Under the Radar Podcast

Memphis-bred singer/songwriter Julien Baker's third album Little Oblivions revisits familiar themes in her confessional writing — faith, addiction, mental health and her sense of isolation. However, in the process of writing the album, Julien had to undergo more transformation than ever before. She now has a radically different understanding of God, of her own struggle with addiction, and how she squares that with her own queer identity. She's also attempting to be kinder to herself. The catalyst for much of this change was losing her sobriety in 2018. It prompted her to cancel shows and step away from her music career — the thing that she loved the most — and possibly giving it up altogether, as she went back to University to finish her degree.

Many thanks for making this possible — Thank you Julien for your love of God and returning to music-making. To 6131 Records for use of "Sprainked Ankle." To Matador for use of all other songs from albums Turn The Light Out and Little Oblivions. And to Kobalt Music Publishing for all songs. Special thanks to Abby Rubin from Beggars Group, and Katie Nelson at Grandstand Media for additional support.

Songs Featured: "Hardline," "Sprained Ankle," "Claws At Your Back," "Faith Healer," "Ziptie," "Ringside," and "Relative Fiction."

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Experimental art-pop and noize band Xiu Xiu's single "Rumpus Room" found me on a particular low day in early 2021. I remember puttng it on, cranking the volume up and jumping around like a sugar-ed up toddler in a boucy castle. There's hints that the song is about more serious things but in that moment I needed joy and bouce—and that's what I found. Jamie Stewart began Xiu Xiu 20 years ago. The band has seen many configurations and different members. For the last decade, Xiu Xiu's been a duo of Stewart with Angela Seo. Xiu Xiu's music is often confronting either thematically or in the noize elements that Jamie employs. Diving into it, is its own reward. Their latest is OH NO, an album of duets. It features Sharon Van Etten, Angus Andrew from Australian band, Liars, Twin Shadow, Owen Pallett and LA's First Wave punk pioneer, Alice Bag.

Many thanks for making this possible — Thank you Jamie for all the noize, madness, mayhem and beauty. And that infectious laugh. To Kill Rock Stars for use of "I Luv The Valley OH" and "Apple For A Brain." And to Polyvinyl for use of all other songs. To Catherine Herrick from Motor Mouth Media for media support.

Songs Featured: "Rumpus Room," "I Luv the Valley OH," "I Luv Abortion," "Apple For A Brain," "Honey Suckle," "Sad Mezcalita," "Saint Dymphna," "I Dream Of Someone Else Entirely," "Antz," and "Bottle of Rum."

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English rock duo, Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher are Royal Blood. When they burst on the scene with their eponymous, debut album in 2014—boasting an old school rock sound reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they were immediately hailed the saviors of guitar rock. Their sophomore album, How Did We Get So Dark followed the same playbook. There's an evolution in their sound on Typhoons, their latest studio album. It harks back to their eclectic roots. Both honed in their skills playing in various bands from soul and pop to funk and indie rock, as well as at church services and with wedding bands. It now also begs the question—where will Royal Blood go next?

Many thanks for making this possible — Thank you Ben for picking up those chopsticks way back when you were knee high to a grasshopper. To Warner Records for use of Master Recordings and Warner Chapell Music for use of all songs. To Rick Gershon at Warner Records for the endless support. And to Ness Smith-Savedoff for additional editing help.

Songs Featured: "Typhoons," "Figure It Out," "Out of The Black," "I Only Lie When I Love You," "Trouble's Coming," "Boilermaker," "Limbo," and "All We Have Is Now."

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Australian indie rocker Courtney Barnett's latest album Things Take Time, Take Time is an attempt to be kinder to herself. To not worry about the big picture of how to stay successful or even sane after achieving then sustaining global stardom against the backdrop of a world that seemed to be burning at each turn. Instead, she shfts her mind and focus on the small comforts — regular Zoom calls with friends during the Pandemic, taking in the laid-back beauty of a Joshua Tree sunset, the blush of a new love and the acceptance of the cycles of change in life. By Courtney's own admission she finds it hard to say the right thing in any given moment, and perhaps that's why songwriting is such a precious outlet for her. Anonymous Club, a new documentary by her longtime collaborator and friend, Danny Cohen (scheduled for released in 2022) will reveal the scope of her turmoil during the darkest days of her last tour. But for now she is employing her best defense 'being annoyingly optimistic."

Many thanks for making this possible — Thank you Courtney for giving us a piece of your heart, even when it hasn't been easy. To Mom & Pop Records for use of all songs. And to Katie Nelson and Grace Jones at Grandstand Media for all the support.

Songs Featured: "Rae St," "Avant Gardener," "Pedestrian At Best," "City Looks Pretty," "Nameless Faceless," "Splendour," "Oh The Night," and "If I Don't Hear From You Tonight."

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We listen to some tape that didn't make the main SPELLLING episode. And are joined by podcaster Alexandra Cohl of The Pod Broads who discusses the different pieces that she thinks an artist like SPELLLING brings to her music. From the lasting effects of transgenerational trauma that manifests itself on SPELLLING's track "Haunted Water," to her bi-racial identity that quietly informs all her work. Alexandra—whose partner is multi-hyphenate rapper, producer and Empire State Music & Arts festival founder, Kerry Blu—also sheds some light on the ways artists of color have felt about the previous administration's mishandling of the pandemic. And as a creative couple—and a singer herself—she reveals how they had to set boundaries for themselves during the difficult New York Shelter in Place. Follow Alexandra on Instagram @pod.dralandand on Twitter @poddraland Be sure to listen to her podcast The Pod Broads. And for Kerry Blu's fresh new EP, The Game Is The Game, please head to Spotify.

Write us an Apple Podcast review or if you prefer to share your thoughts via email, drop us a line at [email protected]

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Bay Area-based experimental artist Chrystia Cabral started making Gothic-inspired music as SPELLLING, in 2017. The dabbling and experimenting of her first two albums were instructive but have now given way to something more intentional. The bewitching vocals and haunting soundscapes of Pantheon of Me and Mazy Fly are still present but her art has evolved and expanded sonically and thematically on her lush, third record The Turning Wheel. She pulls from Science Fiction authors, fairy tales, Disney and Afro Futurism—building worlds intended for fans of her music to inhabit and seek refuge.

Many thanks for making this possible — Tia for taking us through the looking glass and into space. Thank you Sacred Bones Records for use of music. And to Sam McAllister at Pitch Perfect PR.

Songs Featured: "Always," "Walk Up To Your House," 'Real Fun" "Little Deer," "Queen of Wands," "The Future," "Emperor with an Egg," "Boys at Schoo," "Revolution" and "The Turning Wheel."

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We hear a bit of tape from Sleaford Mods singer Jason Williamson that did't make it to the main episode. Our guest is musician, producer and award-winning podcaster Martin Zaltz Austwick. He shares some of his thoughts on the class warfare endemic to the music of Sleaford Mods and why he sets a higher bar for pop music. As the co-host of Song by Song podcast—a show about the music of Tom Waits—we of course, discuss the genuis of the left-of-field autuer!

Please visit Martin's blog Year of The Bird to hear the four volumes of music and read the incredible journey of unexpected twists and turns that his life took that year. Follow him on Twitter @martinaustwick and support his music-making as Pale Bird, on Bandcamp.

Write us an Apple Podcast review or if you prefer to share your thoughts via email, drop us a line at [email protected] — and you might be featured on the podcast.

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On Sleaford Mods latest album Spare Ribs the Nottingam duo keep their aim firmly at the ruling political class and their mishandling of the pandemic. As the U.K. reels from further economic unraveling thanks to the harsh realities from the Tory push for Brexit, coupled with a decade of austerity measures, Jason Williamson's agit-punk over Andrew Fearn's sly beats continues to give voice to the everyman and their frustrations. Lyrically, the rants are richer, more poetic and in parts intimate, stripping it of the machismo that his image might first brandish to the casual listener. Williamson sheds light on this shifting perspective. He is still shouting about the world outside but also ruminating on parts of his interior life that may have been previously locked away.

And after a hard slog to the top, they appear eager to extend a hand to nascent women artists. Watch out for newcomer Billy Nomates and Australian, Amy Taylor, from Amyl & The Sniffers—both have excellent features on this album.

Many thanks for making this possible — Thank you Jason for giving a F*ck. To Rough Trade Records and Abby Rubin at Beggars Group for use of songs. Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn for use of "Don't Want A Disco Or 2." And Talia Miller at Rough Trade Records for additional support.

Songs Featured: "Nudge It," "Jobseeker," "Don't Wanna Disco Or 2," "BHS," "Shortcummings," "Elocution," "Mork & Mindy," "Top Room," "I Don't Rate You" and "Out There."

To share your thoughts on this episode, email: [email protected]

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We hear two pieces of tape that didn't make it to the main Adrian Younge episode. Both speak to these awkward and sometimes very difficult conversations on race that we should all be having, especially in the aftermath of George Floyd and this country's race reckoning. We also speak to a promising young artist, jaythehomie, from emo-rap duo RoeShamBeaux about his thoughts on Adrian Younge's album The American Negro and the things he learnt that weren't in any history book. He also shares his own experiences with racism and the concept of double consciousness, growing up in suburban Virginia. Follow @RoeShamBeaux on twiitter, instagram, Spotify and Apple Music. Check out this last EP Emergency here. and look out for new music later this year.

Write us an Apple Podcast review or if you prefer to share your thoughts with us via email, please drop us a line at [email protected] — and you might be featured on the podcast. Get your latest print copy of Under the Radar magazine here.

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The cover art of Adrian Younge's album The American Negro depicts the shocking image of a man hanging from a tree. Flip the cover over and the other image reveals that on his back is a note which reads 'This n***** voter." You may ask "Why, do we need an image so offensive? Or an album like this one now?" A multi-hyphenate artist dedicated to shining a light on the unsung heroes of soul, jazz and culture, Adrian also shares a deep love for history which he is keen to impart to us. As he believes knowledge and education are the key to understanding our current social ills.

The American Negro is a multi-pronged project that includes a short film called TAN and Younge's podcast Invisible Blackness. His conversations with Public Enemy's Chuck D and Brian Jackson, Gil Scott-Heron's jazz collaborator on "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and some of the most crucial albums of the '70s contributing to the Black Consciouness —are illuminating and not to be missed.

Many thanks for making this possible — Adrian for taking on this work of helping us all to educate ourselves. To Dru Lojero at Linear Labs for assistance with music clearance. To Jazz Is Dead for use of Masters and to Sony Publishing. Thanks to Shazila Mohamad and Zoe HInes at Grandstand Media for additional support.

Songs Featured: "The American Negro," "Bitches Do Voodoo," "Sirens," James Mincey Jr," "Margaret Garner," "Race Is A Fellacy" and "Light On The Horizon."

To share your thoughts on this episode, email: [email protected]

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