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 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 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 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 569: Smash Your Head on the Post-Punk

Part 3 of my in-person conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2021 so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at CompCon World HQ

- Still with the fan noise

- Kumar's #7: Sleaford Mods with perennially pissed off minimalist post-punk

- Breitling's #6: Multi-instrumentalist Colleen with hypnotic ambient album

- Kumar's #6: More IDLES-y post-punk from across the pond with TV Priest

- Breitling's #4: More Slumberland bedroom pop goodness from the Reds, Pinks and Purples

- Kumar's #5: St. Vincent goes for a late '70s Bowie vibe

- Kumar's #4: Jeff Rosenstock revisits his ska-punk roots with a remake of his 2020 album No Dream

- Breitling's #3: Blue Ocean with release combining two EPs of shoegaze

- Kumar's #3: Excellent guitar-heavy ripper from Juliana Hatfield

- Breitling's #2: Pardoner with a hot rock release reminiscent of Pavement and Parquet Courts

- Kumar's #1 and Breitling's #5: Kiwi Jr.'s second release of sardonic slacker rock

- Breitling's #1 and Kumar's #2: Dinosaur Jr. with a great collection of songs

- Let's go see rock shows!

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 568: Go For Soda

It's part 2 of my in-person conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2021 so far. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at CompCon World HQ

- Still with the fan noise

- Kumar's bubbling under picks (aka "Bubblahs"): Lots of cool UK post-punk (Black Country, New Road; Squid; Yard Act; Sleaford Mods; TV Priest,; Dry Cleaning), The Hold Steady, Mdou Moctar, Guardian Singles,Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Teenage Fanclub, Iceage, McCartney, Ex-Hyena, Fridge Poetry, Glitterer, The Dirty Nil  

- Breitling: We're living in Blade Runner/cyberpunk times

- Regional lingo

- Minor sax resurgence

- Difference of opinions on The Weeknd

- Breitling's #10: Stomp Talk Modstone with a collection of Chinese shoegaze

- Kumar's #10: An EP of lost songs from The Tragically Hip's 1991 Road Apples sessions

- Breitling's #9: Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders/London Symphony Orchestra with a cool collab

- Kumar's #9: Shame's second release is full of fun, fiery post-punk

- Breitling's #8: Fog Lake with a droning take on isolation

- Kumar's #8: Striking collab between Ellen Kempner of Palehound and Melina Duterte of Jay Som

- Breitling's #7: Palberta puts it all together

- 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 567: Unmasked

It's part 1 of my in-person conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2021 so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at CompCon World HQ

- Apologies for the loudness of the fan! Pretend you're skydiving!

- First time together since December 2019

- Kumar: Check out Mdou Moctar, West African guitarist on Matador

- Rollins and his listening habits

- Breitling: Watching a lot of rock docs

- Concerts are coming back and we're going to some

- Oh great, the Eagles are touring again

- Plenty of reissues out; gotta make money somehow

- Streaming continues to be the main way to listen to music

- Remembering the days of the Walkman and then later MP3 players that held 8 songs

- Breitling's still producing a weekly radio show called Parcheesi Redux

- Internet radio shows and podcasts are filling the gap left by commercial radio's stagnancy

- I'm still doing my radio show Stuck In Thee Garage on BFF.fm

- Breitling's bubbling under picks: Lilys reissues, Mogwai, Fievel Is Glauque, Spirit of the Beehive

