Look At My Records!

Episode 171 of Look At My Records! features an interview with indie folk artist Jack Symes. Symes just released his second full-length, Tompkins Park, in late March and the deeply personal record expounds on his move to New York after spending most of his life on the west coast. His story is an intriguing one, as while playing a series of gigs here in the city a couple of years ago, he met and fell in love with his partner, and thus, made the cross-country move last year. Many of the songs on the album detail his challenging early experiences in the city, but he also displays his knack for telling other kinds of stories at various points. He dissects the nuance of cult figures on “The Story of Jim Jones,” the fakeness that’s sometimes involved in party-going on “What A Wonderful Party,” and reflects on a glorious weekend away on “Illinois.” Tune in to our interview to hear some insights from Jack on his narrative-driven approach to lyric writing, what it was like collaborating with Eva. B Ross on one of the record’s standout tracks, “Wait,” the process of recording Tompkins Park early in quarantine, why the record includes a full band version of “Why, Why Not” and an acoustic version, and much more. Jack also picked some awesome records from my record collection, including some recent favorites of mine from Cut Worms and Kate Bollinger. You can follow along with his picks via the official playlist for Episode 171.

Tompkins Park is out now! You can stream it on your platform of choice or purchase a copy on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. Keep up with Symes by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook.

Episode 170 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Kip Berman of The Natvral. You likely know Berman as the longtime frontman of Brooklyn indie-pop sensations the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, but over the course of the last few years, Berman underwent both a personal and musical evolution, as he officially ended Pains, moved to New Jersey and started a family, and reemerged with a new musical identity in The Natvral. The songs on the project’s debut record, Tethers, represent a change in style to a more folk-oriented sound and a shift in thematic focus, as Berman gets more reflective on how the passage of time has impacted himself and those around him. Tune in to our interview to hear all about our shared love for Princeton Record Exchange and WPRB, what it was like recording the record with Andy Savours, how the changes in his life over the last half-decade have shaped his music, and much more! Plus, Kip picked some great records from my collection, including some from friends like Jeanines and Crystal Stilts. You can follow along with Kip’s picks via the official playlist for Episode 170!

Tethers is out now via Kanine Records. The album is available to stream on all platforms. You can purchase a copy on vinyl via The Natvral’s website or a digital copy via Bandcamp. If you’re based in Europe, you can order the record on limited edition pink vinyl via Dirty Bingo Records. Keep up with the project by following them on Instagram and Twitter and liking them on Facebook.

Episode 169 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Diane Jean, the front person of Burlington, Vermont indie rock outfit Clever Girls. After a whirlwind 2020 that started with the theft of a significant amount of the band’s gear and the cancellation of several tour dates due to the pandemic, the quartet is looking to move forward in a big way in 2021 with the release of their incredible sophomore album, Constellations, which is out now via Egghunt Records. The follow up to their strong debut, “Luck,” sees Jean dissecting the myriad of feelings that accompany the process of coming out as nonbinary while simultaneously forging a new, amorphous sonic identity. Tune in to our interview to hear how the band rebounded after the challenging circumstances of early 2020, their special relationship with recording engineer Chaimes Parker, the inspiration behind several of the standout tracks on Constellations like “Stonewall” and Saturn,” and more. Plus, you’ll hear us talk about some awesome records from Beck, The Cranberries, Britney, and more. You can follow along with DJ’s record picks via the official playlist for Episode 169.

You can purchase Constellations on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. The album is also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram and liking them on Facebook.

Episode 168 features an interview with Glenn Brigman of Los Angeles-based psych-pop outfit Triptides. The veteran group just dropped their latest record late last month, a shimmering and trippy psych-pop masterpiece called Alter Echoes. As their eight full length, the album represents a bit of a turning point for the band, as it’s their first since scaling down from a four-piece to a power trio. The band also tracked it at Hollywood’s Boulevard Studios, a different setting when compared with their previous releases, which were mostly recorded at home on Tascam tape machines. Tune into our interview to hear Glenn talk about the experience recording Alter Echoes at Boulevard Studios, his memories of the band’s early days in Bloomington, Indiana, how he’s constantly writing new songs, and much more.  Glenn also picked some awesome records from my collection, and we chatted about our mutual love of bands like Stereolab, Guided By Voices, and The Cleaners From Venus! You can follow along with Glenn’s record picks via the official playlist for Episode 168.

You can purchase Alter Echoes on limited edition vinyl via Alive Records. The album is also available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram and liking them on Facebook. Check out our review of Alter Echoes in this week’s Album Spotlight.

Episode 167 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Max Bien-Kahn of Max and the Martians. The New Orleans-based project just released their sophomore full-length, All The Same, on Perpetual Doom. The incredible album sees Bien-Kahn sharpening his sound and colorfully blending folk and country with nice touches of 60s rock and psychedelic jangle. Tune in to our interview to hear about how he worked his way to New Orleans from the west coast, his work performing with traditional jazz street band Tuba Skinny, how his collaborative relationship with Ross Farbe shaped the sound of All The Same, and much more. Plus, we talked about our late discovery of Neil Young’s On The Beach, our mutual love for Video Age’s first record, and that time his band opened up for King Khan in Oregon! You can follow along with all of Max’s record picks via the official playlist for Episode 167!

All The Same is out now via Perpetual Doom. You can purchase a copy on limited edition white vinyl via Bandcamp. It’s also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with Max by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook.

