EarWax

Well alright, welcome to Groove U. This week's lesson is brought to you by the EarWax crew! Parliament's "Mothership Connection" is far out, in your face, uncut, from outer space, in the groove, and it'll make you move. With a cast of characters and lore galore, this record has cool to spare.  George Clinton and Bootsy Collins are the most well-known of the P-Funk collective, and while their hands...

Glitter, vibes, and jams. EarWax grooves and bops into the new year with one of the pioneers of glam rock - T. Rex's "Electric Warrior". Cody and Hilary go back and forth over exactly how great Marc Bolan is as a vocalist (spoilers, he's AMAZING), and weave through the wandering story that brought us this album. At a time when people were looking around for what would come after the 60s, Marc Bola...

Now that you're properly stuffed on holiday goodies, let's keep the vibes chill, smooth, and immaculate. Cody and Hilary cruise through Boyz II Men's "II". An album of two halves, separated by a truly thoughtful, heartbreaking interlude, "II" gives all of the dance floor energy before hitting you with the epic feels. The group was soaring after their first record, and this follow-up put them firml...

We are holly, jolly, and bright after covering the amazing artists and songs on this classic Christmas album - "A Christmas Gift for You..." This album features some of the premiere vocal groups (The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love, etc.), as well as LA's legendary Wrecking Crew. Reimagined classics, an original that became a classic, and a whole host of talent is what makes this album feel s...

The EarWax crew takes on one of the most brilliantly enigmatic artists out there this week as we cover Björk's "Homogenic." Made during a time of personal strife, this record is an homage to her home in Iceland, a place where she needed to leave for a time.  Homogenic mixes traditional influences with sounds far ahead of its time. It feels fresh, sounds fresh, and is fresh today. Björk is a true i...

No B.S., let's get to business. Kraftwerk. EarWax. Computer World. Hilary and Cody discuss the group, the music, the theory and ideas around one of Germany's finest exports - Kraftwerk. Computer World is relevant today because it touches on so much of the conversation that has risen to dominate our culture. Data. Computers. Numbers. Travel. People. Money. This is the record that addresses how thes...

Make the necessary preparations, we're talking Motörhead this week... Hilary and Cody try and hang on as they talk about the pure fuel that is Ace of Spades. Lemmy, Fast Eddie, and Philthy Phil were three dudes who knew exactly what they were after, and they pursued those things with great fervor.  Ace of Spades is undiluted rock and roll made by a band who were unrepentantly themselves. Motörhead...

The eighties were a time of maximalism, so of course one of the biggest records was...a smooth jazzy pop affair? Sade's "Diamond Life" right in your earballs this week on EarWax. Sade is NOT a brand, but we are comfortable saying they are a whole mood. And it starts front and center. Elegant vocals that seem effortless, basslines that add more than a dash of funk, and a songwriting chemistry that...

Make way for the Princess of Pop. Genuflect at the throne of 2000s bubblegum. Bow to Britney Spears. Oops!...I Did It Again cemented Britney as an icon. Her story is complicated, public, and influential. The tracks on this album show us the vision of Britney Spears perhaps at its most effective. A conquering hero who just so happened to make  another #1 record. As if she fell backwards into supers...

Masks, mystery, and Mm...Food? EarWax dives into your favorite rapper's favorite rapper MF DOOM!! The story of DOOM is partially rooted in the story of Doom (the comic, not the video game). Reborn from a former group, MF DOOM established himself as one of the most iconic underground emcees. MF DOOM built an entire universe in which he could play, and this record is arguably at the zenith of his mo...

Shine up your pompadours and put on your best spooky mask, this is a Halloween episode! The Cramps are the perfect band for the season, and Songs the Lord Taught Us has scares aplenty. Whether talking about the perils of braces on fangs, a zombie dance, or how cool sunglasses in the dark are, The Cramps effortlessly show us their influences while putting their unique spin on them. Songs the Lord T...

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...