Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Latest Episodes:

088: New Order - Substance (1987) Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

We used to think that the day would never come, but Discord & Rhyme has reached a new milestone: it’s our first singles compilation! New Order issued Substance in an effort to bail out Factory Records, whose financial mismanagement is the stuff of legend. But that also meant that the label was willing to spend money on cool new equipment for the band, which meant that they were always one step ahead of the game technologically, leading an unintentional revolution in electronic dance music. Substance spans the years 1981–1987, during which the band rose from the ashes of Joy Division, issued the groundbreaking 12-inch single “Blue Monday,” and ascended to arena stardom with appearances on major soundtracks such as Pretty in Pink and hits such as “Bizarre Love Triangle” and “True Faith.” They’re one of Rich’s very favorite bands, so join us as he leads Mike and John on the journey from Manchester to Madchester.

Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/088-new-order-substance-1987

Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

MTV's Amp, Tracks 1-7 Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

In the late '90s, MTV's program Amp was responsible for giving a lot of electronic acts their first mainstream exposure, dressed up in a sleepy, late-night public-access vibe with no veejays or interviews. Returning guest Shivam Bhatt ranks it among his favorite compilations ever, and for the next two episodes, he'll be leading us through it artist by artist, song by song, break by break. So get your glowsticks ready and make sure to drink a lot of water, because Discord & Rhyme is ready to Discord & Rave.
The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats
Fluke - Atom Bomb
Underworld - Pearl's Girl
The Future Sound of London - We Have Explosive
Photek - Ni Ten Ichi Ryu
Aphex Twin - Girl/Boy Song
Orbital - The Box
Get early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod
Links:
A (mostly) full episode of Amp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXocWOsU4Wk&t=22s
Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music: https://music.ishkur.com/
The Chemical Brothers' "Elektrobank" video, feat. Sofia Coppola:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0dxByaPWhM
Aphex Twin's "Windowlicker" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBS4Gi1y_nc
Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ827lkktYs
Collection of Orbital's Glastonbury performances from 1994 to 2004: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asCrHkEHfWI
Orbital's "The Box" video, feat. Tilda Swinton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asCrHkEHfWI
Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Shivam Bhatt
Opening credits music: Deepsky - "Tempest"
Closing credits music by Kenneth Kraylie, originally composed by Andy Partridge with new lyrics by Adam Smith of the Hector Collectors
https://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/
https://casinos.bandcamp.com/
https://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/

087: Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning (1973) Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Renaissance formed in 1969 as the classical-folk-rock brainchild of two former Yardbirds, turned over its entire lineup by its third album, and spent the bulk of the 1970s churning out a brand of prog rock that brought them a devoted cult following but nothing like the commercial success of peers like Yes, Genesis, or ELP. This cult following, however, includes John, who has loved their 1973 album Ashes are Burning for over 20 years and successfully roped Amanda, Mike, and Phil into letting him wax rhapsodic about it and about the angelic vocal gifts of Annie Haslam. Join us as we cover an album and band that may borrow extensively from other prog rock bands (when they’re not borrowing from classical composers of all eras) but that still carved out its own unique identity and created some of John’s very favorite music.
Cohosts: John McFerrin, Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox, Amanda Rodgers
Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/087-renaissance-ashes-are-burning-1973
Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Motown: The Complete No. 1's - Disc 6, Tracks 14-19 Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

It's time to say goodbye to the Motown box set, which has given us some absolutely amazing music! Fittingly, we're closing it out with Stevie Wonder, but first we had to get through a bunch of Commodores songs. We also talked about Halloween candy, yacht rock, and whether carrots can feel pain, so it's a very typical Discord & Rhyme episode.
The Commodores - Three Times a Lady
Diana Ross - The Boss
The Commodores - Sail On
The Commodores - Still
Stevie Wonder - Send One Your Love
Stevie Wonder - Pastime Paradise
Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers
Theme music: "The Motown Song" by Rod Stewart feat. the Temptations
Get early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

086: The Police - Synchronicity (1983) Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Happy holidays from Discord & Rhyme! We got you a big enough umbrella, though you’ll probably still end up getting wet. To close off our fourth(!) calendar year as a podcast, Phil, Rich, John, and Mike have decided to sit around the fire and talk about an album we all know and love. When the Police recorded their final album, 1983’s Synchronicity, the trio of Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland were at the peak of their popularity, but were also on the verge of collapse, fracturing under the stress of three very different personalities moving in opposite creative directions. The album often receives criticism as a prelude to Sting’s solo career, but we argue that it’s much more nuanced than that, and that even at their most incoherent, the trio had a natural chemistry and an ability to check and balance one another’s excesses that all came together into some truly remarkable arrangements. Whether Synchronicity is the best or worst Police album is very much up for debate, but it’s certainly one of their most interesting.
Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox, John McFerrin
Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/086-the-police-synchronicity-1983
Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Motown: The Complete No. 1's - Disc 6, Tracks 7-13 Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

Back to Motown! Once again we have some unbelievably great songs on here, and some others that are okay at best. We hope you like the Commodores.
Stevie Wonder - I Wish
Marvin Gaye - Got to Give it Up (Pt. 1)
Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke
The Commodores - Easy
High Inergy - You Can’t Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)
The Commodores - Too Hot ta Trot
Rick James - You and I
Get early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod
Links:
Discord & Rhyme's Songs in the Key of Life episode: https://discordpod.com/listen/019-stevie-wonder-songs-in-the-key-of-life-1976
Supercut of amazing Celine Dion moments, including her ill-advised "I Wish" performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEggoXwoXEY
The story of the disco hit Marvin Gaye didn't want to make: https://groovyhistory.com/marvin-gaye-got-to-give-it-up-story-facts-disco
The 10 Craziest Stories in Rick James' Memoir: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/from-dali-to-bestiality-the-10-craziest-stories-in-rick-james-memoir-192094/
All hail Duke! Duke is life! (from The Critic): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNOyI9V2RfE
Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Amanda Rodgers, Dan Watkins
Theme music: "The Motown Song" by Rod Stewart feat. the Temptations
Closing credits music by Kenneth Kraylie, originally composed by Andy Partridge with new lyrics by Adam Smith of the Hector Collectors
https://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/
https://casinos.bandcamp.com/
https://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/

085: Iggy and the Stooges - Raw Power (1973) Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

This week, the street-walking cheetahs of Discord and Rhyme take a stroll down the dark, sketchy alley that is Iggy and the Stooges’ 1973 classic Raw Power. Mostly ignored upon release, its primal, menacing energy would become a blueprint for countless punk and hard rock bands in the decades to come. In our discussion, we detail the drug-fueled, messy production of the record that yielded two radically different mixes of the album that continue to divide fans to this day. Shirts are optional.
Cohosts: Dan Watkins, John McFerrin, Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio
Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/085-iggy-and-the-stooges-raw-power-1973
Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

Motown: The Complete No. 1's - Disc 6, Tracks 1-6 Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

At last, we're back in the Motor City! Put your speakers in the window and go on the roof and listen to the Miracles, as well as us talking about the triumphant return of Diana Ross, the inauspicious debut of the Commodores, and the most-used Motown song in pop culture history.
The Miracles - Love Machine (Pt. 1)
Diana Ross - Love Hangover
Marvin Gaye - I Want You
Commodores - Just to Be Close to You
The Originals - Down to Love Town
Thelma Houston - Don't Leave Me This Way
Get early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod
Diana Ross performs "Love Hangover" on Midnight Special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJTZrWv5Y9I
BBC Radio 4's Soul Music episode on "Don't Leave Me This Way": https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0375qt8
"Don't Date Robots" PSA from Futurama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ6knaienVE
Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin
Theme music: "The Motown Song" by Rod Stewart feat. the Temptations
Closing credits music by Kenneth Kraylie, originally composed by Andy Partridge with new lyrics by Adam Smith of the Hector Collectors
https://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/
https://casinos.bandcamp.com/
https://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/

084: Pearl Jam - Vitalogy (1994) Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

Pearl Jam might have had the most ambiguous relationship with fame of any major rock band. In the early nineties, they were arguably the biggest rock band in the world, but the group gave few interviews, made no music videos, and were difficult to see live due to their ongoing refusal to work with Ticketmaster. 1994’s Vitalogy captures the band in the midst of this era - struggling with the pressures of fame and trying hard to assert their independence from the drudgery of corporate rock. Vitalogy, despite its inconsistency, remains Phil’s favorite Pearl Jam album, and he’s here to tell Dan and Rich exactly why he thinks it’s the most interesting Pearl Jam album - an album well worth listening to even if you never cared for the group’s earlier work.
Cohosts: Phil Maddox, Rich Bunnell, Dan Watkins
Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/084-pearl-jam-vitalogy-1994
Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

083: Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel (1974) Nov 02, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we cover the (short) career of a great country singer (maybe?) who made a few albums’ worth of transcendent country music (except for all the little touches that aren’t country music). Gram Parsons was a polarizing figure, but Ben loves his 1974 opus Grievous Angel - made in collaboration with the golden-voiced Emmylou Harris - and Amanda and John dig it plenty. Along the way, they make a case for why country music is worth your attention, and for why Grievous Angel is a classic example of the genre (mostly) (it’s complicated).
Cohosts: Ben Marlin, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers
Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/083-gram-parsons-grievous-angel-1974
Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod
Discord & Rhyme merch: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpod

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