Indiecast

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SXSW Controversy, The New Pitchfork Festival Lineup, And Our Favorite Albums Since 2014 Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

Steven and Ian open this week's episode by rehashing a surprising trend from last week — Indiecast angered some people online! The (minor) mishap prompts a discussion about previous Indiecast-related controversies. After that they proceed to a quick Sportscast about the latest insanity over Aaron Rodgers, and Steven's inability to simply enjoy the biggest Wisconsin sports stars (9:34).

Next, they talk about the recent controversies related to South By Southwest, which has seen dozens of bands bail out over the festival's ties to the military (14:35). Is it now better PR to quit SXSW than to participate? The guys also discuss the lineup for the Pitchfork Music Festival (24:14)and a viral tweet related to Pavement's tour rider in 1999 (36:55) before ending up with the 10th anniversary of The War On Drugs' Lost In The Dream (44:58) and sharing their favorite albums released since 2014.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about a classic 2001 album by Texas band Lift To Experience while Steven recommends recent LPs by Kim Gordon and Hannah Frances (56:01).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 180 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

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Catching Up With St. Vincent, The National/The War On Drugs Tour, And Other Discourse We Missed Last Week Mar 08, 2024

Show notes

Indiecast went on as usual last week, but Steven and Ian haven't actually recorded together in about two weeks. (It feels more like six months.) Steven was off recording the audiobook of his forthcoming Springsteen book There Was Nothing You Could Do (out May 28!), and he recounts the experience. (It was hard but rewarding!) (9:45). After a brief tangent about the recent "13 Albums To Know You" prompt that went viral on social media, the guys do a lightning round of news that they missed — a new St. Vincent album, a very Ian-friendly emo festival, a very Steven-friendly pairing of The National and The War On Drugs for a joint tour, and a conversation about whether Yo La Tengo is a jam band (14:20). The guys also give an update on their Fantasy Album Draft teams, after recent records by Mannequin Pussy, Faye Webster, and Yard Act (32:02).

In the mailbag (38:22), a listener asks about favorite performances by musicians in movies. While Ian is partial to Cam'ron in Killa Season, Steven gives a laundry list of actor/musicians that ranges from Kris Kristofferson to Ice-T.

In Recommendation Corner (50:13), Ian talks about the Canadian band Little Kid while Steven raves about the new single from Texas heartland rock group Good Looks.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 179 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mailbag Time! Yay Or Nay Ty Segall, Feist's "Female Seal" Vocal Style + Is 2024's Q1 Historically Great? Mar 01, 2024

Show notes

Was this a big indie news week? Steven and Ian hope it wasn't. Steven was off recording the audiobook version of his forthcoming book There Was Nothing You Could Do (out May 28, you can pre-order now!) so the guys had to bank this episode ahead of time. And you can immediately tell this was a banked episode, as they spend several minutes talking about the Kings Of Leon album that was announced last week. They also promise to spend next week talking about the big Fantasy Draft albums that are out today from Mannequin Pussy, Faye Webster, and Yard Act (10:46). Speaking of the fantasy draft, Vijay Iyer finally showed up on Metacritic and he has a fantastic score. But Ian insists he doesn't regret pivoting off of him.

From there Steven and Ian dip into the mailbag to answer inquiries from our listeners (19:26). Some important topics are discussed. Is Q1 of the 2024 music release schedule historically great? Did Feist invent the "female seal" vocal style (28:40:)? Which modern albums would have ended up in thrift store bins (37:18), Fairweather Johnson-style? And Ty Segall, yay or nay (48:25)?

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 178 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MGMT, The Last Dinner Party + Many, Many Upcoming Beatles Biopics Feb 23, 2024

Show notes

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode with an impromptu Moviecast about the news that Sam Mendes is directing four separate biopics about each member of The Beatles. Steven has often said that he can't ever have too much Beatles content, but this might finally test that theory. The guys also try to think about music biopics that are actually good, and come up with 24 Hour Party People, Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story and the immortal made-for-VH1 classic about Def Leppard (7:00).

From there, they talk about the latest album from MGMT, Loss Of Life, as well as the band's career (15:30). Shockingly, Ian has never heard Oracular Spectacular in its entirety! They also discuss the buzziest band of early 2024, the British export The Last Dinner Party, and the lineage of heavily hyped English rock bands (29:30).

In the mailbag, they are asked to give a yay-or-nay verdict on the Lemonheads (39:30) and whether band lineup changes have ever helped bands in the long run (46:00).

In Recommendation Corner (52:00), Ian pays tribute to Complex.com and a reissue of a lost classic by Curling while Steven recommends the latest from the jammy folk-rock outfit Itasca.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 177 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New Album Announcements From Vampire Weekend, DIIV, And More + Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Nominations Feb 16, 2024

Show notes

Steven and Ian open this week's episode by doing something they promised themselves they wouldn't do — taking shots at the new Idles album out today, TANGK (Even the title is annoying). Of course they then proceed with a quick Sportscast about the Super Bowl in which Steven explains how he can't bring himself to hate the Kansas City Chiefs in their current "dominant" era (5:05). During the Fantasy Draft update, Ian finally gets a chance to draft a replacement for the still-missing-from-Metacritic jazz album he originally picked (12:19).

From there the guys review some big new recent album announcements from Vampire Weekend, DIIV, Pearl Jam, and Beyoncé. Steven and Ian have heard some of these albums, and they give praise while trying to not talk in too much detail (16:35). They also dip into the discourse about the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame nominations and weigh Oasis' chances of making it in spite of the Rock Hall's aversion to alt-leaning '90s bands (34:22).

In the mailbag, a reader asks Steven and Ian to "yay or nay" Jessica Pratt, who also announced a new album this week (43:17). The guys are also asked to weigh in on whether Creed was secretly "innovative." Their answers (probably) will not shock you! (48:05)

In Recommendation Corner (55:51), Ian goes with the young Chicago band Friko while Steven pays tribute to the late Can singer Damo Suzuki, who passed away on Feb. 9.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 176 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Super Bowl, (Fart), More Pitchfork Intrigue + A Possible 2000s Indie Folk Revival Feb 09, 2024

Show notes

Steven and Ian start today's episode with an in-depth critical analysis of one of the hottest songs in pop right now, Ice Spice's "Think U The Shit (Fart)." Probably too in-depth, really. But the song is truly a rich text. From there they do the inevitable Sportscast on this weekend's Super Bowl game. Anyone who gets their sports news from indie rock podcasts will want to hear Steven and Ian's predictions (6:51). They also wonder how the brewing Taylor Swift backlash (if such a thing exists) might karmically affect the outcome. In the fantasy draft update, Ian marvels at the performance of the new Brittany Howard solo album and Steven wonders whether the controversy over Mannequin Pussy's recent AI-assisted video will impact his team (15:02).

Next is a conversation about 2000s era indie folk spurred by new music this week from The Decemberists and Iron And Wine (23:10). Are the guys yay or nay on these acts? They also talk about a recent article outlining the behind-the-scenes fallout from the Pitchfork layoffs (34:17). In the mailbag, Steven and Ian reflect on the breakups of two bands, Tokyo Police Club and Hot Hot Heat (40:59).

In Recommendation Corner (47:56), Ian goes with Bill Ryder-Jones (formerly of The Coral) while Steven picks two records from David Nance and Mowed Sound and Ducks Ltd.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 175 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Grammy Predictions + Netflix's Very Fun 'We Are The World' Doc Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode by discussing the recent story about Talking Heads being offered $80 million to reunite for some festival gigs... and turning it down. Do they really hate each other that much? Or do they accept that you can't perform Stop Making Sense-style magic in your 70s? (2:34) The guys also apologize to the city of San Francisco for some recent sports-related slander and check in on Ian's Fantasy Album team. (9:43)

After that, they look ahead to the Grammys this weekend and make some predictions (21:48). Does Boygenius have a shot as a dark-horse pick? Which fanbase will be the angriest the following morning? Does any of this matter? They also talk about The Greatest Night In Pop, the very entertaining new documentary about the 1985 all-star single "We Are The World" that premiered on Netflix this week. Could such a song ever happen in 2024? (34:38)

