Unsung Podcast

A lovely return to hip hop this week, as Mark nominates El-P’s fourth solo album ‘Cancer 4 Cure’ for inclusion in our discography. David and Mark go deep on El-P’s back catalouge, taking detours through the discographies of some Def Jux artists and giving some time Killer Mike’s ‘R.A.P Music’, which was produced by El-P and came out within weeks of this album. And what conversation about El-P and Killer Mike can be complete without mentioning Run the Jewels and the staggering success they’ve had over the past five years? We cover that too. Is ‘Cancer 4 Cure’ the best El-P record? That’s up for you to decide. Vote below.

Back to more conventional territory this week. Sort of. Mike Patton, in fact not just Mike Patton but every member of Tomahawk, has been involved in a vast number of musical projects over the years. With most of the Tomahawk releases, one could convincingly argue that the band are the fulcrum for some of their most “conventional” work. Whilst all have been involved in some of the most important records ever made, they’ve never quite produced anything like Tomahawk. Conventional wisdom amongst fans of the band dictates that the band’s self titled first album should take the crown as their best work. We’re here to argue differently. Yes, you read that right - we’re here to argue differently. All three of us. United in a rare moment of praise for an album. We dive into the band’s history and take a tour of their entire discography, briefly touching upon each individual artist’s history but never lingering on it too long, because each one of them has a record we’ll cover at some point in the future. So enjoy this tour of Tomahawk and their fantastic discography, then tell us - do you think it’s their best album? Vote below.

Nothing like a curve ball, eh? This week Weaver dives deep into his catalogue of dance album and produces the spell binding ‘Glass Swords’ by Glasgow’s very own Rustie. This is our first time we’ve ever covered a dance album and the results are…mixed. ‘Glass Swords’ is often cited as being one of the most important and influential electronic records of the decade. Dave leans heavily on this fact, whilst citing how it’s both bizarre and wonderful that artists like Rustie and Hudson Mohawke have helped to define the sound of trap music; no mean feat when you considered the distance between Scotland and the American deep south. Dave and Chris give us a whilst stop tour of the more esoteric side of UK dance music covering labels such as Numbers, LuckyMe, PC Music and Warp amongst others. Is ‘Glass Swords’ Rustie’s best work? Only you can decide. Vote below.

Due to some personal issues David couldn’t join us this week, which means that Rustie’s ‘Glass Swords’ has again been pushed back until next week. We didn’t think it’d be right to cover a record he chose without him. So Chris and Mark decided to try something a bit different. Threatin is ostensibly the solo project of LA based musician Jared Threatin. In November 2018 he and four sessions musicians embarked upon a European tour in support of the band’s debut album ‘Breaking the World’. Once they began their tour things took a turn for the strange. This week Chris and Mark dust off their old investigative journalism hats and take a look at the curious case of Jered Eames. Threatin, and the media shitstorm which followed, serves to highlight a a huge number of shady dealings that go on in the music industry on a regular basis. From those who take the mantra of “fake it til you make it” quite literally, to those at the very top of the music industry who have no qualms with using bots to enhance the figures of some of the world’s biggest artists, it’s clear this is not just an isolated case. So sit back and enjoy a deep dive into the career of a fictional band, and listen in wonder as we tell you just how messed up the internet can be for musicians of all kinds. Links: https://www.sickchirpse.com/guy-paid-thousands-pounds-tour-uks-most-prestigious-venues-play-nobody/ https://www.spin.com/2018/05/tidal-fake-streams-kanye-beyonce-investigation-300-million/ https://readwrite.com/2013/01/28/youtube-bot-vevo-videos-lady-gaga-spk/ https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-power-of-false-pretense-87f6cd4d0d31 https://williamsonsource.com/10-things-about-brentwood-we-bet-you-didnt-know-lace/ Whyte Lace commerical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQwgVYzEEnQ

Here’s a story. When you start a podcast you kinda want people to listen. I mean, we wouldn’t be making the bloody thing if we didn’t think we could offer something interesting and/or entertaining. You never really expect people to do it though, and so when you start to ask the people you didn’t expect to listen to give you money for the whole damn endeavour it feels a bit like daylight robbery. Yet, people listen. Not a lot, but enough. And then people donate. Not much, but a little. Then somehow, it begins to feel like a proper thing. Pride swells, hearts flutter and brains are completely baffled by people’s willingness and generosity for giving money to three guys who are probably still chancers. So we’d like to thank all of your for giving a shit about this like we do. As some may know, a while ago we put a post on Facebook saying that if someone would be daft enough to donate £100 we’d do an episode with them in their living room on a record of their choice. We didn’t think it’d actually happen, yet it did. The man? Dundonian legend Fraser Stewart. Some may know him from the band Fat Goth. In keeping with the very spirit of this podcast he chose an Unsung band with an Unsung record, pulling the album ‘I am Forever’ by a little known band from Oklahoma City called Traindodge. This is our thanks (?!) to him. And he takes on a wild ride as he talks about his connection to this band and their music. Also, he finally did a theme tune for the Dave Grohl Nexus and we must warn you - it’s so good it might actually break the internet. Is this the best Traindodge album? Vote below!

