Crash Chords Podcast

This week’s review features an eclectic album of covers whose native genres have been turned on their heads to suit the creative muse of former Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon frontman, Mark Kozelek. Join us as we hash out this unique acoustic cover-album, Like Rats. Afterwards, we talk more broadly about what it means to “cover” existing music. Whether true to the note or fundamentally overhauled, why do some covers inspire us anew, while others fall flat on their face? Continue reading

Fasten your extra-soft Ambient belts for an armchair siesta with this week’s review of Sommer by Deepchord. Then, after taking on our most pared-down work to date, we discuss the broad artistic movement of Minimalism — when “less is more”, and when there’s an excess of “less”! Continue reading

Tonight we take a short breather from album reviews to direct our attention toward the foremost film score composer of our time — the stalwart master of his craft, John Williams. Joining us for this very special epis-“ode” is returning guest Nate Rider, armed with his vast knowledge of film and pop culture. Together, we discuss John Williams’ major works, the films at large, the scope of his contributions, and the films’ greater cultural impact. Continue reading

Let’s gear up for another fun-filled podcast! This time we’re reviewing the fresh new album, Everything Is Debatable, by the Indie Pop band, Hellogoodbye. Then be sure to stick around for a very ‘sole’-ful and singular topic: Singles! We’ll discuss just how the release of singles has changed over the past few decades and whether the practice stands to gain momentum, or downright vanish, in the modern age. Continue reading

A splash of Metal, a dose of Prog, a pinch of Post-rock, and a heap of adventure! That’s the bolognese that is The Migration by Scale the Summit. Join us for this intense review, followed by an equally intense discussion on “theme” vs. “arc.” Frequently lumped together in album reviews, these core components aren’t always holding hands, nor are they so clear-cut. What’s the distinction? Is one more important than the other? More questions and (some) answers in this week’s jam-packed episode. Continue reading

I’m afraid we’re one “6” short of making this episode truly frightening, but nonetheless, a Happy Halloween from Crash Chords! At long last, we return to deliver our review of AM by Arctic Monkeys. Then comes the really scary part: a long-winded reflection on why we have to be so darn long-winded all the time. Should critical analysis be an exercise in brevity or longevity? We’ll do the spitballing; you decide! Continue reading

This week’s review is powered by… nobody. We’re unplugging our hearts and minds to dissect the electric-gone-acoustic album, The Life Acoustic by Everlast. Then, be sure to stick around for the big joke: So… three hosts, 62 albums, and a hell of a lot of genres walk into a podcast… and, well, you’ll have to listen in to hear how they fare. That’s right, it’s a blind genre-guessing test! Just a little experiment on interpretation and categorization. Try it yourself for fun and post your claim in the comments! (No Wiki-ing though.) Continue reading

This week we’re trekking back to Electronica — this time in the loosest sense with Alison Goldfrapp emerging more as a “crooness” in her and Will Gregory’s latest release. So, come and join us in this review of Goldfrapp’s Tales of Us, followed by a discussion on what a “hook” means to us and how the definition seems to fluctuate depending on who you talk to. Continue reading

This week we're joined by our guest, manic mandolinist Painless Parker, who invites us to explore the rich history of American Folk music. After starting us off with a treat performance, he introduces this week's album review: Leaving Eden by Carolina Chocolate Drops. Then, after another performance, we get to talk about Painless as an artist, his background, and how he grew to attain a cult following within the Steampunk community and abroad. Oh, and for the subway enthusiast, be sure to remain all the way to the bumper block. Continue reading

This week we’re delving into the calculative and communicative characteristics of Math Rock! Join us in our review of The Chronicles of Marnia by the ever-imaginative Marnie Stern. Then we revisit our old Song Scales discussions by taking stock of our rating systems as they stand today. First impressions notwithstanding, tastes are malleable and adaptive. A good rating system boils down to a careful balance of subjectivity and objectivity Continue reading

This week we take on the Industrial sounds of Nine Inch Nails (fronted by Trent Reznor) and review their recent post-hiatus release, Hesitation Marks. Then we move on to discuss the logistics of “one-man bands” — and we don’t mean the street performing kind. We’re pitting the solo-or-bust composer/performer/producers against the more collaboratively suited; i.e. the lone wolves vs. the team players. Any preference? Enjoy! Continue reading

Those episode numbers just keep on climbin’, don’t they? Well, for our 60th, we thought we’d vacation to a quiet corner of the world, rife with geologic wonder, cool air, and the soothing textures of ambient Post-rock. The place is Iceland, and the band: Sigur Rós. How did our trip go? Find out in this week’s review of Kveikur, the band’s latest album. Then be sure to join us in an intense discussion on the public education system, the fostering of creativity, and where music stands in the midst of it all. Continue reading

For this week’s review, we take on Blue October and their latest LP, Sway. Then, we try to leave all connotations at the doorstep for a serious discussion on sympathy vs. empathy, or how we relate to the artist. Continue reading

We might announce, “All aboard the crazy train,” but that would be a misnomer; Ozzy’s back, true, but not alone! The original Black Sabbath lineup of Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Ozzy himself have released their first studio album since 1978. It’s called 13, and we’re ready to review it. But don’t go anywhere, because then we pursue last week’s introduction to “the roles we assign to musical instruments” by starting us off with some familiar favorites. Continue reading

Get ready to whip out your jazz hands, because this week we’re making good on our foray into the world of Jazz by checking in on one of the masters of cool, Chick Corea, returning with a new supporting group: The Vigil. Join us in our review of their fresh collaborative release, duly titled, The Vigil. Also, be sure to stick around for our preface to an upcoming discussion on the roles we assign, or shouldn’t assign, to certain musical instruments. Continue reading

This week we peek in on Jimmy Eat World to review their latest LP, Damage. Then we follow through with Episode #54's "Intro to Live Music" segment by immersing ourselves into the subject. We discuss the logistics of playing live, the perks, the pitfalls, types of venues, and our singular kinship with experiencing real-time music. Continue reading

This week we’re diving back into movie soundtracks by reviewing the score to the latest summer blockbuster, Pacific Rim, composed by Ramin Djawadi. Then we go on to discuss the applications of soundtracks in certain films, especially those cases when music makes the difference between mediocrity and masterpiece. Continue reading

Hope you have a chill pill on hand, because this week we’re diving deep into the droning depths of Ambient music (with a Techno twist) in our review of Tomorrow’s Harvest by the veteran Electronica duo, Boards of Canada. Then stick around for a quick listing of each of our best and worst concert experiences, as a brief precursor to an upcoming discussion on live music. Continue reading

In this week’s episode, we tackle the latest Barenaked Ladies album, Grinning Streak, followed by a glance into society’s double standards when reacting to Pop music themes. Continue reading

This week we explore the evolving sound of Queens of the Stone Age with their recent album, …Like Clockwork. Then we flip the coin to discuss the fine line of safety in music. Whether true to one’s own sound or to the sound of their peers, artists may encounter a capricious fanbase in the wake of their more comfortable releases. In this episode we address the implications of such choices on an artist’s popular reputation and critical standing. Continue reading