- 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 539: Half and Half

It's part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the year so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded via Zoom
- Breitling's #10 and Kumar's #8
- Jangly indie pop sounds from Australia
- The lack of touring is really hurting bands and fans
- Breitling's #9
- A Matmos side project, "a niche of a niche"
- Kumar's #10
- All-star post-punk act out of LA
- Kumar's #9
- The loud/loud dynamic
- Breitling's #8
- Solo album from singer of Hop Along
- Breitling's #7
- Ambient electronic from an Italian musician in his 60s
- Bandcamp Friday has been a big hit this year
- Kumar's #7
- New band from Ian MacKaye, Amy Farina and Joe Lally
- Harking back to Fugazi's sound
- Kumar's #6
- Texas-based act with members from the Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against
- Breitling's #6
- Another great Slumberland release
- Breitling's #5
- Dream pop from the Ukraine
- Kumar's #5
- Indie rock stalwart continues evolving his sound
- Kumar's and Breitling's #4
- Another cinematic effort from Canuck genius
- Breitling's #3
- Powerful release overshadowed by the pandemic
- Breitling's #2 and Kumar's #1
- Political hip hop as an art form
- Never more timely
- Kumar's #3
- Atmospheric new release from an alt-rock OG
- Kumar's #2
- Striking record from Boston-based indie rock act
- Breitling's #1
- UK indie act "like Elliot Smith making a Teenage Fanclub record"
- Looking forward to new releases from Sam Prekop, Katie Day, Bob Mould, IDLES, Fontaines DC, Psychedelic Furs
- When will concerts happen again?
- Probably dependent on a vaccine
- Liability is a big factor in whether shows come back

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 538: The Middle of Nowhere

It's part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the year so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded via Zoom
- R.I.P., Great Scott
- Big blow to Boston rock scene
- Venues, bars, restaurants are going out of business all over the country
- Breitling and college friends have resurrected their old radio shows on Mixcloud
- Parcheesi Redux is on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Now 17 weeks in
- Music industry is at a standstill
- Touring has ceased altogether
- RATT's back, baby (thanks to Geico)
- Livestreams have become a thing
- There's no money in album sales anymore
- Breitling: Have been listening to more music this year
- Breitling's faves outside the top 10: Jesse Gallagher, Hum, Phoebe Bridgers, Katie Day
- Kumar's on the bubble picks: EOB, Jeff Rosenstock, Peel Dream Magazine, Porridge Radio, Savak
- Next time: On to our top 10

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast 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 509: The Good Stuff

It's part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the year so far. Listen to the episode below or download it directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- Breitling's #6
- Changing his take on "Steve Miller Band for millennials"
- Kumar's #6
- Band recently relocated to Nashville
- Breitling's #4
- Another accomplished Boston indie rock act continues to evolve its sound
- Kumar's #5
- Don't call it a comeback; fuzzy power pop from low-key indie rocker
- Breitling's #3
- Reissue of mid-'90s release from San Jose hardcore trio
- Definitely check out the reissue of Silkworm's In the West
- Kumar's #3
- Scrappy pop punk from Toronto band
- Breitling's #2
- Veteran act with inspired new release
- Kumar's #2 and Breitling's #5
- Inspired by '80s riff rock
- Breitling's #1 and Kumar's #4
- A triumph from a legendary rock god
- Possibly as good as anything from his previous bands
- Kumar's #1
- Out of left field for me, but a great sweeping folk pop record
- Female solo artist who has come into her own
- New albums coming from Titus Andronicus, Sleater-Kinney, Redd Kross, Purple Mountains, possibly Ava Luna

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast 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 507: Half and Half

I'm joined by guest Jay Breitling as we discuss the year in rock music so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- Back for the attack
- Kumar: Just back from Philly
- Coming up in December: We pick our favorite music of the decade
- Apple is doing away with iTunes, but it's not that big a deal
- Some people are freaking out, but there are other options
- It was good for making playlists
- Kumar: Still need downloads to build radio show playlist
- People don't need to own music anymore
- Kumar: Use free versions of Spotify and YouTube to stream
- Somebody stole a bunch of Radiohead outtakes, band responds by putting it up for sale on Bandcamp
 - Breitling's curb vinyl haul
- The Dio hologram tour is ongoing
- Our verdict: Stay home
- The festivals keep going
- The Woodstock 50 debacle
- Our verdict: Festivals suck
- Breitling may want to choke you
- Reality show people are annoying
- Ja Rule explains it all
- Both of us have gone to fewer concerts this year
- We like watching the rock videos on the YouTubes
- Whither Arsenio?
- Next week: Our favorite albums of the year so far

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast 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 492: Count It Off, Smart Guy

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the first half of 2018. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- On to the top 10
- JB's #10
- Side project of the late Scott Hutchison
- JK's #10
- Welcome return of alt-rock faves
- The laid-back recording style of Steve Albini
- JB's #9
- Ambient music via Philly
- JK's #9
- Boston alt-rock icons back with a vital new record
- JB's #8 and JK's #7
- Another fine album from an Aussie rocker
- JK's #8
- The evolution of a band's sound
- JB's #7
- No new Johnny Foreigner release, but this works
- JB's #6
- Minimal electronic act from the city of Brotherly Love
- Good chillout music
- JK's #6
- A solid solo release from another alt-rock legend
- Surprising political bent on a few songs
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast 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 491: Chart Fatigue

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the first half of 2018. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- The sudden album drop: Drake, Kanye, Beyonce/Jay Z, Rosenstock
- Who needs major labels?
- Charts are meaningless when the kids just stream music
- Country may be the biggest selling genre right now
- Pop tours are struggling
- The flipside of convenience
- YouTube as last resort for streaming
- The floppy disk as music storage device
- Package tours now mix up genres and eras
- Breitling: "I imagine the Wang is sizable"
- Our favorite music: The bubbling unders...or also-rans
- Breitling: Ben Leiper, Kamasi Washington, Speedy Ortiz, GAS
- Kumar: Ty Segall, Hot Snakes, Screaming Females, La Luz, Poptone, Beach House, Janelle Monae, Painted Doll, Judas Priest
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast 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 470: First and Foremost

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the year so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- JB: The Orb released a remix EP
- JK: The prolific Ty Segall does it again
- JB: Vagabon brings fresh take to indie rock
- JK: Boss Hog's first album in 17 years
- JB: The evolving sound of Spoon
- JK: The consistently excellent New Pornographers back with another winner
- JB: Juana Molina returns with a strong, out there release
- JK: Mark Lanegan incorporates electronic music into his sound
- JB: Snowball II with a release that recalls The Lilys
- JK: Afghan Whigs release their best record since reuniting
- JB: Tommy Stinson brings back Bash & Pop with hooks galore
- JB: Slowdive's reunion album gives the people what they want

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast 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 469: Listen Up

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the year so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- Plenty of great rock music, but not on the charts
- It's all about playing live; rock radio exposure is nonexistent
- Billy Squier still gets the airplay
- Nobody's figured out how to make money from streaming music
- Get pumped for Husker Du bootleg box set
- More rock deaths: Berry, Cornell, Allman, Geils
- Rise in musical activism
- Albums we want to hear
- Breitling: Ride, Palehound, Wet Trident
- Kumar: Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, Ted Leo, Buffalo Tom, Queens of the Stone Age, Deer Tick, LCD Soundsystem
- Bubbling under albums
- Breitling: Tara Jane O'Neil, Opin, The xx
- Lubec's coming to Boston in August
- Kumar: Chastity Belt, Bash and Pop, Cloud Nothings, White Reaper, At the Drive-In, Black Lips
- Our favorite albums so far
- JB: Spirit of the Beehive combines psych and shoegaze
- JK: Run the Jewels keeps on rolling
- Zach de la Rocha's hardcore past
- JB: Yr Poetry is a Johnny Foreigner side project
- JK: Japandroids bring the rock anthems
- JB: Different sound for Pile
- JK: More anthems from Los Campesinos!
- Cello vs. violin
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast 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 432: Sound and Vision

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the first half of 2016. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Kumar's #4 and Breitling's #3
- Hallelujah the Hills releases another fine album
- Kumar's #3
- Third in Bob Mould's kickass trilogy
- Don't wait on a Husker Du reunion, Mould's current band is the real deal
- Indie rockers in their 50s are still bringing the heat
- The problem with being U2
- Breitling's #2
- The Car Seat Headrest kids are playing the rock
- Kumar's #2
- Possibly Iggy's last rock record
- Breitling's and Kumar's #1
- Bowie's last album, released three days before he died
- A consistent electronic sound
- Breitling: Looking forward to new Johnny Foreigner, Eros and the Eschaton, Urusei Yatsura comp, reissues from Rocketship and the Lilys
- Kumar: Anticipating new albums from Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr. and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

 The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.