Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Latest Episodes:

146: Spinal Tap - This Is Spinal Tap (1984) Aug 20, 2024

Show notes

Hello, Cleveland! This week, Producer Mike continues his quest to make Discord & Rhyme more metal by turning it up to 11 with an episode on England’s loudest band, Spinal Tap. The fictional Spinal Tap consists of guitarists David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel, bassist Derek Smalls, and a series of cursed drummers, whose misadventures are chronicled in the 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. The real Spinal Tap consists of Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer, three exceptionally gifted comedians who know what makes metal tick and are very smart at playing dumb. And that extends to the movie’s soundtrack, whose songs walk the line between sophisticated songwriting and sounding like they could conceivably have been written by three boneheads. Because why waste good music on a brain?

Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, Rich Bunnell, John McFerrin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/146-spinal-tap-this-is-spinal-tap-1984

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

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

Pete and the Escapologists - Chronicles of a Dead End: https://peteescapologists.bandcamp.com/album/chronicles-of-a-dead-end

145: George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (1970) Aug 06, 2024

Show notes

George Harrison was reaching his creative peak in the late 1960s, but famously had a difficult time getting the other Beatles interested in recording his songs. So when they broke up in 1970, George got a massive group of musicians together and recorded his entire backlog to release all at once. All Things Must Pass was the first ever triple album by a single artist, and (apart from Apple Jam) is a tightly focused, intense, cathartic listening experience unmatched in popular music. In this episode, Amanda, Ben, and Mike do their best to dissect this extremely dense album and prove that George Harrison was a brilliant musician and deserves the highest respect.

Cohosts: Amanda Rodgers, Mike DeFabio, Ben Marlin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/145-george-harrison-all-things-must-pass-1970

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

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

144: Green Day - Dookie (1994) Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

In 1994, Green Day introduced a whole new generation to punk rock with their major label debut, Dookie. There has been a lot of discourse over the years about whether or not Green Day are “real” punk rock, but Dookie has endured as a classic of ‘90s rock, containing numerous standards that have long-since been memorized by anyone reasonably fluent in the rock of the era. Phil discovered Green Day when he was 12 years old - the ideal age for absorbing their combination of crude-but-relatable lyrics and hyper-catchy music, and he still loves them to this day, so he’s absolutely thrilled to get a chance to talk to Dan and Rich about how much he loves Dookie.

Cohosts: Phil Maddox, Rich Bunnell, Dan Watkins

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/144-green-day-dookie-1994

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

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

Bonus: Won-Hit Oneders Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

It's time for our annual summer break, so we're letting an episode out of the Patreon vault in which Mike, Rich, and Amanda discussed some of our favorite one-hit wonders, as defined in our own heads. (Amanda is not sorry for the extremely corny title of this episode.) Make sure you listen until the end to hear Producer Mike's mashup masterpiece!

The hits include:

Pure Prairie League - Amie
Link Wray - Rumble
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Fire
Deee-Lite - Groove Is In the Heart
Climax Blues Band - Couldn't Get it Right
Argent - Hold Your Head Up
Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack
Loreena McKennitt - The Mummers' Dance
Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
Ylvis - The Fox
The Other Leading Brand - Groove Is In a Lonely Heart

(also the intro is from That Thing You Do! but you probably knew that)

Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Amanda Rodgers

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

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

143: The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers (1976) Jun 25, 2024

Show notes

In the early 1970s, Jonathan Richman assembled a band that recorded a groundbreaking set of songs fusing garage-rock sensibilities with his own entirely unique worldview. Unfortunately, before The Modern Lovers managed to complete a proper album, Richman’s musical interests drifted into an entirely different direction, ultimately leading to the dissolution of this version of the band. The collection of recordings that finally saw release as 1976’s The Modern Lovers stands as a snapshot of a band at a specific moment in time and has served as an endless source of inspiration for punk and indie artists ever since. Take a spin past the Stop and Shop and join us with the radio on for a chat about this groundbreaking classic.

Cohosts: Dan Watkins, Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/143-the-modern-lovers-the-modern-lovers-1976

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

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

142: The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed (1967) Jun 11, 2024

Show notes

For our annual Moody Blues episode, we’re traveling back to the beginning (sort of) and finally discussing Days of Future Passed. Although the band themselves dismissed this idea, this album is clearly one of the starting points of progressive rock, and it’s certainly one of the earliest concept albums. It’s unique not just in the Moody Blues’ discography but in all of popular music, and we had a fantastic time discussing all the reasons why it’s still so beautiful, moving, effective, and entertaining 57 years after it was first released.

Cohosts: Phil Maddox, Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin, Amanda Rodgers

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/142-the-moody-blues-days-of-future-passed-1967

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

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

141: The Band - Music from Big Pink (1968) May 28, 2024

Show notes

Get ready for some classic Americana, brought to you by four Canadians (and one American), discussed by four Americans (including one living in Canada). Because Neil Young and Joni Mitchell weren't enough, Ben goes back to the frozen north for the Band's 1968 debut album, Music From Big Pink. Ben discusses why he loves the Band and Music From Big Pink, joined by Amanda, Dan, and Mike.

Cohosts: Ben Marlin, Mike DeFabio, Amanda Rodgers, Dan Watkins

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/141-the-band-music-from-big-pink-1968

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

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

140: R.E.M. - Automatic for the People (1992) May 14, 2024

Show notes

R.E.M. spent the decade after Murmur growing steadily more successful, their popularity cresting with the 1991 #1 album Out of Time and its inescapable hit single “Losing My Religion.” But instead of going on an exhausting world tour like most bands would, R.E.M. went right back into the studio and recorded Automatic for the People, an album that defies rock star excess at nearly every turn. You probably know “Everybody Hurts” and “Man on the Moon,” which are still radio standards to this day, and with good reason. But even those songs were much more downcast and introspective than one would expect from a band at the height of their popularity. Automatic for the People is the sound of R.E.M. entering their thirties and taking stock of their place in both music and the world, and though it may take some time to sink in, John, Phil, Rich, and special guest Jeff Blehar all consider it one of their best albums. So join us for part 2 of a band that cannot be contained by one episode, and calluswhenyoutrytowakeherup.

Cohosts: John McFerrin, Phil Maddox, Rich Bunnell, Jeff Blehar

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/140-rem-automatic-for-the-people-1992

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

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

139: R.E.M. - Murmur (1983) Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

We’ve held off on R.E.M. for a while, because the Athens, Ga., quartet is just such a heavyweight in the rock canon. They’re so huge, in fact, that they merit two episodes: one for the mumbly, Byrdsy alt-rock troubadours of the ‘80s, and one for the slightly less mumbly arena rock titans of the ‘90s and onward. We’re starting off with their 1983 debut Murmur, which fueled the rise of college radio with songs that were strangely out of time (so to speak) with the trends of the ‘80s. The compositions on Murmur are so hazy and oblique that they almost resist analysis, and that’s before you even consider Michael Stipe’s lyrics. But John, Mike, Phil, and Ben are willing to give it their best shot, so join them as they embark on a long-delayed pilgrimage west of the fields to discuss one of this podcast’s favorite bands.

Cohosts: John McFerrin, Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox, Ben Marlin

Complete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/139-rem-murmur-1983

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

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

Six Thousand Million Questions (Listener Q&A #6) Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

Rich, Mike, and Amanda answer a bonanza of questions from listeners. Topics include retro prog, great live albums and not-so-great live shows, fantasy supergroups, synesthesia, our favorite recent releases, and no fewer than three questions about the Moody Blues. Listen through to the end for a special request to listeners!

Clips: