Completely Conspicuous 678: Knee Deep in the Hoopla

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we count down our favorite music of 2026 so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Breitling's #6: Kurt Vile's love letter to Philly
• KV writes songs about nothing and they're great
• Kumar's #6: Great album from Chicago's Ratboys
• Leading the wave of bands with sweet female vocals and rocking instrumentation
• Breitling's #5: 17-track compilation from the Laughing Chimes
• It's like a typewriter, retro and satisfying
• Kumar's #5: Hot indie rock from Philly's Gladie
• Led by former singer of Cayetana
• Breitling's #4: First new LP from Broken Social Scene in a decade
• Reembracing the combustible
• Freakin' Fanelli
• Bootlegs became readily available in the early '00s
• Kumar's #4: Montreal post-punk trio with an excellent release
• Political lyrics
• Breitling's #3: The Notwist returns with a sound that combines their different phases
• Back to basics
• Documentary captures their weirdness
• Kumar's #3: Austin synth-punk weirdos Drakulas return with gloriously fun release
• Featuring members of the Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against
• Breitling's and Kumar's #2: We did it!
• Courtney Barnett with a triumphant album recorded in California
• Sings about everyday issues in her life
• Breitling's and Kumar's #1: We did it again!
• Alex Edkins of METZ with his second Weird Nightmare album
• Not as dark and heavy as METZ, but exciting and exhilarating
• Very hooky and uplifting
• Looking forward to new stuff from Kiwi Jr., Strange Pains, Johnny Foreigner, Afghan Whigs, The Cramps (archival release), The Fall, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Evil Island  
  

  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 677: Time for a Slacker Revolution

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about the best music of 2026 so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• AI music is apparently a thing on streaming services
• Saxophone Colossus, mfer (RIP)
• Blue dot syndrome: Tours getting canceled because of poor ticket sales
• Who woulda thunk Kiefer Sutherland couldn't sell out concerts?
• Many artists are trying to fill venues that are too big
• We're going to a lot of concerts
• Why is beer so expensive at music venues?
• What is a walking class?
• The Osbourne family has licensed an Ozzy hologram for use in ads
• ABBA does a hologram show of them in their prime
• Maybe older bands should be replaced by holograms
• Car Seat Headrest remade their 2016 album, removed swear words and drug references
• Books are being updated with current references
• AI is used a lot to make pop and R&B music
• Young H-Dawg is into grunge now
• Breitling's honorable mentions: Crooked Fingers, Sleaford Mods, Stomptalk Modstone, Softjaw, Reds Pinks and Purples, Mclusky, Fugazi, Hedge
• Kumar's HMs: King Tuff, Bevis Frond, New Pornographers, Gord Downie and the Sadies, Damaged Bug, Sub*T, Ecca Vandal, Broken Social Scene
• Breitling's #10: Philly's Nothing with a different sound
• Influenced by the singer's neurological disorder
• Kumar's #10: Mclusky returns with a killer mini-album
• Recent spate of touring has made the band even better
• Breitling's #9: Lofi Legs may or may not have released an album this year
• The time is right for a slacker revolution
• Kumar's #9: Joyce Manor sings about getting older
• LA trio makes with the emo pop-punk
• Breitling's #8: Reunited original lineup of the Grownup Noise
• Band deserves more props
• Kumar's #8: Pure pop magic from the Lemon Twigs
• Reminiscent of Sharp Pins and Redd Kross
• Breitling's #7: Pittsburgh's Feeble Little Horse persevere without Ryan
• All killer, no filler
• Kumar's #7: Canadian artist Daniel Romano continues to bring the heat
• Split up songwriting duties for this album
• 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.

