Completely Conspicuous 602: Best In Show

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we count down our favorite music of 2022. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- On to our top 10

- Breitling's #10: Archers of Loaf returns with a different sounding release

- Kumar's #10: Fontaines D.C. evolves its sound

- Breitling's and Kumar's #9: Radiohead offshoot The Smile with an interesting return to early '00s sound

- Breitling's #8: Pleasant surprise album from Palm

- Breitling's #7: First Sub Pop album from Frankie Cosmos

- Bernice taking over the couch

- Breitling's #6: Shimmering pop brilliance from The Beths

- Kumar's #6: A nostalgic rocker from Oceanator

- Breitling's #5 and Kumar's #7: Horsegirl bursts out of nowhere with a lo-fi banger of a debut

- Kumar's #5: Another strong release from Toronto's Kiwi Jr.

- Breitling's #4 and Kumar's #8: Harking back to '85, band full of DC punk vets lands a massive post-hardcore statement

- Kumar's #4: Triumphant return by Titus Andronicus overcoming setbacks

- Breitling's #3: METZ side project Weird Nightmare is "peak Jay (Breitling)"

- Kumar's #3: Afghan Whigs combines old collaborations with new sounds

- Breitling's #2: A "modern shoegaze classic" from Helens

- Kumar's #2: Sloan delivers another classic power pop album that they developed during the pandemic

- Breitling's #1: Side project from Johnny Foreigner principals as Yr Poetry

- Kumar's #1: Smart-ass and cynical look at being in an band from PUP

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. 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 601: Your Favorite Thing

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2022. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at Clicky Clicky/Parcheesi Redux East HQ

- We've been doing this for 13 years!

- Kumar: Went to some more shows this year

- Breitling went to zero shows in 2022

- Things to look forward to in '23: The Cure returns, Drop Nineteens, Hallelujah the Hills' DECK project, Johnny Foreigner, Fucked Up, Blue Ocean, Peter Gabriel

- Kate Hudson is supposed to be releasing an album

- The varied talents of Fred Armisen

- In '22, the music industry continued to struggle

- Fewer revenue streams, fragmented audiences, content glut

- Diaper payola

- Even established acts can't sell new albums anymore

- Artists are selling directly to their audiences through Patreon, etc.

- Breitling's honorable mentions: Photon Band, Flyying Colours, Bitchin' Bajas, Kal Marks, Sun Airway, S.C.A.B., They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Kiwi Jr.

- Kumar's HMs: Kal Marks, Built to Spill, Wet Leg, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Alvvays, Superchunk, Spoon, Jon Spencer and the HitMakers, Archers of Loaf, Black Angels, OFF!

- Albums that came out early in the year feel like they came out much longer ago

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. 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 592: Right in the Middle

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2022. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ

- Breitling's #5: Papercuts with a solid effort featuring gratuitious Mellotron

- Kumar's #5: Spoon serves up a quality dollop of Spoon

- Breitling's #4: Elvis Costello in his occasional rock mode

- Kumar's #4: The Smile fills the gap between Radiohead albums with a pretty damn good album

- Kumar's #3: Oceanator brings the heat with revved-up guitar attack and a Doofenshmirtzian name

- Kumar with the prog-rock contacts

- Breitling's #3: WEMA is a London-based Tanzanian electronic act playing hypnotic worldbeat

- Kumar's #2: Superchunk with a strong but restrained effort looking at life during a pandemic

- Breitling's #2: Debut EP from SF act Neutrals that pushes shorter indie rock songs into long songs

- Kumar's #1: Toronto punk-pop act PUP with a great concept album about a band named PUP breaking up

- Breitling's #1: Debut album from Chicago's Horsegirl is full of "wall-to-wall bangasauruses"

- Looking forward to new releases from Kiwi Jr., Built to Spill, Ty Segall, Sloan, Afghan Whigs

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. 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 591: The First Part

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2022. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ

- Breitling's laptop is acting up

- Concerts are mostly back

- Kate Bush sees a resurgence in popularity

- R.I.P., the iPod

- RL Mathews discovers the new stuff

- Breitling's honorable mentions: Graveyard Club, David West, Big Cream, Peaness, Golden Apples, Stomptalk Modstone, Pillow Queens, Pinchpoints, Flash Hits

- Kumar's HMs: Papercuts, Kurt Vile, Savak, Sasami, Kids on a Crime Spree, Yard Act, Adulkt Life, Mister Goblin, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Elvis Costello

- Good reissues from Pavement and the Flashing Lights

- Kumar's #10: Pink Mountaintops bring the psych/sludge/synth pop

- Breitling's #10: Lo Fi Legs, a musical band with a terrible name and good indie rock

- Kumar's #9: Dan Bejar brings a little more danceability to the latest Destroyer joint

- Kumar's #8: Jon Spencer's back with a fun record

- Breitling's #8: Spiritualized is worth repeat listening

- Kumar's #7: Wet Leg proves they're not a one-trick pony

- Breitling's #7: Tremendous release from Pet Fox, featuring doods from Ovlov and Palehound

- Breitling's #6: Yawners with the Spanish indie rock

- Kumar's #6: Moody change of pace from Fontaines D.C.

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. 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.