Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Crosby, Stills & Nash weren’t the first so-called “supergroup,” but they may have been the first to eclipse the fame of each of the bands the members came from. David Crosby (hailing from the Byrds), Stephen Stills (hailing from Buffalo Springfield), and Graham Nash (hailing from the Hollies) came together to create a group that was completely unique. While the group would become more famous w...

Q&A time is here again! In this edition, we share some exciting news and then talk about how to run a successful podcast, why we probably won't cover that album, whether Ariana Grande should cover a Moody Blues song, how much we love Producer Mike, and much more!! If you have thoughts about podcast merch, hit us up: discordpod@gmail.com We opened a merch store!!!!! http://tee.pub/lic/discordpo...

Everyone knows by now that Joni Mitchell is one of the most profoundly gifted and driven musicians of the 20th century, and it’s long past time we came back to her here on Discord & Rhyme. Court and Spark is Amanda’s favorite Joni album, and it marks the sweet spot where Mitchell balanced her desire to push boundaries with the need for accessibility. The result is a set of brilliant songs that sou...

This week, Discord & Rhyme heads back to Ohio for a discussion of Pere Ubu’s 1978 debut The Modern Dance . Rising from the ashes of the short-lived proto-punk pioneers Rocket from the Tombs, David Thomas and company emerged with a fiery set of songs fusing art and punk with an intensity that the band would never quite match again, even as their music would become even stranger and more challen...

Even if you’ve never heard the music of Richard D. James, alias Aphex Twin, you’ve probably heard music that bears his stamp: he’s influenced artists as wide-ranging as Radiohead, Björk, Skrillex, and Billie Eilish, and his warped approach to electronica has become part of the fabric of popular music writ large. Every Aphex Twin album is a little different from his others, including the airy sound...

Time for the closing arguments in our defense of progressive rock! And they are some very convincing arguments indeed. How will the jury rule? Cohosts: Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox, Dan Watkins, Amanda Rodgers The complete playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/02jupsEliJfqmLY4fPkkAA?si=a14f83512c48419c Tracks: Henry Cow - Bittern Storm Over Ulm Egg - I Will Be Absorbed Goblin - Suspiria Van der...

Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane has one of the most varied and rewarding discographies in any genre of music. Because of that variety, though, it can be hard to find an entry point into his music. Ben makes the case that your entry point should be Trane's 1960 classic Giant Steps . Giant Steps features Coltrane's trademark musical innovations and rich, emotional playing - but packaged in a series o...

Remember how Mike said this is where he put all the weird stuff? He wasn't kidding. The trial continues, with two new witnesses for the defense: Amanda, who is unreliable and inconsistent, and returning guest Dave Weigel, who is the best witness for this case anybody could ask for. He's the author of The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock , an excellent book that you all should r...

The New Pornographers winkingly call themselves an “indie rock supergroup,” even though none of their members were performing before crowds larger than 200 when they formed. Since then, they’ve grown into critical darlings with a cult following and an intimidating spread of studio albums and solo releases, but they were never scrappier, hungrier, and more fascinating than on their 2000 debut, Mass...

You know we can't stay away from prog rock for long. This time we've brought in a witness for the prosecution: cohost Ben Marlin, who is famously impatient with prog's excesses! Surprisingly, he likes most of this, but there are plenty of awesomely hot takes in here. Tracks: Pink Floyd - One of These Days The Moody Blues - Gypsy Aphrodite's Child - The Four Horsemen Procol Harum - Conquistador Ele...

In 1977, Marvin Gaye divorced Anna Ruby Gordy (against his wishes), and as part of the divorce settlement he agreed to pay Anna a portion of the royalties of his next album. Marvin responded by recording and releasing Here, My Dear , a 72-minute double album about his divorce, his feelings about his ex-wife, and a lot of other topics weighty and otherwise. The album was initially a critical and co...

Did you hear? Discord & Rhyme is continuing our holiday tradition of discussing bands who despise each other, and this year it’s the legendary Fleetwood Mac. After their foundation as a British blues band, they went through years of unbelievable turmoil before hiring a couple of Americans to add some sunny California rock to their sound. The result of all this was 1977’s Rumours , famously one...

This week, we get busy in a Burger King bathroom and close out our coverage of Weird Al's 1992 polka medley. In this final set (for now), Janet Jackson levels up into new jack swing superstar, we discuss metal of both the hair and thrash varieties, and the Ice Man cometh. Co-hosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Phil Maddox Metallica - Enter Sandman Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance Warrant - Ch...

