We're back! 

This week we reviewed Fiona Apple's recent release, Fetch the Bolt Cutters. The album was released after 8 years of self-imposed isolation. Apple sings of love, life, heartache, and the female experience. We analyzed what we loved, liked, disliked, hated. As well as discussing what the album means to us, as we grow older, as we change. 

This week we explored songs/albums that have made their way in and out of our lives. This included music that had shaped, influenced our younger selves, and still remains a part of our lives today. What was so significant about these choices? Why do we revisit them? Have they changed as we’ve grown?

We also reviewed Perfume Genius' new album, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately. Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, is their fifth studio album, produced by Blake Mills (Alabama Shakes, Fiona Apple, John Legend, and Julian Casablancas). The album drew inspiration from The Cocteau Twins, Enya, and John Townes Van Zandt. As well as incorporating movements inspired by dance, which would lead to Hadreas changing the process when songwriting. Perfume Genius was created by Michael Alden Hadreas in rehab. It was in 2005 when he moved back in with his mother and attended AA meetings where he would meet Alan Wyffels. The two upon meeting would form Perfume Genius. Their work reflected on the journey from sobriety to addiction, domestic violence, Crohn’s disease, and the dangers of being gay in today’s society. 

Prom in America is the one night at the end of high school where everybody dresses in their finest gowns and tuxes. It’s a celebration of the end of high school and serves as a “rite of passage” into adulthood. With corona this night was canceled as well as graduation. We wanted to take a moment to reflect and congratulate them for completing this journey, as well as ask what their next plans are.

This episode we reviewed Making A Door Less Open by Car Seat Headrest, the twelfth studio album from the band. This album heavily used EDM, courtesy of frontman Will Toledo and drummer Andrew Katz’s experimental side project, 1 Trait Danger, the “alter-ego”. 1 Trait, wears an orange worker’s over-coat and a gas-mask lined with LED lights. He sings, raps, and almost abuses music trends that made the last decade of the music industry. 1 Trait Danger is not only a side project, but an exploration into different sounds and genres that Toledo and Katz introduced in Making A Door Less Open. The persona has taken over as the “frontman” of the band, giving us an interesting and completely different take on Car Seat Headrest. This week we also explored covers: songs we liked more than the original. These included covers that were professionally recorded or something casual found on Youtube. What did the cover do differently than the original? What made it better? What made it popular? Let’s find out.

This episode not only included a topical discussion but our first every group comprehensive album review of the Stroke’s The New Abnormal.  This week, we discussed music in the time corona: songs that have made this time pass easier. These included: things that we’ve been listening to, things that we recently found, things that we can’t stop listening to that instantly change our mood. But we also wanted to take a moment to reflect on the change in our environment and our future profession. The hosts are trained classical musicians that intend to pursue jobs in either education or performance. With the virus professional orchestras like the L.A. Phill, New York Phill, have canceled all performances. They’ve been moved from studios, concert halls, stages, to at-home live-streams: breaking barriers between audience and the performer/performance itself. How has this changed the role of the audience? The performer? What’s next?

Welcome to the first episode of We Have Ears. A podcast where a group of friends get together (remotely) and discuss music pertaining to a weekly topic. This isn’t just any normal musical podcast! Instead of playing the actual music, we sing the songs ourselves. (because we’re poor). This week we are discussing musical guilty pleasures: songs, artists, and albums that everyone hates, but we secretly love. What constitutes a guilty pleasure? Is it the actual music or is it the stigma? Let’s find out.

Wanna actually listen to the songs we mentioned? Link down below:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7clTcDn0YzuRnwGecjsYvx?si=VirJT34fQ0iG48LrE6mXWw