Completely Conspicuous 432: Sound and Vision

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the first half of 2016. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Kumar's #4 and Breitling's #3
- Hallelujah the Hills releases another fine album
- Kumar's #3
- Third in Bob Mould's kickass trilogy
- Don't wait on a Husker Du reunion, Mould's current band is the real deal
- Indie rockers in their 50s are still bringing the heat
- The problem with being U2
- Breitling's #2
- The Car Seat Headrest kids are playing the rock
- Kumar's #2
- Possibly Iggy's last rock record
- Breitling's and Kumar's #1
- Bowie's last album, released three days before he died
- A consistent electronic sound
- Breitling: Looking forward to new Johnny Foreigner, Eros and the Eschaton, Urusei Yatsura comp, reissues from Rocketship and the Lilys
- Kumar: Anticipating new albums from Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr. and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

 The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 355: Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss the year in music. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ
- Still searching for a beer sponsor
- An annual tradition
- JB: Post-device lifestyle
- Streaming options abound
- JK: Still use the iTunes player
- Nobody's buying music anymore
- Vinyl found a niche with hipsters/indie rock fans
- Another big year for pop
- Taylor Swift had the only platinum album of 2014
- The spirit of radio is on the ropes
- More music out there than ever
- Noise for Toys benefit at Great Scott, 12/16
- Missed the Replacements show in Boston
- JK: Saw lots of good live shows in 2014
- Parquet Courts, Protomartyr, Ty Segall, Sloan, GBV, Afghan Whigs, Caspian
- JB: Hoping for a Ride show in Boston next year
- Next week: Our favorite music of the year

Music:
Bob Mould - Hey Mr. Grey
Dum Dum Girls - Under These Hands

Radiator Hospital - Five & Dime

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Bob Mould song is on the album Beauty & Ruin on Merge Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.

The Dum Dum Girls song is on the album Too True on Sub Pop. Download the song for free from Soundcloud.
The Radiator Hospital song is on the album Torch Song. Download the song and album for free at Bandcamp.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 327: Artificial Hip

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the scourge of hipsterism. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Matt recently became a published author
- Check out his YA superhero novel The Indestructibles
- Vin Diesel, businessman
- The brilliance of True Detective
- Hipsters: Is there a cutoff age?
- '90s hipsters were into the grunge look
- The mysterious allure of Mumford and Sons
- Hipsters love shitty beer
- Going to an effort to not look attractive
- Of beards and men
- Tattoos are trendy
- The Beatles set the trends of their day
- Where does it go from here?
- For a few years in the late '90s, it was nu metal and baggy pants
- We're all about the low-maintenance wardrobe
- Hair today, gone tomorrow
- To be continued

Music:
Bob Mould - Hey Mr. Grey
The Hold Steady - Spinners
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - She's On It/Jack the Ripper (live)

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Bob Mould song is on the forthcoming album Beauty & Ruin on Merge Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.
The Hold Steady song is on the album Teeth Dreams on Washington Square/Razor and Tie. Download the song for free from KEXP.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion song is available for free download on Bandcamp.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 285: Full Grown

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss music we've outgrown. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic
- Will launch Input/Output, a music-themed show, soon
- Tracking the different Black Flag reunions
- Rollins doesn't sing anymore
- Kim Deal leaves Pixies
- Rumors of new Pixies recordings (we talked a few days before the new Pixies song dropped)
- Music we once loved but have outgrown
- Brian: The Offspring (on Jay's list as well)
- Somehow grew popular
- Jay: Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Really, it's Kiedis who hasn't aged well
- Awkward moments at Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame inductions
- The greatness of Tom Scharpling and The Best Show
- The bland rock of Bad Company
- Brian drops a bomb with Sonic Youth
- Just can't get into them
- Jay: Sting has grown tiresome
- Big fan of The Police, but in the early '90s, Sting began to suck mightily
- Brian: Wank guitar (also on Jay's list)
- Yngwie Malmsteen led a wave of classically-inspired speed guitarists
- The Vinnie Vincent Invasion was so dumb, so fast
- Soft spot for That Metal Show
- Stephen Malkmus crams tons of solos into good songs
- DLR and Ozzy had plenty of hot guitarists come through their bands
- Brian: Recent McCartney concert was best show he's ever seen
- Listening to music is no longer a sole activity; now, it's always done while you do something else
- Music discovery was a challenging pursuit prior to the Internet
- To be continued
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
The Pixies - Bagboy
Obits - Taste the Diff
Adam Franklin - Boocat Leah
Bob Mould - The Descent
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Pixies song is available for free download (in exchange for your email address) at PixiesMusic.
The Obits song is on the forthcoming album Bed & Bugs on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Sub Pop.
The Adam Franklin song is on the album Black Horses on Goodnight Records. Download the song for free at Largehearted Boy.

