James Acaster's Perfect Sounds

Latest Episodes:

Jayde Adams & Hard Pop Opera Mar 18, 2022

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Rien by Perrine en Morceaux has a sound so big, it envelopes James and (in his words) makes him feel like a little boy. But is it too big for Jayde Adams to handle?

Rhys Nicholson & That '70s Funk Thang Mar 11, 2022

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Awaken My Love was a massive left turn for Childish Gambino and produced one of the best songs of 2016 in the form of Redbone.

Influenced by George Clinton's '70s band Funkadelic but with modern techniques, it made Rhys Nicholson "Horny... but not for sex".

Charlie George, Vampires and Periods Mar 04, 2022

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Jenny Hval’s 2016 concept album, on the theme of blood, is a collection of light and beautiful melodies interspersed with dark and haunting soundscapes.

James tasks Charlie George to have a listen and report back.

Fatiha El-Ghorri & Cohen's Final Bow Feb 25, 2022

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Fatihah El Ghorri, by her own admission, loves Cliff Richard and Shrek. So will the mournful, gravelly tones of Leonard Cohen appeal to her?

Sikisa Bostwick-Barnes & Bollywave Feb 18, 2022

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Ami Dang, a classically trained sitar player, fuses ancient Sikh hymns and poems of Gurus with a modern dance feel and calls it "Bollywave".

Will it be enough to sweep Sikisa Bostwick-Barnes off her feet?

Aaron Chen & ОЭЩ МАГЗИУ Feb 11, 2022

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ОЭЩ МАГЗИУ (or Oesch Magziu to you and me) by ГШ (or Glintshake to you and me) is an album inspired by the Russian avant-garde, a creative movement popular in Russia in the early 20th Century and worked into a more modern sound. However, will it translate across the globe? Australia's finest, Aaron Chen, is here to tell us.

Jen Ives & A Journey Into Darkness Feb 04, 2022

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The Caretaker's Everywhere At The End of Time is a 6-hour project exploring the descent into dementia. It had a profound effect on James, but what effect will it have on Jen Ives?

Kiri Pritchard-McLean & Portuguese Fusion Pop Jazz Jan 28, 2022

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James and Kiri discuss Portuguese maestro Bruno Pernadas's 2016 album, Those Who Throw Objects at the Crocodiles Will Be Asked to Retrieve Them.

Dai Henwood & Pop Royalty Jan 21, 2022

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Carly Rae Jepsen's 2016 album Emotion: Side B is 110% pure pop, with enough sweetness to thaw James' cold heart towards the genre. However, is there too much sugar for Dai Henwood to digest?

Isy Suttie & International Prog Folk Jan 14, 2022

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With music inspired by improvisational Jazz, Persian and African folk and vocals in myriad languages, it's hard to tie Léonore Boulanger to a specific genre. Will Isy Suttie, with her background in jazz and prog rock bands, be won over?