It's time for a Pick Five episode, dear listener, and as luck would have it it's also time for a particular time, or at least records suited specifically to 3am (eternal). What is a 3am record? We have a few different reads on that as you'll find out, as well as some comments on Ministry and And One tour news.

It’s a classic two records formatted episode of the podcast this week, folks. The first full length record from Informatik and the sole release from electro-punk supergroup Error don’t have a whole lot in common sonically or aesthetically, but as we explore on this episode they’re each the product of a very precise and specific set of sounds, influences, and trends which would have only been accessible or pertinent precisely at the time they were released. 

Hot on the heels of a fantastic retirement concert from Front 242, the Senior Staff are discussing the ins and outs of legacy bands' retirements. When's the right time to pack it in, and who's to say? How does a band's aesthetic or style affect their longevity? We're taking up these and other questions, as well as talking about this week's Nine Inch Nails ticket sales.

This month's commentary podcast has Bruce and Alex ripping through Cubanate's unrelenting "Cyberia", a combination of industrial guitars and contemporary electronic production that's just as furious and engaging as it was in 1994. We're talking Phil Barry's guitar technique, the holy terror of Marc Heal's voice, and how the record manages to deliver a constant stream of tight club tracks while never falling prey to the chaos it rides the edge of.

The thorny issue of requests and how they do and don’t fit into goth-industrial club formats is the subject of this week’s podcast, with Alex and Bruce talking about the issues that come with ‘big tent’ club formats, how patrons expectations have shifted in the streaming era, and do their level best (but occasionally fail) to avoid turning into bitter middle-aged DJs griping about their lots.

The first classic, two albums formatted episode of the new year has us looking at the finely balanced ethereal darkwave of Double Echo, and the immediate and genre-hopping techno-EBM work of Alen Skanner. We're also talking Terminus, the passing of Manufacture's Brian Bothwell, and the prospect of a new NIN tour.

We're jumping into the new year with a podcast previewing forthcoming releases we expect to come in 2025 from a slew of our favourite artists: Encephalon, Spark!, Devours, and more. We're also talking about the passing of Chemlab's Dylan Thomas More, news regarding Ghost Twin and Kindest Cuts, and this year's iteration of Cold Waves. 

Our still recently minted annual tradition of the off-topic commentary is back! After records by Little Boots and GZA in previous years, we're once again wandering away from Our Thing for our final We Have A Commentary of the year. As voted on by our patrons, we're discussing an Iron Maiden record, 1986's Somewhere In Time in particular! From the band's emerging structural experimentation to its classic galloping metal to the increasingly adventurous themes and topics they were taking on, we have a blast discussing one of our mutual favourite metal bands of all time.

As an addendum to our main roster Year End coverage, we're poking out of our Tofurkey comas to each pick five tracks from the past year which stuck with us. Separate from our records of the year and honorable mentions, these are club-joints, one-offs, or just damn catchy ditties we wanted to throw some roses at before the the ghost of Dick Clark does the countdown. We're also discussing the lineup of next year's Verboden festival.

Wrapping up our week of Year End coverage we have an episode of the podcast discussing some common trends and notable factors in our Top 25 records of the year, some statistical number crunching looking back at previous years' lists, and each of the Senior Staff choosing five honourable mention records from the year which didn't quite make the list. Thanks so much for checking the podcast out, whether you're jumping in to get a crash course in the year's best music or you've stuck with us all year.