Shows
Can't Get Much HigherCan I Get an Encore, Do You Want More?Earlier this year, the New York Times published a list of the best books of the 21st century. That list had no books about music. To rectify that, I’ve been polling artists, critics, and fans about their favorite music books released in the last 24 years. I’d love for you to fill out the survey.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve r...2024-11-1510 min
Can't Get Much HigherImmortality in 7-SecondsEvery few days, I scroll through the top music apps on my iPhone. Usually, things are fairly status quo. Spotify. Shazam. YouTube Music. All the stuff you’d expect. But occasionally an app catches my eye that had previously eluded me.That happened this week with a somewhat peculiar app reaching the upper echelons of Apple’s paid music app chart. It’s called “Amen Break Generator (Revived).” In many ways, it signifies both the past and future of music. As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Clic...2024-11-0718 min
Can't Get Much HigherWe'll Have Halloween on ChristmasI’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween or purposefully subjecting myself to ghostly fear, but today is October 31, so I thought it would only be appropriate if we spoke about what constitutes the ghoulish musical canon, why it is different than the Christmas carols that flood our airwaves at the end of each year, and how it might be growing more popular than ever before.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will colo...2024-10-3119 min
Can't Get Much HigherThis is Our Band Name. Period.Before jumping into our history of band name punctuation, I wanted to let everyone know that on Thursday, October 31, I will be appearing in an online event with my former colleague Dave Edwards. This conversation is part of a series called The Smartest People in the Room that features “one-on-one conversations between music industry executives and personalities.” While I won’t claim to be one of the smartest people in any room, I’m really excited for this. In the past, the event has featured the likes of Stewart Copeland, Bob Lefsetz, Gloria Gaynor, and Simon Napier-Bell, among many others.2024-10-2418 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Death of Mechanical SocialismBeing a songwriter is hard. And I’m not just talking about the fact that writing great songs is no easy task. I’m talking about how the economics around songwriting have made turning it into a career a near impossibility. As I mentioned a few months ago, songwriters don’t get paid upfront for their work. They only get paid via the royalties their songs generate after they come out. In other words, if your song doesn’t sell, you don’t get paid.While this labor arrangement makes things harder for songwriters, it’s nothing new. It’s ho...2024-10-1718 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Ever-Changing Unchangingness of Live MusicPeople have been going to concerts for thousands of years, but something about the experience dramatically changed in the last few decades.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cantgetmuchhigher.com/subscribe2024-10-1016 min
Can't Get Much HigherNeedles in Haystacks: The Lostwave StoryEarlier this year, I spoke with Paula Toledo about her whirlwind 15 minutes of fame. Toledo made music in the 2000s that never got too big, and then moved on with her life. The problem? Nobody on the internet could move on. Unbeknownst to Toledo, people online had accidentally stumbled upon her songs and had spent a decade trying to find her.Catherine Sinow, a frequent contributor to this newsletter, first told me about the Paula Toledo saga while working on a different story about how Jessica Simpson released 500 versions of her song “A Public Affair”. Toledo was just...2024-10-0322 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Hardest Thing for A Musician to DoIn a 2011 piece for the AV Club, music critic Steven Hyden defined a new metric for musical greatness: the five-albums test. An artist passes this test if they release at least five consecutive masterful albums. According to Hyden, very few artists pass this test. The Beatles do. So do Queen. That said, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones come up short. Inspired by Mr. Hyden, I want to propose a test of musical greatness that is even more stringent: the 40-year test.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Hi...2024-09-2617 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Great Generational Snob ShiftIf you’re reading this newsletter, I have bad news. You’re probably a snob. I don’t mean that as an insult. But you’ve got to be realistic. If you’re getting weekly missives sent to your email inbox about “the intersection of music and data,” then you probably spend more time thinking about the music that you like and what it says about you than the average person. Nevertheless, snobbishness is not some monolith. Grandma’s snobbish musical tendencies are likely very different than your own. This week, I want to track the great generational snob shift.As...2024-09-1919 min
Can't Get Much HigherHey Jude, Are Song Titles Showing Up Later?A few weeks ago, an upcoming writer named Chris Gunther reached out to me with an interesting theory. He claimed that song titles were appearing later in songs. Here’s an example he gave me. The Rolling Stones’ classic “Angie”, released in 1973, starts with Mick Jagger intoning the title. Compare that to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire”, a piano ballad from 2023. It takes 132 words before Rodrigo reaches her title. Of course, those are just examples. Gunther claims that’s part of a larger trend, though. I’ll let him explain.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Ca...2024-09-1215 min