Wipe that illegal smile off your face! Phil has been immersed in the music of John Prine for his entire life, and he’s brought along John and Ben to discuss the Maywood, IL, singer/songwriter, who unfortunately was one of the earliest victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Prine recorded his 1971 debut, industry execs saw him as a Midwestern rube, to the point of posing him on top of a hay bale on...

Weird Al spent some downtime in the late '80s and early '90s waiting for the next big thing in popular music, which turned out to be Nirvana. But a lot happened in music in the intervening six years, and as a result, our coverage of his first polka medley of the '90s covers a lot of ground, including new jack swing, Madchester, house music, and the birth of DJ remixes. Tracks: Billy Idol - Cradle...

When Discord & Rhyme was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful, a miracle, oh, it was beautiful, magical. We also knew from day one that our podcast was eventually going to talk about Supertramp, and that day has come at last. Amanda and Rich have been immersed in the UK prog-pop band’s music from a very young age, and they’ve recruited Supertramp noobs John and Phil to round out the panel....

On this episode, Weird Al has finally made a monkey out of us. Our latest batch of reconstructed mid-'80s pop hits includes lots of drum machines, two covers of '60s classics (to varying degrees of success), a cameo from Danny Aiello's brief and inexplicable recording career, and an ode to Mozart for people who hate every ape they see, from chimpan-A to chimpanzee. Songs: The Rolling Stones - Harl...

For over twenty years, Ted Leo has been one of the most intelligent and consistent songwriters of the indie rock world. In this episode, Dan, Rich, and guest rude-boy James Boo discuss the 2003 album Hearts of Oak, which showcases Leo’s talent for crafting thoughtful, politically-charged lyrics and channeling them into immediately catchy anthems. Whether it’s navigating the confusing climate of a...

Emboldened by the success of "Eat It" and "Like a Surgeon," Weird Al titled his fourth album Polka Party!, and the 1986 record-buying public shunned what they assumed was a full album of accordion music. It wasn't, but the title track was the latest of Al's reliable polka medleys rounding up the chart music of the day. This time around we've got #1 hits by two members of Genesi...

This Halloween we’re celebrating FALLoween, as we hit the north and take on the Mighty Fall! Other than a few singles that barely scraped the UK top 40, the Fall never achieved commercial success, but they built a large cult following due in large part to the personality and antics of their difficult, irascible, intelligent, and borderline unintelligible bandleader, Mark E. Smith. But what we hope...

We talked about our first classical suite a few episodes back, so now it’s time for Discord & Rhyme to talk about its first symphony! Electric Light Orchestra have been going through something of a resurgence in the 21st century, but in the ‘70s, music critics savaged Jeff Lynne’s attempts to mix pop songwriting with orchestral pomp. But with 1974’s Eldorado, Lynne was attempting to please his...

Closing out our first round of arguments in defense of progressive rock with some extra heavy hitters! And some truly baffling weirdness. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - Inca Roads Focus - Hocus Pocus The Nice - America King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man Other clips: King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part 1 Frank Zappa - Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Focus - Hocus Pocus (live o...

As luck would have it, two of Discord & Rhyme’s most powerful villains have been turned loose for an episode that will strike terror into the hearts of men! This week, Rich and Mike take on the 2004 hip-hop classic Madvillainy, a team-up between MF DOOM, a rapper with a metal mask and a tragic, comic-book backstory, and Madlib, a DJ with eclectic taste and an unpredictable, artfully imprecise...

Continuing our enthusiastic defense of progressive rock with this extremely compelling evidence! Jethro Tull - Cross-Eyed Mary Yes - Starship Trooper The Soft Machine - As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still Gentle Giant - Knots Additional evidence: Yes - Heart of the Sunrise Jethro Tull - Aqualung Iron Maiden - Cross-Eyed Mary Jethro Tull - Lap of Luxury Yes - The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) Yes -...

The Jefferson Airplane's drugged-up, hyper-political jams are often dismissed as a relic of the late 1960s. But the band's talent was in abundance on their earnest debut album The Jefferson Airplane Takes Off ; and when they added vocalist Grace Slick to their lineup and recorded their second album, 1967's Surrealistic Pillow , the whole world discovered what they were capable of.  In discussing t...