Backtracking

BAND LINKS:

- Cardinal Official Website | Bandcamp | Facebook

Welcome to Backtracking – the podcast where three old friends take a second listen to influential bands' albums, track by track. For our third season, we've each selected five albums that we think deserve a good old Backtracking.

Email me tonight and we will give ourselves away tonight: backtrackingrox@gmail.com

Rush Live at the Kia Forum, June 9, 2026: Fifty Something Tour Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Rush's Fifty Something reunion tour at the Forum in Los Angeles, June 9, 2026: setlist predictions, the actual setlist, and reactions.

Hot takes on drummer Anika Nilles, the fan-service setlist, a tearjerker of a show, our favorite and worst songs in the set, and an unrelated Jeff Buckley anecdote.

CHAPTERS:

- 0:00: Alive She Cried

- 0:15: Progintro

- 1:06: An Explainer, A Disclaimer

- 3:18: En Route, & a Jeff Buckley Anecdote

- 7:45: Expectations of “Bonus Rush”

- 9:30: Setlist Predictions, Drunken & Spastic

- 14:02: The Forum

- 15:08: Santa Monica Brewworks (Why? I Don’t Know)

- 16:12: Another Explainer, Another Disclaimer

- 16:53: More Setlist Discussion

- 19:21: An Aside Again, and the Actual Setlist

- 23:01: Post-Show Impressions

- 24:28: The Hottest Take: Anika Better?

- 25:40: Rush Getting Lost?

- 27:05: Setlist Thoughts

- 27:35: A Tearjerker Show

- 30:20: Fan Service Tour & Bonus Rush

- 33:03: Favorite Song in Set

- 35:01: Worst Song in Set

- 37:30: The Hottest Hotter Take: No Bone Rutsey

- 38:59: In the End

BACKTRACKING SOCIALS:

- Dumptruck "For the Country"

Summer’s going fast, email growing colder: backtrackingrox@gmail.com

Dumptruck "For the Country" (1987), Side B: Barking Up the Wrong Tree Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Dumptruck's 1987 album "For the Country", Side B: "Going Nowhere", the title track, "Dead Weight", "Wire" and more.

Plus a brief summary of the Dumptruck lawsuit, the cover, JW's Backtrack Retrack, and what song trucks and what song dumps.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:

CHAPTERS:

- 0:00: We’re quite professional.

- 0:28: Re-intro

- 1:21: “Come to Albequerque if Someone Buys You a Ticket”

- 4:20: A Brief Summary of the Dumptruck Lawsuit

- 12:50: Cover the Cover, Brought to You by Michael

- 17:45: Side B, Track 1: Going Nowhere

- 25:04: Side B, Track 2: For the Country

- 32:13: Side B, Track 3: Dead Weight

- 37:52: Side B, Track 4: Wire

- 42:44: Side B, Track 5: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

- 46:56: JW Presents: Backtrack Retrack

- 51:38: What Song Trucks? What Song Dumps?

- 57:30: The Dumptruck Load Has Been Delivered

BACKTRACKING SOCIALS:

- Dumptruck "For the Country"

BAND LINKS:

- Dumptruck Bandcamp | Facebook

Barking up the wrong email: backtrackingrox@gmail.com

Dumptruck's Seth Tiven on "For the Country" and the Big Time Lawsuit Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

Dumptruck's Seth Tiven joins us to talk "For the Country", Big Time Records, the lawsuit, and Dumptruck in 2026.

Seth takes us from his early years through "D Is for Dumptruck", "Positively Dumptruck" and Kirk Swan's departure, recording "For the Country", the legal mess, and song-by-song thoughts on the album today.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:

CHAPTERS:

- 0:08: Big Fan

- 0:30: Themela

- 1:13: An Introduction to Seth Tiven

- 2:02: Seth’s Early Years

- 6:40: Recording “D is for Dumptruck”

- 10:58: “Positively Dumptruck” & Big Time Records Signing

- 16:14: The “Positively” Tour & Departure of Kirk Swan

- 18:45: Recording “For the Country”

- 28:58: The Beginning of the End for Big Time

- 32:37: Seth’s “Mistake” & the Big Legal Mess

- 44:07: The End of the Suit & Dumptruck Moves Ahead

- 46:44: Seth’s Thoughts on “For the Country” Today

- 54:16: “Island”

- 57:56: “50 Miles”

- 1:06:52: “Friends”

- 1:11:17: “Carefree”

- 1:13:17: “Brush Me Back”

- 1:14:45: “Hung Out on a Line”

- 1:16:42: “Going Nowhere”

- 1:23:45: “Dead Weight”

- 1:24:45: “Wire”

- 1:25:58: “Barking Up the Wrong Tree”

- 1:27:45: B-Sides, Natch

- 1:28:30: “For the Country” and Dumptruck 2026

- 1:31:22: Thanks, Seth! Until Side B….

BACKTRACKING SOCIALS:

- Dumptruck "For the Country"

BAND LINKS:

- Dumptruck Bandcamp | Facebook

Time for me to make an email, my friend: backtrackingrox@gmail.com

Dumptruck "For the Country" (1987), Side A: Island, 50 Miles May 27, 2026

Show notes

Dumptruck's 1987 album "For the Country", Side A: "Island", "50 Miles", "Friends", "Carefree" and more.

A brief history of Dumptruck, Uncle Tupelo and the No Depression scene, the Gen X aesthetic, the recording and production, and "Brush Me Back" and "Hung Out on a Line."

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:

CHAPTERS:

- 0:00: It’s About Sponsor Fit

- 0:30: Themania

- 1:24: The Smaller the Rabbit, the Deeper the Hole

- 5:05: Keepin’ House Before Dumpin’ Trucks

- 9:09: The Prelude to an Interview with Seth Tiven

- 10:10: A Brief History of Dumptruck

- 15:21: Dumptruck, Uncle Tupelo, & the No Depression Scene

- 24:09: The Recording & Production of “For the Country”

- 33:33: Dumptruck & the Gen X Aesthetic

- 42:00: The Last Time Dan Will Talk About Tupelo

- 49:37: Side A, Track 1: Island

- 1:03:14: Side A, Track 2: 50 Miles

- 1:09:45: Side A, Track 3: Friends

- 1:16:50: Side A, Track 4: Carefree

- 1:21:42: Side A, Track 5: Brush Me Back

- 1:25:55: Side A, Track 6: Hung Out on a Line

- 1:29:11: And So Ends the First Dump

BACKTRACKING SOCIALS:

- Gang of Youths "angel in realtime"

BAND LINKS:

- Dumptruck Bandcamp | Facebook

Email an inspiration: backtrackingrox@gmail.com

Gang of Youths "angel in realtime." (2022), Side B May 20, 2026

Show notes

Gang of Youths' 2022 album "angel in realtime.", Side B: "the kingdom is within you", "spirit boy", "brothers" and more.

Plus "forbearance", "the man himself" and "hand of god / goal of the century", Gang of Youths live and the frontman dynamic, and The Best and the Worst.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:

CHAPTERS:

- 0:00: The Earnestness Boost

- 0:29: Themania

- 1:31: Big Intros, Big Music, Big Feelings

- 4:58: An Unexpected Detour into Live

- 8:36: Gang of Youths Live, & the Frontman Dynamic

- 14:08: Michael Presents: Cover the Cover!

- 19:15: Side B, Track 1: the kingdom is within you

- 27:23: Side B, Track 2: spirit boy

- 39:15: Side B, Track 3: brothers

- 42:58: Side B, Track 4: forebearance

- 53:15: Side B, Track 5: the man himself

- 58:12: Side A, Track 6/7: hand of god / goal of the century

- 1:23:32: The Best and the Worst, Kids

- 1:27:25: Fin

BACKTRACKING SOCIALS:

- Gang of Youths "angel in realtime"

BAND LINKS:

- Gang of Youths Official Website | Instagram | X (Twitter)

And head down I write this email on my phone: backtrackingrox@gmail.com

Gang of Youths "angel in realtime." (2022), Side A May 13, 2026

Show notes

Gang of Youths' 2022 album "angel in realtime.", Side A: "you in everything", "the angel of 8th avenue", "returner" and more.

Conflicted feelings in four parts (we are old, the record is new), the Graceland trap, the production, and "in the wake of your leave", "unison" and "tend the garden." Refresh the Kleenex.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:

CHAPTERS:

- 0:00: Cardboard Cats

- 0:35: A Big Feelings Theme

- 1:28: The Podcast Mines

- 3:02: Housekeepin’

- 4:40: Conflicted Feelings I: We Are Old, the Record Is New

- 16:53: Conflicted Feelings II: A Very Special Episode of Backtracking

- 19:22: Conflicted Feelings III: Dance Grooves & the Graceland Trap

- 22:50: Conflicted Feelings IV: Earnest Goes to Church Camp

- 26:50: Persistence is Rewarded, Starfighters

- 29:15: The Basics

- 43:38: It’s a Big Production

- 44:50: Overall Impressions

- 53:37: Side A, Track 1: you in everything

- 1:03:50: Side A, Track 2: in the wake of your leave

- 1:16:14: Side A, Track 3: the angel of 8th avenue

- 1:22:09: Side A, Track 4: returner

- 1:28:12: Side A, Track 5: unison

- 1:32:00: Side A, Track 6: tend the garden

- 1:40:13: Refresh the Kleenex for Next Week, Boys

BACKTRACKING SOCIALS:

- Felt "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word"

BAND LINKS:

- Gang of Youths Official Website | Instagram | X (Twitter)

I’m only in it for the email: backtrackingrox@gmail.com

Felt's Lawrence and "Street Level Superstar," with Will Hodgkinson May 06, 2026

Show notes

Author Will Hodgkinson joins us to talk Felt, Lawrence and his book "Street Level Superstar".

We cover Lawrence's world, his lyrics and his sense of his own career, the pop star fantasy, the outsider artist spectrum, Felt's influence and collaborators, and whether 2026 is the year of Lawrence. Bonus: Will recommends Bongwater's "Too Much Sleep."

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:

CHAPTERS:

- 0:00: You’re going to have a great time, JW.

- 0:13: The Production Values of This Podcast Are Great

- 1:11: Felt, Lawrence, and “Street Level Superstar”

- 5:49: Welcome Will Hodgkinson

- 7:22: Lawrence’s World

- 11:45: Lawrence as Lyricist

- 17:55: Lawrence’s Sense of His Career

- 23:25: The Pop Star Fantasy

- 27:00: The Outside Artist Spectrum

- 32:30: The Influence of Felt

- 35:50: Lawrence’s Collaborators

- 44:40: 2026: The Year of Lawrence?

- 55:45: Buy “Street Level Superstar” Now!

- 57:50: Bonus: Will Recommends Bongwater “Too Much Sleep”

- 1:00:05: Adieu, Lawrence.

WILL HODGKINSON LINKS:

- The Times of London: thetimes.com/profile/will-hodgkinson

- Website: willhodgkinsonwriter.com

- Instagram: @will.hodgkinson

- X: @Willjhodgkinson

BACKTRACKING SOCIALS:

- Felt "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word"

BAND LINKS:

- Felt Bandcamp | Instagram

Seven emails on the way to Avalon: backtrackingrox@gmail.com

Felt "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word" (1986), Side B Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

Felt's 1986 album "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word", Side B: "All the People I Like Are Those That Are Dead" and more.

Plus "Gather Up Your Wings and Fly", "A Wave Crashed on the Rocks" and "Hours of Darkness Have Changed My Mind", and Felt's impact on Britpop, revisited.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:

CHAPTERS:

- 0:00: Make Backtracking Last

- 0:28: Another Truly Great Theme

- 1:28: Felt & the Cornucopia of Season 3

- 3:58: Cover the Cover, Brought to You By Michael

- 9:30: Side B, Track 1: All the People I Like Are Those That Are Dead

- 15:53: Side B, Track 2: Gather Up Your Wings and Fly

- 22:00: Side B, Track 3: A Wave Crashed on the Rocks

- 27:46: Side B, Track 4: Hours of Darkness Have Changed My Mind

- 34:01: Felt’s Impact on Brit Pop, Revisited

- 38:43: We Felt the Best, We Felt the Worst

- 42:06: Felt:Denim::Suede:What?

BACKTRACKING SOCIALS: