This week, Craig and Kevin rewind to 1985 for their albums of the week.

Kevin kicks things off with Pandemonium’s Hole in the Sky — a melodic heavy metal gem that captures the mid-‘80s underground energy without falling into cliché. Craig follows with Gene Loves Jezebel’s Immigrant, spotlighting the band’s shimmering blend of gothic rock, post-punk, and alt-pop textures that helped define the era’s darker edge.

From there, the conversation shifts to music industry headlines:

• A major pop artist selling their catalog — what does it mean when legacy artists cash out?
• The cultural and streaming impact of this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
• The new era of online music media, where paywalls and subscription models are becoming increasingly common — is this sustainable, or does it limit discovery?

From metal to moody alt-rock to modern music business realities, this one covers a lot of ground.

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 📩 Got a favorite 1985 deep cut or thoughts on catalog sales? Email us at [email protected]!

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This week, Craig and Kevin rewind all the way back to 1960 for their overlooked & underrated album picks. Kevin kicks things off with Rev. Gary Davis' Harlem Street Singer, a stunning gospel-blues staple, while Craig spotlights the soulful hard bop of Lou Donaldson’s Sunny Side Up.

In timely fashion, they turn their attention to the 2026 Grammy Awards, discussing recent wins, snubs, and what the awards mean (or don’t) in today’s ever-evolving music landscape. That leads them into a deeper look at the top 5 Grammy winners of all time, including Beyoncé, Georg Solti, and others who dominated their genres.

Finally, the duo explores the music industry’s funding boom and the consequences of big business acquiring music catalogs. What does this mean for creativity, control, and the future of indie artists

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 📩 Got thoughts on the Grammys or catalog buyouts? Email us your take or album recs at [email protected]!

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In this episode, Craig and Kevin travel back to 1981 — a year brimming with genre-bending breakthroughs. Craig highlights the rootsy dub rhythms of Love Joys – Reggae Vibes, while Kevin fires things up with Riot – Fire Down Under, offering a nod to Y&T – Earthshaker along the way. Their journey through the year’s sonic spectrum leads to a brief tribute to Ozzy Osbourne’s The Ultimate Sin, celebrating its anniversary and place in the hard rock canon.

They cap things off with a bit of freeform riffing, discussing the lasting influence of Amoeba’s What’s In My Bag series and Trackstar’s deep-dive music content on YouTube. It’s all about where we find music, how we connect to it, and the joy of discovery.

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Craig and Kevin kick things off by digging into two overlooked albums from 1968 — Craig’s pick is Savoy Brown, bringing gritty British blues-rock to the table, while Kevin highlights Giant Crab, a psychedelic pop-rock outfit that deserved far more attention.

From there, the conversation fast-forwards to the present (and beyond) with a look at another 2026 music trend pulled from Octiive.com: the growing role of AI in music creation. But rather than framing it as a threat, Craig and Kevin explore how AI could actually enhance creativity, streamline workflows, and help independent artists push boundaries — without losing the human touch.

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Craig and Kevin head back to 2015 to spotlight two criminally underrated albums: Craig’s pick is Helio Sequence’s self-titled LP — a shimmering slice of indie pop precision — while Kevin highlights Sonny Landreth’s Bound By the Blues, a rootsy, slide guitar-driven masterclass.

The conversation then shifts toward something more personal: how their musical tastes have changed over the years. While both hosts grew up immersed in classic rock, hard rock, and metal, they’ve slowly gravitated toward modern soul, instrumental hip-hop, and experimental textures. It may have felt unexpected at first, but now it’s part of the journey — and they encourage you to lean into your own evolving ears, too.

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 📩 Think we missed something? Want to share your 2015 pick? Email us: [email protected]

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Craig and Kevin toast the start of a brand-new year by spotlighting their overlooked albums of 2005, including Craig’s pick Wilderness by Archer Prewitt (of The Sea & Cake) and Kevin’s pick Popsicle by Diamond Nights. This naturally leads to a conversation about artists who seemed to vanish just as their careers were heating up — from Lauryn Hill to Terence Trent D’Arby to Marjorie Fair and beyond.

They then pivot to a new segment inspired by industry insights from Octiive.com, digging into the prediction that independent artists will continue to gain power in 2026 — a topic they plan to revisit throughout the season.

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 📩 Think we missed something? Send us your picks or share your thoughts: [email protected]

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This is it — the final episode in our Top 25 Albums of 2025 series!

Craig and Kevin kick things off with their “Soundtrack to… Boxing Day” — a curated playlist that reflects the calm, the leftovers, the quiet reflection, and the random chaos of December 26.

Then, it’s time for a holiday-themed edition of Dig It, Dump It, or Don’t Get It, where Craig tosses Kevin a stocking full of musical and cultural curveballs.

Finally, the guys reveal their Top 5 Albums of the Year, capping off a multi-week countdown full of deep cuts, bold picks, and plenty of discovery.

