Indiecast

Steven and Ian open this week's episode by doing something they promised themselves they wouldn't do — taking shots at the new Idles album out today, TANGK (Even the title is annoying). Of course they then proceed with a quick Sportscast about the Super Bowl in which Steven explains how he can't bring himself to hate the Kansas City Chiefs in their current "dominant" era (5:05). During the Fantasy Draft update, Ian finally gets a chance to draft a replacement for the still-missing-from-Metacritic jazz album he originally picked (12:19).From there the guys review some big new recent album announcements from Vampire Weekend, DIIV, Pearl Jam, and Beyoncé. Steven and Ian have heard some of these albums, and they give praise while trying to not talk in too much detail (16:35). They also dip into the discourse about the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame nominations and weigh Oasis' chances of making it in spite of the Rock Hall's aversion to alt-leaning '90s bands (34:22).In the mailbag, a reader asks Steven and Ian to "yay or nay" Jessica Pratt, who also announced a new album this week (43:17). The guys are also asked to weigh in on whether Creed was secretly "innovative." Their answers (probably) will not shock you! (48:05)In Recommendation Corner (55:51), Ian goes with the young Chicago band Friko while Steven pays tribute to the late Can singer Damo Suzuki, who passed away on Feb. 9.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 176 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian start today's episode with an in-depth critical analysis of one of the hottest songs in pop right now, Ice Spice's "Think U The Shit (Fart)." Probably too in-depth, really. But the song is truly a rich text. From there they do the inevitable Sportscast on this weekend's Super Bowl game. Anyone who gets their sports news from indie rock podcasts will want to hear Steven and Ian's predictions (6:51). They also wonder how the brewing Taylor Swift backlash (if such a thing exists) might karmically affect the outcome. In the fantasy draft update, Ian marvels at the performance of the new Brittany Howard solo album and Steven wonders whether the controversy over Mannequin Pussy's recent AI-assisted video will impact his team (15:02).Next is a conversation about 2000s era indie folk spurred by new music this week from The Decemberists and Iron And Wine (23:10). Are the guys yay or nay on these acts? They also talk about a recent article outlining the behind-the-scenes fallout from the Pitchfork layoffs (34:17). In the mailbag, Steven and Ian reflect on the breakups of two bands, Tokyo Police Club and Hot Hot Heat (40:59).In Recommendation Corner (47:56), Ian goes with Bill Ryder-Jones (formerly of The Coral) while Steven picks two records from David Nance and Mowed Sound and Ducks Ltd.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 175 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode by discussing the recent story about Talking Heads being offered $80 million to reunite for some festival gigs... and turning it down. Do they really hate each other that much? Or do they accept that you can't perform Stop Making Sense-style magic in your 70s? (2:34) The guys also apologize to the city of San Francisco for some recent sports-related slander and check in on Ian's Fantasy Album team. (9:43)After that, they look ahead to the Grammys this weekend and make some predictions (21:48). Does Boygenius have a shot as a dark-horse pick? Which fanbase will be the angriest the following morning? Does any of this matter? They also talk about The Greatest Night In Pop, the very entertaining new documentary about the 1985 all-star single "We Are The World" that premiered on Netflix this week. Could such a song ever happen in 2024? (34:38)In Recommendation Corner (50:53), Ian goes to bat for the Norwegian emo band Flight Mode while Steven talks about the Philly "patio rock" band Memorytown.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 174 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out hereSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's episode begins with a quick Sportscast in which Steven mourns the defeat of his surprisingly good Green Bay Packers and pays tribute to the lovable Detroit Lions (3:49). He and Ian also compare Detroit and San Francisco as music cities — it's Bob Seger vs. Huey Lewis time! Then they do a quick update of the winter Fantasy Albums Draft, as it is a big day for Steven's team with new releases by The Smile and Katy Kirby. (11:25) Then they break down The Smile's Wall Of Eyes, which sounds like a Radiohead album that's 90 percent as good.Next comes Steven's most anticipated part of the episode — it's an Ian Cohen pop quiz where Steven lists off 10 albums and asks Ian if he reviewed them for Pitchfork (25:45). This is taking "Remember Some Guys" to a whole new level. Then the guys address the discourse around Alex G's recent signing to RCA Records and whether he has the potential to become "Boygenius big." (40:38) In the mailbag, a listener asks about the recent commercial featuring a Das Racist oldie and an "explanation" of Hozier's success (48:25).In Recommendation Corner (1:00:31), Ian talks up the latest from the British band Courting and Steven reiterates Ian's recent rave for Glass Beach.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 173 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian recorded this week's episode a day earlier than normal, which means that the guys just missed the big (and bad) news about Pitchfork suffering massive layoffs and being folded into GQ. So they got together later and recorded an emergency 30-minute segment about what this all means for the fragile music media ecosystem and put it before the proper episode.In the proper episode, they did a quick Sportscast (27:09) about the shocking rise of Steven's Green Bay Packers and the even more shocking fall of Ian's Philadelphia Eagles. They also did an update on the Fantasy Albums draft, with Ian deciding for some reason to let Steven swap in the new Faye Webster album into his lineup. Will Ian regret this decision? We shall see! (34:21)After that, they take a look at early festival announcements for Coachella and Bonnaroo, which seem ... sort of random? Like, what is going on with these music festivals these days? They make no sense! (39:37) Then they talk about the new Green Day album out today, Saviors, which Steven thinks is very, very ... well, listen to the episode to find out which adjective applies. (57:28)In Recommendation Corner (1:14:25), Ian talks up the incredible new album from Glass Beach while Steven hypes his recent column ranking every Radiohead album, solo album, and side project.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 172 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before Steven and Ian get into this week's episode, they had to hash out a longer-than-usual Sportscast about their respective football teams (the Packers and the Eagles) making the playoffs and the absolutely insane and hateful video Stephen A. Smith dropped about Jason Whitlock this week. Sports media in general is melting down this year, and the guys can't get enough. After that, they revisit their predictions made at the beginning of last year about 2023, and check to see how right (or wrong) they were (11:05).Then it's on to a new fantasy albums draft for the first quarter of 2024. Who landed the just announced Waxahatchee record, sure to be one of the year's most acclaimed? Who pulled the jazz record with mainstream appeal that critics are guaranteed to love? Did anyone dare draft the new Scott Stapp record ironically? Let's find out. (19:32)Finally, the guys follow up on Steven's column this week taking an early look at the contenders for album of the decade from the first 40 percent of the 2020s. This is not a conversation about personal favorites — it's wild speculation on critical consensus based on what music writers have embraced so far. (44:59)In Recommendation Corner (58:30), Ian goes for the hardcore band Infant Island while Steven plugs the forthcoming album (due in March) from Rosali.