Discologist

Swedish psychedelia masters Dungen are leaning into a poppier sound on ‘En Är För Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog’, — their first album in seven years — but they’re losing none of the head-trippy goodness that fans have come to know and love. Join us as we dig into this far-out listening experience, discuss what music can mean if the listener doesn’t understand the language it is sung in, and more! PL...

On this edition of discologist we’re spinning new tracks from Milwaukee’s Ladybird , Sweden’s HNNY , and then digging into 1992’s Play With Toys , the forgotten classic by the Michael Ivey fronted “hip hop” group Basehead from Washington D.C. Tune in now for all this PLUS new music from Maximilian and the Reinhardt, and a discussion about THAT Pitchfork list that everyone is talking about. Hosted...

For over a decade, singer/songwriter/Southerner Kim Ware has been crafting indie-folk songs full of heart and twang with her project Kim Ware and the Good Graces. On her latest album Ready , she’s digging deeper inside then ever before. The result is an album overflowing with brutal honesty, (often hilarious) youthful angst, and an emotional core that could melt even the most hardened of hearts. J...

We’re kicking off Season 11 with a THICC episode packed full of great music! Depending on who you ask, saxophonist Sonny Stitt is either one of the most revered players in jazz history or the guy who never said no to a session, no matter how schmaltzy. Over his career he played on hundreds of albums and we’re diving deep into one of his best, 1974’s Satan ! PLUS! Music we love from Chicago’s Psalm...

Depending on your frame of mind, black midi are either an acquired taste or one of the most essential bands of the 21st century. On their new album Hellfire , the trio continues to push their maximalist sound to its limits while polishing the execution of their high-minded art till it shines brighter than ever. If finding beauty deep within absolute chaos is your idea of a good time then tap in as...

In layman’s terms, the Boltzmann Brain Theory imagines a universe where the only thing that matters is what we perceive. Are we beings flitting about in a universe of someone else’s design or are we simply “brains” floating briefly thru the void, imposing OUR universe on that emptiness and anyone who happens to cross our path?  That central idea was the spark that drove this piece for most of...

Washington D.C.’s Broke Royals have always been one of the hardest working indie bands we know, but like a lot of up-and-comers, COVID-19 slammed the brakes on what should have the beginning of their ascent to the big leagues. But rather than wait for things to return to normal, the band started a video series ( Alone, Together ), headed in exciting new creative directions, and came out of the exp...

Panamá 77 , the debut album from Chicago’s Daniel Villarreal (drummer for Dos Santos ) is a psychedelic exploration of the music of his culture married to the modern jazz scene that label International Anthem excels at shining a light on. Part live session, part studio wizardry, and ALL soul, Panamá 77 is a powerhouse of undeniable vibes featuring a who’s who of special guests ( Elliot Bergman , J...

Music plays a huge role in shaping the tone of any film, and on a special Holiday edition of Discologist we’re exploring some of the best to ever put sound to image, starting with John Carpenter whose new score for the film Firestarter mines familiar territory for the director/composer but manages to be a unique and essential addition to his growing film score catalog. Dim the lights and break out...

When they first collaborated almost sixty years ago, Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder came together over a shared love of the music of blues legends Sonny Terry and Brownie Mcghee. Now with the help of Joachim Cooder, the two friends have reunited to make sure that the music of the past isn’t forgotten and Get On Board , a recreation of the classic Folkways release is the result. PLUS! Music we love from T...

Over the course of the pandemic, Gerald Clayton thought a lot about time. What it means, how we spend it, and how the past and the now influence the future in unexpected ways. His new album Bells On Sand is the result of this philosophizing and finds the acclaimed pianist and composer creating sublime new worlds out of simple melodies and space, and the resulting abstraction of time that both can&...

Alabaster DePlume’s (aka Gus Fairbairn) To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals, Vol. 1 , was roundly praised as one of the best albums of 2020 and served as a balm for music fans of all types as they settled into a new, pandemic reality. Now he’s back with GOLD , an uplifting, quasi-spiritual journey towards understanding the value of self-worth in a world where it may no longer be valued. Part free-jazz,...

In 2006 Midlake set the bar for lush, thought-provoking indie rock with their album The Trials of Van Occupanther . On For The Sake Of Bethel Woods , their first album in eight years, the newly invigorated group is acknowledging the power of their earlier work while looking ahead to a limitless future of sonic innovation and pastoral existentialism. Join us as we discuss the legacy of the band, th...

On her Blue Note debut, saxophonist Melissa Aldana is exploring the isolation, anxiety, and change that she experienced in the early days of the pandemic. 12 Stars is framed around the mythos of the Tarot and numerology, and even with that heady concept is an approachable and sophisticated session that highlights Aldana’s mastery of the tenor sax. Join us as we discuss this essential album and why...

Chicago’s FACS create entire worlds out of dissonant noise and chaotic rhythms. But there is a method to the madness and a beauty to be found in the chaos. Join us on our journey into this new sonic universe PLUS spin some music we love from Erin Rae’s new album Lighten Up and Elza Soares on an all-new episode of the all-new Discologist.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass were one of the pillars of the mighty Philadelphia International Records label run by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff . On their fourth album (and last with Pendergrass) mixed social issues with quiet storm and the results were an album that – despite hitting #1 on the R&B charts in 1975 and producing a ubiquitous disco hit – still se...

It’s been a long road, but Phil Cook has slowly but surely become one of the most important voices in modern Americana. On his latest LP All These Years , Cook takes it back to his roots – just a man and his piano – and the sublime results are the most honest work of his career. Eduardo and Kevin discuss this quiet masterpiece, the WHY of the return of Discologist, and share tracks by Oceanator an...

Above all else, this has been a show about finding your family. We hope you are as lucky as we are to have found ours. Thanks for tuning in. We love you. Somebody hit the lights on the way out... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After almost nine years and five-hundred episodes it is finally time to say goodbye to the #1 music podcast ever made in a basement in Washington, D.C., and other places. Join us as here at the end as we discuss some of the iconic bands that we never quite made it to, the importance of listening, and more. It has been a long, strange trip. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Hosted on Acast. See...

While the pandemic of 2020 affected just about every aspect of our lives, it was professional musicians who may have been hit the hardest. Without the possibility of tours or even an audience, artists who previously relied on performing their work for a living were forced to re-evaluate how they would get by. For many, this meant a shift to DIY streaming performances, which, while they have the po...

For most of us, 2020 has been one of the most challenging years of our lives. It has changed the way we relate to our world, each other, and our music. On an all-new episode of Discologist, Kevin, Eduardo, Wes, and special guest Philip Bassnight (Broke Royals) are taking time to explore the music that meant the most to us this year, what songs both old and new lit up our darkest hours, and why now...

The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited The Soul Of Black America is as much a document of the Compton superstar’s journey-to-date as it is author Marcus J. Moore’s journey from one of the most recognizable and important names in music journalism to a burgeoning cultural pundit whose voice is already having an impact. Moore’s words take you inside the culture that fueled Lamar’s ambitious...

On their new album Never Give Up , Canadian rockers Partner are putting an end to decades of machismo mediocrity and claiming the rock n’ roll throne for two queer Canadian young women, as it was always meant to be. Join us as we take one of the most joyous albums of 2020 out for spin and head off towards a new world where Partner rule over us all. Love this show? Let us know by supporting us....

Violinist Johanna Burnheart shines on her lush and challenging debut record Burnheart , and harpist Mary Lattimore returns with Silver Ladders , one of the strongest releases of her career. Join us as we dig into these stellar releases, talk ambient, and the future of music on an all new episode of Discologist.  Love this show? Let us know by supporting us. Quick. Easy. Makes you feel good...

On Heritage of the Invisible II, Aquiles Navarro (trumpet) and Tcheser Holmes (percussion) – one half of the mighty Irreversible Entanglements – are celebrating their Afro-Carribbean heritage in ecstatic fashion. The resulting album is less a collection of songs than an organic rendering their culture, friendship, and seemingly telepathic level of communication the duo shares.   PLUS! Discove...