Music at a Rational Volume

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle send you into Christmas into the dying embers of the holiday season with some of the weirdest, strangest, and most unusual Christmas themed songs they could find... and that, is saying something. Listen along as the hosts try and justify their choices and help you understand why this playlist was put together. Then, you can sit down and enjoy a length...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle put together another bangin' Christmas playlist, this time full of our favorite bands and their recent holiday efforts. Listen in as the hosts chat about the reasons why and some commentary on what makes these songs a great addition to your holiday listening menu. Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone! A Very (Music At a Rational Volume-y) Christmas P...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the songs written about being on tour. This rich vein of song type has been a constant for bands. For as long as people have been touring, there's been songs about being on the road. Listen as the hosts discuss how the songs were chosen and the whys behind the playlist. This Week's Playlist: Songs About the Road (Touring) Babe - Styx...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Music at a Rational Volume, Nate and Kyle present a playlist they have curated with songs of gratitude, the occasional one about Thanksgiving, and also some turkey. In preparation for the annual holiday reminding you to, as your mother says, "stop your whining and be okay with what you have for crying out loud", listen as the hosts share some of their...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of Music at a Rational Volume is another album review, this time it is Rhett Miller's (Old 97s) 8th solo record titled The Misfit. There is a bit of a spoiler alert in that Nate and Kyle don't agree on whether this is a good album or not, so listen to the record and see what side you land on, then tune in to the podcast to see who agrees with you... who is r...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode the hosts take a bit of a departure from new album reviews and talking about "classic" music to talk about the problem of female artists struggling to get exposure in the country music genre. We all remember Shania Twain, Reba, and Dolly, but why aren't there more voices like theirs in contemporary country music? Are Nate and Kyle the best options to...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the new solo effort called Excelsior from Mr. Steven Page, who if you don't know or didn't care is, a former member of Canadian legends the Barenaked Ladies. Listen in as the hosts discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly in this key lime pie of dubious quality... listen to the end and you'll understand. Nate and Kyle will walk y...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the music, artists, and the scene of the great state of Connecticut. Have you ever wondered why there isn't more good music coming out of this particular state? We did too, and no we're still wondering because... honestly... there wasn't much new here that we were super excited about. But listen as the hosts talk about what they...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss one of the most underrated albums in pop music history... Semisonic's All About Chemistry. Whether it was a record that took a little too long to make and missed its window, was left behind by the music buying masses, or a Closing Time hangover that resulted in less than stellar results, the hosts will try and convince you to give this al...

Send us Fan Mail In this Episode Nate and Kyle discuss the songs of Autumn. The Fall doesn't have quite the number of songs written about it that some other times or seasons, but there's still some great stuff to share. Listen as the hosts talk about some of their favorites and the process of putting together a quality list of songs to accompany your leaf-changing-falling-crunching activ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Music at a Rational Volume Nate and Kyle discuss one of the greatest albums ever made by humans on the planet Earth, The Hooters - Out of Body. As one of Kyle's favorite records of all time this one is full of effusive praise, as well as some righteous indignation at this not being available on streaming services and kind of hard to find otherwise. Follow t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle dig into the rabbit hole that is songs about someone named Diane. Why Diane? Nobody knows, but there are a lot, an inordinate amount, of Diane themed songs. So listen along as the hosts share the good tracks and some of their thoughts behind the ones that made the cut. Enjoy the playlist by following the link to Spotify or there's also the list a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Music at a Rational Volume Nate and Kyle dig into the new album by American Scarecrows, Drawing Little Pictures. Listen along as the hosts get into their favorite and lesser-favorite tracks and talk about the album generally. A decent record you should all give a listen to. No playlist this week, but enjoy American Scarecrows - Drawing Little Pictures Musicatara...

Send us Fan Mail In this technical difficulty riddled episode of Music at a Rational Volume, Nate and Kyle discuss the bands just good enough to make 2 albums. That is, a collection of recordings with a minimum number of songs/tracks to be called an LP. Try and listen along as the hosts discuss their favorite examples of the great and notable bands who stayed together just long enough to make two...

Send us Fan Mail In this better late than never episode of Music at a Rational Volume, Nate and Kyle discuss their favorite movie and television soundtracks and present a gloriously odd and all-over-the-place playlist of songs for you to enjoy. From Queen as the musical backbone for Highlander to indie collections of artists you've probably never heard of, listen as the hosts run the gamut of...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Series IV of Music at a Rational Volume, the podcast. In this episode we review Pete Yorn's new release "Hawaii." Listen in as the host's give their thoughts on the music and tell you whether you should go out and give it a spin. No curated playlist this week,  but enjoy Pete Yorn's Hawaii ! Musicatarationalvolume.com @MARVpodcast on Twitter mus...

Send us Fan Mail In this last episode of series 3 of Music at a Rational Volume, Nate and Kyle offer a response to the mildly successful Songs About a Girl playlist episode, Songs About Dudes. They talk about creating the list and in the same vein, the hosts discuss the differences between the two. Such as, why there are 80,000 million times more songs about girls than their male counterparts, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss our favorite late 80s early 90s much-maligned music genre mockingly called "Hair Metal." The hosts walk through the common misconceptions and try and tear down some of the more egregious arguments some use to take shots at what, in our opinion, was an era of talented musicians, making great rock and roll music. The main take-away is...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle once again visit, figuratively of course, one of the United States and try to figure out what, if any, good music comes from that state. This Week that state is Tennessee... I hear you saying, "That's a softball, surely there isn't an easier state what with Memphis and Nashville within the borders..." and I can hear myself saying r...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle take a moment to celebrate the female voice by making a playlist full of fabulous ladies singing good tunes. Take a moment and listen as the hosts talk about their love for women in music and the bands they lead. The playlist is broad and spans some different sounds and should give a very well-rounded taste of women led bands. Playlist for this week:...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle present their ideas for the perfect BBQ, or really any summertime food and drink centered get together, playlist. Featuring all of the depth and insightful analysis you have come to expect from what some are calling the 73rd most popular music commentary podcast in this particular region of this half of the United States, this episode is bursting with...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss one of the greatest albums created by humans on the planet Earth, Ike Reilly's 2001 effort Salesmen and Racists. It may not be an album for everyone, but the hosts lavish praise on this underrated gem. Reilly's album is fast-paced and catchy rock and roll poetry and you should definitely check it out. No playlist this week, enjoy Sal...

Send us Fan Mail In this unexpectedly interesting episode of MARV Nate and Kyle dive into one of America's least well known music scenes... the one beating at the heart of the land known as Montana. From Butte to Helena there is indeed new and interesting music to be found in this overlooked state. Listen as the hosts introduce you to a world of synthy pop acts, folky duos, and everything in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the new offering from UK Indie rockers the Sea Girls called Homesick. The hosts walk you through what's to like and what's a little off about this release from one of their favorite bands of the last few years. Go check out the record and then check back here for thoughts and commentary on a pretty good record. No playlist this week....

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle shine some light into one of the darker corners of Musicland and talk about the handful of bands and artists that quit or split after just one full length album release. There's some peaks and valleys from these one-off gems, so listen as the hosts discuss the notable and the ignoble alike... while also trying to answer the question, can they fin...