Episode 166 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Brooklyn indie-folk artist Juliet Quick. Earlier this month, she released her latest EP, Glass Years on Substitute Scene Records. Across its five songs, Quick strings together dense arrangements and peers both inward and gazes outward to analyze impending global catastrophe, self-doubt, the impact of gendered emotional labor in relationships, and more. Tune in to hear all about Glass Years, including how it compares to her last release, the more conceptual Changelings, what it was like working with producer Rick Spataro, the inspiration behind several of the tracks, the relationship between glass and time that she explores at several points on the EP, and more. Plus, Juliet tells us about her background as an opera singer and how she originally started writing songs on a ukulele. She also picked some excellent records, including one from her friends and label mates, Verdigrls, Kate Bush, and Lomelda. You can follow along with her picks via the official playlist for Episode 166!

You can purchase Glass Years via Bandcamp. The EP is also available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify. Keep up with Juliet by liking her on Facebook and following her on Instagram.

Episode 165 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Philadelphia-based musician Ron Gallo. The songwriter has had quite a crazy few years. He navigated the complicated spousal visa process to get his now wife and musical collaborator, Chiara D’Anzieri, over to the states from Italy, and the two finally married in early 2020. Subsequently, a massive tornado plowed through Nashville, where he was living at the time, and of course, the pandemic turned the music world upside down. During this time, Gallo launched Really Nice, which acts as an umbrella for several projects, including live-streamed gigs and a clothing line. Additionally, he finished work on his most recent LP, PEACEMEAL, which dropped last week via New West Records. During our interview, we touched on all of this and more. Give it a listen to hear how Gallo’s creative relationship with his wife Chiara blossomed, his mindset when writing and recording PEACEMEAL during a period of self-isolation, why he decided to re-record and re-release “All The Punks Are Domesticated” as the album’s final track, how his sound and outlook has progressed since to release of 2017’s Heavy Meta, and much more. Oh, and of course, we got into our shared surname and our strikingly similar Italian-American backgrounds. Maybe we’re related?!? The jury is still out. You can follow along with Gallo’s record picks via the official playlist for Episode 165.

You can order PEACEMEAL on limited edition green vinyl via Bandcamp. The album is also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with Gallo by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook. You can also check out our review of PEACEMEAL here on the site.

Episode 164 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Brooklyn-based songwriter Cassandra Jenkins. Last month, Jenkins released her latest full-length, An Overview On Phenomenal Nature, a gorgeous, diaristic record that’s sure to land at or near the top of many year-end lists. For the album, Jenkins embraced a new approach to writing and recording, entering the studio with “ideas rather than full songs,” for a fruitful week-long session with producer Josh Kaufman. The record documents many of her experiences during the last few months of 2019, after the unfortunate passing of David Berman led to the cancellation of his Purple Mountains tour. That summer, Jenkins was tapped at the last minute to be a part of Berman’s backing band, and she spent several days rehearsing with him in preparation for the tour. She expounds on the process of grieving that loss at several points on the record and during our interview, we talk about the impact that her interactions with Berman had on her as a person and a songwriter. Plus, we chatted about how a baby was born to her song “Hard Drive,”  how Craig Finn of the Hold Steady has served as her mentor, the experiences that inspired the instrumental track, “The Ramble,” her collage-like process to lyric writing, and much more. Cassandra even goes through some of her iPhone notes from 2019 to give us a glimpse into her lyric writing process and tells us a few great stories about touring with Eleanor Friedberger.  You can follow along with Cassandra’s record picks via the official playlist for Episode 164!

An Overview on Phenomenal Nature is out now via Ba Da Bing. You can purchase it on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. Keep up with Cassandra via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Episode 163 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Brooklyn electronic pop outfit Psymon Spine. Deanna Dilandro joins Tom as co-host to chat with the band about their colorful and vibrant new record, Charismatic Megafauna, which dropped last week via Northern Spy Records. The fiercely danceable album centers on themes of change and separation, and can even be characterized as a breakup album, as the lyrics delve into both the personal and musical new beginnings that all members faced over the last few years. Tune in to hear how members Sabine Holler and Noah Prebish met while playing in Barrie, how Charismatic Megafauna accidentally became a breakup record, what it was like working with Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT, and much more. Plus, the band picked some great records from my collection, including a rare Bjork 12-inch single and the recently re-discovered Disco Jazz by Rupa. Follow along with the band’s record picks with the official playlist for Episode 163!

Charismatic Megafauna is out now via Northern Spy Records! You can purchase it on limited edition pink vinyl via Bandcamp. The album is also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with the band by following them on Twitter and Instagram, and liking them on Facebook.

Psymon Spine will be performing a special live stream set tonight (2/25) at 8 pm EST on Baby TV. Don’t miss it! Hypoluxo and Dream Chamber are also on the bill.

For Episode 162 of Look At My Records!, Deanna Dilandro joins Tom as co-host for a chat with Philadelphia musician Dante Robinson. Robinson, who is a member of the group Vague Advice, got his solo career underway in 2020 with the release of two singles and an EP entitled On A Hotel Bed You Paid For. The EP hones in on a dense indie-folk sound with contemplative lyrics that blend Robinson’s real-life experiences and emotions with elements of fiction. Tune in to our interview to hear about the recording process of the EP, what it was like working with his backing back, the It’s Lit Band,” what inspired all of the tracks lyrically, and how Dante’s been spending his time recently. Plus, Dante picked some great records, and we really had a great discussion about what a great lyricist Courtney Barnett is and the influence that Bright Eyes has had on his work.  Follow along with Dante’s record picks with the official playlist for Episode 162!

You can purchase On A Hotel Bed You Paid For via Bandcamp. The album is also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with Dante by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook.