Shows
Scratch That: Parenting & ReParenting Off Script🎙️ Not Being Afraid to Look at It All with Tyler FederIf you've listened to this podcast for three minutes, you know that we are big-time, long-time fans of author/illustrator Tyler Feder (Bodies Are Cool, Are You Mad At Me?, and Dancing At the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir). Tyler has a unique ability of finding the simplest, sturdiest revision to break open the one-dimensional world in which we often live. Today, we talk with her about how she came to rewrite scripts around bodies and grief. (And! We get a sneak peek at a future script she might like to dismantle and rewrite.) We are still...
2025-10-1352 min
Sponge LoveEp. 2 - How was it? It was good, it was really good...Join Kacy, Sadaf, and CJ on the second day of their San Francisco, where they experience everything from obnoxious kissing to Australian accents. And for the trio, it would not be complete without a sketchy alleyway and, you guessed it, peeing at three in the morning. Shout out to TikToker Tyler Warwick for creating an iconic video that will live rent-free in our heads forever.
2023-03-2435 min
Sound AuditsBest songs of 2021Hello everyone! We are very glad to have our voices heard once again. This year has been a roller coaster, as I am sure it has been for many of you as well. We have compiled two great lists, one apiece, of our favorite songs that were released this year. I will personally guarantee that there will at least be a handful that you have not heard of which would make an excellent addition to a previously existing playlist that you have curated. It feels that our lives are quickly progressing and adulting has made it difficult, at least...
2021-12-271h 55
Sound AuditsPlayboi Carti Whole Lotta RedAtlanta rapper Playboi Carti debuted with a repetitive and catchy flow like contemporaries Lil Uzi Vert and Young Thug, gaining recognition in the mid-2010s as an affiliate of A$AP Mob. A steady succession of viral singles helped Carti's first proper album, 2018's Die Lit, debut at number three on the Billboard charts, and he moved into a new phase of his artistry with the riskier and more aggressive Whole Lotta Red in 2020.
2021-02-0830 min
Sound AuditsZEAL & ARDOR Wake of a NationThe black metal, blues, and African American fusion of Zeal & Ardor's music is the brainchild of musician Manuel Gagneux. He moved from his native Switzerland to New York, and took up the moniker Zeal & Ardor, having previously released music under the name Bird mask.
After a tumultuous start to the year 2020, Gagneux could not hold his tongue and released the crushing EP titled 'Wake of a Nation'.
This EP and episode are the results of atrocities that were committed earlier in the year 2020. Please consider donating to https://www.joincampaignzero.org/ or your charity of ch...
2021-02-0131 min
Sound AuditsAesop Rock Spirit World Field GuideRapper, producer, and poet Aesop Rock has received widespread acclaim and amassed a loyal following for his complex, literate rhymes. Aesop's first solo album in four years, the typically heady Spirit World Field Guide appeared in November.
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2021-01-2530 min
Sound AuditsTaylor Swift EvermoreTaylor Swift is that rarest of pop phenomena: a superstar who managed to completely cross over from country to the mainstream. Swift's plans to support Lover with a tour in 2020 were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With some unexpected time on her hands, she wrote and recorded a new set of songs, many in collaboration with Aaron Dessner of the National; Bon Iver and longtime Swift associate Jack Antonoff also contributed. The resulting album, folklore, was released on July 24, 2020, and went straight to the top of the Billboard 200.
Less than five months later, Swift released a c...
2021-01-1839 min
Sound AuditsDinosaur Jr. BugDinosaur Jr. was largely responsible for returning the lead guitar to indie rock and, along with their peers the Pixies, they injected late-'80s alternative rock with monumental levels of pure guitar noise. As the group's career progressed, they broke into three distinctive acts: the indie years of the original trio, the '90s spent on major labels where the band was mostly a solo vehicle for J Mascis' songwriting and guitar wizardry, and a surprisingly strong reunion of the original lineup beginning in 2006.
Early in 1988 they released the seminal single "Freak Scene," a song that captured...
2021-01-1132 min
Sound AuditsBest Songs of 2020This year has been a rollercoaster. We took the time to compile our absolute favorite songs of the year (20 from Tyler and 25 from Ian) and hope that you find some in common and discover something new that you may have missed. We love you all endlessly and thank you for your devotion to listening and supporting us.
Here is to another year in music.
- Tyler and Ian
2021-01-031h 44
Sound AuditsAriana Grande PositionsAriana Grande is perhaps the quintessential pop star of the last half of the 2010s, capturing the era's spirit and style.
Grande had duets reach the top of the Billboard charts in early 2020 -- first it was "Stuck with U" with Justin Bieber, then it was "Rain on Me" with Lady Gaga -- before she launched her next album, Positions, with the release of its title track. The single reached number one just before the October 30 release of the album, which crowned the Billboard 200.
2020-11-2937 min
Sound Auditsclipping. - Visions of Bodies Being BurnedWith an unconventional pairing of technical rap flows and abrasive noise, experimental trio clipping. approached hip-hop production from largely uncharted territory. Though the group would morph into something new with almost every subsequent release, they held on to their core of experimental and often-confrontational energy on independent cassette releases as well as more widely distributed albums like 2020's Sub Pop-issued Visions of Bodies Being Burned.
2020-11-1339 min
Sound AuditsJoji - NectarJapanese musician Joji laces R&B and hip-hop with textured electronics on his atmospheric meditations for the digital age. As part of the 88Rising crew, he experienced a creative rebirth that rebranded him as a serious artist after years as a popular Internet personality. After issuing his first EP, 2017's lo-fi In Tongues, he hit a chart peak with his gold-certified full-length Ballads 1, home to hit single "Slow Dancing in the Dark." Riding the high of that set's international success, he released his 2020 sophomore effort, Nectar.
2020-11-1136 min
Sound AuditsFeet Foxes -ShoreOne of the most prominent bands to emerge during the late-2000s indie folk boom, Seattle's Fleet Foxes fuse earthy, harmony-rich folk-rock with a sense of lush pop sophistication calling to mind the late-'60s work of acts like the Beach Boys, the Zombies, and Fairport Convention. Following a six-year gap and a switch to Nonesuch, Fleet Foxes returned with the expansive Crack-Up, in 2017. In September 2020, with almost no warning, the band issued their fourth album, Shore, along with a short film.
2020-11-0147 min
Sound AuditsMachine Gun Kelly - Tickets To My DownfallDelivering lyrics with the speed of a bullet train, Cleveland rapper Machine Gun Kelly experienced a meteoric rise in late 2011 when he transitioned from grinding out self-released mixtapes to working with major labels. From there, the rapper skyrocketed to superstar status, with each of his albums charting in the Top Ten. A beef with Eminem, a film career, and even some reality show appearances would follow as the high-powered lyrical rap style of albums like 2019's Hotel Diablo morphed into a driving emo-rock sound on collaborations with Travis Barker and on the Barker-produced 2020 album Tickets to My Downfall, which...
2020-10-2532 min
Sound AuditsLianne La Havas - Lianne La HavasEnglish singer/songwriter and guitarist Lianne La Havas arrived in the early 2010s with a mostly acoustic and hushed hybrid of alternative folk and soul. Influenced by the likes of Lauryn Hill and Nina Simone, she found success with the release of her debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, which reached number five in the U.K. and earned her a nomination for the BBC Sound of 2012 poll.
2020-10-1139 min
Sound AuditsTaylor Swift - FolkloreTaylor Swift is that rarest of pop phenomena: a superstar who managed to completely cross over from country to the mainstream. Swift's plans to support Lover with a tour in 2020 were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With some unexpected time on her hands, she wrote and recorded a new set of songs, many in collaboration with Aaron Dessner of The National; Bon Iver and longtime Swift associate Jack Antonoff also contributed. The resulting album, folklore, was released on July 24, 2020, and went straight to the top of the Billboard 200.
2020-09-2644 min
Sound AuditsLogic - No PressureThe stylistically dynamic and voluble Logic launched his rap career through uploads and mixtapes prior to signing a Def Jam deal that fostered a sustained mainstream presence throughout the second half of the 2010s. The MC, singer, songwriter, and producer made his recording debut in 2009 and five years later hit the Top Five with his debut album, Under Pressure (2014), the first of several conceptual full-length projects to enter the Billboard 200 and rap charts within the upper reaches.
In July of 2020, Logic announced that his sixth album, No Pressure, would mark his retirement from music. The album was r...
2020-09-1444 min
Sound AuditsFiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt CuttersFiona Apple never quite belonged to a specific scene. The closest she came was at the dawn of her career when her debut album Tidal arrived as the alternative rock wave reached its crest in 1996. Upon its release in 1999, When the Pawn drew attention for its emotional intensity, unconventional arrangements, and eccentric flair, elements that were central to her appeal in the next decades when she worked steadily and rigorously. As her output slowed -- it took her six years to deliver her third album, Extraordinary Machine, and another seven for its sequel, The Idler Wheel, to appear...
2020-09-1232 min
Sound AuditsOliver Tree - Ugly Is BeautifulA Los Angeles-based vocalist, producer, and sketch comedian, Oliver Tree brings a colorful, scooter-loving persona to his indie pop- and hip-hop-informed dance music.
2020-09-1244 min
Sound AuditsRun The Jewels - 4What started as a one-off project and quickly evolved into a Grammy-nominated hip-hop super duo, Run the Jewels features the talents of Brooklyn rapper/producer El-P and Atlanta emcee Killer Mike. Atop hard-hitting beats and ominous production, the pair trade aggressive and often wryly comical rhymes, touching upon social issues, life and death, and a heavy dose of chest-thumping bragging. With a new decade came a new RTJ era. Run the Jewels 4 arrived in June 2020 amid a global pandemic (which postponed a world tour with Rage Against the Machine) and a nationwide movement in the U.S. protesting police...
2020-08-0632 min
Sound AuditsNicolas Jaar - CenizasNicolas Jaar is one of the least predictable and most experimental dance music producers of the late 2000s and 2010s, composing reflective downtempo numbers indebted to jazz and modern classical as well as minimal techno.
In 2016, Jaar released his second proper solo album, Sirens. 2012-2017, a surprise release of dancefloor-oriented material recorded under Jaar's pseudonym A.A.L. (Against All Logic), appeared in 2018. R&S reissued the Nymphs series as a triple-LP in early 2019. 2020 proved to be a prolific year for Jaar with the releases of 2017-2019 -- under his A.A.L. (Against All Logic) alias...
2020-07-3130 min
Sound AuditsMoses Sumney - GræLos Angeles singer/songwriter Moses Sumney first emerged in 2014, combining rich soul balladry with art-pop, folk, and ambient R&B. The San Bernardino native began playing out in his early twenties, quickly crafting a distinctive style that he augmented in the studio with lush multi-tracked vocal arrangements. In September 2017, he delivered his debut full-length, Aromanticism, an artfully crafted meditation on lovelessness and solitude. The following year, an EP was released featuring different versions of his Aromanticism track "Make Out in My Car," as remixed by Sufjan Stevens and James Blake and covered by Alex Isley. Another EP, Black in...
2020-07-3039 min
Sound Auditsthe 1975 - Notes on a Conditional FormBritain's ever-evolving the 1975 balance hooky dance-rock and adult contemporary sophistication with arty forays into electronica and Auto-Tuned pop. It was a sound they first debuted on 2013's The 1975, which brought them international stardom, topping the charts in the U.K. and reaching the Top 30 on the Billboard 200. Notes on a Conditional Form, arriving in May 2020. Along with a spoken word track featuring Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, Notes on a Conditional Form also included the spotlight tracks "People," "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)," and "The Birthday Party'' with guest Phoebe Bridgers.
2020-07-2439 min
Sound AuditsCharli XCX - how i'm feeling nowStraddling the most experimental and mainstream sides of pop with ease, Charli XCX -- aka singer/songwriter Charlotte Aitchison has been making waves in the music industry in recent years. The simply named Charli arrived in September 2019, and debuted in the Top 50 of the Billboard 200 and by the end of the year, XCX was already at work on her next album, but when the global COVID-19 pandemic required her -- and much of the world -- to shelter in place starting in March 2020, she changed gears. Along with conducting live chats with artists including Orville Peck and Rina Sawayama on...
2020-07-1037 min
Sound AuditsDrake - Dark Lane Demo TapesCanadian rapper and vocalist Drake sustained a high-level commercial presence shortly after he hit the scene in 2006, whether with his own chart-topping releases or a long string of guest appearances on hits by the likes of Lil Wayne, Rihanna, and A$AP Rocky. Drake collected two Grammy nominations for the 2020 ceremonies, one for best rap song with his Rick Ross collaboration "Gold Roses" and another for best R&B song with his Chris Brown-assisted "No Guidance." That same year, he released another mixtape made up of demos and singles titled Dark Lane Demo Tapes. One of the songs was "...
2020-07-0329 min
Sound AuditsJustin Bieber - ChangesJustin Bieber became a global pop phenomenon with his debut, My World (2009), a multi-platinum smash in the singer's native Canada and several other territories. Only 15 years old at the time of its release, Bieber was fast-tracked to sustained commercial presence with a remix compilation, an acoustic set, a concert film, and additional studio recordings, including the Grammy-nominated My World 2.0 (2010) and similarly chart-topping Believe (2012), all hitting the market within a three-year period. Also preceded by the first installments of his Seasons documentary and the headlining singles "Yummy" and "Intentions" (eventual Top Ten hits in Canada and the U.S.), Changes...
2020-06-2620 min
Sound AuditsThe Weeknd - After HoursThe Weeknd is the alias of alternative R&B enigma-turned-pop star Abel Tesfaye, whose aching accounts of emotionally and physically toxic indulgences have translated to multi-platinum sales and Grammy recognition. Toward the end of 2019, after a handful of intermediary collaborations and soundtrack contributions, Tesfaye issued the first two singles off his fourth proper album. "Heartless," co-produced by Illangelo and Metro Boomin, topped the Hot 100, and "Blinding Lights," another Max Martin collaboration, went Top Ten before After Hours arrived in March 2020. The heartache-filled set, which also featured a handful of collaborations with Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), became Tesfaye's...
2020-06-1935 min
Sound AuditsThe Strokes - The New AbnormalBy bringing style, fun, and catchy songwriting back to rock music, the Strokes became one of the most influential bands of the early 21st century. Their direct, hooky sound -- equally inspired by classic tunesmiths like Buddy Holly and the brash attitude of fellow New Yorkers the Velvet Underground and Ramones -- set trends even as it looked back on rock history. With their acclaimed 2001 debut, Is This It, the Strokes reinvigorated a rock scene that had spent years focused on post-grunge and nu-metal. Along with the White Stripes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they helped shape the sound and...
2020-06-1237 min
Sound AuditsIsabelle Hyde InterviewOur conversation with the extremely talented multi-instrumentalist Isabelle Hyde.
2020-06-0744 min
Sound AuditsGrimes - Miss AnthropoceneCombining dream pop, R&B, electronic, and hip-hop influences into futuristic yet familiar-sounding songs, Grimes' Claire Boucher became one of the most distinctive artists of the 2010s. An ethereal yet hard-hitting concept album that explored climate change and human extinction, Miss Anthropocene appeared in February 2020. She is carrying Elon's baby too. That seems important.
2020-06-0531 min
Sound AuditsKult Krimes - Heavenly Mess with Kult Krimes InterviewKULT KRIMES is the solo effort from a multi-instrumentalist and electronic composer, London Van Rooy. Each song tells a tale of its own and seems to operate from individual characters existing in one vessel. Merging genres like hip hop, post-punk, synth-pop, and even industrial rock, daring to break the idea of having "a sound" while pulling you in with an emphasis on mood and fanciful expression.
2020-05-3132 min
Sound AuditsPhavors - Petals EPPhavors is the dream-pop, semi-ambient, Sigur Ros(ey) outfit headed by Phil Marflak (songwriter, instrumentalist, singer, producer, marketer) and Kayla DeRosa (singer/songwriter), which effortlessly began making waves in the New Jersey music scene following the release of their debut single “Petals”. The band has written an additional handful of tracks that are set to release on May 28th, 2020, in their first collection of works appropriately titled “Petals EP”.
2020-05-2919 min
Sound AuditsInterview with Tree TheaterTree Theater is the moniker for multi-instrumentalist and producer Will Carter. His music blends soulful melodies and upbeat rhythms with vast and colorful soundscapes. Much of his music is collaborative, featuring vocalists and instrumentalists as well. Will started making music in the Philadelphia area but has written projects in Denver, Colorado and Asheville, North Carolina, and plans to continue moving and creating nomadically.
2020-05-2442 min
Sound AuditsMac Miller - CirclesComing on the scene with a throwback style that betrayed his years, Pittsburgh-based rapper and producer Mac Miller combined languid vocals, playful rhymes, and hypnotic production influenced by OutKast, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, and Lauryn Hill. A pair of non-album singles ("Buttons" and "Programs") kept Miller busy into 2018, when he issued his fifth album, Swimming. Debuting at number three on both the Billboard 200 and R&B/hip-hop charts, the set included the songs "Small Worlds," "Self-Care," and "What's the Use?" A month after the release of the effort, Miller died from a suspected drug overdose in his...
2020-05-2239 min
Sound AuditsInterview with Mesen AroundBrandon Mesen comprises the solo effort “Mesen Around” and is aimed to release a record before 2020 reaches a close. The style of Mesen Around is everchanging, reaching within genres of folk, indie, rock, and alternative, but never straying too far from the ‘groovy’ roots which set him apart from bands of similar stature. Two projects, 2017 and 2018 LP’s, are available for streaming on most platforms but Mesen has alluded for fans to expect a change of form on the new project.
2020-05-1737 min
Sound AuditsChildish Gambino - 3.15.20Childish Gambino is the alter ego of multi-hyphenate American entertainer Donald Glover, who is also known for acting roles on television shows like Community and the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Atlanta, as well as the film Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Glover spent two years working on 3.15.20, a head-spinning collection of tracks influenced by funk, soul, psychedelia, and the cosmos that's underpinned by a strong message of social justice and Glover's flexible vocal style. After being leaked on the Internet for one night only on March 15th, it was issued for real a week later.
2020-05-1546 min
Sound AuditsInterview with Phavors MusicToday we are joined by the two talented individuals who comprise the Art Rock/Ambient/Folk/RadioHead duo known as Phavors. They were wonderful to speak with and we cannot wait to have them back on!
Check out the new debut single 'Petals', available everywhere now!
2020-05-1135 min
Sound AuditsEminem - Music To Be Murdered ByIn January of 2020, he repeated this surprise-release approach with 11th studio album Music to Be Murdered By. The album featured production from Dr. Dre and cameos from the now-usual host of special guests, this time featuring Q-Tip, Ed Sheeran, Anderson .Paak, and the late Juice Wrld, among many others. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts.
2020-05-0829 min
Sound AuditsUncommon Nasa - Ornate w/ Uncommon Nasa InterviewIn a very special new edition of Sound Audits, we are joined by one of the greatest minds in East Coast music, the unforgettable lyrical genius Uncommon Nasa.
Uncommon Nasa writes with a tone of harsh wisdom. As he attempts to break through the facade of mainstream culture and politics—its social relations, its stereotypes of race and class, its negligence for art—, Nasa’s writing twists and complexifies, reflecting the arduousness of his analytical approach to life. His tendency to cerebrate, in fact, is relentless. Nasa routinely turns his mind inwards to examine, question, and expose the inn...
2020-05-0142 min
Sound AuditsAgainst All Logic - 2017-2019Nicolas Jaar is one of the least predictable and most experimental dance music producers of the late 2000s and 2010s, composing reflective downtempo numbers indebted to jazz and modern classical as well as minimal techno. After establishing his name throughout the techno scene for his early EPs and singles, he reached a wider audience with the release of his acclaimed debut album, Space Is Only Noise, in 2011. He formed a neo-psychedelic duo called Darkside with multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington; their only full-length, 2013's Psychic, was also heavily praised. While Jaar's subsequent work under his own name often moved in a more...
2020-04-2828 min
Sound AuditsDenzel Curry x Kenny Beats - UNLOCKEDIn the summer of 2019, months after the release of his critically acclaimed album Zuu, Florida emcee Denzel Curry joined producer Kenny Beats on his online freestyle show, The Cave. The fruits of that meeting arrived in early 2020 as the Unlocked EP. Packing a brisk eight songs into less than 18 minutes, the set is a thrill to experience and begs for further collaboration from this pair. Twisting his own Miami-bred style with the hardcore aggression of New York predecessors like Wu-Tang Clan and DMX, Curry fires off a brisk flurry of rhymes that showcases his quick wit, pop-culture prowess, and...
2020-04-1734 min
Sound AuditsRoddy Ricch - Please Excuse Me for Being AntisocialRising from the streets of Compton but with a distinctly Southern flair, rapper Roddy Ricch lays his introspective rhymes atop melodic trap, resulting in a hybrid form that has captured the ears of both regions. The MC broke through in 2018 with the platinum single "Die Young" and topped the Billboard 200 the next year with Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial.
2020-04-1026 min
Sound AuditsTame Impala - Slow RushStarting off their career as psychedelic explorers, the Australian band Tame Impala spent a decade subverting expectations and mutating their sound in fascinating ways, as well as being an inspiration to musicians as diverse as Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Lady Gaga. Guided by the musical prowess of Kevin Parker, the band's 2010 debut album Innerspeaker was a huge, loud guitar rock album dipped in swirling psychedelic colors. The follow-up Lonerism (2012) dialed down the guitars in favor of a more expansive style, after which Parker swerved into a poppier sound that brought in hip-hop (2015's Currents) and disco influences (2020's The...
2020-04-0324 min
Sound AuditsRadiohead Discography AuditA review of Radiohead's Discography.
At some point in the early 21st century, Radiohead became something more than a band: they became a touchstone for everything that is fearless and adventurous in rock, inheriting the throne from David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and the Talking Heads. The latter group gave the band its name -- it's an album track on 1986's True Stories -- but Radiohead never sounded much like the Heads, nor did they take much from Bowie, apart from their willingness to experiment. Instead, they spliced Floyd's spaciness with U2's messianic arena-rock heft, bridging the g...
2020-03-272h 50
Sound AuditsEDEN - No FutureWhat started as the dance-oriented Eden Project morphed into something different for Irish singer/songwriter Jonathon Ng, who shifted into more song-based indie electronic territory under the name EDEN during the latter half of the 2010s. With his 2018 album, Vertigo, EDEN earned acclaim and a notable amount of chart success on both sides of the Atlantic. Likewise, his next project album, 2020's No Future, hit number 26 on the Billboard 200.
2020-03-2034 min
Sound Auditsblack midi - SchlagenheimDespite a sparse digital presence and just one studio-recorded song, elusive math rock quartet Black Midi carved out a cult following in the late 2010s. A handful of video recordings of their live shows and the 2018 single "bmbmbmbm" were strong enough to gather significant buzz around their meticulously constructed yet feral rock sounds.
Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Geordie Greep, lead guitarist Matt Kelvin, bassist Cameron Picton, and drummer Morgan Simpson, the Croydon, England four-piece formed after graduating from the performing arts institution The BRIT School in 2017. In contrast to the more mainstream acts the school has produced...
