The Good Ship Brothership: Recent Episodes
Grant and Jason Andrews
Welcome aboard The Good Ship Brothership, the only arts podcast to cover film, music, gaming, literature, and whatever else is troubling our tiny minds. And did we mention we're brothers?
The Good Ship Brothership is recorded, produced, published, and touched by Grant and Jason Andrews.
We went missing for like six months, because the world got turned upside down, I finished my semester online, started a new co-op job, got laid off, (thanks covid,) went back to my old job, found another new co-op job, and now I’m waiting to start that. Meanwhile, Grant found a new job, quit his old one, didn’t get laid off, (thank goodness,) fixed a bunch of stuff in his house, and knocked up his wife. A lot’s happened in the past six months. All that to say that it’s probably more important than ever for use to stop, and just appreciate all the good that music has done for us.
In this two part extravaganza, we discuss our top 10 albums (each,) and memories we have about them, like who we listened to them with, or where we first heard them. I get a bit teary eyed, really nostalgic, and filled with that warm feeling that you get when you remember just how good you have it.
This is a special (two-part) episode. We hope you love it <3
Certain genres are relatively easy to make inexpensively. Get a hockey mask, an abandoned building, and a couple college kids, and you've got yourself a decent pulpy horror movie. Looking to make a story about modern poverty, and the joy of childhood? As long as you're a genius, you can make The Florida Project pretty inexpensively.
But what about a science fiction movie set on a distant planet? This is a genre typically thought to be pretty expensive, what with all the special effects, alien makeup/CGI, and cool space-gadgets. However, Prospect is a movie that rebels against this notion by tackling a pretty epic sci fi story, chock full of sweet gadgets and spaceships, all with a budget of $2 million. (For reference, the first Cameron reboot of Star Trek cost $150 million, or 75X more.)
Grant and I were really interested to check this one out, and see if they pulled off anything better than a cheap-looking Star Trek ripoff. (They did.)
2019 has been a pretty loaded year for new releases, especially compared to 2018, which didn't have tons of great new music, (at least for our tastes.) Old favourites like The National and Alex Cameron have released great new albums, (which we already reviewed,) and we've found a few new-to-us artists, too, like Lana del Rey.
With all that said, though, Grant and I both found this year's new music to be the hardest to rank. This also led to perhaps the most heated disagreements in the vaunted history of our podcast.
Love or hate them, here they are. There were our favourite albums of 2019.
One time, when I was a kid, I would ride around outside on this little plastic ATV. I think it had pedals, but I'd just get Grant to push me around instead for whatever reason. Then he pushed the ATV (with me on it, of course,) into the side of a shed, and broke the ATV. And my life has never been the same since.
Enjoy this discussion of Half Moon Run's newest (and best, in my opinion,) album.
Back in 2017, The Florida Project took the world by storm, despite it's shoestring budget and ragtag cast of mostly first-time actors, (along with a couple veterans.) Grant's been meaning to get around to watching it ever since it first came out, but somehow, it didn't bubble up to the top of his watchlist until just the other day. Yeah, we were floored. It's amazing. We discuss why this might just be one of the best movies of the last few years. Most of this, and a little bit of that, on this episode of TGSB.
I (Jason) was pretty smitten with Bon Iver's last album when it came out way back in 2016. And although it didn't cement itself in the pantheon of my favourite albums of all time, it occupied a special place in my heart, for it's relaxing yet thrilling mix of digital and analog instruments, which created these really cool songs and soundscapes. So, yeah, let's see if this album is a decent followup, despite it's name, which I detest.
David Lynch is without doubt the weirdest filmmaker to ever make it remotely mainstream. And yet, he somehow managed to achieve widespread acclaim, and it all started with this film right here. Lynch crafted almost every aspect of this film himself, from the score, to the sound design, to the cinematography. Lynch undeniably showed he had the chops to make a complete film, but does the result stand the test of time, over 40 years later? All this, and probably something else, on this episode of TGSB.
It's safe to say that Grant and I were both taken by surprise when we learned that Kanye West's new album was going to be centred around Christianity. Apparently Kanye had some sort of ephiphany, and this is the kind of stuff he's doing now. Armed with zero research, and almost no prior experience listening to Kanye, we dove in head first, to see if Mr. West could deliver a solid gospel album.
