If You're Listening

When Heather discovered we had never covered Bleachers on our show she scrapped all our other plans and charted a new course towards the bleachers. This week we listen to the 2014 debut of Bleachers with the album Strange Desire ! This week: What state has the lowest self-esteem? What band would we most like to hear unplugged? And Ramsey and Jack have an unexpected connection! All this and so much...

We're tackling an ICONIC album this week so we needed to bring in an ICONIC guest. Ladies and gentlemen, comedian and podcaster Jon Gabrus is here to discuss Weezer's self-titled debut, commonly referred to as The Blue Album! This week: Tales of illness and trauma from Young Gabrus's Weezer memories! Being a child with a subscription to a magazine! And Encarta vs. Wikipedia! All this and so much M...

Not a prank! Not a joke! It's real! Ramsey (and definitely Heather who is really there too) walk you through the launch of their Patreon! Get stickers, exclusive merch, and bimonthly bonus episodes! It's over at http://www.patreon.com/ifyourelistening right now!

We love covers! And the band New Found Glory also loves covers! So this week, Heather makes Ramsey pick (and then we break down and pick another one) as we listen to the band's 2000 covers of "That Thing You Do!" and "Glory of Love!" This week: Ramsey has never seen (and will never see) Goonies! Ramsey makes a very stupid topical joke! We love Peter Cetera! And, exciting things are brewing on the...

This week, we return to the mystical world of 2013 to revisit one of Heather's most-seen bands of this era: The Front Bottoms and their album Talon of the Hawk ! This week: If your songs are packed with lyrics, does that affect the sense of community among fans? Did we see Kanye? Maybe! And falling in love with a CPR dummy! All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spoti...

This week, an album so important we needed a music master to lend a hand! Lauren Denitzio from Worriers is here to discuss The Postal Service's debut (and final) album Give Up! This week: Remembering the litigious US Postal Service! Remembering a time when some music was "fancy!" And a this album's back cover is insane! See ? All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spo...

It's a rare maxi-minisode as we listen to a listener's request: You Me and Everyone We Know's "Carolina Heat" (and then we throw in "I Can Get Back Up Now")! This week: A brief discussion of Miranda July and her influence. A tale of Ramsey's two "you know what this reminds me of"s! And Heather proves once and for all that she is the wordsmith of our generation! All this and so much MORE! Don't wan...

Tommy and Gregy are back! This week we revisit The Menzingers as we listen to their 2017 album, and one of Heather's favorites, After the Party! This week: We go through your album requests! Ramsey slowly remembers things he said about this band in 2017! We play the new game, "Can I Sleep On Your Couch?" All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spotify playlists  for mo...

Pump it up! This week we welcome John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants to discuss Elvis Costello's 1978 album This Year's Model ! This week: the story of John's very early discovery of Elvis Costello! What country has the worst hecklers? And a vocab lesson with Ramsey and John! All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spotify playlists  for more music choices from Ram...

Heather could only make it through 37 seconds of the full-length; can Ramsey make it through the single? This week, for some reason, we tackle Limp Bizkit's seminal 1999 hit, "Nookie." This week: An earnest attempt to understand this song's in as much depth as it will allow! Ramsey remembers something important seconds too late! And Heather becomes obsessed with the "cookie" of it all. All this an...

You asked for it; we talked through it! This week we listen to the enormously popular 2006 album from My Chemical Romance, "The Black Parade!" This week: Heather compiles and delivers TON of research! Liza! Liza! Liza! And Heather learns who Wanda Maximoff is, gets immediately frustrated, and shuts down the conversation! All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spotify...

This week the incredibly hilarious Paul Rust and Michael Cassady , known together as Don't Stop Or We'll Die , are here to spin some Elfman soundtrack treats and some Belafonte calypso beats as we listen to the 1988 original motion picture soundtrack for Beetlejuice! This week: Paul reveals his unique quarantine hobby! Michael sits down behind the keys! And we definitively name the three most popu...

This year's annual Every Time I Die Christmas show was impossible, so instead, they released a pair of new songs, their first new music since 2016. Today we listen to 2020's "A Colossal Wreck" and try to decide once and for all: is this a Christmas song? This week: The band goes from scary to hometown heroes as we learn they're from Buffalo! A discussion of poetry forms! And a surprising amount of...

