372. Joe Pug on Weezer 'Pinkerton' (1996)
Today acclaimed singer-songwriter and fellow podcaster (The Working Songwriter) Joe Pug joins me for an unexpected choice of favorite album - Weezer's classic 1996 LP 'Pinkerton'. We talk about the seeming dissonance between Pinkerton and Joe's own music, discovering the album as a 12 year old and why you are more open to change in music at that age, how the CD age dictated listening habits, how the lyrics have aged, why he would be wary of collaborating with Rivers Cuomo, why supergroups are overrated, Rivers' strange relationship with this record and why young people can make sophisticated music.
20 Okt 202131min
Top 10 James Bond Theme Songs with Empire's Chris Hewitt (repost)
13 Okt 20211h 42min
371. Ben Lee on Smudge 'Manilow' (1994)
Today our returning champion Ben Lee joins me on the show to talk (a little bit) about his new single 'Born for this Bullshit' and (mainly) about cult heroes Smudge and their classic 1994 album 'Manilow'. We talk about confidence, the 90s, the sound of pre Pro Tools recordings, how Smudge intersected with The Lemonheads, Tom Morgan's slacker, superior, smart arse aesthetic and how his lyrics are the real definition of authenticity, similarities with country songwriting and more.
6 Okt 202129min
370. Spencer White (COLLAR, Morning Harvey) on The Dandy Warhols 'Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia' (2000)
Today COLLAR's Spencer White joins me to talk about the Dandy Warhols' classic 'Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia'. We talk about how this record made him want to write music, the Warhols' idea of cool and embracing uncool influences, how the album set out to be the ultimate classic rock album, the contrast between the slower meat of the record and the peppy singles, how major labels treated rock bands in the 90s, Spencer's experience touring with the band and why Lizzo is the modern day Dandy Warhols.
29 Sep 202122min
Max Weinberg on Maxwell Davis and his All Stars 'Persistent Percussion' (repost)
23 Sep 20211h 4min
Jack River on MGMT 'Oracular Spectacular' (repost)
16 Sep 202132min
369. Johnny Mackay (Children Collide, Fascinator) on Beck 'Odelay' (1996) and 'Sea Change' (2002)
Today, Children Collide frontman Johnny Mackay (aka Fascinator) joins me to delve into a pair of albums that represent the two poles of Beck, 1996's 'Odelay' and 2002's 'Sea Change'. We talk about the importance of exploring multiple genres as an artist, how Johnny's bifurcated musical identity reflects Beck's, Beck's use of samples in rock music, his journey to embracing his folk roots, different kinds of breakup albums, finding great lyrics in scratch vocals, songs that start as jokes, how Johnny balances his work on Children Collide and Fascinator, Beck's Song Reader project and for some reason, David Byrne's incredible American Utopia show.
1 Sep 202133min
368. Gretta Ray on Taylor Swift 'Fearless' (2008)
Today, one of Australia's most dexterous singer-songwriters, Gretta Ray, returns to the show so that we can finally do an episode on Taylor Swift, as we dive into the queen of pop's 2008 sophomore album 'Fearless'. We talk about Taylor's recent rerecording of the album, the different contexts the album assumes as Taylor and Gretta age past the experiences of teenage life in the songs, how songwriting changes once people have expectations of you, Taylor as a big sister for her fans, the difference between sad songs and dark songs, how Taylor gave Gretta permission to be vulnerable and how her songs give her audience permission to process and heal. Plus, we talk about Gretta's imminent debut album 'Begin to Look Around', the songwriting process, touring with Gang of Youths and more.
26 Aug 202151min
