Episode 21: Parquet Courts

In their inaugural Punk Rock episode, and conclusion to Season 2, Dan and Kev are brushing off their unpreparedness to talk giddily about Parquet Courts’ 2012 release Light Up Gold. They discuss how in the hell a bunch of misfits from Texas ended up creating potentially the last great dent in the New York post-punk scene with their raw and enduring debut release. Will Dan and Kev ever nail down their definitions of post-punk or art punk? Does a straight-forward good time upstage a grand artistic statement? Who exactly are the kinds of people who love Parquet Courts and why are they so hard to find? Stay tuned for bonus content as Kev ventures to Ridgewood Queens for a pack of Swedish Fish.

Dig out your Becktionary and join Dan and Kev as they talk about Beck’s mildly controversial 2014 release Morning Phase. They discuss this album’s relationship to Beck’s discography, but mostly whether it fulfills its stated purpose as a companion piece to 2002’s Sea Change. Has Beck “matured” in his songwriting since Sea Change? Why is Beck constantly expected to reinvent himself? Sure the album sounds amazing…but does that even matter? This album stole a Grammy from Beyonce! Join us because we just can’t Turn Away from discussing Grammycore.

After circling the drain on a broader discussion about Jam music, Dan and Kev are discussing the exquisite piece of proto-jam that is Little Feat’s 1974 release Feats Don’t Fail Me Now. They discuss how Little Feat’s fusion of rock, boogie, and funk form the bedrock of the Jam Band Sound, and the tomes of lore behind Lowell George and his bandmates. Is Little Feat truly the midpoint between Frank Zappa and Phish? Why exactly did Lowell George get kicked out of Zappa’s band? Is Swamp Rock just Californians cosplaying as Southerners? Put on your white overalls and meet us in Georgia cause we're the pod to meet (WERE THE POD TO MEET)

In a dramatic change of form, Dan and Kev decide to nerd out on their mutual love of classical music. Join them as they try to find the most precise and sophisticated words to describe twelve wordless pieces spanning the past three centuries. What is it about classical music that makes it so timeless and ageless? Is this music elitist or is it for everyone? And what pieces of classical do Dan and Kev want played at their respective funerals? Listen now to hear Dan and Kev make stupid out-of-key mouth noises in attempts to capture the beauty before them (and make sure you stay tuned to hear our first ever surprise guests!)

As a gesture of petty revenge against Kev, Dan decides to foist Kev into the absurd universe of MF DOOM and Dangermouse, with their Adult Swim concept album The Mouse and the Mask. They discuss DOOM’s mythos as an artist, and the impact of Adult Swim in raising the profile of these two sleeping giants of the hip-hop landscape. Dan and Kev (don’t) attempt to figure out who MF DOOM really was, and whether his influence can be felt today. Mostly though they just laugh at old movie slang

As a gesture of (failed) petty revenge against Kev, Dan decides to foist Kev into the absurd universe of MF DOOM and Dangermouse, with their Adult Swim concept album The Mouse and the Mask. They discuss DOOM’s mythos as an artist, and the impact of Adult Swim in raising the profile of these two sleeping giants of the hip-hop landscape. Dan and Kev (don’t) attempt to figure out who MF DOOM really was, and whether his influence can be felt today. Mostly though they just laugh at old movie slang

As a gesture of (failed) petty revenge against Kev, Dan decides to foist Kev into the absurd universe of MF DOOM and Dangermouse, with their Adult Swim concept album The Mouse and the Mask. They discuss DOOM’s mythos as an artist, and the impact of Adult Swim in raising the profile of these two sleeping giants of the hip-hop landscape. Dan and Kev (don’t) attempt to figure out who MF DOOM really was, and whether his influence can be felt today. Mostly though they just laugh at old movie slang.

Take a step into the Craigverse as Kev surprises Dan with his most challenging album yet: The Hold Steady’s 2023 album “The Price of Progress”. Dan and Kev will discuss the ins-and-outs of Craig Finn’s vivid and verbose lyrics and the characters contained therein. They also talk about sports…Will Dan and Kev even be friends at the end of this? Can Dan overcome Craig Finn’s attitude? It’ll hurt a little bit, but Dan will do what he do to survive.

Wait…are we still here? In their first ever two-parter, Dan and Kev continue to discuss Dave & Tim’s 1996 concert Live at Luther College. Dan and Kev are getting into uncharted (and unpolished) song territory, but they’ll get through it by discussing the tenets of the jam band ethos and mid-90s mainstream weirdness. How does this early snapshot of Dave Matthews as a songwriter reflect on his career in the 2000s and beyond? What makes this guy so polarizing and Tim so amazing? How many of these songs were they even planning to play? These topics, Christmas, lyrical nonsense and Neil Young are all discussed in this thrilling conclusion. This pod is poured from the hands of angels, so get in the Warehouse because part two is far from a Typical Situation.

A new weird-voiced challenger approaches the Under Records podcast: the unmistakable Dave Matthews and his faithful acoustic savant Tim Reynolds. Dan and Kev cover Dave & Tim’s 1996 release Live at Luther College. What makes Dave so ubiquitous and yet so difficult to describe? Are these songs better performed with a band or as an acoustic duo? Is Tim really a robot that Dave built in his basement? Between discussing Dave’s incredible riff writing, voice, and lyrics, and Tim’s one-of-a-kind accompaniment, Dan and Kev will be lucky to keep this under 3 hours! They don’t particularly have a problem with splitting this one up. What Would You Say?