Indiecast is a weekly show from UPROXX Indie Mixtape hosted by music critics Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen. Every week, Hyden and Cohen discuss the biggest news and names in modern indie, as well as look back to moments that established the indie rock canon.
Steven and Ian begin this week's episode by discussing the recent story about Talking Heads being offered $80 million to reunite for some festival gigs... and turning it down. Do they really hate each other that much? Or do they accept that you can't perform Stop Making Sense-style magic in your 70s? (2:34) The guys also apologize to the city of San Francisco for some recent sports-related slander and check in on Ian's Fantasy Album team. (9:43)
After that, they look ahead to the Grammys this weekend and make some predictions (21:48). Does Boygenius have a shot as a dark-horse pick? Which fanbase will be the angriest the following morning? Does any of this matter? They also talk about The Greatest Night In Pop, the very entertaining new documentary about the 1985 all-star single "We Are The World" that premiered on Netflix this week. Could such a song ever happen in 2024? (34:38)
In Recommendation Corner (50:53), Ian goes to bat for the Norwegian emo band Flight Mode while Steven talks about the Philly "patio rock" band Memorytown.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 174 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here
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Today's episode begins with a quick Sportscast in which Steven mourns the defeat of his surprisingly good Green Bay Packers and pays tribute to the lovable Detroit Lions (3:49). He and Ian also compare Detroit and San Francisco as music cities — it's Bob Seger vs. Huey Lewis time! Then they do a quick update of the winter Fantasy Albums Draft, as it is a big day for Steven's team with new releases by The Smile and Katy Kirby. (11:25) Then they break down The Smile's Wall Of Eyes, which sounds like a Radiohead album that's 90 percent as good.
Next comes Steven's most anticipated part of the episode — it's an Ian Cohen pop quiz where Steven lists off 10 albums and asks Ian if he reviewed them for Pitchfork (25:45). This is taking "Remember Some Guys" to a whole new level. Then the guys address the discourse around Alex G's recent signing to RCA Records and whether he has the potential to become "Boygenius big." (40:38) In the mailbag, a listener asks about the recent commercial featuring a Das Racist oldie and an "explanation" of Hozier's success (48:25).
In Recommendation Corner (1:00:31), Ian talks up the latest from the British band Courting and Steven reiterates Ian's recent rave for Glass Beach.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 173 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Steven and Ian recorded this week's episode a day earlier than normal, which means that the guys just missed the big (and bad) news about Pitchfork suffering massive layoffs and being folded into GQ. So they got together later and recorded an emergency 30-minute segment about what this all means for the fragile music media ecosystem and put it before the proper episode.
In the proper episode, they did a quick Sportscast (27:09) about the shocking rise of Steven's Green Bay Packers and the even more shocking fall of Ian's Philadelphia Eagles. They also did an update on the Fantasy Albums draft, with Ian deciding for some reason to let Steven swap in the new Faye Webster album into his lineup. Will Ian regret this decision? We shall see! (34:21)
After that, they take a look at early festival announcements for Coachella and Bonnaroo, which seem ... sort of random? Like, what is going on with these music festivals these days? They make no sense! (39:37) Then they talk about the new Green Day album out today, Saviors, which Steven thinks is very, very ... well, listen to the episode to find out which adjective applies. (57:28)
In Recommendation Corner (1:14:25), Ian talks up the incredible new album from Glass Beach while Steven hypes his recent column ranking every Radiohead album, solo album, and side project.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 172 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Before Steven and Ian get into this week's episode, they had to hash out a longer-than-usual Sportscast about their respective football teams (the Packers and the Eagles) making the playoffs and the absolutely insane and hateful video Stephen A. Smith dropped about Jason Whitlock this week. Sports media in general is melting down this year, and the guys can't get enough. After that, they revisit their predictions made at the beginning of last year about 2023, and check to see how right (or wrong) they were (11:05).
Then it's on to a new fantasy albums draft for the first quarter of 2024. Who landed the just announced Waxahatchee record, sure to be one of the year's most acclaimed? Who pulled the jazz record with mainstream appeal that critics are guaranteed to love? Did anyone dare draft the new Scott Stapp record ironically? Let's find out. (19:32)
Finally, the guys follow up on Steven's column this week taking an early look at the contenders for album of the decade from the first 40 percent of the 2020s. This is not a conversation about personal favorites — it's wild speculation on critical consensus based on what music writers have embraced so far. (44:59)
In Recommendation Corner (58:30), Ian goes for the hardcore band Infant Island while Steven plugs the forthcoming album (due in March) from Rosali.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 171 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Steven and Ian have not recorded an episode in three weeks. Can you believe it? So there was a lot to talk about in the latest installment of Indiecast, starting with what the guys did over the holiday break. Ian won a ton of money playing fantasy football and Steven watched Paul Giamatti go full-Giamatti in The Holdovers (5:13). Once they were caught up with holiday talk, the guys paid tribute to Best Buy no longer selling CDs, finally, starting this year. They also did a "Bad Discourse Lightning Round" for all the bad discourse they missed online during the break. Topics include shoegaze music, The Smiths, and the possible wokeness of Green Day. Trust us — the discourse is very, very bad! (13:03)
After that, they get into the business of soothsaying as they lay out their predictions for 2024 (34:08). While the guys kept their prognostications secret from each other, there ended up being some crossover as they talked about potential new albums from Haim and Vampire Weekend dominating the year, the possibility that [CANCELED BAND X] might make a comeback, and whether that long-delayed Sky Ferreira record will finally see the light of day this year. (Spoiler alert: Don't get your hopes up.)
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 170 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Last week, Steven and Ian kicked off part one of their most sacred annual tradition, the Indiecasties. This week, they bring home part two. (This is a banked episode so if any major indie-rock news occurred this week, the guys won't be talking about it.)
Part one had many incredible categories. But Steven and Ian saved the really good stuff for this week. Categories include Biggest Disappointment (3:12), The Album We're Most Surprised We Liked (11:05), The Most Egregiously Overrated Album On Year-End Lists (18:20), The Comeback Of The Year (25:17), The Year's Most Enjoyable Trend To Hash Out (30:51), and (Steven's personal favorite) The Most Memory-Holed Album Of 2023 (40:38). Who won? We can't wait to share the news!
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 169 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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As we near the end of 2023, the time has come for Steven and Ian to revive their most sacred annual tradition: The Indiecasties! Like the Oscars, the Indiecasties goes long every year, so we actually are splitting it up into two episodes. (Part two drops next week.) Before that, however, the guys do a quick Sportscast about a wild week in Wisconsin-based athletics, including a Packers loss to Tommy DeVito and Giannis losing his cool against the Indiana Pacers over a lost game ball. Steven and Ian also address the viral TikTok video by Bethany Cosentino about her disappointment over the reception to her 2023 solo debut album, Natural Disaster, and the long tail of Peak Indie disappointment (6:10).
Then it's on to the Indiecasties (19:00)! There are five categories in this episode: Most Valuable Annoying Music Story (21:45), The Album Cycle Of The Year (28:33), The Feel-Good Story Of The Year (35:15), The Most 2023 Album Of 2023 (40:47), and the Most Hyped Album That Turned Out To Be Actually Good (47:48). Who won? And who "won" (since winning some of these categories doesn't feel like a victory)? Listen and find out!
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 168 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It's that time of the year again when critics try to think of every record they heard in the previous 11 months and determine their favorites. Steven and Ian are up to the challenge in this week's episode. But first they talk about the stock albums that seem to populate these lists — the "arty" and "obscure" hip-hop record with an unpronounceable name, the near-unlistenable "acclaimed" death-metal record, the "accessible" jazz album with indie cred. etc.
From there they do a quick Sportscast about Steven's recent love of college football (13:12). They also discuss Taylor Swift being named Person Of The Year by Time magazine and how the media was weirdly in the tank for her all throughout this past year (20:39). Finally, Steven and Ian each pick their five favorite albums of the year, and hash out the trends that defined 2023 (29:16).
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 167 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It's the calm before the storm on the show this week — Steven and Ian are working on their year-end albums lists ahead of the big reveal in early December (1:57), so in the meantime they decided to answer to some listener questions. But before that, Ian shared the shocking news that he watched The Last Waltz for the first time over the Thanksgiving break. What did Ian think of this foundational film in Steven's life? Naturally, he gravitated to Van Morrison's purple suit. The guys also commenced a brief Bookcast segment to talk about the hellacious new book about southern fraternities (and how they coincide with southern rap), Among The Bros by Max Marshall.
In the mailbag (29:38), Steven and Ian address topics as diverse as Gen Z's obsession with personal listening statistics (30:20), whether an artist sounding a lot like another artist is a distraction (36:50), and the value (or not) of demos being added to reissues and box sets. (44:57)
In Recommendation Corner (51:07), Ian talks up the latest from Quannic and Steven recommends the extremely long in the works new album by Peter Gabriel.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 166 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Fair warning: Steven and Ian assumed they would be in a turkey coma this week, so they banked an episode ahead of time in order to fully enjoy their Thanksgiving celebrations. Hopefully, they did not miss any world-changing music news. If they did, just assume that the guys were killed in some music-industry related mishap. Keep their memory in your hearts!
The upside of this is that Steven and Ian are finally inducting some new albums into the Indiecast Hall Of Fame after an endless eight-month hiatus (23:20). Steven decided to pick three albums from one year: 1988. His choices include deathless classics from The Go-Betweens, The Waterboys, and The Smithereens. Ian meanwhile cast a wider net, picking albums from a range of eras including the 1990s (Grant Lee Buffalo), the 2000s (Elbow), and the 2010s (Restorations). It was an incredibly serious and honorable ceremony enjoyed by all!
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 165 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Steven and Ian took a victory lap at the start of today's episode upon the news that Air is reuniting for a Moon Safari tour next year, right after they talked up the album in last week's Best Of 1998 episode. Can they take credit for actualizing this? Probably not. But they did anyway.
From there, they talk about one of the weirdest album release days of 2023. First, you have the new Andre 3000 flute album, New Blue Sun (6:25). Second, you have Dolly Parton's 141-minute"rock" album, Rockstar (25:49). Steven and Ian didn't get the chance to hear these albums before recording, which is just as well. It might be better to just imagine what they sound like. After that, they discussed the apparent anointment of Boygenius by the entertainment business — they were just on Saturday Night Live and then they garnered more Grammy nominations (seven) than Taylor Swift. Is it safe to call them the biggest act in indie music? (35:00) In the mailbag, a listener asks about the new album announcement for The Smile and what this means for the future of Radiohead (48:06).
In Recommendation Corner (56:01), Ian shouts out the new book about '90s music by Rob Harvilla and Steven recommends the great new live album by MJ Lenderman.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 164 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Steven and Ian are hopping in the time machine this week. They're heading back one quarter-century to 1998, a fascinating year when artists were imagining the sound of the future and combining rock with jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music like never before. For Steven and Ian, it was a time of attending college and getting high while playing video games. You could be amazed by simple pleasures like, "Whoa, Richard Ashcroft is collaborating with DJ Shadow! I'm gonna listen to that after I go see Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in Armageddon!"
Before that nostalgic trip, Steven and Ian answer listener questions, including one from an actual Gen Z listener! (Friendly tip: If you self-identify as a Gen Z listener, you will definitely get your email read on the show.) She wants to know 1) what the guys think of elaborate arena shows? 2) what they think about checking out setlists before showtime? 3) what they think about Matty Healy pretending to be drunk on stage? Their answers may not surprise you!
Finally, they get down to ranking their favorite albums of 1998. They each picked five albums, and they had two in common. Can you guess which ones? If you said the Godzilla soundtrack, you would be wrong!
In Recommendation Corner, Ian goes to bat for String Machine and NATL PARK SRVC while Steven recommends Cat Power's new Dylan covers album and the latest from Nashville guitarist Daniel Donato.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 163 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It's not every day that a new song by the popular indie-rock band The Beatles drops. But that's what happened right as Steven and Ian were scheduled to record this week's episode. So they started late, and listened to "Now And Then," and then decided... that it sounds like a '90s power pop band attempting to sound like The Beatles. Not necessarily a bad thing? But is it really necessary to take an old John Lennon demo, have Macca and Ringo lay on a new rhythm track, and label it the "last" Beatles tune?
After that discussion, the guys discuss "Soul Net," a new single by the great shoegaze outfit Diiv (15:21). Back in the 2010s, it seemed like these guys were either accused of being overhyped or totally ignored. But their music from that era really holds up, and Steven and Ian are excited about the potential for a new album. They are also really into a new shoegaze band, Hotline TNT, who dropped a great new album called Cartwheel today (24:41).
Since the guys are so positive in this ep, it seemed OK to talk about a band they both hate, but also feel like isn't popular enough to publicly hate. What are the ethics of "punching down" for critics talking about artistically suspect acts that haven't reached the masses? Steven and Ian try to talk it out (34:05). Then, in the mailbag, they give the "yay or nay" treatment to They Might Be Giants (46:14).
In Recommendation Corner (51:07), Ian talks up the latest effort from Empty Country while Steven recommends Philadelphia band Golden Apples.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 162 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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After a short Sportscast segment in which Steven and Ian mourn the sorry states of their respective teams at the moment (Packers and Phillies), they get down to some inside-baseball chat about reckonings at major music publications. Rolling Stone published several articles this week that addressed Jann Wenner's recent comments about female and POC musicians, and Bandcamp was reeling after Instagram posts by the site's editorial director slamming the platform's union surfaced (6:57).
After that, they delve into the latest album by The Gaslight Anthem, History Books, the band's first in nine years. Even with the long break, GLA pretty much picks up where they left off (30:31). Then Steven and Ian talk about the 20th anniversary of Chutes Too Narrow, the 2003 Shins album that Ian recently wrote about for Stereogum (37:03). In the mailbag, a listener asks about the numerous cameos by singer-songwriters in Killers Of The Flower Moon — including Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Jack White, and Pete Yorn (47:14) — while another listener talks about the surprisingly thriving Tumblr scene in the 2010s for bands like Beirut and The Decemberists (53:32).
In Recommendation Corner (58:17), Ian talks up the new album by emo band awakebutstillinbed while Steven recommends a reissue from the iconic Pacific Northwest band Lync and a new EP by the jangle-pop group Lightheaded.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 161 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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The Fall Albums Fantasy Draft is heating up between Steven and Ian. After Steven jumped out to an early lead, Ian has been slowly creeping up and it's looking like he might seriously contend for the top spot (7:21). After spending way too long hashing that out, the guys move on to a conversation about the recent layoffs at Bandcamp and what this might mean for the future of the beloved online indie retailer. After so many major indie-rock stars have sprung from that platform in the past decade, are we on the verge of a post-Bandcamp future? (16:10)
From there Steven and Ian talk about Rolling Stone's recent list of the best guitarists of all time, and what "best guitarists" lists say about the publications that produce them. Also: Are we now in a post-guitar hero society, where music fans no longer worship displays of instrumental virtuosity? (30:38) After that, they talk about the new Rolling Stones album, Hackney Diamonds, and Steven presents a theory about why the Stones haven't translated to younger generations like other classic-rock acts such as Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac (46:33).
In Recommendation Corner (58:56), Ian raves about the new Jane Remover album while Steven goes in for rowdy country-rock band Dusk.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 160 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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For the past several weeks, Steven and Ian have planned to do a mailbag segment on the show. But they always end up yapping for too long, and the segment inevitably ends up getting bumped. This week, the guys finally rectified the situation by addressing some emails from their loyal listeners.
What do Indiecast listeners want to know about? Our first letter concerns the matter of seated shows vs. standing-room only shows, and which is preferable (16:55). You can probably guess what the 40something-year-old hosts of Indiecast think about this, though Steven makes a case for seated shows providing "guaranteed real estate" that you don't have to defend if you leave temporarily to get a beer or go to the bathroom. From there, Steven and Ian finally address the email about The Weakerthans, and give their opinion on the beloved Canadian band (25:54). They also talk about their favorite indie-rock bassists of the last 25 years (39:08), and the legacy of the indie-folk band Beirut (47:24).
In Recommendation Corner (56:39), Ian talks about the Abe Vigoda offshoot Cupid & Psyche while Steven recommends the vibe-y Chicago rock act Squirrel Flower.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 159 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Loyal listeners are aware that Steven is currently wiping the floor with Ian in their Fantasy Fall Albums draft (3:24). But Ian has a shot this week to make up some ground with the release of Javelin, the new critically acclaimed album by Sufjan Stevens (9:58). While Steven respects Sufjan's talent and stature in the indie world, he's never quite warmed up to the singer-songwriter, due to his undeniable "theater kid/youth pastor" vibes. Ian meanwhile is a big fan and considered Javelin a return to form. Hear the guys hash it out over one of indie's most beloved legacy acts.
From there the conversation shifts to Steven's recent trip to Las Vegas to see U2 play at the new state-of-the-art venue Sphere (24:55). We have all seen video clips of this thing by now, but what was it like to be there in person? And what other acts can possibly play this thing? Changing gears dramatically, the guys get down to talking about the amazing popularity of Duster, the '90s-era slowcore band that was mostly ignored in their time and now ranks as one of the most streamed bands of the era. What's it like to see your own musical past re-written by future generations? (37:19)
In Recommendation Corner (55:31), Ian talk about the emo revival band Bewilder while Steven recommends the emerging Minneapolis alt-rock outfit Prize Horse.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 158 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Steven and Ian begin today's episode by reflecting on the news that John Darnielle and Lin-Manuel Miranda are apparently friends and consult each other on songwriting. They also tiptoe around their mixed feelings on both artists, while pointing out that they might be more alike than people want to admit. As if this wasn't enough to alienate part of the Indiecast audience, Steven and Ian also did a short Sportscast on the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (8:22).
After that, the guys get into a discussion about new albums by two big legacy acts, Wilco and Animal Collective. Their latest records, Cousin (for Wilco) and Isn't It Now? (Animal Collective), are worthy efforts. But is it possible for even great bands to wear out their audiences? How many new albums is "enough"? Steven and Ian get into a deep conversation about legacy bands and how we as listeners respond to them (18:39).
Then they segue into a discussion about two bands who are even older: The Replacements and Talking Heads (33:34). Both bands are having a moment right now due to seminal work from the mid-'80s being re-released, the remixed album Tim and the refurbished concert film Stop Making Sense. Steven wonders: Does Ian like or care about either band? How relevant are they as influences on contemporary music?
In Recommendation Corner (53:28), Ian talks up the Brooklyn emo band Good Looking Friends while Steven recommends the Chicago indie band Slow Pulp and the heartland rock singer-songwriter Jerry David DeCicca.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 157 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It's been a week since former Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner gave a disastrous interview to the New York Times to promote his upcoming book of classic rocker interviews, The Masters. Thankfully, it lingered just long enough in the news for Steven and Ian to talk about it on the pod. The guys reflect on Wenner's legacy, why he chose to say out loud what many assumed were his feelings about women and black musicians, and what this means for the discourse overall. Also, they talk about the surprise re-emergence of Spin's Bob Guccione Jr. aka the guy Axl Rose threatened to beat up in "Get In The Ring." (:25)
From there they talk about Laugh Track, the surprise new album by The National that dropped earlier this week (23:33). It's their second LP of 2023 after First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, and it sounds a lot like that record. Steven and Ian are somewhat lukewarm on both records, though Steven believes that a very good single National album could have been made from their best material. What's going on with this band, and have they lost the ability to self-edit?
In the mailbag, a listener takes the guys to task for talking about sports too much (33:43), and another letter writer asks an important CD-related question: jewel case or digipak? (41:52)
In Recommendation Corner (49:51), Ian talks about the Grimes-like singer-songwriter Yeule while Steven recommends the Summerteeth-like rock band Slaughter Beach, Dog.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 156 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Those following the Fall Albums Fantasy Draft are probably aware that Steven is off to a big lead, as Olivia Rodrigo's Guts (his no. 1 pick) is already one of the year's best reviewed albums. But how do Steven and Ian feel about it? After a mini "Sportscast" episode featuring a surprisingly contentious debate about NFL vs. college football (7:19), the guys get into the album (19:11). Here's the verdict: the "bubblegum rock" half of the record is really fun. But there are also a ton of melodramatic ballads with intense theater kid energy that are... less fun. Why are critics overlooking the weaknesses of Guts? And is it possible that Rodrigo is more of a singles artist than an album artist?
You know who is an albums artist? Mitski. While Steven wasn't a fan of her previous record, 2022's Laurel Hell, he loves her latest work, The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, which he considers one of the very best albums of the year (39:00). Ian also likes The Land, though he still prefers her mid-2010s punk/emo era to her current soft rock incarnation.
In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks up the latest album by the Chemical Brothers while Steven stumps for the new Wild Pink side project, Lilts.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 154 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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The NFL season is upon us, and Steven and Ian are marking the occasion by launching their first ever Fall Albums Fantasy Draft. Here's how it works — they each pick five albums that are coming out this fall with the object of accumulating the highest overall Metacritic score. In this scenario, Olivia Rodrigo is like Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift is like Justin Jefferson. Does that make sense? No? It will when you listen! (36:34)
Before that, Steven gives a recap of his weekend in Dayton for the 40th anniversary Guided By Voices shows (4:16). Was the line for the men's bathroom a disaster? Of course it was! Also, the guys delve into the online dust-up between Jeff Rosenstock and Steve Albini — and the Canadian punk band Propagandhi (?) — over music venues that take a portion of artists' merch sales. Finally, they pay tribute to the recently fallen icons Jimmy Buffett and Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth.
In Recommendation Corner (1:03:30) Ian talks up a new posthumous album from Sparklehorse while Steven recommends the latest power-pop gem from Cory Hanson.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 153 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week's Indiecast was recorded a few days earlier than usual, so if there was some major indie news that is not discussed, that is why. Why did the guys record early? Well, Steven shipped off to Dayton, Ohio to see the 40th anniversary shows for Guided By Voices. Before he left, he previewed the weekend — which he dubbed "45-Year-Old Indie Fan Woodstock" — with Ian (1:45).
After that, Steven and Ian review the new self-titled album from Zach Bryan, a country superstar who has some strong indie/emo guy tendencies (13:32). Then the guys discuss the new album by actual emo-adjacent star Jeff Rosenstock, who attempts to segue to a more mature sound with Hellmode. (30:20)
In Recommendation Corner (47:54), Ian talks about a new EP from the darkwave act Drab Majesty, while Steven recommends the 1980s era Australian indie band Died Pretty in light of the recent death of lead singer Ron Peno.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 153 here subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week it was reported that Ed Droste of the fine art-rock band Grizzly Bear is now working as a therapist (:25). That this was news at all speaks to the weird navieté that we as indie-rock fans have about the financial realities of the musicians we love. Steven and Ian begin the episode by talking about the "Joe jobs" of indie-rock lifers, and the potential "indie star to therapist" pipe line.
From there, the guys talk about Steven's recent column on the best soundtrack albums of all-time, and why the golden age for soundtracks is from the mid-'80s to the early '00s. While it's true that a big film like Barbie can still spin off a successful soundtrack, the golden age of B and C-tier soundtracks — when an otherwise forgotten film like 1993's Judgment Night can be paired with a famous soundtrack — seems to be over (11:08).
After that, Steven and Ian review new albums by hardcore collective The Armed and the Chicago guitar-pop band Ratboys (27:39). In Recommendation Corner (56:01), Ian praises the bloghouse throwback DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ and Steven gives the nod to the new solo album from Big Thief guitarist Buck Meek.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 152 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Steven was on vacation for part of the week, so he was checked out of the discourse. When he returned, he kept seeing the same face in his social media feed — the "Ginger Mumford" himself, Oliver Anthony. The folk-country artist went mega-viral this week with his right-wing, anti-welfare song "Rich Men North Of Richmond." Steven asked Ian if he's heard the song, and about the recent upswing in reactionary hits and whether this is a path forward for new artists looking for a way to break.
After that, the guys talk about Ian's recent list of the greatest blog rock albums of all time. They debate Ian's choices, and compare that mid-aughts era when amateur curators were obsessed with hyping obscure bands with today's safer, superstar-obsessed era. Have things gotten better or worse?
In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the indie-pop band dreamTX while Steven recommends the Philadelphia country-rock outfit Florry.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 151 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Every summer, the music press tries to figure out the song of the summer. For Steven, this can be a tedious exercise that feels like one of those fake holidays made up by greeting card companies to sell product. Nevertheless, the discourse is welcome during an otherwise dead time of the year. So Steven and Ian are getting down to the task this week of determining the defining track of the season.
Before that, the guys discuss the latest dust-up between musicians and music critics to unfold online. What is at the heart of this conflict, and can it ever be resolved? Also, there's a conversation about memorable review-related feuds that Steven and Ian have had over the years, including the time that Donald Glover threatened to beat Ian up. (Steven never tires of hearing this story.)
Along with talking about the song of the summer, Steven and Ian also talk about patio music, a concept that has particularly interested Steven during the summer months. What makes a good patio music album? And is it possible to appreciate this concept if (like Ian) you don't have a patio and live in a place where it's always warm?
In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the new release from Spirit Night while Steven recommends an overlooked album from 2022 by Greg Freeman.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 150 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week, indie-rock institution Wilco announced a new album. It's called Cousin, and Steven and Ian naturally wondered: Is this a deliberate reference to The Bear? After all, the hit FX show is known for multiple Wilco needle drops. Did Jeff Tweedy return the favor? The verdict is "probably not," but it's fun to speculate about regardless (:28).
From there, they take a hard left to talk about Utopia, the new album by rapper Travis Scott. Utopia is the sort of big tent rap record that used to be common, but in 2023 the genre seems more insular than usual. Is this a temporary blip or a sign of things to come? And is Utopia — an album that includes more than a few signifiers that evoke Kanye West — a conscious attempt to make the kind of album that achieves critical and commercial acclaim? (9:45)
Another hard left: Steven tells Ian about "Young Love And Saturday Nights," a (terrible) new country song by Chris Young that borrows the riff from David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel." It's part of a trend called "interpolation pop" where songwriters go to song publishers in advance to get permission to use the spare parts of classic tunes. After that, the guys talk about the recent controversy concerning Lizzo (38:50), and give the "yay or nay" treatment to the Semisonic reunion (45:16).
In Recommendation Corner (51:24), Ian talks about the new George Clanton while Steven recommends the recent four-part Spector music documentary.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 149 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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After Ian hit up the Pitchfork Music Festival last weekend, Steven hits him up for a post-mortem in today's episode (6:31). Turns out Ian skipped out on Saturday — a day marred by weather delays — in order to eat custard in Wisconsin. Which means he missed out on the headline set by Big Thief, the weekend's most polarizing performance. Steven and Ian also talked about the band's recent single, "Vampire Empire," and whether it qualifies as a disappointment.
Another huge indie star who put out new music this week is Mitski (22:51). Ahead of her forthcoming album The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, due out in September, she released a quality single, "Bug Like An Angel." After discussing the song, the guys try to place Mitski in the galaxy of reigning indie stars. From there, they pivot in a non-indie direction to Post Malone, whose new album Austin is out today. Does he deserve a yay or nay? They report, you decide (32:41).
In the mailbag, a listener asks Steven and Ian to stop making fun of Sublime (43:44). This, predictably, only prompts more Sublime jokes. Ian also pulls out his San Diego card to justify the mockery.
In Recommendation Corner (52:13), Ian talks about the latest effort from the long-running British band The Clientele, while Steven endorses a recent live album from Father John Misty.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 148 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Let's say you are starting a record label. Money is no object, and every artist and band in the world is a free agent. Who would you pick? That's the premise of this week's episode. (31:21) This wholly original idea involves selecting acts that fall into five categories: prestige (they don't stream big but they get great reviews), popular (they don't get great reviews but they stream big), solo artist under the age of 28 (an up-and-comer you can lock in for a long time), band with three or fewer albums (ditto), and sacred cow (an act you sign because you love them).
Before Steven and Ian get to the draft, they talk about this weekend's Pitchfork Festival — Ian is going and Steven is not — and their favorite performances from previous festivals (4:44). They also address some non-indie rock topics: The terrible new Jason Aldean song (13:40) and the history of reactionary country hits that crossover into the mainstream for culture war reasons, and the forthcoming "Summer Of '99" cruise (23:46) featuring a reunited Creed plus a head-scratching mix of post-grunge and radio-friendly pop rock from the late '90s.
In Recommendation Corner (57:54), Ian talks about the new book by Thursday frontman Geoff Rickly, while Steven chats up the new album by Texas surf-punks Being Dead.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 147 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Last week, Steven briefly forgot how to work his podcast equipment, and the result was the first, instantly iconic "lost" Indiecast episode. Fortunately, Steven Googled "how to work podcast equipment" and he was able to match his vocals to Ian's for this week's episode.
The guys begin with a discussion of a weird new trend in live music: People throwing things at artists' faces. Not only is this stupid and dangerous, it also makes no sense. But what is causing it? Also: Is it really that new? (4:43) Steven shares the story about David Bowie getting hit in the face with a lollipop in the early aughts, as well as the strange history of yahoos bringing firecrackers to concerts in the 1970s.
From there, Steven and Ian launch into a discussion about the new Anohni album, My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross, as well as the outlook for potential Album Of The Year candidates in the second half of 2023 (14:38). The guys also discuss the latest effort from PJ Harvey, I Inside The Old Year Dying, and give her overall career the "yay or nay" treatment (31:20). Finally, they make time to address the new Wham! documentary on Netflix, directed by Chris Smith.
In the mailbag, a reader talks about a recent concert by the band Wednesday and asks whether Steven and Ian appreciate between-song banter (56:29). Then, in Recommendation Corner (1:02:47), Ian talks up the emo band Magazine Beach while Steven raves about the alt-rock-inspired band Palehound.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 146 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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There's no fresh, funny, and incisive commentary on Indiecast this week due to technical issues. But here's a rundown of what you would have heard, including musing about Bluesky, The Bear's soundtrack, and the 30th anniversary of U2's Zooropa.
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On Indiecast, Steven and Ian try to keep the gap between what we talk about privately in the DM's and what we talk about on the show as narrow as possible. But given all the weird online discourse this week, that just wasn't possible in this episode. Between all the Boygenius gatekeeping and "state of music criticism" chatter, it was a very odd bunch of days online. Oh, and as if things were bad enough: Fall Out Boy released an updated version of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" covering the years between 1989 and now. The whole ordeal provoked another anti-Fall Out Boy rant from Steven (8:25).
Thankfully, the guys found solace in the mailbag (16:14). Listeners came through with some very good topics: Is it possible to separate your "critic" brain from your "fan" brain? How important are record labels now as arbiters of quality? What makes a good concert T-shirt? Also, the guys "yay or nay" the aughts era indie band Art Brut, which prompted a Fall Out Boy-style rant from Ian.
Finally, in Recommendation Corner (55:48), Ian talks up arty metalheads Loma Prieta while Steven stumps for the mellow Michigan folk-rock band Bonny Doon.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 145 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week Steven and Ian reach back to a momentous year in music and both of their lives: 2013. One man discovered the joys of Phish and jam bands that year. And the other man fell hard for the burgeoning emo revival. Somehow, they both managed to also listen to music that wasn't Phish or emo. And we discuss a lot of that music in this episode.
Before we get to that, the guys talk about the upcoming tour pairing emo legends The Hotelier with Foxing, which is a big deal in Ian's world. But will audiences turn out? They also answer a listener question about The Idol in comparison to another poorly reviewed HBO show about the music business, Vinyl (11:01). Steven has seen both shows and he has some thoughts. (Also, the conversation also drifts back to Tulsa King, as it often does on this show.)
Finally, Steven and Ian get to 2013 (21:56). Our categories include "Most 2023 Album Released In 2013" and "Most 2013 Album Released In 2013" along with more straightforward fare like "Most Underrated." They also try to figure out if there's a difference between the "best" and "favorite" albums for the year.
In Recommendation Corner (1:02:14), Ian goes to bat for hardcore favorites Militarie Gun while Steven praises U.K. singer-songwriter Hamish Hawk.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 144 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Before getting to the serious business of handing out their mid-year Indiecasties awards for indie music semi-excellence, Steven and Ian try to make sense of the most nonsensical TikTok trend of 2023: The Pinegrove Shuffle. Apparently, there are young people doing this weird dance to a deep cut by the rootsy indie-Americana band. Why? Who knows? Listen to two guys in their 40s try to explain it.
In non-TikTok news, Steven is planning a trip to Dayton in September for two 40th anniversary Guided By Voices shows that also feature Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill, Wednesday, and others. It's the middle-aged indie fan Woodstock! The guys also briefly discuss new albums out today by Queens Of The Stone Age, Sigur Ros, and Killer Mike.
Finally, it's time for the Indiecasties! All of your favorite categories are back: Most Valuable Album Cycle, Most Annoying Music Writer Twitter Story, Most Memory-Holed Album, and more. No spoilers, but expect lots of fireworks from the likes of Boygenius and Foo Fighters.
In Recommendation Corner, Ian recommends a new emo oral history from writer Chris Payne, Where Are Your Boys Tonight?, while Steven discusses the new 20th anniversary edition of the classic Drive-By Truckers album, The Dirty South.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 143 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Last week Steven and Ian had to bank an episode because Steven was on vacation. Which is why they did their first all "Yay Or Nay?" episode rather than address possibly the most annoying music story of the year (and maybe decade?) so far — the short-lived dating relationship between Taylor Swift and The 1975's Matty Healy, and the insane online reaction it sparked. Sadly, they do touch on this kerfuffle briefly this week (:25), but only to note that in terms of annoying music stories, this thing is basically Everything Everywhere All At Once, an unstoppable juggernaut that can't possibly be topped in the field of irritation.
Speaking of annoying stories: Steven and Ian also address the recent takedown of Hannah Gadsby's "It's Pablo-matic" art exhibit in the New York Times, and whether the cathartic reaction to the review speaks to a larger backlash against the "therapeutic" and prescriptive art of the Trump era, and how that might translate to the indie world (6:39).
Finally, Steven and Ian set about sharing their favorite albums of the year so far (16:21). While Steven shared an unranked list of 15 favorites this week in his column, here he and Ian each share their ranked top five lists for the first part of 2023. Incredibly, there were zero overlaps in our picks!
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 142 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It started out as a joke: Wouldn't it be funny if Indiecast did an entire episode of just "yay or nay?" responses to various stimuli? But then, listeners deluged Steven and Ian with "yay or nay?" emails about seemingly every band known to mankind. Clearly, they had no choice but to go full-on "yay or nay."
They tackled quite the range of topics this week. Listeners wanted to hear their takes on the British dream pop band The Clientele (4:07) and the short-lived Canadian psych-rock outfit The Unicorns (13:30). Listeners were also curious about Indiecast's takes on indie bands who use backing tracks in their live shows and, most intriguingly, their views on the surprisingly convoluted world of Mortal Kombat soundtracks from the '90s.
Steven and Ian also posited "yay or nay?" scenarios to each other. Ian wanted to know Steve's feelings about Pulp (41:30), and Steven presented an elaborate theory on why it feels weird to eat food at concerts (48:10).
Is this the greatest episode of Indiecast ever? Quite possibly.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 141and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week's episode begins with Ian telling Steven about his recent experience seeing The Cure in concert. Turns out they are playing a lot of new songs live, and they sound a lot like Disintegration. Steven reveals that Jason Isbell said something similar about his experience seeing The Cure in New Orleans (5:06).
Next, they address the most hyped release in the indie world of late, The Sex EP by NYC throwback dance-punk act The Dare (15:39). A lot of people are talking about this four-song release, and a lot of that talk is negative. But for Steven, what's interesting is that a collection of dumb tunes about sex and drugs is being treated as a novelty, when "dumb songs about sex and drugs" sum up a lot of popular music from the past 50 years, from rock to rap to country to basically every other genre. Is there a reaction brewing to the Trump/Covid era of music?
From there, Steven and Ian have a wider conversation about indie sleaze and whether it's a real phenomenon or a trumped-up fantasy by shadowy "Brooklyn-based trend forecasters" (32:29). Speaking of fantasies, the guys also addressed reunion rumors surrounding two very different bands: Oasis and Modern Baseball (44:55).
In Recommendation Corner (50:42), Ian talks about two electronic acts, Blawan and Overmono, while Steven brings up the catchy French indie pop En Attendant Ana.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 140 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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If there is one thing that we love here at Indiecast, it is festival posters with absolutely chaotic energy. So Steven and Ian were psyched this week to see the lineup for Riot Fest in Chicago, which is topped by big-time bands like Foo Fighters, Death Cab For Cutie and Queens Of The Stone Age. But the real action takes place further down the list — where else can you see Ani DiFranco, Mr. Bungle and Insane Clown Posse in the same place? Also, apparently Corey Feldman is also appearing at this festival? Simply incredible. (:27)
From there, Steven asks Ian about the state of music in 2023. Specifically, is this a weak year for consensus album of the year candidates? Caroline Polachek and Boygenius are early contenders, and there are artists on the horizon (PJ Harvey, Rihanna, Jenny Lewis) who might contend. But this year feels like we might be at the end of something. What is it, though? (11:08)
After that, there's a discussion about the legacy of The Cure, who are back on the road this month (24:15). (Steven also wrote about them this week.) Why is this band so central to the history of modern indie and alternative rock? What is their best work, and where should a newbie get started?
In Recommendation Corner (1:00:07), Ian talks up the British post-punk band Mandy, Indiana, while Steven stumps for two other British acts, the soft-rock singer-songwriter Westerman and the art-rock combo Bar Italia.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 139 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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In Indiecast's latest episode, Steven declares that Ian is a surgeon, Dr. Han. (Is this meme old yet? Will anyone know what we're talking about next week?) Actually, their first order of business is talking about In Times New Roman, the just-announced new album by Queens Of The Stone Age due June 16, their first in six years (6:16). They try to sort out their current feelings about this band, and the murky personal life of Josh Homme. (They also struggle, of course, to correctly pronounce "Homme.")
Next they talk about the end of two institutions that they sort of thought ended in the aughts, but actually shut down this week: The pop-punk band Sum 41, and the legacy media outlet MTV News. Ian actually goes to bat for Sum 41 by giving them a "yay," while Steven is an indifferent "nay"(12:09). But MTV News was a formative outlet for both '90s kids, especially the gravitas-rich lead anchor Kurt Loder (22:11).
From there they piggyback on Steven's recent column about the 10th anniversary of Daft Punk's Random Access Memories and talk about whether the album is a classic, overrated or both. (Steven and Ian both landed on "both") (30:18). What's not overrated is American Football buying the American Football house, which is another thing that happened this week, though the story made Ian sad about that a beloved combination A&W/Long John Silver's that is gone from his college town (46:35).
In Recommendation Corner (54:10), Ian hypes the hyperpop/pop-punk hybrid Hot Mulligan, while Steven talks up a reissue from the Cleveland guitarist/composer Mark McGuire.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 138 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Every week, Steven and Ian make it their business to talk about the latest news in indie rock. This week, however, they don't do that. Instead, they made the least indie-rock episode of Indiecast ever.
The most indie topic on the docket is the rumored relationship between Taylor Swift and The 1975's Matty Healy (17:12). Is this (alleged) relationship too annoying even for them? And what does it mean for two superstars to "date" anyway? Does exchanging texts constitute a romantic hookup? Are they going to get frozen yogurt together on the fly?
From there they move on to the Ed Sheeran copyright lawsuit concerning the supposed similarity of his 2014 hit "Thinking Out Loud" and Marvin Gaye's 1973 classic "Let's Get It On." (22:34) (This was recorded before the verdict came down in Ed's favor.) If you have heard the songs you have can probably tell that they sort of sound alike. But does that constitute a rip-off? Can you really copyright a vibe? Doesn't all new music in some way riff on the old?