2020-02-1451 min
Sound AuditsSelena Gomez - RareSelena Gomez is a multi-talented performer with featured roles on the screen, both small and big, and a musical career that reached the summit of the charts from the very beginning. Her group Selena Gomez & the Scene issued a trio of breezy modern pop albums from 2009 to 2011 that each reached the Top Ten. After going solo, she scored a pair of number ones with the more adult-oriented Stars Dance (2013) and Revival (2015), then branched out into new sounds on collaborations with Kygo ("It Ain't Me") and Marshmello ("Wolves.") She hit the top of the singles chart for the first time with...
2020-02-0727 min
Sound AuditsHarry Styles - Fine LineAs a member of the British boy band One Direction, singer, songwriter, and actor Harry Styles topped the charts in impressive fashion, toured the world to play for millions of screaming fans, and sold albums by the bucketload before going solo in 2016 with his chart-topping 2017 debut, Harry Styles, and his similarly successful 2019 follow-up, Fine Line. The music he made under his own name reflected the savvy pop sound of his former band while adding elements of rock, both classic and indie, and always showcasing his elastic, deeply felt vocals.
The finished album, Fine Line, was released in...
2020-01-3130 min
Sound AuditsThe Needle Drop LPAnthony Fantano is an American music critic known for his website and YouTube channel, namely, 'The Needle Drop'. He started with text reviews on his blog in 2007 and shifted to a video review on YouTube in 2009. He reviews albums and songs from diverse genres including "rock, pop, electronic, metal, hip-hop, and experimental music". While his channel now boasts of over 1 million subscribers, he had won a partnership with YouTube back when he had only around 1500 subscribers. In September 2011, he won the 'On The Rise' contest hosted by YouTube. The next month, he received the 'Beyond the Blog' award at the...
2020-01-2437 min
Sound AuditsLizzo - Cuz I love YouCombining her roots in Houston rap, gospel soul, and classical flute as confidently as she addresses issues of race, sexuality, and body positivity, singer/rapper Lizzo's music abounds with humor and charisma. Her 2013 debut, Lizzobangers, reflected her years in Minneapolis' hip-hop and indie music scenes (Doomtree's Lazerbeak was one of its producers), and as time went on, her style became more wide-ranging and melodic. On 2015's self-released Big Grrrl Small World, she added more R&B and gospel to her sound, a trend that continued on her brash major-label debut and breakthrough album, 2019's Cuz I Love You.
2020-01-1729 min
Sound AuditsRemembering David BowieThe cliché about David Bowie is that he was a musical chameleon, adapting himself according to fashion and trends. While such a criticism is too glib, there's no denying that Bowie demonstrated a remarkable skill for perceiving musical trends at his peak in the '70s. After spending several years in the late '60s as a mod and as an all-around music-hall entertainer, Bowie reinvented himself as a hippie singer/songwriter. Prior to his breakthrough in 1972, he recorded a proto-metal record and a pop/rock album, eventually redefining glam rock with his ambiguously sexy Ziggy Stardust persona. Ziggy made B...
2020-01-1040 min
Sound AuditsRex Orange County - PonyBlending elements of jazz, hip-hop, and soulful bedroom electronica into a literate brand of singer/songwriter fare, Rex Orange County is the performance alias of English musician Alex O'Connor. O'Connor was still a teenager when he gained attention online in 2015 for his self-produced album, bcos u will never be free. He built upon his viral buzz with 2017's Apricot Princess, which cracked the Top Ten of Billboard's Independent Albums chart.
As word of his distinctive style spread, he followed it up with songs like 2016's "Uno" and early 2017's "Best Friend" and "Sunflower" before releasing his second self-made LP, Apricot...
2020-01-0344 min
Sound AuditsOur Top 20 Songs of 2019As we have both listened to a massive amount of content this year, and quite literally doubled our libraries and musical knowledge, we each counted down our top 20 songs of 2019.
This should be obvious, but we DO NOT own any of the songs aside from the intro and the outro and all of the rights belong to the artists and their respective labels. We do not have any intention other than to shed a positive light on every artist on this episode and subsequently do not intend to infringe on any copyrighted materials. We will not make a...
2020-01-0255 min
Sound AuditsZac Brown - The ControversyZac Brown Band became stars in the late 2000s on the strength of the number one country hits "Chicken Fried" and "Toes," songs that seemed like throwbacks to the country-rock of the '70s. For a while, ZBB continued in that vein, scoring another breezy, beachy hit with "Knee Deep" and underscoring their '70s singer/songwriter heritage with the warm, burnished ballad "Colder Weather," but soon the group proved themselves to be a restless jam band, as eager to crank up the amps as they were to ride a supple groove. This sense of musical adventure led Zac...
2019-12-2731 min
Sound AuditsHikes - Mahal KitaHikes is a band of friends formed in 2010.
Born out of true friendship and an aptitude for healthy catharsis, Austin’s Hikes anchored by the technical, emotive songwriting of Filipinx naturalist Nay Wilkins honors the love found in tight communities. Hikes’ upcoming full length, 'Mahal Kita,' is the Tagalog term for “I Love You.”
As Nay’s mother’s native language, the album is dedicated to the unrelenting will to make it through trauma while retaining the empathy and compassion that Nay learned from their Mother, and how Hikes is the vessel for implementing those ideas. The album follows the spectrum...
2019-12-2038 min
Sound AuditsColdplay - Everyday lifeAfter surfacing in 2000 with the breakthrough indie ballad "Yellow," Coldplay quickly became one of the biggest bands of the early 21st century, honing a mix of introspective Brit-pop and anthemic rock that helped push the British quartet to the top of album charts worldwide. The group's emergence was perfectly timed: with Radiohead embracing cerebral electronic soundscapes and Oasis further exploring psychedelic experimentation, audiences were hungry for a fresh-faced rock band with big aspirations and an even bigger sound. Parachutes, Coldplay's first full-length, went multi-platinum in several countries and earned the band its first Grammy as well as Best British...
