On a Friday

Andrew and Matt are joined by their longtime friend SMUS16475 to discuss his favorite album, The Beach Boys' legendary 1966 album Pet Sounds, which utilized fresh and abnormal recording techniques such as the Wall of Sound, causing it to become one of the most influential albums of all time. It went on to inspire The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which changed the music scene as a whole. But did Pet Sounds perhaps inspire even more? The gang discuss this topic and more in this episode, including relationships, fade-outs, ego death, how much it should take to earn a songwriting credit, and bike gloves! This album includes world-renowned hits "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Sloop John B", and "God Only Knows".

Matt kicks off the second season with the least popular album from his favorite band, Music from "The Elder" by KISS. He and Andrew go in-depth on the 1981 medieval concept album, trying to figure out the bizarre story and even more bizarre making of it, following some catching up and reflections on the first season. They also discuss Andrew's new EP (This Day, Next Year by VXXT), the place of instrumental songs and covers on concept albums, as well as region-exclusive differences. This album features barely performed singles "A World Without Heroes" and "I".

After an extended break, Andrew & Matt get back to where they once belonged for a special episode in which they discuss the recent Disney+ special, The Beatles: Get Back, which shows the creation of the band's 1970 album and documentary film Let It Be and preparations for a first-time-in-three-years live show, which ended up being the iconic rooftop concert on top of the Apple Studio. The Fab Two discuss highlights from all eight hours of the series as well as plans for the podcast going forward. If you listen for long enough, you'll even get a sneak preview of what albums will be discussed in the next few episodes!

Are you ready to get metal? Er, industrial. Really just noisy. Either way, this week Andrew picked Daughters' 2018 album You Won't Get What You Want, which came after an 8-year dry spell from the band that also saw a 4-year hiatus. After continuing in 2013, they eventually began work on this album, which can best be described as... noise rock? It's exactly as loud as it sounds. This leads Andrew & Matt to conversations about platform-exclusive music, religion, eponymous song titles, and tropical house music. This album features intense singles "Satan in the Wait", "The Reason They Hate Me", and "Long Road, No Turns".

Matt & Andrew discuss yet another pop album, this time being Billie Eilish's recent album Happier Than Ever, produced and co-written by her brother Finneas, known for popularizing downtempo styles in the mainstream pop genre. This leads them to conversations about song name capitalization, parasocial relationships, associating songs with people, artistic use of autotune, and emotional maturity. Also, there are a few surprising revelations sprinkled throughout. This album features her popular singles "my future", "Therefore I Am", and "Your Power", as well as the long-anticipated title track, which also has a music video of its own.

Matt & Andrew take a dive into the world of electronica as they take a listen to LCD Soundsystem's 2007 album Sound of Silver. Many discussions are had, including talks about song length, karaoke, David Bowie, and for some reason the video game Fortnite! Did Andrew finally pick another album that Matt will enjoy? If so, will Matt ever return the favor? There's only one way to find out! This album features hit singles "All My Friends" and "Someone Great", as well as the stripped-back fan-favorite "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down".

This week, Matt & Andrew tackle a former Beatle's solo album that turns 50 this year! ...No, it's not George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. ...No, it's not John Lennon's Imagine either. ...NO, it's not Wild Life by Wings! It's Ram by Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda! An album that was panned at the time, it's now considered one of Paul's best works. So what changed between then and now? As Matt & Andrew try to uncover this mystery, new questions arise about the quality of Paul's other solo works, as well as comparisons made to works from the later-Beatles era. This album features oft-forgotten singles "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", "The Back Seat of My Car", and "Eat at Home", as well as the first song of the 1971 Lennon-McCartney feud, "Too Many People".

Following his promise from the last episode, Andrew attempts to 'do pop right' with French indie-pop band Phoenix's 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. But was that all a lie? Will Matt discover that these songs are more alternative rock than pop? Does it even matter if they are? Do terms like "alternative" and "pop" even mean anything anymore? All of these discussions and more are featured in this week's installment! This album features hit singles "1901", "Lisztomania", and "Lasso".

Because he cares not for Andrew, Matt has chosen yet another pop album, and it's arguably one of the most important pop albums of this century, 2011's Born This Way by Lady Gaga. Full of self-empowering and pro-LGBTQ+ songs (and... uh... whatever "Government Hooker" is), Gaga's second full album made statements that very few in the mainstream pop scene had made up to that point. It also reintroduced rock and electronic elements to a genre that had forgotten them, creating a unique and compelling dancepop record... at least in Matt's opinion. This album features megahits "Born This Way", "Judas", "The Edge of Glory", and "Yoü and I".

It's time for Andrew to torture Matt with the infamous album Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. It was produced by Frank Zappa, so it must be good! Right? Or maybe it's a cacophonous mess with vocals that are out-of-sync with the instrumentals. There's only one way to find out! This album has no hit tracks. But it does have fan-favorite song "Moonlight on Vermont", assuming there are die-hard fans of Captain Beefheart in the first place.