Completely Conspicuous 670: Stacking the Deck

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2025. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Counting down the rest of our favorite albums of the year
• Kumar's #8: Indie rock godfather Bob Mould is still pissed off and rocking
• Mould has also reunited his '90s band Sugar
• Kumar's #7: Triumphant return for Mclusky
• Falco and crew having fun ripping on various targets
• Breitling's #6: Superchunk keeps going with new drummer
• If you thought they were angry in 2018...
• Chock full of "banglociraptors"
• Kumar's #6: Straight outta Asheville with Wednesday's killer combo of alt-country, shoegaze and heavy guitar rippers 
• Band features MJ Lenderman but it's Karly Hartzman's show
• Breitling's #5: Debut from Slumberland act The Cords
• Scottish indie jangle-pop banglociraptors
• Kumar's #5: Thrilling post punk from South London act Shame
• Returning to harder rocking sound of first few albums
• More albums are shorter nowadays
• Breitling's #4: Prolific Chicago psych-pop act Sharp Pins keeps bringing it
• Flashes of GBV and early Kinks
• Breitling's #3: Crutchfield sisters (Waxahatchee, Swearin') drop surprise release as Snocaps
• Again with the Lenderman, on drums this time
• Kumar's #3: PUP applies newfound maturity to pop-punk bangers
• Singing about adult stuff 
• Breitling's #2: Mini-album from Peel Dream Magazine
• Autumnal-sounding leftovers from previous album recording session
• Kumar's #2: Sloan keeps bringing the heat with 14th release of diverse and rewarding power pop
• Four singer-songwriters keep the offerings varied and on point
• Breitling's #1 and Kumar's #4: Monumental four-album conceptual triumph from Hallelujah the Hills
• Lot of guest stars including Ezra Furman, Clint Conley, Sadie Dupuis, Patrick Stickles
• Staggering amount of excellence 
• Kumar's #1 and Breitling's #7: NYC's Geese blows up with wide-ranging collection that grabs your attention
• Their club tour sold out immediately
• Frontman Cameron Winter leads a sound that ranges from Pavement to soul
• Looking forward to 2026 releases from: Notwist, Kiwi Jr., Courtney Barnett, Sleaford Mods, Crooked Fingers, Strange Pains
• Reunion shows next year from Silkworm, Superdrag
  

  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 669: Fight the Good Fight

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2025. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• The 17th annual year in music review
• AI-generated music is lame
• Especially fake music that purports to be by real artists
• Spotify is a juggernaut that still sucks
• Checking out other services (Qobuz, Amazon)
• You don't get to own downloads via streaming services
• The kids love the K-pop
• Only a handful of artists make any money these days
• Oh yay, LIve Nation is going to get richer
• Ticketmaster is now a ticket reseller as well
• We're still seeing the live rock
• Breitling: Thumbs up for the Aimee Mann/Ted Leo Christmas show
• Saw Oasis in Mexico City
• We both saw Hallelujah the Hills 
• Kumar: Saw Frank Black, Narducy/Shannon do R.E.M., Gang of Four with Ted Leo, Bob Mould, Greg Norton, Ducks Ltd., Pixies, the Who, Buffalo Tom
• Breitling's bubbling under music picks: Ava Luna, Lifeguard, Winter, Frankie Cosmos, Golden Apples, Lemonheads, Sister Ray Davies, Jeff Tweedy, Glimmer, Tiberius, Telephone Numbers
• Kumar's honorable mentions: Tweedy, The Convenience, Snocaps, Turnstile, The Hives, Viagra Boys, Pulp, Car Seat Headrest, Charm School, Horsegirl, Superchunk, Pile, The Beths, Tony Molina, Sharp Pins, They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Militarie Gun, Kestrels, Destroyer, Dean Wareham, Kinski, Ty Segall, Stereolab, Lunchbox, Cam Keiber, Husker Du and Replacements box sets
• Breitling's #10: Autocamper's debut asks a valid question 
• Kumar's #10: Debut solo release from TV On the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe 
• Breitling's #9: Energetic indie rock from Chicago's OK Cool 
• Kumar's #9: Ripper out of nowhere from The Men
• Breitling's #8: Urgent EP about ancient Greece by Strange Passage
• Reunion tours with strange combinations
• Triumph is coming around next year
• 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.

Completely Conspicuous 658: Hits to the Dome

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2025 so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Counting down our favorite albums
• Breitling's #6: Dan Bejar with another well-done Destroyer album
• "Slacker Sinatra" singing about aging
• Kumar's #6: Striking solo effort from Tunde Adebimpe
• Breitling's #5: Shoegaze goodness from NJ's High
• Kumar's #5: Dax Riggs with fuzz-laden goth grunge
• Breitling's #4: Digging the Estonian dream pop from mariin k.
• Kumar's #3: Impressive 15th solo album from Bob Mould plays to his strengths
• Still kicking ass into his mid-60s
• Breitling's #3: Boston trio with a dumb name and a great album, (T-T)b
• Kumar's #2: Mclusky returns after 21 years with a razor-sharp ripper
• Breitling's #2 and Kumar's #4: Surprise return to thunderous form from The Men
• Kumar's #1: PUP's fifth album finds them exploring more mature themes while still kicking ass
• Breitling's #1 and Kumar's #7: The four-album magnum opus from Hallelujah the Hills exceeds expectations
• Many guest appearances among the 54 songs
• Looking forward to new releases from the Lemonheads, Sloan, Superchunk, Pile, Wednesday

