Discologist

In 1998 nobody would have expected that Willie Nelson would deliver what is arguably the best album of his career. But that is exactly what happened with the Daniel Lanois produced Teatro. We’re digging into what makes this essential classic one of the most perfect distillations of Nelson’s talent and how it reinvigorated the country legend’s already storied career PLUS! Country superstars Brother...

Thirty-five years ago,  Brothers In Arms  took over the airwaves with some pop perfection and a generation-defining video for the song “Money For Nothing.” But there is much more to this classic than money for nothing and chicks (or whatever gender norm you find yourself attracted to!) for free. After four albums of pub-shaking rock n’ roll, Mark Knopfler and crew hit upon Dire Straits p...

After creating a life affirming album ( With) and tour with some of their closest friends, Sylvan Esso has reverted back to duo form (Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn) for their stunning new release, Free Love, their most potent statement on the complexity and power of our humanity to date. Join us as we explore the music of the most necessary albums of 2020 and the conversations that Sylvan Esso’s l...

Saxophonist Nubya Garcia has long been a standout in the burgeoning London jazz scene, and now with her debut album Source she has fully arrived. We’re digging into this instant classic and checking out a reissue of trumpet player Billy Brooks iconic 1974 album Windows Of The Mind on this all new episode of Discologist. Love this show? Let us know by supporting us. Quick. Easy. Makes you feel good...

On their 11th album  Strange To Explain,   indie-folk band Woods isn't rocking the boat, they're just continuing in their tradition of making consistently exciting and slightly left-of-center folk psychedelia. We're digging into this dazzling release and making the case that  Strange To Explain  isn't just one of 2020's essential releases, it warrants a revisiting of this...

Most people first heard of Asher Gamedze when he contributed drums to Angel Bat Dawid's acclaimed 2019 release  The Oracle . Now, the South African drummer is back, this time as bandleader, crafting a powerful statement on colonialism and his country's history with his debut album  Dialectic Soul , a record many have called the best release of 2020.  In 1976 the ten members of soul/...

Bruce Hornsby returns with  Non-Secure Connection , his most out-there set of songs in years, and Madeline Kenney is reminding us how awkward love can be on her sugary new LP  Sucker’s Lunch. PLUS! New music from garage rockers L.A. Witch from their upcoming LP  Play With Fire! Love this show? Let us know by supporting us. Quick. Easy. Makes you feel good. https://supporter.acast.co...

On an all-new episode of Discologist, we’re taking you on a musical journey with three great releases from three completely different genres. The first stop is the refined folk of North Carolina’s The Dead Tongues and their new album  Transmigration Blues.  Next, we’re moving on to the London scene and Ego Ella May’s uplifting  Honey For Wounds.  And finally, it’s back home for...

Ripley Johnson’s Rose City Band project started as an act of wish fulfillment. One of the creative minds behind Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo just wanted to “start a country-rock band so I can retire and just play down at the pub every Thursday night during happy hour.” The resulting first album in 2019 was a hazy stroll through the morning dew of a not yet technicolor world. With hints of psychedeli...

On her latest collection of songs,  The Balladeer,  Lori McKenna is continuing to prove that she is one of the all-time songwriting greats,   and Country Music legends The Chicks return with the triumphant, genre-busting  Gaslighter.  Tune in as we dig into both of these releases, discuss the current dysfunctional state of country music, and more on an all-new episode of D...

Welcome back fellow music lovers Jazz is American culture’s greatest gift to the world. More succinctly, it is one of African-American culture’s greatest gifts to the world. On this episode of Discologist we’ll be discussing the art form’s importance, sometimes daunting legacy, and helping you ease into a new life of jazz appreciation through the lens of three spectacular 2020 releases: Nduduzo Ma...

As it was in 2017, Aaron Abernathy's  Dialogue  is a call to resistance and revolution. Revolution for people of color. Revolution for marginalized and oppressed communities here in America. Revolution that is is now playing out in the streets across our nation.  In solidarity with those protests and, more importantly, to not just celebrate the art of people of color but make space...

Milwaukee native Chris Rosenau has been making forward-thinking music for over 20 years as the guitarist for bands like Rosenau & Sanborn, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Volcano Choir, Pele, and more. We’re sitting down with this local hero to talk about the magic of Milwaukee, the power collaboration, and why the arts community needs our support now more than ever. Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Based in Durham, North Carolina, The Glow Management is rapidly becoming one of the most prestigious artist representation agencies in the world. Featuring acts like Bowerbirds, Phil Cook, Wye Oak, Sylvan Esso, and more, they have helped build and support a community of musicians that puts their humanity before commerce and that strive for sustainability over brief flirtations with success. Rusty...

In 1985 Norway’s A-Ha conquered the airwaves with their debut album Hunting High And Low , and its groundbreaking video for the single “Take On Me.” One year later, they released Scoundrel Days — a darker, and in many ways more innovative, record — which charted here in America but was quickly forgotten even as the band's popularity continued to explode throughout the rest of the world.  Was...

Metal band Elder is revered by their fans but has always existed just outside the mainstream. With the release of their new LP  Omens , their moment in the spotlight may have finally arrived. Fusing the massive riffs that they're known for with prog keyboards and a seemingly endless imagination for melody, the newly invigorated quartet has crafted an album that isn't just a high point of the...

For his 18th album (and second in as many years) Damien Jurado is moving on from the stripped down rawness of 2019’s In The Shape Of A Storm , but losing none of the power inherent to his songs. What’s New, Tomboy? finds the venerable songwriter exploring the power of love for things and people both present and lost, and proves yet again that Jurado’s songs/words are one of our most vital conduits...

On an all-new Discologist, we’re clocking in for a solid (e)hang with keyboardist/songwriter Michael Hesslein from Mail The Horse. Tune in for a frank discussion about their new album, making music in a pandemic, thoughts on what the future may hold for the music industry, and much more.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2017’s  Semper Femina  found Laura Marling examining the power of femininity and feminism in the modern age and was a breakout hit of that year. On her new LP,  Song For Our Daughter , Marling continues that journey of discovery, exploring the tolls romantic relationships (and their dissolution) can have on women in today’s unrelenting patriarchy. Over ten songs, Marling firmly esta...

Bursting at the seams with certified gold from up-and-comers INXS, The Smiths, Echo and The Bunnymen, and an instant classic from Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark, the soundtrack to 1986’s  Pretty In Pink  spoke to a generation of under-the-radar music fans as much as it did to the themes of the John Hughes-produced film that it was curated for.  On an all-new episode of Discologist...

In 2016, Skylar Gudasz released  Oleander,  a collection of songs that garnered deserved comparisons to the works of songwriting giants Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and more. Now she’s back with  Cinema , a forward-looking, empowered exploration of the feelings that we often hide away to make it through the theatre of our day-to-day lives. Tune in as we chat with Gudasz about great s...

Jazz has long been one of the most potent musical languages that we have, and on their second album,   Irreversible Entanglements are wielding it like a righteous sword.  Who Sent You  explores injustice and resistance with cacophonous horns, warped bass-lines, and the barely-contained rage of poet Camae Ayewa (Moor Mother). The album's   greatest triumph though, lies in the re...

On all-new Discologist, we’re taking a look at a few of the releases that flew under the radar for us over the past few weeks with new music from Torres, Brian Fallon, and the ultimate chill of Jeffrey Silverstein. We’re part of the Osiris podcast network. Osiris is creating a community that connects people like you with podcasts and live experiences about artists and topics you love. To stay up t...

When people hear the term "southern rock," they are likely to think of the Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, or even more modern outfits like Drive-By Truckers. But when was the last time you thought about The Marshall Tucker Band? Grab a cold one and head down south with us as we dig into  Carolina Dreams,  an album that's not just the high point of this legendary group's career...

Morphine’s unexpected swan song,  The Night,  is a sophisticated, bittersweet gut-punch of a record that found the Boston trio continuing to evolve even as the loss of Mark Sandman (the band's heart and soul) signaled a definitive end of the road for the legendary outfit.  Tune in as we go deep into this oft-overlooked career-capping masterpiece, Morphine’s legacy today, and much, m...