Because we are obligated to talk about the biggest indie news of the week — it’s right there in our introduction — we were required to open this week’s episode with an overview of the Boygenius discourse. 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 we 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 we both came away impressed by Karly Hartzman’s ability to evoke a real sense of place in her lyrics. 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? We came up with some suggested albums for newbies.
Next we turn to the mailbag, and address an interesting listener question: What is the best album of the decade so far? 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, we proceed to talk about the legacies of two very different acts: The Beastie Boys and Coheed & Cambria.
Finally, in Recommendation Corner Ian recommends the reissue of an emo classic by Braid, while Steve stumps for the patio and cookout friendly jams of Sluice.
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