The Sad Dad Radio Hour

The guys are back with their latest release over John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats’ first studio album, Tallahassee. To jump right in, this is a concept album over a couple’s doomed relationship. In fact, the main artist behind the Mountain Goats, John, at one point would say, “The album was about these characters I’d dreamed up a long time ago; their broader story involved an alcohol-soaked trek from California through Nevada and then bottom-crawling across the country until they wound up in northern Florida”. Seriously, album pulls no punches. I mean, after all this album takes place in Tallahassee, and if inland Florida doesn't scream depressing, we don’t know what does

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In the fifth episode of season two, the guys cover Waxahatchee’s 2013 sophomore record-- Cerulean Salt. The album is a stripped back and emotionally exposed indie rock record that was one of the first and finest examples of the indie boom happening in Philadelphia during the 2010’s. Building on her evocative lofi debut, American Weekend, Katie Crutchfield delivered a record that contained all of the emotional gravitas of the previous album, but encapsulates it in a more mature and sophisticated look at how relationships with family, friends, and significant others change as we age

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In the fourth episode of season two, the guys talk about Sad Dad Legends-- Wilco. Headed by frontman, Jeff Tweedy, Summerteeth is their third studio album(not counting a Woody Guthrie tribute of sorts with Billy Bragg). It's the first album where the band’s alt-country tentacles begin reaching towards an expanding psychedelic direction. It’s a mixture of dark lyricism and eclectic instrumentation which was fueled by American Spirits, Diet Coke, and opioids. Its very sad… and it’s very dad. So join us on another hour long adventure as we talk about what Jeff Tweedy describes as the “hyper-sexual nature of Wilco’s music”

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In the third episode of season two, the guys talk about blink 182's third studio album-- Enema of the State. Released in 1999, the project is a soufflé of California Pop-Punk scene of the time. Layered over power chords and palm muting the band’s lyrics combined sincere feelings with sophomoric humor. And while now it might seem like baby’s first pop punk album, each song is a expression of desperation and anxiety, as our hormonal heros fumble their way through life

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In the second episode of season two, the guys talk about the last album that Pitchfork gave a 10/10-- Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Released in 2010, Ye was fresh off of causing controversy at the 2009 VMA after interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. Middle America was appalled and horrified, and so, in order to regain his composure West and company fly out to Honolulu where they work around the clock crafting a breathtaking, magnum opus. It's sleek. It's opulent. It's one hell of an album

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In the first episode of season two, the guys explore the self-titled debut from folk punk icon, Paul Baribeau. Released in 2004, it was a marquee release for Plan-It-X-Records and a crucial album for the midwest folk punk scene of the 00's. Emotionally raw, decidedly sad, and in many respects, a shockingly honest record

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In the final episode of season one, the guys bring three of their favorite albums from 2018 to the table. From Daughters to Soccer Mommy, Kamasi Washington to Sleep, the Sad Dad Radio Hour yaks on about their likes and dislikes of the various projects. They also look back and touch upon the various trends of the year. So sit back, and enjoy our season one finale

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Today the guys embark on a magical journey, full of delightful surprises, family-friendly lessons, and unforgettable characters, as we breakdown the “Summer in Abaddon” by Pinback. The album, released by Touch and Go Records in October of 2004, and was one of the many indie rock albums that was released during the in-between-times. The dark forces of illegal downloading had all but prevailed, but the forces of good were coalescing, much like the Rohirrim at the conclusion of The Battle of Hornburg. White people music was making a come back, or so it seemed, thanks to the growing popularity of indie music blogs, and the increased hiring of liberal arts school graduates by car commercial producers. Among that new wave of indie records was this album, Pinback’s third. The album fused math rock precision with pop sensibility, and served as the most refined example of the band’s sound to-date. Alas, the good days do not last forever. Joy is only a momentary absence of sadness, which is the true fabric of existence. Put your children to bed. Calibrate your sadness with alcohol. And follow along as we discuss our next Sad Dad classic

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In this episode, the guys are taking it back to 1972, as they talk about Lou Reed’s Transformer. Two years after quietly walking away from the Velvet Underground, and on the heels of his first solo album which was widely considered to be a commercial flop, Lou (alongside Mick Ronson and David Bowie) delivered Transformer. It’s an album about identity, staged in the heart of New York

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In episode sixteen, the guys try to stay positive while breaking down The Hold Steady's "Stay Positive". Released in 2008, the Craig Finn and co. explore the idea of aging gracefully and what happens to the youth of today after "they [get] a bit older, more adult with more adult problems." There's plenty of “woahs”, “ooohs”, and “sha la las”-- so grab a double whiskey coke (no ice)and kick back as we discuss one massive album and its killer parties

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