This podcast is no more, but I have a new one in store...Coming May 25th, it's "Losing My Opinion". The last music critique podcast you'll ever need. Hosted by two indie musicians and self-confessed pop encyclopedias Thin Lear (Matt Longo) and Niagara Moon (Thomas Erwin).Subscribe on your fave podcast platform o' choice! https://losingmyopinion.pod…

Elliott Smith - with all his carefully crafted, brooding yet ultimately hopeful pop/baroque/folk tunes - taps into a certain kind of honesty no one else can. As this week's guest Leezy puts it, it's as if he's singing directly to you. Many feel 1997's "Either/Or" is him at his best. Still not famous on a major label, but a little more evolved from …

"TUSK!" Fleetwood Mac. 1979. All the rock n roll riches in the world having been attained with "Rumours", there was no direction left to go but weird. Sometimes sublimely relaxing - other times brittle and manic - it's chockful of solid pop, and behind-the-scenes drama, naturally.Tusk superfan Nicholas Krgovich is back on the pod to help me break i…

Perhaps you've heard of it...?It's a little daunting trying to cover The Beach Boys' classic 1966 masterpiece "Pet Sounds". This is Brian Wilson's shining moment, though you wouldn't have known it judging by their US sales at the time... Paul McCartney knew what was up, though.What else is there to say? It's Pet Sounds. Enjoy me and Joe gushing ove…

Adore. That's the keyword with Prefab Sprout's 1985 album "Steve McQueen" (aka "Two Wheels Good"). I adore this wonderful collection of heartfelt, sophisticated, slick yet earnest perfect pop songs - a perfect sonic marriage between frontman Paddy McAloon and producer Thomas Dolby, along with many others...Joining me to revel in the wonder of this …

Beck's 1996 classic "Odelay"... This rapping deadpan cowboy slacker can do it all, especially with The Dust Brothers workin the turntables. A lovely balance of kaleidoscopic hip-hop sampling, bizarre lyrics, and solid songwriter hooks. Mark Grundhoefer helps me along as we tap into its nostalgic magic.https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/https://www.pa…

I'm not much of a Phish guy... Mark loves them dearly. Together we explore both the impact of this band and their 1995 live double album, as well as the reasons each of us actually enjoy the music we listen to, dang it. However, I think we can both agree Phish is a bunch of grilled cheese-loving goofballs...https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/https://…

1980's "Remain In Light" by Talking Heads... So far ahead of its time I still don't think we've caught up. David Byrne's insane antics. Weymouth and Frantz holdin down the grooves. Adrian Belew's next-level guitar solos. Brian Eno doing... whatever he does. A mind-blowing blend of art rock, African music and much more in this stone-cold classic. Ma…

By all accounts I should be a huge Ben Folds Five fan, but I'm just dipping my toes in the water now. He's a beast at piano. A master storyteller. Phenomenal composer. And that band is *on fire*. I can definitely dig it. Mark Grundhoefer is fortunately a Folds expert, so we dive into all the lore for the latest episode of the NMP. I'm presumably no…

2001's Amnesiac by Radiohead raises so many questions... Another album already - right after Kid A? Why is this song backwards? What time signature is this? Do I... like it?A weirder album from an already weird band, broken down by myself and Mark Grundhoefer for the 100th(!) installment of the NMP.https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/https://www.patre…

The dirtiest elevator music you've ever heard. 1980's Gaucho by Steely Dan was the band's last album for 20 years. And when you hear about the ridiculous amount of time, effort and money that went in, it's not hard to understand why. This jazz-pop opus sounds "perfect", but darkly, uncannily so. A lot below the surface here, and Mark Grundhoefer he…

Yes in 1972 were at the height of their powers, as made clear with their grand opus "Close To The Edge". Unbelievable that these sounds are from just a band of 5 guys playing in a room. Never losing sight of the pop-song basics, this album goes to space and back. Join Mark Grundhoefer and I on a good ol' prog rock nerdout. And yeah, we get into the…

Been waiting a looong time to talk 2016's "The Party" by Andy Shauf... One of the greats from the last decade. The novelistic songwriting, the clarinet, the Beatlesque melodies - it's got it all, delivered by a shy quiet guy from Saskatchewan with a very unusual accent. Fellow diehard fan Eric Davis delights in getting into all the nitty-gritty wit…

Jenny O. - another one of my *absolute fave* pop songwriters. Check out her latest album "New Truth" from Mama Bird Recording Co.https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/https://www.jennyo.com/Di Thomas Erwin

Many moons ago, one of my top favorite singer-songwriters Tristen came up to our place in Seattle for a chat. Resharing that convo today in celebration of her latest record "Aquatic Flowers" - out now everywhere.https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/https://www.tristen.com/Di Thomas Erwin

There's no other artist out there quite like Kate Bush. She's a musical island unto herself, and it's no wonder she's been a huge inspiration for generations of "artpop" musicians. There are few bigger fans of hers than Attila (back again from last month!), so it only made sense we dig into this 1985 claaaassic!https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/http…

Harry Nilsson in 1974, produced by John Lennon himself. This beautiful mess of an album saw Nilsson permanently damage both his vocal cords and his career, but at the same time you can't help but appreciate its wildly idiosyncratic sound.As a fellow Nilsson-head, Thin Lear knows what's up - we share both our adoration and puzzlement in great detail…

Big band. Big sound. Phil Collins. Synths on parade. 1980's "Duke" by Genesis is my official introduction to a band many Moondogs have mentioned to me, but one I knew nothing about. Seeing as it's one of Joe's favorites, he helped break it down for me - and they're pretty, pretty good!https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/…

A symphonic ode to the great Midwestern state. A raw emotional gut punch. Sufjan Steven's 2005 concept album Illinois is many things, all of them tremendously powerful and affecting. Thank you to Jordan Prince (guest of the hour) for gettin me to take a deeper dive...https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/http://www.jordanprincetunes.com/…

At first it may seem bizarre and even cacophonous, but there's a lot to love about 2012's "Swing Lo Magellan" by Dirty Projectors. Intricate, on-point songwriting, gorgeous harmonies, and the sound of a rock band turned on its head! Enjoy this music nerd outing with myself and longtime pod-buddy Basic Printer.https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/https:…

The son of evangelical missionaries, The Drifter Luke traveled frequently as a child, eventually settling in Washington state by age 9. He loved music from an early age singing bluegrass/gospel tunes with his family in church performance. By age 15, Luke began to focus more and more of his time to writing and creating original songs. With songs tac…

Electric Light Orchestra's 1977 double album Out Of The Blue... Largely inspired by a sudden burst of sunshine while writing in the Swiss Alps, songwriter/producer Jeff Lynne didn't pull any punches with this gargantuan recording. A notorious studio hermit, I'd almost call him a "musician's musician" if it weren't for the fact that ELO was also a c…

Bjork, the Icelandic musical oddity (and ya know, massive global pop-star), set her artistic sights ever higher with 1997's Homogenic. This album of "strings and beats" is beautiful, fiery and glacial all at once. So, so good.And fellow Bjork enthusiast Attxla is here to get just as excited about it with me! He's a phenomenal multi-genre singer fro…

I meet and hang with another Moondog! Beau from St. Louis - he's quite a culture vulture, and has a fascinating backstory. We talk about gigantic book collections, Van Dyke Parks, and a whoooole lot more.https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/Di Thomas Erwin

That's right. The Beatles. At the height of their powers in 1966. This album is 55 years old(!), everyone loves it, and everyone's talked about ad nauseam...You know what though? It's still an amazing, mind-blowing collection of tunes that I thoroughly enjoyed discussing, along with my cohort Dan Barracuda. I think these guys are still worth the hy…