This week we consider the last of the pre-pandemic times as return to Spanish Love Songs and listen to their prescient, 2020 album, "Brave Faces Everyone." This week: A very special episode: faith, democracy crumbles, mental health and 9/11! Brief Ted Lasso spoilers (Sorry! It's brief and doesn't really ruin anything!) Heather coins the phrase "Ride or Bye!" All this and so much MORE! Don't want t...

We are joined this week by journalist Luke O'Neil , author of Welcome to Hell World and the book Lockdown in Hell World to discuss Elliott Smith's 1997 album Either/Or ! This week: Elliott Smith goes head-to-head against Celine Dion! Tales of running into musicians at bars! And Biden's gonna bring back Muse! All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spotify playlists  fo...

Last week we gave you our most played songs: this week, we each give our choice for the best new song of 2020! This week: We revisit our segment "Heather Guesses What Superheroes Are Avengers!" Heather gives some fascinating historical backstory on her pick! And a classic peak behind the curtain! All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spotify playlists  for more music...

Remember all the way back 26 days ago when everybody was posting screenshots of their Spotify accounts? Well, here's the audio version of that! This week, Ramsey and Heather go through their top 5 songs of the year and compare their very disparate listening habits! This week: What page a day calendar is going to inspire Ramsey's catchphrases in 2021? How to learn Portuguese through music! Heather'...

This week, comedy writer and podcaster extraordinaire Jordan Morris ( Bubble , JJGo ) shows up to ska up our lives with Less Than Jake's 1996 album, "Losing Streak!" This week: The tumultuous world of amusement park relationships! How does it feel to age out of music festivals? And songs about guys the band knows! All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spotify playlis...

This week we get into the holiday spirit with a surprise Christmas episode by listening to Phoebe Bridgers "Christmas Song" from her 2020 If We Make It Through December EP! This week: Heather surprises Ramsey with a theme! What does Slack stand for? And we both have a really hard time keeping Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Phoebe Bridgers straight when mentioned in the same sentence! All this and so muc...

This week we finally listen to one of Heather's favorites: Kevin Devine's 2006 album "Brother's Blood!" This week: We finally talk about one of Heather's most important performers! Ramsey watches odd documentaries but not iconic 90s films. And Machine Gun Kelly has destroyed our brains! All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fun? Check out our  Spotify playlists  for more music choices f...

This week we are joined by music journalist/dietician Ian Cohen who brings us The 1975's 2016 album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It. This week: The perils of using the bathroom in a hotel room! What does Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping have to say about the Trump era? And what songs pop off when you're shopping at Ralph's? All this and so much MORE! Don'...

After a brief psychic connection and a refresher on who Fall Out Boy is, this week we listen to their cover of The Jungle Book 's "I Wanna Be Like You" from the 2015 compilation We Love Disney ! This week: What is the worst possible compilation album to be a part of? What is the last Disney thing we saw? And a spooky mind-meld, right off the bat! All this and so much MORE! Don't want to end the fu...

It's been almost 100 episodes since Ramsey has heard Modern Baseball. Last time he divided the group in two and decided he was on Team Jake. Will the same be true when the band divides the album in half for him? Find out, as we listen to Modern Baseball's final album, "Holy Ghost." This week: Our post-election wrap-up! Heather accidentally summons The Killers! And a very short album or two even sh...

This week we are joined by comedian Nick Wiger ( Doughboys/How Did This Get Played?/Earth to Ned) who introduces us to a metal classic, Metallica's 1984 album Ride the Lightning! This week: One of us describes themselves as a "big time flosser!" One of us describes themselves as a "ukulele vanguard!" Nick Wiger chooses the ideal fast food meal pairing for this album! And we all figure out the best...

The last time we heard from Coheed and Cambria they were weaving a tale of an epic space battle. Now they've teamed up with Rick Springfield to continue the epic tale of Jessie's Girl in "Jessie's Girl 2!" This week: What songs deserve a sequel? Does anyone else remember Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Coming Home)"?" And what is RIck Springfield's real name? All this and so much MORE! Don't want to...