After the eclectic weirdness of Butthole Surfers things are taking quite a dark turn with Chelsea Wolfe’s fourth (or fifth depending on who you ask) album ‘Abyss’. It’s a heavy album. Musically, it’s heavy and muscular in an almost doomy way, and in terms of content it could give Robert Smith a run for this money. Chelsea plays with a lot of different influences on this record; the aforementioned heaviness of doom; unsettling industrial soundscapes; the bleak sparseness of neofolk; the chime of alt. rock; all of it is represented here and pulled together, and apart, in fascinating ways. On this episode Mark offers his reasoning behind choosing this over ‘Pain is Beauty’, whilst Weaver explains how he too found it hard to pick between the too. Chris defends ‘Hiss Spun’, whilst also giving us an insight into her past. As ever, the boys also take a tour of her discography, before taking strange detours into sleep paralysis, the puritanical streak of left and a bunch more wild and whacky sidebars. Also, the Dave Grohl Nexus falls apart in front of Mark as the other two bust out some truly impressive connections. Is this her best album? Only you can decide. Vote via our Facebook page and as ever, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

There are screeds and screeds dedicated to the Butthole Surfers. For most of their career they were a law unto themselves musically, and for a large part of their early career they were also a law unto themselves physically. Their 80s gigs are the stuff of legend, such was the level of disregard for human decency and safety. Yet most stories are bookended with just how good they were live. Not because of their on-stage antics - although we can imagine slight/massive fear for one’s health or life would certainly heighten the experience of seeing them - but because of how well they managed to play and sound in amongst the whirling maelstrom of noise, limbs, fire and nakedness that they brought to every venue they stumbled into. For the most part their records straddle the line between awesome genre bending songwriting and outright no-fucks-given avant-garde nonsense. And when we say nonsense we mean it in the very truest sense of the word. They were a band unconcerned with trends, and at many points, completely unconcerned with traditional songwriting in general. On this episode Chris picks their album Independent Worm Saloon because he feels it is the album where the Butthole Surfers embrace the tuneful directness that they frequently toyed with on previous records, whilst still maintaining their patented weirdness. Weaver reckons that Locust Abortion Technician is a better representation of the real Butthole Surfers, whilst Mark agrees with Chris. We dive deep into their history and discography here, so the episode is a little longer than usual but it’s also a lot of fun. Is this their best record? Only you can decide. Vote on our Facebook page below.

Whether you know them as purveyors of 80s synth pop goodness or pre-post rock (yes, we understand that pre-post rock is a strange way to put it) pioneers, Talk Talk have left an indelible mark on music. Bands from all genres cite their influence. From the likes of No Doubt to Interpol, Sigur Ros to AFI, Talk Talk’s influential status is resolute. Well, it’s resolute to most people. On this episode David gives us a stirring defence of this most obtuse of albums; a jazzy, experimental rock album which spends most of the time being minimal and mellow as opposed to bombastic and loud. We take a deep dive into their discography (which is mercifully small compared to some of the recent episodes), and ponder if this really was the beginning of post rock as we know it. Mark sits on the fence whilst Chris pulls out something of a face turn as he tackles the album from an intellectual point of view. Do you agree? Vote on our Facebook page. Also, if you can spare a second, tell a friend!

It’s punk-o-rama this week. Well, it’s not actually the punk-o-rama compilation or anything, but it is the first punk record we’ve covered a little while. Mark’s choice is ‘Black Sails in the Sunset’ by AFI, a band whose career has shifted in unexpected ways since their inception in 1991. From snotty skate punk to eyeliner soaked, Misfits aping goth-punk, straight through the mid 00s emo trend right up to their reinvention as a rock band with heavy synth-pop elements, AFI are an outfit who have followed their muse faithfully, never afraid to go in a different direction if the song demands it. Yet with such a fluid approach to genre as comes a mixed bag of success. 'Black Sails’ marks the midway point between their punk and goth vibes, channelling the Misifts but hinting at something more textured that seemed to lie just beyond. Mark attempts to make a case for why this is the best AFI record, before revealing how in depth analysis of it lead to a slight change of heart. Do you agree? Vote on our Facebook page. Also, if you can spare a second, tell a friend!

We all love this record. Let’s just get that out of the way right now. It stands out in Devin Townsend’s oeuvre as being perhaps the single most focused and heaviest thing he’s ever done. It’s tight, almost organic feeling, and not a single not feels wasted. Townsend’s back catalogue is massive, so in this episode we wrestle with it as best we can, all whilst returning to the drive of the man himself. His discography goes in just about every direction you can imagine, but each new path he treads he seems to do so in the most extreme way possible. Over the top, ambitious and with an immense sense of humour, we felt that this album is what best represents Devin Townsend. Do you agree? Vote on our Facebook page. Also, if you can spare a second, tell a friend!

One could say that W h o k i l l is, objectively speaking, a musically fascinating record. Whether or not these compositions and style resonate with you is a different matter. On this episode Chris picks this record and says it’s his “purest” musical choice yet. The reasons why are fairly clear - great hooks, weird song structures and composition that don’t feel overbearing, a multitude of different layers and textures, wonderful attention to detail and stunning production. However, on the other side of the fence, both Mark and Weaver find it difficult to grab on to. Both are able to appreciate the things that are happening on this record, and agree that Merrill and Nate are extraordinarily talented musicians, however they both felt there was nothing to latch on to here. We also return to the topic of cultural appropriation again, particularly as this is something which has followed the band around with each album. Is it possible to draw a line between what’s deemed as reverence and appropriation? We’re not sure. Is this the best example of tUnE-yArDs work? Should it be entered into our discography? Vote on our Facebook page!

Yourcodenameis:milo are one of the most fondly remembered bands which were part of the post hardcore influenced Britrock that made up the popular end of the British alternative music scene at the start of the century. And rightly so, they packed a ton of ideas into their music and were years ahead of most of their contemporaries when it came to the more technical aspects of the craft. This week we talk this album and the band’s history. Questions are asked about how they seemed to spring out of nowhere, releasing their music on major labels and then vanishing. Weaver gives us a history of the band and puts in an impassioned case for why this record needs to go into our discography. You can decide its fate by voting on our Facebook page.

Sometimes we talk about popular records on this podcast. By popular we mean “has sold a boatload of copies” and La Roux certainly falls into the category of having sold a boatload of copies. Indeed, the Mercury Award nominated, Grammy Award winning, platinum selling artist could also be comfortably described as popular in just about any capacity you care to think of. Chris, whilst not disagreeing with this (and to be fair we’ve touched on other albums which have sold as many if not more than that this record did), believes this record is overlooked because of its perception as a pop record. He puts in an impassioned shift here, explaining how this album is actually way more than the sum of its parts. Weaver fundamentally disagrees, and what follows is a truly interesting conversation on what popular music is, what our discography should or shouldn’t entail, and where we draw that line. We do also talk about some of the bangers on this album because there’s at least a few on it. Is this Unsung? You can let us know by voting on our Facebook page.

If you like hardcore/metalcore/mathcore/heavy music you know of Botch. You know how good this record is. You don't need us to convince you otherwise. If you haven't heard it, then you should rectify that immediately. Botch set the blueprint for modern metallic hardcore as we know it. Most bands since have taken a lot from this record. Listening to it now, especially if you haven't heard it before like Mark, sort of feels like walking into an old, pristine home and immediately feeling comfortable in your surroundings. For a band that only existed for 8 years, they sure left their mark on music. They've since scattered and went on to create a huge variety of music, some similar, some totally different to Botch. What you need to know here is that we unanimously agree on this record. On the episode we dive into their history before dissecting the record, revelling in its daring, brutal glory. Vote on our Facebook page.

More hip hop is good for the soul. Or something. This week we take on our third hip hop album in the form of Sage Francis' 'A Healthy Distrust'. This album, his second, was his first release on Epitaph records, marking the label's first foray into hip hop. Showcasing a darker sonic palette than his previous release, 'Personal Journalist', this record finds Sage doubling down on the political and personal content, whilst creating a dense, paranoid soundscape that captures the sound of a post 9/11 world very well. Chris remains the whitest guy in the room on this episode as Mark and Weaver do the driving, discussing his back catalogue and how his sound has evolved over the years. We also talk a little about cultural appropriation and wonder if the world really needs another three white guys talking about hip hop. Is this his best album? Only you can decide. Vote on our Facebook page.

To borrow a quote from the episode? "Why the fuck are we talking about Iron Maiden?" "Because they're fucking Iron Maiden!" It's a fair point. Can a band as big as Iron Maiden ever be Unsung? Weaver pulls out all the stops as he puts forward the case as to why the first Iron Maiden album is not only their unsung classic, but their best album without question. We really get into it with this episode. Chris hates Maiden and everything they stand for, whilst Mark, an unabashed Maiden fan, revels in the jousting and drops some knowledge of his own. The Foo Fighters' Nexus gets a bit fruity this week, and everyone agrees at how much of a massive arsehole Paul Di'anno is. Is this their best album? Is it even an unsung classic? Vote below.

Warren Ellis and co. have contributed quite a lot to the Australian musical landscape. Indeed, many would say that it is Ellis' penchant for Celtic rhythms and Eastern European grooves that gives Dirty Three an identity that stands apart from the weird, seemingly generic landscape or Australian music. His work with Nick Cave on both the Bad Seeds' music and film scores cements him as a kind of of neo-Western figure, a man whose singular drive and vision has expanded beyond the realms of rock music. His compatriots Mick Turner and Jim White stand in similar stead, adding to the mythos of the band, both of them standing alone as visionary musicians whose musical development has been chronicled on tape as part of this illustrious trio. No one can deny this band's talent. As individual players they are wonderful, as unit they are nothing short of sublime. Dirty Three craft music which is heartfelt, melancholic, textured and intelligent without being difficult. Both Chris and David agree that this is their defining moment. Should this be added to our discography? Vote below.

Usually we like to wait a few days before dropping another part of an episode, but this one is proving so hot that we decided to drop it earlier. On this episode we chat with Breagha Cuinn from the band Bratakus, as she gives us a slightly different take on riot grrl compared to Anna. Then we talk about our individual choices for the discography. Chris chooses 'Fontanelle' by Babes in Toyland; David goes for 'Bricks are Heavy' by L7 and Mark decides on 'Dig me Out' by Sleater-Kinney. We also have a Foo Fighters Nexus that ties two out of our three albums together in one fell swoop, and we get to grips with how technically both Babes and Toyland and L7 aren't really riot grrl bands at all in many people's eyes. You can vote on our website.

In a change to our regularly scheduled programming, here is the first part of our Riot Grrl Mixtape. That's right, three straight white man are going to pontificate about Riot Grrl because we're utterly confident that has NEVER happened on a podcast before. In all seriousness, we'd been trying to get this episode off the ground for a while but we found it very difficult to get women to come on and talk about it. In the end, we managed to record two interviews with two different stances on the movement. Joining us on this episodeise DJ Anna Goldthorp, giving us her opinion on the politics and music of the scene. We hope this inspires other women to want to come and chat to us about this because we know that, as men, there's only so much that we can understand about riot grrl and the politics of if. As a feminist movement, and one we agree with, we know it's important to get a pluarlity of opinions on this scene. So if you'd like to add your voice to this dialogue, drop us an email or a message via Facebook. In part one we discuss the origins of the movement, how it played out and talk about some of its key bands and individuals.

This week we're talking about yet another band with a huge, varied oeuvre. We try, god knows we try, to engage with all of it. You can be the judge of how successful we were. Boris have released something in the region of 24 albums in their 25 years career. That's a lot of records. Their genre hopping madness goes from drone to noise and everything in between. On this episode Chris and Weaver take the reigns despite it being Mark's choice. Mark makes a tit of himself by refusing to do any research, whilst Chris and Weaver dive deep on the band's discography. As to whether or not Pink is their best album, it really depends on what version of Boris you like. But in terms of demonstrating the breadth of what the band are capable of, Pink is a good starting point. Is it their defining statement though? Only you can vote and decide.

Richard D. James is perhaps one of the most prolific and elusive electronic artists ever. His discography is so vast that other work is often mistaken for his. He's been around for decades, yet very little is known about how. Most importantly though, he like to mess with people. AFX is a compilation of AFX and Aphex Twin songs. In his mind, the name he releases music under is irrelevant. We approached his back catalogue in the same way, so this episode is not about which AFX of Aphex Twin release is the best, it's about which Richard D. James release is his unsung classic. Weaver takes the reins and explains why 'Chosen Lords' is indeed his unsung classic, and also why it sits alongside some of his best work. Friends, we go deep on Mr. James' oeuvre. So buckle up.

Marnie Stern is an obscenely talented musician. That's probably something we should mention from the get go. Her guitar playing and songwriting nous is remarkable, and the result of her skill is four very good albums, most of which could be considered for out discography. However, Mark makes a case for her third self titled album as being the one which should be added to our canon of classic albums. Weaver enthusiastically agrees, whilst Chris gives some thoughts on why her second and fourth albums might be more worthy additions to the Unsung Discography of Classic Records than this. What do you think? Is Marnie Stern's self titled third album her definitive work, or do you think perhaps another record of hers should be considered? Vote on our Facebook page below.

In his somewhat short life, Jason Molina recorded a lot of music. In fact, as discussed in the podcast, he treated songwriting like a job, dedicating 8 hours a day to the craft. It completely explains why he was able to release something in the order of 16 albums and many EPs. This album is often considered his magnum opus. By his own reckoning, this was his crowning achievement and after 'The Magnolia Electric Co.' was complete, many of his band and friends recognised it as being a singular work of genius. To say his life took a tragic turn after this release is something of an understatement. Booze and the road took a weighty toll on his health and close relationships, and after many stints in rehab he was found dead in his apartment, a bottle close by and nothing but a cell phone in his pocket. He had suffered multiple organ failure brought on by ten years of acute, chronic alcoholism. He was 39 years old. It seems pertinent to mention this fact because this is a dark album. Musically, it's upbeat and at times quite buoyant, but underneath it, in the lyrics, there lies an almost palpable sense of melancholy. On this bumper episode we dive deep into his extensive discography and biography, ending it with a glorious appraisal of an album that we all feel has been disgustingly overlooked for far too long.

