Completely Conspicuous 641: The Troubled Teens

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of the 2010s. Also, happy 18th birthday to the show! Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Wrapping up our year-by-year look at rock music starting with 1970
• Each of us picking a favorite album for each year from 2011-2020
• Phil's 2011 #1: Bluesy collection from Tedeschi Trucks Band 
• Susan Tedeschi grew up in New England
• Jay's 2011 #1: Concept album by Toronto's Fucked Up
• Phil's 2012 #1: Punchy punk rippers from Parquet Courts
• Neil Young and the art of the 15-minute song
• Jay's 2012 #1: Ty Segall Band with a heavy garage rock/psych sound
• Phil's 2013 #1: Laid-back slacker jams from Philly's Kurt Vile
• Jay's 2013 #1: An epic Queens of the Stone Age album written after a near-death experience
• Phil's 2014 #1: TV On the Radio's last album and first since bass player died
• Jay's 2014 #1: Expansive tour de force from Parquet Courts
• Phil's 2015 #1: Courtney Barnett combines conversational lyrics with hot guitar
• Jay's 2015 #1: Jeff Rosenstock delivers a pop-punk masterpiece
• On being the old guy at rock shows
• Next time: 2016-2020

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 640: Rocking While the World's on Fire

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2024 so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• JB's #6 and JK's #7: Philly's Mannequin Pussy is a wide-ranging delight
• JK's 6: Excellent jangle rock from Toronto's Ducks Ltd.
• JB's #5 and JK's #3: J Mascis with a laid-back winner of a solo album
• Let us know if you want to be in the studio audience for the year-end wrapup
• JK's #5: A more electronic effort from St. Vincent
• The limited amount of media attention given to albums now
• How do current artists measure success? 
• Remembering weird synth pop from the early '80s
• Fewer barriers to entry, but fewer ways to get your music in front of people
• JB's #4: Another great Slumberland release from Lunchbox, featuring folks from Hard Left
• JK's #4: First release in 14 years from NYC art rockers Les Savy Fav
• JB's #3: NH-based act combines post punk with many different genres
• JB's #2: Johnny Foreigner returns with EP previewing their upcoming album
• JK's #2: METZ adds catchiness to their noise rock 
• JB's #1: Political swipe at gentrification from Neutrals
• Anticipated albums: Fontaines D.C., Sunset Rubdown, Johnny Foreigner, Chime School, Peel Dream Magazine, Jesus Lizard, Horse Jumper of Love, Los Campesinos, Osees
• JK's #1: Hot collection of power pop rippers from Daniel Romano's Outfit

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 639: Gaming the System

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2024 so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Crazy stuff going right as we started recording
• Concert tours getting canceled because of poor ticket sales (Black Keys, JLo)
• The phenomenon of Taylor Swift
• Vinyl is selling well, but half the people who buy it don't own a record player
• Another factor in the concert business struggles is the high price of tickets
• Apparently Gen Z loves dream pop
• Spotify accuses Hallelujah the Hills of gaming the system
• The Legend of Doo Doo Brown
• JB's honorable mentions: The Bret Tobias Set, Bug Club, Fontaines D.C., Ducks Ltd., Bedbug, Umbrellas, Torrey, Waxahatchee, Shellac, Buffalo Tom, Les Savy Fav, Pedro the Lion
• JK's honorable mentions: Cloud Nothings, Boeckner, Redd Kross, Mdou Moctar, IDLES, Plus/Minus, Bodega, Kim Gordon, DIIV
• JK's #10: Mary Timony's first solo album in 19 years
• JB's #9: Dope Yeti is the nexus of Beck, Dylan and GBV
• JK's #9: A quieter, more Americana-focused album from Buffalo Tom
• JB's #8: Strong modern shoegaze release from DIIV
• JK's #8: Second album from the Smile is an acceptable Radiohead substitute
• JB's #7: Cloud Nothings keep cranking out great albums
• To be continued 

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.