Stereothematica

We’re getting into the spooky spirit talking about the scariest songs in our music libraries. While Monster Mash and Thriller do make an appearance, we’re clawing our way past the Halloween clichés to scream about the songs that really get under our skin and linger like the breath of death.  

VIDEOS 

Die Antwoord: Baby’s on Fire (2012)

The Zombies: Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914)

SPECIAL TREAT (NO TRICKS HERE)

SCARY SONG LISTENER COLLAB PLAYLIST - Share YOUR scariest songs...if you DARE!!

EXTRAS

Jon Savage on song: The Zombies – Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)

Die Antwoord - Umshini Wam (Short Film, Directed by Harmony Korine, 2011)

Die Antwoord: I Fink You Freeky (2012)

Chappie Featurette (2015)

Pitchfork’s Review of Die Antwoord’s Tension (4.2)

Zef: The Die Antwoord Story (2024)

Die Antwoord Accused of Child Abuse

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Your eyes are not deceiving you–we are indeed going corporate! At least for this episode, wherein we reflect on the strange sorcery of songs from commercials: the ones that, for a moment, make you forget you're a cog in the sparkling machine of late capitalism. Sure, they were used to sell us stuff, but we still kind of love them.

VIDEOS 

Geico Caveman Ad featuring “Remind Me” by Röyksopp (2006)

Remind Me: Röyksopp (2001)

Volkswagen, Trio, Da Da Da (1997)

Trio: Da Da Da (1982)

EXTRAS

Apple iPod Commercial feat. the Ting Tings

Tony Hale in VW Commercial

Volkswagen, Nick Drake, Pink Moon 

Parker Posey Gap Commercial 

Michael Jackson Pepsi Generation 

Gap Khaki Swing

The California Raisins, I Heard it Through the Grapevine

The Ellen Coming Out Controversy for Advertisers

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

What makes a song decadent? Is it the banging build-up giving way to a glorious release? The urge to don a banana skirt or surrender to collapse in a bathtub of brandy?

From glitter to dust and lugubrious Balkan brassy indie waltzes, we wade into the lush layers of musical decadence. Melancholy meets spectacle. Longing meets the dance floor. Find out why surrender sometimes feels like survival, and whether we’re living in a decadent moment ourselves.

VIDEOS 

Babylon Berlin Soundtrack, Severija and the  Moka Efti Orchestra:  Zu Asche Zu Staub (2017)

Prenzlauerberg, Beirut (2006)

EXTRAS

Zu Asche Zu Staub Scene from Babylon Berlin (English Subtitles)

Weimar Decadence - Guardian Piece About the Real Moka Efti 

Nantes Accordion Tutorial (this is from 2012, but Moshe Zuchter has a lot more tutorials with far better quality and more Beirut!) 

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Ah, the joy of an animated TV show. Whether watching a Saturday morning cartoon, something not quite suitable for children, or the classics from the days of yore, you can probably bet on one thing: you're gonna hear a bangin' theme song. From cool-cat jazz on the prowl to a bumbling, cyborg sleuth, we celebrate the cartoon earworms you can’t shake.

VIDEOS 

Pink Panther Theme Song

Inspector Gadget Theme Song

EXTRAS

Skeleton Dance - Silly Symphonies

Pink Panic - Episode of Pink Panther

Pink, Plunk, Plink

The History of Inspector Gadget

Andy Kaufman’s Mighty Mouse

The Social Network  - Winklevoss Brothers Lose

Wait Til Your Father Gets Home

SAMPLING GADGET

Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick: The Show

Bad Boys (feat k love): Bad Boys

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Sometimes holding a grudge isn’t the healthiest option, but indulging one for the length of a song? That might be just what the moment calls for. In this episode, we lean into defiance, righteous anger, and the sweet, private thrill of SINGING what you’d never actually say out loud. To our enemies… this one’s for you!

VIDEOS

Islands: I Feel Evil Creeping In (2008)

Alaska y Dinarama: A Quién Le Importa (1986)

EXTRAS

Article About Serial Theme Song

A Pesar de Todo Trailer 

Thalía at Latin Grammys 2003

Drag Race México - A Quién Le Importa (Thalía cover)

La Casa de las Flores - A Quién Le Importa 

Solteras - A Quién Le Importa (Thalía cover)

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

This week, we are restless! Maybe that’s every week. On edge and buzzing, we talk through the moods and ways of being that come with that jittery energy, and the songs, of course, that match, and sometimes surpass it.

VIDEOS

Almendra: Ana No Duerme (1969)

Parquet Courts: Master of my Craft (2012/3)

EXTRAS

Sean’s Music Hunt - Story of Almendra

Tacks, the Boy Disaster - Frozen Feet

Who Will Save Gen X Podcast

Accelerated Culture Podcast

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

For most of us, going to a concert is a special kind of experience with so many unknowns: Will there be guests? Will you hear your favorite songs, or fresh material that gets you excited for a new album? Will you stand in front of someone who complains about you being too tall? Will someone ask you for a “swallow” of wine? Will you be moved to dance? Or cry? Will this be a night to remember? 

What turns a good show into an iconic performance? And when that iconic performance is at an iconic venue, well, those are the moments we live for.

VIDEOS

Sparks at Hollywood Bowl singing When Do I Get to Sing "My Way" (2023)

Seu Jorge at Hollywood Bowl singing Space Oddity (2017)

EXTRAS

D’oh Re Mi: ‘The Simpsons’ Take the Hollywood Bowl

Sparks Concert Review: Mael Brothers Make It to Hollywood Bowl After 50 Years, Find the Town Is Finally Big Enough

Étoile clip with SPARKS!

Hipster’s Guide to Wes Anderson Soundtracks

Vice Interview with Seu Jorge

Review of the Seu Jorge HB Show (with setlist!)

More fan recordings of Seu Jorge at Hollywood Bowl 

Life on Mars? 

Different Angle Space Oddity and Queen Bitch (Some classic Hollywood Bowl interactions: dude asking for a “swallow” of wine!)

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

We're back, baby! We took our first ever pod-break and we are ready for Season Two. To kick things off, we thought we ought to share some songs that are... well, not quite our typical style. Out of Character, if you will.

VIDEOS

Guns N Roses: You’re Crazy (1987) 

Thin Lizzy: Jailbreak (1976)

EXTRAS

You’re Crazy (Lies)

Best Debut Albums of All Time (GNR Appetite for Destruction #8)

The Story Behind the F-word in "You’re Crazy"

Axl Rose’s Twitter Transformation

Subreddit Survey - Best Version of "You’re Crazy"

Pitchfork’s Review of Jailbreak

Great Guitar Albums: Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak" (1976) as told by guitarist Scott Gorham

If you're new to Stereothematica, WELCOME! We are so excited you're here! 

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back! 

Season 2 starts September 2, and yes, we are making a statement. About music. About meaning. About life and death. Stereothematica is back: dramatic, erratic, and occasionally bombastic.

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement.

And email us at [email protected]! We will write back!