On the heels of one of 2020's most acclaimed albums — Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters — we revisited Apple’s debut Tidal and wound up working to extract ourselves from the mostly male gazes that made its reception … much different. We arrive at a question much like writer Jenn Pelly had: “People would constantly prod Fiona on how an 18-year-old could write songs as mature as these ... Why did they not ask instead how she became a genius?”

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The modern world is accelerating beyond our control, shaping our reality in ways we can’t yet perceive or understand. Enter Death Grips, an art project capturing the chaotic energy and illustrating the absurdity of our hubris in trying to harmonize the surreal and extremely real — never more perfectly than on 2012’s prescient "The Money Store".

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Reggae music is easy to take for granted, but its impact is underappreciated and massive — in the case of dub in particular, everyone from Radiohead to Johnny Rotten to Run-DMC owes it a debt.

Augustus Pablo and King Tubby together created what’s regarded as “one of the finest examples of dub ever recorded.” Join us as we dive into the culture, history, and unique engineering experiments that made it possible.

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By every measure — sales, awards, chart-toppers, global name recognition — Rihanna is objectively as big as the Beatles ever were. In fact, ANTI is so big it’s still on the charts, a record five full years later.

Take a closer look with us at “the record you make when you don’t need to sell records”, and get a taste of the true freedom that comes from focusing on your inner voice when faced with insurmountable expectations.

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All American music traces back to the blues, and deep at the root sits Son House. That the recordings on "Father of Folk Blues" even exist is something of a gray area that cuts to the heart of the great American myth, but wherever you land after hearing these stories, you’ll find that what matters most is what the great Muddy Waters once said of House: “That man was the king.”

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The futility of describing the Melvins has stretched critics in the direction of absurd words like “Dadaist” for nearly 40 years now. They’ve belligerently flogged any attempt to pinpoint their essence simply by being themselves, but "Stoner Witch" remains a reliable mall directory for the Melvins’ vast and wild discography. Grab yourself some pretzel bites.

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We should talk about Dolly the way we talk about Prince. Her extraordinary kindness and unique kitsch both make her universally loved, but what gets left out of the conversation is the very thing that made her famous: the music. Join in as we focus attention on the sonics and songwriting of the low-key masterpiece "Jolene".

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Six enlightened rogues out of Macon, Georgia birthed an entire genre simply by being their soul-powered selves. We have not come to testify, but we’re still hung up on the dream The Allman Brothers Band helped us see. By the end of this episode, you will be, too.

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After stepping away from talking about albums in 2020, we took time to regroup and reground in why we started this thing in the first place. Join us as we briefly share our renewed perspective on music coming out of Hell Year and tee up the special group of albums we’ll be diving into over the next few months. There’s a little something for everyone.

First episode of season 5 drops Friday, February 26 — with new ones every other Friday through June.

“The Allman Brothers Band” - The Allman Brothers Band
“Jolene” - Dolly Parton
“Stoner Witch” - Melvins
“Father of Folk Blues” - Son House
“ANTI” - Rihanna
“King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown” - Augustus Pablo
“The Money Store” - Death Grips
“Tidal” - Fiona Apple
“Bitches Brew” - Miles Davis

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Part two of exploring our very specific favorite ways to discover and enjoy new music contrasts sharply with sampling’s vastness. Instead, Cliff laser-focuses in on a world inside four small knobs all dialed to 10.

The Boss HM-2 has spawned a prolific and diverse subculture, tied together by metal and hardcore artists’ quest for tones that differentiate and reflect the intensity of their material. If you love heavy music, you’ll love this playlist. If you don’t, we’re confident you’ll appreciate this headspace and its nuances.

Combine the podcast with the Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vrvfaLql87Lnq4yaDcdXr

Listen with full songs on the YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCTnCqMM9gSc8FVccQzMddWwMZNStj5Ip

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