Unsung Podcast

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Episode 202 - The 2021 Xmas Xtravaganza (Side C)

The New Year is now well underway but we’re not quite ready to let the Christmas cheer disappear just yet. To that end, we now share the conclusion of our XMAS XTRAVAGANZA. Vicki and Chris are pished, we talk about our favourite albums of 2021, artists who should have joined the 27 club, our favourite discoveries of the year that we made via the pod and a whole lot more. Now seems like a good time to thank everyone for their continued support over the last four years. Next week, we will be doing an artist that many might argue are not unsung at all. We will also be announcing our new Patreon subscription model and we’re really bloody excited to tell you what it is. Let’s make 2022 a cracker, eh?

Episode 201 - The 2021 Xmas Xtravaganza (Side B)

Happy new year to all you fine folks. I hope you’ve shaken off the hangover and are ready to re-immerse yourself in real life. Part two of our CHRISTMAS XTRAVAGANZA is upon us and we’re having a grand old time. The port is flowing, the opinions are getting gradually more ramble-y and everyone is in an altered state of consciousness. Our questions this week include: what artists are shit but have one, or a few, great songs? If you had to watch one artists every night for the rest of your life, who would it be? And what music hot takes are you sick of? Amongst other nonsense. Ferro also drops by to talk about his favourite album of 2021. Next week - the XMAS FINALE (two weeks after Xmas).

Episode 200 - The 2021 Xmas Xtravaganza (Part A)

Merry Christmas one and all! There will be no coal in your stocking this year, oh no. This year you get a big fat Xmas three parter with both David and Vicki joining Mark and Chris. Aren’t you lucky?! As is now tradition, we have canvased our loyal fanbase for fun questions and set about answering them over the course of three episodes that start fairly acceptable and descend into drunken madness. This year’s Xmas special is a little different though because it begins with episode number 200! That’s right folks, we did it. We got to episode 200. It marks our four year anniversary (sorta) and we have everyone who listens to this podcast to thank for it. So whether you’re a new listeners (and this is probably a terrible time to begin listening to our show, tbf), an older timer, or something in between, thank you. Enjoy!

Episode 199 - The Pitchfork Effect Mixtape (Side B)

Pitchfork do get it wrong from time to time. That is why we’ve just dedicated two full episodes to how often they, and music journalists as a whole, get it wrong. This week we’re discussion three albums that we think they it got it the most wrong with: Futures by Jimmy Eat World Lateralus by Tool Wishville by The Catherine Wheel With the exception of The Catherine Wheel, who broke up shortly after Wishville came out, and whose break up had nothing to do with how they were received in the press, both Tool’ and Jimmy Eat World’s careers were unfazed by their poor Pitchfork reviews. Indeed, Pitchfork were very much the outlier when it came to these albums, both receiving much acclaim in pretty much every other big music publication. The point of this deep dive into Pitchfork and music journalism in general is not to definitively say if Pitchfork is bad (although a good case could probably be made, and has been made, for that) but to say that they did (maybe still do?) wield incredible power. Bad reviews don’t seem to be particularly common on big sites these days - but between the early 00s and mid 10s, they sure did help make and break so many bands. The question is, then, which of these three albums did they get it most wrong with in their review? Vote below.

Episode 198 - The Pitchfork Effect Mixtape (Side A)

Over the last few episodes we’ve discussed how the music press can make or break a band’s career, and even have a lasting effect on band members psyches’ long after they receive critical acclaim/indifference. My Vitriol and The Sound provide two fascinating case studies in that regard: The former were a band who gained massive buzz in the dying moments of the physical format era. The turn of the 21st century saw a frankly obscene amount of cash, coverage and opportunity being flung at bands. Now of course, we’re not naive enough to think that this happens in a vacuum - having well connected friends and family can and does play a part in that sometimes. Indeed, My Vitriol went at it so hard, so early in their careers that it by all accounts led to burn out. On the other hand, The Sound were contemporaries of bands that had acclaim heaped upon them, yet seemed to miss out on it themselves. Various members of the band would speak about this at different points over the years, discussing how seeing their peers get critical and commercial success but never tasting it themselves led to a significant amount of distress. We’re probably past the age where the “Pitchfork Effect” is relevant, but from the early 00s to the mid 10s, the influence of Pitchfork’s opinions was huge. They were tastemakers. Kingmakers, even. The gatekeeper of coolness. Their opinion could, and did, definitely influence the trajectory of many now beloved bands. In part one of this special, we talk about music journalism as a whole and our experiences with it, both as part of the machine and as artists at the mercy of it. Next week we’re going to pick an album each that we think Pitchfork reviewed wrongly, and make our case for it being included in our discography. FUN.

