PLAY DISC

By Jon Porobil & Harrison Porobil

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 t... more

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FAQs about PLAY DISC:

How many episodes does PLAY DISC have?

The podcast currently has 40 episodes available.

PLAY DISC episodes:

July 28, 2020Episode 020: The Deer - An Argument for Observation (2013)
It's our twentieth episode spectacular! One of our supporters (and Jon's partner), Vita Porobil, won the PLAY DISC Request Lottery last episode, and she requested An Argument for Observation, the debut album from Austin indie folk band The Deer (who published the album in 2013 under the band name Grace Park and the Deer).
Because it was a request from Jon's wife, the album is also very meaningful to him as well, so he leads the discussion about what's so special about this album to him and his marriage. We also touch on...
Jon's recent success in a songwriting competition
Harrison's computer upgrade issues
Jon's many experiences seeing The Deer live in concert
The cryptic poetry of Grace Rowland's lyrics
How the other meaning of "Mary Sue" colored Harrison's perception of what the song "Mary Sue" is about
The apolcalyptic politics of "Army Ants" and "Paradise"
"Food," the album's creepy stalker ballad
Our PLAY DISC Request Lottery and
Here's a link to the Youtube video for the dice roll: https://youtu.be/LXCL0qTiMns
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
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1h
July 14, 2020Episode 019: Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006), featuring special guest Dan McCoy!
Special guest Dan McCoy (writer for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and co-host of Maximum Fun's bad-movie podcast The Flop House) brings for discussion the 2006 alt-country album by singer-songwriter Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Over the course of our hour-long discussion we cover...
The joys of working from home
What "alt country" means and how Neko Case embodies it
The gulf of difference between Neko Case's solo work and her side project with The New Pornographers
How the album illustrate's Case's disillusionment with religion
The unlikely hints of hopefulness throughout the album
The "twist ending" at the end of "Margaret Vs. Pauline" and how it colors our reading of the rest of the songs
The Ukranian myth behind the title track "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood"
Some of the heartbreaking details behind the mundane violence in "Star Witness"
We roll for the PLAY DISC Request Lottery
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!
You can find Dan McCoy on twitter here: https://twitter.com/dankmccoy
You can watch The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central
You can listen to The Flop House at https://www.maximumfun.org or https://www.flophousepodcast.com/
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
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1h 2min
July 03, 2020Girls Aloud - Chemistry (2005), featuring Matt Latham, Part 2
Picking up right where part 2 left off, Harrison, Jon, and guest Matt Latham, discuss...
The epic Britpop masterpiece "Biology"
The album's overarching themes and concept
The deceptive shallowness of "Swinging London Town"
The sexual politics of "Racey Lacey"
Our key tracks
And a preview of our next episode of PLAY DISC
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
...more
46min
July 02, 2020Girls Aloud - Chemistry (2005) Featuring Matt Latham, Part 1
For our eighteenth episode, Jon & Harrison welcome a guest to discuss an album for the first time. Matt Latham, host of the Pick A Disc podcast on the We Made This network, joins us to discuss Girls Aloud and their 2005 album Chemistry. Our discussion ran very long, so we cut it into two parts, each about 40 minutes, for your easier digestion. For the course of this first half, We discuss:
The massive cultural differences between the US and the UK, and how none of us know whether any particular piece of culture is known in the other country
The history of British reality TV that created Girls Aloud
Brian Higgins and his songwriting team Xenomania
The British tradition of following the annual quest for the Christmas Day #1 single
The coded lyrics of "Models"
The insane structure of "Wild Horses
Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!
Subscribe to Pick A Disc here: https://www.spreaker.com/show/pick-a-disc
Follow Pick A Disc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pickadisc
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
...more
41min
June 03, 2020Episode 017: Suburban Legends - Day Job (2012)
For our seventeenth episode, it’s time to pick it up pick it up pick it up! As Harrison brings Suburban Legends’ 2012 ska album Day Job for discussion. Ska is near and dear to Harrison’s heart, as he may have mentioned a time or two on the show before, so it was about time we covered a ska album! Over the course of the hour-long discussion, we touch on…
What ska is and why it’s so important to Harrison
The ways that Suburban Legends have chafed against their genre before settling into it
The wild genre experiments on this album
Musical allusions and borrowed melodies, and the layers of discovery they add to this album
Suburban Lengends’ residency at DisneyLand and their relationship to Disney…
...Culminating in not just one, but two ska covers of songs from Disney musicals on this album!
How “Arigato” combines Harrison’s love of ska with his weeaboo tendency
Harrison’s translation of the Japanese lyrics in “Arigato”
The surprising guest appearance by indie rapper Lyrics Born
The PLAY DISC Request Lottery and a preview of our 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
...more
1h 0min
May 19, 2020Episode 016: Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003)
