Crash Chords Podcast

Schmilco-time! Whether you know Wilco, or don't know Wilco, then try getting to know Schmilco, as we'll be doing in today's episode. Though a bit of a left turn for a band that has practically earned a council seat in the hearts of a generation, Schmilco is a dreamlike saunter that dazzles in moments and reflects in others. Speaking of reflection, our topic [@ 1:41:41] takes to heart your hosts' prior experience of today's band and reflects on the notion of "second-hand bands", i.e., you know 'em… you like 'em… but do you *know* them? It's a common experience, one that can twist our perceptions of an artist for better or worse. So let's separate the bull from the malarky and have a podcast about it, shall we? Continue reading

This week, Crash Chords takes a gander at Message to Bears, the one-man project of multi-instrumentalist Jerome Alexander, and his latest album Carved From Tides. Though replete with talented session musicians, this one-man show tugs at our heart-strings and challenges us with a few head-scratches before spurring a scintillating topic on lyrical expression at [1:28:50]. Continue reading

This week, Crash Chords undertook a slightly heavier project. We've rejoined the wondrous world of soundtracks---our first in over three years. This time, it's to discuss the sparse yet pointed soundtrack to the video game 'Life is Strange' by DONTNOD Entertainment. Chronicling the story of an 18 year-old girl named Max who discovers her ability to control time while attending the Blackwell Academy, 'Life is Strange' is a story about friendship, right & wrong, and most of all, about consequences. Today we'll be strolling through the game, dissecting its myriad of outcomes, and finally attempting to "get a feel for it" from the songs that were chosen to adorn some of the game's key scenes. So either pick up, rent, or watch the game (via this 5-episode no-commentary Let's Play of 'Life is Strange' by Xenonz Kenway), and help us wrestle with the implications of Max's time-shattering actions together. We highly suggest it, as, you see... THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS! Continue reading

Perhaps one of the funkiest bands in Britain, The Heavy is on the workbench today along with their album Hurt & the Merciless, brought to us courtesy of listener Jos‎é (Nokjaw). We'll be looking at the inns and the outs of this raucous release before taking on the subject of music comparison -- that is, the long-held practice of comparing one artist to another. Is this tactic of any meaningful use to the music community, or does it hinder one's ability to perceive ingenuity? All of this and other things too, here, in this episode… today. Continue reading

Some have called him the greatest American songwriter --- a merit worth examining as Paul Simon's music continues to retain its luster from generation to generation. But should the acclaimed discography of Paul Simon tint our analysis of the musician's latest album, Stranger to Stranger? …Hardly! Let's feign ignorance together and investigate Paul Simon's 13th studio album for all it has to offer. And don't forget to stick around to the end as we launch into a fun and surprisingly multi-faceted discussion on cell phone audio, retracing its evolution, and predicting its future. Continue reading

This week, our project is an album called Stranger Things Have Happened by English singer/songwriter Clare Maguire---on the face of it, an album that's split in tone, and potentially in theme. Can we wrestle our hearts with an album like this? We hope you will, because the gems are without a doubt, a reward in themselves. Partially influenced by jazz, lounge, soul, and dreampop, we encourage you to experience this album with us and join us in pondering its many distinctive flavors. Afterwards: film soundtracks and the power to save the film in question. A pipe dream? Are soundtracks tethered at the hip, or fiercely independent? Continue reading

As a band, Radiohead has been known for a great many things... Well, as of today, let them be known as a certified Crash Chords feature! So go forth, and spread the word! And if you, perchance, harbor some opinions on this band, then you might enjoy our objective take on the band's much-anticipated album, A Moon Shaped Pool. Join us for another roundtable "excavation" as we peel back the layers of this multi-faceted work. Afterwards, stick around for some thoughts on the role that imagery plays in music, i.e., pitting the "pure feelers" against the more optically sensitive listeners. Continue reading

Today's guest, Johnny Caligula, was "born in the back of a traveling show"... his "momma did dance for the money they'd throw." At the age of 30, he decided to follow her example and took up the ancient, sexual art of burlesque. Fortunate to receive guidance from the likes of Lefty Lucy, Mary Cyn, and Sarah Tops, Johnny regales us with tales of his latest exploits in burlesque (along with some insights into the business), before presenting us with this week's album pick: Coloring Book by the prominent collaborator of Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, Chance the Rapper. After a lengthy group analysis, be sure to stick around to the bitter end for some quick plugs on Johnny's upcoming shows! Continue reading

How long have you waited for this? Five years? On top of another eight? Sure, Blink-182 may not be known for their timeliness as of late, but luckily fans' memories run long (as their latest album California and its chart-topping status would suggest). Leaping at the chance to imbibe another record of mockery and melody, we're taking on California this week with open minds and open hearts. Join us, will you? Then, [at 1:39:23], a hypothesis: Is there such a thing as 'too many hooks'? Steeped in that magical crowd-pleasing nectar, are a series of good hooks worth celebrating or shunning? Are you a cautious fish... or would you take the bait? Continue reading

Get ready to melt at the sound of MAGMA, the latest release by the Queens-based [France-uprooted] metal band called Gojira. We've just got one question: Is Magma as hot as they say? Well, at great risk to our personal safety, today we're dipping our toes in for a full-fledged analysis to tackle that question. Join us, brave listeners, and don't fear the heat. Also, stick around [at 1:29:28] for a broad discussion on metal itself. Is metal truly a genre, or is it simply a tool? What can be made of the plethora of sub-genres under the metal banner, and do these labels help or hurt curious metal fans? Continue reading

…And into the "200s" we go! To inaugurate "Season 5" of the Crash Chords Podcast, we're sitting down with a group favorite: the music world's funk-tastic, alt-rock failsafe for over 30 years running, the Red Hot Chili Peppers! Specifically, we're looking at their brand new release The Getaway (their 11th studio album!) And then, being that we're taking on such consistently funky veterans, our topic briefly examines the rarity of finding bands that are joined at the hip, and who withstand the test of time. Continue reading

Time does fly doesn't it? It's already our 200th episode and our fourth anniversary! We hope you've had a good four years. We've had some ups and some downs, album-wise. That's why today we're going up, up, UP! To the top of the charts, that is. Like our previous anniversary episodes, we're stepping outside the normal sequence of events today in order to tackle a special project. This time 'round, we'll be looking to see what the Billboard charts have in store for us. Specifically, we'll be looking at the top 10 hit singles for the week leading up to this recording: the week of June 25th. Follow along with us in the Spotify playlist as we countdown to #1, and join us as we dare to challenge the undisputed sales champions of pop. Who will win? I think they already did... Continue reading

Get excited for the man, the myth, the legend---who you've just now heard of---Matt Dorsi! Currently a member of the indie rock band Blue Spruce (and formerly a member of East Coast Ghost), hear the Woodstock–Williamsburg transplant chat about the trials and tribulations of band breakups and the all-around rewards of being a bassist, songwriter, and up-and-coming audio producer. A relentlessly talented solo act, we kick off the show with Matt's own compositions and then an interview before diving into Matt's album pick: the 2012 LP by The Menzingers called On the Impossible Past. Enjoy! Continue reading

Ready to take on the impossible, kid? Help us take on The Impossible Kid, the 7th studio release by veteran wordsmith Aesop Rock. You can thank listener Alex StarF Alverson for today's pick as we hope you'll join us in peeling back the layers of this complex self-assessment of an album: one of both the artist and the person. As wordsmithing will be of critical importance to today's episode, we decided to conduct our own self-assessment in our topic [at 1:48:18] as we take a brief look at the importance of word choice in critical analysis, as well as in the art itself. Continue reading

This week we're tumbling down the rocky trail of punk music to check out an Exeter, UK trio called Muncie Girls and their album From Caplan to Belsize. The album, which advertises itself as tackling everything from politics to interpersonal relationships, is the debut LP for the trio, and is sure to fire up some debates. The last debate of the night results in our topic [1:25:51]: What have the effects of "counter-culture" movements been on art and music in recent decades? We look at the pros, the cons, and finally pose the ultimate question: is counter-counter even, like, a real thing still? Let's hear your thoughts! Continue reading

You may know Blue Man Group from their long-running, head-turning stage productions, but in the years since their formation in 1991, the core group has also compiled a modest discography of original LPs. Their third LP, entitled Three, was released this April and showcases the group's innovative and trademarked palette of instruments, including new contrivances of PVC piping, chimeulums, tubulums, traditional cimbaloms, and other mystery sounds! While we're on instruments, join our topic at [1:30:28] as we debate the etiquette and ethics of borrowing proprietary musical devices. Continue reading

There's nothing quite like Yugen that we can find. An Italian avant-prog chamber ensemble that derived influence from the RIO movement (Rock in Opposition) of the 70s/80s, Yugen's latest endeavor is an LP called Death by Water. With a lust for chaos and a penchant for carefully cloaking its oddball leitmotifs, Death by Water can't be judged by its cover. Check out the album in the Spotify link and just let it happen, folks. And then, we implore you… let us happen as well. Invite Crash Chords into your lives as we reason out this behemoth of an album, from its pinnacles to its perils. And then, in our topic, hear us reason out the disparity between the terms "avant-garde" and "experimental"… if any. Continue reading

We're tackling Arca! Specifically, Mutant by Arca! An experimental / electronic mosaic of emotion, Mutant is an exposing project for the 26-year-old London-based Venezuelan producer, Alejandro Ghersi. Mutant may also be a challenge for certain listeners, but why falter now? Dive in with us, headlong! Also, stick around at the tail end for some brief musings on BIAS --- that is, textural bias, structural bias, the creativity bias, and the "discomfort" bias. ALL kinds of bias! Continue reading

Ready to rummage through Junk by M83?? We certainly are. The veteran French electronic music band, fronted by Anthony Gonzalez, has been quite up-front about some intentions surrounding its seventh studio LP Junk, leading us to some fairly heated debates. In our topic, for instance, at [1:49:40], we launch into a debate on the evolution of aesthetic values. Does time, in fact, validate? Weigh in! Continue reading

Welcome to today's discussion on Varmints by Anna Meredith, the Scottish composer most recently known for drifting between contemporary classical and electro-pop. Varmints flexes her composers' muscles and takes her "maximalist" sensibilities just a step further, but how big of a step? Let's find out together! And of course, check out [1:59:02] to hear a self-analytical discussion on our practice of podcast "pre-listens", i.e., a group run-through. If we assume that tastes are contingent on whatever we're exposed to, then what about the people we listen to music with? Do friends and colleagues affect our enjoyment of music, like a contagious wave of laughter? You tell us! Continue reading