Look At My Records!

Tom chatted with Alex Nicol for Episode 141 of Look At My Records! The Montreal-based folk songwriter released his debut album, All For Nada, back in March and had plans to hit the road with The House of Love, but we all know how that story ended. Instead, Alex has been keeping busy writing new songs and spending time in the studio recording his next record. While you wait for his next batch of tunes, listen to our interview to hear all about the inspiration behind All For Nada, the story behind the recording process, his special creative relationship with his partner Nada, and a whole lot more. This episode features records from U.S. Girls, Neil Young, Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson, and his fellow Quebecers Corridor.

Alex is playing a gig on September 24th at Le Clubhouse Rialto as part of the Pop Montreal Internationals Festival! Doors at 1:15 pm and Alex performs at 1:30 pm. Tickets are available via the Pop Montreal website!

You can purchase All For Nada via Bandcamp. The album is also available to stream on Spotify. Keep up with Alex by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook.

Episode 140 features an interview with central New Jersey garage-punk quartet Cheyenne Dan. The band just dropped their latest single, “Butterflies,” last month, and have plans to release a full EP before this horrible year comes to its merciful end. Tune in to hear about their formation at The College of New Jersey, the writer’s block that frontman Jonah faced before writing their song “Happy Days,” the state of their scene in central NJ, and what they miss most about playing live. This episode features records from Spirit of the Beehive, Gang of Four, and The Rolling Stones!

You can purchase all of Cheyenne Dan’s music via Bandcamp. You can also listen to it on your streaming platform of choice. Keep up with the band by liking them on Facebook and following them on Instagram!

In Episode 139 of Look At My Records! Tom and co-host Zach Romano chatted with Wesley Bunch of the Philadelphia dream-pop band Suburban Living. The band just released their excellent third album, How To Be Human, on Egghunt Records, but the road to get there was full of challenges. In 2018, Bunch’s home caught fire on New Year’s Eve, leaving their third album in a bit of a limbo period. The band rebounded and were about to hit the road in 2020, until COVID-19 hit, canceling their tour and delaying the release of the record until August. The record was well worth the wait, though, as the songs are gorgeous and dreamy with towering synths, celestial guitars, and an awesome sax solo on “Indigo Kids.”

In our interview, we talked about the challenges Suburban Living faced leading up to the release of How To Be Human, Wesley’s experiences touring with the legendary shoegaze band Swirlies, their new approach to recording, and a whole lot more. This episode features records from Hole, Buzzcocks, La Sera, Swirlies, and No Joy.

How to Be Human is available on limited edition green vinyl at select independent record stores and on standard black vinyl via Egghunt Records. You can also stream it on your favorite platform. Keep up with Suburban Living by liking them on Facebook and following them on Instagram.

Episode 138 of Look At My Records! features an interview with indie music legend John Vanderslice. John is well known for his work engineering records for bands like Spoon, Death Cab For Cutie, and Sleater-Kinney at his all-analog studio Tiny Telephone in San Francisco. After almost two decades, the studio closed its San Francisco location and John moved south to Los Angeles, where he opened his own backyard studio called Grandma’s Couch.

In addition to his engineering work, John has recorded and released about a dozen records of his own material - all on analog equipment. The pandemic imposed lockdown finally forced John to experiment with digital recording software like Ableton. The end result is his latest release, eeeeeeep, his first batch of songs recorded entirely through digital means. It’s an excellent EP! Tune in to hear about John’s experience recording the EP on a computer, how he uses his digital studio as an instrument, his favorite memories from Tiny Telephone San Francisco, his relationship with David Berman, and a whole lot more! This episode features records from Spirit of the Beehive, Porches, Lomelda, Robyn Hitchcock, and Eleanor Friedberger!

Stream eeeeeeep on your platform of choice. You can also purchase it via Bandcamp. Check out John’s website and keep up with him by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook.

Episode 137 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Theo and Heather of Michigan trip-hop outfit Monroe Moon. The band recently released their second EP Joy, a three-song trip packed with hammering beats and spacious synths. Tune in to hear how the project started, the process behind writing and recording their latest EP Joy, their usage of deep cannabis meditation for creative inspiration, and their plans for the rest of 2020. This episode features records from The Smiths, Primal Scream, Widowspeak, Cocteau Twins, and Kate Bush!

You can purchase Joy on limited edition vinyl via Green Witch Recordings. Monroe Moon’s music is also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with the band by liking them on Facebook and following them on Instagram.

For Episode 136 of Look At My Records!, I was very excited to chat with the Bay Area duo Harry The Nightgown. The duo of Sami Perez (The She’s, Cherry Glazer) and Spencer Hartling just released their self-titled debut last week, and it’s a beautiful amalgamation of art-rock and maximalist experimental pop. Hartling and Perez recorded the album over the last year and a half at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, where they both also work as recording engineers. Tune in to hear how most of the songs came together while they were tinkering around in the studio, the lessons they learned from working at Tiny Telephone, the pros and cons of recording the album in a setting that they’re very familiar with, how their creative styles complement each other, and a whole lot more! We also geeked out over XTC and spun some additional records from Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Mantles, and Palberta.

You can purchase Harry The Nightgown’s debut album on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. A cassette edition of the record is also available via Topshelf Records. Stream the album on your platform of choice! Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram.

Episode 135 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Sam Radseresht of Glassio. The Queens-based electronic-pop project has been releasing infectious tunes for the last half-decade, and scaled down from a two-piece to a solo project a few years back. Late last month, Glassio released their first-ever full-length, For The Very Last Time, a concept record based around “growth and rebirth of someone’s character out of a dark space.” Tune in to our interview to hear all about how folk music influenced Sam’s storytelling-focused lyrical style, the introspective and personal themes on For The Very Last Time, the evolution of Glassio’s sound, and more! This episode features some excellent records from XTC, Lou Reed, Camera Obscura, and pronoun.

You can purchase For The Very Last Time via Bandcamp. All proceeds from sales of the album benefit the Black Mental Health Alliance.

Keep up with Glassio on Facebook and Instagram.

I was super stoked to chat with the wonderful Radical Dads for Episode 134 of Look At My Records! This trio tore up Brooklyn in the 2010s - releasing three great albums and melting faces all over the place! Since the release of their 2015 album, Universal Coolers, they did some adult things like having kids (making them actual Radical Dads) and moving to different parts of the world. Guitarists Chris and Lindsay now live in Sweden and drummer Robbie lives in Santa Cruz, California, but they didn’t let the distance stop them from putting out their fourth album, Paved Mountain, last month! In our interview, we talked about how the band pieced together the songs on Paved Mountain, Lindsay’s obsession with Herman Melville, Chris’ NJ power-pop pedigree, and a whole lot more! This episode features records from The Stroppies, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Silver Jews, Eleanor Friedberger, Times New Viking, and The Smithereens!

Get your copy of Paved Mountain on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. There, you’ll also find a TON of awesome merch! You can also stream it on your favorite streaming platform, including Spotify. Keep up with Radical Dads by liking them on Facebook and following them on both Instagram and Twitter.

Episode 133 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Marc LeFebvre of the New York City-based label Green Witch Recordings! The label has been active in 2020 despite the pandemic, releasing two compilations, the excellent debut EP from Teen Idle, an EP from Marc’s project Mothra Stewart, and more. In addition, Green Witch has several more releases scheduled for later this year from Lauren Lakis, Monroe Moon, and more! Tune in to hear Marc dish on his background playing music in bands like Chill Russell in Austin, TX, his experiences working in the music industry, and the story behind the formation of Green Witch Recordings. Plus, you’ll hear tunes from a slew of great artists from the label, including Teen Idle, Lauren Lakis, Mothra Stewart, Holsky, These People, and Chill Russell. This episode features records from Soccer Mommy, The Beach Boys, Mac Demarco, King Crimson, and Japandroids.

Check out the Green Witch website to order and/or pre-order releases from their catalog. Like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram.

Episode 132 of Look At My Records features an interview with Jenn and Dan of the Los Angeles-based dream pop duo, The Know! The real-life married couple started the project after recording an ethereal sounding version of “Jingle Bell Rock.” After their rendition of the holiday classic received a warm reception, they started writing their own tunes and recently released their debut EP, Wearetheknow. Tune in to hear about how the couple met in the Los Angeles music scene back in 2009, their writing and recording process, and the inspiration behind their personal, narrative-driven lyrics. Plus, we delve into the EP track by track and the process behind making their awesome music videos. And of course, you’ll hear their great record selections!

You can purchase Wearetheknow via Bandcamp. The EP is also available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. You can also purchase it on limited edition compact disc via Shoredive Records. Keep up with The Know by following them on Twitter and Instagram. Like them on Facebook!