Finally, they get to the most important topic: Aerosmith, yay or nay? They ponder the legacy of this gross, ridiculous, and occasionally great (for four years in in the 1970s) group as they announce their reunion tour (34:31).
In Recommendation Corner (54:40), Ian talks about the singer-songwriter Greg Mendez while Steven pays tribute to the late Gordon Lightfoot, who died this week at age 84.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 137 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week, Indiecast is talking about wily veterans. And that includes Aaron Rodgers, who is the topic of the emergency Sportscast segment at the top of the episode (1:30). Steven has some heavy feelings to work out about his quarterback for the past 15 years, and all Ian can do in response is trash the 2005 film Hustle & Flow. (It makes sense when you hear the episode.)
With that out of the way, the guys get into the business of Indiecast by talking about First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, the new album by The National (14:14). Ian admits that he's lost interest in the band after loving them in the aughts, and this record hasn't really changed his mind. Steven meanwhile is still a believer, and thinks this album improves on the previous National record, I Am Easy To Find, though it's not a complete comeback.
Next the guys turn to One Wayne G, the new 199-song data dump by Mac DeMarco (28:39). Did they listen to all eight hours? Not yet! Will they ever? Who knows? Steven and Ian try to figure out where Mac is at in his career. Is he quiet quitting a la Frank Ocean?
Finally, they talk about Atum, the new rock opera by Smashing Pumpkins that is so sprawling it is not yet fully released (38:15). Steven and Ian contemplate the story of Shiny, the hero at the center of the album, and whether his tale is a metaphor for cancel culture. More importantly, why does this album sound so bad? Can they reconnect Billy Corgan with Flood?
In Recommendation Corner (53:14), Ian talks up the DJ Avalon Emerson, while Steven stumps for the Nashville garage band Country Westerns.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 136 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Indiecast talks about the biggest music news of the week, and this week the biggest music news involved Frank Ocean's disastrous appearance at Coachella, and the subsequent cancelation of his performance this weekend. Steven and Ian try to comprehend the original concept for the performance — apparently it involved an ice rink and an army of skaters? — and why Frank Ocean is the sort of artist that people love precisely because he's likely to bail on a Coachella headliner performance. (7:02)
They also talked about the current status of AI music, which this week included a fake near-hit by Drake and The Weeknd and a faux-Oasis record that kinda replicated their mid-'90s prime. Ian tried to talk Steve out of having a nervous breakdown over the destructive potential of artificial intelligence replacing the human race. Was he successful? Find out! (23:17)
After a brief conversation over whether 72 Seasons is an AI Metallica record — it kind of sounds like it! — the guys dove into the mailbag (32:55). A listener from Australia asked for a "yay or nay" verdict on the iconic punk band Against Me!, while an audience member from Quebec inquired about their favorite backyard barbecue music (43:10). Is it a surprise that Steven and Ian both had My Morning Jacket on their lists?
In Recommendation Corner (55:45), Ian talked up Superviolet, a solo project by an ex-member of the Ohio emo band The Sidekicks, while Steven stumped for singer-songwriter Kara Jackson, whose recent LP Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love? is a singular jazzy folk gem.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 135 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Coachella is upon us, so Steve and Ian felt it was appropriate to talk about the music festival. But do you really need to talk about Coachella on an indie music podcast these days? This year's lineup might be the least indie-oriented in history, continuing a long-running trend favoring pop and electronic music. To illustrate this point, they revisited the 2013 lineup, a year when The Stone Roses, Blur, Phoenix and lots of other bands who might not even be booked at the festival in 2023 were the heavy hitters (3:13).
Then they turned to Running With Our Eyes Closed, the recent HBO documentary about Jason Isbell and the making of his 2020 album, Reunions (15:14). Unlike most recent music docs, this film does not feel like a commercial for the subject. It is, instead, a very candid look at a marriage going through a rough patch. In fact, the film might be almost too honest in places; this is the rare music doc that doesn't flatter its subjects. Directed by Sam Jones, who also made 2002's similarly frank Wilco doc I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, Running With Our Eyes Closed ranks with the best rock films to come out in recent years.
In the mailbag section, they addressed questions about The Walkmen — who recently reunited for a tour — and their overall legacy, as well as the career of Songs: Ohia singer-songwriter Jason Molina, who has emerged as an important influence on contemporary Americana and post-hardcore acts (33:11).
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 134 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Because Indiecast is obligated to talk about the biggest indie news of the week — it's right there in the introduction — they were required to open this week's episode with an overview of the Boygenius discourse (:30). Which turned toxic over the weekend for all of the predictable reasons. However, is it possible to think that The Record is neither a masterpiece nor the worst thing ever but simply ... okay?
One album Steve and Ian think is a lot better than okay is Rat Saw God, the latest from North Carolina band Wednesday. Steve and Ian both wrote about this album this week, and both came away impressed by Karly Hartzman's ability to evoke a real sense of place in her lyrics (8:23). Coupled with the band's heavy guitar sound, Wednesday brings to mind one of their biggest influences, Drive-By Truckers. Might the critical acclaim of Rat Saw God bring more people to the DBT fold? (20:22)
Next they turn to the mailbag, and address an interesting listener question: What is the best album of the decade so far? (30:42) Which leads to other interesting questions: How did the pandemic mess with how we perceive early 2020s music? Has the album that will define this decade even been released yet? After that, they proceed to talk about the legacies of two very different acts: The Beastie Boys and Coheed & Cambria.
Finally, in Recommendation Corner (55:13) Ian recommends the reissue of an emo classic by Braid, while Steve stumps for the patio and cookout friendly jams of Sluice.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 133 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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At the start of this week's episode, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen try to come to terms with the fact that Ed Sheeran doesn't think music critics are necessary. Ultimately, they concede that the man has a point — after all, if music critics had any power, Ed Sheeran would not be a hugely successful pop star (:26).
In the banter segment, they talk about the upcoming tour by Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol and Stone Temple Pilots, which is like Pavement's "Range Life" come to life (7:02). They also talk about the new album by The Hold Steady, The Price Of Progress (14:17).
In the mailbag, a reader asks for their favorite sophomore albums. Can they interest you in a little record called Nevermind? How about The Bends? Actually, the letter writer stumps for Weekend In The City, because it is now Indiecast law that Bloc Party is mentioned in every episode (20:44). Finally, the meat of the episode reviews two big spring indie releases by Lana Del Rey (32:20) and Boygenius (44:11).
In Recommendation Corner (56:23), Ian talks about the American Football side project Lies, while Steve raves about the Irish folk (with a post-rock twist) band Lankum.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 132 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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In this week's Indiecast, Ian and Steve share their thoughts on two new albums. The first is Yves Tumor's long-winded album Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (yes, that's the full album title), which is not quite experimental enough to be avant-garde but not quite catchy enough to be a pop record (44:40). The second is Black Country, New Road's Live At Bush Hall, an album recorded after the band's lead singer departed (53:11).
But before they get into the meat of the episode, Steve and Ian dive into Ticketmaster's latest controversy and how it's kinda, sorta, but not really surprising how quickly The Cure's tour sold out (21:53). They briefly recap SXSW and a certain viral artist who people accused of “quiet quitting” during her set (1:30). Plus, in honor of Steve's list of the 100 best debut albums, they talk about which albums didn't make the cut (31:37).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (1:03:36), Ian shouts out the memoir Stay True by Hua Hsu. Meanwhile, Steve gives props to Dazy's power pop EP Otherbody.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 131 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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In this week's episode, Ian and Steve review new albums by M83 (which they like) and 100 Gecs (which they are mixed on but are intrigued about) (12:01). But before that, they delve into the week's biggest controversy (:27): That tweet from a political writer about how The White Stripes would have been better with a more technically proficient drummer.
They also take a deep dive into the Indiecast mailbag to address questions about other important issues (29:46), including: Will Sufjan Stevens' Illinois will work as a musical? What are the best '90s rap skits? And why is it so hard to make a good music biopic?
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 130 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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On this week's episode, Steve and Ian discuss a wide range of topics while acknowledging that neither is as good at music criticism as Jamie Lee Curtis (3:59). They dive into Steve's recent Bruce Springsteen live experience (23:24), the controversy over The Weeknd's new HBO show (34:18) and whether he's too big to cancel, the rumors about a possible reunion tour by The Hotelier (45:38), and the recent wave of dance-punk bands inspired by the mid-aughts (51:24).
The mailbag addresses the state of bands performing on late night television (9:03). Doesn't it seem like that golden era of a band killing it and then going viral with a late-night performance is over? It's been a while since it happened, right?
In Recommendation Corner (1:01:08), Ian recommends the latest album by Slowthai, Ugly, while Steve gives props to the brand new EP by Manchester Orchestra, The Valley Of Vision and the excellent new single by Ratboys, "Black Earth, WI."
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 129 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Ian and Steve looked ahead to the next three months and picked their most anticipated albums, tours, and trends! That's right — they hashed out future trends this time (29:46).
In the meat of the episode, they talk about whether upcoming albums by Blondshell and 100 Gecs will live up to expectations this spring (31:12). Then they looked at the "Indie Rock Road Trip" tour set for June that has an interesting assemblage of bands: Weezer, Modest Mouse, Future Islands, Spoon, Momma, Joyce Manor and White Reaper (45:11). Is this the solution to the over-saturation of the live music market? Should we expect to see more traveling festivals that package together sort-of-but-not-really-alike bands?
In Recommendation Corner (59:17), Ian talked up A New Tomorrow by hardcore band Zulu, while Steve raved about Girl In The Half Pearl by avant-R&B artist Liv.e.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 128 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This is an indie rock podcast, which needs to be reiterated because of episodes like this one. In this episode, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen discuss some very un-indie rock topics.
For instance, they go deep on Rolling Stone's recent article about the current state of Live, the '90s grunge band famous for songs like "Lightning Crashes" and "I Alone." Why are they talking about Live in 2023? Because things are bananas in Live-world at the moment! You have con men, QAnon conspiracy theorists, the AVN Awards, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Then they talked about Skrillex, who is back with two new albums, and the rise of early 2010s nostalgia (15:20). Oh, and they also answered a listener question about Incubus (24:07). Again, this is an indie rock podcast!
In the "meat" of the episode, they inducted four new albums into the Indiecast Hall Of Fame (32:21) — in this round, they honor LPs released by Sunset Rubdown, The Elected, The Good Life, and The Fresh & Onlys. Finally, in their Recommendation Corner (53:02) segment, they shouted out new records by Philip Selway and Model/Actriz.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 127 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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On this week's Indiecast, Ian Cohen and Steve Hyden try to make sense of the conversation around Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime performance (7:00), as well as the buzz about U2's upcoming residency in Las Vegas (15:23).
In the meat of the episode (28:57), they reviewed two recent releases — the first is This Is Why, the first album in six years from the venerable emo-pop institution Paramore. In recent years, the band's aughts-era music has been an obvious influence on a range of pop and rock acts. But on the new LP, Hayley Williams and co. attempt to pivot away from their traditional sound toward a more post-punk type vibe. Do they pull it off? Let's talk it out.
The second album is Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, the latest from singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek. The album already has serious "Album Of The Year" vibes — yes, we're already talking about this stuff in February — so why is it also reminiscent of Oscar bait films or prestige TV?
In our Recommendation Corner (52:10) segment, Steve suggests checking out The Future Is Our Past, the new album by the Brian Jonestown Massacre, while Ian talks about the new EP from shoegaze band Crushed, Extra Life.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 126 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It's early February, which means that the annual post-Grammys furor arrived on schedule this week. At issue was Harry Styles beating out Beyonce for Album Of The Year, a turn of events that might end up being the worst thing to ever happen to Styles. Has the hunky British pop star just been Timberlake-ized? What does it mean to be Timberlake-ized anyway? Let's hash it out (:25).
Here's something Indiecast did not expect this week: Steve Albini talking about how much he hates Steely Dan! But that's exactly what the irascible indie legend did on Twitter, which sparked a lot of conversation both for and against the '70s jazz-rock institution (15:17).
Finally, Steve and Ian talked about a band that we can all agree is great: Yo La Tengo (39:28). The trio is back with another album this week, This Stupid World, and it's one of their best efforts in years. They discussed what makes the new album good and offered suggestions for newbies on where to start with the band's big and impressive discography.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 125 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Indiecast would not have a podcast if not for our listeners. So Indiecast like to make sure that they are included in the discourse in each episode via our Mailbag segment. And in this episode, Steve and Ian go even deeper into the bag (26:57).
Listeners did not disappoint. They learned, for instance, that one popular indie rock band apparently does hot yoga (27:27)! They also delved into the prospects for a TV On The Radio revival (40:23), the best music message boards in which to lurk, and what contemporary artists will still be making great music in their 80s, like John Cale with the recent Mercy (31:07).
Before the Mailbag, they bantered about the recent album by Lil Yachty, Let's Start Here, and the history of rappers engaging with psychedelic rock (:24). Is it possible that the only genre that matters for listeners ages 16 to 24 is "music that sounds good when you are on drugs"? After that they parsed the latest class of nominees for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame, which looks especially loaded this year (10:50). (Kate Bush seems like a lock, while Steve is hoping that Warren Zevon can sneak in the back door of the Rock Hall.) Finally, they pay tribute to the late great Tom Verlaine of Television, who passed away this week at the age of 73.
In Recommendation Corner (56:09), Ian reps for the latest Ladytron record, Time's Arrow, while Steve enthuses about his favorite album of recent weeks, the jangle rock gem Dead Meat by British band The Tubs.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 124 subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week on Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen delve into the world of mainstream rock and assess the state of major-label bands waving the flag for guitars in a pop-dominated world.
In the "meat" portion of the episode, they review the recent album by the viral Italian band Måneskin (30:28), who make their (mostly) English language debut with Rush! Is this record enjoyably dumb or just plain dumb? They report, you decide! They also talk about the latest LP from White Reaper (44:09), Asking For A Ride, a lovable one-time indie act who made the transition to the big leagues without losing their sense of humor or ability to write a hearty arena-rock hook.
In the banter segment (1:40), they talk about the latest news regarding Panic! At The Disco (they're breaking up) and Fall Out Boy (they're putting out a new album). They then transitioned to talking about a happier topic — the 20th anniversary of Zwan's Mary Star Of The Sea, a long lost classic worth revisiting (14:39).
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 123 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Today Mac DeMarco releases an album of instrumentals called Five Easy Hot Dogs. How good is it? Well, it's an instrumental album called Five Easy Hot Dogs — you do the math. At the very least, the record was a good excuse to talk about the career and legacy of one of modern indie's most influential artists (32:47). Steve Hyden is a fan though he considers himself more of a "liker" than a "lover" of his music. Ian Cohen, however, has been a vocal critic. What are Ian's beefs? Was Steve able to talk him into re-considering Mac?
The opening banter segment covers two of the biggest indie album announcements of the week — Boygenius' The Record (12:28) and The National's First Two Pages of Frankenstein (:26). What's up with that weird National album cover? Why is the Boygenius album cover already meme-able? Eventually, Steve and Ian also get around to talking about the music.
In Recommendation Corner (54:43), Ian stumps for an actual book! It's Status And Culture by W. David Marx, which explains how the titular subjects are shaped and formulated. As for me, I shouted out Mercy by octogenarian musical legend John Cale, which includes cameos by Weyes Blood, Animal Collective, and Sylvan Esso.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 122 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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The holidays are officially in the rearview mirror and 2023 is in full swing, which means it's time for a new year of fresh music. It's rare for musicians to drop projects so early in January, but Indiecast is looking forward to the year ahead with hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen naming their most anticipated indie albums of 2023 (33:05).
To kick off this week's episode, Indiecast discusses the biggest music news of the week. The Coachella lineup dropped (7:15) and M83 gave us some major 2010's nostalgia by announcing their return (18:24). Plus, Big Thief revealed they're inviting teachers and students to attend sound checks on their upcoming tour, which is both earnest and probably pretty boring for middle schoolers (12:53).
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 121 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Now that the new year has kicked off and people on Twitter are voting for which trends are going to be "in" and "out" this year, Indiecast returns to share their predictions about the state of indie music in 2023 (28:53). Will Sky Ferreira finally release Masochism this year? Who is the next artist to work with Jack Antonoff?
Of course, Steve and Ian had to start the episode off by recapping all the music news they missed over the holidays. Sorry to any listeners who thought “talk less about Matty Healy” was on their 2023 resolutions because a video of The 1975 singer hanging out with Phish's Trey Anastasio dominated social media a few weeks ago, so it of course needs to be discussed (:24). Some other noteworthy news items include Courtney Love talking sh*t about Kurt Cobain in a podcast interview (6:51), Bob Dylan admitting he's seen Metallica twice (8:09), and new music by Mac Demarco and The Hold Steady. (14:12)
In this week's Recommendation Corner (1:03:32), Ian gives a shout out to Detroit band Fireworks, who just dropped the album Higher Lonely Power. Steve tells listeners to check out rising country star Zach Bryan's latest live album, titled All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster, which was recorded at Red Rocks in Colorado.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 120 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Now that Indiecast has decided the most annoying music Twitter story and the most 2022 album of 2022, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen get (a bit) more earnest about their favorite music of the year. This week's Indiecast episode as Steve and Ian name the five albums they think deserved more media attention in 2022 (hint: one of them had an entire Indiecast episode dedicated to it).
This week's episode also includes a brief TVcast segment where Steve and Ian share their thoughts on The White Lotus' near-ubiquitous internet takeover (:25) and the state of prestige TV in general. Plus, Indiecast answers a mailbag question about year-end music lists (11:52).
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 119 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Last week kicked off the annual year-end Indiecasties, an Indiecast segment where hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen nominate the best, worst, and most memorable music moments of the year. Think of it as indie music's Grammys, but in an audio format and with fewer Machine Gun Kelly appearances. On this week's episode, Steven and Ian reflect on 2022 by diving deeper into this year's releases. Their categories include: The “Angular Guitar” Award for Overused Album Review Adjective of the Year (15:44), the Comeback of the Year (23:44), the Most Memory-Holed Album of 2022 (32:34), the Rookie of the Year (42:28), and, of course, MVP of the year (50:12).
Along with continuing the 2022 Indiecasties, Steven and Ian answer some listener mailbag questions (7:59). A question about the Grammys voting process and the alphabet sparks a conspiracy theory.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 118 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It's that time of the year again: December is here and publications (including Uproxx) have begun rolling out their picks for the best albums of the year. That means it's also time for another annual installment of the Indiecasties, an episode of Indiecast where hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen honor their favorite (and most overrated) albums of the year. This year's categories are: Most annoying Music Writer Twitter story (26:00), “Why Isn’t This On Your List” Award: Consensus Album That is Truly Overrated (35:11), The “Hey, I Actually Like The Album!” Award For Artist You Came To Like This Year (42:45), Biggest Disappointment (47:47), and Most 2022 Album of 2022 (55:57).
To kick off the episode, Indiecast discusses the most talked-about event in music this week: Spotify Wrapped (:25). While Apple Music users feel particularly excluded, the ethics of Spotify also come into question. It's no secret that Spotify rips off artists but does scolding Spotify users help the cause in the long run?
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 117 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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The holidays are here, meaning it's not only time to tune out holiday music in every store but it's also time to chill out, lay on your couch, and binge watch movies. This week on Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen share their recommendations for the best music documentaries to check out (or to put on in the background while decorating your Christmas tree). Plus, they look back on iconic record label The Elephant 6, which was a home for bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control.
In terms of banter this week, Indiecast talks Twitter's still-uncertain future and how difficult it would be to hash out trends if the platform shut down completely. They also imagine kind of music they'd play if they had a college radio show (hint: it'd be pretty similar to Indiecast).
The Recommendation Corner this week has Ian shouting out Drowse's Wane Into It, which is a mix of slowcore-country combined with Mount Eerie. Steven shouts out Weyes Blood's latest album And In The Darkness Hearts Aglow.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 116 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It's hard to decide which indie album released in 1997 was the best since there are so many great ones to choose from. There's Elliot Smith's Either/Or, Yo La Tengo’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, and Built To Spill’s Perfect From Now On. But this week on Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen are looking back on 25 years of an album that meant a lot to both of them at the time: Modest Mouse's The Lonesome Crowded West (41:28). They reflect on that era of indie music and decide if Modest Mouse is underrated, overrated, or properly rated at this point.
In terms of indie news this week, Indiecast would be remiss if they didn't discuss the Grammy nominations this week (2:51). Plus, Steven and Ian talk about the Taylor Swift/Tickemaster bungle (12:08) and give a thoughtful tribute to Low's Mimi Parker (26:43), who sadly passed away earlier this month.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (52:47), Ian gives a shout out to Japanese emo band Injury Tape, whose debut album came out earlier this year. Meanwhile, Steven suggests listeners should check out Guma, whose album A List Of Sightings dropped in February and has been compared to Steely Dan and '70s soft rock.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 115 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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A lot's been going on in indie music lately. The 1975's Matty Healy — yes, we're talking about The 1975 again — has been pulling some very strange on stage antics involving raw meat (4:29), Bruce Springsteen dropped a soul covers album (:24), and last weeks' Indiecast prediction about When We Were Young Festival becoming the nostalgia festival blueprint came true with the nu metal-themed Sick New World fest (11:06). So on this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen are forgoing the meat of the episode to talk indie news and dive into some mailbag questions from listeners, including questions about Muse's The 2nd Law (20:13), modern-day indie aesthetics (28:25), and the next indie comeback (37:17).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (52:39), tells listeners to check out Smidley's new album Here Comes The Devil. It's the solo project from Foxing’s lead singer and leans more psych-rock/late-aughts indie than his 2017 debut. Meanwhile, Steven shouts out Gold Dust, the project of Massachusetts singer-songwriter Stephen Pierce, who references The Grateful Dead and My Bloody Valentine on his shoegaze-y project The Late Great Gold Dust.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 114 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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New York City in the early aughts became a hotbed for indie artists when bands like The Strokes, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and more suddenly ignited a new era of indie rock. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen revisit that nostalgia-inducing era by sharing their thoughts on the new Meet Me In The Bathroom documentary, which uncovers footage from the '00s NYC music scene (26:18). Plus, they review a new album by another early aughts band, Phoenix, who just dropped their first LP in five years, Alpha Zulu (49:23).
When it comes to music news this week, the biggest story comes from... Taco Bell? The fast food chain tapped Turnstile to use one of their songs in a commercial, prompting Steven and Ian to wonder if Taco Bell handing out cash to indie bands can mend the touring industry (8:52). Plus, Indiecast talks Elon Musk's Twitter takeover and whether or not they'll decide to shell out $8 a month to keep their verification (:25).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (59:51), Ian shouts out the Canadian band Arm’s Length and their new album Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, which hearkens back to peak 2013-era Tumblr. Meanwhile, Steven recommends Bob Dylan’s Philosophy Of Modern Song, which is the musician's first book of new writing since 2004.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 113 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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To be considered "prolific" in the music world, an artist usually puts out an album every one or two years. But what about bands who routinely release several albums a year? On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen deep dive into King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's wildly fruitful career (they've put out 23 albums since 2012, including five albums this year) (40:56). Plus, Indiecast shares their forecast for which bands will make the rounds on 2022 Albums Of The Year lists (20:56).
In terms of music news this week, Taylor Swift's new album Midnights once again seemed to have the internet in a chokehold so Steven and Ian discuss how each Swift album cycle sparks the same debate about stans (3:32). Plus, Indiecast names bands they consider to be the Velvet Underground of this generation (10:16).
This week's Recommendation Corner (54:09) has Ian telling listeners to check out Sam Prekop And John McEntire's recent album Sons Of, which is surprisingly melodic. Steven recommends Dazy, the project of Virginia-based singer-songwriter James Goodson, whose debut LP OUTOFBODY is fun, catchy, and bedroom pop-adjacent.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 112 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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The UK rock scene is clearly alive and well since two of this week's buzziest albums come from bands across the pond. On the latest Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen share their thoughts on the much-hyped albums from two UK artists: Arctic Monkeys' The Car (28:42) and Dry Cleaning's Stumpwork (40:34).
Because it's MLB playoffs this week, Steven and Ian bring back Sportscast with some obligatory baseball banter (:25). They talk the Padres and the legacy of San Diego's music scene. The city is not only Blink-182's hometown, but it's also known as the breeding ground for ska bands like Slightly Stoopid and Sublime.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (49:56), Ian mentions the Philly band Knifeplay, whose new album Animal Drowning manages to pull off a a darker edge that’s missing in most modern sheogaze. Meanwhile, Steven shouts out Field Medic, who writes lo-fi Bob Dylan-inspired music that carry heavy subject matters on the new album Grow Your Hair Long If You're Wanting to See Something That You Can Change.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 111 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Indiecast may have ceaseless banter about The 1975 and band leader Matty Healy's antics — Steven and Ian even dedicated an entire episode to it — but now that the band has released their latest album Being Funny In A Foreign Language, have they finally written a project that lives up to the hype? On this week's episode, Steven and Ian share their thoughts on The 1975's return (33:07) and the new, ultra-vulnerable album ILYSM by Wild Pink (46:22).
If you're an indie fan who happened to be online at all this week, you'll know that the biggest indie news story came from Blink-182 (:24). Original member and alien enthusiast Tom DeLonge announced he's officially rejoining the band and that they're embarking on a massive (and quite expensive) tour. Plus, Steven and Ian discuss why so many bands seem to be canceling their tours lately (11:47).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (57:33), Ian mentions Gris Klein's album Birds In Row, the post-hardcore band's third album in 10 years. Meanwhile, Steven shouts out Brian Eno and Bill Callahan and tells listeners to check out Wisconsin band Disq's new album Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 110 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Some bands are sprinters; they release new material with impressive speed. But other bands are more like marathon runners, taking their time with each project. Canadian indie pop group Alvvays are the latter since their new album Blue Rev is their first in five years. In this week's Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen review marathoners Alvvays' latest release (25:27) as well as Björk's mushroom-inspired LP Fossora (36:42).
The biggest music news of this week was a pleasantly surprising No. 1 single. It's Steve Lacey's R&B hit "Bad Habit," which dethroned Harry Styles' long-running "As It Was" No. 1 and it seems like a very organic ascent (45:58). In other news, indie music celebrated the 10th anniversary of a majorly influential album: Tame Impala's Lonerism. While the idea of celebrating album anniversaries is a relatively new phenomenon, it does encourage younger listeners to revisit classic albums in an age when we're constantly introduced to new music (:29).
This week's Recommendation Corner (53:11) has Ian urging listeners to check out his recent interview with Will Sheff and his band Okkervil River's new album Nothing Special. Steven suggests Zach Bryan, a 26-year-old singer-songwriter whose 34-song LP American Heartbreak is one of the year's most sprawling albums.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 108 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Earlier this year, a major pop culture prediction was made: 2022 is the year indie sleaze returns. Think smudged makeup, disco pants, an odd obsession with cheap beer, and, of course, Meet Me In The Bathroom-era indie rock. So, it's only right that the period's most respectable band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, are also making their comeback. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen review the band's comeback album Cool It Down (44:41). Plus, they share their thoughts on Wilco's absolutely massive box set (32:36) and plug Steven's just-released book, Long Road: Pearl Jam And The Soundtrack Of A Generation (20:06).
The most talked-about music news story this week was fueled by Pitchfork's massive listicle where they rounded up the 250 best songs of the '90s (1:37). Like any major retrospective music list, the choices outraged some, particularly those who noted that Céline Dion made an appearance over Neutral Milk Hotel.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (54:53), Ian notes the return of screamo legends City Of Caterpillar. Meanwhile, Steven tells listeners to check out 2nd Grade's new album, Easy Listening.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 107 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It's fairly common to see rock artists lean into pop territory these days, but what about pop artists who are turning to punk? On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen discuss Mariah Carey's rumored grunge album, which has been kept a secret since it was recorded in 1995. Plus, they review Alex G's new album God Save The Animals (23:00), talk Pavement's buzzy reunion tour (40:43), and Smashing Pumpkins' upcoming, massive triple album (48:22).
Of course, Indiecast also had some trends to hash out this week. Another music-related course was added to NYU's roster, this time about Lana Del Rey, which prompted a discussion on the importance (or lack thereof) of studying music journalism in college (1:11). The biggest music news story this week was from Drake, who got into a public argument with The Needle Drop's Anthony Fantano, which probably boosted the music critic's cred more than it hurt it (9:11).
In the Recommendation Corner this week, Ian notes ISIS' Oceanic 20-year reissue. Meanwhile, Steven praises Elkhorn's new album Distances.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 107 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This summer's Indiecast episodes have leaned banter heavy thanks to a slow trickle of review-worthy indie albums. But this week, it seems like every indie band got together to give the people want they want: an all-meat Indiecast episode. On this week's episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen review four albums: The Mars Volta's self-titled LP (17:43), Death Cab For Cutie's Asphalt Meadows (28:42), Whitney's Spark (40:41), and Young Jesus' Shepherd Head (51:44).
In the Recommendation Corner (1:00:15) this week, Ian gave a shout out to Top Shelf Records. The indie record company announced this week they were royally screwed over by their main distribution company abruptly shutting down, and founder Kevin Duquette said all their inventory is being held in limbo. Ian also urges listeners to check out a new joint project by Philly bands They Are Gutting A Body Of Water and A Country Western. Meanwhile, Steven recommends Daniel Romano, a very prolific Canadian musician who put out eight albums in 2020 alone ranging from folk to punk rock.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 106 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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There's something poetic about the fact Built To Spill and The Afghan Whigs dropped an album on the same day. The bands may have been diametrically opposed in the '90s, but because they peaked around the same time and have now become a staple for Gen X indie heads, the two groups oftentimes get put in the same category. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen put both bands' legacy into perspective while discussing Built To Spill's When The Wind Forgets Your Name (18:39) and The Afghan Whigs' How Do You Burn? (36:57)
The biggest music news of this week came from Harry Styles and the absolute chaos that is his new film, Don't Worry Darling (:55). The film's premiere saw cringey interview quotes, Florence Pugh being a wild card, and a (debunked) rumor that Styles spit on his co-star Chris Pine. Plus, a fan mailbag question had Steven and Ian finally addressing which one of them is guilty of having a squeaky chair (7:26).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (52:39), Ian endorsed Phoenix band Holy Fawn, whose new album Dimensional Bleed is out today. Meanwhile, Steven shouted out Bitchin Bajas' new album Bajascillators, which sounds like Philip Glass meets the Grateful Dead.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 105 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Following the recent trend of early aughts bands returning with new music, Muse are attempting to make a comeback with their ninth studio album, Will Of The People. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen question the band's current critical acclaim and compare the LP to some of their earlier hits (39:24). Plus, Indiecast revisits Queens Of The Stone Age's Songs For The Deaf (32:54) for its 20th anniversary and discusses the new album by Portland-based power pop artist Mo Troper (48:44).
The biggest indie news of the week came in the form of an investigation into the past behavior of Arcade Fire's frontman (20:06). Recent misconduct allegations surfaced against Win Butler, clashing with the musician's pious image and begging the question: How will these allegations affect the band's current tour? In other music news, Indiecast discuss the resilience of the MTV VMAs (2:36) and the headline-making satirical rapper Yung Gravy (:26).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (58:59), Ian shouts out Callous Daoboys, a band that exemplifies the exciting music coming out of the heavy rock/metalcore genre today. Steven tells listeners to check out Eli Winter, whose recent self-titled project is a perfect Americana-tinged instrumental for the season.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 104 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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If a band has been around for over a decade, they're bound to have at least one polarizing album in their discography. Arctic Monkeys' last album Tranquility Base Hotel And Casino fell into that category, though many fans and critics revered it. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen revisit Arctic Monkeys' legacy after the band announced their return and upcoming album, The Car (17:54).
Of course, there was plenty of controversy in music news this week for Indiecast to unpack. The first came in the form of a Harry Styles cover story in which he was lauded the "new king of pop," a title that instantly outraged Michael Jackson's fans and family (:28). The main headline-making story this week was about the intersection of AI and music. Capitol Records dropped the recently signed AI artist FN Meka, a virtual "robot rapper" with racist overtones that ignited a greater conversation about ethics in the AI world (25:09).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (54:01), Ian gives props to Maryland band Pianos Become The Teeth, whose recent album leans into moody Radiohead influences. Meanwhile, Steven talks about his recent profile of Bartees Strange.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 103 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Some bands make fans wait years between albums, and others have been very consistent with rolling out new releases. Early aughts groups Hot Chip and Silversun Pickups fall into the ladder category, dropping a new album like clockwork every two or three years. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen share their thoughts on Hot Chip's latest LP Freakout/Release (33:56) and Silversun Pickups' new project Physical Thrills (24:53), two albums which rely heavily on synths.
The biggest indie news of this week came from a band no one has heard much from in over 15 years: McLusky. The Welsh group officially disbanded in 2005, but they just announced they're going on a North American tour this fall (41:45). Indiecast also discusses the 25th anniversary of Oasis' Be Here Now, partially reigniting the Blur vs. Oasis britpop discourse (47:39).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (57:05), Ian tells listeners to check out Spielbergs' new album Vestli. Meanwhile, Steven endorses Cass McCombs' tenth studio album Heartmind.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 102 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Did the idea of a "song of the summer" come about organically, or is it just some concept artificially invented by content-starved media companies? Either way, this week's Indiecast episode has hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen debating which artist between Harry Styles, Kate Bush, and Seals & Crofts (really!) can claim the title (9:39).
Since this week's episode is another No Meat Friday edition, Steven and Ian share a number of noteworthy indie music stories from this week. They walk through revelations from a new interview with The 1975's Matty Healy, including his thoughts on cancel culture and how all his friends are comics (18:19). Plus, they share their thoughts about Rage Against The Machine amid their current tour (31:30) and how Weezer's Broadway musical was just canceled due to low ticket sales (41:44).
The Recommendation Corner (56:26) this week has Ian sharing music from Jouska while Steven gives a shout out to Canadian indie rock band Kiwi Jr.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 101 below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week's Indiecast marks a special milestone: the 100th episode! Indiecast officially launched in August of 2020, and even though the show started in the middle of a lockdown with literally nothing to talk about, they made it to 100 Indiecast episodes nonetheless. To celebrate, Steven and Ian are ranking their favorite Indiecast moments from the past two years (20:49).
In terms of banter this week, there were a few music stories that Indiecast would be remiss not to mention. The first is about Taylor Swift and her carbon footprint. Apparently, Swift's private jet has had crazy high C02 emissions this year (3:57). Her team has responded to the claims, but that hasn't stopped the internet from running wild with memes. In other news, Beyonce's latest album Renaissance has racked up some controversy, including an offensive lyric which has since been removed (8:15).
Of course, even the 100th episode had to have a Recommendation Corner (59:24). This week, Ian has a list of recommendations which include new music from Peel Dream Magazine, Spielbergs, and Young Jesus, as well as chaotic moments from Sound And Fury Festival which can be found on YouTube. Meanwhile, Steven gives Philly band 2nd Grade their flowers on the heels of their new single "Strung Out On You."
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 100 below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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You've heard of meatless Mondays, but have you ever heard of meatless Fridays? This week, Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen are forgoing the meat of the episode in order to focus on the biggest indie news of the week. That's right — it's all banter to celebrate the last double-digit installment before Indiecast hits 100 episodes. That's partly due to Steven and Ian not being able to get their hands on an advance of Beyoncé's new album, but also because there's simply too much indie news to discuss. In this week's episode, Indiecast talks emo week (2:56), Joni Mitchell's first performance in two decades (23:04), 10 years of Frank Ocean's debut Channel Orange (12:32), and more.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (50:38), Ian gives props to Chat Pile, an Oklahoma City band he hopes gains traction this year. Meanwhile, Steven gives a shout out to the Reigning Sound, a band formed in 2001 by Greg Cartwright who made eight great albums before disbanding.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 99 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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When legendary musicians are inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, they get a classy trophy, a star-studded ceremony, and honors at the official museum. But the Indiecast Hall Of Fame inductees get something even better: bragging rights. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen induct albums into Indiecast HOF in three categories: '90s, '00s, and 2010s (29:10).
The indie news front was fairly quiet this week, other than popular podcasting and TV duo Desus And Mero announcing they're parting ways after what seemed to be tension and animosity (4:47). It now leaves Indiecast as the only pop culture podcasting duo left in the universe. Steven and Ian also share their thoughts about The Wonder Years' new music and dedicated fan base (17:31).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (55:53), Ian gives props to Pool Kids, a Florida-based band that sounds like Paramore if Hayley Williams was obsessed with listening to Rush. Steven endorses the new album by John Moreland, whose ninth album Birds In The Ceiling is out now.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 98 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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It seems a lot of early '00s bands have been rolling out music lately. Recently, we've gotten new material by The Mars Volta, Wilco, and Arcade Fire, but the list truly goes on. Now, Interpol is the latest early aughts icon to release a new project with their seventh studio album The Other Side of Make-Believe. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen discuss the band's legacy and how their new music compares to their early catalog (33:13).
This week also had a few headline-worthy indie news stories. Lana Del Rey went public with her new boyfriend Jack Donoghue, who happens to be in the witch house band SALEM (1:38), prompting the question: "How the hell did those two meet?" Perhaps the most baffling news this week came from the January 6th hearings, where an ex-member of far-right group The Oathkeepers wore a Descendents t-shirt while testifying. Of course, Descendents were quick to distance themselves from the organization (6:57).
The Recommendation Corner (50:26) this week has Ian revisiting The Blood Brothers discography while Steven shouts out the new album by Nightlands, the instrumental side project of The War On Drugs' Dave Hartley.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 97 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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The 1975 are a band that seem to consistently inspire discourse, whether it's from their passionate fan base or in response to lead singer Matty Healy's antics. And since The 1975's new era of music is upon us, Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen decide it's time to take a deep dive into the band's discography, including their studio albums and early EPs (25:26).
Indiecast also discusses the biggest music news from this week. After giving Kate Bush a major boost, Stranger Things highlighted another '80s artist in their show: Metallica (7:57). Streams of Metallica‘s classic track "Master Of Puppets" have increased significantly following its use in Stranger Things' season four finale, but it still hasn't quite matched the success of "Running Up That Hill." Steven and Ian also talk about the yearly "Song Of The Summer" discussion, which is probably Harry Styles' "As It Was" this year (2:35).
In the Recommendation Corner (1:00:51), Ian nods to Ben Quad, an Oklahoma-based emo artist. Steven shouts out Alvvays, who returned this week with the new track "Pharmacist."
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 96 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Each week, Indiecast talks about new indie music and hashs out trends. But which albums released this year deserved more attention? In this week's episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen walk through their favorite underrated releases so far in 2022 (31:26).
In terms of news this week, Indiecast goes all-in with The 1975 discourse after the band officially announced their upcoming album. Steven and Ian also share their thoughts on MUNA tattooing their Pitchfork score (17:11) and reactions to Alien Ant Farm's "Smooth Criminal" cover resurfacing (24:34).
The Recommendation Corner (53:22) this week has Ian giving props to Short Fictons' power pop-leaning Every Moment Of Every Day while Steven shouts out Guided By Voices' new project.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 95 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Soccer Mommy's Sophie Allison quickly became one of the buzziest indie songwriters with her 2018 debut, existing at the nexus of '90s indie, alt-rock, and 2010s DIY music. On this week's Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen discuss her new album, Sometimes, Forever (36:11), and debate whether it's an instant Album Of The Year contender or missed the mark.
