Indiecast

Latest Episodes:

Let's Revisit 2011, Part 1 Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

A decade in the rearview, 2011 has revealed itself to be a very interesting year for indie rock. There are several albums that were considered to be very important in the moment, but have, in the years since, faded from the spotlight to become not much more than asterisks. Remember Whokill? How about the first and only Wild Flag LP?

That said, there are still some albums that stand the test of time today: self-titled efforts from Bon Iver and Joyce Manor, Real Estate’s Days, M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. In this episode of Indiecast, Steven and Ian are reflecting on the first year of the 2010’s to determine which albums still have that staying power.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is vibing with Green To Gold, the latest album from 2010’s stalwarts The Antlers. Steven, on the other hand, is plugging his new retrospective on Stone Temple Pilots’ Tiny Music. Check that out here.

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A Half-Assed Grammys Recap, Plus Lana Del Rey and a Kurt Vile Tribute Mar 19, 2021

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Steven and Ian kick off this week’s episode of Indiecast with a half-assed recap of last week’s Grammys. It doesn’t last long before the duo dive straight into a discussion of the aesthetic and influence of Kurt Vile in honor of the tenth anniversary of Smoke Ring.

The main topic this week is Chemtrails Over The Country Club, the seventh studio album from Lana Del Rey. It’s the follow-up to Norman F*cking Rockwell, which was one of our favorite albums of 2019, and Lana seems to feel the pressure across her latest. Like her other work, Chemtrails is a cinematic affair ripe with what can only be described as “vibes.”

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven is bumping Ian's previous recommendation of the new self-titled album by Really From. Ian, on the other hand, has been digging into South Korean outfit Parannoul, whose releases are only available on Bandcamp.

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Mumford Kills A Son, Plus An All-Mailbag Episode Mar 12, 2021

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Before Steven and Ian can jump into the latest all-mailbag episode of Indiecast, they must address the story of Mumford And Sons temporarily parting ways with their banjo player Winston Marshall after he came under fire for praising known right-wing agitator Andy Ngo in a social media post. Mumford has killed one of his sons.

This week’s mailbag is the most interesting collection of listener comments yet, with a wide range of questions. Topics covered include the sexism that is inherent when classifying music by genre, critical re-evaluation of under-appreciated records, and British press lauding post-punk acts like Fontaines DC and Idles.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is plugging the new self-titled LP from Boston quartet Really From. Hyden, on the other hand, is enjoying Heaven And Holy, the latest from Painted Shrine, the collaborative project of Jeremy Earl (Woods) and Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, The Reds, Pinks & Purples).

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Let's Revisit Animal Collective Mar 05, 2021

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It’s been teased for weeks now, but the time has finally come: Indiecast is delving into the career and music of Animal Collective. At one point in the aughts, the Baltimore-based group was inextricable from the overall concept of indie rock, and thus indie rock as an actual force in pop music. These days, however, the band seems to have little to no profile or lasting impact. What happened in the last decade or so that forced one of the most important bands in the genre into near obscurity? In the latest episode of Indiecast, Steven and Ian look to get to the bottom of this mystery, while also reevaluating some of the band’s definitive works like Merriweather Post Pavilion and Centipede Hz.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is digging Florida quartet Home Is Where, who just released the new EP I Became Birds. Meanwhile, Steven is enjoying the long-running rotating collective of musicians releasing projects under the name Sunburned Hand Of The Man.

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Daft Punk Breaks Up, Plus Julien Baker + Cloud Nothings Feb 26, 2021

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With the consistent haze of winter slowly fading into the rearview, 2021 is finally starting to kick it into high gear on the new music front. This week, Steven and Ian are digging into new releases from Julien Baker and Cloud Nothings, but not before taking a moment to eulogize the end of Daft Punk after 28 years.

For Julien Baker, 'Little Oblivions' is her first album in nearly four years, and marks a turning point for the 25-year-old songwriter. Where her arrangements were previously sparse and centered around a looped guitar or a piano, the new album incorporates a full band aesthetic with drums and much more space to roam. What does a fleshed-out sound mean for one of indie’s most earnest songwriters?

While Baker was quiet for nearly four years, Cloud Nothings have been more active than ever during the pandemic, turning to a Bandcamp subscription plan as a way to keep fans engaged. They released the home-recorded 'The Black Hole Understands' in July of 2020, and have already followed it up with the proper next studio album, 'The Shadow I Remember.' Where does it stack up in their nearly decade-long discography?

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven is honoring the late Miles Seaton by revisiting the catalogue of his band Akron/Family, while Ian has been enjoying the new EP from Canadian outfit Arm’s Length.

