The band Talking Heads broke up in 1991 largely by the hand of their eccentric frontman and primary songwriter; David Byrne. After several years of mounting turmoil amidst the rest of the group, Byrne decided the legendary new wave act had run it's course, and opted to focus on his own solo career instead.

The rest of the band (Tina Weymouth on bass, Chris Frantz on drums, and Jerry Harrison on keys) felt slighted, but ultimately went along with it until the mid-90s, when they expressed a desire to regroup and perform as Talking Heads again. The only stumbling block was Byrne himself, who remained uninterested in continuing under their old band.

In Byrne's stead, the trio recruited a collection of guest vocalists (All previous collaborators from other groups) to sing and write lyrics for "No Talking, Just Head", an album produced under the unsubtle moniker of The Heads. Plans for a full tour and multiple new records were blocked by Byrne himself, who sued the new group for being too similar to Talking Heads, but "No Talking, Just Head" would still see release in 1996 to dissatisfaction from critics and reviewers.

On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes Lilz & Patrick are joined once again by JBZ all-star Scott Kurland of Writer's Bagel Basket, and the new Zero Science mini-series Where In The World Is Steven Q. Urkel?. The three of them expose themselves to the tragedy that was "No Talking, Just Head", try to find some semblance of normalcy within it, and figure out exactly why Ed Kowalzcyk at all.

Local Music Feature: The Difference Engine - "Coastal Number Four"

By 2001, post-grunge Floridians Creed were at their commercial peak as well as their most loathed by the public at large. Driven by Scott Stapp's stupendous ego, overwrought balladeering, and unsubtly evangelical songwriting, Creed enjoyed a level of hatred and critical disdain that is still felt even to this day, long past the band's relevancy.

Then it all came crashing down (Even moreso than usual) with the release of their 3rd record, Weathered, an album that would keep the band afloat commercially, but earn their worst reviews until their 4th record in 2009, and more consequently spell the beginning of the end for Creed, who would break up amidst a series of Stapp-driven controversies that all seemed to pop up in the immediate wake of Weathered's release.

It was inevitable that we'd eventually cover a Creed record on Jukebox Zeroes. On this episode Lilz & Patrick are joined by return guest Clinton Degan of Body English (And the infamous Greta Van Fleet episode) to plumb through Weathered in its entirety, praise an unsung hero of the record, and christ-pose a lot.

Local Music Feature: Square Ape - "We Are Light"

90s act Weezer were on the fast track to be alternative rock heroes as early as their 1994 debut The Blue Album, which introduced bouncy power-pop vibes and emotional openness to the grunge-dominated rock music scene, and earned massive commercial success and critical acclaim for the band. This very nearly all went out the window with their follow-up, 1996's Pinkerton, which neither sold well nor was reviewed well. (Though would later go on to be a major influence in the development of emo music, and be praised years later.)

This immediate shift in fortunes spooked frontman and primary songwriter Rivers Cuomo, who after a band hiatus came back with material that was commercially successful, but leaned more heavily away from introspective alt songs, in favor of imminently more accessible pop rock, their reviews growing ever more middling as new records hit shelves.

In 2005 Weezer released their 5th record, Make Believe, which was intended to be a return to the heartfelt songwriting of the Blue Album and Pinkerton days, but would receive mixed reviews for its over-simplistic songs, and would come to be defined not just as one of the band's worst records, but a tipping point into frustrating mediocrity, which the band never quite recovered from.

On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz & Patrick are joined by return guest Al Gentile of Analogs, and new guest and Weezer expert Taylor Keefe of Shoeless Thunder to try to find some solace in Make Believe. Join us for discussions on Rick Rubin, arachnophobia, and Shrek 2.

Local Music Feature: Analogs - Pantomime

Upon its release in 2000 "Who Let The Dogs Out?" by Baha Men earned a place in pop culture infamy almost immediately. The single from the Bahamas-based junkanoo-fusion group's album of the same name was a surprise hit in the UK and across many other parts of Europe, and became an immediate staple of children's movie soundtracks, sporting events, and really bad standup comedy bits, subsequently joining the ranks of other blink-and-you'll-miss-it "Worst Of All Time" ranked one-hit wonders as "Crazy Frog", "What Does The Fox Say", and innumerable others.

