Jams and Tea

On this week's Jams & Tea NOW, we discuss the new album announcements from The National, Boygenius, Fallout Boy, and Ruston Kelly, new singles from A$AP Rocky, Wednesday, and Metallica, and commemorate the lives of the recently passed David Crosby, Van Conner, and Yukihiro Takahashi. Jake highlights his newfound obsession with Natural Snow Buildings, August shouts out some obscure jazz perfection, Ryley goes deep on sophisti-pop and the gang collectively celebrate the career of Ryuichi Sakamoto with the release of his latest album 12. For our main topic of discussion though, Ryley, Jake, and Morgan go deep on their favorite lyricists of all time, the songwriters who have shaped their tastes and spoken to them most deeply. Let us know who your favorites are in the comments on YouTube!  

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Album Announcements: The National, Fall Out Boygenius, Ruston Kelly 9:54 New Singles from A$AP Rocky, Wednesday, Metallica 14:25 Music News: New Frank Ocean Album? 19:40 In Memoriam: David Crosby, Van Conner, Yukihiro Takahashi 28:23 Jake's Obsession with Natural Snow Buildings 39:27 The Big Band Jazz Album That Will Blow Your Mind 42:20 Ahab Bring the Doom to The Coral Tombs 48:04 Obscure Jazz and Oingo Boingo with August 54:15 Ryley Gets Into David Sylvian 59:56 Celebrating the Music of Ryuichi Sakamoto 1:08:24 Ryuichi Sakamoto Makes Peace with Death on '12' 1:26:45 Our Favorite Lyricists of All Time

Since we have no new release reviews this week, we're giving you our latest Record Club a few days early, and it is a doozy to kick off 2023 - we are breaking down the stratospheric ambitions and maximalist sound of My Chemical Romance's 2010 smash-hit success DANGER DAYS: THE TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS. It's an album that reaches for the stars and should be applauded for the attempt but drowns in a miasma of unbearable production, cheesy writing, and a squandering of the band's many talents. However, we recognize there will be a lot of fans out there, so if this record means something to you, or if you have a take on why it works, let us know your counterpoint in the comments on YouTube!

On this week's episode of Jams & Tea NOW, Jake, August, and Ryley discuss the latest album announcements, new single drops, and interesting news in the world of music before digging into some recent fixations as Jake gets into Prefab Sprout, August gets into Pharoah Sanders, and Ryley celebrates the eclectic and thrilling new record from Southern emo stalwarts Fireworks - the album of the year so far! The main topic of discussion today though is cinema, as the three look back on 2022 and discuss the movies that defined the year for us - let us know what your favorite films of 2022 were in the comments on YouTube!

0:00 Album Announcements: Xiu Xiu, Avey Tare, M83, Everything But the Girl, Periphery

12:36 New Singles from Paramore, Parannoul, & Lil Ugly Mane

17:14 Music News: Dr. Dre v. MT-G Beef; Cage the Elephant Gun Charge

22:47 In Memoriam: Lisa Marie Presley & Jeff Beck

25:51 The Weirdest Psychedelic Band You've Never Heard

31:59 Jake Gets Into Prefab Sprout

40:24 Pharoah Sanders' Black Unity Is a Classic

45:36 MJ Lenderman's Boat Songs Is August-Approved

51:55 Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul Is a Classic

57:29 The Promising Bedroom Blackgaze of Cora's Heart

1:00:59 The New Fireworks Album Is an Emo Indie Rock Masterclass

1:07:28 Our Favorite Films of 2022

For our first Record Club of the new year, we attempt the modest task of tackling one of the biggest, if not the single biggest, pop LPs of all time, Michael Jackson's THRILLER, following the recent celebration of its 40th anniversary. How does the record hold up today? As an album, does it live in the shadow of its singles or does it hold up front-to-back? How do those singles land today, and what do they say about Michael's ambitions and vision for his artistic persona? And what's the deal with The Girl Is Mine? Join the conversation in the comments, and let us know what you think of this landmark record.

For our first new release reviews of the year, we discuss into the messy revelations and difficult sprawl of SZA's underwhelming S.O.S., and we unpack the raw expression of Little Simz's emotional and cathartic NO THANK YOU, the two releases that dominated December 2022. Let us know what you thought of them in the comments on YouTube!  