The Bob Mould song is on the album Silver Age on Merge Records. Download the song for free as part of the Forecastle Festive Sampler at Noisetrade.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 239: Solo Flights

I celebrate six big years of podcasting with part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss our favorite solo artists. Listen to the episode below or download it directly.

Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Brian contends that Bob Mould's work in Sugar is better than Husker Du; Jay vehemently disagrees
- Jay: Elliott Smith went in a different direction after Heatmiser
- Are Josh Homme or Dave Grohl considered solo artists?
- Jay: Lennon and McCartney both made great albums on their own, but also some clunkers
- Jay: Michael Jackson became probably the biggest artist of all time
- Ozzy's early solo work was terrific
- The ridiculous story behind Sabbath's Born Again album
- Paul Simon's still going strong
- Phil Collins was huge in the '80s
- Brian: Mike Nesmith's early solo work was excellent
- Jay: Nick Cave forged a dark path after The Birthday Party
- Brian: Ryan Adams made a classic album and several good ones
- Mike Watt's soldiered on over the years
- Jay: Stephen Malkmus has been consistently good since Pavement
- Brian prefers the later Pavement albums
- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
Bob Mould - A Good Idea (live)
Ryan Adams - Shakedown on 9th Street (live)
Mike Watt - Against the '70s (live)
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - (Do Not Feed the) Oyster

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The Bob Mould song is on the EP Live at the Bottom of the Hill. Download it for free (in exchange for your email address) from New.Official.fm.
The Ryan Adams song was recorded live at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston on 2/21/09. Download the song for free at Archive.org.
The Mike Watt song was recorded live at the Metro in Chicago on 5/6/95. Download the song for free at Archive.org.
The Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks song is from the album Pig Lib on Matador Records. Download the song for free at Epitonic.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous 229: Around the Dial

Part 1 of my conversation with special guests Nick Lorenzen and Mike Piantigini as we discuss the death of rock radio. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Boston alternative rock station WFNX was sold to Clear Channel recently
- Rock radio has been on life support for quite some time
- Too much radio programming and formats
- WFNX was pioneer of the alternative format
- Nick: Knew of WFNX more by reputation as a kid
- Mike: College radio introduced me to a world beyond classic rock and metal

- Jay: R.E.M. and U2 were first so-called alternative bands I got into
- WBCN was revolutionary back in late '60s and '70s, playing free-form rock
- Eventually became formatted like all the rest
- WBCN switched to alternative format in mid-'90s to compete with FNX
- Eventually, BCN went to more talk: Stern, Opie & Anthony
- FNX went downhill for a while with nu metal
- Nick: FNX had rebounded in last few years
- We old guys don't get newer bands like Mumford and Sons
- FNX wasn't going after geezers like us anymore
- Many more options for listeners now: iPod, streaming audio, Pandora
- The "Mike FM" stations just regurgitate '90s alternacrap
- The much-bigger WBCN went off air in '09, turned into a sports talk station
- The market for rock music has diminished; kids are listening to more hip hop and pop
- Plenty of new rock bands coming out all the time
- Nick: Hard rock is used more in sports arenas and commercials
- To be continued next week
- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
Bob Mould - The Act We Act (live)
Hallelujah the Hills - Get Me in a Room
Zeus - Anything You Want, Dear
The White Stripes - Jimmy the Exploder
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Bob Mould song is from Live at Bottom of the Hill, a free EP of three Sugar songs from the album Copper Blue performed live on Feb. 24 in San Francisco. Download the EP for free (in exchange for your email address) at New.Official.Fm.

