Unsung Podcast

por Unsung Podcast

Episode 33 - Pink by Boris

This week we're talking about yet another band with a huge, varied oeuvre. We try, god knows we try, to engage with all of it. You can be the judge of how successful we were. Boris have released something in the region of 24 albums in their 25 years career. That's a lot of records. Their genre hopping madness goes from drone to noise and everything in between. On this episode Chris and Weaver take the reigns despite it being Mark's choice. Mark makes a tit of himself by refusing to do any research, whilst Chris and Weaver dive deep on the band's discography. As to whether or not Pink is their best album, it really depends on what version of Boris you like. But in terms of demonstrating the breadth of what the band are capable of, Pink is a good starting point. Is it their defining statement though? Only you can vote and decide.

Episode 32 - Chosen Lords by AFX

Richard D. James is perhaps one of the most prolific and elusive electronic artists ever. His discography is so vast that other work is often mistaken for his. He's been around for decades, yet very little is known about how. Most importantly though, he like to mess with people. AFX is a compilation of AFX and Aphex Twin songs. In his mind, the name he releases music under is irrelevant. We approached his back catalogue in the same way, so this episode is not about which AFX of Aphex Twin release is the best, it's about which Richard D. James release is his unsung classic. Weaver takes the reins and explains why 'Chosen Lords' is indeed his unsung classic, and also why it sits alongside some of his best work. Friends, we go deep on Mr. James' oeuvre. So buckle up.

Episode 31 - Marnie Stern by Marnie Stern

Marnie Stern is an obscenely talented musician. That's probably something we should mention from the get go. Her guitar playing and songwriting nous is remarkable, and the result of her skill is four very good albums, most of which could be considered for out discography. However, Mark makes a case for her third self titled album as being the one which should be added to our canon of classic albums. Weaver enthusiastically agrees, whilst Chris gives some thoughts on why her second and fourth albums might be more worthy additions to the Unsung Discography of Classic Records than this. What do you think? Is Marnie Stern's self titled third album her definitive work, or do you think perhaps another record of hers should be considered? Vote on our Facebook page below.

Episode 30 - The Magnolia Electric Co. by Songs: Ohia

In his somewhat short life, Jason Molina recorded a lot of music. In fact, as discussed in the podcast, he treated songwriting like a job, dedicating 8 hours a day to the craft. It completely explains why he was able to release something in the order of 16 albums and many EPs. This album is often considered his magnum opus. By his own reckoning, this was his crowning achievement and after 'The Magnolia Electric Co.' was complete, many of his band and friends recognised it as being a singular work of genius. To say his life took a tragic turn after this release is something of an understatement. Booze and the road took a weighty toll on his health and close relationships, and after many stints in rehab he was found dead in his apartment, a bottle close by and nothing but a cell phone in his pocket. He had suffered multiple organ failure brought on by ten years of acute, chronic alcoholism. He was 39 years old. It seems pertinent to mention this fact because this is a dark album. Musically, it's upbeat and at times quite buoyant, but underneath it, in the lyrics, there lies an almost palpable sense of melancholy. On this bumper episode we dive deep into his extensive discography and biography, ending it with a glorious appraisal of an album that we all feel has been disgustingly overlooked for far too long.

Episode 29 - Animal Rights by Moby

Mark and Weaver were fairly sure that Chris was trolling with this selection, but they couldn't be sure until they gave Moby's wacky, idiosyncratic fifth album 'Animal Rights' a spin. Results are...varied. To be sure, this is not like any other Moby album. There are guitars and shit. There's screaming. There's drums. It's like digital hardcore meets Nine Inch Nails with the occasional spattering of Moby's usual ambient self. This is a record that shouldn't exist. An oddity. A weird mole on the career of a guy is, by all accounts, a very nice man. Chris loved it. Mark and Weaver weren't convinced. Chris gives us some deep insight's into the mans catalogue and tries to make a case for this recording going into the discography on Moby's nice guy credentials alone. Regardless of whether or not you think this deserves a place in our discography, we all agree on one thing - you need to listen to this record. Because it's fascinating. Vote below.

