Today, we turn our attention to the most successful solo male artist of the last decade as genre-bending rising star Ashwarya joins me to discuss Drake’s 2011 sophomore album ‘Take Care’ and the ins and outs of what makes Drake connect with her and so many people. We discuss how his blending of hip-hop and R&B was controversial at the time but has gone on to set a template many others have followed, how the record showcased Drake’s emotional vulnerability, how the songs have broad appeal despite being about what it’s like to be a rich and famous musician, how embracing cringe made Drake a superstar, memes and whether he is the Coldplay of hip-hop.

Today, I meet a potential soul mate, singer-songwriter Max Quinn. We open the power pop bag and pull out Fountains of Wayne’s almost 20 year old classic ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’ and somehow crowbar the Beatles into the conversation, while also talking about Max’s theory that this album contains the history of pop music, the contrasting writing styles of Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood, our love of well-crafted songs, the band’s mixed feelings about ‘Stacey’s Mom’, the character storytelling on the album and why it’s a white collar version of Bruce Springsteen, alcohol, the CD era, signature chord changes, joy and hope and depression and much more.

Today, Rock critic, author and podcaster Steven Hyden returns to the show to talk about his fantastic book on Radiohead’s 'Kid A' album, This Isn’t Happening (now available in paperback). We talk about how Radiohead fans will always look for meaning in their lyrics despite Thom Yorke’s best efforts, the context of the early 21st century that the album existed in and how it seemingly presaged the cultural trends of the last 20 years, how the book forms part of a loose potential trilogy with Steven’s previous book Twilight of the Gods and whatever he might write next, whether Radiohead’s career is more like the Beatles or the Stones, the underrated importance of Ed O’Brien in the band, that it’s a miracle any bands stay together and if bands ever really break up in the modern age.

Today actor/musician Jeremiah Craft (Bill & Ted Face the Music, Girls 5Eva) joins me to delve into the newest album we’ve ever covered on the show, Jaden Smith’s 2019 LP ‘Erys’. We talk about the ambition of the record, how it acts as a conceptual sequel to Jaden’s debut ‘Syre’, how Will Smith inspired Jeremiah to start acting, the pressures of living up to famous parents, why this is one of the few albums Jeremiah listens to in full and more. Plus we discuss creating characters and Jeremiah’s process for playing Louis Armstrong, what his dream role would be, the contrasts between stage, film and TV acting and how playing other people can reveal truths about yourself.

Today, Australian broadcasting legend Stan Grant joins me to talk about friend of the show Jonathan Wilson’s quasi-debut ‘Gentle Spirit’. Stan opens up about how he discovered the record while dealing with PTSD and the emotional fall out of years embedded in war zones as a foreign correspondent. We talk about how this album revealed Wilson as a songwriter and artist in his own right, as he was mainly known as a great producer and instrumentalist. We break down the influences on the record, from Neil Young to Pink Floyd to The Beatles and more, and how Wilson stays on the right side of inspiration rather than pastiche. We talk about why Stan never became a musician himself, his memories of seeing Wilson play live in LA and how music has influenced Stan’s writing.

Singer-songwriter and man probably coming out of your car radio right now JP Saxe joins me for a surprising favorite album pick - jazz piano legend Keith Jarrett’s 1975 live album “The Köln Concert”. We talk about the strange backstory behind the album - a dyspeptic artist, a teenage concert promoter, the wrong piano and a show that almost didn’t happen - and more including the time JP met and had a confrontation with Jarrett, how Jarrett improvises and how JP is able to improvise in his own shows, whether anger is productive as creative fuel, building and releasing tension and more. Plus, on the verge of releasing his debut album, JP talks about the albums he measured himself against and the pressure on your first LP.

Today, film journalist, author and Empire podcast geek queen Helen O’Hara joins me to dig into her epic new book, Women vs Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film. We talk about how the research and writing process was effected by the pandemic, choosing which topics to cover, the forgotten early female filmmaking pioneers, how the Hayes censorship code led to better roles for women, diversity in superhero and franchise films, the ‘Smurfette’ principle and more.

Today, the great Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings, Lost, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan) joins me for a truly epic deep dive into The Beatles White Album. We get into Dom’s Beatles origin story, his conflicted feelings about John Lennon, how the album is an audition for the Beatles respective solo careers, his Beatles tattoos and whether he has pried an early look at Peter Jackson’s new Beatles documentary out of his old mate. But the real meat of this episode is a track by track exploration of the entire double album, from Back in the USSR to Good Night. It is the considered opinion of this podcast that nothing beats a full spectrum Beatles nerd out, and this is one for the ages.

Fresh off releasing the greatest album of 2021, Middle Kids frontwoman Hannah Joy makes a welcome return to the show to talk about The National’s seminal 2013 album ‘Trouble Will Find Me’. We talk about The National’s reputation as a band who make ‘grower’ albums, how this album represents the culmination of the band’s career to that time, the use of rhythm, space and texture and how that influenced the new Middle Kids album, integrating family dynamics into a band, how to age gracefully as a rock band and the cocktail bar in Portland where the drinks are inspired by National songs. Plus Hannah reveals the most contentions albums each Middle Kids member has tried to play in the band van while on tour.