4. Strain into a Collins over ice.
5. Top with Tepache and stir.
6. Garnish with more basil.
Notes from Alex
- Tepache is a fermented drink made from pineapple rind and spices like cinnamon.
- It’s not often that I get to play around with ingredients like this, but so much of this album is a love letter to LA, and so much of LA’s history and culture is owed to Mexico. Tepache is a real tie back to pre-Columbian root and to modern Mexican traditions. To stay as adherent to traditional recipes as possible, I made my own. Here’s the recipe.
- If you don’t want to make it at home, that’s fine - you can find it canned. Or better yet, find someone selling it.
- I find that pineapple pairs really well with a lot of different things. In this recipe, it’s balanced with citrusy elderflower liqueur and herbal basil.
-------------
This week's mocktail:
STUCK IN THE SUBLIME
- 4oz Tepache
- .75oz lime juice
- 2oz ginger beer
- 1.5oz blueberry juice
- 2 dashes bitters
If you’re sober, you should be aware that traditional Tepache, like a kombucha, will always have a little bit of alcohol in it as a byproduct of fermenting.
Canned options, which are less traditional, often have less than .5% ABV, so that’s what we’re opting for here. We’re pairing the pineapple here with ginger, which is a classic combo, and then with blueberry, which offers a good complement to the other flavors here.
-------------
This week we listen to the entirety of MUNA's Dancing On the Wall. MUNA is a Los Angeles based trio consisting of Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin.
A few notes from each song:
- It Gets So Hot: a great start to this whole project, the synth, bass, and percussion work lets us know we've arrived, we are in a tension-filled hot L.A. summer, it's all happening.
- Dancing on the Wall: the lead single with good reason...we are so back. The 80's slap bass is sending us. Lots of great MUNA harmonies, one of the most overtly pop songs on the album. We also talk about how good the bridges are, and this one sets the tone with the musical spiral upwards. Katie Gavin vocal supremacy forever.
- Eastside Girls: one of our collective faves, with the Billy Joel bridge, the geography placing us in East L.A., as Alex says, "just a small town girl, living in a lonely world." Weird beats galore and it works so well. It's pop music in a time of war, "Making love in a chemical sunset." Marin brings up scansion and how you have to know the rules and them break them.
- Wannabeher: "Obsessed step on my neck yeah." We can't stop singing this. It's fun, period.
- On Call: Alex declares it a Celine Dion bop, and packs a whole bunch into 2:35, including a Diane Warren key change. Harmonic modulation keeps taking us higher and we love it, especially another monster bridge.
- So What: Full on banger, no tension release here either. We get a huge extended instrumental in the outro, and the mental breakdown is musical and not lyrical. More discussion on the excellence in sapphic yearning that Katie Gavin nails so well. It's not bravado in the first person POV, it's the last gasp of trying to not be bothered about not being loved by that One Person.
- Party's Over: a transition to...
- Big Stick: the new section of the record...MUNA gets political. "The Teddy Roosevelt core of it all." Katie sings from the perspective of Big Brother, and it's haunting lyrically while still going hard musically.
- Mary Jane: a song about addiction being the third in the room. We have Kate Bush, we have Gaga, we have the slap bass! We talk about how this album is really building a cohesive batch of sounds, bringing sounds and themes in and out without boring us.
- Girl's Girl: the queer issue of a small local incestuous dating pool...real. We LOVE the pre-chorus with Katie's "ha ha ha ha"'s as a vocal stim. It's got "Jessie's Girl" vibes, filtered guitar, a sing-along chorus, and hooks galore.
- ...Unless: another transition to...
- Why Do I Get A Good Feeling: The Imogen Heap of it all, and we are ready for it. Strings beneath another intense beat, Katie's diction is perfection and gets all her smart words out on this in perfect time.
- Buzzkiller: a last track that utterly destroys us. Some of our favorite lyricism on the album. Strings bringing a dissonance, with some acoustic guitar, along with the pulsing, gated synths. Hearts dropped. Tears swelled. The record is over. We loved it so much.
Check out the videos for:
Dancing On the Wall
Wannabeher
Eastside Girls
Check out Katie Gavin's solo record, What A Relief - buy it on Bandcamp here.
-------------
Marin's links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinwilts
Official Website: https://www.marinwilts.com
We Make Noise: https://www.we-make-noise.org
Alex's links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowerboying
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flowerboying
Alex's Substack: https://alexanderdaoust.substack.com
Jana's links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janapochop
Website: http://www.janapochop.com
Jana's Substack: https://janapochop.substack.com
View all episodes
By MixomusicologyEpisode 8 brings us two awesome things...our first full length album review and our special guest, Marin Wilts! We are thrilled about both!
And of course, queue up MUNA's Dancing on the Wall.
Follow along with our episode playlist here.
A little about Marin: Marin Wilts is a singer/songwriter/producer based in Phoenix, AZ. She works with We Make Noise, supporting women and gender-expansive musicians through education, community-building, and professional development opportunities. Marin also teaches songwriting at Arizona State University.
