PLAY DISC

PLAY DISC

By Jon Porobil & Harrison PorobilMusicMusic CommentaryMusic History
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PLAY DISC episodes

  • Episode 026: Smash Mouth - Astro Lounge (1999)

    It's our anniversary, and Harrison has brought a nostalgic favorite from his childhood, Smash Mouth's sophomore album Astro Lounge. In our discussion, we cover...

    • The long shadow that a hit like "All Star" casts over the rest of the album, and all the "All Star but" memes
    • The first albums Jon and Harrison bought for themselves
    • The question of "Who is this album for?" (Spoiler alert: The answer is "Harrison")
    • A probably-too-long aside about how Shrek holds up
    • Smash Mouth's strange affectation of "cool" on this album, as though they don't know what "cool" actually is
    • Harrison's surprising take on the album's reggae song
    • How the pop perfection of "When the Morning Comes" belies a strange structure
    • The origins of "Can't Get Enough of You Baby"
    • Jon wonders what's driving "I Just Wanna See"
    • Our picks for key track and a preview of next week's episode!

      • Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!

      Here's an article about Smash Mouth's crusade against being called a One Hit Wonder on Twitter: https://mashable.com/2016/06/15/smash-mouth-fights-twitter-trolls/

      The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above.

      Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

      Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
      Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
      Email us at [email protected]


      This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

      Support PLAY DISC

      59 min
    • Episode 025: Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking (1988) featuring special guest Mo Ouyang!

      Guitarist Mo Ouyang is here with us today, discussing Jane's Addiction and their 1988 major label debut, Nothing's Shocking! Over the course of an hourlong discussion, we cover...

      • Mo's long residence in Shanghai, China, and the types of guitars you can get there
      • Jane's Addiction's surge in late-80s Los Angeles and their cultural influence
      • Who Jane was, and why it was probably not great for Perry Farrell to write a song that uses her name
      • The hippy vibe of "Summertime Rolls"
      • The influence of Jane's on Mo and his friend MC Frontalot
      • What it was that Ted should "Just admit" on "Just Admit It, Ted..."
      • Whether the lyrics in "Standing in the Shower... Thinking" really say "The water is a-piping hot" or something less wholesome
      • What the "Pigs" represent in "Pigs in Zen"... and for that matter, what "Zen" is in that song, too
      • Our key tracks and a preview of next week's episode!

        • Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!

        The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above.

        Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

        Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
        Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
        Email us at [email protected]


        This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

        Special Guest: Mo Ouyang.

        Support PLAY DISC

        1 hr
      • Bonus episode - Outtakes from Emergency & I with Glenn Case!

        In some outtakes from last week's episode on the Dismemberment Plan, Jon, Harrison, and special guest Glenn Case chat about some of the Dismemberment Plan's later work, social anxiety, karaoke, how Gen-Z has claimed the word "Oof," and Glenn's arm tattoo, depicting the cover art from Emergency & I. They're some fun, if disconnected, pieces of conversation, and we hope they tide you over until next week's episode on Jane's Addiction!

        Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!

        The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above.

        Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

        Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
        Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
        Email us at [email protected]


        This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

        Special Guest: Glenn Case.

        Support PLAY DISC

        18 min
      • Episode 024: The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I (1999) with Special Guest Glenn Case!

        Independent musician Glenn Case is back, this time on an album discussion episode! After winning the PLAY DISC Request Lottery at the end of last episode, Glenn agreed to join us for the discussion on The Dismemberment Plan's 1999 album Emergency & I. OVer the course of our conversation, we discuss...

        • Glenn's occasional correspondence with Dismemberment Plan frontman Travis Morrison, including Morrison's reaction upon learning we were doing this episode
        • Jon and Harrison's difficulty in trying to identify any preceding influence that might explain this album
        • The multiple songs on this album that have odd time signatures, and the one where it was most noticeable ("Is there such thing as seven-and-a-half over four?")
        • The relationship between computer coding and writing these types of songs
        • The early articulation of the idea of "emotional labor" in "Memory Machine"
        • Some discordant vocal melody choices and how they lead to "breakthroughs" as the songs evolve
        • The album's themes of loneliness, struggle, isolation, desperation... The human condition
        • Comparing the hormonal libidinous "Girl O'Clock" with Joe Jacksons' hormonal libidinous "Pretty Girls"
        • Harrison finds an unlikely point of comparison in an anime (who had that on their Bingo card?)
        • "I Love a Magician" and the Turd in the Caviar
        • Our key tracks and a preview of next week's episode!

          • Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!

          The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above.

          Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

          Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
          Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
          Email us at [email protected]


          This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

          Special Guest: Glenn Case.

          Support PLAY DISC

          1 hr
        • Episode 023: Various Artists - Warby Parker Presents Beck's Song Reader (2014)

          Testing the boundaries of our format by pushing the definition of "album" a bit, Jon brings a fairly unconventional compilation for discussion. See, in 2012, Beck published a book of sheet music for an album of new songs, but no recordings. In 2014, Warby Parker sponsored a compilation disc of twenty different artists all performing the songs of Song Reader. The album is eclectic, sprawling, and arguably doesn't even sound much like Beck, so we thought it would be interesting to talk about for an hour!