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 171 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian have not recorded an episode in three weeks. Can you believe it? So there was a lot to talk about in the latest installment of Indiecast, starting with what the guys did over the holiday break. Ian won a ton of money playing fantasy football and Steven watched Paul Giamatti go full-Giamatti in The Holdovers (5:13). Once they were caught up with holiday talk, the guys paid tribute to Best Buy no longer selling CDs, finally, starting this year. They also did a "Bad Discourse Lightning Round" for all the bad discourse they missed online during the break. Topics include shoegaze music, The Smiths, and the possible wokeness of Green Day. Trust us — the discourse is very, very bad! (13:03)After that, they get into the business of soothsaying as they lay out their predictions for 2024 (34:08). While the guys kept their prognostications secret from each other, there ended up being some crossover as they talked about potential new albums from Haim and Vampire Weekend dominating the year, the possibility that [CANCELED BAND X] might make a comeback, and whether that long-delayed Sky Ferreira record will finally see the light of day this year. (Spoiler alert: Don't get your hopes up.)New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 170 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, Steven and Ian kicked off part one of their most sacred annual tradition, the Indiecasties. This week, they bring home part two. (This is a banked episode so if any major indie-rock news occurred this week, the guys won't be talking about it.)Part one had many incredible categories. But Steven and Ian saved the really good stuff for this week. Categories include Biggest Disappointment (3:12), The Album We're Most Surprised We Liked (11:05), The Most Egregiously Overrated Album On Year-End Lists (18:20), The Comeback Of The Year (25:17), The Year's Most Enjoyable Trend To Hash Out (30:51), and (Steven's personal favorite) The Most Memory-Holed Album Of 2023 (40:38). Who won? We can't wait to share the news!New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 169 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we near the end of 2023, the time has come for Steven and Ian to revive their most sacred annual tradition: The Indiecasties! Like the Oscars, the Indiecasties goes long every year, so we actually are splitting it up into two episodes. (Part two drops next week.) Before that, however, the guys do a quick Sportscast about a wild week in Wisconsin-based athletics, including a Packers loss to Tommy DeVito and Giannis losing his cool against the Indiana Pacers over a lost game ball. Steven and Ian also address the viral TikTok video by Bethany Cosentino about her disappointment over the reception to her 2023 solo debut album, Natural Disaster, and the long tail of Peak Indie disappointment (6:10).Then it's on to the Indiecasties (19:00)! There are five categories in this episode: Most Valuable Annoying Music Story (21:45), The Album Cycle Of The Year (28:33), The Feel-Good Story Of The Year (35:15), The Most 2023 Album Of 2023 (40:47), and the Most Hyped Album That Turned Out To Be Actually Good (47:48). Who won? And who "won" (since winning some of these categories doesn't feel like a victory)? Listen and find out!New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 168 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's that time of the year again when critics try to think of every record they heard in the previous 11 months and determine their favorites. Steven and Ian are up to the challenge in this week's episode. But first they talk about the stock albums that seem to populate these lists — the "arty" and "obscure" hip-hop record with an unpronounceable name, the near-unlistenable "acclaimed" death-metal record, the "accessible" jazz album with indie cred. etc.From there they do a quick Sportscast about Steven's recent love of college football (13:12). They also discuss Taylor Swift being named Person Of The Year by Time magazine and how the media was weirdly in the tank for her all throughout this past year (20:39). Finally, Steven and Ian each pick their five favorite albums of the year, and hash out the trends that defined 2023 (29:16).New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 167 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's the calm before the storm on the show this week — Steven and Ian are working on their year-end albums lists ahead of the big reveal in early December (1:57), so in the meantime they decided to answer to some listener questions. But before that, Ian shared the shocking news that he watched The Last Waltz for the first time over the Thanksgiving break. What did Ian think of this foundational film in Steven's life? Naturally, he gravitated to Van Morrison's purple suit. The guys also commenced a brief Bookcast segment to talk about the hellacious new book about southern fraternities (and how they coincide with southern rap), Among The Bros by Max Marshall.In the mailbag (29:38), Steven and Ian address topics as diverse as Gen Z's obsession with personal listening statistics (30:20), whether an artist sounding a lot like another artist is a distraction (36:50), and the value (or not) of demos being added to reissues and box sets. (44:57)In Recommendation Corner (51:07), Ian talks up the latest from Quannic and Steven recommends the extremely long in the works new album by Peter Gabriel.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 166 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fair warning: Steven and Ian assumed they would be in a turkey coma this week, so they banked an episode ahead of time in order to fully enjoy their Thanksgiving celebrations. Hopefully, they did not miss any world-changing music news. If they did, just assume that the guys were killed in some music-industry related mishap. Keep their memory in your hearts!The upside of this is that Steven and Ian are finally inducting some new albums into the Indiecast Hall Of Fame after an endless eight-month hiatus (23:20). Steven decided to pick three albums from one year: 1988. His choices include deathless classics from The Go-Betweens, The Waterboys, and The Smithereens. Ian meanwhile cast a wider net, picking albums from a range of eras including the 1990s (Grant Lee Buffalo), the 2000s (Elbow), and the 2010s (Restorations). It was an incredibly serious and honorable ceremony enjoyed by all!New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 165 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian took a victory lap at the start of today's episode upon the news that Air is reuniting for a Moon Safari tour next year, right after they talked up the album in last week's Best Of 1998 episode. Can they take credit for actualizing this? Probably not. But they did anyway.From there, they talk about one of the weirdest album release days of 2023. First, you have the new Andre 3000 flute album, New Blue Sun (6:25). Second, you have Dolly Parton's 141-minute"rock" album, Rockstar (25:49). Steven and Ian didn't get the chance to hear these albums before recording, which is just as well. It might be better to just imagine what they sound like. After that, they discussed the apparent anointment of Boygenius by the entertainment business — they were just on Saturday Night Live and then they garnered more Grammy nominations (seven) than Taylor Swift. Is it safe to call them the biggest act in indie music? (35:00) In the mailbag, a listener asks about the new album announcement for The Smile and what this means for the future of Radiohead (48:06).In Recommendation Corner (56:01), Ian shouts out the new book about '90s music by Rob Harvilla and Steven recommends the great new live album by MJ Lenderman.