It is with this in mind that we made an attempt to critique Who Let The Dogs Out? the record on its own merits, joined by return guest and Old Men Yell At Cloud co-host Jim Schultz. Between drunkenness, exhaustion, a lack of available information about the group and the album, and a general sense of mediocrity beyond the infamous title track...well the important part is an attempt was made.

Join us as we listen to Who Let The Dogs Out? and talk about the origins of junkanoo music, the praises of Imani Coppola, big bowls of chili, Reginald Matrix, and other forays into madness and idiocy on our part.

Local Music Feature: FBGM - "Gotta Get A Message To You" (Bee Gees cover)

Hard rock legends Van Halen experienced their biggest commercial and critical successes from the late-1970s to the mid-1980s under the frontmanship of the charismatic, energetic goofball of a lead singer that was David Lee Roth. But interpersonal tensions would lead to Roth's dismissal from the group in 1985. Further success was achieved via his replacement, Sammy Hagar, who would also be ejected from the band in 1996 due to more infighting. After a false start in achieving a reunion with Roth, they instead turned to Gary Cherone, the former frontman of glam metal-turned-groove rock band Extreme, to helm the wayward group.

The lone album Van Halen cut with Cherone, 1998's Van Halen III was a marked departure from the band's typical sound, containing a heavier emphasis on experimentation, and balladry far removed from their hard-rocking party-centric style up to that point. Fans and critics were not having it, and the record suffered from poor commercial sales and even poorer reviews, to the point where touring attendance suffered, leaving Cherone to exit the band in shame, and Van Halen to go on an extended hiatus until 2003.

On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes Lilz & Patrick team up with rapper, radio-man, and Van Halen expert D-Tension to slog through Van Halen III for themselves. Join them as they wade through the depths of Eddie Van Halen's ego, to decide whether this record is best left buried, or deserving of a fairer shake.

Local Music Feature: D-Tension - Piss You Off

On the latest episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick get into their critical submarine and embark, James Cameron-like on an aural deep dive. Not a deep dive like one would dive into the discography of a favored artist or band, but a deep dive into the dregs of musical badness. Instead of scouring the bottom of the Marianas Trench like Jacques Cousteau would, they'll be scouring the depths of the internet music database and review site AllMusic.com (A constant critical source for many episodes) for critical disappointment.

For this roundup, Lilz and Patrick have gathered up 12 random records from the murky reaches of AllMusic's 1-star review section, and along with return guests and fellow bad music connoisseurs Heather Mack and Mike Dunn of Make It Stop, will be attempt to make some sense of the hideous treasures they unearth. Maybe there are some gems hidden among these musical failures.

Not likely.

But join us anyway!

Amidst a cloud of heavy drug usage, media obsession, paranoia, overindulgence, and internal unrest, Britpop icons Oasis released their 3rd studio full-length in 1997. The album, titled Be Here Now, was intended to be even bigger than the album that preceded it, their mega-selling breakthrough (What's The Story?) Morning Glory.

For a while it seemed as though Be Here Now would reach those lofty heights, becoming the fastest-selling British record of the year, scoring multiple Top 10 hits, and rave reviews from the public. The initial glow wore off very quickly however, and critics and the public were very quick to turn upon it. Be Here Now would go on to achieve the dubious honor of the most returned album to second hand stores, retrospective reviews declared it bloated and overproduced, and it would maintain a reputation as one of Oasis' all-time worst records.

Is it, though? That's what we intend to find out on this new episode of Jukebox Zeroes. Joined by return guest Jon Sasor of Ease Into The Noise and Melt, Lilz and Patrick dig out the soul of Be Here Now, and try to find some solace amidst the 36-piece orchestras and Liam Gallagher's thick Mancunian accent.