Can't Get Much HigherDid Frank Sinatra Really Perform at My Grandma's High School?A few months ago, my sister graduated from college. She’s the youngest of our 22 first cousins and the final person to complete her higher education. Naturally, we were very proud and threw a big party to mark the occasion. As the drinks were flowing, my aunts and uncles began recounting family lore. One slice of that lore, stuck with me after the party ended. It was a story my grandmother had often told about how Frank Sinatra had performed at her high school while she was a student.I’d heard this story many times. Since my g...2024-09-0542 min
Can't Get Much HigherWe Are Never Getting Back TogetherIt was recently announced that Noel and Liam Gallagher, the two brothers behind the famed band Oasis, had finally squashed their decades-long beef and were going to reunite. This news set my Twitter feed on fire, nearly ever person that I follow excited by the thought of seeing the two snarky Brits on stage again. “Who,” I began to ponder, “could send the internet into a bigger tizzy over a reunion tour?” Seemed like a question some data could answer. As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to re...2024-08-2916 min
Can't Get Much HigherPersonalized LiesI work for the music streaming service Audiomack. And I do a lot of things at Audiomack, but my broad directive is to deal with data and personalization. The former includes everything from royalty reporting to making sure internal curators can see how their playlists are performing. The latter includes building all experiences — from song recommendations to paywalls — that make our app and website feel like it was made specifically for you.When I talk about my job, I get many more questions about the personalization piece than the data piece. I understand why. Personalization is one of t...2024-08-2220 min
Can't Get Much HigherWhy Archival Releases Fascinate Me (and Should Fascinate You Too)I always admire people who write in a way that I know I can’t. Robert C. Gilbert is one of those people. Gilbert runs Listening Sessions, a weekly newsletter that dives deeper into single artists, songs, and albums than I even thought possible. I know he’s good at what he does because he can open my mind to new perspectives on music that I’ve been listening to for years.Since I’m away at a wedding in California this week, I decided to give Mr. Gilbert the keys to Can’t Get Much Higher. He wrote a...2024-08-1530 min
Can't Get Much HigherWhy AllMusic Broke Up with Bryan AdamsNot too long ago, I couldn’t get my writing published anywhere. I was pitching so many stories that it felt like publications were being created just to reject me. Then I pitched a story about the decline of key changes in popular music to Tedium, a publication run by Ernie Smith that explores “the dull side of the internet.” Much to my shock, Smith agree to publish the piece. And I’m glad he did. It went so viral that it not only ended up becoming one of Tedium’s greatest hits, but it led to me working with NPR a...2024-08-0815 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Best Year for Album of the YearI got in an argument last week. As is typically the case for me, it was about an important topic: the best year for Album of the Year at the Grammys. Since my friend and I couldn’t come to an agreement, I figured a newsletter about music and data was the best place to resolve it. Luckily, I write one. We decided the loser owed the other a beer. Data, don’t fail me now!As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsle...2024-08-0116 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Great Grand Piano ScamI almost got scammed a few years ago. A woman hit me up on Instagram asking if I wrote songs. “Of course,” I responded. She then sent a long message asking if I could compose a song for her son Daniel’s sixth birthday. She claimed she’d pay me $500. I agreed. I already wrote and recorded music regularly. It sounded like an easy $500. Then the scam emerged.After I sent the song, the delighted woman told me that she had a check that she would mail me. There was an issue, though. The bank accidentally made the chec...2024-07-2517 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Rise of the Disappointing DuetIf you read this newsletter each week, you’ll know that I typically rant about some topic, usually one that brings together music and data. Then I recommend both a new song (i.e., one released in the last few weeks) and an old song (i.e., one released at least five years ago).You’ll still get a rant from me this week. (It’s about crappy duets.) But the song recommendations will come from my friends at Songletter, a publication that delivers one to two songs to your inbox each week. Some of those recommendations will b...2024-07-1820 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Proper Way to ListenWhen I got to college, my randomly-assigned roommate and I became fast friends. One of the first things we bonded over was music. We both loved The Lumineers’ eponymous debut record that was released the year before our higher education began. But one thing my new friend said left me disturbed. He listened to the album on shuffle!Over the course of our college career, I did convince him that albums should be listened to in the order the artist intended. I can imagine I told him that you wouldn’t like the Mona Lisa as much if y...2024-07-1122 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe New National AnthemSince today is Independence Day in the United States, I decided to explore why "The Star-Spangled Banner" is as American as the tomato is Italian. As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here. For a playlist of every old song that I’ve recommended, click here. If you want to here songs and their...2024-07-0422 min
