Unsung Podcast

Unsung Podcast

por Unsung Podcast
Música

Episode 194 - Caught Up by Millie Jackson (Side A) w/ Crag Carrick and Vicki

What you hear in this first episode is the sounds of four people on the second attempt at recording. Yes, whilst we were all jazzed to talk about Caught Up by Millie Jackson, and her career, a catastrophic technical issue turned this two parter into a mammoth 5 hour recording session. So when you hear how this rapidly begins to sound like a Christmas special, you know why. The booze was flowing as the Scottish contingent did their best to keep the banter flowing until 3am. One of our very first subscribers, and the man with a whole tier named after him on our Patreon, Crag Carrack joins us this week. He’s currently doing a radio show over in Australia and Chris has featured on it a couple of times. Be sure to check it out if you like good banter and tunes. Vicki also joins us, and together we get down to the business of talking Millie Jackson. In this episode we talk about some of her career, some of her career choices, why she’s perhaps not as famous as she could have been and a whole bunch more stuff besides. An astonishing artist, and if you aren’t already familiar you should rectify it that right after you listen to this episode.
E194
1 nov 2021
1:04:42

Episode 193 - Origin of Symmetry by Muse w/ Fran and Babs from Over/underrated music podcast (Side B)

Still with us? Good. In part two of our Muse exploration, our guests Fran and Babs from the excellent Over/underrated music podcast make a case for why Origin of Symmetry is an Unsung classic. We ponder what a “birth squeeze” is and what a llama’s toenail looks like…. We also talk about the band’s entire discography and friends, let me tell you, it was a journey. There are definitely highs - some ridiculously overblown highs at that - but there are also some crushing lows. Matt Bellamy once stated that Muse fans were 5 years behind them musically. A truly baffling statement when you think about how their latest album is essentially their take on an 80s new wave record. Actually come to think of it, this is also the guy whose lyrics are so close to some of the things Alex Jones says to real live human people on InfoWars so really, nothing is surprising about this band any more. All this is to say that yes, we tackle all 8 of their albums. Giving every single one a good once over before diving headlong into Origin of Symmetry (and the remaster!) itself. Think it’s unsung? Vote below. Don’t forget to check out Fran and Babs’ podcast too. We’ll have them back on in the future, so get acquainted!
E193
25 oct 2021
1:44:25

Episode 192 - Origin of Symmetry by Muse w/ Fran and Babs from Over/underrated music podcast (Side A)

EVEN MORE GUESTS?! WHY! Well, because it’s fun and across these next two episodes you’ll really begin to see why because our guests Fran and Babs from the excellent Over/underrated music podcast have chosen Origin of Symmetry by Muse. This turned into the most EPIC of two parters, so you better strap the fuck in for this one because we had so much to talk about that we didn’t even get to the band’s discography in part one. That’s right, there was just so goddamn much to talk about with Muse that we spent an entire episode talking about the band’s history and, more specifically, the history of Matt Bellamy’s weird conspiracy theory fixation, and how that seems to inadvertently align with a lot of the bullshit spouted by people who like Q-anon and InfoWars… But we digress. This episode is really quite entertaining and we end with a game of “Who said it: Matt Bellamy or Alex Jones” and the results are….frightening. Next week we’ll talk about the band’s discography and Origin of Symmetry itself, but for now, buckle up and enjoy the ride. Don’t forget to check out Fran and Babs’ podcast too. We’ll have them back on in the future, so get acquainted!
E192
18 oct 2021
1:11:29

