19 episodes

Siblings celebrating and borderline obsessing over their favorite records.

Bad Music Hertz The Barrowclift Sibs

    • Music

Siblings celebrating and borderline obsessing over their favorite records.

    Infinite Arms

    Infinite Arms

    Support the Official Release

    You can listen to Band of Horses’ Infinite Arms on:



    Apple Music
    Spotify


    Or purchase Infinite Arms on:



    Amazon Music


    Links


    Marvis Pro, the iOS music player Michael mentioned using to see his play counts.
    Vacationer’s Relief, the only album that came close to Infinite Arms’s play count number in Michael’s library. You can read Michael’s previous review on the record here.
    Michael mentioned having a Fracture print of Infinite Arms, which is a picture printed directly on glass for a minimal, sleek presentation. This is his current collection.
    Sun Kil Moon’s Benji, the album Marc claimed to be a perfect foil to the easily digestible and repeatable Infinite Arms. You can listen to our previous discussion on the record in Episode 8.
    Band of Horses’ new lineup during Infinite Arms, and would remain unchanged for years—the first “true” Band of Horses lineup:

    Benjamin Bridwell
    Creighton Barret
    Ryan Monroe
    Bill Reynolds
    Tyler Ramsey


    The star at the center of the pivot point in the album art is Polaris (more commonly known as the “North Star”). The star seems to stand still in long exposure photography while the rest of the northern hemisphere stars spin around it due to the North Star being in a (mostly) direct line with the Earth’s rotational axis with respect to the North Pole.
    Christopher Wilson, the Photographer for Infinite Arms’s cover art and all the band’s album art up to that point. (information courtesy of the Albums app on iOS).
    Michael’s insane graph of “vibrancy”/”energy” by track number
    Infinite Arms was nominated for “Best Alternative Music Album” for the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011, the same year Arcade Fire famously secured Album of the Year with The Suburbs. You can read Marc’s thoughts on The Suburbs here.
    Marc found “Factory” to share similarities with Paul McCartney and Wings’s “Let Me Roll It” off 1973’s Band on the Run and Vacationer’s “Turning” off 2018’s Mindset. You can read Marc’s review of Band on the Run here or listen to our discussion on Mindset in Episode 14.
    “Factory” utilizes both a Memotron and Theremin. The Theremin also appeared in Lord Huron’s “Love Like Ghosts” & “Way Out There” off 2015’s Strange Trails, and you can listen to our previous discussion on that record in Episode 2.
    Michael’s writeup on Jimmy Buffett’s A1A mentioned during the show can be found here, the finest publication on the site thus far.
    The Last Bison’s Quill, a record Michael felt was similar to “Compliments” since they both are high in character and charm in large part because of their imperfections.
    Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House, the record Marc felt similarly leaned into “everything & the kitchen sink” production.
    Eagles, a classic rock band Michael could very easily see playing “Laredo”
    ChrisCorradi’s comment on the “bullet in my Kai Lorenzo” lyric on genius.com
    “Band Of Horses Survived… Barely”, The SPIN interview Marc mentioned where Ben touches on his then-recent separation with his spouse.
    “Grumpy Old Men” (the 1993 film) and “Old City Bar” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra both evoked similar feelings and visuals in Michael as “Blue Beard”.
    The Explorer’s Club, a classic rock & roll and classic pop-influenced band that Marc found strikingly similar to Band of Horses’ experiments in “Blue Beard” and “Dilly”.
    “I need more cowbell!”
    Long in the Tooth and Repo Records referenced in the show are Marc’s favorite record haunts in the Philly area. Support your local music stores!
    Marc kept saying “Dilly” was very “70’s” but meant to say “60’s” (oops).
    Ludo’s “Good Will Hunting by Myself”, the song Michael mentioned takes the stereotypical “I’m better off without you, anyway” attitude from pop breakup songs and cranks it up to

    • 1 hr 29 min
    Christmas Portrait

    Christmas Portrait

    Support the Official Release

    You can listen to Carpenters’ Christmas Portrait on:



    Apple Music
    Spotify


    Or purchase Christmas Portrait on:



    Amazon Music


    Links


    Carpenters’ “Superstar”, featured in this classic car ride karaoke scene from Tommy Boy.
    Episode 3: “The Christmas Draft”, where Marc drafts “Merry Christmas Darling” & discusses at length with Michael & Aimee. Check it out for a more thorough discussion on the track.
    Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys

    Brian Wilson (self-titled, 1988). Certain segments and tracks on this record strongly resemble Richard’s on tracks like “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”.
    That’s Why God Made the Radio (2012), which Michael felt too strongly resembled Richard’s vocal style (and not in a good way).


