Ryan and Matt consider M.I.A.’s Matangi, discussing why music I like is always already “indie,” why the backlash to Matangi makes us want to like the album more, the library of norms of a pop music listener, song structure in pop music, the Matangi leitmotif, the library of fuxing, why M.I.A.’s critics are tools of the man, how structural power really works, and what you should do with the poop on your plate.

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Episode 84: M.I.A. is the Katniss Everdeen of Hip Hop originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan and Matt consider Kanye West’s Yeezus, in the form both of the album and of the live show.

We didn’t get to talk about the video for Bound 2 on the show, but you should check it out.

→ Download TFT Episode 83 (MP3)

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Matt and Ryan consider Kanye West’s Yeezus, in both album and tour form.

Episode 83: Leaders and Followers originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan and Matt take a walking tour of New York, talking about their immediate impressions of the city and revisiting some old thoughts about Gossip Girl.

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Episode 82: These Frolicking Tourists originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan and Matt consider The Arcade Fire and their latest album, Reflektor.

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Episode 81: A Darkness of White originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan and Matt consider Chvrches and their debut LP The Bones of What You Believe, addressing songs vs. pieces of music, the blasphemy of mixing genres, and the importance of sucking for a long time.

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Episode 80: The Chvrch of The Chemical Brothers of Latter Day Saints originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan and Matt consider “Tumblr-core” rapper Kitty (formerly Kitty Pryde).

→ Download TFT Episode 79 (MP3)

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Episode 79: Hip Hop Ouroboros originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan and Matt consider Haim’s debut album Days Are Gone.

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Episode 78: I’ll Bet Mr. Haim Makes Great Waffles originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan and Matt consider the discourse of authenticity that attends Lorde’s new album, Pure Heroine, and offer a close reading of the elegiac, anxiety-ridden track “We Can’t Stop” off of Miley (née Destiny Hope) Cyrus’s Bangerz.

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Episode 77: Manifest Destiny originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan and Matt return with a look at Lorde’s “Royals” off The Love Club EP, and her new album Pure Heroine, and set the cognitive agenda for the post-baccalaureate phase of TFT.

→ Download TFT Episode 76 (MP3)

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Please examine these works before our next meeting.

Not mentioned in the episode but also worth a look:

Episode 76: The Fraggle-Cave of our Unconscious originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ryan Sheely and Matthew Wrather consider the entire first season of Lena Dunham’s Girls, focusing on misguided critical backlash, the phenomenon of petit bourgeois-face, the show’s unique economic situation and artistic merits, and all the damn nudity.

→ Download TFT Episode 75 (MP3)

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Episode 75: Petit Bourgeois-face originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]