Episode 191 - Dreams in the Rat House by Shannon and the Clams /w Anna Goldthorp

Our good pal Anna Goldthorp joins us this week and takes us into a genre of music we have not yet covered with Shannon and the Clams’ third album, Dreams in the Rat House. Hailing from Oakland, Shannon and the Clams are part of a rather deep, and popular, retro garage rock revival scene. They’ve been going since 2009 and have six albums in that time to critical acclaim. The band themselves are very well respected in this scene, and the boys had really great fun immersing themselves in an entire genre of music they’d never really explored before. A genre which is somewhere between 60s do-wop, RnB, garage rock, psychedelia and rockabilly. There’s a lot to be said about this genre - and believe us, we do say a lot about it - but what’s pretty clear is that when it comes to recreating that 1960s feel, Shannon and the Clams stand head and shoulders above their peers. The resulting conversation covers a lot of ground, which is why this episode is a bit of a bumper edition because when Anna is about, we can’t help but have a good old chinwag. In this episode we talk about the death of the American dream, Elvis Presley, the allegations around Burger Records, beauty standards in music, David Lynch, punk rock melancholia and way more besides. So do come with us on the journey, and at the end voice your opinion as to whether you think Dreams in the Rat House is an unsung classic by voting in our poll below. Next week - MORE GUESTS!
E191
11 oct 2021
1:32:34

Episode 190 - Houdini by Long Fin Killie w/ Kapil Seshasayee

This week we’re joined by the multi-talented troubadour, promoter and friend, Kapil Seshasayee as he picks the debut album by little known Scottish post rockers Long Fin Killie. Post rock is perhaps only one way of defining this band., but it’s probably the most accurate label to affix to them when it comes to Houdini. Incorporating a myriad of American post rock influences that were floating around this tiny scene at the time, the band, fronted by writer Luke Sutherland, made extensive use their impressive multi-instrumental talents to weave violin, bouzouki, mandolin, hammer dulcimer, saxophone, trumpets, keyboards and so much more alongside the standard two guitars, drums, bass and vocal setup. The band did achieve a reasonable amount in their short lifetime though, and released another two albums after this, inching away from post rock to something a little more post-hardcore and straight forward. Luke Sutherland would later go on to play with Mogwai for years as a touring member and occasional contributor, so whilst they may not be hugely well known, they certainly had an influence on the nascent British post rock scene at the time. So, I think it’s fair to say that this band, and this album, firmly tick all the boxes of being “unsung” indeed. It is up to you to decide if Houdini is worthy of inclusion in our discography. But before you do that, do take a second to check out Kapil’s work too! He’s an artist whose profile has consistently risen over the last few years on the back of his debut album A Sacred Bore. It’s a journey which has seen him appear on festivals and tours on both sides of the Atlantic, and saw him gain press in The Guardian, VICE, BBC radio, Rolling Stone, and much more. Check out his website for more info on his music and the message behind his truly unique, captivating music.
E190
4 oct 2021
1:24:40

Episode 189 - Tinderbox by Siouxsie and the Banshees w/ Ryan Schaff from The Broken Record Player Podcast

IT’S A PODCAST CROSSOVER, BABY! This week we’ve asked Ryan Schaff from The Broken Record Player Podcast to come chat to us about an album he thinks is an unsung classic. His choice? Tinderbox by Siouxsie and the Banshees. We always knew that we’d need to address these guys at some point, so it was great to have a fan come on and do the job with us. Ryan’s a super lovely dude and Siouxsie and the Banshees are a super interesting band so we couldn’t be happier to have him on hand to lend his expertise. We go pretty deep on the band’s discography and Ryan let’s us know abou his favourite songs and his opinion on all the band’s catalogue, whilst Mark and Chris come along for the ride. He also attempts the nexus which, to be honest, went very well indeed. Is Tinderbox and unsung classic? As ever, you decide by voting below. Don’t forget to check out his podcast too - it’s pretty great! He’s also thrown together a playlist of his favourite songs, so check that out below too.
E189
27 sept 2021
1:28:40