Along with discussing Soccer Mommy, Indiecast talks about news from arguably the two biggest names in music: Beyoncé and Drake. Both celebrities announced new albums just hours apart from each other, with Drake's house-leaning Honestly, Nevermind debuting the next day (2:09).
In the Recommendation Corner (51:41) this week, Ian tells listeners to check out Candy, a Richmond, VA metalcore band who have leveled up their music in recent years. Steven shouts out Kentucky songwriter S.G. Goodman, whose sophomore album Teeth Marks is out now.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 94 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen oftentimes reflect on formative albums from their younger days, but what year definitively had the best music? In this week's episode, Steven and Ian answer listener questions about the greatest year for music (spoiler alert: it's not 2022) (33:24), which albums have impeccable tracklists (Radiohead, we're looking at you) (26:22), and their picks for the dream festival lineup (several pre-2000s artists make the cut) (41:31).
Along with answering fan emails, Steven and Ian talked about some of the more ludicrous indie news from this week. Car Seat Headrest's Will Toledo officially came out as a furry in a recent interview, a fact that has been fairly out in the open for some time now. Ariel Pink had one of his first big interviews after being canceled for attending the January 6th D.C. riots, and it was in the Jewish magazine Tablet (8:02). They also shout-out Ian's recent interview with Bartees Strange, whose new album Farm To Table dropped today (19:05).
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 93 below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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The Recording Academy has the Grammys, MTV has the VMAs, and Indiecast has the Indiecasties: a special, highly sought-after distinction honoring the best and worse of indie music. In this week's episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen nominate artists for several mid-year Indiecastie awards and discuss the most memorable indie music discourse thus far in 2022 (19:07).
As for Indiecasties categories, Steven and Ian choose seven groupings: Most Valuable Album Cycle (in terms of Indiecast banter content 22:42), Music Writer Twitter Story Of The Year (which also provided a fair amount of banter 28:36), Memory Holed Album Of 2022 (albums released this year they've already forgotten about 35:57), Them? Album Of The Year (the biggest discrepancy between critical acclaim and what they've heard/felt/seen 42:26), Most Fun Narrative Of 2022 (some trends they saw among indie artists 50:46), and 2021 'Rediscovered' Albums (projects they would rank higher from last year 58:04). Among artists recognized in these categories are Arcade Fire, Harry Styles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Father John Misty, Big Thief, Wednesday, and more.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 91 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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In all the years they've been going to concerts, Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen have seen many great performances.... and some pretty terrible ones. This week on Indiecast, Steven and Ian dive into their fan mailbag to answer questions on bad concert experiences (30:58), the best driving music (24:47), and times pop music ripped off indie artists (40:15).
Indiecast also discusses some of the biggest indie news from this week. Kate Bush is having a major moment thanks to her song "Running Up That Hill" getting featured in Stranger Things, prompting Steven and Ian to reminisce on Bush's initial critical reception (2:59). In terms of new music, The 1975 confirmed their fifth studio album is on the way (7:38). Plus, two early aughts bands, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Phoenix, dropped singles this week (14:34).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (55:14), Ian raves about emo revivalists Algernon Cadwallader's reunion tour announcement. Steven shouts out Angel Olsen's newest album Big Time, which leans into alt-country territory.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 91 below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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When Japandroids released their sophomore album Celebration Rock in 2012, fans and critics alike weren't expecting such a strong follow-up to their revered debut album, Post-Nothing. Now revisiting Celebration Rock ten years later, Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen reflect on the album's legacy and how Japandroids successfully embraced old school rock clichés (29:51).
Speaking of veteran indie musicians, Wilco released their new album Cruel Country this week (1:08). It's an album the band essentially recorded live and has quickly become one of Hyden's favorite Wilco projects in the last 10 years. Perhaps the most talked-about song this week was Sky Ferriera's "Don't Forget," (10:15) which marked her second single in nine years. Elsewhere in the episode, Indiecast talk standout movie soundtracks (20:39) and yet another Conor Oberst mishap (15:10).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (54:38), Ian spotlights Sweet Pill's new album Where The Heart Is. Steven gives a shout out to Dehd's fourth album Blue Skies, which shows the band's progression to polished songwriting.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 90 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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As one of the biggest yet most elusive rappers of our time, Kendrick Lamar dominates pop culture whenever he releases new music. But did his latest album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers live up to the hype? On this week's Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen share their thoughts on the undeniably fascinating album (31:26) and wonder if the rapper's name alone will secure him a spot on Album Of The Year lists.
In terms of music news this week, Indiecast discusses the other much-anticipated album this week: Harry Styles' Harry's House (3:58). Steven and Ian also talk about the Billboard Music Awards' attempt to "uncancel the canceled" musicians (17:47) and a contentious article that examined Taylor Hawkins' final days (10:18).
In the Recommendation Corner (46:59), Ian gives a shout-out to Gospel, a hardcore NYC band who just dropped their first album in 17 years. Meanwhile, Steven recommends listeners to check out the South Korean indie rockers Say Sue Me, whose new album The Last Thing Left sounds like a mix of Mazzy Star and Pavement.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 89 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Nearly a year after Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood first teased The Smile, their side project with drummer Tom Skinner, the band's album is finally here. Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen dive into their album A Light For Attracting Attention (31:47), a title that can be taken ironically seeing as the side project garners far less attention than an official Radiohead release.
After a fair amount of banter, Steven and Ian get into some of the relevant indie news from this week. Music discourse this week was mainly dominated by two very different album announcements: Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers (7:02) and the Jack Antonoff-produced Minions 2 soundtrack (2:20), which features groovy music by artists like Tame Impala and St. Vincent.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (51:17), Steven plugs Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever's zippy guitar pop-filled album Endless Rooms. Meanwhile, Ian shouts out power pop band Hey, ily!
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 88 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Throughout their nearly two-decades-long career, Arcade Fire have put out a number of revered albums. But they've also shared a few lukewarm releases. In this week's Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen reflect on the band's discography and decide whether or not Arcade Fire's comeback album We hits the mark (28:43).
Along with reviewing Arcade Fire, Steven and Ian go over other big new in indie music this week. They discuss the relevancy of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, whose official inductees were announced this week including Dolly Parton and Judas Priest (4:33). The Yeah Yeah Yeahs also teased their return (12:50), prompting Indiecast to recall the band's impactful career and their very terrible 2013 Mosquito album cover.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (52:59), Ian talks about Hatchie's album Stop Giving The World Away, which sounds like a crossover of Olivia Rodrigo and Turnover. Steven gives a shout-out to Sharon Van Etten's great new album, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 87 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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This week on Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen take a deep dive into the most talked about albums from 2002. Re-examining releases like Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Interpol's Turn On The Bright Lights, Beck's Sea Change, and Rilo Kiley's The Execution Of All Things, Steven and Ian sort the albums into a few different categories: Overrated, underrated, properly rated, and their absolute favorites (30:30).
Along with revisiting music from two decades ago, Steven and Ian discuss all that happened in the music industry during their week-long hiatus. Elon Musk is trying to buy Twitter (10:26), Greta Van Fleet's Josh Kiszka apologized for cultural appropriation (7:17), and Succession's Cousin Greg is apparently starting an indie rock TV series (5:01).
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 86 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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A note about this week's Indiecast episode.
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Despite his prolific releases, Kurt Vile has oftentimes been pinned with a slacker reputation. Maybe it's his "chill dude" persona or his wandering ballads, but on Vile's latest album Watch My Moves, the former War On Drugs guitarist proves his music has evolved over the last few years. On the latest episode of Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen share their thoughts about Watch My Moves (35:12), Vile's latest effort since 2018.
This week in indie music also saw some great new releases and some Twitter faux pas. The Conor Oberst/Phoebe Bridgers supergroup Better Oblivion Community Center sent a very snarky tweet at musician Kississippi, calling her music "boring" in response to a very mild joke about Oberst's shoes. Steven and Ian discuss the blowback (6:18) and reminisce on times they learned the hard way that everything on the internet is permanent. Indiecast also delves into Built To Spill's latest album When The Wind Forgets Your Name (1:48), the return of 100 Gecs, and wonder if the hyperpop duo sound a little too 2019 at this point (14:07).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (48:09), Ian shows love to Prince Daddy & The Hyena, whose self-titled album is out today. Meanwhile, Steven spotlights Wet Tuna's third studio album Warping All By Yourself, which veers into '70s funk and jazz fusion territory.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 85 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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The last we heard from Jack White, he seemed to be midst of the artistic equivalent of a mid-life crisis with his 2018 album Boarding House Reach. But with his new LP Fear Of The Dawn, White has adopted a sense of indifference, resulting in a surprisingly captivating effort. On the latest Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen review White's new album (29:49) and share their thoughts on Father John Misty's latest LP, Chloë And The Next 20th Century (39:14).
In other indie news this week, the Grammys once again proved their waning relevance by awarding Jon Batiste Album Of The Year (:26). Plus, Steven and Ian share their thoughts on Wet Leg's much-hyped self-titled debut album (7:13), which they both liked and disliked more than expected. They also cast their votes for artists who made their favorite Q1 albums (20:25), including Big Thief, Nilüfer Yanya, Black Country New Road, and The Weeknd.
This week's Recommendation Corner (49:02) has Ian giving props to Brooklyn band Tree River. Steven gives a shout out to Austin-based band Good Looks, whose debut LP Bummer Year is out now.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 84 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news.
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To say a lot happened in pop culture this week would be an understatement. The music world collectively mourned the loss of Foo Fighters' drummer Taylor Hawkins (5:38). A day later, cultural discourse was dominated by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars (:28). This week on Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen recap the week and name the first album that disappointed them (19:34).
Speaking of disappointing albums, this week's main segments are about the new LPs from Red Hot Chili Peppers (28:47) and Machine Gun Kelly (41:09). RHCP's Rick Rubin-produced Unlimited Love dropped this week, the band's first album in six years. Indiecast's thoughts on the mid-tempo album can pretty much be summed up in two words: It's fine. Machine Gun Kelly is an artist that's more used to getting flack from critics, and it shows on his album Mainstream Sellout. It's his second pop-punk album thus far and both Steven and Ian think he might be better than his detractors believe.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (51:22), Ian shouts out the anticipated new album by Pup, The Unraveling Of PupTheBand. Steven mentions his interview with The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon ahead of their 2022 reunion tour.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 83 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Destroyer is a band that has been around for so many years, they seems to exist in their own realm. This week on Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen dig into Destroyer's new album Labyrinthitis (33:23) and wonder if the band is now immune to criticism from music reviewers. Oso Oso, on the other hand, is being picked up by music outlets. It seems as though their surprise-released album Sore Thumb (42:06) is finally putting them on the indie music map.
This week also had some big news in indie music: Will Butler announced he has officially left Arcade Fire (:27). Indiecast talks about Butler's decision and discusses Arcade Fire's new music (3:24). Steven and Ian also walk through Lollapalooza's 2022 lineup (14:22), which was just unveiled this week and includes the apparently controversial headliner Metallica.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (53:36), Ian's highlights several bands including Caracara, Soul Glo, Proper., and Carly Cosgrove. Steven praises music by MJ Lenderman and Wednesday’s recent covers album, Mowing The Leaves Instead Of Piling Em Up.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 82 below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Gang Of Youths was recently named one of the most Indiecast bands, but what other musicians fit nicely in with the Indiecast brand? Since the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was in the news this week thanks to Dolly Parton (2:43), Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen decide to induct four albums into the Indiecast Hall Of Fame (29:04).
Steven and Ian also discuss some of the biggest news in indie music this week, which this time had to do with a somewhat imaginary feud between Japanese Breakfast and Machine Gun Kelly (11:08). After MGK shared his upcoming album cover, many Japanese Breakfast fans pointed out its similarities to Jubilee's artwork. But that begs the questions: Does MGK even know what a persimmon is? And, more importantly, has he ever heard a Japanese Breakfast song?
In this week's Recommendation Corner (51:09), Ian talks Oso Oso surprise-releasing their fourth studio album. Steven discusses his recent Uproxx interview with Destroyer's Dan Bejar ahead of next week's new album.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 81 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Spring is already around the corner and the music industry is gearing up for a new season of releases. Indiecast hosts Steven and Ian have spent the first few months of 2022 sharing their music takes, but it's now time to hear what listeners have to say.
This week, Indiecast takes some time off of reviewing albums to read some listener mail and answer burning questions (17:39). Steven and Ian kick things off by giving advice on how music nerds can respectfully discuss albums without becoming overbearing (18:21). Then, they discuss their opinions on the best album closing tracks (25:31) and share their picks for the top three worst songs of all-time (spoiler alert: Smash Mouth gets an honorable mention) (45:29).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (1:03:20), Ian talks up Karate, a band who is booked for this year's Pitchfork Music Festival and seem like the perfect fit for an Indiecast Venn diagram. Steven gives a shout-out to Goose, who he just called the "next great American jam band" in a recent feature.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 80 on Spotify below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steven and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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What do Band Of Horses have in common with The Strokes and Interpol? Their first album was mostly considered to be an instant classic, though their second album was arguably better. Band Of Horses may have dominated much of indie music discourse in the mid-aughts, but they're now making a triumphant return with their first album in six years, Things Are Great. Hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen share their thoughts about the band's comeback (37:49) on this week's Indiecast episode.
Along with reviewing new music, Steven and Ian talk about this biggest news in music this week: Bandcamp was purchased by Epic Games, a tech game company which owns popular video games like Fortnite (:27). Twitter, of course, lit up with jokes about the acquisition. Others wondered if it will fundamentally change how Bandcamp compensates artists, which they do more than many other music services. On top of the Bandcamp news, this week saw some artists beefing with their stans. Mitski denounced concertgoers who film her entire performance (15:55) while Charli XCX came at a fan who accused her of going through a "midlife crisis" (10:01).
In this week’s Recommendation Corner (55:05), Ian gives a shout out to Boston hardcore punk band Vein.fm, whose new album This World Is Going To Ruin You drops this week. Meanwhile, Steven reminds Indiecast listeners that Sonic Youth's In/Out/In compilation comes out in just two weeks, featuring a mix of low-key and noisy tracks.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 79 on Spotify below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts here. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Indiecast sure does have a lot of favorite artists, but what's the most Indiecast band? It very well may be Gang Of Youths, an Australian group who have garnered a massive US following in recent years. Their new album Angel In Real Time is already an album of the year contender for Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen, who share their thoughts (39:14) about the "real achievement" of an LP on the latest episode.
Other than Gang Of Youths' new album, there's a lot that happened in music this week. Hulu's Pam & Tommy series featured a hilarious (and sadly untrue) bit about some beef between Mötley Crüe and Third Eye Blind (5:39) and Tool announced a box set reissue of their Fear Inoculum (:26). The catch? It costs $810 after tax. It's a steep price, but one that's surely affordable for the overlap of Tool fans and crypto fanatics.
Of course, Indiecast would be remiss if they didn't dive into some of the drama surrounding Kanye West (14:41). The rapper's recently released Netflix documentary Jeen-Yuhs shows a mix of humility and grandiosity in his early career. The film arrives at a time when Ye's already making headlines for pestering his ex-wife Kim Kardashian over social media and talking about dropping his next album Donda 2 exclusively on his handheld stem player.
In this week's Recommendation Corner (53:32), Ian shows love to UK post-rock eight-piece group Caroline, who are vaguely associated with Black Midi. Their music has shifted from an emo-adjacent sound in 2020 to more '90s-inspired post-rock. Steven shouts-out the Dublin all-women band Pillow Queens, who recently announced their sophomore album Leave The Light On.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 78 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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After the pandemic threw off touring plans for a few years, many big indie bands are making a 2022 comeback with double albums. Big Thief just delivered their 20-track LP and Kurt Vile recently announced a 90-minute magnum opus. But is Beach House's latest project Once Twice Melody effective as a double album? On this week's Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen talk Beach House's new album (40:57); reminisce on their most vivid festival memories (12:05); and decide it's not too early to argue about The 1975 (6:15).
Along with diving into Beach House's Once Twice Melody, Indiecast walks listeners through recently announced weekend-long festival lineups, which thankfully still exist two years into the pandemic. Hangout Fest 2022 hit the mark with Tame Impala, Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow, and Phoebe Bridgers. Beale Street Music Festival took a more eclectic approach by booking a mix bag of performers like Foo Fighters, Lil Wayne, Smashing Pumpkins, Three 6 Mafia, DaBaby, and Modest Mouse (20:30).
In this week’s Recommendation Corner (52:44), Ian shouts out Pittsburgh band String Machine, whose album Hallelujah Hell Yeah is set to release next week. Steven hypes up Philly four-piece Caracara, an emo band with '90s alt-rock influences who are opening for String Machine on tour later this year.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Is it fair to say 2022 is already a better music year than 2021? After all, 2021 might have been a year without an all-time classic album. But so far, The Weeknd has dropped an Album Of The Year contender with Dawn FM and now, Big Thief has delivered the masterpiece of an album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You. This week on Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen talk new LPs by Big Thief (24:12) and Black Country New Road, rank Spoon's discography (40:09), and discuss some indie music discourse (which includes Steve Albini defending... Juggalos?).
With the biggest sports event of the year coming up this Sunday, Hyden and Cohen touch on this year's Super Bowl (5:42). Though the stacked halftime performance with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige is sure to be a showstopper, the NFL also signed The Chainsmokers onto a very weird, virtual TikTok tailgate event. This begs the question: "Does anyone lean into doing the most unlikeable thing more than The Chainsmokers?"
The NFL's bizarre tailgate aside, Indiecast wouldn't be the same without Cohen and Hyden suggesting some great reads. In this week's recommendation corner, Cohen spotlights the books Endless Endless: A Lo-Fi History of the Elephant 6 Mystery and Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla (49:58).
You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news.
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The indie world is nothing if not ripe for conversation. This week’s episode of Indiecast has Steve and Ian discussing HitPiece, the new NFT music platform that didn’t get permission from any artist to host their music (4:56), the release week drama for Black Country, New Road (12:41), and the arrival of a new song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (17:35).
The meat of this week’s episode features Steve and Ian’s reviews of new records from Mitski (34:12) and Animal Collective (44:44). While Mitski’s latest album Laurel Hell is a pivot to pop that still seems to feel weighed down by the overbearing Mitski stans, Animal Collective’s Time Skiffs is their first album in six years, and the rare “comeback album” that actually feels like a rewarding return to form from a veteran indie band. How do both albums hold up in the artists’ catalogues? Listen to find out.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner (54:11), Ian is vibing with London outfit Deathcrash, while Steve is plugging Boat Songs, the new solo album from Wednesday guitarist MJ Lenderman.
You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news.
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We’re barely a month in and 2022 has already delivered a great amount of trends to be hashed out -- like Taylor Swift vs. Damon Albarn (6:36) and Neil Young removing his catalog from Spotify (0:28) -- and music to be excited about. On this week’s episode of Indiecast, Steve and Ian tackle the latest developments in the indie world and curate their wish lists for albums they hope are finally released in 2022 (34:38). From long-delayed albums from The Wrens and Sky Ferreira to theoretical releases from The Cure and My Bloody Valentine, there’s a lot of music in the vault that they’re hoping finally sees the light of day this year.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steve is urging listeners to check out Texas band Good Looks, who are set to release their new album Bummer Year in April. Ian is digging Dissolution Wave, the latest album from alternative rock outfit Cloakroom (55:20).
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In April of 2011, LCD Soundsystem performed a monumental three-and-a-half hour show at Madison Square Garden that was billed as their final show ever. Fans flew from all over the globe to say dance themselves clean and say goodbye to the dance-punk outfit that made a name for themselves with self-referential lyrics and impressive electronic arrangements. A little less than a year after the band waved goodbye, in January of 2012, a documentary called Shut Up And Play The Hits premiered at the Sundance Film Festival that their final show and interspersed with sections featuring frontman James Murphy reflecting on the band with prompts from Chuck Klosterman.