Jana's monologue waxes poetic about the ritual of listening to an album in-depth. Jana's got a system (or a ceremony)...a late night, a glass of something good, and a dedicated and focused first listen to projects by her favorite artists. Alex and Jana share a deep love of MUNA, so of course this episode was a much looked-forward-to episode for them. Marin was not familiar with MUNA at all, and as you listen, you'll hear the magic of introducing a pal to a band you love.
But first, a drink. Alex made two this week!
-------------
This week's cocktail:
IT GETS SO HOT
- 2oz Diplomatico Mantuano Rum
- 1oz St. Germain
- .75oz lime juice
- 8 basil leaves
- Tepache
1. Put liquid ingredients in shaker without ice.
2. Add in basil and using a muddler or fork, macerate the basil leaves into the liquid.
3. Add ice and shake.
4. Strain into a Collins over ice.
5. Top with Tepache and stir.
6. Garnish with more basil.
Notes from Alex
- Tepache is a fermented drink made from pineapple rind and spices like cinnamon.
- It’s not often that I get to play around with ingredients like this, but so much of this album is a love letter to LA, and so much of LA’s history and culture is owed to Mexico. Tepache is a real tie back to pre-Columbian root and to modern Mexican traditions. To stay as adherent to traditional recipes as possible, I made my own. Here’s the recipe.
- If you don’t want to make it at home, that’s fine - you can find it canned. Or better yet, find someone selling it.
- I find that pineapple pairs really well with a lot of different things. In this recipe, it’s balanced with citrusy elderflower liqueur and herbal basil.
-------------
This week's mocktail:
STUCK IN THE SUBLIME
- 4oz Tepache
- .75oz lime juice
- 2oz ginger beer
- 1.5oz blueberry juice
- 2 dashes bitters
If you’re sober, you should be aware that traditional Tepache, like a kombucha, will always have a little bit of alcohol in it as a byproduct of fermenting.
Canned options, which are less traditional, often have less than .5% ABV, so that’s what we’re opting for here. We’re pairing the pineapple here with ginger, which is a classic combo, and then with blueberry, which offers a good complement to the other flavors here.
-------------
This week we listen to the entirety of MUNA's Dancing On the Wall. MUNA is a Los Angeles based trio consisting of Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin.
A few notes from each song:
- It Gets So Hot: a great start to this whole project, the synth, bass, and percussion work lets us know we've arrived, we are in a tension-filled hot L.A. summer, it's all happening.
- Dancing on the Wall: the lead single with good reason...we are so back. The 80's slap bass is sending us. Lots of great MUNA harmonies, one of the most overtly pop songs on the album. We also talk about how good the bridges are, and this one sets the tone with the musical spiral upwards. Katie Gavin vocal supremacy forever.
- Eastside Girls: one of our collective faves, with the Billy Joel bridge, the geography placing us in East L.A., as Alex says, "just a small town girl, living in a lonely world." Weird beats galore and it works so well. It's pop music in a time of war, "Making love in a chemical sunset." Marin brings up scansion and how you have to know the rules and them break them.
- Wannabeher: "Obsessed step on my neck yeah." We can't stop singing this. It's fun, period.
- On Call: Alex declares it a Celine Dion bop, and packs a whole bunch into 2:35, including a Diane Warren key change. Harmonic modulation keeps taking us higher and we love it, especially another monster bridge.
- So What: Full on banger, no tension release here either. We get a huge extended instrumental in the outro, and the mental breakdown is musical and not lyrical. More discussion on the excellence in sapphic yearning that Katie Gavin nails so well. It's not bravado in the first person POV, it's the last gasp of trying to not be bothered about not being loved by that One Person.
- Party's Over: a transition to...
- Big Stick: the new section of the record...MUNA gets political. "The Teddy Roosevelt core of it all." Katie sings from the perspective of Big Brother, and it's haunting lyrically while still going hard musically.
- Mary Jane: a song about addiction being the third in the room. We have Kate Bush, we have Gaga, we have the slap bass! We talk about how this album is really building a cohesive batch of sounds, bringing sounds and themes in and out without boring us.
- Girl's Girl: the queer issue of a small local incestuous dating pool...real. We LOVE the pre-chorus with Katie's "ha ha ha ha"'s as a vocal stim. It's got "Jessie's Girl" vibes, filtered guitar, a sing-along chorus, and hooks galore.
- ...Unless: another transition to...
- Why Do I Get A Good Feeling: The Imogen Heap of it all, and we are ready for it. Strings beneath another intense beat, Katie's diction is perfection and gets all her smart words out on this in perfect time.
- Buzzkiller: a last track that utterly destroys us. Some of our favorite lyricism on the album. Strings bringing a dissonance, with some acoustic guitar, along with the pulsing, gated synths. Hearts dropped. Tears swelled. The record is over. We loved it so much.
Check out the videos for:
Dancing On the Wall
Wannabeher
Eastside Girls
Check out Katie Gavin's solo record, What A Relief - buy it on Bandcamp here.
-------------
Marin's links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinwilts
Official Website: https://www.marinwilts.com
We Make Noise: https://www.we-make-noise.org
Alex's links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowerboying
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flowerboying
Alex's Substack: https://alexanderdaoust.substack.com
Jana's links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janapochop
Website: http://www.janapochop.com
Jana's Substack: https://janapochop.substack.com