The Great Albums

Latest Episodes:

The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema May 11, 2015

Show notes

Brian and Bill take a listen to one of their favorite albums, Twin Cinema (2005, Matador), a power pop masterpiece from that Vancouver, BC indie supergroup the New Pornographers. Bill waxes nostalgic about his days of driving a rusty old Jeep Cherokee across New Jersey to get to his part time job at a liquor store during his senior year of college. Brian revisits time spent seeing a new relationship develop and how a great live show from the New Pornographers helped. We also discuss great big group vocals, tremolos, and just how wrong allmusic.com's Stephen Thomas Erlewine really is as we make our way through this great album, track by track!

Bonus Song Thursday - Steely Dan "My Old School" May 07, 2015

Show notes

It's Bonus Song Thursday! We follow up the deep dive on Steely Dan's Aja with their track "My Old School." Ed Pratico (bassist for Jesse Elliot and His Band) joins Bill and Brian once again as they discuss their own old schools and more!

Steely Dan - Aja (w/ guest Ed Pratico) May 04, 2015

Show notes

Let's get ready for some weird and cool music because gun for hire and highly skilled bassist Ed Pratico (Jesse Eliot and His Band) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Steely Dan's Aja (1997, ABC). With their sixth studio album, Steely Dan finally realized their vision of esoteric jazz rock thanks to the help of some great session musicians and that one of a kind voice from Michael McDonald. We discuss delicious beverages, Rescue 911, the possibility that the record is a concept album, Yacht Rock, things that rhyme with "pillar," and more as we make our way through every track of the album!

Bonus Song Thursday - Ben Folds "You Don't Know Me" Apr 30, 2015

Show notes

Bonus Song Thursday! Sarah Donner (singer/songwriter/creative type) is back! And, wait a minute, aren't we supposed to be bonusing (that's a word, right?) Regina Spektor? Well, she makes a special guest appearance on this Ben Folds song off his 2008 album Way To Normal. We talk about recording in bathrooms, the secret to successful marriages, and traveling to the Waffle House that's over an hour from your home on a beautiful Sunday morning. Brian also does a great impression of his significant other (if she were a gargoyle). Check it all out as we discuss this great song from Ben Folds and Regina Spektor!

Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch (w/ guest Sarah Donner) Apr 27, 2015

Show notes

Singer, songwriter, cat enthusiest, creative type Sarah Donner (sarahdonner.com) joins Bill and Brian on the podcast to talk about Regina Spektor's Soviet Kitsch (2004, Sire). We talk a little bit about Sarah's music and Settlers of Catan before delving into Regina Spektor's roots in the NY cafe scene. As we make our way through the album track by track, we discuss vocal inflections, dipthongs, and not playing the keyboards in our houses. In order to avoid discussing just how depressing "Chemo Limo" is, we instead invent a great new Benjamin Franklin themed cereal, Ben Crispies. This (and more) in the episode you will be listening to as you read this!

Bonus Song Thursday - Neutral Milk Hotel - "Engine" Apr 23, 2015

Show notes

It's another bonus song Thursday! It gets late into the evening as Brian, Bill, and Andrew Kolbenschlag of Small Planet Radio (smallplanetradio.com) talk about Neutral Milk Hotel's "Engine." They also listen to a little bit of Jeff Goldblum's sultry voice and Andrew finally gets to promote his band!

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (w/ guest Andrew Kolbenschlag) Apr 20, 2015

Show notes

In an attempt to go for the title, singer/songwriter/musician Andrew Kobenschlag of Small Planet Radio (smallplanetradio.com) joins Bill and Brian for a record tying second time to talk about Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998, Merge). The second of only two full length studio albums released by the band. Lo-fi production, trippy lyrics, the use of instrumentals on pop records, sexual lyrics, and the zanzithophone are discussed as we talk about what makes this one of Andrew's favorite albums of all time. An odd band and a reclusive frontman are analyzed in full as we make our way through every song on the album, track by track!

Bonus Song Thursday - Pearl Jam "The Fixer" Apr 16, 2015

Show notes

It's the very first bonus song Thursday on the Great Albums podcast! Bill and Brian talk even more about Pearl Jam, focusing on the song "The Fixer" from 2009's Backspacer. Songwriting, making positive music, new wave influences, and Matt Cameron are discussed in this episode. If you like hearing about great music, but don't have two hours to waste listening to us blather on about an entire album, then this 20 minute episode all about a single song is the one for you!

Pearl Jam - Vs. (w/ guest Jason Wallace) Apr 13, 2015

Show notes

Podcaster and music expert Jason Wallace joins Bill and Brian on the latest, greatest episode of the Great Albums podcast to discuss Pearl Jam's sophomore effort Vs. (1993, Epic). As an extra treat, Joe Galuppo, Jay's partner in crime on Live From the Dining Room (diningroomradio.net), contributes throughout as an unmic'ed special guest! Bill reveals a partial bit of his Pearl Jam knowledge as he relates the band's beginnings and what went into the recording of the album. We get into some interesting territory as we talk about Jay being a PJ fan at the age of 6, how much Brian dislikes his hometown on Long Island, and which PJ drummer was the best. Track by track, we tell you what makes Vs. so great!

Guster - Lost and Gone Forever Apr 06, 2015

Show notes

In another exciting episode of the Great Albums podcast, Bill shares one of his all-time favorite albums from one of his all-time favorite artists with Brian! Bill travels down memory lane as he explains how Guster helped him discover music that wasn't only about loud guitars. Harmony, songwriting, Steve Lillywhite, Judaism, Tufts University, and more are discussed as we make our way through the album, discussing each and every track from Guster's Lost and Gone Forever (1999, Palm/Reprise)!

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