Unsung Podcast

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Episode 280 - Incesticide by Nirvana (Side A)

Who would have thought that there would be a lot to say about one of the biggest bands in the history of music? This week, and for the following two weeks, we’ll be talking all about Nirvana. Our discussion has been brought on by Chris picking Incesticide by Nirvana. He thinks its an unsung classic, of course, but before we get into the band’s discography, there’s the small matter of their history… Alright, so we’ll be real with you here - this is an epic three parter. This episode will see us detail their history. We’ll talk about the odds and ends that bookended each album cycle, the live albums, the boxsets, as well as discuss the different band members, producers, recording circumstances and more. If you’re looking for the usual “unsung talks about the back catalogue before getting to the album proper” routine, well that’ll come in Side B, next week. It’s pretty wild to think we’re talking about about one of the most “sung” bands in the history of music on a podcast named unsung. But as you will see over the next three weeks, there’s a whole lot of unsung material, from bootlegs to outtakes and b-sides, that really do deserve more attention. We hope you enjoy.

Episode 279 - Untitled by The Armed

We're back and we're talking about The Armed. But not just The Armed, we're also talking about anonymous bands/pseudo-anonymous bands, speculating about who has been in/played with/responsible for The Armed and, of course, the marketing campaigns that have accompanied all of their releases.

Episode 277 - PATREON BONUS EPISODE UNLOCKED: Split 7" No. 5 - Good Tune, Shit Album

Chris and I are on holiday this week (and possibly next week too). We aimed to have something done this week and next week but we’ve actually been quite busy working on a couple of really interesting episodes. One’s an interview with a noise rock legend, and the other is a detailed journalistic episode about Spotify. So to make up the short fall, we’ve reached deep back into the catalogue of bonus episode and unearthed this gem. Recorded in 2020 after the first lockdown had been lifted in the UK, and back when Dave was still around, we sat down to talk about some shit albums with good tunes on them. Laughs aplenty on this episode. We hope you enjoy it! To get more content like this, and to learn about the Unsung Record Club, visit: www.patreon.com/unsungpod

Episode 243 - No Other by Gene Clark (Side B)

After last week’s intro to Gene Clark, we continue the voyage into his career before circling back round to look at his wonderful 4th album No Other in its entirety. Whilst seen at the time by his record label, Asylum, as being a creative misfire, time has been incredibly kind to it. Maximalist (?) and refined, he was perhaps right in calling it his best work. Certainly, nothing he achieved before or since it ever came close to matching the overall quality of this album. Unique, daring and above all timeless, do you agree that it is an unsung classic?

Episode 276 - Flood by Headswim

Let’s take a trip back to 1994, when Chris was 13 (Mark was 7), and he was busy creating custom Headswim t-shirts around Stirling while discovering the brilliance of that band's debut album. The album in question was "Flood," and it left a profound impression on Chris. While we often discuss the albums that have influenced us, it's uncommon for us to bring one of these into the Unsung spotlight. So, let's dive right in: On this album, Headswim was a grunge band, with added psychedelic influences, haunting Faith No More-esque keyboard elements, and occasional Black Sabbath riffs. The record showcased a band brimming with genuine potential. In a music landscape saturated with grunge acts imitating Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice in Chains, Headswim offered a surprisingly refreshing alternative. However, their trajectory took a turn. Following the tragic loss of a band member's brother, they made a comeback in 1997 with their second album, "Despite Yourself." Although it received some comparisons to Radiohead at the time, the majority of the album epitomized the generic indie rock sound of the late '90s. And that was essentially the end of their journey. Apart from a single released in 2000 titled "Dusty Road," the band gradually faded into obscurity. That is, until the recent re-release of "Flood" in 2022. So, the question arises: Is this album a forgotten gem or merely another grunge record best left in the past? Tune in and discover the answer!

Episode 275 - Give You the Ghost by POLIÇA

What’s this? A regular episode? LIKE THE OLD DAYS?! Yes folks, it’s been a little while since we did a regular, one album one band episode, and this week Chris has chosen the odd choice of Give You the Ghost by POLIÇA. Why odd? Well, it’s a bit of a spoiler I guess, but after this album the band’s star started to fade. Pretty rapidly. Even the reviews of every subsequent album after this agree. There’s also the fact that Chris is actually puzzled as to why he even chose this in the first place. Y’see, sometimes a funny thing happens when we chuck an album under the lens of this pod: our relationship to it changes once we analyse it closely. And this is partly why Chris was slightly puzzled by his own choice. That and the fact that it maybe hasn’t aged as well as it first seemed. Either way, we get to the bottom of a conundrum or two on this episode. Is Give You the Ghost an unsung classic? Let’s find out!

Episode 274 - The Record Club Mixtape (Episode 1)

This week, we're fulfilling a promise we made when we started the Unsung Record Club - featuring episodes on the albums we've included in the club. We're excited to discuss four records available to record club members - two digital and two vinyl. From the digital selection, we have The Burnt Tapes' "Never Better" and Adam Stafford's "Imaginary Walls Collapse." These albums are a true delight, showcasing the talent of these lesser-known artists we genuinely admire. Moving on to the vinyl selection, we have Siobhan Wilson's "There Are No Saints" and Kaddish's "What World Was Still?" These records deliver a captivating experience that deserves recognition and appreciation. When we launched this podcast nearly 6 years ago (!), our goal was to spotlight lesser-known artists we admired. Though we've covered established artists to broaden our reach, the record club remains our means of supporting underrated acts directly, putting money into their pockets, and appreciating their art in a way streaming services can't match. By introducing these incredible artists to you, we hope you'll discover and enjoy their music too. It's our way of contributing to the music community and helping these talented musicians thrive. We genuinely love all four of these artists and their work, so even if you're not a record club member, we encourage you to seek them out, purchase their records or merchandise, and help sustain their creativity. Your support means the world to them. We hope you enjoy this episode, and thank you for supporting us in our mission to promote these exceptional talents. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of these unsung musicians and keep the spirit of their art alive.

Episode 273 - Hot Snakes Head to Head: Suicide Invoice vs Audit in Progress

This week we have our longest episode yet as we take a deep dive into the work of Rick Froberg, the singer of Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu and Obits who sadly passed away in June 2023. Enlisting the help of post-punk encyclopaedia, and literal Doctor in punk music, our friend Ferruccio Quercetti, we take a real good look at the work of Nick Froberg through the lens of Hot Snakes. With work on their fifth album said to be nearing completion at the time of his passing, this episode serves as a tribute to the man’s talent. Whilst we do mostly focus on Hot Snakes for most of this episode, we do touch on every project he, and John Reis, have been part of to some extent. We didn’t want to dwell on the other projects too long though, as there’s a really good chance we’ll come back and do episodes on Drive Like Jehu and Rocket from the Crypt at some point in the future. Both Chris and Ferro chose their favourite Hot Snakes albums for this episode. Sucide Invoice, the band’s second album, is Chris’ pick, whilst Ferro plumps for their third album, Audit in Progress. Now that isn’t to say that one is necessarily better than the other - truth be told, all four of their albums are really bloody good - but Chris and Ferro have their reasons for picking these two specifically, and we get into that in this episode. Along the way we also cite a ton of other bands that influenced Rick, as well as a whole bunch more bands that were influenced by him too. So please, grab yourself a beverage of any kind, raise it in a toast to Rick Froberg, and get stuck into this monster episode.

Episode 272 - The One Album Wonder Mixtape (Side B)

We conlcude our one album wonder mixtape by diving headlong into four of our own personal favourite one album wonders, and also by exploring two of the catagories we set out in the last episode. As a reminder, we're talking about bands that have had only had one album. We’re not talking about bands that are on their debut album, but acts that were one and done. The categories are: Bands that seemed to be fully-fledged projects but ended before they could realise their potential (which we covered last week) Spin-offs and side projects Acts that changed their name for one record So aye, we talk about spin-offs and side projects, and acts that changed their name for one record. We also talk about: Nailbomb by Nailbomb, Depatures by Midnight Masses, Hope by Non-Prophets and Handsome by Handsome. There's not quite as many samples in this episode as there was in the last one, but there's still bloody LOADS so fill your boots! We're going to try to put together a playlist but the edit was a nightmare on both of these so I wouldn't hold your breath too hard for it...

Episode 271 - The One Album Wonders Mixtape (Side A)

Now that we’ve set music festivals to rights (for this year) we thought we’d follow up on our White Town episode - a true one hit wonder - with a one album wonder mixtape. Which, as is our wont, turned into a two parter. So the remit is simple here - bands that have had only had one album. We’re not talking about bands that are on their debut album, but acts that were one and done. To bring some order to this, we’ve picked three albums each, and also come up with three buckets in which to place artists: Bands that seemed to be fully-fledged projects but ended before they could realise their potential Spin-offs and side projects Acts that changed their name for one record This week, we go through the first category, which is by far and away the biggest, and talk about two of our chosen albums - In a Million Pieces by The Draft and The Spoils by USSA. There’s more samples than you can shake a stick at in this episode, which makes it a real fun, and informative listen. Enjoy!

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