Noise Floor

While Rise Against was gaining steam, frontman Tim McIlrath was also pseudonymously dabbling in metalcore with The Killing Tree. They only released one full-length album, which Matt loves and Troy is hearing for the first time. We're joined by our first ever guest, Matt's longtime friend Kyle Wilnewic, to explore the early 2000s Chicago punk scene and this beloved side project's life and legacy. F...

Our Rise Against series ends (for now) with Nowhere Generation, a refreshing return to form and, if you ask us, a genuinely great album. Also discussed: The Nowhere Generation II follow-up EP, the last great music video, and, of course, discography rankings. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF029

On paper, Wolves should work. Rise Against responding to the 2016 election with a renewed anger and energy seems like a recipe for a great record. And yet, we kind of hate it? Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF028

Rise Against released The Black Market in 2014, and we... kind of forgot about it for a decade or so. Did the shift from overtly political to introspective lyrics not work? Did the band just sound too tired? Whatever the case, we're giving it a fair shot now. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF027

On Endgame, Rise Against allegedly considers the end of the world as we know it and whether that might actually be a good thing. But does the album actually engage with that idea in an interesting way? Is this where Rise Against really lost the plot for us? Did they have beef with Against Me!? Listen to find out. Content Warning: Discussion of suicide and homophobia 22:30-29:30. Find us on the int...

Appeal To Reason features some of Rise Against's most enduring songs, but it's also a divisive album, which makes it a lot of fun to talk about. Join us to find out how our feelings have evolved since 2008 and why we aren't Geffen Records executives. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF025

This week we're digging into Rise Against's fourth album and arguably their magnum opus, The Sufferer and the Witness (including the Walmart edited version that Troy still has in his iTunes), as well as a slew of hardcore covers and the strange and surprising Generation Lost documentary. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmai...

Our Rise Against series continues with Siren Song of the Counter Culture, their major label debut and source of one of their most enduring hits, "Swing Life Away."  Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF023

We're getting to the core (pun not intended but we're not changing it) of our Rise Against series with a deep dive on Revolutions Per Minute, a formative punk rock album for both Matt and Troy and an undisputed genre classic. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF022

It's time for a new series, so we're diving into the early years of Chicago punk band Rise Against, from the early demos and signing to Fat Wreck Chords to their debut album, The Unraveling, and its weird alien cover art. Are you ready to rock? Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF021

Sometimes bands have long, prolific careers filled with ups and downs, and sometimes they release one great album and fade away for unknown reasons. The Tower and the Fool is the latter, and this week we're talking about How Long, their stellar collection of emo Americana heartbreak. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.co...

A power outage interrupted the finale of our Paramore series, but we fought through it to dig into yet another genre turn on This Is Why, making records in an unstable world, and the big remix project. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF019

We've reached Paramore's massive fifth album, After Laughter, which means we're talking Talking Heads influence, mallet percussion, and the coolest mewithoutYou collaboration ever.  Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF018

As our Paramore series continues with their massive self-titled album, we dig into the hit songs, the band Live Journal, and why this album didn't land for us in 2013 (but don't worry, we love it now). We also pay tribute to David Lynch with our weekly recommendations. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF017

Paramore had already cemented their legacy in the scene with Riot!, but their third album took them to even greater heights. It's the Brand New Eyes era, and we're talking emo anthems, band turmoil, and Twilight. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF016

Paramore broke big with Riot! Maybe we'll do the same with this episode? Probably not, but it was a lot of fun to rave about how great these songs. Also: lots of talk about The Final Riot (filmed in our native Chicago), Jimmy Eat World, and the remnants of MySpace. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF015

Today we're kicking off our new series on Paramore, starting with All We Know Is Falling. Launched into the heyday of the emo and pop punk revolution, it's a fun, catchy album and an impressive artistic statement for a band so young. We go through the album, a slew of early demos, and end the show with a new segment. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send u...

We're a little bit baffled and a little bit intrigued by Under the Blacklight, Rilo Kiley's uneven swan song (for now?). As we finish our series on the band, we get into producer choices, a wealth of B-sides, and finally rank the discography. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF013

Rilo Kiley made the jump to a major label for More Adventurous, but we're still very much an independent podcast. Fortunately, that won't stop us from diving into this masterclass of songwriting and production. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF012

We're back to our Rilo Kiley series with The Execution of All Things, an album of deeply personal self-exploration and spectacular guitar lines. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF011

We're taking a break from our Rilo Kiley series to look back on 2024 and count down our favorite albums of the year. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF010

Our Rilo Kiley series continues with their first proper full-length, Take Offs and Landings. We go deep on the brilliance of "Pictures of Success," get distracted by Explosions In the Sky album artwork, and suggest additions to Matt's emo trumpet playlist. In an unlikely turn of events, Troy even praises a Blake song. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send...

Can we do the Frug? Can we do the Robocop? We certainly can’t do the Smurf. But we can talk about Rilo Kiley’s early years, their self-titled EP (also known as The Initial Friend), and whether Troy is related to Blake Sennett. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF008

We're taking a little break between series to discuss the (to date) short discography of Boygenius. Join us for supergroup history, celebrity replacement conspiracy theories, and a lot of great music.   Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF007

We’re finishing up our Thursday series with No Devolución and its striking balance of chaos and beauty. Then we dig into the band's breakup, subsequent reunion, their first new music in over a decade. Finally, we share our discography rankings and Troy unboxes some merch. Find us on the internet: @NoiseFloorPod on Instagram noisefloorpodcast.com Send us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF006