Unsung Podcast

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Episode 156 - Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins (Side A)

IT LIVES! Sorta. After all the silly bastard nonsense of the Xmas Xtravaganza, we decided to re-record the episode we lost on our 3rd birthday. Welcome to our Cocteau Twins analysis, as we talk about their career and the album Heaven or Las Vegas. As fans will recall, our first attempt at this episode was scuppered by some tech issues, and we were unable to recover it. In some ways, it’s kind of a shame because there was a great dynamic on the episode as Chris and Mark played their cards close to their chest before letting rip at the end. Sadly, that tension is gone cause we already know each other’s positions, but it’s still a really good analysis of the band’s music, career and then of course, following next week, Heaven or Las Vegas. Please enjoy our return to normality!

Episode 155 - The 2020 Xmas Xtravaganza (Side D)

It’s time to bring this whole sorry four parter to an end. Christmas is now well in the rearview and to be honest folks, after the chaos this descended into, we’d really like to put this behind us too. We talk a whole lot of pish here, including Chris talking about some of 2020’s most highly rated albums that he thinks are not that good. We also, finally, after three years, get a complete history of Weaver’s high school band INCLUDING some actual goddamn music. Which is a truly stunning turn of events, I’m sure you’ll agree. Ben also tells us what Kayne album is best, and we talk about some local bands that we think should have made it. Things are capped off by Anna telling us why Chris is so angry all the time, and then it just…doesn’t end. There is no ending. Something happened. The ending failed to record, and Dave’s backup was lost due to a hard drive error so we finish with Chris and Mark burbling completely nonsense. We’re sorry folks. So very sorry. Hopefully you can forgive us for this mess, and join us next week as we take a second run at Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins.

Episode 154 - The 2020 Xmas Xtravaganza (Side C)

Happy new year folks! Hopefully the Brexit chat last week didn’t make you feel depressed. I mean, it probably did but hey, everything’s fucked anyway right? This week we go down the Taylor Swift rabbit hole when we ask Jonah Matranga what’s better - Evermore or Folklore? We then get into a very drunken heated debate about just how much agency Taylor Swift has in the corporate process of her image and songwriting, then we talk about some of our favourite albums of the year. We’re also incredibly drunk, which is kinda fun for you lot but was hellish for us to listen back to. Things go off the rails quite spectacularly towards the end, so you’re gonna wanna stick around for that. Part four of this entire shambles will be with you on Thursday. Then we can call get back to our lives.

Episode 153 - The 2020 Xmas Xtravaganza (Side B)

Before we got in the room to record this whole debacle, we planned out the questions to that they would cover two parts. In the end, we recorded for 5 hours or so, and that two parter became a three parter in the room, and is now a four parter after the edit. Merry Christmas?! Anyway, we go in hard on Brexit right at the top of this episode. No stone left unturned, as they say. We drop some realness on how it will affect bands and music both in the UK and the EU. It’s not a pretty picture. Vicki and Ben also join us to answer a couple of the questions you folks submitted, and we also got introspective about what music makes us feel old. This episode is the “goldilocks zone”. We’re not quite smashed, but we’re still drunk and coherent. It's honestly a really fun time, and things go spectacularly off the rails in the next two episodes, so you still have that to look forward to. Have a great New Year (to those who listening on day of release) and we’ll see you in 2021 with two episodes in week one.

Episode 152 - The 2020 Xmas Xtravaganza (Side A)

Christmas is a time for cheer, and a time to eat, drink and be merry with family. For a lot of folk, some of these things may not be possible this year, which is why we felt even more duty bound to continue our very own festive tradition of getting really bloody silly at the end of the year. For the first since March, we decided to get in a room together and stare in lovingly into each other’s eyes to record this mega three parter. In the weeks leading up to this, we asked people to submit questions, ridiculous or otherwise, to us so we could turn this self serving nonsense into something for you lot. The results were…really messy. We also asked some of our previous guests to contribute too, so you’ll get to hear from co-hosts Anna Goldthorp and Vicki Henry, as well as from Ben Power of Blanck Mass, Jonah Matranga and of course, the most knowledgeable musical mind we know, Ferrucio Quercetti. In part one we answer a handful of these questions and have some of these co-hosts chip in. We start to get drunk and honestly, it’s a real fun time. Part two will drop next week where, as luck would have it, we address a bunch of questions about what Brexit will hold for touring bands going forward. Prescient stuff.

In Session 3 - Steve Von Till (Neurosis, Tribes of Neurot, Harvestman, Neurot Recordings, Solo) Side B

You can hear part one here. Alright, this is where shit gets real. Like really real. This is when our guest and the concept of our podcast collide to create a thing of singular beauty. There is a meeting of minds. There are moments where agreement is reached, and unsung music appreciated. On part 2 of our interview with Steve Von Till, he goes into detail about Neurosis, Neurot Recordings, some of the records he really digs and, as true to the ethos of the show, picks an album he thinks is unsung. That album is Life of Crime by Laughing Hyenas, and we get into the weeds about the bands, the sound, the scene around them and why they’re truly unsung. Which then puts us in the position that we always put ourselves in. The position in which we ask you, the listener, to vote on whether you think this album unsung. When you listen, you’ll know what we think. But the power in your hands. So use it wisely.

Episode 151 - St. Anger by Metallica (Side B)

It seems our argument that Metallica are the “acceptable” version of thrash has gained a little agreement on all of the internets on which we are present, which is nice. Of course, after the abomination (?) of St. Anger, Metallica returned to their “roots” with Death Magnetic and Hardwired… to Self Destruct. Which as Dave points out on this episode, is now a bunch of (mostly) old dudes trying to be young again. As if they ever really grew up anyway… To wit, this is part two of our Metallica exodus, wherein we talk about the band’s career from Damage. Inc up until the present, including a very brief sojourn into the weirdness of Lulu, which is an album that does not get better with age, despite Lars confidently proclaiming that it would. Man, that was a long sentence… Nevertheless, we do give St. Anger a chance, and Dave does genuinely like this album, faults and all. In the end though, it all comes down to what you think. It’s worth saying at this point that we will never ever revisit this band ever again. So, if you do think Metallica deserve a place in our discography this is the only chance you’ll get to vote them in. Have your say on Twitter. DON’T FORGET - You can subscribe for $2 a month to access to our episodes a few days earlier, as well as regular bonus content and access to our AAA backstage Facebook group. Head on over to our Patreon to learn more: www.patreon.com/unsungpod

Episode 150 - St. Anger by Metallica (Side A)

We’re three bloody years old today. THREE. Can you believe it?! As is tradition, we do something a bit silly around our birthday. In year one, Chris decided to take things very seriously do the album Meantime by Helmet, because the name of this podcast comes from one of the songs on that record. In year two Mark subjected the world, and a room full of actual live human beings, to the ridiculous pop punk mixtape. Soon after, covid-19 was discovered. A coincidence? We think not. The world hasn’t been the same since. This year it’s David’s turn, and he saw it was time to force St. Anger upon us, much like Metallica did when they released this album on the unsuspecting human populace. Much like the impact of covid-19, the world has never been the same since, and nor have Metallica themselves. Look folks, it’s silly season. We’ve actually touched upon this band before in our ill-fated foray into the world of radio, so to say some of us were primed for this is an understatement. What you get across these two episodes are three men who hate Metallica talking about Metallica. Except Dave actually, genuinely likes this album. May god have mercy on us all. DON’T FORGET - You can subscribe for $2 a month to access to our episodes a few days earlier, as well as regular bonus content and access to our AAA backstage Facebook group. Head on over to our Patreon to learn more: www.patreon.com/unsungpod

Episode 149 - Death Magic by Health

This week we take a critical look at the discography of LA noise/electronic/pop/metal/dance/whatever band Health from good ol’ Los Angeles. Perhaps best known to some as noise rock band, their sound has changed a fair bit over the years. After releasing two acclaimed DIY noise type records they went away and did the soundtrack to Max Payne 3. When they returned years later they had fully embraced the electronics that they had begun to incorporate in their second album “Get Color” and fully enhanced their presence within their music. Of course, that’s only part of the story. They’re a band who had always had a penchant for a remix or two - indeed every album of theirs has had an accompanying remix record called DISCO - so to say their movement into the realms of industrial and electronica was a surprise would of course be an understatement. On this episode we chat about their third album Death Magic. Things get a bit heated this week as - shocker - we don’t agree on this album at all. But hey, that’s the kinda content you’re here for right? Does Death Magic deserve a place in our discography? You decide. Vote below. DON’T FORGET - You can subscribe for $2 a month to access to our episodes a few days earlier, as well as regular bonus content and access to our AAA backstage Facebook group. Head on over to our Patreon to learn more: www.patreon.com/unsungpod

Episode 148 - Pink Flag by Wire (Side B) with Ferruccio Quercetti

One of the things that we find quite gratifying about these double episodes is the amount of time we can spend talking about a storied band’s large back catalogue. Of course, in many ways that’s the entire raison d'etre of this whole damn enterprise, but it feels particularly good when you’ve spent a bunch of time learning about an artist and can just splurge all this knowledge out in a way that (we hope) is enlightening and educational. Our new pod friend Ferruccio is back this week and we finally dive into Pink Flag in itself. Many argue, many punk and hardcore luminaries no less, that it is the most important punk album of all time. Indeed, in many ways one could argue it’s the only proper punk album Wire have ever made (relative to the scene at the time). Either way, there is no denying how influential this album has been, but we suggest here that this album, and my extension Wire as a band, are more of a band’s band. As ever, we give the record a good once over and Ferruccio brings in some top tier post-punk knowledge to lend us an air of credibility. Of course, the real question here is: does Pink Flag deserve a place in our discography? Vote below! DON’T FORGET - You can subscribe for $2 a month to access to our episodes a few days earlier, as well as regular bonus content and access to our AAA backstage Facebook group. Head on over to our Patreon to learn more: www.patreon.com/unsungpod

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