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The Hold Steady + Wild Pink Feb 19, 2021

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This week, Steven and Ian are discussing two of the most exciting indie releases of the week. First up is a passionate discussion of Open Door Policy, the new album from veteran rockers The Hold Steady. Steven appreciates the band’s long-running arc and recent comeback, while Ian has never connected with the Beat-style of what he calls “dude writing.”

Next up on the docket is A Billion Little Lights, the new effort from Wild Pink’s. Led by singer-songwriter John Ross, who moved to Brooklyn after college to be a film composer, Wild Pink’s latest is undeniably cinematic and meditative, a stubbornly un-flashy affair that was originally intended to be a double album about the American West, but was eventually condensed to a lean 10-track affair.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is vibing with New Music And Big Pop, the debut album from Another Michael, while Steven is enjoying Call In The Mess, the forthcoming sophomore album from New York outfit Nervous Dater.

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The Weeknd, James Blake, And Indie R&B Feb 12, 2021

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After a week of banter about Phoebe Bridgers smashing her guitar on 'SNL' and the discourse that inevitably surrounds the annual announcement of nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Ian and Steven are spending this week’s episode of Indiecast reflecting on a simpler moment in indie history. The so-called indie R&B scene of the early 2010’s spawned some of the biggest artists of today, including The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and James Blake.

At the same time, Beyonce and Jay-Z were going to see both Coldplay and Grizzly Bear live, and Kanye was collaborating with Bon Iver. With James Blake’s debut album turning ten and The Weeknd playing the Super Bowl halftime show, now is as fitting a time as ever to reminisce on an era ripe with musical collaboration and exciting releases that remain part of the conversation nearly a decade later.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been enjoying For Your Health's debut album 'In Spite Of,' while Hyden can’t get enough of the Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo collabroative album, 'Deep Fried Grandeur.'

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Foo Fighters + Indie Bands Who Need Greatest Hits LPs Feb 05, 2021

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This week kicks off with an enlightening discussion of which indie bands should release greatest hits albums. Then, Steven and Ian are diving into one of the biggest releases of 2021 so far: Foo Fighters’ tenth studio album 'Medicine At Midnight.' The album doesn’t really sound like anything the Foos have released to date, continuing down the path that began with 2014’s 'Sonic Highways,' moving away from the thrashing rock that seems to have culminated in 2011’s 'Wasting Light.' 25 years into the band’s career, Hyden and Cohen try to figure out where the experimental 'Medicine At Midnight' stacks up in Foo Fighters’ massive catalogue.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is loving 'Earbudz,' the first charity compilation from artist development company No Earbuds, which is now available for Bandcamp Friday. All proceeds will be donated The Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis-related criminal justice reform. Steven, on the other hand, can’t get enough of Yasmin Williams’ captivating instrumental guitar album 'Urban Driftwood.'

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The State Of Livestreamed Concerts Jan 29, 2021

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Despite a handful of optimistic festival announcements, the return of live music still doesn’t look to be closing in (unless you live in New Zealand). With the absence of in-person events, many artists have been turning to both free and paid livestream concerts to keep their fans engaged.

This week, Steven and Ian are discussing the pros and cons of a virtual future for the live music industry. Is livestreaming here to stay? Is it all even worth paying for? While it’s great to see your favorite artists perform, it’s hard to feel the same magic you get from being in a room with other music fans. Earlier this year, concert database Bandsintown announced a paid tier of their service, wherein fans can unlock live performances from artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Adrianne Lenker, and more. This, combined with long-running livestream organizations like Audiotree, could indicate big shifts for the music industry as we know it.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been digging Portrayal Of Guilt, who released Garden Of Despair, a new EP, earlier this year. Hyden is taking a step away from new music this week, encouraging wants listeners to check out Miranda Reinert’s new music-centric newsletter, Something Old.

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Mailbag: Ska, Big Budget Albums, And More Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

This week, Steven and Ian are once again taking questions from listeners. The episode kicks off with a discussion ska, the oft-maligned sect of punk that people tend to joke about, but also have an encyclopedic understanding of its intricacies. After the recent critical reevaluation of nu metal, is ska next in line for a reinvention? Jeff Rosenstock has been proudly waving the flag of ska for years, and the world is finally starting to come around.

There were many thoughtful questions from listeners, guiding Hyden and Cohen’s conversation on the episode and finding the duo discussing their methods for digging into the discography of a newly-discovered artist, the big budget albums they'd like to hear, and the role of Manchester Orchestra in modern indie.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been enjoying Downtiming, the debut EP from Camp Trash. Instead of new music, Hyden is taking the opportunity to plug his recent interview with The Wrens’ Charles Bissel, who revealed that the band’s long awaited follow up to 2003’s The Meadowlands might finally be released later this year!

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