This was recorded during Grant and my road trip back in August of this year. We sat down with friend of the show, Nova Scotia all-star, and comic book enthusiast Caleb, to discuss Into the Spiderverse, a (somewhat) recent animated Marvel film. Acclaimed for it's fantastic art style and production quality, this movie really intrigued us, as it marked a deviation from the standard Marvel recipe of a live-action action movie. Did it measure up? Some of this, plus a bit more, on this episode of TGSB.
I don't know about you, but in my opinion, Jack White's last few albums have been a bit disappointing. It's not that they were bad, by any stretch. It's just that they were a little bit too 'Jack White-y' for my tastes. They were fun rides that I never really returned to after a few cursory listens. But this isn't Jack White, it's The Raconteurs. And it just might be Jack's best work yet.
We recorded this like three months ago. Then we went into medical comas for 90 days. Now we're back. Deal with it.
The National is my (Jason's) favourite band of all time, full stop. They aren't perfect, but every aspect of their music has been superlative, from stellar writing, to lush instrumentation, all brought together by some of the best mixing/mastering in town. Now they're back, and yeah, the album pretty much rocks.
I, Jason, am writing this, but I wasn't even here when this episode was recorded. Grant and our buddy Caleb recorded in my absence. So I'm assuming they just talked about whether Ready Player One was a good movie, or how it translated from the book, (I think it was based on a book, right? I've never seen it.) Tbh I don't really know though, so just check it out I guess, and I hope it's rad. It probably is.
Grant and I discuss the classic Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull, starring Robert De Niro as Jake Lamotta, a boxer who experiences a meteoric rise to promenence in the 1940s. Based on a true store, Raging Bull is widely hailed as one of the greatest films of all time. Let's be real, we're probably going to love this, but we must have something interesting to say about it...right?...guys?
Cage the Elephant has produced some albums that we really love. Their debut was raw and energetic, their sophmore release was a mixed bag, but featured some great tracks, and Melophobia, their third release, was a perfect blend of polish and rough edges. Since then, though, we've fallen out of love with Cage the Elephant a bit, following the release of their fourth album, Tell Me I'm Pretty. So it's safe to say we were on pins and needles coming up to Social Cues' release. Could the band relive their former glory days? Or are CTE's best days behind them? Listen on, brave listener, to find out.
What do you get when you combine a roughly 10 year old pop rock album with a 7 year old niche video game? An episode no one's going to listen to. I mean seriously, it makes me almost not want to bother writing this. Oh well, I guess I'll do it anyways... More than a few of us have guilty pleasure music. For Grant and I, that used to be Rob Thomas, who's best known for fronting Matchbox 20. It recent years, we have lost all our shame, and also realized he's a pretty good writer, so we figured we might as well air our dirty laundry and discuss this hot chunk of man's music. Speaking of extremely violent twin-stick shooters with shockingly in depth narritives that comment on the arguably tasteless violence found in modern video games, we also talked about the indie darling Hotline Miami. If you listen to this whole episode, you have my eternal and undying effection. Unless you don't like puppies.
Chances are, if you haven't seen the 1979 film Alien, you at least know a little bit about it. Maybe you've seen what the Alien looks like, or whatever. On the other hand, there's a pretty decent shot that you haven't seen 1982 film The Thing, and you probably haven't even heard of it. Despite their descrepencies in popularity, it turns out these films are more similar than different. They're produced only a few years apart, they both feature similarly sized ensemble casts, and they're both thriller/quasi-horror films about a group of people pitted against a mysterious and powerful alien foe. So next time you're craving feature a feature length 40 year old extraterrestrial thriller featuring an ensemble cast of between 7 and 9 people battling a sneaky and deadly alien, which one of these films should you watch? Listen on, brave soul.
Grant and I have a long history of apathy towards any and all musicals, but after the virtually unanimous praise Damien Chazelle's La La Land received a couple years ago, we figured we should probably give it a shot. After all, if La La Land can't win us over, maybe musicals are just a lost cause for us. On the other hand, we like jazz, but we're not very well acquainted with the genre. We decided to explore a very recent incarnation of the genre with Fast Future, a 2015 album created by the fantastic ensemble that also recorded the vast majority of David Bowie's final EP, Blackstar, which we loved, by the way. All this and more, on this extra jazzy episode.