2019-12-1053 min
Sound AuditsPost Malone - Hollywood's BleedingWithin half a decade of his debut, American rapper and singer/songwriter Post Malone went from genre novelty to certified superstar, amassing a string of Top Ten singles with a hybrid style that joined his unique vocal delivery, pained lyrics, and hip-hop production inspired as much by Kanye West as Tim McGraw. After the release of his 2015 quintuple-platinum single "White Iverson" off debut Stoney, he quickly ascended to the top of the pop mainstream in the late 2010s with a succession of multi-platinum hits that included chart-toppers "Rockstar" with 21 Savage and "Psycho" with Ty Dolla $ign from 2018's number...
2019-11-2948 min
Sound AuditsDanny Brown - uknowwhatimsaying?Detroit rapper Danny Brown embraced his unique hood/hipster personality, took full advantage of social media, and -- fueled by his experiences with drug dealing and drug-taking, as well as a wicked sense of humor -- has delivered some of the most vivid, vulgar, and side-splitting rhymes of his era. The eccentric's most notable releases include the Billboard 200 Top 20 entry Old (Fool's Gold, 2013) and the Warp-released albums Atrocity Exhibition (2016) and uknowhatimsayin¿ (2019), projects bolstered by production from the likes of Paul White, Oh No, Black Milk, the Alchemist, and Q-Tip.
Brown eventually found a home at Fool's Gold, w...
2019-11-2257 min
Sound AuditsHobo Johnson - The Fall of Hobo JohnsonSacramento rapper Hobo Johnson had already released two albums of quirky, affable, pop-infused hip-hop when a live video for his song, "Peach Scone," went viral in 2018 as part of NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Riding a wave of newfound recognition, he issued his third album, The Fall of Hobo Johnson, the following year.
Johnson was born Frank Lopes in 1996. As a teen, he was kicked out of his family home and lived in his car for a time, adopting the nickname Hobo Johnson. While working at a pizza place, sleeping in his Toyota Corolla, and showering at a nearby gym, Lopes...
2019-11-1553 min
Sound AuditsKanye West - Jesus Is KingOne of the most influential and critically lauded artists of the early 21st century, Chicago rapper/producer Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker as his production work for artists such as Jay-Z led to a major-label recording contract and, ultimately, a wildly successful solo career that counted an unbroken string of chart-topping, multi-platinum albums, and nearly two dozen Grammy Awards for classic sets like 2005's Late Registration, 2007's Graduation, and 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Early on, West paired his beats with tongue-twisting raps and outspoken confidence. With a backpack and brightly colored polo shirt...
2019-11-1059 min
Sound AuditsCharli XCX - CharliStraddling the most experimental and mainstream sides of pop with ease, Charli XCX -- a.k.a. singer/songwriter Charlotte Aitchison -- is just as comfortable working with cutting-edge producers like SOPHIE as she is touring with Taylor Swift. As a songwriter and collaborator, she helped create some of the biggest pop singles of the 2010s, including Icona Pop's 2012 smash "I Love It" and Iggy Azalea's 2014 chart-topping hit "Fancy." As an artist in her own right, her work spanned the edgy sounds of her 2013 debut album, True Romance, to the more straightforward territory of 2014's follow-up Sucker, which featured...
2019-11-0152 min
Sound AuditsLil Nas X - 7 EPMoseying onto the scene with a surprise breakthrough, Atlanta's Lil Nas X merged the pastoral tones of country music with hip-hop, putting his spin on a subgenre dubbed country-trap. Like similar experiments by Young Thug and Lil Tracy, the hybrid was an unexpected success for the rapper: his debut single, "Old Town Road," was a viral hit on social media and streaming, sending him toward the upper reaches of the Hot 100. By the summer of 2019, it was certified multi-platinum and number one across the globe.
Born Montero Lamar Hill, he issued the 2018 mixtape Nasarati before releasing "Old...
2019-10-2941 min
Sound AuditsDenzel Curry - ZUUBorn in Carol City, Florida to Bahamian and Native American parents, Curry started writing poetry as an elementary school student, later battle rapping at his local Boys & Girls Club. Influenced as much by 2Pac as Buju Banton, his lyrical gift and packed bars were combined with his rabid energy on early mixtapes. After leaking a pair of demos on SoundCloud and offering several cryptic posts via social media, Curry released the 13 EP in June 2017. A string of singles -- "Skywalker," "Sumo," and "Uh Huh" with IDK -- followed into 2018. That May, Curry released "Percs," the lead single from his...
2019-10-2539 min
Sound AuditsOliver Tree - Do You Feel Me?A Los Angeles-based vocalist, producer, and sketch comedian, Oliver Tree brings a colorful, scooter-loving persona to his indie pop- and hip-hop-informed dance music. A native of Santa Cruz, Tree emerged in October 2016 as a featured performer on the single "Forget It" by hometown EDM musician Getter. That same month, he released his first collaboration with DJ Whethan, the compassion anthem "When I'm Down." The song went viral, garnering millions of streams over the next year. A record deal with Atlantic followed, and in mid-2017 Tree issued the solo singles "Welcome to L.A.," "All I Got," and "Cheapskate." Another...
2019-10-1835 min
Sound AuditsTyler, The Creator - IGOROne of the more fascinating artistic evolutions since the late 2000s has been that of Tyler, The Creator. The rapper and producer surfaced as a founding member of Odd Future, an outlandish alternative rap crew that gradually permeated the mainstream as it begat a multitude of related projects. A high percentage of these recordings, including Earl Sweatshirt's Earl (2010), Odd Future's The OF Tape, Vol. 2 (2012), and Frank Ocean's Grammy-winning Channel Orange (2012), have been made with Tyler's deep involvement. As a solo artist, Tyler's output has gleefully swung from purposefully distasteful and crude to charming and sophisticated, sometimes blurring the distinction...
2019-10-111h 06
Sound AuditsBlack Belt Eagle Scout - At The Party With My Brown FriendsReleased in September of 2018, Mother of My Children was the debut album from Black Belt Eagle Scout, the recording project of Katherine Paul. Heralded as a favorite new musician of 2018 by the likes of NPR Music, Stereogum, and Paste, the album was also named as a “Best Rock Album of 2018” by Pitchfork, and garnered further end-of-year praise from FADER, Under The Radar and more.