Episode 188 - Stubborn Persistent Illusions by Do Make Say Think w/ Vicki

Dave is MIA this week so we’ve drafted in our pal Vicki and asked her to pick an album. Her choices is Stubborn Persistent Illusions by Canadian post-rock troupe Do Make Say Think. Hailing from Toronto and part of Constellation Records, it would be fair to consider Do Make Say Think’s jazzy, dual drummer, almost joyful approach to post-rock the yin to Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s doomy, melancholic yang. That’s not to say there aren’t moments of darkness in Do Make Say Think’s music, just that their overall vibe is quite different to that of their labelmates. Members of the band have played in/contributed to/been part of Broken Social Scene over the years, so they come from reputable stock too. Over the course of their 25 year career they’ve grown to comprise of 11 members, including various woodwind and brass instruments. At their core though, sits Ohed Benchetrit, David Mitchell, James Payment, Justin Small and Charles Spearin, all of whom have appeared on most of their seven albums. This week’s choice is the latest of their seven albums, and arrived in 2017 after an 8 year gap - the longest in their history. So Vicki and Chris take us through a tour of their back catalogue before asking the age old question - should this go in our discography of unsung classics?
E188
20 sept 2021
1:34:16

Episode 187 - Calling Out of Context by Arthur Russell

It’s incredibly difficult to categorise Arthur Russell. His music ranged from the purely experimental, to disco, warped 80s synth pop and so much more. It’s the latter that makes Calling out of Context, the first posthumous complication released by his estate such an intriguing listen. Arthur rose to prominence as the musical director of Manhattan’s avant-garde musical playground The Kitchen. He rubbed shoulders with people from all walks of life - from Allen Ginsburg to the Talking Heads and many more besides - before discovering disco music. From there, he produced a number of underground disco classics under various names (most notably Dinosaur L). All the while, he recorded tons of music on his own, most of which remains unreleased to this day. His life story is wonderfully told in the film Wild Combination, and if you’re a fan of this episode, we urge you to seek it out. It chronicles his career as he left small town Iowa until his untimely death from AIDS related illness in 1992. In his lifetime, Arthur Russell only released two albums. Both were very different. His first, Tower of Meaning, was completely instrumental and was almost orchestral in nature. Sparse percussion and cello led, there’s something very aching about it. Particularly in comparison to his second album, World of Echo, which sees the cello very much front and centre, slammed through effect pedals, alongside his almost fragile vocal. Calling Out of Context is, as already stated, the first posthumous release by his estate. More followed, but this is, we feel, the perfect introduction into the strange world of Arthur Russell. He’s an unsung artist for sure who has influenced many people. Is this album an unsung classic though? You decide.
E187
13 sept 2021
1:27:12

Episode 186 - Humbug by Arctic Monkeys (Side B)

Alright, so in the grand scheme of things, Humbug by the Arctic Monkeys isn’t exactly bereft of plays on the ol’ streaming platforms. Hell, it still sold a lot of physical copies too. However, in comparison to the rest of their discography? It’s certainly one of the albums that has shown the least love. It did have some big-ish singles of course, but nothing on the scale of some of the others. The closest to Humbug is their 2018 album (and latest release at time of recording) Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino. Which, yeah, probably asks more of their fans than any previous release. Why do we bring this up? Well, cause we talk about that album as well as Humbug on this episode. Foreshadowing n that, eh? Anyway, we go deep on Humbug this week, and also have some very nice, very fun nexus (nexi? nexae?) for y’all this week before Dave decides that he will be taking us in a very different direction next week. You’ll need to tune in to find out what that direction is though… Is Humbug an unsung classic? Make your voice heard by voting on our twitter poll below.
E186
6 sept 2021
1:21:42

Episode 185 - Humbug by Arctic Monkeys (Side A)

The cat is truly among the pigeons this week, as Chris puts the Arctic Monkeys’ third album Humbug forth for our consideration. Is this the biggest band we’ve ever covered?! Probably not, no - we did cover Metallica after all - but they are the first band we’ve ever covered with a song on Spotify that is has over 1 billion plays (It’s Do I Wanna Know? incidentally) so I suppose you could argue that they are the biggest band we’ve yet covered. On this episode we talk about the band’s history, as well as how they came about in this weird post-Napster pre-Facebook era, coming completely out of nowhere at a time when MySpace was the places where all the kids hung out online. The band have made a number of interesting stylistic choices over the years, which is impressive for a band with their profile. What’s more impressive though is how their fans seem to come on the journey with them, which is rare for just about any band, let alone a huge act like these guys. Next week we’ll talk about Humbug itself and of course the Josh Homme factor.
E185
30 ago 2021
59:19
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