Can't Get Much HigherHow Music Criticism Has ChangedThe other day a friend of mine asked me if I liked being a music critic. “Music critic?” I asked. “I’m not a music critic.” And I really meant that. Yes, I write about music. Yes, I give you my opinion on certain things. Yes, I recommend songs that I enjoy. But I don’t think I’m a critic in the same way that or Jessica Hopper or or are critics. I don’t think I’m giving you deep insight into particular pieces of music. I mostly write about trends.Nevertheless, I love music criticism. So, whe...2024-06-2720 min
Can't Get Much Higher14 Good Things Happening in Music Right NowI feel like recent music news is often bad news. And I’m a contributor to that. Just last week I wrote a long piece about problems in the music industry that don’t get enough attention. But tomorrow is my 29th birthday. In celebration, I wanted to talk about some great things that are happening. As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a...2024-06-2025 min
Can't Get Much Higher14 Issues in Music That Don't Get Enough AttentionIt feels like 99% of music industry press is focused on one of two issues: streaming royalties and the Ticketmaster antitrust case. Of course, these are major issues affecting an untold number of artists. But given that I spend an ungodly amount of time working in, thinking about, and making music, I often come across other pesky problems that get little to no press. This week, I want to give 14 of these issues their due.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It co...2024-06-1325 min
Can't Get Much HigherWhen the F*ck Did We Start Singing "Sh*t"?I don’t curse. Why? Unpacking that would require a podcast in and of itself. Nevertheless, I’ve always been fascinated by cursing. While some of that fascination is due to the fact that I don’t partake in the crass art, a bigger piece of it is driven by how creative humans are with using expletives. This week I want to pick apart some of that creativity in order to answer an important question: When the f*ck did we start putting the word “sh*t” in our songs?As a reminder, this is the podcast version of...2024-06-0615 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Day I Met The BossI think the adage “Never meet your heroes” is generally good advice. I can’t say for sure, though. I haven’t met many of mine. Except one time. When I was in high school, I had a chance run-in with my greatest musical hero. It made me think that maybe some of our heroes are worth meeting.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify...2024-05-3018 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Decline and Fall of the Hit Instrumental SongClarinet players aren’t sex symbols. I say this with no disrespect for those that play the single-reeded woodwind. But if you asked a random person on the street to name a clarinet player, I suspect most couldn’t come up with one, let alone one known for their good looks. Then again, this isn’t a particular indictment of clarinetists. If you asked that same person to name a sexy musician, I’d bet a large sum of money they’d name a vocalist.This wasn’t always the case, though. Go back to the 1930s and 1940s, a...2024-05-2323 min
Can't Get Much HigherDecorating TimeI've got a new song out today. It's called "Late Nite Kicks". In today's podcast, I give you an inside scoop of how my creative process works as we walk through how the song came to be. Listen to "Late Nite Kicks" wherever you stream music.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve reco...2024-05-1615 min
Can't Get Much HigherDiss Post is About AnswersOver the last few weeks, there has been an explosive beef between hip-hop stalwarts Drake and Kendrick Lamar. What started out as a standard tit-for-tat has devolved into a volleying of nuclear bombs, accusations of predatory behavior, domestic violence, and absentee parenting flying with abandon. If you want a summary of a situation that is starting to require way too much time to follow, I recommend these pieces from Stereogum and Pitchfork. Nevertheless, this back-and-forth got me thinking about how hip-hop diss tracks are really part of a larger, less defamatory tradition.As a reminder, this is...2024-05-0915 min
Can't Get Much HigherInvestigating Fraud at the GrammysA couple of months ago, I read a fascinating piece from the publication Stars After Stars After Stars called “How I got booted as a Grammy voter,” which detailed allegations of fraud at the Grammys. This week I decided to investigate those claims.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here. For a pl...2024-05-0216 min
Can't Get Much HigherRecord Store ChafesOne of my favorite newsletters is Dan Epstein's Jagged Time Lapse. In each edition, Epstein captures how music intersects with our lives in unexpected ways, how it can send us hurtling through space and time, how it can be both magical and mundane. This week, Epstein brings one of his stories to Can't Get Much Higher. If you enjoy it, make sure you subscribe to Jagged Time Lapse.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that wi...2024-04-2518 min
Can't Get Much HigherBringing Music Back to 1994For decades, the film industry made lots of money by windowing releases. First, you had to pay to go to the theater. Then you had to pay to get the VHS. Then a television network had to pay to air it. Music never worked like this. The model was (and is) to release everywhere all at once. This week we explore how music should be taking a cue from Hollywood of yore.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, gr...2024-04-1821 min
Can't Get Much HigherLet Me Be a SelloutBeyoncé announcing the lead single to her latest album Cowboy Carter in a Verizon commercial during the Super Bowl reminded me of how intertwined music and commerce have become and how selling out isn’t an idea anymore. This week we try to figure out what happened to selling out.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every new song...2024-04-1117 min