Mark and Weaver were fairly sure that Chris was trolling with this selection, but they couldn't be sure until they gave Moby's wacky, idiosyncratic fifth album 'Animal Rights' a spin. Results are...varied. To be sure, this is not like any other Moby album. There are guitars and shit. There's screaming. There's drums. It's like digital hardcore meets Nine Inch Nails with the occasional spattering of Moby's usual ambient self. This is a record that shouldn't exist. An oddity. A weird mole on the career of a guy is, by all accounts, a very nice man. Chris loved it. Mark and Weaver weren't convinced. Chris gives us some deep insight's into the mans catalogue and tries to make a case for this recording going into the discography on Moby's nice guy credentials alone. Regardless of whether or not you think this deserves a place in our discography, we all agree on one thing - you need to listen to this record. Because it's fascinating. Vote below.

Back to metal. Metal-ish. Metal...ish? Baroness started off as a sludge metal band and on this, their second album, start to bring in influences from other genres. Here, Mark makes the case for this at their best album. In all its cheesy, metal cliche, psychedelic, riffy glory. With a revolving door of musicians, John Dyer Baizley has remained the sole consistent member of the band, and perhaps that explains why the band's sound has changed so much over the years. Blue Record finds the band shifting away from the sludge metal found on Red and incorporating many other sounds from a vast array of genres. Most would say that Red is their best album, but Mark is here to convince you, Chris and Weaver otherwise. Weaver explains why he prefers Red and Chris professes downright contempt for this album. What do you think - is this their Unsung Classic? Vote below.

Surf vibes, garage rock vibes...simple songs delivered well? Not everyone thinks so. It's been a while since we've had a disagreement about an album and this one splits the group. Chris comes out swinging with some serious criticism of Best Coast, whilst David and Mark are happy to talk about how the record is just good, simple stuff. It's true, there is a lot to be said about Best Coast, their inception, the way their career has changed and so much more. We get into that and more. Is this the Best Coast album that should be in the discography? Do Best Coast even deserve a place in it? You can let us know by casting your vote below.

We highly recommend checking out part one before you get into this episode. It provides some much-needed context to grunge as a musical and cultural phenomenon. On part two of the Grunge Mixtape Chris, David and Mark pick their three albums and make each their case as to why it’s the best representation of grunge music. David goes first and explains why Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden is not just his favourite grunge record, but the best one out there. From Cornell’s wail to the signature Soundgarden heavy weirdness, this is perhaps one of the heaviest grunge records this side of Alice in Chains and Melvins. Mark picks Superfuzz Bigmuff by Mudhoney, breaking down how it’s the most important grunge album not only because it was one of Kurt Cobain’s favourite albums ever, but how its sound is perhaps the purest sonic representation of grunge. Chris goes all in on Live Through This by Hole. Courtney Love has garnered a lot of hate and conspiracy theories over the years but the songwriting on this record is simply brilliant, and Chris tells us why this should be nominated above all the others. There’s laughs, there’s spirited debate, there’s a cliff Mark falls of when the painkillers kick in, and there’s more poor banter around the Mark Yarm/Mark Arm issue. This episode has it all. Due to the nature of Facebook you can’t vote over there this week, but you can vote using the handy poll below, so get to it!

It's the moment you've all be waiting for. Well, that some of you have been waiting for. Maybe only a few of you, now that we think about it. That's right, it's time for our Grunge Mixtape. This is part one, where we dive deep into the history of grunge, its formation in the Aberdeen and Seattle, the key players, and how it change, evolved and became more corporate. We talk about some of the most influential artists of the time, and we even talk about the fashion and how it took on a largely different from in the second and third wave. We recorded this live at The Flying Duck in Glasgow and a great time was had by all. There were laughs. There were painkillers. There was some messed up synth versions of grunge classics and there was, of course, a bit of banter.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor don't really do brevity. They do epic, sweeping, often joyous, always elaborate, suites of music that are designed to move you. They're thorough, crafting songs with painstaking attention to detail. In keeping with the spirit of the band, we thought we'd do the same, so we present to your our longest episode yet. But trust us when we say that it's probably up there with our most interesting listens. We dive deep into the band's back catalogue, stopping along the way to talk about the politics of the band and yes, we do offer a take on some thorny subjects. With this band it's something that can often be inseparable from the way their music, and image, is presented, so it had to happen. The Foo Fighters Nexus also returns (jingle pending) and Chris has a full on GY!BE superfan nerdgasm, while Weaver whacks his politics degree on the table and Mark takes issue with the label "post-rock". This is a fun and captivating listen. We understand that the title of "best Godspeed album" is a contentious one, so we're intrigued to see if people agree with our decision to include this in our canon Unsung classics. Do you agree? Vote on our Facebook page.

Folks, we did it. We managed to find a hip hop record that Chris Cusack enjoyed. We're fairly sure that this is one of the signs of the apocalypse so we're probably just going to end the podcast here. Thanks to everyone who listened. Joking aside though, this is a screamer of an album. People have been drawing comparisons between punk and hip hop since...well, forever. The line between the two is drawn pretty clearly on this album. P.O.S himself was a punk kid, but growing up in the cultural and musical melting pot that is Minneapolis meant that there was a great deal of other influential music lurking just around the corner. Indeed, the diversity of the artists that come from the city is telling of the city's cultural and creative landscape. And did we mention that it was the home of Prince, perhaps one of the masters of genre-hopping? This is P.O.S third album, and like every album before or since, it's a singular musical, tonal entity in his oeuvre. He's artist that never wants to cover the same ground twice, and whilst we all couldn't necessarily agree on if each of his records are successful at melding together as many disparate influences as this one, we all certainly agreed that this is his best work. And we all agreed that this should indeed make it into our discography of unsung classics. Do you agree? Vote on our Facebook page.

The aforementioned unfortunate circumstances which led to last week's change of plan loom large over this week's episode. Cat Power's difficulties with her mental health are well documented, and we felt we needed to give this episode a little extra time to address not only those, but how musicians in general deal with their own personal demons. The original plan was to follow Episode 22 with Never Better by P.O.S. However we felt it right to change the order with recent circumstances in mind. We had decided that we would tackle this album way before the news of Scott Hutchison's tragic passing; it was simply a morbid coincidence that took us on the journey towards listening to, and discussing, an album which cover such topics. Weaver returns this week and all three of the guys sing the praises of this dark, sparse record. Chris makes a case as to why it is perhaps her best album, and as ever there's a Dave Grohl connection, as seems to be the case with most of our albums, which leads Mark to announce a new recurring feature. Look out for that in the weeks to come. Is this Cat Power's definitive work? You can let us know by casting your vote below.

This week we're doing things a little differently. Due to recent tragic events Mr Weaver could not join us this week, so Chris and Mark decided to pull the trigger on an idea we've been thinking about for ages and do a Scottish music themed mixtape. By sheer coincidence they separately picked two records by two bands from Dundee (and bands which shared a bassist, no less) and used it as platform to talk about Dundee's music scene in and of itself. It's a pretty fun episode. There's no vote this week, but you'll at least come out of this one knowing a little more about some of the awesome bands Dundee gave to the world.

Let's dive right back into the punk side of things here and talk about perhaps one of the most important punk bands around right now. Against Me! have had quite the career thus far. Dealing with every conceivable issue a band could face and then some. Mark gives us a pretty concise history of the band leading up to this record, and gives a little of what happened afterwards too. Chris then steers conversation towards into how punk songwriters that were once tied to a particular ethos have to reckon with their talent and the success it can or could possibly bring in order for them to further their careers. We cover the band's time on Fat Wreck, the period that led up to their signing with Sire and all of the nitty gritty details in between. There are many schools of thought on what the best Against Me! record is, and Mark makes a case for this underdog, unsung classic whilst Chris and Weaver remain firmly on the fence about the band and the record. It's a bit of a mixed bag, this episode. What do you think - is this the definitive Against Me! album? Let us know by voting on Facebook!

Aaron Funk has released a vertiable shed load of albums throughout his illustrious career. This, his 15th, is considered his definitive work. Weaver brings it to the table and tries to convince Mark and Chris that it is worthy of inclusion in our discography? Chris and Mark had never heard anything like this before, and thus approached it, and its frankly ridiculous concept, with a certain amount of trepidation. However, the sheer amount of work, and the general composition was enough to win them over. Weaver gives a pretty comprehensive overview of Venetian Snares' career and offers some thoughts on the breakbeat genre as a whole. Which makes pretty fascinating listening, we feel. But what do you think? Is this Aaron Funk's best work? Let us know by voting on Facebook!

Before we started this podcast we knew that we’d cover Cave In. We collectively agreed that we would talk about ‘Jupiter’. We just didn’t think it’d be this soon. Tragedy struck the band recently when their bassist Caleb Schofield had his life cut short in a car accident. We never thought that such circumstances would come to us so soon - heroes of ours, or at least "rock stars" of our generation dying when we were all still in our 30s is something we never thought we'd experience. As a result we decided that we would do an entire Cave In retrospective whilst also arguing that this was indeed their best work. Do vote on our Facebook page and let us know if you agree.

