Album Book Club

In this short episode, Joey looks back over the previous season and plays tracks from each record that we explored. If you missed an episode, or are just curious what the records we listened to this season sounded like, you can check those out here. Our themes for season 2 were: -Musical Disruptors (records that changed music for you) -The Album I've Listened to the Longest -Go Green (records...

In the final episode on 2023 albums worthy of discussion, Darvil selects the album "Gigi's Recovery" by the Irish post-punk band The Murder Capital. In this episode we try to nail down what it means to be a "post-punk" band, talk about Darvil's vocal prowess in the genre, and conclude that Alvin and the Chipmunks is the best post-punk act of all time.

For the 2023 album that Joey wanted to talk about the most, he selected the record “Spine” by former black metal artist turned folk pop singer Myrkur. In this episode we discuss what is or isn’t black metal, hidden messages in lyrics, and get into the weeds on music theory. That’s right, it’s a metal episode heavy on music theory nerdery. Fans of the Lorna Shore episode, we got you!

For our new category "2023 record you want to talk about the most," James selects the record "10,000 gecs" by the band 100 gecs. In this episode we talk about hyperpop v. digicore, why frogs are funny, TikTok's impact on music, and we actually pay attention to lyrics for once.

The final record in "Go Green" is both green in cover art and theme... It's about nature! Joey selects the symphonic metal album "Mother Earth" by the band Within Temptation. In this episode we talk about whether or not records should get the George Lucas treatment, the overlap of metal and renaissance fairs, and Darvil's existential crisis that came from the lyrics on...

Content warning: explicit language, discussions of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and gun violence. For the theme, "Go Green," or albums with green cover art, James selects the 2002 album "Sing Sing Death House" by the punk rock band The Distillers. In this episode we talk about the many flavors of punk, the impact of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on music, the evolution of the...

In this special episode, each host takes turns discussing their favorite Christmas record. Featuring the music of Leslie Odom Jr., Bad Religion, Jimmy Eat World, and children's favorites The Muppets and Pee-Wee Herman.

Starting our new theme of "Go Green," albums with green cover art, Darvil selects the 2004 hit album "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" by the band Modest Mouse. In this episode we discuss how perception affects boredom, weird instruments like the Mellotron, Modest Mouse's influence on bands that followed them, and whether or not this album is actually three different...

Continuing our theme "the album I have listened to the longest," James selects the album "Wish You Were Here" by the band Pink Floyd. In this episode we talk about the baggage that comes with being a legendary act, what guitarists have wrong about tone, how much easier recording is today, and unveil the theme for the next three episodes.

By far our most popular episode from season one, this remixed edition of the episode featuring Lorna Shore's "Pain Remains" has been edited in our new style to feature clips from the record along with other referenced material. As a bonus for longtime listeners, Joey's wife Julie who was referenced in the original episode was kind enough to have a short interview in which she cla...

Continuing our theme "the album I have listened to the longest," Darvil selects the debut, self-titled LP from American rock band OK Go. In this episode we discuss snare drum tone, our differences in picking favorite tracks, the complexities of lyric selection with the mechanics of singing, and our favorite member of blink-182.

Starting our new theme of "the album I have listened to the longest," Joey selects the album Stunt by Barenaked Ladies. In this episode we discuss the impact of being a novelty band on one's career (how that compares to our wizard rock roots), the lasting legacy of the band in Canada, and the surprising complexity of gender discourse in the album's lyrics.

Wrapping up our theme of "musical disruptors," Darvil selects The Shin's 2003 sophomore release "Chutes Too Narrow." In this episode we discuss how all of the music we listen to is made by bullies, how Gilmore Girls impacted our musical tastes, and why musicians shouldn't philosophize (ourselves included).

Episode 2 of our series on "Musical Disruptors," albums that changed the way you thought about music. In this episode we discuss why Kind of Blue is the best-selling jazz record of all-time, do some basic jazz theory explanations, and talk about why the 1997 re-issue of the album is special.

Trigger warning: Suicide, Drug Abuse // In this first episode of Season 2, for the theme of "Musical Disruptors," James selects the 2003 album Deloused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta. This prog-rock concept album tackles some heavy subjects and wraps it in incredible musicianship. Fans of the Lorna Shore episode should dig this one as we get pretty into the concept of the record as...

In this episode, we revisit each of the nine albums from this season and discuss the music, how our opinions changed, and the lessons we learned along the way. We also give a brief preview of Season 2. We hope you all have an awesome summer! We're taking the next few weeks off to accommodate travel and we will be back with more music commentary soon!

Wrapping up the theme "What has your ear in 2023?" Darvil selects the album "Live at Electric Lady" by WILLOW. In this episode we discuss the value of live records, Zoomer music consumption, Deftones unending influence on modern music, and how My Chemical Romance hates Twilight.

Continuing the theme, "What has your ear in 2023?" Joey selects the album "Fantasy" by M83. In this episode we discuss the French culture, shoegaze, minimalism, and using space echo for lyrics to make them sound more impressive. We got a little zany with this one. Recorded on May 5th, 2023.

Kicking off the theme, "What has your ear in 2023?" James selects the album "Cracker Island" by Gorillaz. In this episode we discuss the value of deluxe albums, guest features, concept albums, and the problem with violin basses. Recorded on March 29, 2023.

Continuing the theme, "2nd Pick of 2022," but choosing a 2021 album, Darvil selects the album "Montero" by Lil Nas X. In this episode we discuss our varying views on the record, the importance of representation, and the upcoming Hoobastankassaince. There was a lot of background noise during recording, apologies for any distracting sounds. Recorded on March 16, 2023.

Trigger warning: Suicide, Loss Continuing the theme, "2nd Pick of 2022," Joey selects the album "Live at Electric Lady" by the R&B singer-songwriter Yebba. This is our most music theory heavy episode and we get really into the nuts and bolts of why this record is compelling. Listeners should be aware there are very intense topics in the lyrical content. Recorded on February...

Starting the theme, "2nd Pick of 2022," James selects the album "Pain Remains" by the deathcore band Lorna Shore. This record is over an hour long, so we had a very lengthy conversation. As such, the episode has been heavily edited for runtime. Recorded on January 19, 2023.

Continuing the theme "Favorite Album of 2022 Thus Far," Darvil selects the album "Cowboy Tears" by Oliver Tree. This episode was recorded on January 5th, 2023, nearly 6 weeks after the last episode. The audio has been mostly fixed in this episode, though we are still playing with gates, so leave us a message and let us know how we are doing!

Continuing the theme "Favorite  Album of 2022 Thus Far," Joey selects the album "Household Name" by Momma. This episode was recorded on November 17, 2022.  The audio on the first two episodes is pretty rough as we were figuring out how to use DAWs and Zoom together. Episode 3 and beyond get much  better... we promise.

James, Darvil, and Joey, former members of the band Percy and the Prefects , get together on a weekly(ish) basis and take turns selecting albums around a loose theme. The theme for this episode is "Favorite Album of 2022 Thus Far". This episode was recorded on October 27, 2022. The audio on the first two episodes is pretty rough as we were figuring out how to use DAWs and Zoom together. Episode 3...