Samantha Gongol and Jeremy Lloyd are songwriting duo Marian Hill and they are here to share their annoyingly sharp insights on music. They come bearing the wistful pop of Lorde’s “Ribs,” and we deconstruct its primordial roots in classical composers like Scelsi, Beethoven and Haydn. Then, […]
On her single ‘Butterflies,’ Kacey Musgraves demonstrates a tour de force of songwriting. This song is a wild success because it incessantly reinforces one core emotional concept: that queasy anxious feeling in your stomach. No we’re not talking about your leftover lunch, we’re talking about […]
In which Nate tries to convince Charlie that Lil Pump’s SoundCloud Rap hit “Gucci Gang” warps the perceptual present. Featuring: Lil Pump – Gucci Gang Gustav Mahler – Der Abschied / Das Lied von der Erde Franz Schubert – String Quintet / Adagio Conlon Nancarrow […]
“Make Me Feel,” is the first hit from Janelle Monáe’s upcoming album Dirty Computer. It is a sensual song about the fluidity of desire. In the pre-chorus, the singer proudly expresses that she is a “sexual bender.” Fans have embraced the song for breaking free of normative […]
In Camila Cabello’s “Havana” we hear both her Cuban roots and the modern sounds of Atlanta. Though the singer and featured guest Young Thug reference these two geographic identities, the song says so much more through its core musical elements. A Roland TR-808 kick drum […]
Gina Delvac of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast and Darryl W Bullock, author of David Bowie Made Me Gay, join Nate and Charlie to dig into the poetry of Troye Sivan’s “My My My!”, the history of LGBT pop music, and the songs we love […]
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The 90s are back. It is as if pop music entered a black hole and came out 25 years in the past. Today’s artists are reviving the new jack swing and vocal R&B, creating a wave of 90s nostalgia. Uncover how they trick us into somehow […]
What’s up with Justin Timberlake? Two years ago he gifted us the ebullient family-friendly jam “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” now he’s on the cusp of a deeply serious new record called “Man of the Woods,” whose first single, strangely, is a bit of electro-funk snarl […]
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Charlie talks laments, Baroque opera, and gender politics in Dua Lipa’s sleeper hit “New Rules” with writer Emily Bootle.
Charlie and Nate breakdown Mariah Carey’s classic “All I Want for Christmas is You” and revisit their favorite tracks of 2017. Sleigh bells abound. Songs Discussed • Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas • Laura Marling – Semper Femina • Lorde – Melodrama […]