In Session 5 - Andy Falkous from mclusky, Future of the Left and Christian Fitness (Side B)

Interview time part 2! In case you missed it, here is part one, where we discuss Andy’s career in mclusky and Future of the Left. In this episode we asked Andy to pick three albums he thinks are unsung classics: Jarcrew - Breakdance Euphoria Kids (which you will find version of on Spotify simply titled Jarcrew) The God Machine - Scenes from the Second Storey New Kingdom - Paradise Don’t Come Cheap Three very different albums that Andy picked for different reasons, as we go into at length on the episode. From friends and future band mates, to tortured alt-metal and all the way through to psychedelic hip hop, there’s not a huge amount that really link these albums at first blush, but that’s part of the intrigue! All in, we spent about 3 and a half hours recording with Andy for these two episodes. It was a long but lovely evening, and we’re very appreciative of him and his time. Normality returns next week as we invite friend of the pod Ferruccio Quercetti on to talk about Hissing Prigs in Static Couture by Brainiac.

Episode 197 - Jeopardy by The Sound

Our favourite Italian post punk encyclopaedia Ferruccio Quercetti joins us this week. He’s nominated the hugely influential, yet strangely underappreciated album Jeopardy by The Sound. Being contemporaries with bands like Wire, Echo and the Bunnymen and Joy Division (to name a few - Ferro gives even more detail in the episode), it’s something of a mystery as to whey The Sound never quite reached the heights that those bands did. Indeed, if any band could be seen as one that could take the post punk mantle into new territory, The Sound would surely be the first name on some people’s lips… And yet, it never quite panned out that way. That’s not to say they were unsuccessful - quite far from it, actually - but their lack of acclaim is something that irked the band. In particular, it was a source of discontent that would haunt the band’s late lead singer and primary songwriter Adrian Borland for most of his days. On this episode we cover the band’s discography and also get into the weeds around how the press at the time didn’t really seem to enamoured with them, and the impact that had on the group personally and musically. Is Jeopardy an unsung classic? You decide. Vote below.

In Session 5 - Andy Falkous from mclusky, Future of the Left and Christian Fitness (Side A)

Interview time! It’s been a wee while since we did one of those so we got one of our favourite musicians, and general lovely bloke, Andy Falkous from mclusky, Future of the Left and Christian Fitness on to have a good ol’ yammer. In part one we chat about IKEA furniture, tiny cans of Diet Coke, why you shouldn’t put beer in the fridge and many other things. Including his musical career thus far. Which we talk about at length and it’s bloody lovely. We touch on just about every part of his career here. We go in depth about mclusky and what it was like. Then we touch on FOTL and some of the tunes that he feels have gone under appreciated in his canon of cracking tunes. All told, Andy is great banter and we cover way, way more than what I’ve just written here. If you’re a fan of any of his music, this is essential listening. If you’re a general Unsung fan, you’ll also love this. Go forth, listeners, and have a bloody good time.

Episode 196 - Finelines by My Vitriol w/ Neil from The Accordion Podcast

We’re back in action! This week our friend Neil from The Accordion podcast joins us to talk about the mythical My Vitriol, and their highly praised debut (and so far only) album Finelines. First off, a little on Neil himself. He hosts a podcast called The Accordion which, if you like ours, we’re absolutely sure you will love. He has interesting conversations about his favourite albums with an array of guests and it’s just as deep as ours, so if you like analysis and good chat, you’ll love his show. My Vitriol were a huge buzz band in the early 2000s. Their debut album saw them gain acclaim and a ton of great touring opportunities from pretty much the get go. Whilst longer term success seemed assured, they then went a bit quiet before going on hiatus completely. They’ve since re-emerged in fits and starts ever since, even manging to release a sort of second album called The Secret Sessions in 2016. In many ways, My Vitriol’s success is something that could only have happened during the major label feeding frenzy of the early 00s. On this episode, we talk about the band’s history, the fickle nature of music journalism and how it can make or break bands, whether they warranted the buzz they had and much more. Is Finelines and unsung classic? You decide. Vote below.

Episode 195 - Caught Up by Millie Jackson (Side B) w/ Crag Carrick

What you hear in this second episode is the sounds of three people getting gradually drunker whilst a Scottish ex-pat in Australia looks on aghast. Yes, whilst, much like last week we were all jazzed to talk about Caught Up by Millie Jackson, and her career, the night was getting long and it’s well past 1am local time as we record this one. If you thought the first part sound merry then hoo boy, do you have a treat in store for this episode. It’s also pretty fucking hilarious too. One of our very first subscribers, and the man with a whole tier named after him on our Patreon, Crag Carrack joins again 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. This week we talk about Millie’s career in some depth. When we say “some” we do mean some - she’s released a lot of albums, which mean there’s a lot of stuff to cover. So this week, we pick some highlights from her storied, weird and wild career before diving right into Caught Up itself. A wonderful example of mid 70s soul and RnB. She is, in our opinion, an unsung artist. Does this album deserve a place in our discography of unsung classics? You decide. Vote below.

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