#125 - The Science of Music

HIPGNOSIS -- the graphic design team comprised of Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey "Po" Powell -- dominated the music scene in the 70s and 80s and created some of the most iconic album covers ever. Their client list included Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney & Wings, Peter Gabriel, Def Leppard, T. Rex, the Pretty Things, Black Sabbath, the Alan Parsons Project, Yes, Genesis, Electric Light Orchestra, Rainbow, Styx, Wishbone Ash, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, AC/DC, Scorpions, The Nice, and many others. Their career is chronicled in the new documentary Squaring the Circle, available on AppleTV, and is highly recommended.  What's your favorite Hipgnosis album cover? What did you think of the Squaring the Circle documentary? Let us know! Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or leave a comment wherever you find our episode and let us know! And don't forget to rate us on your favorite podcast app!  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/ Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com  R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com  Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

1 Loka 202350min

Have we got a fun one for you this week! Thanks to a suggestion by one of our regular listeners, Bill Lemmond, we are delving into the massive catalog of Novelty Songs and Parody Songs! And when you mention Parody Songs, obviously the first name that comes to mind is Weird Al Yankovic. But this topic offers so much more beyond Weird Al. We talk about "great" songs by Dickie Goodman, the king of novelty songs for decades, Sheb Wooley, Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Ray Stevens, MECO, Shirley Ellis, Johnny Cash, The Blues Brothers, Steve Martin, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and many others.  To hear (nearly) all the music that we talk about in this episode, check out our accompanying Spotify Playlist.  Give us your feedback about this episode! Is there a Novelty Song that you love that we didn't mention? Let us know! Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or leave a comment wherever you find our episode and let us know! And don't forget to rate us on your favorite podcast app!  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/ Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com  R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com  Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

24 Syys 202355min

This week Rob, Steph and Alan have the great pleasure of interviewing Evan Sult and Paige Brubeck, who together make up the rock duo Sleepy Kitty. We talk at length about their new BLESSING/CURSE, their philosophy of art, their influences, adding new players to their live shows, Paige's love of musicals, Evan's time in Harvey Danger . . . and, of course, kitties.  To learn more about Sleepy Kitty and investigate their music and art more, visit sleepykittymusic.com Give us your feedback about this episode! Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or leave a comment wherever you find our episode and let us know! And don't forget to rate us on your favorite podcast app!  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/ Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com  R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com  Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

17 Syys 20231h 20min

WE'RE BACK! After a week off for Dragon Con (which Alan and Rob were attending), the Modern Musicology team is back with a new episode celebrating the 50th anniversary of the birth of HIP-HOP! 50 years ago, Cindy Campbell threw a party in the rec room of her family’s Bronx apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue and charged admission (.25 for ladies, 50 for fellas) to raise money to buy back-to-school clothes, and she asked her older brother Clive (later known as Kool Herc) to DJ. Using two turntables and a stack of classic soul and funk records, he and his buddy Coke la Rock shouted out spontaneous rhymes over the instrumental breaks. And with that, a new phenomenon was born.  We talk about our own journeys with rap and hip-hop, our first exposures to it, some of the standout acts that we love, favorite albums, and a lot more.  Want to share your favorite hip-hop artist, album, song, or moment? We'd love to hear about it! Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or leave a comment wherever you find our episode and let us know! And don't forget to rate us on your favorite podcast app!  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/ Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com  R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com  Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

10 Syys 20231h 4min

This week we celebrate the (belated) 50th Anniversary of arguably the greatest rock album ever recorded, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. We're joined by DJ, journalist, and self-professed Floydian Widgett Walls of NeedCoffee.com to discuss the history and impact of this groundbreaking album, its importance, and its legacy. It's the fourth biggest-selling album ever and has spent 981 weeks (almost 19 years!) on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.  What's your history with this monumental album? We'd love to hear about it! Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or leave a comment wherever you find our episode and let us know! And don't forget to rate us on your favorite podcast app!  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/ Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com  R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com  Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

27 Elo 202351min

Rob and Alan geek out on one of their favorite topics: music books! Both are avid readers of books of all types about music -- biographies, analyses, histories, what have you. The discussion goes from recent reads of books by John Robb, Richard Evans, Nick Hornby, Nick Griffiths, Jann Wenner, Susan Rogers, and more, and then we get into some of our older faves by Sheila E, Stewart Copeland, Maceo Parker, and others. We open up our libraries and offer recommendations for anyone looking for their next great read! Let us know what some of your favorite music books are so that we can add them to our ever-growing to-be-read piles! Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or leave a comment wherever you find our episode! And don't forget to rate us on your favorite podcast app!  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/ Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com  R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com  Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

20 Elo 202350min

We continue on our journey through 1988 with the albums released in the second half of the year (June through December). We hit the highlights in rock (Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Crowded House, Nick Cave), rap (NWA, Public Enemy, Fat Boys, Stetsasonic), metal (Metallica, Slayer, Helloween, Anthrax), alt and industrial (Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Sonic Youth), pop (Pet Shop Boys, The Bangles, Paula Abdul, Kylie Minogue) and a whole lot more.  If you'd like to follow along with the music as we discuss it, or explore more of this great music on your own, check out our Spotify Playlist that goes along with this episode! Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or leave a comment wherever you find our episode and let us know what your favorite album is from 1988! And don't forget to rate us on your favorite podcast app!  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/ Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com  R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com  Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

13 Elo 202345min

The Modern Musicologists (Anthony, Rob, Stephanie and Alan) take a look at the albums that were released in the first half of 1988! We hit the highlights in rock (Robert Plant, Cinderella, Van Halen), rap (Boogie Down Productions, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, Run DMC), metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensryche), R&B (Prince, Sade, Ziggy Marley), and major debuts from Living Colour, Tracy Chapman, The Pixies, Kingdom Come, Melissa Ethridge, and a whole lot more.  We start the whole thing off with a tribute to Sinead O'Connor and a look at her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra.  If you'd like to follow along with the music as we discuss it, or explore more of this great music on your own, check out our Spotify Playlist that goes along with this episode!  Drop us a line at modernmusicology1@gmail.com or leave a comment wherever you find our episode and let us know what your favorite album is from 1988! And don't forget to rate us on your favorite podcast app!  Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMusicology Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmusicologypodcast/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModrnMusicology Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-MlcGy5u3fK1j4bVty1Kw Modern Musicology is part of the ESO Podcast Network. https://esonetwork.com/ Find more about us: Rob Levy: https://kdhx.org/shows/show/juxtaposition Stephanie Seymour: www.therearebirds.com  R. Alan Siler: www.kozmiccreative.com  Anthony Williams: https://watchers4d.podbean.com/

6 Elo 202359min