Arriving just a year after that debut record, At the Party With My Brown Friends is a brand new full-length recording from Black Belt Eagle Scout. Where that first record was a snapshot of l...
2019-10-041h 12
Sound AuditsThom Yorke - AnimaFew rock singers of the alternative era were as original or as instantly unforgettable as Thom Yorke, and his band Radiohead became one of the biggest acts of the 1990s and 2000s for their challenging and unpredictable music. The group's original name was On a Friday before being changed to Radiohead, which they'd swiped from the title of a song on Talking Heads' True Stories. By late 1991, the band was signed to Parlophone in the U.K. and Capitol in the U.S., as an EP, Drill, came and went without much fanfare. Released in 1993, the group's full-length debut...
2019-09-271h 09
Sound AuditsCarly Rae Jepsen - DedicationFollowing her global success with the 2012 smash "Call Me Maybe," Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen found different ways to express her sunny, uninhibited pop as the years progressed. On her debut album, 2012's Kiss, she channeled the rush of first love -- as well as stylish influences like Kimbra, Robyn, and La Roux -- into songs that were swooning yet relatable, a niche she pursued further on 2015's critically acclaimed E-MO-TION, a love letter to the epic '80s pop of artists such as Madonna and Prince. While later work like 2019's Dedicated were more in keeping with pop...
2019-09-2054 min
Sound AuditsNF - The SearchNF is the stage name of rapper and composer Nate Feuerstein, whose raw emotions and honest lyrics helped him storm the upper reaches of the charts with his third album, Perception. Emerging in 2010, he issued his first set as NF in 2015. While Mansion and its follow-up, Therapy Session(2016), were Christian chart-toppers, he wouldn't crack the mainstream until 2017 with his Billboard 200 number one, Perception, home to the radio hit "Let You Down." Riding the momentum of that track, he returned in 2019 with another number one, The Search.
2019-09-131h 04
Sound AuditsLogic - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind The stylistically dynamic and voluble Logic launched his rap career through uploads and mixtapes prior to signing a Def Jam deal that fostered a sustained mainstream presence throughout the second half of the 2010s. The MC, singer, songwriter, and producer made his recording debut in 2009 and five years later hit the Top Five with his debut album, Under Pressure (2014), the first of several conceptual full-length projects to enter the Billboard 200 and rap charts within the upper reaches. Logic's ascent continued through Everybody (2017); his third proper LP debuted at the top of multiple Billboard charts with weighty themes including mental h...
2019-06-2335 min
Sound AuditsSYML - SYMLSYML is the moodier solo venture of Barcelona frontman and Seattle native Brian Fennell. As SYML, Fennell is more textural and sensory than Barcelona's piano rock, framing his quiet, introspective songwriting in low-key synth-augmented soundscapes with austere piano parts and spectral vocals. Debuting in 2016 with the Hurt for Me EP, SYML found success with song placements in a number of high-profile television shows like Elementary, Scream, and Teen Wolf. Subsequent singles "The War" and "Mr. Sandman," a surprisingly dour cover of the 1950s doo wop chestnut, found SYML exploring heavy and ominous themes, though his 2017 follow-up, "Where's My Love," was...
2019-06-141h 19
Sound AuditsJudah and the Lion - Pep TalksA Nashville-based indie folk trio helmed by singer/songwriter Judah Akers, Judah & the Lion blend harmonies and acoustic instrumentation with soaring pop melodies and hooks with occasional electronic elements. After an early CCM phase, the band transitioned into a secular act and found chart success with their 2014 debut, Kids These Days. Their breakout came two years later with the single "Take It All Back," from their sophomore album, which featured a curious melding of hip-hop and indie folk that topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in 2016. Their sound continued to evolve on 2019's more personal Pep Talks.
2019-06-071h 02
Sound AuditsMac DeMarco - Here Comes The Cowboy Combining a goofball public persona with a distinctive songwriting style and production sound, Canadian artist Mac DeMarco rose to the higher reaches of indie fame unexpectedly quickly. While his image projected a charmingly laid-back slacker prone to occasional antics and never taking anything too seriously, his songs have ironically often hid mature themes like aging, commitment, and morals under layers of chorus and reverb.
His 2017 album This Old Dog again explored themes of getting older, this time with upgraded production, a trend that continued on 2019's Here Comes the Cowboy, which he released on his own imprint.
2019-06-0143 min
Sound AuditsAnderson .Paak - Ventura As a teenager, Anderson .Paak, born Brandon Paak Anderson in Oxnard, California, played drums in his church band and got into bedroom music production. After he taught at a music school, he helped manage a marijuana farm up the coast in Santa Barbara, but an unexpected termination left him and his family homeless. Rebounding with help from Sa-Ra's Shafiq Husayn, who hired him as an assistant, Paak filled roles ranging from videographer to producer, and studio access enabled him to record his own material. From 2010 through 2012, under the name Breezy Lovejoy, he released the three-song Violets Are Blue and t...
2019-05-2438 min
Sound AuditsKing Gizzaard & The Lizard Wizard - Fishing For Fishies King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's sense of unfettered sonic exploration makes them easy to mistake them for a long-forgotten relic of the psych explosion of the '60s. With a far-out sound that, at times, feels barely held together, King Gizzard evoke the eclectic rock experimentation that was all the rage decades ago. Their prolific nature led them to release albums at a frenetic pace their intense desire; to seek out new sounds, and follow new paths meant that every one of their multitude of releases sounded different from the last, and each one was worth checking out.
2019-05-1755 min
Sound AuditsWilma Vritra - Burd Wilma Vritra have landed with Burd, a trans-atlantic collaboration between London based artist Wilma Archer (Domino) and LA based rapper Pyramid Vritra (Odd Future / Stones Throw). Their debut LP serves as an ode to these chaotic times, navigating seamlessly through genre and self preservation.
