What's This Album About?

The Lemon Twigs explore the effects of cruelty on innocence on their new album, Go To School, an allegory about a chimp who goes to school for human kids.

The past and the present come together on this innovative album that seamlessly blends old-timey songs with fresh new beats.

On the surface, Mitski's new album, Be the Cowboy, is full of sweetly melancholic songs about love and loneliness. But on closer look, it's a serious commentary on the heartbreaking differences between who we are, how we present ourselves, and what others perceive.

How did rock n' roll transform from teenage dance music to serious art? Host Bobby Waller explains in this bonus episode on rock's coming of age.

Alt-country star Robbie Fulks collaborated with Linda Gail Lewis (Jerry Lee Lewis's sister) to create "Wild, Wild, Wild"--an album that pays tribute to the raucous spirit of early rock n' roll. The album is full of wit, grit, and cleverly-crafted lyrics that showcase Fulks' songwriting acumen and Lee's timeless vocals (she's 71!). Many of the songs reflect Lee's rich life experiences as a first-generation rocker and celebrate the musical influences that helped shape the genre. Listen in as host Bobby Waller reviews the five most memorable stanzas "Wild, Wild, Wild."

It's been forty years since the release of Q: Are We Not Men A: We Are Devo! Host Bobby Waller explores the meanings behind the band's name, debut album title, and song lyrics. Learn why this quirky band's satirical social commentary feels as relevant today as it did in the early days of MTV.

Critics are calling Automata II by Between the Buried and Me a prog metal triumph. But what is prog metal? And what's going on tin this dark tale of mania and manipulation?

The album title "Please Don't Be Dead" and artwork references blues artist Fantastic Negrito's brush with death in 1999 that left him in a coma for three weeks. Host Bobby Waller shares the fascinating back story of this drug-dealer-turned-Grammy-winner whose new album warns us of the perils of our times while artfully avoiding divisive political rhetoric.

How is Angelique Kidjo's remake of classic Talking Heads album like a pizza? Host Bobby Waller explains how Kidjo's take on Remain In Light is an example of what sociologist of religion call "the pizza effect." The pizza effect describes what happens when an element of one culture (pizza) is more fully embraced by another (America) and then it gets exported back to the culture of origin (Italy), often with raised status. Through this album, we'll trace the fascinating path of the "pizza" of musical styles that have traversed the shores of the American and African continents.

Critics are calling Father John Misty's new album "raw" and "honest". But what exactly does it take to write honestly? Host Bobby Waller looks at the techniques FJM uses to communicate frankness in his writing.