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 164 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian are hopping in the time machine this week. They're heading back one quarter-century to 1998, a fascinating year when artists were imagining the sound of the future and combining rock with jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music like never before. For Steven and Ian, it was a time of attending college and getting high while playing video games. You could be amazed by simple pleasures like, "Whoa, Richard Ashcroft is collaborating with DJ Shadow! I'm gonna listen to that after I go see Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in Armageddon!"Before that nostalgic trip, Steven and Ian answer listener questions, including one from an actual Gen Z listener! (Friendly tip: If you self-identify as a Gen Z listener, you will definitely get your email read on the show.) She wants to know 1) what the guys think of elaborate arena shows? 2) what they think about checking out setlists before showtime? 3) what they think about Matty Healy pretending to be drunk on stage? Their answers may not surprise you!Finally, they get down to ranking their favorite albums of 1998. They each picked five albums, and they had two in common. Can you guess which ones? If you said the Godzilla soundtrack, you would be wrong!In Recommendation Corner, Ian goes to bat for String Machine and NATL PARK SRVC while Steven recommends Cat Power's new Dylan covers album and the latest from Nashville guitarist Daniel Donato.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 163 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's not every day that a new song by the popular indie-rock band The Beatles drops. But that's what happened right as Steven and Ian were scheduled to record this week's episode. So they started late, and listened to "Now And Then," and then decided... that it sounds like a '90s power pop band attempting to sound like The Beatles. Not necessarily a bad thing? But is it really necessary to take an old John Lennon demo, have Macca and Ringo lay on a new rhythm track, and label it the "last" Beatles tune?After that discussion, the guys discuss "Soul Net," a new single by the great shoegaze outfit Diiv (15:21). Back in the 2010s, it seemed like these guys were either accused of being overhyped or totally ignored. But their music from that era really holds up, and Steven and Ian are excited about the potential for a new album. They are also really into a new shoegaze band, Hotline TNT, who dropped a great new album called Cartwheel today (24:41).Since the guys are so positive in this ep, it seemed OK to talk about a band they both hate, but also feel like isn't popular enough to publicly hate. What are the ethics of "punching down" for critics talking about artistically suspect acts that haven't reached the masses? Steven and Ian try to talk it out (34:05). Then, in the mailbag, they give the "yay or nay" treatment to They Might Be Giants (46:14).In Recommendation Corner (51:07), Ian talks up the latest effort from Empty Country while Steven recommends Philadelphia band Golden Apples.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 162 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a short Sportscast segment in which Steven and Ian mourn the sorry states of their respective teams at the moment (Packers and Phillies), they get down to some inside-baseball chat about reckonings at major music publications. Rolling Stone published several articles this week that addressed Jann Wenner's recent comments about female and POC musicians, and Bandcamp was reeling after Instagram posts by the site's editorial director slamming the platform's union surfaced (6:57).After that, they delve into the latest album by The Gaslight Anthem, History Books, the band's first in nine years. Even with the long break, GLA pretty much picks up where they left off (30:31). Then Steven and Ian talk about the 20th anniversary of Chutes Too Narrow, the 2003 Shins album that Ian recently wrote about for Stereogum (37:03). In the mailbag, a listener asks about the numerous cameos by singer-songwriters in Killers Of The Flower Moon — including Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Jack White, and Pete Yorn (47:14) — while another listener talks about the surprisingly thriving Tumblr scene in the 2010s for bands like Beirut and The Decemberists (53:32).In Recommendation Corner (58:17), Ian talks up the new album by emo band awakebutstillinbed while Steven recommends a reissue from the iconic Pacific Northwest band Lync and a new EP by the jangle-pop group Lightheaded.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 161 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Fall Albums Fantasy Draft is heating up between Steven and Ian. After Steven jumped out to an early lead, Ian has been slowly creeping up and it's looking like he might seriously contend for the top spot (7:21). After spending way too long hashing that out, the guys move on to a conversation about the recent layoffs at Bandcamp and what this might mean for the future of the beloved online indie retailer. After so many major indie-rock stars have sprung from that platform in the past decade, are we on the verge of a post-Bandcamp future? (16:10)From there Steven and Ian talk about Rolling Stone's recent list of the best guitarists of all time, and what "best guitarists" lists say about the publications that produce them. Also: Are we now in a post-guitar hero society, where music fans no longer worship displays of instrumental virtuosity? (30:38) After that, they talk about the new Rolling Stones album, Hackney Diamonds, and Steven presents a theory about why the Stones haven't translated to younger generations like other classic-rock acts such as Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac (46:33).In Recommendation Corner (58:56), Ian raves about the new Jane Remover album while Steven goes in for rowdy country-rock band Dusk.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 160 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the past several weeks, Steven and Ian have planned to do a mailbag segment on the show. But they always end up yapping for too long, and the segment inevitably ends up getting bumped. This week, the guys finally rectified the situation by addressing some emails from their loyal listeners.What do Indiecast listeners want to know about? Our first letter concerns the matter of seated shows vs. standing-room only shows, and which is preferable (16:55). You can probably guess what the 40something-year-old hosts of Indiecast think about this, though Steven makes a case for seated shows providing "guaranteed real estate" that you don't have to defend if you leave temporarily to get a beer or go to the bathroom. From there, Steven and Ian finally address the email about The Weakerthans, and give their opinion on the beloved Canadian band (25:54). They also talk about their favorite indie-rock bassists of the last 25 years (39:08), and the legacy of the indie-folk band Beirut (47:24).In Recommendation Corner (56:39), Ian talks about the Abe Vigoda offshoot Cupid & Psyche while Steven recommends the vibe-y Chicago rock act Squirrel Flower.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 159 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Loyal listeners are aware that Steven is currently wiping the floor with Ian in their Fantasy Fall Albums draft (3:24). But Ian has a shot this week to make up some ground with the release of Javelin, the new critically acclaimed album by Sufjan Stevens (9:58). While Steven respects Sufjan's talent and stature in the indie world, he's never quite warmed up to the singer-songwriter, due to his undeniable "theater kid/youth pastor" vibes. Ian meanwhile is a big fan and considered Javelin a return to form. Hear the guys hash it out over one of indie's most beloved legacy acts.From there the conversation shifts to Steven's recent trip to Las Vegas to see U2 play at the new state-of-the-art venue Sphere (24:55). We have all seen video clips of this thing by now, but what was it like to be there in person? And what other acts can possibly play this thing? Changing gears dramatically, the guys get down to talking about the amazing popularity of Duster, the '90s-era slowcore band that was mostly ignored in their time and now ranks as one of the most streamed bands of the era. What's it like to see your own musical past re-written by future generations? (37:19)In Recommendation Corner (55:31), Ian talk about the emo revival band Bewilder while Steven recommends the emerging Minneapolis alt-rock outfit Prize Horse.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 158 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin today's episode by reflecting on the news that John Darnielle and Lin-Manuel Miranda are apparently friends and consult each other on songwriting. They also tiptoe around their mixed feelings on both artists, while pointing out that they might be more alike than people want to admit. As if this wasn't enough to alienate part of the Indiecast audience, Steven and Ian also did a short Sportscast on the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (8:22).After that, the guys get into a discussion about new albums by two big legacy acts, Wilco and Animal Collective. Their latest records, Cousin (for Wilco) and Isn't It Now? (Animal Collective), are worthy efforts. But is it possible for even great bands to wear out their audiences? How many new albums is "enough"? Steven and Ian get into a deep conversation about legacy bands and how we as listeners respond to them (18:39).Then they segue into a discussion about two bands who are even older: The Replacements and Talking Heads (33:34). Both bands are having a moment right now due to seminal work from the mid-'80s being re-released, the remixed album Tim and the refurbished concert film Stop Making Sense. Steven wonders: Does Ian like or care about either band? How relevant are they as influences on contemporary music?In Recommendation Corner (53:28), Ian talks up the Brooklyn emo band Good Looking Friends while Steven recommends the Chicago indie band Slow Pulp and the heartland rock singer-songwriter Jerry David DeCicca.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 157 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's been a week since former Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner gave a disastrous interview to the New York Times to promote his upcoming book of classic rocker interviews, The Masters. Thankfully, it lingered just long enough in the news for Steven and Ian to talk about it on the pod. The guys reflect on Wenner's legacy, why he chose to say out loud what many assumed were his feelings about women and black musicians, and what this means for the discourse overall. Also, they talk about the surprise re-emergence of Spin's Bob Guccione Jr. aka the guy Axl Rose threatened to beat up in "Get In The Ring." (:25)From there they talk about Laugh Track, the surprise new album by The National that dropped earlier this week (23:33). It's their second LP of 2023 after First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, and it sounds a lot like that record. Steven and Ian are somewhat lukewarm on both records, though Steven believes that a very good single National album could have been made from their best material. What's going on with this band, and have they lost the ability to self-edit?In the mailbag, a listener takes the guys to task for talking about sports too much (33:43), and another letter writer asks an important CD-related question: jewel case or digipak? (41:52)In Recommendation Corner (49:51), Ian talks about the Grimes-like singer-songwriter Yeule while Steven recommends the Summerteeth-like rock band Slaughter Beach, Dog.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 156 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Those following the Fall Albums Fantasy Draft are probably aware that Steven is off to a big lead, as Olivia Rodrigo's Guts (his no. 1 pick) is already one of the year's best reviewed albums. But how do Steven and Ian feel about it? After a mini "Sportscast" episode featuring a surprisingly contentious debate about NFL vs. college football (7:19), the guys get into the album (19:11). Here's the verdict: the "bubblegum rock" half of the record is really fun. But there are also a ton of melodramatic ballads with intense theater kid energy that are... less fun. Why are critics overlooking the weaknesses of Guts? And is it possible that Rodrigo is more of a singles artist than an album artist?You know who is an albums artist? Mitski. While Steven wasn't a fan of her previous record, 2022's Laurel Hell, he loves her latest work, The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, which he considers one of the very best albums of the year (39:00). Ian also likes The Land, though he still prefers her mid-2010s punk/emo era to her current soft rock incarnation.In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks up the latest album by the Chemical Brothers while Steven stumps for the new Wild Pink side project, Lilts.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 154 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The NFL season is upon us, and Steven and Ian are marking the occasion by launching their first ever Fall Albums Fantasy Draft. Here's how it works — they each pick five albums that are coming out this fall with the object of accumulating the highest overall Metacritic score. In this scenario, Olivia Rodrigo is like Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift is like Justin Jefferson. Does that make sense? No? It will when you listen! (36:34)Before that, Steven gives a recap of his weekend in Dayton for the 40th anniversary Guided By Voices shows (4:16). Was the line for the men's bathroom a disaster? Of course it was! Also, the guys delve into the online dust-up between Jeff Rosenstock and Steve Albini — and the Canadian punk band Propagandhi (?) — over music venues that take a portion of artists' merch sales. Finally, they pay tribute to the recently fallen icons Jimmy Buffett and Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth.In Recommendation Corner (1:03:30) Ian talks up a new posthumous album from Sparklehorse while Steven recommends the latest power-pop gem from Cory Hanson.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 153 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's Indiecast was recorded a few days earlier than usual, so if there was some major indie news that is not discussed, that is why. Why did the guys record early? Well, Steven shipped off to Dayton, Ohio to see the 40th anniversary shows for Guided By Voices. Before he left, he previewed the weekend — which he dubbed "45-Year-Old Indie Fan Woodstock" — with Ian (1:45).After that, Steven and Ian review the new self-titled album from Zach Bryan, a country superstar who has some strong indie/emo guy tendencies (13:32). Then the guys discuss the new album by actual emo-adjacent star Jeff Rosenstock, who attempts to segue to a more mature sound with Hellmode. (30:20)In Recommendation Corner (47:54), Ian talks about a new EP from the darkwave act Drab Majesty, while Steven recommends the 1980s era Australian indie band Died Pretty in light of the recent death of lead singer Ron Peno.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 153 here subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week it was reported that Ed Droste of the fine art-rock band Grizzly Bear is now working as a therapist (:25). That this was news at all speaks to the weird navieté that we as indie-rock fans have about the financial realities of the musicians we love. Steven and Ian begin the episode by talking about the "Joe jobs" of indie-rock lifers, and the potential "indie star to therapist" pipe line.From there, the guys talk about Steven's recent column on the best soundtrack albums of all-time, and why the golden age for soundtracks is from the mid-'80s to the early '00s. While it's true that a big film like Barbie can still spin off a successful soundtrack, the golden age of B and C-tier soundtracks — when an otherwise forgotten film like 1993's Judgment Night can be paired with a famous soundtrack — seems to be over (11:08).After that, Steven and Ian review new albums by hardcore collective The Armed and the Chicago guitar-pop band Ratboys (27:39). In Recommendation Corner (56:01), Ian praises the bloghouse throwback DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ and Steven gives the nod to the new solo album from Big Thief guitarist Buck Meek.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 152 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven was on vacation for part of the week, so he was checked out of the discourse. When he returned, he kept seeing the same face in his social media feed — the "Ginger Mumford" himself, Oliver Anthony. The folk-country artist went mega-viral this week with his right-wing, anti-welfare song "Rich Men North Of Richmond." Steven asked Ian if he's heard the song, and about the recent upswing in reactionary hits and whether this is a path forward for new artists looking for a way to break.After that, the guys talk about Ian's recent list of the greatest blog rock albums of all time. They debate Ian's choices, and compare that mid-aughts era when amateur curators were obsessed with hyping obscure bands with today's safer, superstar-obsessed era. Have things gotten better or worse?In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the indie-pop band dreamTX while Steven recommends the Philadelphia country-rock outfit Florry.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 151 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every summer, the music press tries to figure out the song of the summer. For Steven, this can be a tedious exercise that feels like one of those fake holidays made up by greeting card companies to sell product. Nevertheless, the discourse is welcome during an otherwise dead time of the year. So Steven and Ian are getting down to the task this week of determining the defining track of the season.Before that, the guys discuss the latest dust-up between musicians and music critics to unfold online. What is at the heart of this conflict, and can it ever be resolved? Also, there's a conversation about memorable review-related feuds that Steven and Ian have had over the years, including the time that Donald Glover threatened to beat Ian up. (Steven never tires of hearing this story.)Along with talking about the song of the summer, Steven and Ian also talk about patio music, a concept that has particularly interested Steven during the summer months. What makes a good patio music album? And is it possible to appreciate this concept if (like Ian) you don't have a patio and live in a place where it's always warm?In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the new release from Spirit Night while Steven recommends an overlooked album from 2022 by Greg Freeman.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 150 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, indie-rock institution Wilco announced a new album. It's called Cousin, and Steven and Ian naturally wondered: Is this a deliberate reference to The Bear? After all, the hit FX show is known for multiple Wilco needle drops. Did Jeff Tweedy return the favor? The verdict is "probably not," but it's fun to speculate about regardless (:28).From there, they take a hard left to talk about Utopia, the new album by rapper Travis Scott. Utopia is the sort of big tent rap record that used to be common, but in 2023 the genre seems more insular than usual. Is this a temporary blip or a sign of things to come? And is Utopia — an album that includes more than a few signifiers that evoke Kanye West — a conscious attempt to make the kind of album that achieves critical and commercial acclaim? (9:45)Another hard left: Steven tells Ian about "Young Love And Saturday Nights," a (terrible) new country song by Chris Young that borrows the riff from David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel." It's part of a trend called "interpolation pop" where songwriters go to song publishers in advance to get permission to use the spare parts of classic tunes. After that, the guys talk about the recent controversy concerning Lizzo (38:50), and give the "yay or nay" treatment to the Semisonic reunion (45:16).In Recommendation Corner (51:24), Ian talks about the new George Clanton while Steven recommends the recent four-part Spector music documentary.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 149 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After Ian hit up the Pitchfork Music Festival last weekend, Steven hits him up for a post-mortem in today's episode (6:31). Turns out Ian skipped out on Saturday — a day marred by weather delays — in order to eat custard in Wisconsin. Which means he missed out on the headline set by Big Thief, the weekend's most polarizing performance. Steven and Ian also talked about the band's recent single, "Vampire Empire," and whether it qualifies as a disappointment.Another huge indie star who put out new music this week is Mitski (22:51). Ahead of her forthcoming album The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, due out in September, she released a quality single, "Bug Like An Angel." After discussing the song, the guys try to place Mitski in the galaxy of reigning indie stars. From there, they pivot in a non-indie direction to Post Malone, whose new album Austin is out today. Does he deserve a yay or nay? They report, you decide (32:41).In the mailbag, a listener asks Steven and Ian to stop making fun of Sublime (43:44). This, predictably, only prompts more Sublime jokes. Ian also pulls out his San Diego card to justify the mockery.In Recommendation Corner (52:13), Ian talks about the latest effort from the long-running British band The Clientele, while Steven endorses a recent live album from Father John Misty.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 148 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Let's say you are starting a record label. Money is no object, and every artist and band in the world is a free agent. Who would you pick? That's the premise of this week's episode. (31:21) This wholly original idea involves selecting acts that fall into five categories: prestige (they don't stream big but they get great reviews), popular (they don't get great reviews but they stream big), solo artist under the age of 28 (an up-and-comer you can lock in for a long time), band with three or fewer albums (ditto), and sacred cow (an act you sign because you love them).Before Steven and Ian get to the draft, they talk about this weekend's Pitchfork Festival — Ian is going and Steven is not — and their favorite performances from previous festivals (4:44). They also address some non-indie rock topics: The terrible new Jason Aldean song (13:40) and the history of reactionary country hits that crossover into the mainstream for culture war reasons, and the forthcoming "Summer Of '99" cruise (23:46) featuring a reunited Creed plus a head-scratching mix of post-grunge and radio-friendly pop rock from the late '90s.In Recommendation Corner (57:54), Ian talks about the new book by Thursday frontman Geoff Rickly, while Steven chats up the new album by Texas surf-punks Being Dead.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 147 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, Steven briefly forgot how to work his podcast equipment, and the result was the first, instantly iconic "lost" Indiecast episode. Fortunately, Steven Googled "how to work podcast equipment" and he was able to match his vocals to Ian's for this week's episode.The guys begin with a discussion of a weird new trend in live music: People throwing things at artists' faces. Not only is this stupid and dangerous, it also makes no sense. But what is causing it? Also: Is it really that new? (4:43) Steven shares the story about David Bowie getting hit in the face with a lollipop in the early aughts, as well as the strange history of yahoos bringing firecrackers to concerts in the 1970s.From there, Steven and Ian launch into a discussion about the new Anohni album, My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross, as well as the outlook for potential Album Of The Year candidates in the second half of 2023 (14:38). The guys also discuss the latest effort from PJ Harvey, I Inside The Old Year Dying, and give her overall career the "yay or nay" treatment (31:20). Finally, they make time to address the new Wham! documentary on Netflix, directed by Chris Smith.In the mailbag, a reader talks about a recent concert by the band Wednesday and asks whether Steven and Ian appreciate between-song banter (56:29). Then, in Recommendation Corner (1:02:47), Ian talks up the emo band Magazine Beach while Steven raves about the alt-rock-inspired band Palehound.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 146 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There's no fresh, funny, and incisive commentary on Indiecast this week due to technical issues. But here's a rundown of what you would have heard, including musing about Bluesky, The Bear's soundtrack, and the 30th anniversary of U2's Zooropa.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Indiecast, Steven and Ian try to keep the gap between what we talk about privately in the DM's and what we talk about on the show as narrow as possible. But given all the weird online discourse this week, that just wasn't possible in this episode. Between all the Boygenius gatekeeping and "state of music criticism" chatter, it was a very odd bunch of days online. Oh, and as if things were bad enough: Fall Out Boy released an updated version of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" covering the years between 1989 and now. The whole ordeal provoked another anti-Fall Out Boy rant from Steven (8:25).Thankfully, the guys found solace in the mailbag (16:14). Listeners came through with some very good topics: Is it possible to separate your "critic" brain from your "fan" brain? How important are record labels now as arbiters of quality? What makes a good concert T-shirt? Also, the guys "yay or nay" the aughts era indie band Art Brut, which prompted a Fall Out Boy-style rant from Ian.Finally, in Recommendation Corner (55:48), Ian talks up arty metalheads Loma Prieta while Steven stumps for the mellow Michigan folk-rock band Bonny Doon.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 145 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Steven and Ian reach back to a momentous year in music and both of their lives: 2013. One man discovered the joys of Phish and jam bands that year. And the other man fell hard for the burgeoning emo revival. Somehow, they both managed to also listen to music that wasn't Phish or emo. And we discuss a lot of that music in this episode.Before we get to that, the guys talk about the upcoming tour pairing emo legends The Hotelier with Foxing, which is a big deal in Ian's world. But will audiences turn out? They also answer a listener question about The Idol in comparison to another poorly reviewed HBO show about the music business, Vinyl (11:01). Steven has seen both shows and he has some thoughts. (Also, the conversation also drifts back to Tulsa King, as it often does on this show.)Finally, Steven and Ian get to 2013 (21:56). Our categories include "Most 2023 Album Released In 2013" and "Most 2013 Album Released In 2013" along with more straightforward fare like "Most Underrated." They also try to figure out if there's a difference between the "best" and "favorite" albums for the year.In Recommendation Corner (1:02:14), Ian goes to bat for hardcore favorites Militarie Gun while Steven praises U.K. singer-songwriter Hamish Hawk.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 144 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before getting to the serious business of handing out their mid-year Indiecasties awards for indie music semi-excellence, Steven and Ian try to make sense of the most nonsensical TikTok trend of 2023: The Pinegrove Shuffle. Apparently, there are young people doing this weird dance to a deep cut by the rootsy indie-Americana band. Why? Who knows? Listen to two guys in their 40s try to explain it.In non-TikTok news, Steven is planning a trip to Dayton in September for two 40th anniversary Guided By Voices shows that also feature Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill, Wednesday, and others. It's the middle-aged indie fan Woodstock! The guys also briefly discuss new albums out today by Queens Of The Stone Age, Sigur Ros, and Killer Mike.Finally, it's time for the Indiecasties! All of your favorite categories are back: Most Valuable Album Cycle, Most Annoying Music Writer Twitter Story, Most Memory-Holed Album, and more. No spoilers, but expect lots of fireworks from the likes of Boygenius and Foo Fighters.In Recommendation Corner, Ian recommends a new emo oral history from writer Chris Payne, Where Are Your Boys Tonight?, while Steven discusses the new 20th anniversary edition of the classic Drive-By Truckers album, The Dirty South.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 143 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week Steven and Ian had to bank an episode because Steven was on vacation. Which is why they did their first all "Yay Or Nay?" episode rather than address possibly the most annoying music story of the year (and maybe decade?) so far — the short-lived dating relationship between Taylor Swift and The 1975's Matty Healy, and the insane online reaction it sparked. Sadly, they do touch on this kerfuffle briefly this week (:25), but only to note that in terms of annoying music stories, this thing is basically Everything Everywhere All At Once, an unstoppable juggernaut that can't possibly be topped in the field of irritation.Speaking of annoying stories: Steven and Ian also address the recent takedown of Hannah Gadsby's "It's Pablo-matic" art exhibit in the New York Times, and whether the cathartic reaction to the review speaks to a larger backlash against the "therapeutic" and prescriptive art of the Trump era, and how that might translate to the indie world (6:39).Finally, Steven and Ian set about sharing their favorite albums of the year so far (16:21). While Steven shared an unranked list of 15 favorites this week in his column, here he and Ian each share their ranked top five lists for the first part of 2023. Incredibly, there were zero overlaps in our picks!New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 142 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It started out as a joke: Wouldn't it be funny if Indiecast did an entire episode of just "yay or nay?" responses to various stimuli? But then, listeners deluged Steven and Ian with "yay or nay?" emails about seemingly every band known to mankind. Clearly, they had no choice but to go full-on "yay or nay."They tackled quite the range of topics this week. Listeners wanted to hear their takes on the British dream pop band The Clientele (4:07) and the short-lived Canadian psych-rock outfit The Unicorns (13:30). Listeners were also curious about Indiecast's takes on indie bands who use backing tracks in their live shows and, most intriguingly, their views on the surprisingly convoluted world of Mortal Kombat soundtracks from the '90s.Steven and Ian also posited "yay or nay?" scenarios to each other. Ian wanted to know Steve's feelings about Pulp (41:30), and Steven presented an elaborate theory on why it feels weird to eat food at concerts (48:10).Is this the greatest episode of Indiecast ever? Quite possibly.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 141and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's episode begins with Ian telling Steven about his recent experience seeing The Cure in concert. Turns out they are playing a lot of new songs live, and they sound a lot like Disintegration. Steven reveals that Jason Isbell said something similar about his experience seeing The Cure in New Orleans (5:06).Next, they address the most hyped release in the indie world of late, The Sex EP by NYC throwback dance-punk act The Dare (15:39). A lot of people are talking about this four-song release, and a lot of that talk is negative. But for Steven, what's interesting is that a collection of dumb tunes about sex and drugs is being treated as a novelty, when "dumb songs about sex and drugs" sum up a lot of popular music from the past 50 years, from rock to rap to country to basically every other genre. Is there a reaction brewing to the Trump/Covid era of music?From there, Steven and Ian have a wider conversation about indie sleaze and whether it's a real phenomenon or a trumped-up fantasy by shadowy "Brooklyn-based trend forecasters" (32:29). Speaking of fantasies, the guys also addressed reunion rumors surrounding two very different bands: Oasis and Modern Baseball (44:55).In Recommendation Corner (50:42), Ian talks about two electronic acts, Blawan and Overmono, while Steven brings up the catchy French indie pop En Attendant Ana.