Can't Get Much HigherThe Land Where the CD Never DiedIn 2023, only 36% of recorded music revenues in Japan came from streaming. 55% came from physical sales, the large majority of which was from CDs. This week we explore why CDs remain so popular in Japan.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here. For a playlist of every old song that I’ve rec...2024-04-0419 min
Can't Get Much HigherShould Making Music Be Hard?Last week, Rolling Stone magazine published an article about Suno AI, a startup that allows you to generate two-minute songs from a text prompts. I was playing around with this music-generation tool and was both blown away and scared. It made making music way too easy. It made me wonder if that ease was an issue.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. Fo...2024-03-2817 min
Can't Get Much HigherMommy, Why Did You Name Me Doja Cat?A few weeks ago, I met somebody who named their newborn daughter Lennon. That’s odd, I thought to myself. Given that the name Lennon is derived from the surname of John Lennon, I assumed it would generally be used for newborn boys. I decided to download some data to find out. Lennon, it seems, used to be more popular among newborn boys. Now, it’s mostly used for newborn girls. But in order to figure this out, I had to download 150 years of naming data from the Social Security Administration. I dove into that data to see what else...2024-03-2118 min
Can't Get Much HigherRecorded Music is a HoaxHave you ever disliked an artist because you thought their music was dishonest? Maybe they were pretending to play an instrument that they couldn’t really play. Maybe they were doctoring up their vocals with pitch correction and effects. This week we dive deep into the idea of musical honesty to learn that it has no objective meaning. Whether you listen to folk or EDM or rock or anything, you’ve been fooled by recorded music.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsle...2024-03-1418 min
Can't Get Much HigherAvril Lavigne and the Future of Musical TranslationThis week’s story comes from George Ball, a recent graduate with a love for all things music and data. Ball recently came across the fact that Avril Lavigne released her hit song “Girlfriend” in multiple languages, including Mandarin, Spanish, and German, among others. He uses Lavigne’s translations as a jumping off point to dive into the past and future of artists singing in different tongues. As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your...2024-03-0715 min
Can't Get Much HigherDon't Believe the Headlines. Music Festivals Aren't All the Same.Over the last decade, many popular publications have claimed that music festivals are getting more similar. I decided to look at 12 of the biggest festivals to investigate. As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple, Spotify, or Substack. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here. For a playlist of every old song that I’ve recommended, click here. This is a p...2024-02-2917 min
Can't Get Much HigherOne Death is a Death Too ManyInspired by a fan question about tons of young artists dying in the 1960s and 1970s, I try to understand if that was when the most actually did die. As always, you can click here for the written version of this podcast. The written version contains charts, pictures, and graphs to color your understanding of the topic. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here. For a playlist of every old song that I’ve recommended, click here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other...2024-02-2914 min
Can't Get Much HigherAre the Grammys Sexist?In 2024, The Recording Academy pushed that it was the year of women at the Grammys. This week, we decide to investigate that claim, along with sharing a fascinating anecdote about Johnny Mercer and Sadie Vimmerstedt. As always, you can find the written version of this podcast here. It contains images, graphs, and charts to color this discussion. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here. For a playlist of every old song that I’ve recommended, click here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other...2024-02-2918 min
Can't Get Much HigherI Wish Buddy Holly Released More Bad MusicLast week, was the 65th anniversary of Buddy Holly’s death. Inspired by that sad anniversary, I want to talk a bit about the tragedy of dying young. Please note that this is the audio companion to my newsletter. For the written version of this episode, click here. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here. For a playlist of every old song that I’ve recommended, click here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.cant...2024-02-2914 min
What Am I Making PodcastWAIM #047 - Chris Dalla RivaChris Dalla Riva is an independent musician with a small, but engaged audience that is continuously growing. As much as his musical ambitions are headed in the right direction, Chris also has a day job as a data analyst for the digital music streamer AudioMack. This gives him a wholly unique perspective on the digital streaming industry. Not only does Dalla Riva have access to the data of both the musician and the streaming provider in his situation, but he gets a daily, on the ground perspective from both points of view. He sees the struggle to b...2024-01-081h 22
Business of Apps Podcast#160: App onboarding: solving the endless choice problem with Chris Dalla Riva, Senior Product Manager at AudiomackFrictions. “The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another” - this is the dictionary definition of what friction means in science. When you ask a mobile app developer “What do frictions mean to you?”, the answer is “any obstacle that prevents my app users from doing with the app what I expect them to”.
This notion sounds great but as with everything in our life, moderation is the key and today, Chris will give you an example of that.