With but 35 minutes of immaculate pop songs, The Zombies both secured their legacy and faded into obscurity with 1968's "Odessey & Oracle". (Yes, that spelling is a typo...)Every piece of this is a win. The songwriting team of Rod Argent and Chris White matched with Colin Blunstone's heavenly vocals. Recording at Abbey Road with the Beatles' engine…

It's David Bowie in 1975, like we've never heard him before (or since). "Young Americans" is the first and probably most notable example of Bowie completely changing genres - like no one else before... But does the Plastic Soul sound work? We sure think so!Sign up for The Quest For The Sound before April 1st: theniagaramoonexperience.com/the-quest-…

Thundercat nailed it with this 2017 R&B(?) album Drunk. From the insane cover photo all the way to the slew of slick cameos (Michael McDonald, anyone?), Stephen Bruner tells a personal, bordering-on-embarrassing story in an outlandish & goofy way. And the songs are undeniably funky. The bass lines...Joining me in breaking it down is San Antonio duo…

Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea from 1998... I mean, there's life before having heard this album, and then life after it. I suspect Jeff Mangum is actually some wizardly music spirit, rather than simply a 90s indie pop recluse. Safe to say, both myself and pod friend Thin Lear had lots of kind things to say about it. It's pretty …

Honored to have gloitchpop maestro Basic Printer (aka Jesse Gillenwalters) on the pod once again, this time to talk about his brand new album Fantastic Wrist! It's a symphonic electro-indie-folk-pop mastahpiece. The story behind the album is also very personal, revelatory, and purgative. Jesse is kind and open enough to take me through the whole th…

Who doesn't like a little Elton John? This 1972 album features the man at the height of his powers, playing classic hits with the best band he ever assembled. I'm all about Honky Cat...Dan Barracuda and patron Joe agree - this one has some funky classics.https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/https://www.danbarracuda.com/…

Hey, isn't that a Niagara Moon album? It is indeed. Longtime musical bud and friend of the pod Basic Printer wanted to come on and talk about it with me! Who was I to decline? Hear some of the stories behind this 2017 NM debut...https://www.niagaramoonmusic.com/https://www.basicprinter.com/Di Thomas Erwin

Roger Waters the poet. The genius. The tyrant...?I love so much about 1983's The Final Cut, but to think of it as a Pink Floyd albums feels strange... Nevertheless, lots of lore to dig into and many wonderful, solemn musical moments. To help me along I have fellow musicmaker Dan Barracuda and studious patron Joe. It's a good time.https://www.patreo…

(and not just because I play piano/keyboards on all the songs!)The artist Hoonah - aka my friend Sarah - just released her album Marram Grass. It's 12 songs of achingly beautiful, melancholic folk ala Nick Drake or Vashti Bunyan. Throw a little Joanna Newsom in there too for good measure.She gave me permission to share it with you here in its entir…

Gorgeous harmonies, rich arrangements, sophisticated soul-searching lyrics. Where can you go wrong with 2011's "Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes? Robin Pecknold, man... Sounds like Father John Misty gave him a hard time though.Not only am I joined by Dan Barracuda for this one, but also his musical partner Ian! We have a goofy good time.https://w…

Leonard Cohen and Phil Spector team up in 1977 to make this "beautiful mess" of an album. There were guns, drugs, master tape thefts, and all sorts of shenanigans. Yet "Death of a Ladies' Man" is weirdly wonderful - or at least wonderfully weird. NYC folk/baroque pop songsmith and Cohen superfan Thin Lear(aka Matt Longo) joins myself and Dan Barrac…

Dan Barracuda brought this band up enough times that my interest was piqued. And then podcast friend Mark Grundhoefer came in saying they were one of his top favorites! So I listened beyond the hits. But then Dan couldn't make it... Ah well. Mark and I still talk the ins and the outs of this often misunderstood 80s pop duo. He also takes me to task…

I meet and hang with a bonafide Moondog! Joe from Ohio calls in, and we talk travel, vinyl, teaching art, and much more.https://www.patreon.com/niagaramoonmusicDi Thomas Erwin

The Magnetic Fields (aka Stephin Merritt) had a very unique vision when he set about making 1999's "69 Love Songs". 69 songs - 3 hours - dedicated to the idea of "a love song". Not even love itself!Who better than longtime die-hard fan and fellow singer-songwriter Nicholas Krgovich to help us dive in, and learn how/why this thing works?https://nich…

Dan and I bring on our first guest to help us break down an album! Jordan Prince makes infectious, fun and distinct indie-pop over in Munich, Germany - though he originally hails from New Orleans. The expatriate life seems to suit him wonderfully.He's also an excellent candidate to discuss the work of Mac DeMarco. There's no other indie rocker out …

With this lovely 2012 debut album, the British folk-soul gentleman Michael Kiwanuka a sublime, retro "back-to-basics" sound. It's so warm and cozy in here you could rightfully call it a bit "safe", but it offers many great songs nonetheless. "Home Again" is about the overall vibe, really...Moondogs - use discount code "RUDI" at checkout to get 50% …

Yeah he's the "sad guy" songwriter, but does Elliott Smith simply wallow in his misery, or does he transcend his depression through incredibly meticulous, masterful artistry? Maybe a little of both? In any case, 1998's "XO" is full of beautiful melodies, lyrics, instrumentation, and melancholy. If anyone ever was deserving of the "one-man Beatles" …

While Dan's away on vay-cay, the composer will play...Taking a break from our typical album review episodes this week to bring you an album's worth of relaxing piano music by yours truly. Yessir, my neo-classical side project sure keeps me busy!https://open.spotify.com/artist/72Ojcdg0bCLAURS3HTWEDm?si=bMT0pROmQ_mKep4qWQCgmw…

I mean, everyone should know by now that Joni Mitchell's an all-time great. And on this 1976 sprawling epic Hejira, she was in particularly rare form. An ode to travel and solitude, with some exquisite bass work from Jaco Pastorius. Is it jazz? Rock? No idea...www.patreon.com/niagaramoonmusicwww.danbarracuda.com…

This 1970 solo debut by George Harrison is a juggernaut, plain and simple. Produced by Phil Spector, featuring a gigantic cast of some of the best session musicians in the world - how can you go wrong? Well, it is a bit long. But just listen to Wah-Wah...Check out the NEW Niagara Moon Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/niagaramoonmusicwww.danbarracuda…

Love love love this one. Bjork's 1995 sophomore album "Post" defies all kinds of pop convention to deliver something entirely unique and impactful. Dan hears how its influence spread to countless other artists, including Radiohead.www.niagaramoonmusic.comwww.danbarracuda.comDi Thomas Erwin

Beautiful songs, a beautiful message, and a truly unique figure in the world of folk-rock... This 1970 Cat Steven album is a triumph! But what adjective best describes his voice? Is it "Raspy"? "Scratchy"?www.niagaramoonmusic.comwww.danbarracuda.comDi Thomas Erwin

This episode takes you through the entire journey of making my song "Running in a Dream", the epic closer for our latest album Fuzzy Thinking. I used to do more of these for the podcast. They're fun. I'll be back with Dan next week though for more album discussions.Di Thomas Erwin

"Save me White Jesus." "Getting high on the mattress while the global market crashes." Father John Misty certainly has a way with words, as demonstrated in this 2015 album I Love You, Honeybear. And he has the soaring vocals and lush production to back it up. Dan and I are in agreement - this one's a modern classic...https://www.niagaramoonmusic.co…

If the term "voice of an angel" ever TRULY applied to someone, it would be the late Jeff Buckley on this lil 1994 debut album of his. Very ambitious, eclectic, progressive 90's rock that defies easy categorization. Dan loves it. Heck, Brad Pitt loves it. I am... neutral on it.www.niagaramoonmusic.com/adoptacdwww.danbarracuda.com/…