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 140 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If there is one thing that we love here at Indiecast, it is festival posters with absolutely chaotic energy. So Steven and Ian were psyched this week to see the lineup for Riot Fest in Chicago, which is topped by big-time bands like Foo Fighters, Death Cab For Cutie and Queens Of The Stone Age. But the real action takes place further down the list — where else can you see Ani DiFranco, Mr. Bungle and Insane Clown Posse in the same place? Also, apparently Corey Feldman is also appearing at this festival? Simply incredible. (:27)From there, Steven asks Ian about the state of music in 2023. Specifically, is this a weak year for consensus album of the year candidates? Caroline Polachek and Boygenius are early contenders, and there are artists on the horizon (PJ Harvey, Rihanna, Jenny Lewis) who might contend. But this year feels like we might be at the end of something. What is it, though? (11:08)After that, there's a discussion about the legacy of The Cure, who are back on the road this month (24:15). (Steven also wrote about them this week.) Why is this band so central to the history of modern indie and alternative rock? What is their best work, and where should a newbie get started?In Recommendation Corner (1:00:07), Ian talks up the British post-punk band Mandy, Indiana, while Steven stumps for two other British acts, the soft-rock singer-songwriter Westerman and the art-rock combo Bar Italia.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 139 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Indiecast's latest episode, Steven declares that Ian is a surgeon, Dr. Han. (Is this meme old yet? Will anyone know what we're talking about next week?) Actually, their first order of business is talking about In Times New Roman, the just-announced new album by Queens Of The Stone Age due June 16, their first in six years (6:16). They try to sort out their current feelings about this band, and the murky personal life of Josh Homme. (They also struggle, of course, to correctly pronounce "Homme.")Next they talk about the end of two institutions that they sort of thought ended in the aughts, but actually shut down this week: The pop-punk band Sum 41, and the legacy media outlet MTV News. Ian actually goes to bat for Sum 41 by giving them a "yay," while Steven is an indifferent "nay"(12:09). But MTV News was a formative outlet for both '90s kids, especially the gravitas-rich lead anchor Kurt Loder (22:11).From there they piggyback on Steven's recent column about the 10th anniversary of Daft Punk's Random Access Memories and talk about whether the album is a classic, overrated or both. (Steven and Ian both landed on "both") (30:18). What's not overrated is American Football buying the American Football house, which is another thing that happened this week, though the story made Ian sad about that a beloved combination A&W/Long John Silver's that is gone from his college town (46:35).In Recommendation Corner (54:10), Ian hypes the hyperpop/pop-punk hybrid Hot Mulligan, while Steven talks up a reissue from the Cleveland guitarist/composer Mark McGuire.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 138 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every week, Steven and Ian make it their business to talk about the latest news in indie rock. This week, however, they don't do that. Instead, they made the least indie-rock episode of Indiecast ever.The most indie topic on the docket is the rumored relationship between Taylor Swift and The 1975's Matty Healy (17:12). Is this (alleged) relationship too annoying even for them? And what does it mean for two superstars to "date" anyway? Does exchanging texts constitute a romantic hookup? Are they going to get frozen yogurt together on the fly?From there they move on to the Ed Sheeran copyright lawsuit concerning the supposed similarity of his 2014 hit "Thinking Out Loud" and Marvin Gaye's 1973 classic "Let's Get It On." (22:34) (This was recorded before the verdict came down in Ed's favor.) If you have heard the songs you have can probably tell that they sort of sound alike. But does that constitute a rip-off? Can you really copyright a vibe? Doesn't all new music in some way riff on the old?Finally, they get to the most important topic: Aerosmith, yay or nay? They ponder the legacy of this gross, ridiculous, and occasionally great (for four years in in the 1970s) group as they announce their reunion tour (34:31).In Recommendation Corner (54:40), Ian talks about the singer-songwriter Greg Mendez while Steven pays tribute to the late Gordon Lightfoot, who died this week at age 84.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 137 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Indiecast is talking about wily veterans. And that includes Aaron Rodgers, who is the topic of the emergency Sportscast segment at the top of the episode (1:30). Steven has some heavy feelings to work out about his quarterback for the past 15 years, and all Ian can do in response is trash the 2005 film Hustle & Flow. (It makes sense when you hear the episode.)With that out of the way, the guys get into the business of Indiecast by talking about First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, the new album by The National (14:14). Ian admits that he's lost interest in the band after loving them in the aughts, and this record hasn't really changed his mind. Steven meanwhile is still a believer, and thinks this album improves on the previous National record, I Am Easy To Find, though it's not a complete comeback.Next the guys turn to One Wayne G, the new 199-song data dump by Mac DeMarco (28:39). Did they listen to all eight hours? Not yet! Will they ever? Who knows? Steven and Ian try to figure out where Mac is at in his career. Is he quiet quitting a la Frank Ocean?Finally, they talk about Atum, the new rock opera by Smashing Pumpkins that is so sprawling it is not yet fully released (38:15). Steven and Ian contemplate the story of Shiny, the hero at the center of the album, and whether his tale is a metaphor for cancel culture. More importantly, why does this album sound so bad? Can they reconnect Billy Corgan with Flood?In Recommendation Corner (53:14), Ian talks up the DJ Avalon Emerson, while Steven stumps for the Nashville garage band Country Westerns.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 136 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Indiecast talks about the biggest music news of the week, and this week the biggest music news involved Frank Ocean's disastrous appearance at Coachella, and the subsequent cancelation of his performance this weekend. Steven and Ian try to comprehend the original concept for the performance — apparently it involved an ice rink and an army of skaters? — and why Frank Ocean is the sort of artist that people love precisely because he's likely to bail on a Coachella headliner performance. (7:02)They also talked about the current status of AI music, which this week included a fake near-hit by Drake and The Weeknd and a faux-Oasis record that kinda replicated their mid-'90s prime. Ian tried to talk Steve out of having a nervous breakdown over the destructive potential of artificial intelligence replacing the human race. Was he successful? Find out! (23:17)After a brief conversation over whether 72 Seasons is an AI Metallica record — it kind of sounds like it! — the guys dove into the mailbag (32:55). A listener from Australia asked for a "yay or nay" verdict on the iconic punk band Against Me!, while an audience member from Quebec inquired about their favorite backyard barbecue music (43:10). Is it a surprise that Steven and Ian both had My Morning Jacket on their lists?In Recommendation Corner (55:45), Ian talked up Superviolet, a solo project by an ex-member of the Ohio emo band The Sidekicks, while Steven stumped for singer-songwriter Kara Jackson, whose recent LP Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love? is a singular jazzy folk gem.