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 657: Charts Schmarts

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2025 so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Drinking some Italian beer
• Rock is dead commercially
• Billboard album chart contains nearly no rock
• Fleetwood Mac's Rumours still riding high for some reason
• Festival cancellations: Bonnaroo, Boston Calling next year, Lollapalooza
• Too many festivals, high ticket prices
• Black Sabbath farewell show
• Lots of big rock deaths: Brian Wilson, Sly Stone, David Johansen, Marianne Faithfull, etc.
• We saw Hallelujah the Hills recently and it was glorious
• Kumar saw some shows: Frank Black, Shannon/Narducy, Gang of Four, Bob Mould
• Breitling will see Oasis in Mexico, as one does
• Who's the Who's drummer?
• Breitling's bubbling under albums: Whirr, Winter, Lunchbox, Pink Floyd reissue, Rough Francis, The Get Quick, Autocamper, Viagra Boys, Thalia Zedek Band
• Kumar's list: Kinski, Ty Segall, Civic, Cameron Keiber, Dean Wareham, Pulp, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, The Bug Club, Turnstile, The Tubs, Kestrels, Lifeguard, Hotline TNT
• Breitling's #10: An electronic collab between Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke
• Kumar's #10: Sophomore release from Horsegirl explores mellower sounds
• So much music to listen to these days
• Breitling's #9: Ambient situation delivered by William Tyler
• Of Bills Frisell and Laswell
• Kumar's #9: Post-punk ripper from Charm School
• Kurt Loder is still with us
• Kumar's #8: Heavy Spoon influence on the new album from The Convenience
• Breitling's #7: Dean Wareham is still bringing it
• 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.

Completely Conspicuous 648: That Was the Year That Was

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

Show notes:

• Our top 10 albums of the year
• Shout out to Rock P's top 20 out of 10 countdown
• JB's #10: Triple album tribute album for Jesse Malin, an underrated songwriter
• JK's #10: J Mascis incorporates hot guitar solos into a mostly acoustic album
• JB's #9: Hot collection of bangers from Cloud Nothings
• JK's #9: Farewell set from Toronto noise rockers METZ 
• JK's #8: Angry breakup album from Fake Fruit
• Coming up on the 5th birthday of Parcheesi Redux radio, SITG hit 11 this fall
• JB's #7: Retro '60s sounds from Sharp Pins
• JK's #7:  Philly indie rockers return with in-your-face collection
• JB's #6: More great SF indie bubblegum pop from Lunchbox
• JK's #6: Power pop scorchers courtesy of Daniel Romano's Outfit
• Reminiscing about ER and One Tree Hill
• JB's #5: Peel Dream Magazine delivers peaceful indie pop
• JK's #5: Dublin indie rock act Fontaines D.C. with commercial breakthrough
• JB's #4: Dog Day with economical set of bangers
• JK's #4: Slacker alt-country with hott lead guitar by MJ Lenderman
• JB's #3: Another Slumberland slacker indie pop success with Neutrals
• JK's #3: Indie supergroup the Hard Quartet with Malkmus and Matt Sweeney
• JB's #2: The rare Johnny Foreigner album that isn't #1, but it's still pretty great 
• JK's #2 and JB's #8: Triumphant return from the Cure after 16 years
• JB's #1: Chime School with the peak summer hang soundtrack
• JK's #1: A November release from Kim Deal is a terrific reflection on loss
• First solo album after 37 years in the music biz
• Looking forward to 2025 releases from Hallelujah the Hills, maybe more Johnny Foreigner, Horsegirl, Mogwai

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 647: Quality Pints

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

Show notes:

• The 16th annual year in review 
• First one was in 2009
• Cybertrucks are dumb
• Self-driving cars are also dumb
• Taylor Swift just ended a monster tour
• Music is a dead-end business for most
• Spotify sucks
• Country music is huge
• Breitling: There are some good underground country artists
• A good year for Tracy Chapman
• Social media landscape is shifting
• Lots of big music deaths: Quincy Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Albini, Paul Di'Anno, Greg Kihn, Karl Wallinger
• Getting out to some rock shows: Hallelujah the Hills, Nuggets tour, Gang of Four, Hoodoo Gurus, Sloan in Toronto
• Breitling's honorable mentions: The TV show The Bear, Bug Club's song "Quality Pints," Fontaines D.C.'s "Favourite," Tsunami box set, Spectres, Kal Marks
• Kumar's honorable mentions: Dale Crover, Buffalo Tom, Ekko Astral, Jack White, Ducks Ltd., Mary Timony, Los Campesinos 
• 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.