Everything that needs to be said about Bjork has already been said. Her discography, like her talent, is vast, and unable to pass up the chance to talk about anything weird, we thought we’d say our piece. Weaver is a huge fan, and when quizzed about what album we should talk about he immediately picked ‘Vespertine’. Neither Chris or Mark were too familiar with her work, so the conversation in this episode is particularly interesting as Weaver once again drives the car. He gives us a pretty thorough appraisal of her discography whilst Chris drops a few patented knowledge bombs about her history, whilst also praising and asking questions about the way she chooses who to work with on each of her albums. Mark also expands on how he feels the album is like a big warm hug. We understand that Bjork has legions of fiercely devoted fans, so we’re really looking forward to seeing how people vote on this episode. Is ‘Vespertine’ her definitive statement? Is this her best record? If not, what other albums should we consider? You can let us know by voting on or Facebook page and if you disagree, drop us a comment and tell us why!

If you live in Scotland and are even remotely familiar with the indie scene, The Twilight Sad, alongside Frightened Rabbit, are a seemingly indomitable force. A band whose influence and position loom large over the country’s music landscape, and for the past decade their fanbase has only increased, their profile growing larger with every record. On this week’s episode Chris and Weaver take it right back to the beginning of the band’s journey, offering a fine appraisal of what they feel is the band’s best work – their 2007 debut album ‘Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters’. Folky vocals clash with Phil Spector/shoegaze-esque walls of sound to create a cacophony which is equal parts melodic and yet still somehow slightly unsettling. The word ‘cinematic’ is used often overused when it comes to describing music, but in this instance, it is perhaps the best way to describe what The Twilight Sad do best. Chris and Weaver dig deep into the band’s history and discography on this episode, unravelling their journey towards being one of Scotland’s most high profile indie acts. Weaver offers a great commentary on how their music evolved after this, whilst Chris digs into the lore around the band and the album itself. Mark remains perennially unimpressed but hey, I suppose you can’t please everyone all the time. Hate mail can be directed his way. We know that this band have a legion of undying fans, and we know that they’re held in particularly high esteem by many in the indie scene. Should this album be added to our discography as their definitive record? Vote on our Facebook page and let us know.

Going from indie pop to noisy rock n roll? That's another thing we love to do on Unsung. This week we're getting torn in to 'Mclusky Do Dallas' by Mclusky. It's a record which has achieved a cult status amongst fans of the more angular side of British rock music, and it's positively brimming with attitude and energy. Over the years this record has made many a "best of" list, but it still goes shockingly underapprcaited by the world at large and frankly, that's a bit of a disgrace in our eyes. Cards on the table here - Mark and Chris adore this album. Weaver had never heard it before and was largely indifferent to it, which is sad but hey, he's his own man. Chris and Mark go into detail about this album, Falco's particular songwriting nous, Future of the Left, and Chris tells us just how wild these boys were live. Could this perhaps be some of Albini's best production work? We think it might be, but you are of course free to disagree. Is this the best Mclusky record? Do you agree? Let us know by voting via Facebook!

If you’re expecting us to wax lyrical on how rubbish nu metal was then you’re going to be a little disappointed. The key thing we learned from doing this episode is that yes, while there was indeed a crazy amount of garbage music floating around at the time (and honestly, what makes that any different to any other era of music?), nu metal represents alternative music’s last great mainstream hurrah. It was a time when major labels would throw money at bands with downtuned guitars, melodic choruses and screaming. It was a moment in history where literally millions of people thought it was acceptable to fuse hip hop with metal music in the most dull-headed fashion. Yet, despite all that, it could also be seen as the biggest swindle rock ever pulled on mainstream music. Nu metal was responsible for so much good and bad that we felt it was probably time to separate the wheat and chaff. Much of it has not aged well, and you might be surprised at some of the things we say in this episode, but make no mistake about it – for Mark and Weaver, nu metal is responsible for their love of metal music. Both reflect on this a lot, and actually talk about the stuff they liked from that period. Chris was in a touring band at the time nu metal had reached its zenith, so he offers a grassroots perspective on just how popular it was in scenes up and down the country. He also finds time to drop some sick Slipknot and Linkin Park knowledge on us, which is nice. There’s so much to cover – it was popular for about a decade – and we only really scratch the surface. We’ve chosen three albums that we think are the most important nu metal records. Go listen and vote and tell us which one makes it into our discography.

You may get whiplash as we move from metal to indie/dream pop but that's just how we roll here at Unsung. Chris loves this album and he may very well have converted Mark and Weaver to his cause. The production, songwriting and sheer attention to detail on offer here make '23' quite the journey. Somewhat of a departure from the band's art rock roots, Chris offers some reasons as to why they may have chosen to go down this route with this record, and he delves quite extensively into their discography with the help of Weaver. Also, apparently this is a good record to DJ at club nights. So there's that. We adored this album and we think it should go into our discography. Do you agree? Let us know by voting via Facebook!

