What's This Album About?

When host Bobby Waller listened to Sarah Shook's new album, Years, he laughed. Out loud. Several times. Why would this country punk album full of dysfunction and dive bars be funny to anyone? In this episode, Bobby looks at the lyrical and musical components of Years through the lens of comic theory to find the subtle and surprising ways Shook uses humor to navigate her way through heartbreak.

Kendrick Lamar's album, DAMN, recently won the Pulitzer Prize for music - the first ever awarded to an album that wasn't classical or jazz. In this deeply reflective concept album, Lamar, a self-proclaimed Christian, looks at the current-day context of the Black experience in America through the lens of the Old Testament. He explores theological questions such as why does God allow innocent people to suffer, what does it mean to be God's chosen people, and how do those who are cursed return to God's good graces? Host Bobby Waller will guide you through this musical exploration of Lamar's theology and answer the questions: Is this art? - and - Is this particular album worthy of a Pulitzer Prize?

Critics are calling Lindi Ortega's tribute to the music of spaghetti westerns one of the best concept albums of 2018. But what IS a concept album? And what's the concept behind Liberty?

On the surface, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends are about as different as two albums can be. But on closer inspection of the lyrics, the similarities are striking. Host Bobby Waller explores this groundbreaking concept album by one of America's most revered folk duos.

Have you ever noticed how often David Byrne uses the word house in his songwriting? Host Bobby Waller takes an in-depth look at the former Talking Heads frontman's favorite word and how its use in this new album reflects a change of thinking from burning down to building up our metaphorical homes.

New Feature: Album News! Starting with this episode, we take a few minutes at the start of the show to let you know what critics are saying about new releases, what albums are topping the charts, and which artists will be releasing new albums.

How much is Brandi Carlile's new album about forgiveness? And how much is it about something bigger?

Forty years ago this week, Kate Bush released the album that would make her the first woman in UK history to chart with a song she herself had written. But what made this hugely influential album so different than the standard pop fare of the day?

What happens when the troubling zeitgeist of our time catches up with the world's most beloved fun-time band.

Jeff Rosenstock takes an inward look at politics in what some critics are calling the first great album of 2018.

In 2016, three musical legends hammered out their final albums in the face of death, but only one of them stayed focused on a brighter future.