Grant and I have never given The Beatles a fair shake. Maybe it was a desire to be counter-culture, maybe it was just because our dad never listened to The Beatles, I don't know. Regardless, this episode marks the first time either of us had the desire to sit down and dig into one of the most iconic bands in music history. On the other hand, we love The Rolling Stones. I think they're one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and Grant has even said that Sympathy for the Devil is perhaps his favourite rock song ever created. So we may be a bit biased, as you can see. Regardless, we approached these albums with an open mind, and our conclusions really did surprise us.
After last episode, I (Jason) was riding high on the reggae/ska tinged vibes of The Interrupters. So when I got a tip that The Slackers was the next logical step on the reggae path, I decided to check it out. Meanwhile, Grant's watched a few Charlie Kaufman films before, and decided it was time to introduce me to this quirky yet iconic filmmaker. So we sat down and watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a brain-warping drama with a star studded cast. Also, we talk about song people versus album people for like 8 minutes at the end of this episode, and go off the rails in a BIG way. Enjoy.
Our episodes have been like spasms: irregular and unplanned. Regardless, we're still here, and we're ready to discuss music. 2017 was such a seminal year for music we loved. Some of our favourite artists delivered what are now some of our favourite albums of all time, and we uncovered plenty of new and exciting musicians doing new and exciting things. 2018, by comparison, was off to a slow start. There weren't many releases from bands we already followed, and new discoveries were few and far between in our household. Nevertheless, things heated up towards the end of the year, and when all was said and done, we had found a couple diamonds in the rough, and we'd love to share them with you. So pull up a chair, put on your headphones, or buckle your seatbelts: we found some good stuff.
P.S. The word I (Jason) was looking for was echinoderm. I can't believe I blanked on that one.
We love technology. Grant and I both built our own PCs, he's always reading about the latest in guitar tech, and I love me some high-end digital cameras. But over the last couple years, we've slowly begun to take a greater interest in the artistic weapons of yesteryear. When my grandparents gave me a bunch of old film cameras, a spark was kindled in me, that was only really realized pretty recently. And when Grant decided his computer was getting too distracting, he picked up a typewriter off eBay. So why would we even use this stuff when we have the modern equivalents sitting around collecting dust? Listen on to find out.
Being a kid is cool. You have tons of free time, and you're super enthusiastic about cool stuff. In this special episode of TGSB, we take some time to discuss card games, (and some other toys,) one of our favourite childhood passtimes. Although we don't play many cards games these days, we lived and breathed these little pieces of cardboard for years growing up. Listen on to hear us get nostalgic. ALSO: be sure to check our Facebook page for a gallery of corresponding images. Trust me, this episode will make more sense that way.
In this borderline relevant episode, we discuss the newest film made by one of our favourite visionaries, Paul Thomas Anderson. The Phantom Thread is a post war romance with Victorian vibes, so not exactly up our alley. But hey, if PTA can make Adam Sandler a phenomenal actor, he could certainly bring us around on languid romances. Next, we discuss The Milk Carton Kid's exhaustively named 2018 record, 'All the Things That I Did and All the Things That Itext Didn't Do.' After listening to one of the band's older records on a trip to Alaska, I (Jason) totally fell in love with their phenomenal harmonies, beautiful classic/folk guitar work, and extremely evocative writing. However, for reasons unknown to me, Grant has completely and utterly resisted listening to the band for over two years. This time I finally convinced him, so let's hear what he (and I) think of MCK's newest release. All this, plus NO LOUD EATING, on this episode of TGSB.
In our long-awaited return to the throne, we discuss the Arctic Monkeys latest studio album. Off the heels of AM, their 2013 record, we feared the band was on an inevitable slope downhill, becoming more watered down with each subsequent release. In this episode, we face our fears, and argue about what makes a well written song. Next, we discuss Punch-Drunk Love, the 2002 romantic comedy by film legend Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Adam Sandler, who we didn't exactly hold in high esteem going into the film. So how did it pan out? Soldier on, brave listener, and find out.