A decade later, that Madison Square Garden gig turned out to be more of a "see you later" than a "goodbye." LCD Soundsystem returned to the stage in March of 2016 before headlining Coachella that same year, and they even dropped a new record in 2017's American Dream. Everything that has transpired in the 10 years since Shut Up And Play The Hits was released greatly affects -- and perhaps completely undermines -- the film's context and one's ability to appreciate it as a swan song. On this week's episode of Indiecast, Steve and Ian try to come to terms with the legacy of the film, and LCD Soundsystem as a whole (32:46).
In this week's Recommendation Corner (51:19), Ian is plugging Pedro The Lion's new album Havasu, which came as a surprise earlier this week. Steve is urging people to check out Elvis Costello's The Boy Named If, which is the 32nd studio album from the legendary songwriter.
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:35 - Intro, Ian’s LA Weekly LCD Soundsystem Piece
4:21 - Nostalgia for Troll-y music lists + why you don’t see as many negative reviews any more
10:22 - Breaking News: Taylor Swift, Ambassador of Record Store Day
11:46 - Steve’s piece on the cd revival
16:09 - When We Were Young Fest
23:54 - Mailbag: Ian’s thoughts on The Grateful Dead
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After the dearth of new music releases over the holidays, 2022 is officially in full swing and it seems like the docket of new music just keeps getting more and more exciting. To kick off a year of new music reviews, Steve and Ian are digging into Dawn FM, the latest album from The Weeknd that dropped without any preamble on January 7, but is simultaneously the biggest release of the year so far.
Before any of that, however, it’s time to break down the newly-announced Coachella and Bonnaroo lineups. After a two year hiatus, Coachella is finally back with a pretty stacked lineup. That said, are people still going to be writing “rock is dead because there are no rock bands at Coachella” thinkpieces in 2022? What bands in the indie world even have the reach to potentially headline future iterations of Coachella?
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging Little Green House, the latest album from Connecticut punk outfit Anxious, while Steve is getting excited for the forthcoming album from Guerilla Toss.
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0:12 - Intro: Music Festival Font Size + Coachella & Bonnaroo Announcements
7:51 - What Rock Bands Could Headline Coachella?
18:07 - Mailbag: Okkervil River Memoryhole?
27:10 - The Weeknd 'Dawn FM' Review
44:49 - Recommendation Corner
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And just like that, the holiday break is over and it’s already time to get back into reviewing albums and hashing out trends. Steve and Ian are both back from vacation and not wasting any time, diving right into the story of the Eve 6 guy arguing online with Steve Albini about Counting Crows, a topic that sounds like it was created in a lab specifically for Indiecast. They also chat about newly released music by Father John Misty and Radiohead side project The Smile, and the first performance in four years by emo legends The Hotelier.
To kick off the new year, Steve and Ian are diving into the mailbag to answer some more questions from you, the Indiecast listener. Topics covered include: “whoacore,” non-western music coverage, and a true first for the show, a five-question “Remember Some Guys” pop quiz for Ian. What will he score? Listen to find out, and let’s all get excited for another great year of reviewing albums and hashing out trends.
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2021 is finally winding down, and on the final episode of the year, Steve and Ian are celebrating with the return of Indiecasties, the semi-annual Indiecast awards show. Who will take home this year’s Indiecasties, widely regarded as the most prestigious award in indie rock? Tune in to this week’s episode to find out! Included in this installment of the Indiecasties are awards for:
“Why Isn’t This On Your List” Award: Consensus Album That is Truly Overrated
Nominees: The Weather Station, Olivia Rodrigo, Cassandra Jenkins, Japanese Breakfast, Snail Mail, and more
The “Hey, I Actually Like The Album!” Award For Artist You Came To Like This Year
Nominees: old LPs from Sonic Youth and the new efforts from Tyler, The Creator and Dry Cleaning
Most Annoying Music Story
Nominees: Phoebe Bridgers smashes her guitar on Saturday Night Live, Lana Del Rey defends the Capitol rioters, St. Vincent’s entire Daddy’s Home album cycle, the “can adults like Olivia Rodrigo?” debate, and Foxing’s fateful Pitchfork review.
Most Memory-Holed Album Of 2021
Nominees: Lana Del Rey’s Blue Bannisters, Kacey Musgraves’ Star-Crossed, Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, Iceage’s Seek Shelter, Lorde’s Solar Power, and more.
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It feels like we just celebrated the new year yesterday, but somehow, 2021 is already coming to an end. Steve and Ian already named their favorite albums of the year, and what better way to further reflect on an eventful year for indie rock with another mailbag episode?
This week, Steve and Ian take questions from listeners all over the map about everything from their Mount Rushmore of music books, to bands they would watch an eight-hour docuseries about, and which band is better: TV On The Radio or Wolf Parade?
With so many questions to get through, they once again are skipping this week’s Recommendation Corner and encouraging listeners to revisit last week’s episode to discover some new albums from 2021 that they might not have heard yet.
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It feels like just yesterday that we were looking ahead to what we could expect in 2021, and now we're here in December. Before breaking for the holidays, Steve and Ian wanted to come together to list thier favorite albums of the year. Some albums, like Wild Pink's A Billion Little Lights and Low's Hey What, made both of their lists. For his list, Ian paid tribute to the latest works from The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Home Is Where, and Dltzk. Steve, on the other hand, has I Don't Live Here Anymore by The War On Drugs topping his list, followed closely by Tonstartssbandht and Rosali.
Breaking from tradition, Steve and Ian decided not to do a Recommendation Corner this week, instead recommending that listeners check out any of the albums discussed that they haven't yet heard.
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In this week’s special Thanksgiving episode, Steve and Ian return to the Indiecast Hall Of Fame. In case you don’t recall, the honor was designed to honor albums in the indie rock and alternative rock realm that were influential and beloved at the time of their release, but have since been lost to the test of time and sadly — some might say shamefully — left out of the widely accepted canon of the genre. After paying tribute in past episodes to albums by Counting Crows, The Promise Ring, Saves The Day, Secret Machines, and many more, Steve and Ian are now turning their attention to albums from Jane’s Addiction, Robbie Robertson, The Stills, and The Jealous Sound.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is vibing with Frailty, the new album from dltzk that is the first digicore album he’s ever really liked. Steve is enjoying Highway Butterfly’s The Songs Of Neal Casal.
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It won’t be long now before the year-end lists start rolling out, which means it’s time to look ahead to what we can expect in 2022. This week, Steve and Ian give their takes and predictions for albums coming out next year, including Mitski, Beach House, Big Thief, and many more. They each give their confidence ratings between 1 and 10, and discuss the indie rock landscape that these albums will be released upon. Some of their opinions are informed by early listens of the records, while others are pure theorizing.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is spreading the good word about Buds, the hotly anticipated new record from Connecticut outfit Ovlov. Meanwhile, Steve is enjoying the debut album from Irish quartet Pillow Queens, which actually came out last year and sounds like The Cranberries with a slightly punkier vibe.
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This week’s episode of is dedicated to two of the greatest indie rock success stories over the last decade. First up is Idles, whose new album Crawler follows up 2020’s Ultra Mono and continues down a musical path toward what Steven Hyden recently called “the mix of political righteousness and musical bluntness that once caused people to call The Clash ‘the only band that matters.'” Does Idles actually pull of the tightrope walk on Crawler?
Next on the review list is Courtney Barnett, whose new album Things Take Time, Take Time is her first in a little more than three years. While Barnett isn’t necessarily as consistently discussed on music publications and music writer Twitter as a band like Idles, her albums are always well-received and her touring business is consistently growing and lucrative, making for an ideal situation for indie rock stardom. Things Take Time, Take Time is surely to continue Barnett’s trajectory and build her fervent fan base.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging the latest release from SeeYouSpaceCowboy, and Steve is enjoying A Way Forward, the second album in two years from Brooklyn trio Nation Of Language.
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After her 2018 debut Lush catapulted Lindsey Jordan into the spotlight, she was suddenly working harder — and more regularly — at the age of 18 than most people work in their lives. The tours, interviews, and TV appearances kept coming, and with them a growing cult of personality surrounding Jordan. All of this and more is explored on Valentine, the new album from Snail Mail. Where 2021 found many artists scaling back their productions into its more bare bones (see: Clairo and Lorde), Jordan used the opportunity to flesh out the Snail Mail sound substantially. Valentine is full of piano, synths, strings, and even boasts jazzy bass lines and tinges of R&B.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging Sup, the latest LP from Super American, and while Steve is promoting the latest effort from Neal Francis, In Plain Sight.
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The first new album from The War On Drugs in four years has finally arrived. Steve considers The War On Drugs his favorite band of the last decade, while Ian considers them in a similar lane as Tame Impala or Beach house, where the music is enjoyable but does little more for him than establish “vibe.” Musically, I Don’t Live Here Anymore is a refinement of the craft the band explored on 2017’s A Deeper Understanding, which itself was a refinement of 2014’s Lost In The Dream. Will this finally be the record that wins Ian over?
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging the new book Sellout, as well as Another Kill For The Highlight Reel, the new record from New Jersey band Save Face, which sounds like a lot of the bands covered in the book Sellout. Steve, on the other hand, wants to spread the good word about Myriam Gendron’s new album Ma Délire that was released earlier this month, a collection of reimagined folk standards that gives the songs new life.
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After Ian took the week off to recuperate from his wedding, he’s back online with Steve to do what they do best: talk about the biggest indie news of the week, review albums, and hash out trends. This week, the dynamic duo is digging into new albums from Parquet Courts and My Morning Jacket.
My Morning Jacket is back with their ninth studio album, following last year’s surprise sequel to The Waterfall. In a recent interview with Steve, Jim James revealed that he hadn’t been actively engaged with My Morning Jacket for much of the 2010’s, but he felt more locked in on the band’s new self-titled album. It’s undoubtedly the jammiest record the band has ever made, and also more interesting than anything they’ve done in years.
Parquet Courts are in a similar point of their career with the release of their seventh album Sympathy For Life. Once considered the next great New York City band after The Strokes, the recent projects have proven them to be closer to a band like Spoon — really consistent and solid without ever quite knocking it out of the park. Will Sympathy For Life help to reinvigorate the band for years to come?
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging That’s OK, the new album from Swimming, whom he names the greatest Newfoundland band (emo or otherwise) of all time. Steve, on the other hand, has two albums you should check out: the new efforts from Trace Mountains and Mo Troper.
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Twenty years helps to put a lot of things in perspective in life, especially music. This week on Indiecast, Steve and Ian are reflecting on the musical landscape of 2001 and how it has evolved in the two decades since. The discussion revolves around four specific categories: albums they loved in 2001 that they longer care about, albums they didn’t care about in 2001 that are now important to them, the overall most important albums of 2001, and their personal favorite albums of 2001. From Daft Punk’s Discovery and Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory to Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American and Guided By Voices’ Isolation Drills, this episode is an exercise in nostalgia and reevaluation for the music that helped to shape the 2000’s.
In lieu of this week's Recommendation Corner, we're taking a moment to congratulate Ian on his wedding and wish him a wonderful honeymoon! We'll be back with more recommendations next week.
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This week marked the long-awaited return of Mitski, who has been more or less quiet since the Be The Cowboy tour wrapped nearly two years ago. Now, the acclaimed songwriter is back with “Working For The Knife,” bringing with it the always-insane discourse around her music.
The meat of this episode revolves around one of the biggest bands of the 21st century, Coldplay. With billions of streams on Spotify, Coldplay is almost a perfect poptimism-era rock band, in that they have no qualms with being a super pop band and doing whatever it takes to remain relevant (see: doing a song with BTS). After being nominated for Album Of The Year in 2019 with the double album Everyday Life, the band’s new Max Martin-produced album, Music Of The Spheres, is due out next week.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging Illusory Walls, the epic new album from emo legends The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die. Meanwhile, Steve is enjoying Seventeen Going Under, the new album from English singer-songwriter Sam Fender.
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October is upon us, and with it comes new records that are perfectly timed to soundtrack the changing of the leaves. This week, Steve and Ian are digging into Let Me Have One More, the anticipated new record from Illuminati Hotties, as well as Strand Of Oaks’ In Heaven. Both artists represent relatively opposite ends of the Indiecast-core spectrum — Illuminati Hotties have perfected a brand of irreverent, anti-capitalist alternative rock while Tim Showalter’s music style tends to lean into more atmospheric soundscapes and a folk-forward songwriting style.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is getting ready for fall with True Love, the new album from vibey Austin duo Hovvdy. Steve is plugging his recent interview with BJ Burton, the producer who has had a hand in crafting some of the best and most influential albums of the last decade (think: Yeezus, Bon Iver’s 22, A Million, and many more).
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 59 on Spotify below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts here. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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Today, September 24th, marks 30 years since Nirvana released Nevermind. In the last three decades, people have already said pretty much everything there is to say about the Washington grunge outfit, but that isn’t going to stop Steve and Ian from reminiscing about one of the biggest rock albums of all time on this week’s episode of Indiecast.
Nevermind is an album that still holds up after thirty years, despite its oversaturation on rock radio and elsewhere. But it’s the rare breakthrough album that might have almost become underrated, overshadowed — at least in the critical sphere — by what came next for Nirvana. The band’s third album In Utero is now understood as a response to fame, while their Unplugged performance has evolved into a poignant, dramatic artistic statement that holds a whole new weight in the wake of Cobain’s death.
In this week's Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging the latest from One Step Closer, a new signing to esteemed indie label Run For Cover Records. Steve wants everyone to check out Wilds, the new LP from Andy Shauf out today.
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It’s that time again: Steve and Ian are taking questions from listeners. This week’s episode of Indiecast kicks off with a recap of last weekend’ Pitchfork Festival, before diving into a discussion of bands that started their career in the indie world before eventually growing to a point that their indie cred became nonexistent. Bands like The Black Keys and Kings Of Leon are shining examples of this phenomenon, while bands like LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend, and Arcade Fire retain the coveted indie credentials.
Other conversations include the ultimate Indiecast concert that would bridge the gap between Steve and Ian’s musical tastes, the discographies of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica, and more.
In this week's Recommendation Corner, Steve is vibing with the new single from Orlando duo Tonstartssbandht, which previews their first album in four years. Ian is enjoying a new split release from European emo bands I Feel Fine and You Could Be a Cop.
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This week, Steve and Ian are getting ready for festival season. Pitchfork Festival is finally here, featuring sets from Dogleg, Oso Oso, and Bartees Strange and marking the tripling of the fest’s notorious “token DIY/emo” acts. This year, festival season arrives in the fall, which leads into a question from a listener asking which albums are indicative of the changing of the leaves for our two hosts.
This week’s episode is centered around Minnesota trio Low, who has been regularly releasing music over the last 30 years or so. Recently, Low’s consistent catalogue was starting to feel like they were tapering off, but their thirteenth studio album, Hey What, has them back in the saddle for their best collection of songs in recent memory. Perhaps this is the result of the prominence of the vocals on this album — where the voices were frequently buried amid the glitchy instrumentation on previous efforts, Hey What has the dual vocalists front and center, often cutting through the musical mayhem behind them.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging 2012, the new album from Pittsburgh band Brightside. Meanwhile, Steve wants to bring your attention to the forthcoming album from Irish post-punk band Silverbacks.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
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What’s your biggest fear as a concertgoer? For Steve, it’s having to do a Number 2 at a show — even nice venues with good toilets seem like a terrible place to spend any significant amount of time. This is perhaps the exact thought that went through the head of the person who had an unfortunate bowel movement in the mosh pit at a Turnstile show last week. Will people now feel empowered to do the same at upcoming Turnstile shows, like how Barenaked Ladies got Kraft mac and cheese thrown at them?
The meat of this week’s episode comes in the form of a discussion about Donda, the oft-discussed, perhaps anticipated new album from Kanye West. The thing about Kanye is that the music media once gave him the benefit of the doubt, and now they don’t. Nonetheless, like everything Kanye does these days, Donda has this huge gravitational pull, yet it feels somewhat marooned from what’s actually happening at large, with a narrative set almost entirely on planet Kanye. There’ss callbacks to some Yeezus and 808s-style electronic music, a lot of Jesus (the curses are bleeped out!), but rather than create trends, it turns away from them. Donda just sucks all the air out of the room.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging Jail Socks, who just released the new album Coming Down while Steve wants to spread the good word about Other You, the latest LP from indie guitar god Steve Gunn.
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During last week’s episode, Steve and Ian wondered if the latest album from Lorde, was going to follow a similar trajectory to recent releases from Clairo and Billie Eilish — LPs with rollouts that feel very muted and underwhelming, but the final product ultimately left them feeling pleasantly surprised. Solar Power, however, never manages to spin the narrative and truly deliver, offering a collection of songs that feel bland and difficult to connect with.
The new LP from Big Red Machine does not experience the same fate, with Aaron Dessner/Justin Vernon delivering an album that outshines each of their solo output over the last few years. It marks both of the acclaimed indie artists’ transition into a world that feels markedly more “pop,” integrating massive names like Taylor Swift to elevate the project.
Last but certainly not least is Glow On, the anticipated new album from Baltimore hardcore band Turnstile. Currently in the top 10 at Album of the Year, Glow On is a good example of how more bands should be making melodic hard rock records. Melodic hard rock is one of the most popular genres of all time and so few people make it now! Turnstile once again prove to be a shining example of how exciting rock music can be.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steve is paying tribute to the life and music of Charlie Watts, the longtime Rolling Stones’ drummer who passed away earlier this week. Meanwhile, Ian is plugging Asbestos Weak Hood, the new album from Ohio emo band Narrow/Arrow.
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This week’s episode has Steve and Ian discussing a band that wouldn’t have fallen into the show’s purview on their last record. But the new record from San Francisco black metal heavyweights Deafheaven doesn’t sound very much like black metal at all. Instead, Infinite Granite is a genuine departure, a straight-up shoegaze record that starts the band on a completely new path.
Where singer George Clark previously leveled up the intensity with his harsh vocals from previous records, Infinite Granite has him focused on melodic vocals, while the rest of the band is focused on shimmering expansive instrumentals. Plus, it’s all doused in layers of reverb very reminiscent of modern shoegaze bands like DIIV and Nothing.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is is shouting out Portland shoegaze-dream-pop-college-rock hybrid Alien Boy, whose new album Don’t Know What I Am just dropped. Meanwhile, Steve is highlighting Trace Mountains, whose forthcoming album House Of Confusion is due in October.
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It’s been a big week in the indie rock world, from the return of Big Thief to updated Covid policies across the live music ecosystem. Steve and Ian cover both of these topics in the opening minutes of the latest episode of Indiecast.
The meat of this week’s episode comes in the form of a discussion of new albums from The Killers and Bleachers. The Killers are back with Pressure Machine, the band’s seventh LP that comes almost exactly a year after their last full-length effort, Imploding The Mirage, and finds the band exploring new sonic territory that is markedly more downbeat and introspective. Bleachers, on the other hand, found Jack Antonoff trying to go as Springsteen as possible on his third solo release, Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night. How do both of these albums stack up in their respective catalogues?
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging the new LP from emo greats A Great Big Pile Of Leaves, while Steve wants to shout out the forthcoming LP from Baltimore experimental hardcore outfit Turnstile.
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During last week’s episode, Steve and Ian took some time to theorize that Billie Eilish’s new album Happier Than Ever might be heading in the direction of a sophomore slump. However, the latest effort from the young superstar is a good example of an LP featuring a handful of underwhelming singles that misrepresent and otherwise pretty good album. Happier Than Ever seems to share some inspiration DNA with the new Clairo album, in that they are both reactions to fame records, but instead of going abrasive they’ve gone even quieter and more hushed. Overall, the new album from the young superstar feels very much apiece with how people listen to music now, and a thoroughly enjoyable affair.
Next up on the docket is Draw Down The Moon, the latest opus from St. Louis band Foxing. It’s the follow-up to the band’s third studio album Nearer My God — which Ian is quick to name the best album of any genre of the last five years — and goes to places even grander and enveloping. Long story short, it can either take the band to completely new heights in their career… or destroy them entirely. Only time will tell!
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steve is recommending No Medium, the new album from Rosali that was released a few months ago. Ian has been vibing with Lantlôs, the German “post-black metal” band that dropped their latest effort Wildhund last week.
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Time flies when you’re having fun: this week marks the one-year anniversary of Indiecast! Steve and Ian kick off the new episode with reflections of their highs and lows from a year of doing the show, and take a moment to thank all of the listeners who have engaged with the show and submitted questions.
The meat of this episode has Steve and Ian revisiting the Indiecast Hall Of Fame, which is dedicated to honoring albums that are under-appreciated in the modern lexicon of indie rock. The new albums receiving honors include The Soundtrack Of Our Lives’ 2002 effort Behind The Music, Screaming Trees’ Dust, and more.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is paying tribute to Joey Jordison, the late Slipknot drummer who passed away earlier this week, and reminding fans to revisit the first Slipknot album. Steve, on the other hand, is prepared to start revving the engine of the hype train around Let Me Do One More, the new album from Illuminati Hotties that isn’t due until October.
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With new music incoming from The War On Drugs, The Killers, and Coldplay, this episode of Indiecast asks the question we’ve all been thinking: is heartland rock stronger than ever or drawing its last breath? The staying power of the aforementioned acts is undeniable, but at the same time there aren’t many up and coming acts who are creating music that feels similar, sonically or thematically. It’s unclear whether there is even room in the heartland rock space for any acts that are still emerging, including some of our favorite underrated artists like like Wild Pink or Strand Of Oaks.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian has been vibing with Johnny Football Hero’s Complacency EP, while Steve is once again plugging HBO’s forthcoming Woodstock ’99 documentary for which he served as a consulting producer.
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This week’s episode opens with Steve and Ian discussing recent albums from the offspring of famous people. This leads naturally into a conversation of Sling, the new sophomore album from indie pop phenom Clairo. Claire Cotrill’s parents are well-connected in the music industry, which many haters use as a way to discount her success as an artist over the last few years and reiterate the “bootstraps” mentality (that is a driving force of the capitalist mindset, but we digress).
Musically, Sling is a very low-key affair that could be viewed as another “reaction to fame” record that exists as the opposite end of the harshness spectrum from Nirvana’s In Utero. Produce by Jack Antonoff, the LP stems from the pent-up anxiety of Cotrill’s sudden fame after her debut, and the intense touring schedule that followed. It’s not as immediately gripping as Immunity, but seems like a record that could get definitely grow on a listener after it settles in the brain and ages.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, both Steve and Ian are plugging brand new surprise EPs from two of their favorite artists. Steve is urging everyone to check out Total Serene, the latest short-form release from Gang Of Youths, and Ian can’t get enough of the new EP from Yves Tumor.
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As is tradition, this week’s episode of Indiecast has Steve and Ian taking questions from you: the loyal listeners. Questions were fielded from all around the globe, leading this Mailbag episode to revolve around a provocative conversation about topics like the state of music journalism and which medium is best for learning about an artist in 2021, as well as bands that could have been bigger had they come around at a different time, blog rock, and the songs that Steve and Ian have listened to the most over the years.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steve is recommending Liam Kazar, whose latest effort, Due North, is set for release in August. Ian, on the other hand, is taking the opportunity to once again plug South Carolina outfit Adjy, who released The Idyll Opus (I-IV) last week.
You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news.
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Late last year, Steve and Ian created the Indiecasties, a special, highly sought-after distinction honoring the best, worst, and downright strangest releases of the year. This week, they’re bringing back the segment for a mid-year review to award titles like Most Valuable Album Cycle (MVAC), Memory-Holed Album Of The Year So Far, and Most “Festival Band” Festival Band to the best and brightest of the first six months of 2021.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging South Carolina outfit Adjy, whi released The Idyll Opus (I-IV) earlier this week. Steve, on the other hand, is shouting out Summer Of Soul, the new Questlove-directed documentary focused on the Harlem Cultural Festival during the summer of 1969.
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Lucy Dacus! Modest Mouse! Pom Pom Squad! Tyler, The Creator! Lightning Bug! Free Throw! Faye Webster! All of these albums drop today, and that’s just the beginning of the list. Steve and Ian got in front of this week’s onslaught of releases by discussing the new Modest Mouse LP in last week’s episode. Even with advance preparation, it was difficult to choose just two albums to dig into this week, so they decided to tack on a third. The latest efforts from Lucy Dacus, Lightning Bug, and Faye Webster stand above the rest of the laundry list of releases this week, marking creative high points for all three artists.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is digging Butterfly 3000, the latest in a string of 2021 releases from prolific Australian outfit King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Steve wants to spread the good word about The Veiled Sea, the new effort from indie jam band Six Organs Of Admittance.
You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news.
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Next week, Modest Mose is releasing The Golden Casket, their first new music since 2015’s Strangers To Ourselves . We recently got Isaac Brock to review every Modest Mouse album, including their latest, and now it’s time for Steve and Ian to give their takes on the band’s first release for the better part of a decade.
In addition to new music, Steve and Ian are also reflecting on the catalogue and career of one of the brightest lights in the indie rock scene of the aughts: The Shins. The band recently celebrated twenty years of Oh, Inverted World with a newly remastered version of the album, considered to be one of the definitive touchstones of the indie rock canon. How does it hold up two decades after its initial release?
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steve is excited about the return of Gang Of Youths with the new single “The Angel Of 8th Ave.” Ian is digging Megabear, the new album from UK outfit Me Rex.
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This month marks the tenth anniversary of Bon Iver’s self-titled sophomore album, which solidified Justin Vernon’s project as an indie rock powerhouse, and eventually earned him a handful of Grammys (see above). To celebrate ten years of this pivotal record, Steve and Ian are putting aside their opposing views on Bon Iver to spend an episode reflecting on the outfit’s catalogue and lasting impact.
In the decade since the release of Bon Iver, Justin Vernon has made a name for himself as one of the least predictable and most adventurous artists of recent memory, with a series of ultimate “grower” albums that end up shifting listeners’ tastes, that somehow exist in the same timeline as recent massive collaborations with Taylor Swift. This week, Steve and Ian discuss whether “Woods” is one of the most important indie rock songs of the 21st century, and how much Vernon’s association with Kanye actually accounts for his credibility in the indie world.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steve is digging Australian indie-pop outfit The Goon Sax’s forthcoming LP Mirror II, while Ian is plugging Militarie Gun’s new EP All Roads Lead To The Gun.
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Somehow, 2021 is already nearly halfway over. With the world getting ready to emerge from our collective cocoon, here’s to hoping that the second half of the year will bring more joy IRL than the first half. Despite the lack of in-person interactions over the last six months, one thing that hasn’t been lacking is the release of exceptional new music. On this week’s episode of Indiecast, Steve and Ian are digging into some of the year’s best albums that might have flown under the radar.
Ranging from punk and punk-adjacent efforts like Fiddlehead’s Between The Richness and Field Music’s Flat White Moon, to the good vibes of Jimmy Montague’s Casual Use or Sunburned Hand Of The Man’s Pick A Day To Die, Steve and Ian cover a lot of sonic ground in their picks.
With much of this episode dedicated to music you might not have heard before, there is no Recommendation Corner this week.
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Last week, Olivia Rodrigo released her highly anticipated debut album Sour. The full-length effort includes three absolutely massive singles, and sets Rodrigo as one of the biggest stars on the planet. However, some of the discourse online was criticizing the praise, questioning whether critics have any place reviewing “teenage” music. On this week’s episode of Indiecast, Steve and Ian dig into Sour, and this confounding divide.
Later in the episode, the duo also discuss Cavalcade, the new album from English experimental rockers Black Midi. In the midst of an era of music consumption that gives listeners exactly what they want, Black Midi is the rare rock band with a significant profile that is unafraid of irritating people. At a time when boundless musical comfort food is at our fingertips, the buzz around the group is equal parts confusing and exciting.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging I Won’t Reach Out To You, the new EP from Michigan punks Hot Mulligan. Steve wants listeners to check out his recent interview with Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, whose forthcoming Jubilee is a big contender for indie album of the year.
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The new episode of Indiecast is all about listener questions. Steve and Ian fielded questions from listeners all over the country, with topics ranging from nostalgia to underdog bands. To begin, a listener is wondering about stan culture, specifically with regard to the response to lukewarm reception of St. Vincent’s new album, Daddy’s Home. After Pitchfork released a tepid review, screenshots were circulating around the internet of Annie Clark’s fan base threatening violence against both the publication, and the writer.
Another listener is wondering if it’s too late to dig into The Smashing Pumpkins’ 1995 opus Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. Steve and Ian are both quick to give their response, which is a resounding: “NO!”
In this week’s recommendation corner, Ian is enjoying The Dance, the latest release from NATL PARK SVC. Hyden, on the other hand, is plugging Mdou Moctar’s new album Afrique Victime, which drops today.
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This week’s episode kicks off with a listener question about the current renaissance of post-punk outfits like Dry Cleaning, Squid, or Pottery. Is this style of music, which is often built around the dry musings of a distinctly BRITISH vocalist, built to last, or is its popularity merely a byproduct of being inside for too long?
The main crux of this week’s episode, however, is dedicated to Daddy’s Home and Delta Kream, new albums from two of the biggest working indie artists today: St. Vincent and The Black Keys, respectively. Where do the latest efforts from these two genre-defining acts rank in their lengthy discographies? While The Black Keys have been pumping out radio hits for the better part of the last decade, St. Vincent has achieved an interesting level of critical acclaim comparing her to legends like Prince, Madonna, and David Bowie, albeit without any bona-fide hits on her setlist.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is digging Whole Damn Body, the recent b-sides EP from Los Campesinos! Meanwhile, Steve is can’t get enough of Topaz, the soulful new album from Texas singer-songwriter Israel Nash.
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For weeks, we’ve been quietly hoping that Steve and Ian would dedicate an episode of Indiecast to the evolution and purported impending comeback of ska. Well, that day has finally arrived, as this week’s episode is all about talkin’ ska. For the uninitiated, ska is a genre of music that originally started in Jamaica in the 1960’s but soon moved over to the UK with the 2 Tone revival in the late 70’s, then re-emerged prominently in the 80’s and 90’s with bands like Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, The Aquabats, and more.
With Jeff Rosenstock reimagining his entire 2020 opus No Dream as a ska album and the prevalence of Ska Tune Network on YouTube, could ska be making another comeback in the 2020’s? Perhaps, but the deciding factor will come when a new ska band starts to get critical and commercial attention.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian has been digging Internet Breath, the new album from Montana band Hey, ILY. Hyden is looking ahead a bit to the forthcoming album from Brooklyn-based quintet Lightning Bug, which is due June 25.
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This week’s episode of Indiecast kicks off with Steve and Ian recounting their worst and toughest interview experiences with artists. There’s a difference between a good bad interview, like a conversation with Liam Gallagher, and a plain bad interview, like an inaudible conference call with Migos. The main topic of this week’s episode is a conversation about new albums from Manchester Orchestra and the revival of the long-dormant collaborative project of Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Matt Sweeney.
Manchester Orchestra has been one of the staples of the emo universe for the better part of the last two decades and their latest effort, The Million Masks Of God, is their grandest work to date. Meanwhile, the last time Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Matt Sweeney worked together was before Manchester Orchestra even released their debut album, with 2005’s Superwolf. Now, 16 years after their last collaboration, the duo is back for an album fittingly entitled Superwolves. After two decades apart, how does the collaborative spirit between the two artists hold up?
In this week's Recommendation Corner, Steve can't with for the forthcoming EP from Mannequin Pussy, while Ian is enjoying the latest from Porter Robinson.
Disclaimer: Technical difficulties resulted in Ian having to record this episode through his computer, which could result in slightly lower quality audio than usual. This should be rectified for next week's episode.
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Steve and Ian would be remiss if they didn’t kick off this week’s episode of Indiecast with a discussion of the Morrissey/Simpsons controversy, wherein The Smiths’ singer called the show’s depiction of him “hurtful” and “racist.”
The main crux of this episode, however, returns to the Indiecast Hall Of Fame, which was designed to honor albums in the indie rock and alternative rock realm that were influential and beloved at the time of their release, but have since been lost to the test of time and sadly — some might say shamefully — left out of the widely accepted canon of the genre. After an episode paying tribute to albums by Counting Crows, The Promise Ring, and more, Steve and Ian are now turning their attention to efforts from Saves The Day, Megafaun, Secret Machines, and Unkle.
In this week’s recommendation corner, Steve is boosting the forthcoming new EP from DIY power-pop icon Pronoun, entitled OMG I Made It. Ian is shouting out Snow Ellet, whose latest effort Suburban Indie Rock Star is out now.
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This week’s episode of Indiecast kicks off with a discussion of the new collaborative track from Mick Jagger and Dave Grohl, a very goofy moment in rock history. The conversation then segues into the mailbag segment, which raises the question of which indie artists should follow in Taylor Swift’s footsteps to take another stab at their earlier material.
The main crux of this week’s episode revolves around new albums from The Armed and Greta Van Fleet, the former of which gets their name from being the most jacked band since Manowar. The latter? Not so much.
Both bands are indicative of a strange moment in the modern mainstream rock landscape, in ways that are almost diametrically opposed. The Armed evocative of the heyday of mainstream hard rock, one of the most commercially successful genres ever. Greta Van Fleet, on the other hand, are a band so preposterous that they become almost endearing and endlessly fun to engage with.
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After a very long year without live music, it seems like there could finally be a light at the end of the tunnel. Bonnaroo is on the books for September, and Outside Lands is scheduled for late October. On this week’s episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen are feeling cautiously optimistic about what the return of these festivals could mean for the live music landscape, as a whole.
With festivals scheduled for the fall, many artist teams are also feeling confident in the touring landscape for the latter months of 2021. Julien Baker and Japanese Breakfast have both shared routings for the fall, and Pavement is also rumored to be announcing a 2022 tour sometime in the near future. However, the question still remains: will there be any reluctance from fans to get back together in large groups, or will people just be rearing to go?
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Hyden is shouting out Chicago band Floatie, who dropped their debut album Voyage Out last month. Cohen is excited about Dream Weapon, the new album from New York experimental metal band Genghis Tron, and the quartet’s first release in 13 years.
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On last week’s episode, Steven and Ian reflected on the year-end lists they made in 2011. They spent time discussing albums like Real Estate’s Days and M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, albums that were very highly regarded at the time.
This week, they are using the benefit of hindsight to revise those lists and name the albums that might have flown under the critical radar in 2011, but we can acknowledge today to have been very influential. For Steven, these are albums like The War On Drugs’ Slave Ambient and Wye Oak’s Civilian, while Cold Cave’s Cherish The Light Years and Drake’s Take Care still reign supreme in Ian's mind.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven is plugging Course In Fable, the new album from Ryley Walker that’s out today. Ian, on the other hand, is digging through some obscure recent uploads on Bandcamp to showcase some new names like Get Well, Kid and Twinkle Park.
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A decade in the rearview, 2011 has revealed itself to be a very interesting year for indie rock. There are several albums that were considered to be very important in the moment, but have, in the years since, faded from the spotlight to become not much more than asterisks. Remember Whokill? How about the first and only Wild Flag LP?
That said, there are still some albums that stand the test of time today: self-titled efforts from Bon Iver and Joyce Manor, Real Estate’s Days, M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. In this episode of Indiecast, Steven and Ian are reflecting on the first year of the 2010’s to determine which albums still have that staying power.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is vibing with Green To Gold, the latest album from 2010’s stalwarts The Antlers. Steven, on the other hand, is plugging his new retrospective on Stone Temple Pilots’ Tiny Music. Check that out here.
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Steven and Ian kick off this week’s episode of Indiecast with a half-assed recap of last week’s Grammys. It doesn’t last long before the duo dive straight into a discussion of the aesthetic and influence of Kurt Vile in honor of the tenth anniversary of Smoke Ring.
The main topic this week is Chemtrails Over The Country Club, the seventh studio album from Lana Del Rey. It’s the follow-up to Norman F*cking Rockwell, which was one of our favorite albums of 2019, and Lana seems to feel the pressure across her latest. Like her other work, Chemtrails is a cinematic affair ripe with what can only be described as “vibes.”
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven is bumping Ian's previous recommendation of the new self-titled album by Really From. Ian, on the other hand, has been digging into South Korean outfit Parannoul, whose releases are only available on Bandcamp.
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Before Steven and Ian can jump into the latest all-mailbag episode of Indiecast, they must address the story of Mumford And Sons temporarily parting ways with their banjo player Winston Marshall after he came under fire for praising known right-wing agitator Andy Ngo in a social media post. Mumford has killed one of his sons.
This week’s mailbag is the most interesting collection of listener comments yet, with a wide range of questions. Topics covered include the sexism that is inherent when classifying music by genre, critical re-evaluation of under-appreciated records, and British press lauding post-punk acts like Fontaines DC and Idles.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is plugging the new self-titled LP from Boston quartet Really From. Hyden, on the other hand, is enjoying Heaven And Holy, the latest from Painted Shrine, the collaborative project of Jeremy Earl (Woods) and Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, The Reds, Pinks & Purples).
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It’s been teased for weeks now, but the time has finally come: Indiecast is delving into the career and music of Animal Collective. At one point in the aughts, the Baltimore-based group was inextricable from the overall concept of indie rock, and thus indie rock as an actual force in pop music. These days, however, the band seems to have little to no profile or lasting impact. What happened in the last decade or so that forced one of the most important bands in the genre into near obscurity? In the latest episode of Indiecast, Steven and Ian look to get to the bottom of this mystery, while also reevaluating some of the band’s definitive works like Merriweather Post Pavilion and Centipede Hz.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is digging Florida quartet Home Is Where, who just released the new EP I Became Birds. Meanwhile, Steven is enjoying the long-running rotating collective of musicians releasing projects under the name Sunburned Hand Of The Man.
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With the consistent haze of winter slowly fading into the rearview, 2021 is finally starting to kick it into high gear on the new music front. This week, Steven and Ian are digging into new releases from Julien Baker and Cloud Nothings, but not before taking a moment to eulogize the end of Daft Punk after 28 years.
For Julien Baker, 'Little Oblivions' is her first album in nearly four years, and marks a turning point for the 25-year-old songwriter. Where her arrangements were previously sparse and centered around a looped guitar or a piano, the new album incorporates a full band aesthetic with drums and much more space to roam. What does a fleshed-out sound mean for one of indie’s most earnest songwriters?
While Baker was quiet for nearly four years, Cloud Nothings have been more active than ever during the pandemic, turning to a Bandcamp subscription plan as a way to keep fans engaged. They released the home-recorded 'The Black Hole Understands' in July of 2020, and have already followed it up with the proper next studio album, 'The Shadow I Remember.' Where does it stack up in their nearly decade-long discography?
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven is honoring the late Miles Seaton by revisiting the catalogue of his band Akron/Family, while Ian has been enjoying the new EP from Canadian outfit Arm’s Length.
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This week, Steven and Ian are discussing two of the most exciting indie releases of the week. First up is a passionate discussion of Open Door Policy, the new album from veteran rockers The Hold Steady. Steven appreciates the band’s long-running arc and recent comeback, while Ian has never connected with the Beat-style of what he calls “dude writing.”
Next up on the docket is A Billion Little Lights, the new effort from Wild Pink’s. Led by singer-songwriter John Ross, who moved to Brooklyn after college to be a film composer, Wild Pink’s latest is undeniably cinematic and meditative, a stubbornly un-flashy affair that was originally intended to be a double album about the American West, but was eventually condensed to a lean 10-track affair.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is vibing with New Music And Big Pop, the debut album from Another Michael, while Steven is enjoying Call In The Mess, the forthcoming sophomore album from New York outfit Nervous Dater.
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After a week of banter about Phoebe Bridgers smashing her guitar on 'SNL' and the discourse that inevitably surrounds the annual announcement of nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Ian and Steven are spending this week’s episode of Indiecast reflecting on a simpler moment in indie history. The so-called indie R&B scene of the early 2010’s spawned some of the biggest artists of today, including The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and James Blake.
At the same time, Beyonce and Jay-Z were going to see both Coldplay and Grizzly Bear live, and Kanye was collaborating with Bon Iver. With James Blake’s debut album turning ten and The Weeknd playing the Super Bowl halftime show, now is as fitting a time as ever to reminisce on an era ripe with musical collaboration and exciting releases that remain part of the conversation nearly a decade later.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been enjoying For Your Health's debut album 'In Spite Of,' while Hyden can’t get enough of the Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo collabroative album, 'Deep Fried Grandeur.'
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This week kicks off with an enlightening discussion of which indie bands should release greatest hits albums. Then, Steven and Ian are diving into one of the biggest releases of 2021 so far: Foo Fighters’ tenth studio album 'Medicine At Midnight.' The album doesn’t really sound like anything the Foos have released to date, continuing down the path that began with 2014’s 'Sonic Highways,' moving away from the thrashing rock that seems to have culminated in 2011’s 'Wasting Light.' 25 years into the band’s career, Hyden and Cohen try to figure out where the experimental 'Medicine At Midnight' stacks up in Foo Fighters’ massive catalogue.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is loving 'Earbudz,' the first charity compilation from artist development company No Earbuds, which is now available for Bandcamp Friday. All proceeds will be donated The Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis-related criminal justice reform. Steven, on the other hand, can’t get enough of Yasmin Williams’ captivating instrumental guitar album 'Urban Driftwood.'
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Despite a handful of optimistic festival announcements, the return of live music still doesn’t look to be closing in (unless you live in New Zealand). With the absence of in-person events, many artists have been turning to both free and paid livestream concerts to keep their fans engaged.
This week, Steven and Ian are discussing the pros and cons of a virtual future for the live music industry. Is livestreaming here to stay? Is it all even worth paying for? While it’s great to see your favorite artists perform, it’s hard to feel the same magic you get from being in a room with other music fans. Earlier this year, concert database Bandsintown announced a paid tier of their service, wherein fans can unlock live performances from artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Adrianne Lenker, and more. This, combined with long-running livestream organizations like Audiotree, could indicate big shifts for the music industry as we know it.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been digging Portrayal Of Guilt, who released Garden Of Despair, a new EP, earlier this year. Hyden is taking a step away from new music this week, encouraging wants listeners to check out Miranda Reinert’s new music-centric newsletter, Something Old.
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This week, Steven and Ian are once again taking questions from listeners. The episode kicks off with a discussion ska, the oft-maligned sect of punk that people tend to joke about, but also have an encyclopedic understanding of its intricacies. After the recent critical reevaluation of nu metal, is ska next in line for a reinvention? Jeff Rosenstock has been proudly waving the flag of ska for years, and the world is finally starting to come around.
There were many thoughtful questions from listeners, guiding Hyden and Cohen’s conversation on the episode and finding the duo discussing their methods for digging into the discography of a newly-discovered artist, the big budget albums they'd like to hear, and the role of Manchester Orchestra in modern indie.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been enjoying Downtiming, the debut EP from Camp Trash. Instead of new music, Hyden is taking the opportunity to plug his recent interview with The Wrens’ Charles Bissel, who revealed that the band’s long awaited follow up to 2003’s The Meadowlands might finally be released later this year!
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There are albums in the indie rock and alternative rock realm that were influential and beloved at the time of their release, but have since been lost to the test of time and sadly — some might say shamefully — left out of the widely accepted canon of the genre. On this episode, Steven and Ian are looking to right these wrongs with the creation the Indiecast Hall Of Fame. This week, Hyden and Cohen are using the episode as a way to give proper recognition to albums they love, and to make the case for why they remain important in the lore of indie rock history to this day. Included on the list are records from Counting Crows, The Promise Ring, Afghan Whigs, and more.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been revisiting Tokyo Police Club’s Champ in honor of its upcoming tenth anniversary. Looking ahead, Hyden is excited about Drunk Tank Pink, the forthcoming effort from UK post-punk outfit Shame.
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After a long year, 2021 is finally here, bringing with it new episodes of Indiecast. To kick off the first episode of the new year, Steven and Ian are discussing musical trends that took hold in the 2010’s that might begin to fade out as we settle into the 2020’s. It’s impossible to predict what the next decade is going to look like, musically, but we can only hope that it will be something genuinely new and exciting.
Before Steven and Ian dig in for a typical episode of news, reviews, and more, the duo want to take some time to declare their New Year’s Resolutions. In this week’s episode, Steven and Ian are digging through the things they want to see more of (and less of) in 2021, upcoming new albums from The War On Drugs, Father John Misty, Foxing, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, and more.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven has been enjoying 'At The Moonbase,' the surprise new album from Slaughter Beach, Dog. Ian, on the other hand, can’t get enough of the band Curve.
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In the second of a special two-part episode, Steven and Ian are wrapping up the show for the year by awarding the highly sought-after Indiecasties to the most surprising, overrated, and genuinely impressive releases of the year from artists like The Killers, Fiona Apple, Phoebe Bridgers, and more.
This week, the duo are ready to bestow some trophies upon the albums that best embodied the aesthetics of 2020, as well as the artists who made the best comeback this year. Also on the slate for this episode are artists who defied the odds set by their back catalogue to surprise critics with the strengths of their most recent release, and the most overhyped albums that actually managed to deserve the praise, among many more.
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Just like everyone, as the year winds down, Steven and Ian are getting reflective. But rather than just continue breaking down the best of 2020 in a standard list form, they are launching the official Indiecast awards show, The Indiecasties. Across two episodes, the duo will be awarding the highly sought-after Indiecasties to the best, worst, and downright strangest releases of the year.
This week brings the first of two installments of the award show, and Hyden and Cohen are waiting and ready to bestow some trophies. assigning the most “Indiecast-as-a-genre” album or artist of 2020, Hyden’s favorite “Ian Cohen-core” album and Cohen’s favorite “Steven Hyden-core” album, as well as the year’s most annoying album cycle, and most memory-holed album.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Hyden has been enjoying Open Door Policy, the forthcoming new album from The Hold Steady. Cohen has been listening to a lot of Ogbert The Nerd.
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Approximately 25 years after it started, 2020 is finally coming to an end. As is customary in the music world, before one can look ahead, one must look back. Our latest episode is no exception, with Steven and Ian reflecting on a year of excellent releases in the indie world to choose their ultimate top five. Featuring efforts from The 1975, Bartees Strange, Dogleg, Bob Dylan, and more, Steven and Ian have each respectively crafted their list of 2020’s definitive records. If you're looking for more music that you might have missed this year, check out our full list of the year's best albums here and the indie-specific list here.
As for new selections in this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian has been spinning 'I Had Everybody Snowed,' the debut solo album from Taking Meds vocalist/guitarist Skylar Sarkis that has been a work in progress for nearly a decade. Steven, on the other hand, has been enjoying '2020,' the aptly titled latest effort from Magik Markers, their first in seven years.
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Something we can all agree upon is that it’s been far too long since we’ve heard live music in person. In 2020, recordings of live shows feel more relevant than ever, with the roar of a crowd imbuing nostalgia for a simpler time. This is the central focus of our latest episode, which finds Steven and Ian digging in to the swath of live albums that are on the docket for the remainder of the year, including forthcoming releases from The War On Drugs, Arctic Monkeys, and The Postal Service.
2020 has forced artists to get creative in how they connect with fans, and are utilizing live streams and live albums to remind music lovers of why shows are such a vital part of their lives. Sometimes, these live albums offers listeners a glimpse at exciting alternate versions of the songs they know and love, with improvised sections, different arrangements, and elongated instrumental sections. Other times, they just feel like relics of a lost art.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is endorsing 'Summer Sleeping,' the new EP from Indiana quartet Thunder Dreamer. Hyden is advocating for the new Ganser album, 'Just Look At That Sky,' which he believes is being slept on by most.
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This week, Steven and Ian are once again taking questions from listeners. One listener was interested in exploring the place of CDs in the modern music industry, both in terms of audio quality, as well as the best method of listening. The result is a spirited conversation about how CDs compare in quality to that of streaming and vinyl, and the sense of ownership that comes with holding in your hand a physical manifestation of music. Is there anything quite like gathering a stack of CDs to take on a road trip?
Of course, an episode of Indiecast wouldn’t be complete without a chance for Cohen to sing his praises about emo bands, this week focusing on 'Ground Aswim,' the latest from Sinai Vessel. The record hasn’t been getting much mainstream attention this year, which begs the question of what it really means for an album to be “slept on” in 2020.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is recommending new albums from Soul Glo and Record Setter, while Hyden can’t get enough of the latest from David Nance.
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With Wilco’s 'Summerteeth' reissue coming later this month to (belatedly) celebrate its twentieth anniversary, Steven and Ian are looking back to 1999. While it might not have necessarily been a more innocent time, it was certainly a simpler time where teen pop and nu-metal ruled the radio waves and alternative rock was starting to become plain old indie rock.
For the new episode of Indiecast, Steven and Ian revisited some of their five favorite albums from the era to determine what still holds up today. While Hyden’s top five albums walks that line between alt-rock and indie rock with albums like 'Summerteeth' and Nine Inch Nails’ 'The Fragile,' Cohen was more focused on the emo rock scene, remembering albums from Jimmy Eat World and American Football.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen the new album from Philadelphia band The Goalie’s Anxiety At The Penalty Kick. Hyden, on the other hand, is still looking to the past to sing the praises of Foxygen’s 2013 album 'We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic.'
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This week's episode kicks off with a reader question asking for Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen's thoughts on the artists of the 2000's and 2010's that were hugely influential to the new crop of indie musicians coming out today. Each "scene" has its own central name, but Cohen is quick to assign roles of leadership to artists like Mac DeMarco, Frankie Cosmos, Alex G, and Title Fight. Hyden is also adds to the list artists like Tame Impala and The War On Drugs, who influenced a whole other sect of emerging indie artists with their psychedelic tendencies.
The meat of the episode is dedicated to diving into new albums from Oneohtrix Point Never and Salem. In the case of 'Magic Oneohtrix Point Never,' Hyden wonders whether this will be the record that breaks Daniel Lopatin into the pop mainstream, with a track featuring none other than The Weeknd. On the other hand, Hyden and Cohen are unsure what to think of 'Fires In Heaven,' the new album from Michigan duo Salem, who The Washington Post called "the stupidest band on Earth" in 2011.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is digging 'No Driver,' the new album from Swedish band I Love Your Lifestyle, while Hyden is tiding himself over until the return of live music with new live albums from The War On Drugs and Arctic Monkeys.
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After quarantine set in, it wasn’t long before Adrianne Lenker got to work on some more music, opting for a solo project since she was unable to see her bandmates. While Big Thief apparently were able to reconvene and record a new album over the summer, Lenker has shared the result of her musical exploration at the beginning of quarantine, two new solo LPs titled 'songs' and 'instrumentals.' In this episode, Steven and Ian dig into the lore surrounding Lenker and her band Big Thief, as well as their prolific and acclaimed output over the last few years. The conversation centers around one central question: is Big Thief really a band or is it just a front for Lenker?
The episode’s second half is focused on Fake It Flowers, the debut album from 20-year-old rocker Beabadoobee. With catchy songs and big choruses, Hyden argues that Beabadoobee’s debut album solidifies her role in the modern indie rock canon as Stone Temple Pilots, where Soccer Mommy is Nirvana and Clairo is Pearl Jam.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is looking to the ’90s and plugging Ida’s 1996 album 'I Know About You,' while Hyden is digging 'Optimisme,' the new album from Songhoy Blues.
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Last week, Steven tweeted a call for questions from listeners that would inform the podcast's new episode, the first entry in a new feature on the show. The curious responses to Hyden's call were wide-reaching, ranging from questions the relevance of Foo Fighters in today's musical landscape to the realistic influence of alternative streaming platforms like Bandcamp.
Most interestingly, however, one listener requested for Hyden and co-host Ian Cohen to reveal their guilty pleasures, or "bands that you're embarrassed you like," while another was wondering about the pandemic's lasting impact on the music industry and whether we will ever see a live show again. These prompts lead to a discussion revolving around the current state of the music industry and what we can expect from the weeks and months to come. Of course, an episode of Indiecast wouldn't be complete without touching upon some of today's biggest indie stars like Phoebe Bridgers and Tame Impala.
In this week's recommendation corner, Cohen is praising the mid-aughts post punk outfit The Stills and Hyden is praising Brian Eno and 'Cuttin' Grass,' the new album from Sturgill Simpson.
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Released only a few weeks after Radiohead's 'Kid A,' Linkin Park's debut studio album 'Hybrid Theory' turns 20 this month. It featured four major singles ("One Step Closer", "In the End", "Crawling" and "Papercut") and has sold 27 million albums worldwide since its release, making it the best-selling debut album since Guns N' Roses' 1987 debut 'Appetite for Destruction,' and the single best-selling rock album of the 21st century.
The record's success marked a transition moment to the mainstream for a type of rock music that was pioneered by bands like Korn and Deftones. With the emergence of nu metal came a through line that Linkin Park was able to capitalize upon, one that continues today with Machine Gun Kelly's new album 'Tickets To My Downfall,' which is currently sitting at Number One on the Billboard 200 chart. In this episode, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen trace the lasting influence of nu metal and big, fun chart-topping rock music.
Recommendation Corner: Field Medic's 'Floral Prince' and "The Shining But Tropical," a beautiful new single from Wild Pink.
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It's hard to believe in retrospect, but many music critics in the early '90s assumed that bands who became popular after Nirvana could never last. After the success of Radiohead's "Creep," they were roped in with other bands that fizzled out after their one-hit-wonder, with many turning their noses up at the somewhat nerdy alternative rock outfit. Needless to say, those estimations couldn't have been further from the truth.
In many ways, Radiohead's fourth album 'Kid A' was the culmination of the band putting their alternative rock era behind them, moving toward the more esoteric, dream-like sound that we've come to know and love. Two decades after its release, Steven and Ian look back on the iconic album.
In this week's Recommendation Corner, Hyden is singing the praises of Bartees Strange's debut album 'Live Forever' while Cohen is plugging 'Dubnobasswithmyheadman' and 'Second Toughest in the Infants,' the first two albums from British electronica band Underworld.
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On the new episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen dissect the new albums by two very successful indie acts who originated in the aughts: Sufjan Stevens’ 'The Ascension' and Fleet Foxes’ 'Shore'. While the rollout of 'The Ascension' took on a more traditional approach, the arrival of 'Shore' came as a surprise, with the release timed perfectly to coincide with the autumnal equinox on September 22nd at 9:31am EST.
While Hyden was initially resistant to Sufjan Stevens’ early work and Cohen felt similarly about Fleet Foxes’ early work, both have come around to the recent releases from each respective artist. 'The Ascension' is some of Stevens’ darkest and angriest music to date, and 'Shore' represents Fleet Foxes at their most attainable and melodic.
In this week’s recommendation corner, we have the new self-titled album from Teenage Halloween and the long-awaited new Deftones album Ohms.
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This week, Steven and Ian make the argument that Deerhunter might be the last great American indie band. It’s an interesting claim, but one that makes more and more sense as the discussion continues. It all starts when the duo is digging deep into the band’s 2010 album Halcyon Digest in celebration of its tenth anniversary, when they reveal that Deerhunter is the last band in the true sense of the word: an entity that exists as a collective, rather than an identity that’s actually driven by one person.
In this week’s Recommendation Corner, we have Lomelda’s impressive new album 'Hannah' and Jeff Tweedy’s forthcoming book 'How To Write One Song.'
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On the new episode of 'Indiecast,' Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen reflect on twenty years of Cameron Crowe's 'Almost Famous,' using their background as real-life music critics to examine the accuracy of the central plot (there is literally no way that a publicist would let you spend several weeks on the road with a band for a profile), the depiction of Lester Bangs, and whether Stillwater is actually even a good band at all. Check out Hyden's full essay about the film here.
In this week's Recommendation Corner, Steven is spreading the good word about William Tyler's new album 'New Vanitas,' while Ian is pointing toward 'I'll Figure This Out,' the latest from Milwaukee's Barely Civil.
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With most of the year behind us, it's time to look forward to what we are expecting from the remaining months of 2020. In our fall music preview episode, Steven and Ian discuss upcoming projects from artists like A.G. Cook, Sufjan Stevens, Bartees Strange, Mary Lattimore, Matt Berninger, Deftones, Lana Del Rey, Idles, Touche Amore, Beabadoobee, and Respire.
In addition to the albums Steven and Ian are looking forward to this fall, this week's Recommendation Corner is dedicated to Bill Callahan's 'Gold Record' and the 2002 film '24 Hour Party People,' starring Steve Coogan.
Check out our full list of anticipated fall albums here: https://uproxx.com/music/most-anticipated-albums-fall-2020/
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On the new episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen look back to 2013, a pivotal year in recent indie history that saw the arrival of some of the biggest names in the genre, and the staying power of some of its veterans.
2013 brought the emergence of artists like Disclosure, Lorde, The 1975 and Haim. Vampire Weekend also dropped their seminal LP 'Modern Vampires Of The City' and Sky Ferreira finally delivered 'Night Time, My Time.' Back in our first episode about Arcade Fire's 'The Suburbs,' we noted how that album helped to mark the end of the aughts. In this episode, Hyden and Cohen declare 2013 to be the official beginning of the 2010s, with many artists still in the collective conscience today.
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Bright Eyes and The Killers are both back with new albums. For Bright Eyes, 'Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was' is their first album in nearly a decade; for The Killers, 'Imploding The Mirage' is their first since the underwhelming 'Wonderful Wonderful' in 2017. On this week's episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen sink their teeth into the new albums from these legacy indie acts, while recalling their respective careers and seeing where the new work fits into their catalogues.
This week's recommendations: Now It's Overheard, The Good Life, and two new singles from Father John Misty.
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Purple Noon, the new album from Washed Out, is the impetus for this week's episode of Indiecast, which finds Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen digging into the rise and fall of the chillwave genre, starting and ending with Washed Out. Purple Noon is an album from a genre strongly associated with nostalgia, but also manages to provide nostalgia for... chillwave itself. In 2020, the genre stands to remind millennials that they are getting older.
Also covered in the episode is Welcome To Conceptual Beach, the expansive, stunning new album from Young Jesus that is already a strong contender for Album Of The Year.
This week's recommendations: Dehd's Flowers Of Devotion and Gulch's Impenetrable Cerebral Forces
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On the second episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen dig in on the 2020 albums they think are accessible and easy-to-like, but might not have the big promo push that other records from big-name artists might get. These are albums that thrive on Bandcamp and in the underground, filling basements, but perhaps never get above-board. With their podcast, Hyden and Cohen seek to right this wrong by sharing their best finds from this year. Artists discussed include: Stay Inside, Rose City Band, Ben Seratan, Ezra Feinberg, I’m Glad It’s You, 2nd Grade, Peel Dream Magazine, Wares, Weave, and I Break Horses.
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Arcade Fire stunned the world when they took home the Album Of The Year award at the 2011 Grammys for their sprawling third album 'The Suburbs.' It was the first time the band took home an award at the ceremony, and left many people wondering, "who is Arcade Fire?" On the first episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen dive in to the Canadian outfit's discography, zeroing in on 'The Suburbs,' a decade after its release.
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Presented by UPROXX Indie Mixtape, Indiecast is a weekly show hosted by music critics Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen. Every week, Hyden and Cohen discuss the biggest news and names in modern indie, as well as look back to moments that established the indie rock canon.
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