What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music

Latest Episodes:

Björk's HjAARFwaydiohead Extravaganza! Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Lucas makes a big announcement, but first, The Big Mates discuss Gollum, Keith Allen, Dev Patel, and take time to reflect on Björk.

Adam, Steve, and Lucas pause their dissection of Björk's career and follow her lead by looking back. They take a look at her Greatest Hits and the releases surrounding it, discuss her tour after it, and explore the tracks they had yet to encounter.

Then they look back at the albums they've already covered, consider what they found most challenging and enjoyable, and attempt to place Björk's career so far into a wider context. They then find time to rank the albums and reveal their Top 10 Björk songs so far!

Lucas' announcement, for the curious, can be found at 2:20:00.

Who invented fish and chips? What is the limelight? Will Coldplay release a Greatest Hits in time for Christmas? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?

Our next episode is out next week!

Join the conversation on:
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@whatismusicpod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod
E-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.com
Get access to more shows, exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes of this show, and more music discussion by subscribing to our Patreon!
Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and receive up to two new episodes of our various shows every week (including our album club and monthly themed playlists!), ad-free archives of What Is Music?, and access to our Patron-only Discord server for even more music (and non-music) discussion!

Support our show when starting your own podcast!
By signing up to Buzzsprout with this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=780379
Check out our merch!
https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.com
Donate to our podcast!
https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic
http://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/

Lucas Way will return in
On Her Christmas’s Christmas Service

Support the show

Björk Makes One of Matmos Stand in a Box of Rocks Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates provide an acrobatic kind of audio accompaniment for a variety of clips from the Vespertine era of Björk’s career.

Head to YouTube to watch along by clicking here!

Or don't watch along - the episode works fine either way!

Our next episode comes out Monday October 19th!

Support the show

Vespertine (Pt. 2) Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates discuss Pro Tools, music boxes, ocarinas, and Vespertine by Björk.

Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their dissection of Björk's fourth album by looking at how she wrote and recorded it, the collaborations she sought to help her, and her goals for the album.

They look at how the album was received when it came out, how it's regarded today, and they finish up their track-by-track analysis, exploring the composition, sound, lyrics, meaning, and context for each song in turn - all from three differing perspectives, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between!

What will we make of the second half of the album? What will the scores be? How do you remember the difference between stalagmites and stalactites? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?

Our next episode is out next week, Monday October 12th!

Support the show

Vespertine (Pt. 1) Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates discuss Mr. Burns, activity times, ASMR, and Vespertine by Björk.

Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their dissection of Björk's fourth album by looking at how she wrote and recorded it, the collaborations she sought to help her, and her goals for the album.

They also find time to explore the world around Björk, how she processed the events surrounding Dancer in the Dark, and how this record started as a hobby, before starting the track-by-track analysis, exploring the composition, sound, lyrics, meaning, and context for each song in turn - all from three differing perspectives, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between!

What was Björk’s initial vision for the album? Where is the hidden place? Sex? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?

Our next episode is out next week, Monday October 5th, and will continue the deep-dive into Björk's fourth album!

Support the show

Selmasongs Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates discuss soundtracks, musique concrete, the number 14, and Selmasongs by Björk.

Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of Björk's career by examining the soundtrack to the Lars Von Trier musical film she starred in. They talk about how she managed both jobs, how she created the music to show us the world through a character's eyes, and how she started working on songs and pieces of music that incorporated environmental noises.

What do we make of the album? How do you make a dress out of a swan? Did Björk start working on songs and pieces of music that incorporated environmental noises? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?

Our next episode is out next week, Monday September 28th, and will begin the deep-dive into Björk's fourth studio album, Vespertine.

Support the show

Dancer in the Dark Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates discuss Dogme 95, found sounds, The Mask, and Dancer in the Dark, starring Björk.

Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of Björk's career by examining the Lars Von Trier musical film she starred in. They talk about the cinematic style, her performance, and how she managed to balance that with writing the songs and score for the film.

What will we make of the film? What does it tell us about Björk? Is it a period piece? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?

Our next episode is out next week, Monday September 21st, and will focus on this film's accompanying album, Selmasongs.

Support the show

Björk Might Be a Moth Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates provide a smooth kind of audio accompaniment for a variety of clips from the Homogenic era of Björk’s career.

Head to YouTube to watch along by clicking here!

Or don't watch along - the episode works fine either way!

Our next episode comes out Monday September 14th, and sees us discuss the film Dancer in the Dark!

Support the show

Homogenic (Pt. 3) Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates discuss song labels, Norse mythology, single edits, and Homogenic by Björk.

Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Björk and their track-by-track analysis of her third studio album.

They explore the composition, tone, lyrics, meaning, and context for each song in turn - all from three differing perspectives, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between!

They also look at how the album was received at the time, how that legacy has been shaped over the intervening years, and how critical acclaim can affect opinion.

What do we make of the album? What did Björk do next? Should you play this in the office? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?

Our next episode is out next week, Monday September 7th, and will see us watch some Homogenic related media!

Support the show

Homogenic (Pt. 2) Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates discuss dubstep, meditation, gonk pop, and Homogenic by Björk.

Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Björk and their track-by-track analysis of her third studio album.

They also look at how Björk collaborated on some lyrics to continue an ongoing story, her further moves into classical composition, and how she processed her feelings through songwriting.

How important are vocals in pop music? What does Iceland sound like? Which Frou is Imogen Heap? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?

Our next episode is out next week, Monday August 31st, and will conclude our thoughts on Homogenic!

Support the show

Homogenic (Pt. 1) Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

The Big Mates discuss the launch of Channel 5, magical crime, “intelligent” dance music and Homogenic by Björk.

Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their dissection of her third album by looking at how Björk wrote and recorded it, the collaborations she sought to help her, and the goal of creating a cohesive record.

They also find time to explore the world around Björk, the experience of the Post tour and her rise to international celebrity, and the effect this has on her career and music going forward.

They also discuss how she wanted to portray herself on the album artwork, new collaborations, and the pressure she felt when writing the album before starting the track-by-track analysis, exploring the composition, sound, lyrics, meaning, and context for each song in turn - all from three differing perspectives, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between!

What changes did Björk make to her process? What is she hunting for? Is Malaga nice? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?

Our next episode is out next week, Monday August 24th, and will continue the deep-dive into Björk's third album!

Support the show

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected