Jams and Tea

For Record Club this week, Jake, Morgan, and Ryley are joined by regular guest Connor to discuss pop-punk stalwarts Blink-182's classic and beloved self-titled album, why it represented a pivotal shift for the band, and ultimately the endpoint of their creative evolution. We debate the merits of I Miss You at length and discuss how the band's desire to be taken seriously prompted many of the record's gestures toward "maturity", and the question of aging gracefully in a scene so defined by youthful angst.

With the advent of the latest Taylor's Version release encompassing her biggest-selling record and commercial zenith 1989, Jake and Ryley are joined by resident Swiftie Rhiannon to break down one of the pop juggernauts of the 2010s, and the album that made Taylor Swift utterly inescapable. But how does it hold up? Why was it so successful? What makes it so different from her other records, and how does it scan now nearly a decade on? Join us as we dive deep into this remarkable album and pick apart everything that makes it what it is - including the things that don't work!

This week we're back with a run-down of some of the most interesting and exciting music of recent weeks - first off we talk about the much-discussed "final song" from The Beatles, Now and Then, along with its bizarre music video. We go deep on King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's pivot into progressive electronica with the dazzling THE SILVER CORD, Ryley recaps the masterful new record from The Mountain Goats, JENNY FROM THEBES, Morgan discusses two of the biggest games of the year in Spider-Man 2 and Alan Wake 2, as well as new releases from The Gaslight Anthem, Koyo, and more!

We're back with two fresh new album breakdowns today, and the star of the show is the Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter, formerly known as Lingua Ignota, whose new album SAVED! is a fascinating and discomforting exploration of the tradition of the Christian hymnal, and a perfect playground for Hayter's continued explorations of the suffering and salvation that faith can bring. We also talk about a brilliant modern R&B masterclass from producer and songwriter Sampha, whose long-awaited follow-up to 2017's brilliant PROCESS is finally here in the form of LAHAI, an unencumbered and vibrant record of pulsing electronic bliss.

0:00 Sampha - Lahai

29:55 The Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter - SAVED!

4:31 The Return of Chelsea Wolfe

7:56 Danny Brown's Quaranta Finally Has a Release Date

10:22 The Problem with IDLES in 2023 (Ryley's Rant)

20:22 The Oppressive Gloom of Jane Remover: Census Designated

32:56 The Menzingers Return with 'Some of It Was True'

47:20 Great Albums Turning 20

49:55 Sky Ferreira's Night Time My Time Turns 10

57:57 Killers of the Flower Moon - Review

Today Jake and Ryley are once again powering through some short(er)-form reviews of recent releases that deserve your time, but that we haven't been able to dedicate a full video towards. Join us as we dig into Oneohtrix Point Never's confounding but intriguing AGAIN, Animal Collective's full-on jam band evolution with ISN'T IT NOW, Yeule's shoegaze evolution with SOFTSCARS, and plenty more!

Let us know what you think of these albums, and what you've been listening to, in the comments on YouTube!

0:00 Yeule - Softscars

17:23 Earl Sweatshirt & the Alchemist - Voir Dire

33:07 Animal Collective - Isn't It Now?

49:20 Oneohtrix Point Never - Again

1:08:16 Code Orange - The Above

1:20:32 Armand Hammer - We Buy Diabetic Test Strips

Steven Wilson's long-awaited opus THE HARMONY CODEX is finally here, and we're delighted to say it's completely confounded our expectations in the best way possible - join us as we break down what makes the record so unique and satisfying, how it compares to Steven's previous albums, and where it fits in the canon of one of the most celebrated minds in progressive music.

After a week off, we're back to finally tackle the surprise-announced second album of 2023 from indie rock stalwarts and channel favorites The National, who have surged back to our good books with a stellar return-to-form in LAUGH TRACK - but what makes it so much more satisfying than FIRST TWO PAGES OF FRANKENSTEIN, and why do the two albums exist in the first place? Join us as we go deep, while also carving out space to rave about the stellar new album from Mitski, THE LAND IS INHOSPITABLE AND SO ARE WE, one of Ryley's top contenders for album of the year!

For this week's Record Club, we're breaking down an album very near and dear to us, emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate's self-reinventing foray into alt and progressive rock, HOW IT FEELS TO BE SOMETHING ON. Join us as we trace how the band evolved from the days of their beloved genre staple DIARY to the radical departure of this record, how it grapples with growing up and shedding your angst, and why it's their best album.