Episode 28 - Blue Record by Baroness

Back to metal. Metal-ish. Metal...ish? Baroness started off as a sludge metal band and on this, their second album, start to bring in influences from other genres. Here, Mark makes the case for this at their best album. In all its cheesy, metal cliche, psychedelic, riffy glory. With a revolving door of musicians, John Dyer Baizley has remained the sole consistent member of the band, and perhaps that explains why the band's sound has changed so much over the years. Blue Record finds the band shifting away from the sludge metal found on Red and incorporating many other sounds from a vast array of genres. Most would say that Red is their best album, but Mark is here to convince you, Chris and Weaver otherwise. Weaver explains why he prefers Red and Chris professes downright contempt for this album. What do you think - is this their Unsung Classic? Vote below.

Episode 27 - Crazy for You by Best Coast

Surf vibes, garage rock vibes...simple songs delivered well? Not everyone thinks so. It's been a while since we've had a disagreement about an album and this one splits the group. Chris comes out swinging with some serious criticism of Best Coast, whilst David and Mark are happy to talk about how the record is just good, simple stuff. It's true, there is a lot to be said about Best Coast, their inception, the way their career has changed and so much more. We get into that and more. Is this the Best Coast album that should be in the discography? Do Best Coast even deserve a place in it? You can let us know by casting your vote below.

Episode 26 - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Godspeed You! Black Emperor don't really do brevity. They do epic, sweeping, often joyous, always elaborate, suites of music that are designed to move you. They're thorough, crafting songs with painstaking attention to detail. In keeping with the spirit of the band, we thought we'd do the same, so we present to your our longest episode yet. But trust us when we say that it's probably up there with our most interesting listens. We dive deep into the band's back catalogue, stopping along the way to talk about the politics of the band and yes, we do offer a take on some thorny subjects. With this band it's something that can often be inseparable from the way their music, and image, is presented, so it had to happen. The Foo Fighters Nexus also returns (jingle pending) and Chris has a full on GY!BE superfan nerdgasm, while Weaver whacks his politics degree on the table and Mark takes issue with the label "post-rock". This is a fun and captivating listen. We understand that the title of "best Godspeed album" is a contentious one, so we're intrigued to see if people agree with our decision to include this in our canon Unsung classics. Do you agree? Vote on our Facebook page.

Episode 25 - Never Better by P.O.S

Folks, we did it. We managed to find a hip hop record that Chris Cusack enjoyed. We're fairly sure that this is one of the signs of the apocalypse so we're probably just going to end the podcast here. Thanks to everyone who listened. Joking aside though, this is a screamer of an album. People have been drawing comparisons between punk and hip hop since...well, forever. The line between the two is drawn pretty clearly on this album. P.O.S himself was a punk kid, but growing up in the cultural and musical melting pot that is Minneapolis meant that there was a great deal of other influential music lurking just around the corner. Indeed, the diversity of the artists that come from the city is telling of the city's cultural and creative landscape. And did we mention that it was the home of Prince, perhaps one of the masters of genre-hopping? This is P.O.S third album, and like every album before or since, it's a singular musical, tonal entity in his oeuvre. He's artist that never wants to cover the same ground twice, and whilst we all couldn't necessarily agree on if each of his records are successful at melding together as many disparate influences as this one, we all certainly agreed that this is his best work. And we all agreed that this should indeed make it into our discography of unsung classics. Do you agree? Vote on our Facebook page.

Episode 24 - You Are Free by Cat Power

The aforementioned unfortunate circumstances which led to last week's change of plan loom large over this week's episode. Cat Power's difficulties with her mental health are well documented, and we felt we needed to give this episode a little extra time to address not only those, but how musicians in general deal with their own personal demons. The original plan was to follow Episode 22 with Never Better by P.O.S. However we felt it right to change the order with recent circumstances in mind. We had decided that we would tackle this album way before the news of Scott Hutchison's tragic passing; it was simply a morbid coincidence that took us on the journey towards listening to, and discussing, an album which cover such topics. Weaver returns this week and all three of the guys sing the praises of this dark, sparse record. Chris makes a case as to why it is perhaps her best album, and as ever there's a Dave Grohl connection, as seems to be the case with most of our albums, which leads Mark to announce a new recurring feature. Look out for that in the weeks to come. Is this Cat Power's definitive work? You can let us know by casting your vote below.

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