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.

Completely Conspicuous 628: 2023 and Me

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2023. Listen to the episode below (or download directly).

Show notes:

• We're in there like swimwear
• On to the top 10 lists
• Breitling's #10: Return to from by Fog Lake
• Breitling's #9: Frog's new release unexpectedly has received critical praise 
• Kumar's #9: Another consistenly great album from Protomartyr
• Breitling's #8: Minimalist excellence from Colleen that tests Jay's French pronunciation skills
• Kumar's #8: After an 11-year absence, the Hives' formula de rock still kicks ass in 2023
• Breitling's #7 and Kumar's #10: Yo La Tengo still bringing the heat, opening the album with 7-minute feedback-laden ripper
• Kumar's #7 and Breitling's #6: Supergroup is actually super, Voltroning into a monster act
• Kumar's #6: Return of the rock with Queens of the Stone Age, chock full o' bangers from a super-tight band
• Breitling's #5: Philly represent with Golden Apples dropping indie pop/rock with the fuzz bass and some wooder ice
• Kumar's #5: SF's Pardoner brings an assortment of guitar sounds from the last 50 years to their latest slack masterpiece
• The '90s sound (and look) is still thriving
• Breitling's #4: More of the Philly goodness with Purling Hiss with the lo-fi hooky guitar rock
• Kumar's #4: Indie power-pop supergroup Eyelids delivers the super-catchy goods
• Breilting's #3: Bay Area shoegaze concern Blue Ocean returns with a weird and rewarding album
• Kumar's #3: Sharp, concise indie post-punk from Kansas-via-Boston act Sweeping Promises  
• Breitling's #2: Ohio-based indie act Connections connects with melodic rockers; RIYL GBV, Feelies
• Kumar's #2: New Zealand post-punk that smashes through with punchy, catchy rippers
• Breitling's #1: Long-awaited reunion album from American shoegaze icons Drop Nineteens does not disappoint
• Kumar's #1: Going into Hellmode with Jeff Rosenstock, who has been consistently releasing excellent albums for the last several years; additional layers of maturity and depth make this release all the more satisfying 

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 627: The Year in Music, Let It Bleed Edition

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2023. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Recorded at Clicky Clicky HQ
• The 14th year of "Year in Music" episodes
• Taylor Swift is big, but not bigger than Starbucks
• Breitling making fun of Croz
• Perfect synergy: The Stones tour sponsored by AARP
• Hall v. Oates
• KISS passes the torch to digital avatars of themselves
• The "new" old Beatles song
• Check it out on the YouthTube
• Spotify blows
• The kids love the streaming and whatnot
• Check out Parcheesi Redux Tuesday and Thursday on Mixcloud
• Also check out Brad Searles' show The Almanac on the first Wednesday of every month
• Shout out to the Rollins Archive
• Breitling's honorable mentions: Ted Pauly, Everything But the Girl, Cupid and Psyche, Everasting and Zilla, Superchunk
• Kumar's honorable mentions: Pile, Model/Actriz, Yves Tumor, Fucked Up, Shame, PJ Harvey, Peter Gabriel, Marnie Stern, Replacements' "Tim" reissue, Breeders' Last Splash reissue, Feelies live album of VU covers
• 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 615: All Killer, No Filler

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2023. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Running down our favorite albums of the year so far
• Kumar's #10: Pile diversifies its sound
• Breitling's #9 and Kumar's #8: Yo La Tengo keeps on Yo La Tengoing 
• Kumar's #9: Dangerous sounding debut from Model/Actriz
• Breitling's #8: Continued excellence from Protomartyr
• Kumar's #7: Excellent third release from Washer, giving off Meat Puppets vibe
• Another great act on Exploding In Sound
• Breitling's #7: Fog Lake returns with a compelling slowcore release; may or may not be Shady Canadians
• Breitling's #10 and Kumar's #6: Perennially pissed off hip hop from UK Grim
  
