Chorus Vs. Chorus: Recent Episodes
Elemeno Media
A "competitive" music history & discussion podcast.
What's the greatest ever use of accordion? Which is the best Beatles solo song? How do you reform a Jimmy Buffet fan? For each question, the hosts propose a candidate and then battle it out. Discover new music or hear commentary on old favorites. Listen to full songs on Spotify with the "Chorus Vs. Chorus Official Playlist."
How you ain't gonna listen? It's CVC! For our third ever artist deep dive, we take that (Ludacris) and rewind it (his discography) back, celebrating one of the weirdest, most boisterous, most joyous vulgarians in hip hop history. DTP!
We try to convince each other that our treasure isn't the other host's trash. Featuring music from Billie Eilish, Solange, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and more.
50 episodes. 50 states. 100 songs. Two wives. Two wife guys.
Featuring music from Loretta Lynn, Nina Simone, Violent Femmes, Wu Tang Clan, Lightning Bolt, Ronny James Dio, Howlin' Wolf, The Shins, and so much more.
Philosophers, biologists, poets, podcasters -- all the most important thinkers through the generations all agree: life is freakin crazy, man. That's why CVC is exploring, on today's episode, songs that help explain the key stages of life and what it all could mean.
The categories are: (1) birth; (2) youth; (3) adulthood; (4) death. Tune in to find out which of these stages your hosts have experienced!
Featuring music from T. Rex, Faye Webster, Indigo de Souza, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
E.B. White once said, "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested. And the frog dies of it." But that guy also wrote a book where a human woman gives birth to a mouse, so what does he know? On today's episode, we fill the room with dead frogs as we explore the role of humor in music, making sure in the process to be as absolutely unfunny as possible. Given your co-hosts, that wasn't a challenge.
The categories are: (1) a funny song that is good; (2) a good song that is funny; (3) an unintentionally funny song.
Featuring music from The Lonely Island, Tom Lehrer, Blake Mills, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
We got it wrong the last time, and for that we feel guilt -- so we brought back friend-of-the-show Charles Frantz for our very first sequel. In the first "Guilt," we hedged our bets; we weren't vulnerable enough. So, like in any good sequel, we went Bigger. Bolder. Meaner. Braver. In a word: Guiltier.
Featuring songs from Limp Bizkit, Fergie, John Mayer, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? You don't. But let's say you were conducting a thought exercise. You'd go to linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus for the playlist and more.
What's this... a year-end music list that is actually being published on the very last day of the year? Quelle horreur! Hop in with your hosts for one last look at ten tracks (and then some) that made 2022 a great musical year for twenty-twenty-me and twenty-twenty-you. Happy New Year, nerds!
Featuring music from Djo, Doechii, Spoon, Steve Lacy, Katie Sin, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
On today's episode, we cue up Vitamin C's "Friends Forever," pull out our gel pens, and sprinkle tears onto the yearbook pages of a classmate we sat behind in bio and had one conversation with. It's our superlatives episode, and we're foreseeing the future of music with some classic yearbook prediction phrases: (1) most improved player; (2) class clown; (3) most likely to succeed. See you at the pool party!
Featuring music from Beyoncé, Wet Leg, Tyler the Creator, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
On today's episode, we make like Leo DiCaprio and point at things we recognize, celebrating the art of art that talks about other art. Our categories are a song that references: (1) another song's lyrics; (2) another song's musical idea; (3) something from another medium.
Featuring music from Amy Winehouse, Built to Spill, Danny Brown, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
On today's episode, we explore that timeless truism: necessity is the Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention (exact phrasing still under review). Our three categories examine what happens when musicians impose limitations on their creative processes, and how that can enrich their modes of expression. The categories are: (1) songs that use only one chord; (2) melodies that use only one note; (3) songs that use only one instrument.
Featuring music from Harry Nilsson, The Killers, Dean Martin, and more. Want to hear the full songs? Go to linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
Songs only available on YouTube:
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"One Note Samba" on the Dean Martin Show
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"PRIM" performed by Evelyn Glennie
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"Thinkin' About Your Body" by Bobby McFerrin
Sources mentioned in this episode:
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"Hearing Essay" by Evelyn Glennie
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Far Out Magazine, "Tomorrow Never Knows"
Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of imagination, the artist-poet-singer, harried for years on end in pursuit of the perfect song, our special guest for today's episode: all-around creative supernova Jeffrey Lewis. He saw the hosts of Chorus Vs. Chorus ask him to choose three songs that tell an amazing story, and he learned the melodies of many distant tracks.
Featuring music by The Fall, Ice Cube, Slick Rick, and more. Want to hear the full songs? Go to linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
Check out this document if you'd like to learn more about Jeff Lewis, support his music, or learn where to start in his catalogue: tinyurl.com/jeff-lewis-cvc.
Cartoonist Evan Salazar (@evan_saladbar) returns to inaugurate the Two-Timers Club here on CVC, where we veer off from the beaten path with demos, b-sides, and other rare delights from artists we love. Our categories are: (1) best b-side; (2) best demo; (3) best alternate recording.
Featuring music from A.M. Gately, Joni Mitchell, Gram Parsons, and more.
To learn more about Evan's comics or to support the work he does, check out his Patreon. Want to hear the full songs? Go to https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
Queue up the gramophone, burn a MiniDisc, or drop a file onto your Zune – it's time for a new CVC. On today's episode, we offer an extensive tour through the birth and re-births of audio recording technology, and how the media of listening have shaped, blown up, and rearranged the ways in which people make the music itself.
Join us as we explore the four distinct epochs of sound recording: (1) The Acoustic Era; (2) The Electric Era; (3) The Magnetic Era; (4) The Digital Era.
Featuring music from Mamie Smith, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Madonna, and more.
Want to hear the full songs or check out our sources? Go to https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
On today's episode (recorded a year ago), we rappel into the uncanny valley to explore songs that violate expectations and have certain qualities that don't seem like they belong. Our categories are songs that are: (1) oddly pretty; (2) oddly moving; (3) oddly familiar; (4) oddly successful.
Featuring music from The Flaming Lips, Caetano Veloso, Sky Ferreira, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
If music is the soundtrack of our lives (quote by Gandhi), then surely soundtracks must be the music of our movies (also Gandhi). Today on CVC, we take a look at the beauty of song selection in the cinematic arts. Apologies in advance to Garden State heads – but are advance congrats in order for fans of the Little Nicky soundtrack? Tune in to find out!
Our categories are: (1) best film score; (2) best soundtrack; (3) best musical soundtrack; (4) best soundtrack to a movie we haven't seen.
Featuring music by Hot Chocolate, Mika Levi, Stealers Wheel, Jimmy Cliff, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
Mentioned: How Under the Skin Terrifies Us With Sound
Today, CVC is taking you back to the time when your teen brain was sleepiest, your AV club credentials freshest, your chin pimples stinging-est: It's time for school. We're exploring songs relating to these four subject areas: (1) Math (2) Science (3) Drama (4) P.E.
Featuring music by Bomba Estéreo, Hiatus Kaiyote, 10cc, Leith Ross, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
All good artists know negative space is as important as what's there -- that's our official excuse for why there's so much awkward dead air on our podcast. So on today's episode, we're exploring the concept of missing elements from music. Our categories are: (1) Songs missing bass; (2) Songs missing drums; (3) Songs with a key band member missing; and (4) Songs by a missing person.
Featuring music by The Smashing Pumpkins, Connie Converse, Lenine, The Replacements, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
Do you like bass? Well, so did Carol Kaye, one of the dozens of legendary session musicians we'll be profiling on today's episode.
Don't know what a session musician is? You're in luck -- this episode is a full-on "session" session in which we explain the hidden histories behind the following squads of hired-gun studio instrumentalists: (1) The Wrecking Crew; (2) The Nashville A-Team; (3) The Funk Brothers; (4) The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.
Featuring music from The Association, Roy Orbison, The Gants, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
It's season 2, baby, and we're back after a nine month hiatus!
Hey, scene kids: is your favorite pastime telling anyone who'll listen that you were one of five people present at Commander Venus' first show at the Sokol? Did you live in Athens in 1981 and know Michael Stipe's acupuncturist? Were you in gym class with Timbaland? Were you always... there? Then let's talk about four small American towns that, against all odds, have produced some of the most important music of the past 50 years. The scenes we're exploring today are: Omaha, NE; Athens, GA; Virginia Beach, VA; and Bakersfield, CA.
Featuring music from Cursive, Aaliyah, Merle Haggard, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
We're joined by songwriter, guitarist, music-opinion-haver, and bard of all things brütal Luke Henley to discuss songs that rock, songs that stink, and the important ways in which artists sequence the music on their albums. There may even be some accusations of dad-rockism thrown about. Our categories are: best first track; best Side A closer; best final track.
Featuring music from In Solitude, Baby Huey, Lauryn Hill, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc. Follow Luke on Instagram @sexheadaches, and buy his music at Bandcamp (Sex Headaches / Microdoser / Fibber).
Today we stop thinking with our heads, and start thinking with our chests. That’s right, singing nerds — your hosts are doing a cantabile episode about vocal registers.
Whether you’re an expert in all things glottis or you’re wondering if a larynx is a type of mythical creature, you’re about to hear us talk about what singers do best: push air out of their throats in different ways.
We discuss our favorite instances of singers using the four types of vocal registers: whistle; falsetto; modal; vocal fry.
Featuring music from Björk, The Dismemberment Plan, Ruth Brown, Ariana Grande, and more.
We're joined by Charles Frantz (@charlesfrantz), a friend, funnyfella, and former coward who refused to come onto our show for months. When asked why, he explained that he currently subsists on a music diet exclusively of guilty pleasures.
That's why we drafted in Charles for today's episode to explore what it actually means to feel guilty about the media we consume, touching on songs by problematic faves, shameless sugar pop, room clearing nuisances, and evilest of all: Shaggy.
The categories are: (1) Guilty guilty pleasures; (2) Guiltless guilty pleasures; (3) Should I feel guilty about this?
Featuring music from Ted Nugent, Ashlee Simpson, System of a Down, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
We’re joined today by Nana Adjoa, the versatile and virtuosic Dutch indie rock musician dubbed this month by NPR a “Name You Should Know” and a "2021 Artist to Watch."
Nana took the time to chat with us about her skill with multiple instruments and her extraordinary new album, “Big Dreaming Ants.” In between bits of shop-talk, we nerd out with her about Stevie Wonder and Feist, discuss filthy bass lines, and wonder how French people manage to sound so cool.
Because Nana is a solo visionary, our theme for today’s episode is Auteur – songs by artists who have execute full control over their expression. The categories are our favorite songs by: (1) an artist who plays every instrument; (2) an artist who sings every vocal part; (3) artist who self-produces their tracks.
Buy Nana’s music at Bandcamp and keep up with her work on Instagram and Twitter. Featuring music from Beck, Kate Bush, The Streets, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
(The interview in this episode has been edited and condensed for clarity).
For our second ever artist deep dive, we ascend to higher ground with the Captain of Clavinet; the Hotshot of Harmonica; the Champion of the Charts: the genius and the virtuoso himself, Stevie Wonder.
Our categories for today’s episode will guide you through his biography, bringing you facts, figures, some love and hate for Barry Gordy, and a whole lot of Wonder: (1) The Little Stevie Wonder era; (2) The early Tamla/Motown era; (3) The classic era; (4) The later era; (5) Best Stevie Wonder song. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
Links mentioned in the episode:
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Jacob Collier’s "Sir Duke” analysis on Vox
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Stevie Wonder playing a drum solo
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Slate’s “Wonder Week"
On today's episode, we hawk a miracle tonic for all those songwriters stuck in a rut. Chord progressions stale? Emotional climax unreachable? Is your song not "karaoke-ready"? Try modulation – otherwise known as a key change!
Push the play button in the next twenty minutes, and we'll throw in a brief explainer on the theory of modulation, a confusing Werner Herzog joke, and a relentless string of analogies comparing key changes to fistfuls of saffron, single-take scenes in movies, and Maradona's "Hand of God" play.
The categories are key changes that are most: joyful; cheap; emotional; unexpected.
Featuring music from O-Town, David Bowie, The Beta Band, The Four Seasons, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc. Key-p the change!
We hope you’ll join us for a year-end wrap-up episode as organized as our country’s COVID-19 response and as cohesive as our populace’s mask compliance. No categories, no competition – just 10 songs that we loved, that we needed, that got us through this Kevin Federline of a year. Auld lang syne, suckas!
Featuring music from Angelica García, Nana Adjoa, Antibalas, Phoebe Bridgers, Ohmme, and more. Wanna hear the full songs? Go to tinyurl.com/spotify-cvc.
We're joined by Elif Bereketli (@elifbereketli), a powerhouse culture and arts journalist (host of "Showcase" on TRT World, founder of Sabit Fikir, bylines in Vogue Turkey, Calling Mag) to discuss obscurity and the intersection of marginalization and music. We touch on everything from Turkish Arabesk, New Orleans bounce, Puerto Rican reggaeton, Romani folk -- everything except, thankfully, how unqualified Dane and Ethan are to be talking with someone of Elif's stature.
The categories are:
(1) A marginalized genre that later became mainstream
(2) An obscure artist that later became popular
(3) An obscure song that deserves attention
Featuring music from Orhan Gencebay, The Velvet Underground, Mahotella Queens, and more. Listen to full songs here.
Links:
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Showcase, TRT's flagship culture and arts program, hosted by Elif Berektli
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"Dem Bow, Dembow, Dembo: Translation and Transnation in Reggaeton" by Wayne Marshall
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"Untransformed: For Better or Worse, Lou Reed Was Always Lou Reed" by Bill Wyman
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"Arabesk: Turkey's Sound of Change" – Elif's documentary on Arabesk and Orhan Gencebay
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"Romania's 'Gypsy Pop' Revolution" – Elif's documentary on Romani folk
Slam into that circle pit, glower in the back corner, or rest your creaking knees on a dirty velvet chair in the mezzanine – on this week's episode, we're doing it live. We're joined by friend, fellow Semite, and chronic venue hopper Nicole Feinberg to celebrate the experience we so dearly miss right now: paying $18 for a Stella Artois, waiting through two hours of opening bands, and losing your nice spot in the crowd to go to the bathroom.
Our categories are:
(1) Live version that’s better than original
(2) Best complete reworking of studio version
(3) Best live song with audience participation
Featuring music from Jill Scott, Ween, Vulfpeck, and more. Many of these songs are not available on Spotify, but links to their YouTube versions are here.
This week, we take our show under cover, celebrating that brazen artistic move that traces all the way back to music's oldest roots in folk tradition. NOTE: Quiet Riot was not harmed during the making of this podcast.
The categories are:
(1) Best faithful cover
(2) Best revisionist cover
(3) Cover that shouldn't work, but somehow does
(4) Cover that's better than the original
Featuring music from Aretha Franklin, Ministry, Punch Brothers, and more.
LINKS:
- Adam Neely's video on covers of rap songs
- Jeff Lewis' "History of Punk on the Lower East Side"
- The 12 Crass Songs booklet
Balm. Yes, your lips usually need it, and we’re not knocking the importance of maintaining a proper skin moisture balance. But it’s more important to stop from time to time and apply some Burt’s Bees to your soul. This week, think of us as dermatologists… for your heart.
We find ourselves in the midst of – shall we say – bad times, and with bad times come bad feelings. That’s why we’re taking the time to talk about songs that go back to the heart of why humans listen to music: to make us feel not bad. Our categories are:
(1) Songs that cheer us up
(2) Songs that help us face the day
(3) Songs that make us feel fuzzy
(4) Songs that make us laugh
Links:
• Stevie Wonder "We Can Work It Out" performance at the Paul McCartney birthday tribute
• Kanye West saying "Bizarre Ride" is his favorite album
• The Swell Season's cover of "Two-Headed Boy"
For this edition of our hebdomadal aural disport, we submit a peregrination with a duplet of "word nerds," who, by all measures, endeavor to expound, confabulate, and altogether regale you – their illustrious listenership — with a cortège of supercilious, archaic, and, regrettably, vexatious vocables.
You read it right the first time: this week we’re talking about big fancy words. We find songs that best fit the definitions of the following:
(1) Nacreous
(2) Obstreperous
(3) Rhadamanthine
(4) Meritricious
Find full songs and more at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus
On today's episode, we undertake a reconnaissance mission to the perilous area known as the Friend Zone, and we discover something that is, frankly, shocking –– the dreaded region is actually a paradise. We discuss the findings with camaraderie enthusiast, music lover, and... friend?... Su Chisebuka (@suchisebuka). The categories are:
(1) Song that represents an ideal friendship
(2) Song about a friend fight
(3) Song about being friend-zoned
Featuring music from OutKast, Souther, Dolly Parton, and more.
For full songs and more, see our Linktree.
The CVC boys celebrate their big two-oh by flipping the script and becoming Bono-style red-hill miners, digging into things we dislike and unearthing the positive attributes in them. We examine genres, songs, and people we typically wouldn't like in an attempt to live more piously, and ask ourselves: "What would U2 do?"
The categories are:
(1) Favorite song by a disliked band
(2) Favorite song from a disliked genre
(3) Best song with the worst lyrics
(4) Best song by a bad person
Featuring music from Maddie & Tae, Future, and more. Find full songs on https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
Links mentioned:
• PBS Sound Field: "Who Invented Trap Music?"
Most people in the world are just one thing. But what if – bear with us here – a person was two things? Is that even humanly possible?
The answer is: Yes, very occasionally! That's why our theme is "Moonlighting" – songs by people who have held down second jobs before, during, or after their rise to musical greatness.
The categories are the best songs by musicians who have also been:
(1) Actors
(2) Teachers
(3) Cooks
(4) Athletes
Featuring music by Patti Labelle, Roberta Flack, Jack Black, Guided by Voices, and more. Visit our Linktree for full songs and more.
Links mentioned in episode:
• Jack Black singing in Bernie• Kelis' sauce company Bounty & Full • James Wright reviewing Patti Labelle's sweet potato pie
• Patti Labelle singing "This Christmas"
Tie an onion around your belt, grab a steamed ham, fix yourself a tall glass of malk (or maybe a single plum floating in perfume served in a man’s hat), and sprint your way to the couch — on this week’s episode, we’re talking about The Simpsons.
That’s right – we’ve embiggened our podcast by taking on arguably the most cromulent television show in history, exploring its finest musical moments, its terrifying lows, its dizzying highs, and its creamy middles.
Joining us is Evan Salazar (@evan_saladbar), a comic artist and chair moistener from Sector 7G.
The categories are:
(1) Best artist to guest on The Simpsons
(2) Best song featured in an episode
(3) Best original Simpsons song
Featuring music from Linda Ronstadt, The Ramones, Cypress Hill, and more.
Links mentioned:
• Evan's website Rodeo Comics and his Instagram.
• University of Arizona's archive on the Ronstadt family
P.S. I am not a crackpot.
They say "home is where the [eardrum] is," which is why we're exploring five rooms in the house for all their musical dimensions and possibilities. Our categories are:
(1) Bedroom
(2) Bathroom
(3) Kitchen
(4) Living Room
(5) Backyard
Featuring music from Melvins, Xenia Rubinos, R. Stevie Moore, J. Cole, and more. For full songs, our Instagram, and other goodies, check out our Linktree.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• Patton Oswalt's Wired article about geek culture
• Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncéby Bob Stanley
For this week's episode, we discuss, uh, a website you, y'know... probably haven't heard of.
It's Pitchfork, the most controversial, successful, despised, worshiped music criticism publication of the past 20 years.
This episode is no hagiography, nor is it a typical take-down of the website's prickly legacy. We attempt to dig deep into its history, reputation, writing voice, blind-spots, and evolution from a problematic cultural juggernaut to a more thoughtful elder statesman of the publishing world. The categories are:
(1) Best Album Rated 10.0 by Pitchfork
(2) Artist Most Underrated by Pitchfork
(3) Most Memorable Review
(4) Best Sunday Review
Listen in, because Pitchfork itself would probably give this episode a 7.2!
Links mentioned in episode:
• Slate article on Pitchfork's bad reputation
• Billboard article on Pitchfork's infamous Kid A review
• The Kid A review in question
• Pitchfork's since-deleted 10.0 review of 12 Rods
• Article about Pitchfork deleting the 12 Rods review
• Slate article: "When a negative Pitchfork review could end a career"• Ringer article on the Pitchfork 10.0 and Jenn Pelly interview
• Supergrass' "Alright" music video
• Pitchfork review of The White Stripes and Liz Phair• Critic Matt LeMay's apology for the Liz Phair review
Today we take our first deep dive into one artist, and pray we don't ascend too fast: Radiohead.
Radiohead are one of a handful of groups in pop music history who have maintained a foothold in the realms of both mass popularity and breathless critical praise, having been responsible for leading multiple style shifts in the rock genre throughout the 90s and 00s. All this, while also helping emotionally prepare their fans for the impending techno-apocalypse(liberation?) at the hands of sadistic(benevolent?) cyborg overlords.
Yes: you, your metalhead roommate, your personal trainer, your priest's podiatrist, and your grandpa all love Radiohead. But why is that? We attempt to analyze the key to this band's near-universal appeal, and along the way propose candidates for the following categories:
(1) Best Thom Yorke mumble
(2) Best Radiohead bleep-bloop
(3) Prettiest moment
(4) Best lyrical image
(5) Best Radiohead song
This episode features songs by Radiohead, Radiohead, Radiohead, and more. Find our Instagram, full songs, etc. at Linktr.ee.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" (Live from the Basement performance)
• David Bennett: "What time signature is 'Pyramid Song' in?"
• Pitchfork's infamous "Kid A" review
We're joined by guitarist, music history expert, and surprise Kiwi, Matt Silcock (@Blastitude) for what is surely the most dizzying whirlwind of knowledge you'll step in all week.
Picture this: your glitch-hop/hypnagogic-pop power trio ensemble is the talk of your mid-size town; having sold out of all 30 copies of your cassette-only EP and all but conquered the Missouri-Arkansas DIY touring circuit, you're now getting calls from record label A&R men. But which deal should you take?
Make an informed decision and listen in to consider the histories, ethos, and rosters of the following legendary record labels:
(1) Chess Records
(2) SST Records
(3) Flying Nun Records
(4) Drag City
Take a tour with us through a brief history of Chicago blues and R&B, American underground punk, New Zealand guitar-pop, Midwestern indie, and so much more in between. Featuring music from Fontella Bass, Ty Segall, Dinosaur Jr., and more. Find full songs and more through our Linktr.ee.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• Listen to Matt's music (on the Saddle Creek label!) on Spotify with Opium Taylor and Lullaby for the Working Class; his most recent work is with the Crippled Masters.
• Check out his long-running zine/blog Blastitude, now in a new home on Substack, where you can subscribe to immerse yourself in even more of his monumental music knowledge.
• Rolling Stone interview with Greg Ginn.
• Spin article by Jon Dolan on SST and more, "The Revival of Indie" (2005)
• Greg Kot article about the 1993 Drag City Invitational: "BANDS CARVE OUT OWN TURF AT DRAG CITY"
• Don Howland's Spin feature on Drag City circa 1993
Rhythms. Beats. The thing with the drums. Whatever you want to call it, you simply have to admit that without a strong, regular, repeated pattern of sound, Phil Collins wouldn't have had a career.
On Episode 13, we explore five rhythms that have influenced generations of percussionists and songwriters. They are:
(1) The Purdie shuffle
(2) The Bo Diddley beat
(3) The "Rock 'n' Roll Part 2"
(4) Motorik
(5) Four-on-the-floor
Listen in to hear some fun with Bernard Purdie, a brief history of house music, an explanation about why saying "disco sucks!" is rooted in racism, and a discussion about whether Gary Glitter is going to hell (spoiler: he is). Featuring music from Haim, Cheap Trick, Alabama Shakes, and more. Find full songs and more through our Linktr.ee.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• Bernard Purdie teaching his shuffle
• The son clave rhythm demonstration
• Rick Nielsen 1980 Cleveland local TV interview
• Earl Young from the Trammps explaining the four on the floor
• Sampled house song: Equation — "Say a Prayer for You"
• Sampled techno song: Rhythm is Rhythm — "It Is What It Is," from Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit
• Este (actually pronounced Es-tee, sorry) Haim’s bass face
• Mitski recommending Spirit of the Beehive on Amoeba's "What's In My Bag?" feature
• Gang of Four's Entertainment! album cover
Synesthetes rejoice! On today's episode we're plucking notes out of the air and giving them a lick, analyzing music for all its gustatory and epicurean delight. We discuss taste buds, textures, the Singaporean concept of "heaty vs. cooling foods," and songs that provide the following flavors (flavor profiles, if you're nasty):
(1) Salty
(2) Sweet
(3) Sour
(4) Bitter
(5) Umami
Find our Instagram, full songs, and more at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus. Featuring music from The Waterboys, Sampha, Frank Ocean, The Walkmen, and more.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
• Saltby Mark Kurlansky
• The Omnivore's Dilemmaby Michael Pollan
• The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menuby Dan Jurafsky
• The racist myth of MSG and "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome"
• LiveScience article on further aspects of flavor
• Article on heaty and cooling foods
We're joined today by Jim Vendiola: filmmaker, music connoisseur, and – as a former Floridian – refugee from the Margaritaville compound.
This episode's theme isn't about scorn, mockery, cruelty, or any other hallmark aspects of John Mayer's personality – it's about healing. We're staging an intervention for fans of four widely-derided musicians, offering alternatives to these artists that we hope will either open doors to new discoveries, or at least supplement your midnight cry-sessions to the DMB's "Crash Into Me."
On this episode, we attempt to reform fans of:
(1) Nickelback
(2) Dave Matthews Band
(3) John Mayer
(4) Jimmy Buffet
Find our Instagram, full songs, and more at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus. This episode features music from Link Wray, Rodrigo Amarante, Allen Toussaint, Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, and more.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• Watch Jim's work and keep up with his new projects at jimvendiola.com; follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
• Lindsay Ellis on "Protest Music of the Bush Era"
• Kendall Jenner Pepsi protest commercial
Singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Katie In (Pink Neighbor; Katie Sin) joins us to explain not only what the seasons are, but in what order they go. Is it Summer, Winter, Fall, and Spring? Or is it Spring, Winter, Fall, and Winter II? No one actually knows for sure, but you can tune in to hear the latest findings!
Find our Instagram, full songs, and more at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus. Featuring music from Blind Willie Johnson, Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir, Anna Wise, Kamasi Washington, and more.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• Follow Katie on Instagram and Facebook; go to Bandcamp to buy her album as Katie Sin, or her albums with Pink Neighbor.
• Rap Genius – "The Cosign" Series
• Stream Fists of Fury (a.k.a. The Big Boss) dir. Lo Wei, starring Bruce Lee
For Episode 9, we take five legendary artists and trace the lineage of their influence, exploring how these particular musicians – and their artistic visions, songwriting styles, and relationships with culture – inspired and opened doors for later generations.
The five artists we examine are:
(1) Chuck Berry
(2) David Bowie
(3) Talking Heads
(4) Prince
(5) Kendrick Lamar
Find our Instagram, full songs, and more at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus. This episode features music from Roy Orbison, Lianne La Havas, Remi Wolf, Rage Against the Machine, The Go-Gos, Duckwrth, and more.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• The All Music Guide – Chuck Berry bio, David Bowie bio, Talking Heads bio, Prince bio, Kendrick Lamar bio
• Charli XCX introductory playlist
• Lianne La Havas NPR Tiny Desk Concert
In spite of what the A Capella Industrial Complex may have you believe, instruments are an essential component of music. This week we took a look at five of (what we're assuming is) at least twelve of the musical instruments in existence to explore their histories, mechanics, and exemplary uses throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
This week we explored our favorite uses of:
(1) Harpsichord
(2) Mellotron
(3) Theremin
(4) Accordion
(5) A non-instrument
Find our Instagram, full songs, and more at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus. This episode features music from Fiona Apple, Walt Dickerson, Thin Lizzy, Nine Inch Nails, Luiz Gonzaga, and more.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• Slate Music Critic Carl Wilson on Vampire Weekend
• Kutiman – "Mother of All Funk Chords" (not available on Spotify)
• "Paranoid Android" Collage Cover
• How a Mellotron works
• Weird Al Yankovic – "What Is Life" George Harrison Cover
• Beautiful New York Times Magazine profile on Weird Al
• MAD Magazine being sexist about Fiona Apple
• New Yorker profile on Fiona Apple
This week's episode wasn't "late," we were just "adding a beat to the measure." That's because we're examining time signatures, a music theory concept we attempt to wrest from the hands of haughty musicology professors and prog rock bands that dress in chain mail, back into the ears – and hearts – of the common man.
Our categories are superlative examples of songs in:
3/4
5/8
7/8
9/8
and multiple time signatures.
So polish off your copy of Time Out, show your grandparents that Dream Theater tattoo you got in 10th grade, and hear the full songs on Spotify at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus
Featuring music from CAN, Andrew Huang, XTC, and more.
This week's episode guest stars our friend A.J. Johnson. He is a Seattle-based immigrants' rights advocate now, and a Chuck-Taylor-white-outing, circle-pit-slamming punk forever. We explore concepts of justice, the police state, and other topics that move Ethan to repeatedly grab at his collar and say "I promise this isn't a political podcast" in a Rodney Dangerfield voice. The topics are songs about:
(1) Prisoners
(2) Police brutality
(3) Immigration
(4) A U.S. president
Find the full songs through our Spotify playlist through https://inktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus
We all know the feeling: you're in an amazing band but the lead guitarist is holding you back, naysaying your idea to incorporate medieval hurdy-gurdy into your latest EDM song. That's why, this week, Chorus Vs. Chorus is discussing the best solo songs from alumni of the following bands:
(1) The Beatles
(2) Wu-Tang Clan
(3) Outkast
(4) N.W.A.
(5) The Mickey Mouse Club
Find the full songs through our Spotify playlist at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus
Gaze into the abyss as Dane pitches an episode based on literary devices, confuses and angers Ethan, and then confuses and angers himself as he realizes he doesn't understand this stuff either. This week's theme: songs that use the tools in the novelist's and poet's toolkit!
On the syllabus is:
(1) Metaphor
(2) Onomatopoeia
(3) Assonance / Consonance
(4) Volta
(5) Synecdoche / Metonymy.
While you wait to see if the abyss stares back, don't forget to check out the full songs on the official Spotify playlist through https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus
This episode features Weyes Blood, Aretha Franklin, Pulp, Viktor Vaughn, and more.
We have on today's episode our dear friend John Schaffner, a professional chef who came prepared with morsels for both the palate and the ossicles. The chef highly recommends our prix fixe menu, an unholy smorgasbord of tastes and flavors publicly condemned by Michelin.
The categories are:
(1) Appetizers
(2) Entree
(3) Dessert
(4) Drinks.
Listen to the full songs on our official Spotify playlist at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.
You can only do three things during quarantine: isolating, walking, and crying. Your hosts already talk enough about the third one, so we decided to make this week's theme walking.
This week's categories are:
(1) Getting hassled in the street
(2) Legs
(3) Shoes
(4) Long walks
(5) Coming home (because you always come back to where you started)
Listen to the full songs on our Spotify playlist at https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus
We're back, with a better podcast title, 6 years of accumulated wisdom, robust wifi-enabled Zoom connections, and muscles gelatin-esque from the quarantine lifestyle. On today's first episode, we explore the theme of ISOLATION – inspired by the approximate month of quarantining the entire world has undertaken.
Five categories about ISOLATION, with each host proposing a superlative song for that category. They are:
(1) One-person band
(2) Romantic isolation
(3) Staying indoors
(4) Isolated instruments [a.k.a. vocal-free songs]
(5) Community.
Tune in, because you've already watched every Cheers episode on Netflix. Listen to the full songs on our Spotify playlist through https://linktr.ee/chorus.vs.chorus.