2019-05-1057 min
Sound AuditsGary Clark Jr - This Land Ever since 2010, when Gary Clark Jr. wowed audiences with electrifying live sets everywhere from the Crossroads Festival to Hollywood’s historic Hotel Café, his modus operandi has remained crystal clear: “I listen to everything…so I want to play everything.” The revelation that is the Austin-born virtuoso guitarist, vocalist and songwriter finds him just as much an amalgamation of his myriad influences and inspirations.
2019-05-0334 min
Sound AuditsLogic - Supermarket Maryland rapper Logic joins Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Colin Meloy, Louise Wener, and Gil Scott-Heron in a unique fraternity of musicians who’ve released novels. To accompany the arrival of his debut page-turner Supermarket, Logic dropped a soundtrack to go with it.
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we did recording it for you.
2019-04-2648 min
Sound AuditsKaren O and Danger Mouse - Lux Prima First known as the frontwoman for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O branched out from the band's incendiary rock soon after their debut album, Fever to Tell, was released in 2003. Though she didn't release a full-length solo album until the lo-fi balladry of 2014's Crush Songs, her numerous side projects and collaborations presented different facets to her artistry.
2019-04-1956 min
Sound AuditsBillie Eilish - When We Fall Asleep Where Do We GoIn this episode of Sound Audits, we will be discussing one of the most talked about artists in 2019, as well as her debut album titled "When We Fall Asleep Where Do We Go".
Thank you to our special guest Jeremy Peyton for joining us on this episode.
2019-04-121h 02
Sound AuditsTop 10 Underrated Artists in 2019This is a very special episode of Sound Audits. We discuss various artists from around the world who are all connected by two things; music, and not getting enough praise. These are our picks for the top 10 most underrated artists in the year 2019.
2019-04-051h 19
Sound AuditsLucy Rose - No Words LeftIn this episode of Sound Audits, we review the best album of 2019 thus far. We will be discussing Lucy Rose, a delicate yet powerful musician, who released her latest album titled "No Words Left" in March 2019.
" When English singer/songwriter Lucy Rose began performing publicly as a young adult in the late 2000s, her fragile, emotive acoustic songs soon drew comparisons to Laura Marling, with whom she shares influences such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. After changing up her sound from the gentle folk-rock of her 2012 debut, Like I Used To, to adult pop with conspicuous e...
2019-03-2954 min
Sound AuditsThe Japanese House - Good At FallingIn this episode of Sound Audits , we will be giving an in depth opinion of the fantastic album "Good At Falling" by The Japanese House.
Good at Falling is the fourth studio project by The Japanese House and is by far the most complete and fulfilling out of the family of projects.
2019-03-221h 07
Sound AuditsJames Blake - Assume FormIn this episode of Sound Audits we will be taking a closer look at the studio album Assume Form by song-writer/producer James Blake.
2019-03-151h 02
Sound AuditsFrank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen - If You Cant Stand The HeatIn this episode of Sound Audits, we will taking an in depth look into the recently released album "If You Can't Stand The Heat" by Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen. We also discuss the bluegrass genre as a whole, and what makes it some of the most technical music available.
2019-03-0837 min
Sound AuditsGnash - WeIn this episode of Sound Audits, we discuss the debut album of solo artist Gnash.
2019-03-0149 min
Sound AuditsAlice Merton - MintAlice Merton has recently released her debut album titled "Mint" and we could not be more excited to talk about it.
2019-02-2256 min
Sound AuditsLil Mosey - NorthsbestIn this episode of Sound Audits, we will be discussing the full length album titled "Northsbest" by the 16 year old rapper Lil Mosey.
2019-02-1555 min
Sound AuditsSYML - In My BodyIn this shorter episode of our podcast, we will be discussing a solo ventured EP titled In My Body by the lone artist SYML
2019-02-0844 min
Sound AuditsJoji - Ballads 1In this episode of Sound Audits, we dive into the debu t album Ballads 1 by Joji.
2019-02-011h 01
Sound AuditsImagine Dragons - OriginsIn this episode of Sound Audits: Our topic is Imagine Dragons, a developed band with nearly ten full years of experience, who recently released their fourth studio project titled Origins.
With special guest-Dillon Kalmbach
2019-01-2552 min
2019-01-1855 min
Sound AuditsLucy Swann - Blue, Indigo, Violet and DeathIn this episode we talk about the first released project of experimental musician Lucy Swann.
2019-01-1144 minSound AuditsOur favorite songs in 2018In this episode we dive into our top 10 songs in 2018. These songs did not necessarily come out in 2018, they were however our overall favorite songs to listen to in 2018.
2018-12-281h 32Sound AuditsAlessia Cara - The Pains of GrowingIn this episode we discuss young pop artist Alessia Cara and her newest album titled The Pains of Growing.
2018-12-2154 minSound AuditsJon Bellion - Glory Sound PrepWelcome back to Sound Audits! In this episode, we discuss our thoughts and opinions on Jon Bellion's newest album "Glory Sound Prep".
2018-12-141h 04Sound Auditstwenty one pilots - Trench (side b)Part 2 of our review for the 5th studio album by twenty one pilots.
2018-10-201h 13Sound Auditstwenty one pilots - Trench (side a)In this episode, we dive deep into what makes this intricate album so special. Trench is an incredible album. We hope you enjoy listening to part 1 as much as we enjoyed making it.
Trench is the 5th studio album by the duo Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun who have received recognition worldwide for their band Twenty One Pilots.
2018-10-141h 41Sound AuditsThe xx - I see youThis is the second episode of Sound Audits. In this episode, we explore the third studio album by the English band titled the xx.
2018-10-061h 11Sound AuditsBlack Belt Eagle Scout - Mother Of My ChildrenMother of my Children is the debut album of Black Belt Eagle Scout, a Native American woman from Washington. We dissect the album and give our views as well as shed a light upon the new unknown artist. EXPLICIT
2018-09-291h 11