• Breitling's #6: Lo-fi folk rock stalwarts Hands and Knees return with a strong release
• Kumar's #5: Yves Tumor mixes shoegaze, alt-rock and funk into a powerful concoction
• Breitling's #5 and Kumar's #4: Legit supergroup Boygenius delivers the goods
• Breitling's #4: Bully with another excellent rock album
• Tom Cavanaugh tangent time
• Kumar's #3: Catchy hardcore from Fucked Up represents a more spontaneous recording process
• Breitling's #3: Quick collection of rippers from New Zealand's Guardian Singles
• Kumar's #2: UK act Shame pushes out of their post-punk comfort zone
• Breitling's #2: Going back to Philly with Purling Hiss, bringing hooks and attitude to the party
• Kumar's #1: Power pop awesomeness from the indie all-star band that is Eyelids
• Breitling's #1: Jangly indie pop straight outta Columbus with Connections
• Kurt Loder tangent 
• Anticipated/newer albums: Drop Nineteens, Speedy Ortiz, Palehound, PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age, Jason Isbell, Jeff Rosenstock, OSees, Blur 

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 614: The Midway Point

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2023. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Recorded at CompCon HQ
  
• Concerts are back
• TicketMaster is still a mess
• Nobody's buying CDs
• The Beatles and AI
• Parcheesi Redux is in its third year
• Talking about the band Toronto and their hit "Your Daddy Don't Know," covered by the New Pornographers
• The kids are alright
• Rock music is still around, although it's a minor part of the music business
• Breitling's bubbling under albums: Everything But the Girl; Depeche Mode; Sharp Pins; OK Cool; Reds, Pinks and Purples; Pile; Squitch; Mui Zyu
• Jay's bubbling unders: The Hold Steady; The New Pornographers; Ron Gallo; Quasi; Mudhoney
• 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 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.

Completely Conspicuous 580: The Dream of the '90s is Alive

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our top albums of 2021. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ

- On to the top 10

- Breitling's #10: The Reds, Pinks and Purples with an ephemeral pop release on Slumberland

- Kumar's #10: Raw collection of rippers from Juliana Hatfield

- Breitling's #9 and Kumar's #8: Instant classic from Ovlov

- Kumar's #9: IDLES shifts gears with some stylistic changes

- Breitling's #8: Chime School with a quality jangle-rock album

- Breitling's #7: More Slumberland goodness from the Umbrellas

- Kumar's #7: St. Vincent digs into a late '70s vibe

- Breitling's #6: Toronto's Ducks Ltd. with an excellent Feelies-esque record

- Kumar's #5: Baltimore hardcore screamers Turnstile explores different sounds

- Breitling's #4 and Kumar's #2: Dino Jr. continues to kick ass

- Kumar's #4: Kiwi Jr. is another Toronto act working the '90s slacker rock vibe

- Breitling's #3: MBV-esque shoegaze from Fleeting Joys

- Kumar's #3: Parquet Courts moves into danceable Talking Heads territory

- Breitling's #2 and Kumar's #6: The War on Drugs fully embraces a mid-80s FM radio sound

- Breitling's #1: Blue Ocean with a shoegaze/post punk compilation of two EPs

- Kumar's #1 and Breitling's #5: More Bay Area-based slack-rock awesomeness with Pardoner

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 579: On the Bubble

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2021. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click or "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ

- Fully boostered podcast

- We've been to concerts

- Some shows have been postponed or canceled

- Physical media is disappearing

- Vinyl shortage

- We're still doing our Internet radio shows (Parcheesi Radio, Stuck In Thee Garage)

- Tiktok is becoming a way to break music

- What the f are NFTs?

- Our favorite music, starting with the ones that didn't make our top 5

- Breitling: Mogwai, Lilys reissue, Fievel Is Glauque, Spirit of the Beehive

- Kumar: Ducks Ltd., Courtney Barnett, Jeff Rosenstock, Black Country New Road, Dry Cleaning, Fiddlehead

- Breitling: Stomp Talk Modstone, Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders/London Sympathy Orchestra, Palberta, Kiwi Jr., Colleen, Fog Lake

- Kumar: Chubby and the Nuts, Mdou Moctar, The Bevis Frond, Sleaford Mods, Colleen Green, TV Priest, Bachelor, Shame

- 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.