Completely Conspicuous 611: Climb to Safety

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1999. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• Jay's non-top 5s: Frank Black and the Catholics, Sebadoh, Matthew Sweet, Piebald, Fu Manchu, Superchunk, Songs: Ohia, GBV
  
• Phil's #5: Third release from Rage Against the Machine continues their anti-capitalist bent
• Jay's #5: Flaming Lips complete their transformation into a different sound
• Phil's #4: Dave Grohl continues to fight Foo and get more commercial-sounding
• Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Built to Spill with the triumphant peak of their terrific '90s run 
• Jay's #3: The final Pavement album has only gotten better with age
• Phil's #2: Debut of Rilo Kiley was financed by Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall
• Jay's #2: Beck gets funky, continuing extreme genre shifts from album to album
• Phil's #1: Widespread Panic melds a lot of styles in a listener-friendly jam album
• Jay's #1: Back-to-back #1s from Sloan with a semi-autobiographical masterpiece
  
• Favorite songs: "Climb to Safety" (Phil); "Friendship" (Jay)

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 610: End of the Century

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1999. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click or "save as").

Show notes:

• In '99, Jay turned 32, Phil turned 30
• Y2K was looming
• Phil got married, Jay got engaged
• Ireland on New Year's Eve
• Pop was on the upswing
• Nu metal and Woodstock 99
• Music sales were high, but MP3s were about to take a big bite
• Santana made a huge comeback
• Phil's non top 5 albums: Magnolia soundtrack, Sleater-Kinney, White Stripes, Wilco, Sheila Divine, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Moby, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 
• The pickings were slim overall in '99
• 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 418: Reeling in the Years, 1999 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1999. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
 
Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's new podcast Input/Output
- Brian's #3
- Magnetic Fields play every style of music on 69 Love Songs
- Jay's #3
- Beck funks it up
- Beck stopped experimenting years ago
- Brian's #2
- Brian's favorite Pavement album, but not Jay's
- Band was falling apart
- Jay's #2
- Sloan's concept album...about themselves
- Brian's #1
- Sigur Ros sing in an unidentified language
- Loud, droning orchestral sound
- Jay's #1
- Built to Spill released some epic guitar jams
- Lamenting shows we missed
- Jay: Learned about Built to Spill via Napster
- Next up (in a few months): 1981

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.

Completely Conspicuous 417: Reeling in the Years, 1999 (Part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1999. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
 
Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's new podcast Input/Output
- Brian's bubbling under picks: The Microphones, Tom Waits, Foo Fighters, Frank Black, The Roots, American Football
- Jay: Sheila Divine, Wilco, Matthew Sweet, Guided by Voices, White Stripes, Ben Folds Five, Sebadoh
- Wanted: A Bob Pollard curator
- Brian's #5
- Matt Sharp goes for a bigger rock sound
- Jay's #5
- The Lips go symphonic
- Big change from early guitar-driven stuff
- Brian's #4
- Wilco moves away from Americana sound
- Jay's #4
- Frank Black keeps cranking out winners
- Pixies are working on a new album
- 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. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 416: Reeling in the Years, 1999 (Part 1)

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1999. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
 
Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's new podcast Input/Output
- Brian was 16 going on 17 in '99, Jay was 31 going on 32
- The dawn of Napster
- Downloading music via dial-up was excruciatingly slow
- Most downloading was done on college campuses
- 1999 was the biggest sales year for the music industry
- Bowie was first major artist to release album online before retail
- eMusic over the years
- Amazon makes it easy to buy music now
- External CD burners, early MP3 players
- Brian's 1999 regrets: Primus teaming with Fred Durst, Lit, Rage Against the Machine, "ska residue," Stone Temple Pilots
- Jay's regrets: Lenny Kravitz, RHCP
- Jay: Got into stoner rock in '99 (Fu Manchu, Nebula)
- Woodstock '99 was a disaster
- Brian: Respect for "I Want it That Way"
- Cher had the #1 song of the year
- The movie Go is a good document of its time
- Santana scored big with guest-filled album
- Pop country was getting big
- The Cherone era of Van Halen ends
- The hills are alive with the sound of VH rumors
- Several prominent indie rock acts formed in '99
- 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. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.