Meshuggah have been confounding fans and fellow musicians for over 30 years. Think about that for a second. Think about how long they’ve been in this game, and how much they’ve changed the game. Perhaps one of the most celebrated and lauded technical metal bands of our generation, their discography is replete with album after album of sheer quality. On this episode, our resident metalhead/Meshuggah super fan Weaver chose their fifth album ‘Catch ThirtyThree’ for discussion. In his eyes, they have reached no greater heights. We already know that many fans disagree. We sensed it the second we began to talk about it. Chris has some familiarity with the band and talks of how he almost killed himself when listening to this record in the gym. Mark is less familiar but like his co-hosts, found himself to be completely enthralled by this album. It’s punishing and violent, but clinical and precise with it. Is this the best Meshuggah album? Should we have picked something else, perhaps? We make no bones about the fact that this album received a lukewarm critical reception, but we stand by our decision. Do you agree, though? Let us know by voting on our Facebook page.

It's part three of our chat with Jonah Matranga. We felt bad for taking up like three hours of his day to do this, but we found out some fascinating things. Like how Chris Cusack likes Kiss. And how Jonah, Mark and Weaver don't. We try to get to the bottom of this baffling facet of Chris' music taste and along the way we talk about power dynamics in the music industry, the Bay City Rollers, sexual abuse in the music industry and much more. Chris also claims that the best Kiss album is 'Greatest Kiss' and the rest of the boys argue that they simply don't have as many popular songs as people, and Chris, thinks.

Death Grips are something of a cultural phenomenon at this point. We regularly joke about the ‘alt-right’ on this show, and it seems that there’s even in people in that movement who like the band. Which is baffling to us, frankly. William Shatner aside, this debut mixtape is a force of nature. One could perhaps argue that since it’s not technically an album it probably shouldn’t be included in our discography. We’ll leave that for you to debate, but we feel it should be added without a doubt. Weaver shines in this episode. As an avowed Death Grips fan, he’s all over it. Dropping knowledge right left and centre. Chris finds an appreciated for them that he never knew he had, but also waxes lyrical on how their notorious off stage antics (cancelling shows, messing with record labels, courting controversy) could be perceived as being somewhat cynical. Is it all engineered? Or is it just plain art? Again, we’ll leave you to decide that. And to decided this – is this the best Death Grips release? Should it be added to our discography? There’s only one way to let us know, so go vote on our Facebook page. We’re excited to see what you guys think. This episode is a doozy.

What do they put in the water in Sacramento? After chatting to Jonah Matranga and listening to Will Haven’s third album ‘Carpe Diem’, we’re left wondering what it is about that place which chucks out such genre bending bands like Will Haven, Far and Deftones. In our view, ‘Carpe Diem’ is the greatest expression of Will Haven’s unique songwriting talents. It’s always a struggle to accurately describe what this band sound like. Their preferred definition is ‘noise metal’ and we feel this is somewhat accurate. On this episode Chris and Weaver tell us just how important this album is to them. Weaver makes the bold assertation that this album is the distillation of everything he loves about music, and Chris professes his love for the weirdness of the record. On its surface it feels straight forward, but after a few minutes you realise that something is not quite normal. It has a feel, an atmosphere, which is all its own. Chris explains the mechanics behind their music and offers some thoughts on why this album in particular is the most complete Will Haven record yet. This podcast was once very different. We actually recorded once before then somehow manage to lose the file, and on this second go around the record had grown on Mark a lot. Initially he couldn’t really see why Chris and Weaver (and so many others) love this record, but the time in between the first take and the second had changed his mind quite dramatically, boldly stating that this record needs to go into our discography. How do you feel? Should ‘Carpe Diem’ by Will Haven be added into our discography? Listen and vote on our Facebook page.

Our second "In Session" episode is with post-hardcore legend Jonah Matranga. In part two we asked him to pick three records he thinks are unsung classics and we got into an interesting discussion about Neil Young, not giving a fuck about how popular you are, and how KRS-One may very well be some kind of modern day prophet.

It's not an obvious choice, but one of us feels that 'Cool to Be You' by the Descendents is their best album. Of course, not everyone agrees with that, but we do all agree on how this record is a good example of the exact reason this podcast exists - to celebrate unsung classics.

Our first "In Session" episode is with post-hardcore legend Jonah Matranga. In part one we discuss his back catalogue pretty extensively, stretching from the beginnings of Far right up until the present day.

‘Third’ by Portishead is a record which exudes the kind of artistic confidence that only seasoned artists have. It’s also dark. Really dark. We quite liked it, as things go. But should it be in our discography?

You know it. You've probably heard it. You're probably even vaguely familiar with the lore around it, but it's a record that just keeps on giving is responsible for the rise of one of alternative music's most popular, and enduring figures. Is 'The Downward Spiral' the definitive Nine Inch Nails record?

Often described as being a ‘slowcore’ band, there’s no doubt that Low’s 2002 album ‘Trust’ is nothing if not slow. But we think there’s a great deal of compelling, wonderful music to be found on this record. Do you think it should be added to our discography? Listen and vote, and voice your opinion.