Music at a Rational Volume

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the new record from the Barenaked Ladies called Detour De Force. While both hosts give an in depth look at the the album, listen for other topical gems including  some harmless speculation on Toby Keith's secret influence on track #8,  an obligatory KISS tangent, and BNL fans who can't seem to get over the fact that Steve is gone......

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss one of Kyle's most favorite records, Beware of Dog by the Hangdogs. Listen along as the hosts discuss an album that is perhaps the most Alt-Country-est album ever made by anyone on the planet earth. There is some talk about band websites, how many Fantastic 4 characters are related to members of the band, and why more bands just can'...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the 20 selections of the best, and our most favorite, cover songs. Also discussed in the episode is what makes a good one, why these ones, and also how many times can Kyle say the name of the band he loves the most?... it's the Jayhawks in case you didn't know. This week's Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0K5yPsAVbzZp...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode the hosts unveil the best most underrated Canadian music most Americans probably haven't heard before. Nate and Kyle talk all things Canada, including their shared love of Sir Beiber and the greatness that is Celine Dion, well...  um no, not really, but the playlist is pretty good without them. This week's playlist: Devoted To Canada Let’s Go To The Mall...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss lyrics and the associated playlist that highlights some of their favorites. They also discuss why certain artist and songs were included and others not, as well as some close calls that didn't quite make the cut. Enjoy the chatter, but give the playlist a listen for some clever, heartfelt, and genuinely excellent lyrical content, you&apos...

Send us Fan Mail In this first episode back after a brief hiatus, Nate and Kyle welcome you to Volume 2 of Music at a Rational Volume.  For the opener of the second series of podcasts, the hosts take a stab at one of pop music's most interesting and underrated bands Oingo Boingo. The classic album Dead Man's Party is one of the greatest albums ever created by human beings on the planet E...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle take some time to remember the unique voice in pop music that is Sir Jim Steinman, pretty sure he was knighted right? Also, the hosts look back on Steinman's impact on their music fandom as well as the world of music in general.  This week's playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TdtXBHnxi5YPjc7Zb3oW2?si=592032a9a7874cfd 1 - Original S...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle talk music for a rainy day. With Spring in full swing and rain in the forecast the hosts take a minute to pick a few songs for dueling playlists. Who did better? Listen and find out... The playlists for this week: Kyle's -  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4uioWJMz8MiCqNBO1i5oNb?si=01ab6a1f3f314673 1 - The Rain The Park And Other Things - Cowsil...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle take some time to celebrate the legacy of Prince. A career  of a prolific artist spanning decades should make for a pretty great playlist right? Yes, yes it does. We talk about the hits, the misses, and the underrated gems of Sir Prince Rogers Nelson... he was knighted right?... No, well he should have been. This weeks Playlist:  https://open.spotify....

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss their collection of songs about work... yup, that's pretty much all there is to know about this one. Playlist does have some songs with  adult language, so it that is an issue for you, please tread lightly. You have been warned. This week's playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Yclejw5emFa112imPEyYU?si=6cc543d4df8546fd Looking...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle do their first of hopefully many new album reviews. This one for the Fratellis most recent effort called Half Drunk Under A Full Moon. The hosts give the album a once-over and tell you whether or not you should give it a listen, and more importantly a purchase... spoilers... yes, do those things. Musicatarationalvolume.com @MARVpodcast on Twitter musi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss one of the most underrated albums of all time that certainly deserved a better fate, the Gear Daddies masterpiece Billy's Live Bait. A genre blurring record commonly labeled under Alt-Country, the album features a back bone of classic rock and traditional country influences. Join the hosts for a deep dive through a regional legend from th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the limited, yet pretty amazing, world of songs about baseball to celebrate one of the best days of the year, Opening Day. Join the hosts for a deep dive into a very specialized topic and witness the scope of meaningless facts and the depth of useless knowledge on display in this episode of Music at a Rational Volume. This week's playlist...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss one of the most underrated albums of the last decade, Jon Fratelli's solo departure during a Fratellis hiatus, an album called Psycho Jukebox. Despite the album being full of catchy hooks and interesting lyrics, this album was a bit out of time, a critical lightning rod, and a commercial dial-tone of strong disinterest. The host's fe...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the love and loss of breakup songs and introduce 16 of the 10 best examples, meaning it's really just their favorites. Listen along as the hosts  discuss many topics and questions including Canada, Canadians, and who is and who isn't a Canadian artist? This week's playlist: In a very particular order... https://open.spotify.com/...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the legitimacy of Sir Weird Al Yankovic (...he was knighted right?) Preaching the Weird Al gospel to the masses, the hosts share their thoughts on all things Al and explain why the people who don't take the man, his music, and his band seriously, are dumb, by which they mean ill-informed. This week's playlist: https://open.spotify.co...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss a few new singles, upcoming albums, and some odds and ends. The big reveal with this episode is the launch of our pandemic playlist. It's a playlist that bridges musical styles, genre, and tastes and creates a  lonely, isolated, scared, and depressed stew of songs, all with a hefty sprinkling of hope, light, comedy... and some strong lang...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss one of the best albums created by humans on the planet Earth... The Smithereens 1989 album 11. It's a jangly power-pop masterpiece. Join us as we discuss the album, its era, its impact on music, and why it wasn't a bigger hit? Was it just an album out of time, or was it the people who missed out on greatness in their time? Who knows,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate does a deep dive into the discography of Kyle's 5 favorite bands/artists (Band of Horses, The Monkees, KISS, Todd Snider, and The Jayhawks). Nate's mission: Pick 5 of his favorite tracks from those artists. Topics also discussed include: Is it okay to love an artist even though the last half of their catalogue sucks? How many songs will Kyle agree wi...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode Nate and Kyle spend 6 minutes of your precious time to tell you they made a Valentine's playlist especially for you as a thank you for listening and supporting the show through its first handful of episodes. Happy Valentine's Day everybody! The Valentine's Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CPW4Eq7e38IesVRdqCZCz Grow Old with You -...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Kyle does a deep dive into the discography of Nate's 5 favorite bands/artists (Barenaked Ladies, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Joel Plaskett, the Fratellis, and Kip Moore). Kyle's mission: Pick 5 of his favorite tracks from those artists. Topics also discussed include: Why certain music or specific bands stick with you? What's your core music/era? How much...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss the greatness that is the debut album from The Outfield. The hosts discuss why it was so great, the success of "Your Love", the limitations to the success of other tracks, and also the reasons that it isn't listed among other "great" albums from their era in spite of its quality. “You don’t have to analyze my lyrics to...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss their favorite underrated debut albums. Why are they Underrated? Why aren't/weren't they more popular? Why does Nate love Canada so much? Why does Kyle keep harping on about the (bleep)ing Jayhawks? Why are we here and what are we doing? Get insight into these and other deeply important questions on this chat-filled episode. Spotify...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Music at a Rational Volume, Nate and Kyle put a fork in 2020 by discussing the best individual discoveries and releases that happened during the year of suck that was 2020. Please listen along as we make sure the best old stuff gets resurrected and whatever new stuff gets dissected. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6adDWrZ6zJSjNnx28D59KJ 1. If You Wanna - The V...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Nate and Kyle discuss all the stuff they forgot/left out of/ignored/since discovered... that didn't make it into the Christmas musings episode. The playlist for this episode is the best Christmas compilation EVER! ... according to Nate and Kyle that is. Best Christmas Compilation Ever! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2zmgz9yh4YYMZwynnsSsJt Kurt Bestor - Twas...