The Hallelujah the Hills song is on the album No One Knows What Happens Next on Discrete Pageantry. Download the song for free from HallelujahTheHills.com.

The Zeus song is on the album Busting Visions on Arts and Crafts. Download the song for free from IODA Promonet:
Zeus
"Anything You Want Dear" (mp3)
from "Busting Visions"
(Arts & Crafts)

More On This Album

The White Stripes song is from the band's self-titled album on Sympathy for the Record Industry. Download the song for free from Epitonic.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous Episode 74: Disappearing Act

Here's part 1 of my conversation with Eric Convey of the Boston Business Journal about the decline of the newspaper industry. We discuss the reasons behind the dire straits that newspapers find themselves in, particularly the Boston Globe. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as"). Part 2 will be posted early next week.

The show notes...

Topics:
- Tough times for the newspaper industry
- Boston Globe on the brink
- Pinhead of the Week

Music:
- Bob Mould - I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand in My Light Any More
- Okkervil River - Pop Lie
- Red Red Meat - Gauze

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes and Podcast Pickle podcast directories. Subscribe and write a review!

The Bob Mould song is on the new album Life and Times on Anti Records, where you can find a link to Anti's Free Digital Sampler and download the Mould track.

The Okkervil River song is on the album The Stand Ins on Jagjaguwar Records, where you can find out more at and download the song.

The Red Red Meat song is on the reissue of the 1995 album Bunny Gets Paid on Sub Pop Records, where you can find out more and download the song.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous Episode 50: Pump Up the Volume

Happy Leap Day! Just cranked out the milestone 50th episode of CC just under the February wire. Download it directly here (right click and "save as") if you're not already subscribed.

The show notes...

Topics:
- The return of Ralph Nader
- The imminent death of the CD
- Pinhead of the Week

Music:
- The Monkeywrench - Low on Air
- Bob Mould - Stupid Now
- Bon Iver - Skinny Love
- The Dirtbombs - Wreck My Flow
- The Pursuit of Happiness - Completely Conspicuous

Promo:
- New England Podcasting.

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes, Yahoo Podcasts and Podcast Pickle podcast directories. Subscribe and write a review!

The song from Bob Mould is on his new album District Line on Anti Records. The song from The Dirtbombs is on their album We Have You Surrounded on In the Red Records. Both songs are courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

The song from The Monkeywrench is on the album Gabriel's Horn on Birdman Records. The song was provided by IODA Promonet:

Monkeywrench
"Low on Air" (mp3)
from "Gabriel's Horn"
(Birdman Records)

Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album



The Bon Iver song is on the band's new album For Emma, Forever Ago. The song is courtesy of Jagjaguwar Records, where you can find out more and download the song.

The song from The Pursuit of Happiness is on the album Where's the Bone on Iron Music. Visit Amazon.com to learn more and buy the album.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of Mark Campbell.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous Episode 49: Driving While Old

I'm happy to say I was able to get out and do 18 miles today, and I felt good. The rest of the day was pretty lazy; we all just hung out and chilled all day. But I was able to finally record an episode of the CC after a few weeks of feeling like crap. Download it directly here (click right and "save as" if you're not already subscribed).

The show notes, if you will...

Topics:
- What to do about senile drivers
- A new approach to reading books
- Pinhead of the Week

Music:
- Bob Mould - The Silence Between Us
- Jason Collett - Out of Time
- Ladyhawk - The Dugout
- Black Mountain - Druganaut
- Fu Manchu - Hung Out to Dry

Promo:
- New England Podcasting

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes, Yahoo Podcasts and Podcast Pickle podcast directories. Subscribe and write a review!

The song from Bob Mould is on his new album District Line on Anti Records. The song from Fu Manchu is on their album We Must Obey on Century Media. Both songs are courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

The song from Jason Collett is on the album Here's to Being Here on Arts & Crafts Records. The song was provided by IODA Promonet.

Jason Collett
"Out Of Time" (mp3)
from "Here's To Being Here"
(Arts & Crafts)

More On This Album



The Ladyhawk song is on the band's self-titled album. The song from Black Mountain is on that band's self-titled album. Both songs are courtesy of Jagjaguwar Records, where you can find out more and download the songs.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling by visiting his fine music blog. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of Mark Campbell.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.