For our sixteenth episode, Jon & Harrison take on an album requested by one of their past interview guests! Patty Lynn of The Wind + The Wave requested Transatlanticism, the 2003 concept album by indie darlings Death Cab for Cutie. Over the course of an hour-long discussion, we cover…
The silliness of “Death Cab for Cutie” as a band name, and other silly band names of the aughts
Whether this truly counts as a concept album, and what even is a concept album, anyway?
The occasionally clunky word choices permeating this album
The contrasting energies of Ben Gibbard’s lyrics as Chris Walla’s expansive musical arrangements
More bad impersonations by Jon - Millhouse van Houten, President Bill Clinton, and Zero Mostel
How the lyrics do not show Ben Gibbard (or the character he’s playing) in a very flattering light
Some speculation over different interpretations of “Tiny Vessels,” “Transatlanticism,” and “Passenger Seat”
Harrison and Jon reveal their picks for Key Track
The Request Lottery and a preview of next episode's album
Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!
The dice roll from this episode's Request Lottery can be found here: https://youtu.be/tYc4_Z4HWk8
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 any level.
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
...more
56min
May 05, 2020Episode 015: Linda Ronstadt - Hasten Down the Wind (1976)
For our fifteenth episode, Jon brings for discussion the 1976 Linda Ronstadt album, Hasten Down the Wind. Over the course of the hour-long discussion, we cover…
The unjust preconception that Linda Ronstadt’s music is uncool or for the out-of-touch
Ronstadt’s surprising choice to name her album after a song by Warren Zevon
The unbelievable “hot streak” of platinum selling albums this was part of
Ronstadt’s choice to work with more “up and coming” songwriters for this album, like Zevon and Karla Bonoff
David Geffen and his second record label, Asylum
The “Laurel Canyon Sound,” and other artists who have exemplified it over the years
Ronstadt’s relationship with her producer, Peter Asher
The surprising presence of a Spanish-language song penned by Ronstadt herself
The even more surprising presence of an actual Rastafari anthem followed by a "reggae" song… with "reggae" in quotes
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 any level.
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
...more
59min
April 21, 2020Episode 014: Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady (2013)
For our fourteenth episode, Harrison brings for discussion Janelle Monáe's 2013 sophomore album, The Electric Lady. Over the course of our hour-long discussion, we cover...
The album's place in Monáe's ongoing science fiction epic Metropolis
How much importance to place on the "plot" of these concept albums
The incredible feat of roping both Prince and Erykah Badu into guest spots
How much Jon loves Yo Gabba Gabba
How Janelle Monáe embodies the ethos of dancing our way through difficult times, and how that might be counterproductive in 2020
What is and is not an "Overture"
The similarities between this album's "Ghetto Woman" and Jon's key track from Atmosphere's When Life Gives You Lemons, "Dreamer"
"Sally Ride" and its expression of the "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" feeling
Our picks for the key track
Rolling the dice for the PLAY DISC Request Lottery 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 the video for this episode's dice roll: https://youtu.be/GNpu-Pp9Low
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
...more
59min
April 14, 2020BONUS DISC - Jon Interviews Dan Bern!
Included free with last week's episode on Dan Bern, today's BONUS DISC is an interview with Bern himself! Harrison was unable to join, but Jon and Dan spoke on the phone about a number of things, including...
Coping with a pandemic
The politics of Regent Street
Dan's work as a songwriter-for-hire for movies and TV
The changes in songwriting process brough about by Dan's hand injury
How difficult it was to set the track order for Regent Street
His relationship to his earlier material
Dan puts Jon on the spot and asks about Harrison's reaction to Regent Street
And more!
Due to being recording from a phone, the audio quality on this episode is below the standards of previous episodes. We think it's still audible, but have included a transcript of this episode for the purposes of accessibility.
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
...more
59min
April 07, 2020Episode 013: Dan Bern - Regent Street (2019)
For our thirteenth episode, Jon breaks a rule by bringing a recent album to the table - Dan Bern's 2019 album Regent Street. Over the course of an hour, we discuss:
Jon's recent cross-promotional apperance on Pick A Disc with Matthew Latham, in which they discussed a different Dan Bern album.
Why such a recent album was chosen when PLAY DISC is usually a retrospective
Dan Bern's hand injury, how changing his instrument imbued Bern's music with new energy, and how Jon could relate to it
"Dear Tiger Woods" and Bern's career-long fascination with the golfer
The political messages in the songs of Regent Street and the extent to which we agree or disagree with them
How Dan Bern publicly expresses his Jewish identity and our relationship to Judaism (and, sadly, antisemitism)
Whether "Negotiation" is about politics or sex... or both?
What Dan Bern has in common with the Romantic poets of the 18th century
Our picks for the KEY TRACK of Regent Street
The PLAY DISC Request Lottery and a preview of our next episode
Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side!
RIP Adam Schlesinger. 1967-2020. One of the best and most prolific songwriters in recent memory, taken from us too soon.
Hear Jon's guest appearance on Pick A Disc here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/wemadethis/1x32-db
Here is the link to the video of the dice roll: https://youtu.be/IIu1K5e0YAo
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
...more
58min

FAQs about PLAY DISC:

How many episodes does PLAY DISC have?

The podcast currently has 40 episodes available.