📀 Craig’s Top 25 Albums of 2025

1. Gaspard Eden – Crooked Lines
2. Rose City Band – Sol Y Sombra
3. Okonski – Entrance Music
4. Foxwarren – 2
5. Sharp Pins – Radio DDR (HM: Balloon Balloon Balloon)
6. Midlake – A Bridge to Far
7. Bleary Eyed – Easy
8. Remi Panossian Trio – 88888888
9. Jens Kuross – Crooked Songs
10. GoGo Penguin – Necessary Fictions
11. Dijon – Baby
12. Sessa – Pequena Vertigem de Amor
13. The Berries – S/T
14. Alex G – Headlights
15. Sloan – Based on the Best Seller
16. Night Moves – Double Life
17. Steve Gunn – Daylight Daylight (HM: Music For Writers)
18. Andy Bell – Pinball Wanderer
19. Eddie Chacon – Lay Low
20. No Joy – Bugland
21. Djo – The Crux
22. Caroline Rose – Year of the Slug
23. Nat Birchall – Liberated Sounds
24. Valentim Frateschi – Estreito
25. Tony Molina – On This Day

📀 Kevin’s Top 25 Albums of 2025

1. Rose City Band – Sol Y Sombra
2. Alice Cooper – The Revenge of Alice Cooper
3. Will Hoge – Sweet Misery
4. Sessa – Pequena Vertigem de Amor
5. Cheikh Lô – Maame
6. Southern Avenue – Family
7. Benmont Tench – The Melancholy Season
8. Dijon – Baby
9. Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives – Space Junk
10. Robert Finley – Hallelujah! Don’t Let the Devil Fool Ya
11. Lady Wray – Cover Girl
12. Tash Sultana – Return to the Roots (EP)
13. Benjamin Booker – LOWER
14. Larkin Poe – Bloom
15. Songhoy Blues – Heritage
16. Goose – Chain Yer Dragon
17. Blood Orange – Essex Honey
18. Night Flight Orchestra – Give Us the Moon
19. Bahamas – My Second Last Album
20. Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful
21. KAYTRANADA – AIN’T NO DAMN WAY
22. sombr – I Barely Know Her
23. Butcher Brown – Letters From the Atlantic
24. Rodney Crowell – Airline Highway
25. Samantha Fish – Paper Doll

📍 Next week: We return to our overlooked/underrated albums: 2005
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The countdown continues!

This week, Craig and Kevin dive into Part 2 of their Top 25 Albums of 2025, revealing picks #15 through #6 — trading selections back and forth as the excitement builds toward the top.

Before diving into this week’s picks, the guys recap last week's entries (#25–16) to refresh your memory:

Craig's Picks (#25–16):
25. Tony Molina – On This Day
24. Valentim Frateschi – Estreito
23. Nat Birchall – Liberated Sounds
22. Caroline Rose – Year of the Slug
21. Djo – The Crux
20. No Joy – Bugland
19. Eddie Chacon – Lay Low
18. Andy Bell – Pinball Wanderer
17. Steve Gunn – Daylight Daylight
16. Night Moves – Double Life

Kevin's Picks (#25–16):
25. Samantha Fish – Paper Doll
24. Rodney Crowell – Airline Highway
23. Butcher Brown – Letters From The Atlantic
22. sombr – I Barely Know Her
21. KAYTRANADA – AIN'T NO DAMN WAY
20. Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful
19. Bahamas – My Second Last Album
18. Night Flight Orchestra – Give Us The Moon
17. Blood Orange – Essex Honey
16. Goose – Chain Yer Dragon

They then move into Part 2 of their countdown, and the genre range is wide this time around — from Power Pop to Experimental Soul, Indie Rock to Americana, Neo-Psychedelia to Brazilian Folk, and everything in between. Whether you’re digging deep or hearing a name for the first time, this list is packed with discovery.

📍 Next week: the grand finale — our Top 5 Albums of the Year!

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📩 Think we missed something? Email us at [email protected] with your list or let us know your #1 pick - we might just air it live!

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It’s list season, and Craig and Kevin are kicking things off with the first part of their Top 25 Albums of 2025, revealing picks #25 through #16 in this episode.

Expect a wide-ranging mix of styles and sounds — from modern psych-pop to gritty roots rock — with shoutouts to artists like Tony Molina, Caroline Rose, and Steve Gunn from Craig’s list, and Kaytranada, Miley Cyrus, and Samantha Fish from Kevin’s.

Some you’ve heard of, others might be new to your radar — but all of them brought something unique to the year in music.

📍 Tune in next week for picks #15–6, followed by our grand finale: the Top 5!
📩 Got a favorite? Think we’re crazy? Email us at [email protected] and let us know your Top 25.  We'll might just post your list live as well!

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Craig and Kevin shake things up in Episode 31, leading off with their underrated/overlooked album picks from 2008, a year rich in genre mashups and shifting sounds as digital took hold.

Then it’s time to debut some brand-new segments:

🎯 Dig It / Dump It / Don’t Get It – Craig hits Kevin with 10 polarizing artists, genres, or food choices and Kevin responds with gut-check honesty.

🔫 Top 5 On the Fly (Metaphorical Gun to Your Head) – Kevin flips the format and throws a surprise artist Craig’s way, asking for a top 5 song list, no time to think, no room to dodge.

They close things out with this week’s playlist feature:

🎶 The Soundtrack to… The First Beer of the Weekend

Each host brings 5 tracks that feel like cracking open a cold one after a long week — from Friday night anthems to laid-back porch jams.

▶️ A YouTube playlist will be created for this “Soundtrack to…” theme and all future entries.

Finally, Craig and Kevin tease what’s coming next:
🧨 A 3-episode countdown of their Top 25 Albums of the Year is on deck… stay tuned.

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📩 Send us your own Dig It/Dump It picks or top 5 challenges: [email protected].

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