    We listened to Christmas Portrait (Special Edition) from 1984, which is a compilation of select tracks from…

    Christmas Portrait (original 1978 release)
    An Old-Fashioned Christmas (1984)


    Karen’s voice type is contralto, which is a somewhat rare vocal range you might recognize from artists like…

    Niko
    Beach House’s Victoria Legrand


    May Crowning, you know, where songs like “Ave Maria” actually belong.
    “Is ‘Ave Maria’ really a Christmas song?” by Marc Minter, a senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Diana, TX. The correct answer is, “it’s not.”
    Michael’s “A Christmas Song” judgements

    S Tier: Nat “King” Cole
    So close! Amy Grant (see Episode 3 for the context behind Michael’s “branded by an iron” joke)
    Honorable Mention: Bing Crosby
    Clunker: Christina Aguilera
    Surprisingly Good, But Blows It: Shawn Mendes
    Just No: Pentatonix
    Self Important Rubbish: Michael Bublé


    More on the history behind Merry Christmas Darling
    The app Michael mentioned is Marvis Pro, one of the finest music players available today
    “It’s Over 9000!”
    HBO’s The Last of Us Trailer (Marc was confusing it with the HBO 2023 Lineup trailer)


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    • 1 hr 8 min
    Shuffle Roulette

    Shuffle Roulette

    Shuffle Results (Spoilers!)


    Marc: “Michicant”, off Bon Ivers’ self-titled
    Michael: “Empty Room”, off Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs
    Marc: “Who Can I Turn To?”, off Tony Bennett & Bill Evans’ Together Again
    Michael: “Won’t Want for Love (Margaret In the Taiga”, off The Decemberists’ Hazards of Love
    Marc: “I Want To Tell You”, off The Beatles’ Revolver
    Michael: “Quiet Air / Gioia”, off ~Robin Pecknolds’ solo album~ Fleet Foxes’ Shore
    Marc: “Wake Up Sunshine”, off Chicago’s Chicago II
    Michael: “Blue Ridge Bazaar”, off River Valley Rangers’ Wide Open
    Marc: “It Was A Pleasure Then”, off Niko’s Chelsea Girl
    Michael: “This Changes Everything”, off The Last Bison’s Dorado EP


    Links


    Michael’s etched stone slab he calls a laptop, the 15” Mid 2012 MacBook Pro.
    Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us: Part 1
    The iRiver iFP-390T, the old MP3 player our sister & honorable co-host, Aimee, bestowed onto Michael many years ago

    Bewilderingly in a triangular Toblerone shape. What a wild time that was.


    Link to high resolution Bon Iver artwork to explore the details discussed on the show
    Deep Blue, the Chess artificial intelligence that was the first to beat Grant Master Garry Kasperof in a game on February 1996 (though Kasparov did indeed pull through and win the overall match that year)
    No Dumb Questions, Episode 141: “Weak People Make Bad Times”
    The Incomparable Episode 173z: “Human Santapede”, the undisputed king of all Christmas music podcast episodes where Tony Bennett & Bill Evans’ Together Again was mentioned.
    My Brightest Diamond
    Tim Burton
    Admiral Fallow
    Paul McCartney & Wings
    Marc got the name wrong, that repulsive laboratory-clean band is called Pentatonix. It’s bad.
    The Last Bison’s first and independently released LP, Quill
    Marc’s a bozo, “I Want to Tell You” is technically in the A major key and simply features intentionally harsh and dissonant chords in the later-half of the verse progression. Please write in to tell him how wrong he is.
    George Harrison’s “Something” off The Beatles’ Abbey Road and his double LP, All Things Must Pass
    Fleet Foxes’ current members, as of November 2022:

    Robin Pecknold
    Skyler Skjelset
    Casey Wescott
    Morgan Henderson
    Christian Wargo
    Christopher Icasiano


    “Wading In Waist-High Water” guest artist is Uwade Akhere, who apparently did record her part in-person
    Examples of Chicago “Necedah Oldies” at our Aunt & Uncles’ property:

    “25 Or 6 To 4”
    “Saturday Tn the Park”
    “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day”


    “Gary needs a new pair of shoes!”
    Special shoutout to Amos Housworth for his kindness at Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live back during the Süda tour, hope to see you & the band again soon!
    Trixie & Katia’s UNHhhh
    Check out our site’s new dark theme! Switch your operating system into “dark mode” to view.
    In contrast to what’s reported in the aftershow, Marc ended up fixing their previous, subpar typeface by replacing it altogether with Work Sans (and did end up regenerating all previous episode art, after all)
    B.O.A.T stands for Bust Out Another Thousand”, by Dude Dad


    ♫︎

    • 1 hr 12 min
    Vide Noir

    Vide Noir

    Support the Official Release

    You can listen to Lord Huron’s Vide Noir on:



    Apple Music
    Spotify


    Or purchase Vide Noir on:



    Amazon Music


    Links


    Lord Huron’s discography leading up to Vide Noir

    Mighty - EP (2010)
    Into the Sun - EP (2010)
    Lonesome Dreams (2012)
    Strange Trails (2015)


    Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, WI
    Lord Huron’s “Video Postcard” promotional shorts
    “Fool For Love” music video from 2015’s Strange Trail
    Vide Noir 2 minute album teaser
    Vide Noir’s 30 minute album promo “Products of the Universe with Marsha Tanley”, which among many things spoofs shopping channels from the 80’s
    Vide Noir’s listing on IMDb
    Mentioned credits