Local Music Feature : Melt - Blank Pages

I'm sure we can all agree that the similarities between novelty disco versions of 1970s film theme songs, one of the biggest science fiction film franchises of all time, and the holiday season are obvious and present, right?

No?

If you said no then you're perhaps more of lucid mind than famed producer Meco Monardo, who with George Lucas' blessing, and the participation of actor Anthony Daniels and sound designer Ben Burtt, foisted Christmas In The Stars: A Star Wars Christmas upon the world in 1980, a mere six months after the commercial success of The Empire Strikes Back. Audiences were understandably confused and bewildered by this record, which featured C3PO telling R2-D2 the story of "S. Claus", an 18-year-old Jon Bon Jovi, and songs like "What Can You Get A Wookie For Christmas (When He Already Owns A Comb)".

For so nerdy a Jukebox Zeroes topic, Lilz & Patrick needed some industrial-grade nerds to help them out. Fortunately they got special guests Adam Schneider of synth-rockers Big Time Kill, and Brian Graupner of electro-industrial act The Gothsicles to help them make some semblance of sense out of the seasonal madness.

Local Music Feature: The Gothsicles - "Drop Dead, Squid Face!"

What was it that wrecked new wave legends Tears For Fears' winning streak of hit records and singles since their inception in the 1980s? Was it the tension between founders Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith that grew to a fever pitch until their split in the early 90s? Was it the bad energy left behind by their former manager, who mishandled and embezzled finances via the agency that represented Tears For Fears until declaring bankruptcy, and eventually being incarcerated in 2004? Was it general frustration surrounding the album's release, brought on by a confusing jump in labels midway through promotion that forced their 5th album to be delayed an entire year before seeing the light of day?

All of these different factors almost certainly played into the commercial disappointment and critical failure of 1995's Raoul & The Kings Of Spain, the second album from Tears For Fears after Curt Smith's departure. Intended to be an introspective reflection on Roland Orzabal's own Spanish heritage, Raoul was instead dismissed as overly pretentious at best and boring at worst. Tears For Fears would not release a follow-up for nearly a decade afterwards. (After Smith's return to the project)

Is Raoul & The Kings Of Spain truly worthy of the derision it endured? Lilz and Patrick aim to find that out on the latest Jukebox Zeroes. They're joined by returning guest Phil Fleming of WMFO radio program On The Town With Mikey Dee to listen track-by-track and find some solace in Orzabal's bizarre metaphors.

#MusicPodcast
#PodernFamily
#OddPodSquad
#ZeroScience
#TearsForFears
#RaoulAndTheKingsOfSpain
#BEEP

Local Music Feature: Bears for Years - "Phantom Residence"

After enjoying years of success as a manufactured pop-rock group in the 1960s, eventually earning their independence from their corporate overlords to perform songs as they saw fit, The Monkees broke up around 1970 as their commercial fortunes waned over time. As the 1980s took shape however, an unexpected resurgence in popularity came about for the band who got their start as the subject of a sitcom, finding a new audience through reruns on MTV and Nickelodeon, and translating it into a highly profitable reunion tour. Keen on capitalizing on these newfound commercial gains, it was decided that The Monkees would put out a new studio album for these new fans.

Far from building on their fresh wins, the 1987 comeback album Pool It! was neither a commercial or critical success. If anything it's considered to this day to be one of the more embarassing things to come out of the catalog of musician/actors Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork. (4th Monkee Michael Nesmith opted not to participate, and perhaps for all the better.) The Monkees would not attempt another album until the 90s, and Pool It! ultimately marked the end of the act as little more than a nostalgia band.

So many decades later Lilz & Patrick of Jukebox Zeroes have decided to take a shot at Pool It! Joined by frequent JBZ guest Scott Kurland (Writer's Bagel Basket), the three listen to the maligned Monkees record and decide for themselves whether it's not as bad as it seems, or if it's best left for dead.

#MusicPodcast
#PodernFamily
#OddPodSquad
#ZeroScience
#TheMonkees
#PoolIt
#DatMulletTho

Local Music Feature: Shoeless Thunder - "New High Score!"