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 135 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coachella is upon us, so Steve and Ian felt it was appropriate to talk about the music festival. But do you really need to talk about Coachella on an indie music podcast these days? This year's lineup might be the least indie-oriented in history, continuing a long-running trend favoring pop and electronic music. To illustrate this point, they revisited the 2013 lineup, a year when The Stone Roses, Blur, Phoenix and lots of other bands who might not even be booked at the festival in 2023 were the heavy hitters (3:13).Then they turned to Running With Our Eyes Closed, the recent HBO documentary about Jason Isbell and the making of his 2020 album, Reunions (15:14). Unlike most recent music docs, this film does not feel like a commercial for the subject. It is, instead, a very candid look at a marriage going through a rough patch. In fact, the film might be almost too honest in places; this is the rare music doc that doesn't flatter its subjects. Directed by Sam Jones, who also made 2002's similarly frank Wilco doc I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, Running With Our Eyes Closed ranks with the best rock films to come out in recent years.In the mailbag section, they addressed questions about The Walkmen — who recently reunited for a tour — and their overall legacy, as well as the career of Songs: Ohia singer-songwriter Jason Molina, who has emerged as an important influence on contemporary Americana and post-hardcore acts (33:11).New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 134 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Because Indiecast is obligated to talk about the biggest indie news of the week — it's right there in the introduction — they were required to open this week's episode with an overview of the Boygenius discourse (:30). Which turned toxic over the weekend for all of the predictable reasons. However, is it possible to think that The Record is neither a masterpiece nor the worst thing ever but simply ... okay?One album Steve and Ian think is a lot better than okay is Rat Saw God, the latest from North Carolina band Wednesday. Steve and Ian both wrote about this album this week, and both came away impressed by Karly Hartzman's ability to evoke a real sense of place in her lyrics (8:23). Coupled with the band's heavy guitar sound, Wednesday brings to mind one of their biggest influences, Drive-By Truckers. Might the critical acclaim of Rat Saw God bring more people to the DBT fold? (20:22)Next they turn to the mailbag, and address an interesting listener question: What is the best album of the decade so far? (30:42) Which leads to other interesting questions: How did the pandemic mess with how we perceive early 2020s music? Has the album that will define this decade even been released yet? After that, they proceed to talk about the legacies of two very different acts: The Beastie Boys and Coheed & Cambria.Finally, in Recommendation Corner (55:13) Ian recommends the reissue of an emo classic by Braid, while Steve stumps for the patio and cookout friendly jams of Sluice.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 133 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At the start of this week's episode, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen try to come to terms with the fact that Ed Sheeran doesn't think music critics are necessary. Ultimately, they concede that the man has a point — after all, if music critics had any power, Ed Sheeran would not be a hugely successful pop star (:26).In the banter segment, they talk about the upcoming tour by Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol and Stone Temple Pilots, which is like Pavement's "Range Life" come to life (7:02). They also talk about the new album by The Hold Steady, The Price Of Progress (14:17).In the mailbag, a reader asks for their favorite sophomore albums. Can they interest you in a little record called Nevermind? How about The Bends? Actually, the letter writer stumps for Weekend In The City, because it is now Indiecast law that Bloc Party is mentioned in every episode (20:44). Finally, the meat of the episode reviews two big spring indie releases by Lana Del Rey (32:20) and Boygenius (44:11).In Recommendation Corner (56:23), Ian talks about the American Football side project Lies, while Steve raves about the Irish folk (with a post-rock twist) band Lankum.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 132 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's Indiecast, Ian and Steve share their thoughts on two new albums. The first is Yves Tumor's long-winded album Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (yes, that's the full album title), which is not quite experimental enough to be avant-garde but not quite catchy enough to be a pop record (44:40). The second is Black Country, New Road's Live At Bush Hall, an album recorded after the band's lead singer departed (53:11).But before they get into the meat of the episode, Steve and Ian dive into Ticketmaster's latest controversy and how it's kinda, sorta, but not really surprising how quickly The Cure's tour sold out (21:53). They briefly recap SXSW and a certain viral artist who people accused of “quiet quitting” during her set (1:30). Plus, in honor of Steve's list of the 100 best debut albums, they talk about which albums didn't make the cut (31:37).In this week's Recommendation Corner (1:03:36), Ian shouts out the memoir Stay True by Hua Hsu. Meanwhile, Steve gives props to Dazy's power pop EP Otherbody.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 131 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's episode, Ian and Steve review new albums by M83 (which they like) and 100 Gecs (which they are mixed on but are intrigued about) (12:01). But before that, they delve into the week's biggest controversy (:27): That tweet from a political writer about how The White Stripes would have been better with a more technically proficient drummer.They also take a deep dive into the Indiecast mailbag to address questions about other important issues (29:46), including: Will Sufjan Stevens' Illinois will work as a musical? What are the best '90s rap skits? And why is it so hard to make a good music biopic?New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 130 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode, Steve and Ian discuss a wide range of topics while acknowledging that neither is as good at music criticism as Jamie Lee Curtis (3:59). They dive into Steve's recent Bruce Springsteen live experience (23:24), the controversy over The Weeknd's new HBO show (34:18) and whether he's too big to cancel, the rumors about a possible reunion tour by The Hotelier (45:38), and the recent wave of dance-punk bands inspired by the mid-aughts (51:24).The mailbag addresses the state of bands performing on late night television (9:03). Doesn't it seem like that golden era of a band killing it and then going viral with a late-night performance is over? It's been a while since it happened, right?In Recommendation Corner (1:01:08), Ian recommends the latest album by Slowthai, Ugly, while Steve gives props to the brand new EP by Manchester Orchestra, The Valley Of Vision and the excellent new single by Ratboys, "Black Earth, WI."New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 129 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ian and Steve looked ahead to the next three months and picked their most anticipated albums, tours, and trends! That's right — they hashed out future trends this time (29:46).In the meat of the episode, they talk about whether upcoming albums by Blondshell and 100 Gecs will live up to expectations this spring (31:12). Then they looked at the "Indie Rock Road Trip" tour set for June that has an interesting assemblage of bands: Weezer, Modest Mouse, Future Islands, Spoon, Momma, Joyce Manor and White Reaper (45:11). Is this the solution to the over-saturation of the live music market? Should we expect to see more traveling festivals that package together sort-of-but-not-really-alike bands?In Recommendation Corner (59:17), Ian talked up A New Tomorrow by hardcore band Zulu, while Steve raved about Girl In The Half Pearl by avant-R&B artist Liv.e.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 128 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.