0:00 SZA - S.O.S. 25:23 Little Simz - NO THANK YOU

New year, new format (well, sort of...)! The Jams & Tea Podcast is back but we are separating our discussions of what we've been digging recently into a new series called NOW, while our main reviews of new album releases will drop on Wednesday and Record Clubs and other videos on Fridays. We kick off this year by looking forward - listing off our most anticipated releases of the year, as well as digging into the varied and eclectic genres, artists, and movements we've been fascinated by over the new year's break. Let us know what you've been watching, playing, and listening to over on YouTube!

0:00 Intro

4:08 The Mathcore Black Metal of Serpent Column

10:23 What Makes Flying Lotus Great

25:08 Sade Are Cool Again

29:14 August's Vaporwave Corner

31:12 The Futuristic Fusion of Sonny Sharrock

37:00 The Grunge Poetry of Steven Jesse Bernstein

43:14 Quadeca, Brakence, and the New Wave of Emo Rap

49:45 Lamb of God Discography Ranking

56:04 The New Peter Gabriel Song Is... Okay

59:42 The Smile's New Tiny Desk Concert

1:03:45 RIP Gangsta Boo, Jeremiah Green, Martin Duffy

1:08:39 Placebo's Black Market Music Is Underrated

1:12:15 Chief Keef's Finally Rich Turns 10

1:15:57 Weezer's Winter EP Is... Good?!

1:19:37 The Immense Japanese Shoegaze of BOaT

1:22:45 Classic Albums from Joni Mitchell, The Kinks, and Failure

1:29:53 Our Most Anticipated Albums of 2023

On this week's main episode, Jake, Ryley and Jen are back to review THE RUBY CORD, a bracing, poetic, and dense new 80-minute opus from singer-songwriter and visionary Richard Dawson, whose bleak and ruminative vision of 26th century humanity inspires difficult but potent conversation about the ugly disconnection of present-day society. Also on the slab is a record that's difficult in a very different way, Brockhampton's tumultuous, fractured, and largely vacant goodbye with the uncomfortable and bitter contract fulfilment of THE FAMILY. It's a weird week with long and intensive discussions that are some of our best of recent weeks.  

Let us know what you think of these unusual but fascinating albums in the comments on YouTube. 

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 2:23 The Impeccable Discography of Danny Brown 15:31 Jake Dives Into Ghostface Killah 23:20 Oceansize Are the Most Underrated Rock Band of the 2000s 30:19 What Is the Best The 1975 Album? 47:27 Polyphia Blend Math-Pop, Trap, and Flamenco 49:55 Richard Dawson - The Ruby Cord 1:52:29 Brockhampton - The Family 2:42:09 Outro

For this week's Record Club, Jake and Ryley are breaking down The Cure's 1992 crossover success with WISH, the band's best-selling and most commercially recognized album which nevertheless advances their sound boldly from the trenchant depths of Disintegration's dour mastery. Is it their best album overall, even? Join us as we discuss and make a case for why this deserves to be viewed as a peerless masterpiece.

Watch the video version of this episode to support the channel here.

This week on the show we're joined by guest Jen to discuss the hotly-anticipated third instalment in Nas's KING'S DISEASE trilogy - is it a threepeat? Has Nas lived up to the promise and expectations he's built? And how does the OG 90s GOAT sound three full decades into his career? Also on the docket this week is the gorgeous, rich, and deeply immersive new album from Weyes Blood, AND IN THE DARKNESS, HEARTS AGLOW, a gorgeous exploration of common humanity and the light at the end of the tunnel. Let us know what you think of these albums in the comments below!

Watch the video version of this episode and support the channel on YouTube.

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:38 The New Smashing Pumpkins Album Sure Exists 15:03 Jake Dives Into Some Classic 90s Hip Hop 23:13 How Do the First Two Nas Albums Hold Up? 38:20 A Modern Hip-Hop Classic You Might Have Missed 46:42 The Phenomenon of Country Music Double Albums 54:34 Weyes Blood - And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow 1:26:45 Nas - King's Disease III 2:12:19 Outro

For this week's Record Club, Jake and Morgan are discussing the sole studio album from Team Sleep, the Deftones side project featuring Chino Moreno, Zach Hill from Hella and Death Grips, Rob Crow from Pinback, Gil Sharone from Dillinger Escape Plan and many more. Let us know your thoughts, memories, and favorite songs from this underrated gem!

Watch the video version of this episode to support the channel on YouTube.