In Recommendation Corner (50:53), Ian goes to bat for the Norwegian emo band Flight Mode while Steven talks about the Philly "patio rock" band Memorytown.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 174 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Smile Returns, Alex G Signs With RCA, and Does Ian Remember Which Albums He Reviewed For Pitchfork? Jan 26, 2024

Show notes

Today's episode begins with a quick Sportscast in which Steven mourns the defeat of his surprisingly good Green Bay Packers and pays tribute to the lovable Detroit Lions (3:49). He and Ian also compare Detroit and San Francisco as music cities — it's Bob Seger vs. Huey Lewis time! Then they do a quick update of the winter Fantasy Albums Draft, as it is a big day for Steven's team with new releases by The Smile and Katy Kirby. (11:25) Then they break down The Smile's Wall Of Eyes, which sounds like a Radiohead album that's 90 percent as good.

Next comes Steven's most anticipated part of the episode — it's an Ian Cohen pop quiz where Steven lists off 10 albums and asks Ian if he reviewed them for Pitchfork (25:45). This is taking "Remember Some Guys" to a whole new level. Then the guys address the discourse around Alex G's recent signing to RCA Records and whether he has the potential to become "Boygenius big." (40:38) In the mailbag, a listener asks about the recent commercial featuring a Das Racist oldie and an "explanation" of Hozier's success (48:25).

In Recommendation Corner (1:00:31), Ian talks up the latest from the British band Courting and Steven reiterates Ian's recent rave for Glass Beach.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 173 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Fall Of Pitchfork, The Weirdness Of 2024 Music Festivals + A (Bad) New Green Day Album Jan 19, 2024

Show notes

Steven and Ian recorded this week's episode a day earlier than normal, which means that the guys just missed the big (and bad) news about Pitchfork suffering massive layoffs and being folded into GQ. So they got together later and recorded an emergency 30-minute segment about what this all means for the fragile music media ecosystem and put it before the proper episode.

In the proper episode, they did a quick Sportscast (27:09) about the shocking rise of Steven's Green Bay Packers and the even more shocking fall of Ian's Philadelphia Eagles. They also did an update on the Fantasy Albums draft, with Ian deciding for some reason to let Steven swap in the new Faye Webster album into his lineup. Will Ian regret this decision? We shall see! (34:21)

After that, they take a look at early festival announcements for Coachella and Bonnaroo, which seem ... sort of random? Like, what is going on with these music festivals these days? They make no sense! (39:37) Then they talk about the new Green Day album out today, Saviors, which Steven thinks is very, very ... well, listen to the episode to find out which adjective applies. (57:28)

In Recommendation Corner (1:14:25), Ian talks up the incredible new album from Glass Beach while Steven hypes his recent column ranking every Radiohead album, solo album, and side project.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 172 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Best Albums Of The 2020s So Far Jan 12, 2024

Show notes

Before Steven and Ian get into this week's episode, they had to hash out a longer-than-usual Sportscast about their respective football teams (the Packers and the Eagles) making the playoffs and the absolutely insane and hateful video Stephen A. Smith dropped about Jason Whitlock this week. Sports media in general is melting down this year, and the guys can't get enough. After that, they revisit their predictions made at the beginning of last year about 2023, and check to see how right (or wrong) they were (11:05).

Then it's on to a new fantasy albums draft for the first quarter of 2024. Who landed the just announced Waxahatchee record, sure to be one of the year's most acclaimed? Who pulled the jazz record with mainstream appeal that critics are guaranteed to love? Did anyone dare draft the new Scott Stapp record ironically? Let's find out. (19:32)

Finally, the guys follow up on Steven's column this week taking an early look at the contenders for album of the decade from the first 40 percent of the 2020s. This is not a conversation about personal favorites — it's wild speculation on critical consensus based on what music writers have embraced so far. (44:59)

In Recommendation Corner (58:30), Ian goes for the hardcore band Infant Island while Steven plugs the forthcoming album (due in March) from Rosali.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 171 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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