Almost a month ago, Jack White released his third solo album, 'Boarding House Reach.' It's been nearly four years since his last major release, so did Jack reinvent himself, or is his newest album Lazaretto, Pt. 2? Jennifer Lawrence is overrated. Grant knows it, I know it, and whether or not you agree, I know it. That said, we've been on an indie film kick lately, and we were curious to see how Jennifer Lawrence's breakout performance compares to Catniss (is that how it's spelled?) All this, plus Grant sitting down weird, on this episode of TGSB.
In this episode of TGSB, we push our boundaries by bravely going were no Leonard Cohen fans have gone before: hardcore punk. Black Flag's 1981 debut album Damaged shook up the music scene, and it's influence is still seen today. However, neither of us were really punk fans. Did Black Flag change our tiny minds? Nightcrawler is a 2014 film about a man who will do anything to further his career, (which is filming traffic accidents.) Widely regarded as one of the better films of this decade, did critics overhype Gyllenhaal's sociopathic performance? All this, plus a butchered reading of Wikipedia, in this episode of The Good Ship Brothership.
In this episode of TGSB, we discuss Ikiru, a 1952 film created by Ikiru Kurasowa, one of the fathers of cinematography. In the past, I (Jason) haven't really gelled with his films, despite loving the aesthetic, but Grant was hopeful that Ikiru could win me over. We also discuss Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, an indie game from a few years ago, critically beloved. We might be 5 or 6 years late to the party, so does Brothers still hold up? (PS we're brothers so we played it together lol.)
Ever since A Ghost Story hit theatres last year, Grant and I have been pretty intrigued, since it seems like a film that could be either needlessly quirky and tiresome, or memorable and impactful. We finally got the opportunity to sit down and watch it, so what did we think? Our Lady Peace is a band that's held a special place in our heart (yes, we only have 1,) basically from the start of our musical journies (two of those.) However, after taking an extended break, and losing founding drummer Jeremy Taggart, can Our Lady Peace still deliver? All this, and maybe even slightly more, on this episode of TGSB.
On this episode of TGSB, we sit down to discuss Barton Fink, a critical darling but a commercial flop from 1991. Can the Coen brothers make a bad movie? We also discuss Electric Mud, the seminal album by Muddy Waters, which was one of the first forays into blues rock, released in 1968. Was it really all that groundbreaking, and how does it hold up against the titans of today? All this, and everything else you never needed to hear.
In this post-apocalyptic episode of TGSB (which we were probably not ready to record,) we discuss one of our all-time favourite action movies, Mad Max: Fury Road, only this time we just finished watching the film in black and white. Stripped of it's fabulous colour palette, is Mad Max still just as captivating? We also discuss Horizon: Zero Dawn, one of the most celebrated games in recent memory. Most of the outlets people listen to loved it in every way...but we had mixed emotions.
In one of the most off the rails podcasts in recent memories, we (eventually) discuss electropop duo Slyvan Esso's sophmore album What Now, and A Field in England, a bizarre cerebral horror film directed by Ben Wheatley, released in 2013. Nails are nailed, belches are stifled, and hands are washed.
Honourable mentions (followed by top 5) start at 39:00, if you want to skip our rapid fire reviews of lower ranked albums :).
We had high hopes for 2017's music, and it's safe to say that the year didn't disappoint. New releases from old favourites like John Mark McMillan, The National, and even Robert Plant had us hoping the old guard hadn't lost their touch. On the other hand, we discovered a couple new musicians, too, like Khalid, and yes, Harry Styles. Who topped our personal lists, and what is TGSB's album of the year? Listen on, brave soul, to find out.
Grant and I sit down at the rickety table once again, this time discussing two pop albums released a few months ago.
Lorde's first album, ___Pure Heroine,_ was the first modern pop album that we really fell in love with, but Grant and I were worried Lorde wouldn't be able to deliver a quality follow up. Were we wise and jaded, or foolish and pessimistic?
We had no knowledge of Khalid until just a few weeks ago. Then I (Jason) heard a few of his songs and was instantly curious, but is the rest of the album worth a listen?
All this and so much less on this episode of The Good Ship Brothership.
Grant absolutely adored Nick Cave and the Bad Seed's 2016 album Push the Sky Away, so how does he feel about the previous album? The Road is one of Jason's favourite books of all time, so what are his thoughts on Cormac McCarthy's stage play The Sunset Limited? All this (and assorted buffoonery) on today's episode of TGSB.
Amazingly, two of our most anticipated albums of the year released on the same day: Sleep Well Beast by The National, and Forced Witness by Alex Cameron. The National has never let us down, and Alex Cameron's previous album was one of our favourite albums of 2016, but did either of them disappoint?
On this episode of The Good Ship Brothership - Jason confuses Arcade Fire with Daft Punk, and we argue about how good Dunkirk is.
Jason and I wrestle with our feelings toward a landmark of horror cinema, and a landmark of... 'indie folk'...
Jason and I sit and fight about how good Fargo looks, and agree on how good Bowie sounds.
In this episode, Jason and I babble our way through an indie game about depression and an 80's samurai epic. Whoopdy-doo.
The spastic one and I sit down to review two new albums - Two Parts Viper by '68, one of my favourite bands, and Capacity by Big Thief, who Jason discovered last year.
'The book's better than the movie' is a phrase we've all said and heard a few times. With that in mind, Jason and I sat down to discuss Blade Runner - the 1982 cult classic film - and how it measures up to the book on which it's based.
2012's Journey is one of the most critically acclaimed 'walking simulators' of all time. We discuss it's visuals, narrative, and fantastic soundtrack. We also discussed City and Colour's Bring Me Your Love. I'm not sure why...
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City To Pimp a Butterfly DAMN. Kendrick's three newest albums are each incredible in their own right. On this kinda weird episode of The Good Ship Brothership, we examine these albums both as a whole and individually. We also discuss Kendrick's faith, and the journey that has led to where he is today, shortly after the release of his newest album DAMN. Enjoy.
In this episode, we sit down to discuss Jamiroquai's first release in 7 years, Automaton. Do the boys still have funk? We also dicuss the classic Steven Spielberg film Jaws. I'm not even going to insult your intelligence by describing it.
In this episode, we sit down to discuss Nicholas Winding Refn's 2011 film Drive, starring Ryan Gosling. We also discuss Hotline Miami, a cult classic 2012 game with some of the craziest fan theories we've ever heard. We compare and contrast two worlds of neon.
Today we discuss the cult classic Tim Schafer adventure game Grim Fandango, which was remastered and rereleased a few years ago on modern platforms. Famed for it's fantastic writing, does a 20+ year old game still hold up today? Grant's been bugging me forever to listen to T. Rex, since I'm such a big Rodriguez fan. What did we think of Electric Warrior and Grim Fandango? Listen on, brave soul, to find out.
U2 was one of the first bands we really got into, and The Joshua Tree was one of the first U2 albums we got into. So how do we view it in retrospect? Good Will Hunting caught Jason's eye, so he made Grant watch it. Was Ben Affleck ever a good actor?
Today on The Good Ship Brothership, we discuss the moderately obscure Omar Rodriguez Lopez's album Roman Lips, and Stephen Knight's film Locke, starring Tom Hardy and a car. Obviously we like Tom Hardy, but how did the car pan out?
Almost a year ago, I (Jason) played Three Fourths home on a trip to Mexico, and wanted to share the experience with Grant. Visual novels like this one are often devisive, so I was curious to hear if he actually liked it or not. Speaking of devisive, one thing that wasn't was our mutual hatred of Imagine Dragon's new single 'Believer.' Listen on to hear more.
I (Jason) loved F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby so much, I bought Grant a copy for Christmas, (so hopefully Grant doesn't hate it, because that would be sad.) One of the first Blurays in Grant's growing collection was Casablanca, an early example of stunning cinematography, excellent world-building, and 'show don't tell' storytelling. We might get ranting just a bit...
In this episode, we discuss one of the best albums of last year, and one of the best films of last year. It's gon b gud, guys.
Grant and I get off to a stumbling start in our first episode. We're new, we're fresh, we're brothers. 2016 saw highly anticipated releases from veterans like Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, and David Bowie. Grant and Jason sit down to discuss which albums stuck out most to them, and which you should definitely listen to.