Breaking free and seeking a new, transcendent language for music, spiritual jazz arose under the umbrella of free jazz amidst the civil rights era of the 1960s. Lead by incredible players like John & Alice Coltrane, Don Cherry, Pharoah Sanders, Lonnie Liston Smith and many others. This music created melodies incorporating elements from Indian classical music and the Far East, mysticism, and more textured arrangements with uncommon instrumentation such as tablas, tambura and harps. Philosophy of the World presents a primer on this unique brand of jazz that sought the sacred.

The legendary MF DOOM's (Daniel Dumile) work can be found under a plethora of monikers but his style is unmistakable. Through his unique blend of hip-hop and nerd culture, husky flow, and indelible, off-kilter rhymes DOOM has built an enduring, broadly loved and influential legacy. On episode 33 we take a deep dive into the super villain's catalog, starting with early KMD years as Zev Love X. After being abandoned by the music industry, he returned to the scene with revenge on the mind, dawning a metal mask and spitting with a new ferocity. The result was a string of several classic albums culminating in a gold standard of underground hip-hop in Madvillainy. Since then, MF DOOM's output has become more sporadic, but while he may not do exactly what we want, he's the super villain we deserve.

Philosophy of the World episode 32 is all about the early years of post-punk. It's such a diverse and important movement we couldn't fit it all in so we focused on its formative years of 1978 and 1979. From the ashes of UK punk, the appropriately dubbed post-punk emerged carrying the raw DIY ethos of punk but embracing new sounds and experimentation. A disparate group of artists coalesced under the expansive umbrella of post-punk in major hubs of London and Manchester in the UK and New York and San Francisco in the US. Dig in to this rich movement with us and enjoy the angular funkiness of Gang of Four, the dub-infused rhythms of The Slits, the early synth experimentations of Tuxedomoon, and the textured, cold dissonance of Public Image Ltd.

Episode 31 of Philosophy of the World is closing out 2017 with our best albums of the year. Reflecting back, it's easy to see how diverse and multifaceted the music world has become. There are endless pockets of micro-communities doing their own thing. With the rise of internet music journalism we naively thought it would result in an increased democratization of music consumption with the underground weirdos pushing aural boundaries gaining newfound prominence. Underground culture still remains underground, but that's not to say it's not still going strong. We want to embrace, celebrate and invest in the weird, the underground, the do-it-yourselfers, and the outsiders. So, celebrate the phenomenal music of 2017 with us as we listen to a wide array of sounds ranging from a perfect blend of new age and spiritual jazz from Carlos Nino & Friends, to the abstract and tripped-out hip-hop of Milo, to the meditative bliss of Deradoorian, and to the hyper-modern sound design of Visible Cloaks. Let's dig into the best of 2017.

Ariel Pink (Ariel Rosenberg) is the focus of episode 30 of Philosophy of the World. We explore two decades of his outsider pop ranging from the early, blasted and lo-fi home recordings, to the Haunted Graffiti records that earned him a cult following, and up to present day with his slicker, widely renowned records. We begin with the compiled early recording experiments from Thrash & Burn and the early albums under the moniker Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti that partially inspired hypnogogic pop and chillwave in underground music. Some of these records were eventually reissued on Paw Tracks thanks to Animal Collective, vaulting Ariel Pink into newfound prominence and accolades. Since that time he's released a consistent string of excellent LPs on 4AD and, earlier this year, on Mexican Summer with Dedicated to Bobby Jameson. Tune in to enjoy decades of music from this controversial weirdo outsider.

This month on Philosophy of the World, episode 29 is all about the "scene that celebrates itself." Shoegazing was a relatively short-lived subgenre emerging from the confluence of punk, post-punk, space rock and dream pop in the late 1980's and early 1990's in the UK. We start by listening to some "proto-shoegaze" including the noise pop of The Jesus and Mary Chain, the wall-of-guitars space rock of Loop and ethereal dream pop of Cocteau Twins. We then focus on the initial wave of shoegaze bands up to about 1993. Not only do we listen to the "big three" including My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive, but we also spin some of the lesser appreciated groups such as the harder-edged Catherine Wheel, industrial gothisms of Curve, and the hypnotic pop of Pale Saints. Enjoy this primer on a subgenre that, while brief, continues to influence underground music today.

Philosophy of the World is back by not-so-popular demand with episode 28! We’re mixing up the format of the show and keeping things themed, but still weird. For our return episode, we’re focusing on the discography of a favorite band of ours, Liars! We cover their music from their early days as a NYC-based dance punk quartet, through their excellent high concept albums, and into their foray incorporating electronics into their sound. In the end we share two new songs off of the newly released TFCF, which is now essentially a solo album by the front man Angus Andrew. Join us and see exactly why Liars is a timeless project of weirdos creating unique sounds.