Today’s Topics Include:
Chris Riva's background
Audiomack brief bio
Definition of app onboard...2023-08-2132 min
One Hit Thunder"Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles (f/Chris Dalla Riva)At midnight on August 1st of 1981, MTV hit the airwaves. After an astronaut planted an MTV flag on the moon, viewers were immediately greeted by the opening notes of The Buggles’ prophetic anthem “Video Killed the Radio Star”. Today, we are joined by music critic and On A Related Note co-host Chris Dalla Riva to discuss this historic song, and if the pictures that came actually DID break his heart.If you like the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Email us atonehitthunderpodcast@gmail.com. Also, follow us on our social media: Twitte...2023-05-0351 min
Alright, It's SettledEP56 - The Best FarewellIt's the end of the road. Eddy is going to medical school. Chris is moving. And Denny remains in Boston. But what better thing to discuss than farewells? If we missed something, sorry. We're done. Be safe. And continue holding strong opinions about stupid things. But always remember that you might be wrong.2019-06-2800 minAlright, It's SettledEP55 - The Craziest Sports ConspiracyWatching the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night, we started talking about sports conspiracy theories. A little searching led us to some wacky conspiracies that we'd never heard of. We decided to debate the craziest one. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-06-1400 minAlright, It's SettledEP54 - The Best, Respective Euphemisms for Urinating and Getting DrunkOnly a few weeks left before Alright, It's Settled begins its indefinite hiatus, we decide to return to a topic we'd been talking about for a while: the best, respective euphemisms for urinating and getting drunk. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-06-0700 minAlright, It's SettledEP53 - The Best Cover Band SongAfter listening to Chris play some cover songs at a local bar, Denny suggested we talk about the best song to hear a cover band do. He was looking for something that induced immense comradery in the bar. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-05-3100 minAlright, It's SettledEP52 - The Best Way to Eat a PotatoEddy claims that he suggested this topic in October and Denny and I told him it was stupid. That's not true. Because this topic is not stupid. And everybody loves potatoes in its various incarnations. Did we miss something? Do you want something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-05-2400 minAlright, It's SettledEP51 - The Most Famous LoversLove is in the air this spring, so we decided to talk about the most famous lovers. We split it into fictional and non-fictional. Did we miss something? Do you want something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com2019-05-1700 minAlright, It's SettledEP50 - The One Year AnniversaryExcept for our two week Christmas break, we made time for "Alright, It's Settled" every week throughout the last year. Given how hectic our schedules can be, this was a miracle. So we decided to celebrate. We went over to Harvard and had the world's brightest students weigh in on some old topics. Thanks for sticking with us. Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-05-1000 minAlright, It's SettledEP49 - The Most Well Known IntellectualOur most intellectual topic yet is, indeed, about intellectuals! As two-and-a-half intellectual hosts, we figured there was no better trio to tackle the topic of the most well known intellectual. Hopefully next week we will have our one year celebration. Did we miss something? Do you want something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-05-0300 minAlright, It's SettledEP48 - The Most Annoying Sports ClicheWith the NBA and NHL playoffs alive and the NFL draft marking the beginning of the preseason, we decided to discuss cliche sports phrases and why they annoy us. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-04-2600 minAlright, It's SettledEP47 - The Strangest Feasible Way to CommunicateWith none of us in the same place, we decided to record an episode over the phone with only the Macbook's internal microphone. Thus, this is our lowest fidelity episode, but we do it for the fans. Inspired by our DIY approach, we decided to discuss strange yet feasible ways to communicate. Did we miss something? Do you want something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-04-1900 minAlright, It's SettledEP46 - The Worst Musical CollaborationThis last week the song "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus topped the Billboard Hot 100. It was an unexpected collaboration, to say the least. While we all sorta like Little Nas X's crossover jam, we decided to delve into terrible musical collaborations. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-04-1200 minAlright, It's SettledEP45 - The Actor Least Likely to Play a SuperheroGiven the approach of the new Marvel movie, superheroes have been in the news recently. We decieded to look into the actor who would be the worst superhero. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com2019-04-0500 minAlright, It's SettledEP44 - The Best Topic to Settle Next WeekScrounging for a topic, we decided to go with a meta-topic: selecting the best possible topic for next week. Matt was in the room without a mic (because he said he didn't want to talk) but he wouldn't shut up. Do you wanted something else settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-03-2900 minAlright, It's SettledEP43 - The Nickname that Best Describes the City it is Named forWherefore art though, Denny? In his first episode away from the podcast, we have two old guests - Billy and Matt - fill the North Carolinians big shoes to discuss nicknames for urban areas. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-03-2200 minAlright, It's SettledEP42 - The Fictional Character You Most Envy as You Get OlderInspired by a question he read on Twitter, Denny insists on discussing fictional characters he envies as he grows older and wiser. (Hint: Most of those characters he envies tend to sleep a long time, often years.) We also get through the Final Four Songs from 2013 in our March Madness bracket in preparation for the final game next Friday. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-03-1500 minAlright, It's SettledEP41 - The Most Trusted Voice in AmericaWith Alex Trebek's tragic cancer diagnosis, we started thinking about trusted voices in this age of political disarray. There is a case to be made that Trebek's nightly presence in people's living rooms has made him one of the most trusted figures left. Did we miss someone? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-03-0800 minAlright, It's SettledEP40 - The Job that Would Create the Most Chaos if it Disappeared for a WeekAfter marching through the Sweet Sixteen of our Top 40 Songs, we decided to talk about jobs that would throw the world into chaos if they temporarily disappeared. Did we miss something? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-03-0100 minAlright, It's SettledEP39 - The Thing Stressed to You as a Child that has Been Least Useful in Your Adult LifeWith elementary educator Claire Messina in town, we decided to discuss lies our teachers told us and lies Claire continues to tell her students. We also establish the Sweet Sixteen of songs in our Top 40 Songs of 2013 Bracket Challenge. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-02-2200 minAlright, It's SettledEP38 - The Worst Fandom NamesAfter discovering that fans of Imagine Dragons are called "Firebreathers," we decided to weigh in on the worst fandom names. Chris's girlfriend Val Coughlin joins the program. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-02-1500 minAlright, It's SettledEP37 - The NFL Team Most Likely to Win if the Players Were the Team's MascotLaw school student (and old friend) Katie Petrino sits down with us for our post-Super Bowl recap where we imagine NFL teams as if the players were the mascots. (The Patriots would not be a dynasty in this simulation.) We also continue our "March Madness" tournament of pop songs from 2013. Did we miss something? Were you upset that Katie and Denny didn't get into a fight? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-02-0800 minAlright, It's SettledEP36 - The Worst Possible Entertainment for the Super Bowl Half Time ShowInspired by the impending Super Bowl and Imagine Dragons terrible performance during halftime of the College Football Champion we discuss the worst possible Super Bowl halftime entertainment. Fiona Shea joins to help us suss it out.
We also start March Madness early, debating a bracket of the Top 40 Songs from 2013. We will pit a few songs against each other each week until we arrive at the champion at the beginning of the NCAA's March Madness. Did we miss something? Are you upset about a song's defeat from your youth? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-02-0100 minAlright, It's SettledEP35 - The Most Surprising Phrase Still in Use that is Based on an Outdated TechnologyTechnologies die. First we listened to vinyl. Then cassettes. Then CDs. Then we streamed. (Now some people listen to vinyl again.) But even when technologies die, sometimes the terminology sticks around. Today we discuss the most surprising term from an outdated technology that's still around. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-01-2500 minAlright, It's SettledEP34 - The Youngest Looking Old PersonAfter Denny was blown away by how good Martha Stewart looked at 77, we decided to look at which old people looked the youngest. Did we miss any spry geriatrics? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItSettled@gmail.com.2019-01-1800 minAlright, It's SettledEP33 - The Most Beloved CriminalNot all laws are just. But even when people break the fair ones, we sometimes forgive them quickly. With this in mind, we decided to weigh in on the ex-criminals that have rehabilitated their image so much so that we often forget that they did time. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-01-1100 minAlright, It's SettledEP32 - The Thing that is Most Consistently Second BestAfter putting out a new song called "Second Best," Chris proposes discussing the thing that is most consistently second best. In other words, these things are always close to greatness but never actually achieve it. Edouard's friend Katie joins to help sleuth out the answer. Are you consistently taking home the silver medal? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2019-01-0400 minAlright, It's SettledEP31 - The Actor Most Associated with a Single RoleKara Reilly, the first female guest, highlights our male-centric bias as we discuss actors who are only associated with a single role. Kara also joins Eddy to play a new game called Sniff the Nip that involves identifying hard alcohol purely by the scent. Did we miss something? Is there a nip that would be particularly difficult to identify? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-12-1400 minAlright, It's SettledEP30 - The Most Famous Doctor who isn't a Real DoctorBecause Eddy is on the journey to medical school, we decided to discuss doctors that aren't really doctors. We also discuss a strange turn of events in Eddy's love life. Did we miss something? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-12-0700 minAlright, It's SettledEP29 - The Christmas Song that has the Least to do with ChristmasAfter a successful Thanksgiving special, Denny decided that he wanted to get in the Christmas spirit and talk about Christmas songs that have nothing to do with Christmas. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-11-3000 minAlright, It's SettledEP28 - The Most Recognizable Opening Lyric to a SongWith the holiday approaching, Chris, Denny, and Eddy decided to release a bonus episode to help make traveling a bit easier and to spark debate at your Thanksgiving table. With that in mind, the gang decided to look for the song whose opening lyrics are so iconic that they are recognizable sans melody, rhythm, or music. Did we miss something? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-11-1900 minAlright, It's SettledEP27 - The Most Misunderstood Alcoholic BeverageChris's friend Tom Rowland was in town with intent on joining the podcast, but Denny got a slow start to his day and couldn't get over until Tom had left. Still, Tom's topic was put to use as the gang looked at the most misunderstood alcoholic beverage. Did we miss something? Do you have a topic? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-11-1600 minAlright, It's SettledEP26 - The Most Famous FamilyWith Chris happy to have another New Jerseyan on the podcast, long-time fan John Schettino joins for a half hour of debate about famous families. Chris also introduces a new segment called Chris's Blind Bag Challenge. If you want to play along, the four mysterious objects that Edouard is trying to identify are a soccer cone, a bottle of Advil, steel wool, and scotch tape. Is your family famous? Infamous? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-11-0900 minAlright, It's SettledEP25 - The Most Iconic Facial HairAfter growing a mustache for his Freddie Mercury Halloween costume, Eddy suggests discussing the most iconic facial hair. The crew is also joined by their roommate Matt for a new segment, Hot Takes with Matt Haley, where Matt explains why he hates going out to breakfast. Chris also explains why he hates hot takes. Do you have a killer neckbeard? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-11-0200 minAlright, It's SettledEP24 - The Solo Musician You Were Most Shocked to Find Out was First in a Famous BandHave you ever been a fan of a solo artist and also a fan of a band and then later find out that artist was in said band? For Denny, it was realizing that Dave Grohl - the drummer in Nirvana - was the same Dave Grohl that fronted the Foo Fighters. For Eddy, it was realizing that Ringo Starr - vocal powerhouse behind the 70's classic "Photograph" - was the drummer in The Beatles. With this in mind, Chris, Denny, and Eddy sit down to discuss the most shocking of these realizations. Billy Evers joins again. Is there something...2018-10-2600 minAlright, It's SettledEP23 - The Most Famous StreetChris's buddy Billy Evers sits in with the gang to discuss famous streets. Before traversing the globe, Denny heads to a seemingly innocuous but somewhat suggestive corner of his Wikipedian Wonderland. Do you live on a notable street? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-10-1900 minAlright, It's SettledEP22 - The Most Well Known Number that is Associated with Only One ThingChris tries to inject some mathematics into the podcast, but Denny and Eddy take it in the complete opposite direction. Did you think the answer should have been 2047, the smallest composite pernicious Mersenne prime? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com2018-10-1200 minAlright, It's SettledEP21 - The Most Depressing Board GameAfter one too many Trivial Pursuit arguments, Chris, Denny, and Eddy look into the most depressing board game. Denny also takes us on another trip to his Wikipedia Wonderland. Did we miss something? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-10-0500 minAlright, It's SettledEP20 - The Strangest Sports Team NameAfter a long day of doing nothing but watch NFL Red Zone, Denny, Eddy, and Chris look into the strangest sports team names and their even more outrageous backstories. Denny also introduces his new segment, Denny's Wikipedia Corner. Did we forget the name of your town's Little League team? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-09-2800 minAlright, It's SettledEP19 - The Most Shocking DeathWhile death is one of life's few certainties, it can still come as quite a shock. In the grimmest episode to date, Chris, Denny, and Eddy delve into the most shocking deaths since the death of RFK, just over 60 years ago. (We figured if we went back too far JFK, MLK, or RFK would be the inevitable conclusion.) Did we miss something? Do you have something that needs to be settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-09-2100 minAlright, It's SettledEP18 - The Most Commonly Used Quote that People Don't Realize is from a MovieMovie buff Edouard leads the group on a nearly endless quest to unearth the most commonly used quote that people don't realize is actually from a movie. Did you know the source of every quote in this podcast? Do you need something settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-09-1400 minAlright, It's SettledEP17 - The Scariest HolidayGiven the irony that Chris had to work on Labor Day, the gang sit down to discuss the scariest holiday. Did we forget about the holiday that your mother created in the 70s? Do you have a topic that needs settling? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com2018-09-0700 minAlright, It's SettledEP16 - The Job that Requires the Most FriendlinessEdouard makes his glorious return from France so he can weigh in on the job that requires the friendliest behavior. (In other words, if you hate people, there is no way you could fathom doing this job.) Did we miss something? Are you in a friendlier field? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-08-3100 minAlright, It's SettledEP15 - The Ultimate Dinner GuestUnclear when Edouard is returning to Boston, Chris and Denny decide to bring a fourth person into the fray. Joined by international-traveler/professor-of-American-culture Thomas Hanley and consultant extraordinaire David Kim, the gang discuss the ultimate dinner guest. Did we miss something? Is your second cousin a particularly engaging conversationalist? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-08-2400 minAlright, It's SettledEP14 - The Best Mononymous NameWith Edouard galavanting through the hills of France, Chris and Denny sit down with their friend Thomas Hanley - conveniently in the US from Germany - to discuss mononymous celebrities. Did we miss something? Are you offended by how little credence we gave to Shakira? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-08-1700 minAlright, It's SettledEP13 - The Best Three Consecutive Songs on an AlbumTwo consecutive masterpieces on an album is impressive but somewhat common. Four is nearly impossible. But three is the perfect combination of difficulty and feasibility. Chris, Denny, and Eddy dive into one of the most classic debates in popular music and try to find the holy trinity of songs from a single album. Did we forget the last three songs from the sixth record ofyour favorite German deathcore band? Do you need something resolved? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-08-1000 minAlright, It's SettledEP12 - The Hardest Gameshow to WinInspired by Alex Trebek's alleged retirement and a young Chris's obsession with the Gameshow Network, Chris, Denny, and Eddy look to figure out what the most difficult gameshow to win is. Are we forgetting your favorite gameshow? Do you think Wheel of Fortune airs before or after Jeopardy!? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-08-0300 minAlright, It's SettledEP11 - The Best Person to Take an Elevator Ride WithThere are some people you would never wish to meet, there are those that you would want to hang out with for a long time, and there are also those that you'd love to meet but only for a brief time. This week Chris, Denny, and Eddy look to answer the last question by exploring who would be the ideal person to run into in an elevator. Did we miss something? Are you itching to hear a certain topic debated? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com2018-07-2700 minAlright, It's SettledEP10 - The Coolest Fictional TwinsMaking friends becomes exceedingly more difficult once you graduate from college. With this in mind, Chris, Denny, and Eddy look to identify the coolest fictional twins in an effort to expand their increasingly shrinking social circle. Did we miss something? Do you want to take Denny on a date? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com2018-07-2000 minAlright, It's SettledEP9 - The Most Versatile BeerWhich beer can you break out at a BBQ, black tie affair, and funeral and not look out of place? Denny, Chris, and Eddy try to discern the beer most applicable for all occasions. Did we miss something? Are you looking to go on a date with Denny? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-07-1300 minAlright, It's SettledEP8 - The Most Exciting Play in SportsIt's hard to define what a sports play is, but you know it when you see it. To Denny's joy, we jump into our first sports-related topic, trying to identify what the most exciting athletic play is. Did we forget about some little known athletic competition? Do you need a topic settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-07-0600 minAlright, It's SettledEP7 - The Strangest Celebrity Baby NameWhile Chris, Denny, and Eddy aren't sure why celebrities feel the need to name their children such strange names, they decide to weigh in on which name is the strangest. Did we miss something? Are you D-List celebrity who has a child with a bizarre name? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-06-2900 minAlright, It's SettledEP6 - The Most Famous Literary CharacterThe most highbrow topic to date, Chris, Denny, and Eddy attempt to parse through the canon of world literature and suss out the most famous character of them all. While the character could have gained additional notoriety from non-literary means, they must have initially appeared in a work of literature. (In other words, Denny, Slim Shady is not a literary character.) Is Harold Bloom a close relative and he's told you that he's unhappy with our final decision? Does old Uncle Harry need another debate settled? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-06-2200 minAlright, It's SettledEP5 - The Most Surprising Celebrity Career ChangeMany celebrities make career changes - singers become actors, actors become politicians, politicians become criminals - but Chris, Denny, and Eddy are in search of the most surprising career change of them all. Did we miss something? Have you lost communication with your mother over a trivial argument? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-06-0800 minAlright, It's SettledEP4 - The Sweatiest MovieAfter a week off for the Memorial Day holiday, the gang sits down to discuss a question posed on the classic sitcom Cheers: what is the sweatiest movie? Did we miss something? Do you have a topic that keeps you up at night? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-06-0100 minAlright, It's SettledEP3 - The Worst Song to Strip ToYoung professionals trying to find their way in this cruel world, Chris, Denny, and Eddy consider what would be the worst possible song to remove their clothes to if they left their jobs and unexpectedly decided to pursue careers in stripping. Did we miss something? Did your grandmother clue you in on an even stranger song to strip to? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-05-1800 minAlright, It's SettledEP2 - The Most Annoying Alternative Name for SomethingThis week Chris, Denny, and Eddy ruminate on the worst alternative names for various things they've encountered in their travels. Eddy gets a little too worked up about certain words and phrases his mother uses. (Warning: Stop saying 'Clicker' Mrs. Nicaise!)2018-05-1100 minAlright, It's SettledEP1 - The Best Known Product that has Become the GenericThis week Chris, Denny, and Eddy delve into the world of products that are so well-known that they have become synonymous with the generic. Did we miss something? Have you and your father been arguing for weeks over a question that needs a definitive answer? Let us know at AlrightItsSettled@gmail.com.2018-05-0100 min