          Over the course of our discussion, we also cover...

          • Which band probably wouldn't have been considered for this compilation if it hadn't been recorded in 2013 (and why it's fun.)
          • Harrison's discovery of who/what Warby Parker is
          • How Jack White is one of the world's best living guitarists, but he got out-soloed by pre-Grammy Jason Isbell
          • Jon's "Mandela Effect" moment, incorrectly recalling two different songs performed by Beck on this compilation
          • Jarvis Cocker sounding like Rorschach in "Eyes that Say I Love You"
          • Harrison mistaking Sparks for someone else (we later realized it was probably Jordin Sparks)
          • Jon Wonders whether "Saint Dude" might have anything to do with The Big Lebowski
          • The heartbreaking lyrics to "America, Here's My Boy" and why they're even more powerful as performed by Swamp Dogg
          • Our key tracks and a preview of the next episode!

            • Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!

            The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above.

            Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

            Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
            Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
            Email us at [email protected]


            This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

            Support PLAY DISC

            1 hr 1 min
          • Episode 022: U2 - War (1983)

            Harrison requested that Jon try to sell him on U2, so Jon chose their third album, 1983's War (huh!) and set to work. We talk about the band's sense of urgency in their early recordings, Bono's strict antiwar and antiviolence stance, and what it meant in the rock world of the early 80s. Did it work? Listen to find out! We also discuss...

            • Why Jon picked War (huh!) over other U2 albums, even ones he might like better
            • The Edge's guitar rig (notably his delay pedal), and how public perception of it has changed over the years
            • Steve Lillywhite's contributions as producer
            • How Larry Mullen Jr.'s drums are the "secret weapon" of this album
            • How The Edge's guitar is the not-so-secret weapon of the album
            • How Bono took a love song to his wife and turned it into a Soviet WWII ballad
            • The guest musicians from Kid Creole's backing band on "Red Light" and "Surrender"
            • Bono's moral cosmology on "Surrender"
            • How the evocative imagery directly from the Bible used in "'40'" upstages the rest of the album
            • Our key tracks and the PLAY DISC Request Lottery

              • Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!

              The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above.

              Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

              Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
              Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
              Email us at [email protected]


              This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

              Support PLAY DISC

              57 min
            • Bonus Episode - Chatting about cover songs with Derrek Carriveau

              Last week's episode about Joe Jackson ran very long, so we had to cut a lot. This outtake seemed too good to leave on the cutting room floor, as Jon, Harrison, and Derrek talk about cover songs - songs they first heard as covers, songs they didn't realize were covers, and favorite cover songs.

              Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

              Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
              Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
              Email us at [email protected]


              This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

              Support PLAY DISC

              12 min
            • Episode 021: Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! (1979)

              Special guest THE Derrek Carriveau (from the podcast I F'ing Love This Record joins us to discuss Joe Jackson's 1979 debut album Look Sharp! Over the course of an hour, we discuss:

              • Preconceptions about "New Wave" and "80s music" (and note that DECADES AREN'T GENRES)
              • Derrek's experience working in his favorite record store in the 90s
              • The unfortunate "r/niceguys" ethos of some of the lyrics on this album
              • The meaning of "Angular Guitars" in New Wave music
              • How Joe Jackson REALLY knows his way around a chorus
              • The fashion styles discussed (and mocked) in "Baby Stick Around"
              • Graham Maby's phenominal bass playing throughout the record
              • Yes, we do discuss "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"
              • Anthrax's cover of "Got the Time"
              • Our key tracks
              • And a preview of next week's episode

                • Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!

                Follow I F'ing Love This Record on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoveThisRecord1

                Listen to Derrek's podcasts: https://www.lovethisrecord.com/

                Here's the Youtube video of the dice roll: https://youtu.be/J_M3dTQjxUs

                The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above.

                Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

                Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
                Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
                Email us at [email protected]


                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

                Support PLAY DISC

                1 hr 2 min
              • BONUS DISC - Interview with Grace Rowland of The Deer

                It's always a treat when we get to interview the creative force behind an album that we've discussed on the show, and this was no exception! Grace Rowland (aka Grace Park), the singer and songwriter for The Deer, phoned in for an interview with Jon & Harrison! We discussed some of the misheard song lyrics, that Valentine's Day show in 2014, the songwriting process, working in independent studios, genre, and continued our ongoing corrections about pronunciation! Grace also added a pick of her own to the PLAY DISC Request Lottery!

                Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!

                The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above.

                Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast

                Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/
                Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast
                Email us at [email protected]


                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

                Support PLAY DISC

                1 hr 2 min

              About PLAY DISC

              From the publisher's feed

              Every other Tuesday, Jon and Harrison Porobil sit down for about an hour to discuss a full album of music. We will cover many genres from many different time periods—the only common theme is that we think these albums are interesting. We'll discuss concept albums, singles collections, genre explorations, all-time classics, buried treasures, interesting failures, and more.