    Mixer: Dave Fridmann
    Masterer: Greg Calbi


    Fortune teller machines (the one we remember was “Zoltar”)
    Long Lost, Lord Huron’s 2021 follow-up to Vide Noir (don’t worry, we’ll get to it at some point)
    Direct link to our Episode 2: Strange Trails conversation where Aimee asked where we thought the band would go next for their then-unannounced third LP.
    Jesca Hoop’s Memories Are Now
    The Power Of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
    IMDb’s Vide Noir page
    Michael’s Easter Egg Hunt

    “The Night We Met” Official Lyric Video

    CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY: EMERALD STAR CC SERVICES
    Flash of the Emerald Star at the very end (watch closely!)


    “Products of the Universe with Marsha Tanley”

    “Spiritual Advisor to Ms. Tanley: GEORGE RANGER JOHNSON”




    “Brain Scratch”, Cowboy Bebop’s 23rd episode
    Hannah Hillam’s relevant comic


    References


    “Balancer’s Eye” is one we created ourselves, making up our own myths as we go. We’re trying to keep it so all that stuff is still around in this world too. You’ll see things that appeared on other records, ideas or names cross over to [Vide Noir]. In movies and literature and comic books, I’ve always liked where there’s connectedness or crossover. We need someone to control the lore and keep tabs on it [laughs].


    Inverview with Ben Schneider in Stereogum’s “A Look Inside The Insular World Of Lord Huron”, by Ian Cohen




    SCHNEIDER: You know, I guess I haven’t had to yet, so I’m not sure, at least with “Strange Trails.” On “Lonesome Dreams” there was kind of a central character named George Ranger Johnson, who is this really underappreciated, prolific author.


    BLOCK: Who you invented, yeah.


    SCHNEIDER: Who I invented, yes. But he - yeah, I do kind of miss George. You know, he might pop back up again some time.


    BLOCK: You haven’t seen the last of him yet?


    SCHNEIDER: Haven’t seen the last of George Ranger Johnson, no.


    Interview with Ben Schneider in NPR’s “Lord Huron Wants You To Dance At The Apocalypse”, by Melissa Block



    Art




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    • 2 hr 6 min
    Shields

    Shields

    Support the Official Release

    You can listen to Grizzly Bear’s Shields on:



    Apple Music
    Spotify


    Or purchase Shields on:



    Amazon Music


    Links


    Grizzly Bear’s discography

    Yellow House (2006)
    Veckatimest (2009)
    Shields (2012)
    Painted Ruins (2017)


    “Damn BOI HE THICC”
    Albums: available now for free on the iOS App Store
    Mentioned credits:

    Ben Wilkerson Tousley
    Richard Diebenkorn
    Michael H. Brauer
    Ryan Gilligan
    Bob Ludwig


    “That Guy” is Real Estate’s Alex Bleeker, who famously writes a token song per album, such as:

    “Wonder Years” from 2011’s Days
    “How Might I Live” from 2014’s Atlas
    “Diamond Eyes” from 2017’s In Mind


    Shields: B-Sides
    Aftershow: The Last of Us Part II. If you haven’t played it, play it. It’s a masterpiece.


    References


    Chris Bear and I went to Mexico for a month. It was in Baja, this cute little cheap place. There was no one around, no cell reception. We could focus on doing stuff. We wrote ten songs and were so stoked. Then we brought it to the other two guys and they were like, “We’re not understanding what you’re going for here. This isn’t really our vibe.” We were deflated. The only song from the Mexico sessions that made it was “Yet Again.”


    Ed Droste, genius.com



    Art










    ♫︎

    • 1 hr 22 min
    Mindset

    Mindset

    Support the Official Release

    You can listen to Vacationer’s Mindset on:



    Apple Music
    Spotify


    Or purchase Vacationer on:



    Amazon Music


    Links


    Michael’s review on 2014’s “Relief”
    Vacationer’s Discography leading up to Mindset

    Gone (2012)
    Relief (2014)


    Phoenix

    Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
    Entertainment (2013)


    Kenny’s other projects

    The Starting Line
    Person L


    “Mindset” Cannabis strain merch
    Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Let Me Roll It”
    WALK THE MOON
    Mumford & Sons
    LUDO

    HalLUDOween




    References


    “And that’s one of the things that I really enjoyed, was that first time I’d hear him hunting for a chord change and I’d think ‘Man, he’s just gone right off the edge because he’s not ever gonna get close. He’s way out there in some area that’s just–he’ll never get back. And if he’s successful, gets out of there, people are going to say, I’ve lost my tone center, don’t know where the hell I am and stuff. And then, eventually, he’d figure out what it was he wanted to do. A lot of it was just hunting and pecking, the way some of us type.”


    “Tony Asher Interview”, AlbumLinerNotes.com



    Art




    ♫︎

    • 1 hr 30 min

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