EarWax

The King of the Blues (or one of them, anyways) is the focus of this week's episode of EarWax! Hilary and Cody discuss the circumstances that led to B.B. King performing at Cook County Jail in 1971. Along the way, they touch on B.B.'s journey to that point, the infamous reputation that Cook County Jail had (and still has), and what it means to use your voice to shed light on legitimate grievances....

We're covering a legend among legends this week. You're in rarified air when you are known by one name. It's Dolly! Cody and Hilary marvel at the story of Dolly Parton, who consistently defied the odds and the wishes of those who sought to keep her playing second fiddle. But Dolly wasn't having any of that, and wrote a smash hit to let her professional partner know it was over. Years later, that t...

New friends and old are featured on this week's dive into Cheap Trick's "In Color." Cheap Trick are the fellas from your hometown that just so happened to become one of the biggest rock bands of all time. "In Color" was their second swing (and mostly miss) in the US, but boy did it lead to bigger things. Cheap Trickmania took off in Japan, leading to their breakthrough live record that cemented th...

Here come all the feels, this week we're covering Nick Drake's "Pink Moon." Cody and Hilary discuss the life, enigma, and myth of Nick Drake. Sifting through the legend to grab hold of the person is a difficult task, and one that nobody seemed to really be able to do even during his life. Nick Drake's career was tragically short, but "Pink Moon's" legacy is indisputable. The story of how this reco...

A legend among legends, a performer among performers, or you might just know him as...His Neilness! Hilary and Cody travel the Neilverse, going through the concert and album that made him the pop god that he is known as. "Hot August Night" was recorded at the amazing Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, and everything you want from Neil Diamond is on display.  A brilliant songwriter with a grounded sense...

Punk royalty is the topic of conversation this week on EarWax! X were (and are) punk legends, but their album "Los Angeles" is so much more than just punk. With rockabilly guitar and some psych harmonies, this record flip-turned the rules every which way. Produced by the always-been-cool Ray Manzarek of the Doors, "Los Angeles" recalibrated the city's music scene, putting punk and X squarely at th...

Put the headphones on and plan to keep your head nodding for the whole time, this week we have J Dilla's "Donuts!" Christian Dueñas - host of the podcast Primer - drops by to chop it up about a record whose full story took a long time to be told. "Donuts" was made as Dilla was in between and during hospital stays. While the popular account is the stuff of legend, there is another, more grounded st...

What's reggae without a little (a lot) of soul? We wouldn't know, because this week's episode has soul to spare! Toots and the Maytals were the people's champs of Jamaica; a sound whose roots represent the common man. Toots won a national song contest three separate times! Funky Kingston is a strange mish-mash of two previous albums, with a single thrown in for good measure. It's got a tried and t...

Pressure can make diamonds, but too much pressure and you get an explosion. And this week, we have both! Massive Attack's "Mezzanine" is a standard-setter in electronic music. While the band was consistently at odds during its making, the resulting record crackles with energy. Cody and Hilary talk about near death, a major embarrassment involving a pop icon, and how the band worked through (or aro...

Make sure you do your neck stretches, because you will be nodding along with us this week. The EarWax squad took a trip to the Hollywood Bowl to see this week's episode performed live by the OGs who played on it. By 1973, Herbie Hancock had hits, chops, and a resume that elevated him into rarified air. Searching for that next thing, he took inspiration from James Brown, Sly Stone, and of course Mi...

As we cruise through the tail end of #bratsummer, EarWax takes a look at one of the records that helped Charli XCX dominate the conversation this year. "Charli" comes on the heels of her rise to fame, at a time when she was about to break even bigger than she already was. Dealing with pop stardom, ravenous fans, and a devastating hack that leaked her work had all taken their toll. "Charli" is the...

We're getting cultured af this week. EarWax goes French! Françoise Hardy's "La question" is a gorgeous statement made by an artist intentionally transitioning into a new phase in her career. In partnership with guitarist and songwriter Luca, Hardy made a record drenched in yearning, love, and poetry. "La question" took Françoise Hardy away from pop icon and into new territory - a place where she h...

Pack your bags and get ready to take a trip to a world of wonderful weirdness! Hilary and Cody immerse themselves into the universe of the Pharcyde. Filled with in-jokes, yo mama jokes, and jokes just because, this record occupies a very specific, very important part of West Coast hip-hop. Rarely does an album feel so lived-in, so loved, and so unabashedly fun. The Pharcyde don't take themselves t...

Bolt down anything that might shift due to the crushing weight of the heaviness, EarWax is going sludge! Hilary and Cody discuss Melvins' legacy through the lens of arguably their most famous record. The story behind Houdini is a little sad, but ultimately this record serves as a fantastic gateway into a band that casts an extremely large shadow. A great mix of heavy and slow with a few speedier t...

Let's get funky, smooth, and our heads in the game. Curtis Mayfield is coming in hot! Cody and Hilary discuss the scope of Curtis Mayfield's work, and how much his thumbprint is all over the Civil Rights movement.  Mayfield's growing voice and subject matter was personal enough for him to step away from the Impressions, setting the stage for a solo career that would see him launched into even grea...

EarWax ushers in the 50th episode by pulling down a true heavy hitter off the shelf - David Bowie's "Station to Station." This record's story is full of unbelievable stories and adversity, both of which were largely self-imposed. Bowie's drive for reinvention is present throughout his discography, and Station to Station is arguably his most pivotal record. Leaving the spaceman firmly in his rearvi...

Change out your granny glasses and paisley shirts for cowboy hats and bolo ties! Hilary and Cody talk bout The Byrds' 1968 "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." A different direction for a very different-looking Byrds, this record took the group to Nashville, where they received a...less than warm reception from the local media. Gram Parsons' influence on this album cannot be overstated, and the result is on...

Classic film? Yup. Soundtrack with a weird backstory? Yup yup. Siiiiiick guest spot? Three times the yup! West Coast Editor for Letterboxd Mia Lee Vicino drops by the show to tackle the leviathan that is Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." A score that is also a soundtrack, this film uses original music by electronic music pioneers Wendy Carlos and Rachael Elkind, along with a host of avant garde cla...

An R&B record whose scope is bigger than most prog rock epics, this week's episode covers Janelle Monáe's debut studio album "The ArchAndroid." Cody and Hilary talk about the influence of sci-fi in music before diving into this epic - in a very literal sense -  of an album. The love and collaboration that went into this album is apparent not only from the gorgeous tracks on it, but from listen...

Nothing like a healthy dose of synth pop and British government, and that's just what we have this week! Pet Shop Boys' "Actually" is 80s perfection, tackling big issues using outrageously smart songwriting and catchy hooks.  The content of "Actually" is still extremely relevant, and this record has aged as well as the Boys themselves.  Clever, earnest, and powerful, "Actually" is distilled talent...

We've got the silky smooth Swingin' Sixties coming your way this week! Dusty Springfield was a staple of the era, with hits in both the US and the UK. A fixture on the charts and on TV, Dusty's pop vocal stylings ran perpendicular with the rock zeitgeist. But she had a finger on the pulse, and could sense the tide turning in the late 60s. "Dusty in Springfield" is an album that, by many accounts,...

Make sure your mouthguard is in, because we're trying to kick some teeth in this week! PJ Harvey had risen to fame rapidly, and that had taken its toll. Having taken some time away to get right, she charged back onto the scene with her second record. With Steve Albini behind the boards, Rid of Me packs all of the punch of peak 90s rock, with the added bonus of having PJ Harvey's songwriting to go...

Get prepped to jump, jive, and wail from start to finish, the EarWax crew is covering The Wildest, Louis Prima! With Keely Smith, Sam Butera, and the Witnesses alongside him, Louis Prima set Las Vegas on fire, five sets a night between 12 AM - 6 AM. The template that Vegas lounge acts would follow, Prima and his crew were going to give you a pro's show every time they hit the stage. This album is...

How many power chords do you have? Because this week we've got plenty to spare! Thin Lizzy had been more or less given one final shot to break big. Despite big creative differences, perhaps a little too much "hydration," and maybe not enough discipline early on, the crew behind Jailbreak all recognized the stakes. Packed with rock radio staples and incredible deep cuts, Jailbreak secured Thin Lizz...

Hunker down, because we've got a record full of absolute bangers this week. Part electronic, part disco, part hard rock and all teeth, this duo found their footing with a series of remixes, before heading into the basement of an old club and chapel to record what would be their first studio album. Justice's debut album † (Cross) brings the heat. With over 400 albums sampled (and micro-sampled), th...