The Great Albums

Bill and pulls up Spotify's curated 2021 playlist and talks about what he enjoyed listening to in the last year! Plus some listener emails!

Transcribed - Published: 3 January 2022

Jeff Fiedler joins Bill to discuss his top 10 albums of 2021! Listen in to find out where he ranked albums from: ABBA, Adele, Leon Bridges, Coldplay, Crowded house, Del Amitri, David Duchovny, Gary Kemp, John Mayer, and Silk Sonic!

Transcribed - Published: 20 December 2021

Bill and Brian pull up Spotify's curated 2020 playlist and talk about what Bill enjoyed listening to in the last year! Bill talks about Pearl Jam, Craig Finn, the Beths, Great Grandpa, The Promise Ring, and maybe more? Also we share listeners’ top 10s of 2020 and their thoughts on Brian and Jeff's lists.

Transcribed - Published: 4 January 2021

Jeff Fiedler joins Bill and Brian to discuss his top 10 albums of 2020! Listen in to find out where he ranked albums from: Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan, Haim, the Killers, Kylie Minogue, Mandy Moore, Harry Styles, Keith Urban, The Who, and Hayley Williams.

Transcribed - Published: 21 December 2020

It's that time of year again! So, Bill and Brian dust off their microphones to chat about Brian's top albums of 2020. Featured in this episode include albums from: Fiona Apple, Beach Bunny, Phoebe Bridgers, Drakeo the Ruler, Bob Dylan, Haim, Jyoti, Mac Miller, Run the Jewels, and Jessie Ware.

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2020

Bill and Brian are back once again to talk about a fun article, this time from Brooklyn Vegan, in which Andrew Sacher explores the phenomenon of classic pop punk bands ditching their youthful sound for a more "mature" expression of art. We have fun talking about some of the albums we've enjoyed like Green Day's Warning or Hellogoodbye's Would It Kill You and others we didn't know too much about prior to this like Panic at the Disco's Pretty Odd and The Early November's The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path. Check out the original article . Also, note that there's a little noise coming through our digital connection. We tried to clean it up the best we could and hope it doesn't detract from the show!

Transcribed - Published: 27 July 2020

Bill and Brian dive into the Spin magazine article by Dan Weiss to see where they agree, disagree, and maybe dip into thoughts on the band's latest release, Gigaton.

Transcribed - Published: 6 April 2020

Bill and Brian create content by listing 5 albums each that we wish we'd have covered on the podcast! There's always hope!

Transcribed - Published: 23 March 2020

Bill pulls up Spotify's curated 2019 playlist and sits down to talk about what he enjoyed (or just listened to) in 2019. Bill talks about the Weakerthans, the National, the Hold Steady, Craig Finn, the Beths, PUP, Ex Hex, Charly Bliss, the Extensions, Frightened Rabbit, Wilco, the New Pornographers, and maybe more?

Transcribed - Published: 30 December 2019

Bill and Brian hang out with thegreatalbums.com blogger Jeff Fiedler as he counts down his favorite albums from 2019. Listen to find out where he ranked albums from: Lana Del Rey, Bruce Hornsby, Jonas Brothers, Jenny Lewis, New Pornographers, Thomas Rhett, Raphael Saadiq, Sturgill Simpson, Vampire Weekend, and Kanye West!

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2019

Brian lists his favorite albums of 2019! Bill listens. Listen in to find out where Brian ranked albums from: Black Belt Eagle Scout, Lana Del Rey, King Princess, Jenny Lewis, Lizzo, Angel Olsen, Purple Mountains, Tyler the Creator, Jamila Woods, and Nilufer Yanya!

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2019

Bill and Brian give thanks, list our top 10 episodes, and read a bunch of emails in the midst of our indefinite hiatus.

Transcribed - Published: 9 September 2019

In our final episode that'll be part of a regular release schedule, we take a look back at the first album we ever discussed, the Replacements' Let It Be (1984, Twin/Tone). Bill and Brian use the skills they've honed during their years of podcasting experience to see what a conversation revisiting the first album would sound like. Enjoy!

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2019

It's finally happening! As we reach the penultimate episode to be part of our weekly releases, Bill and Brian take the time to talk about what's great about Radiohead's OK Computer (1997, Parlophone/Capitol). Bill spends a little time talking about what happens when fans say things like they can't get into an artist or album and how it can be perceived. Then we get to the track by track review, focusing on what we enjoy in the tunes!

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2019

Author and educator Doug Robertson, AKA , joins Bill and Brian to discuss Nick Cave and the Bad Seed's Let Love In (1994, Mute Records).

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2019

Musician drops by to discuss the Hold Steady's sophomore effort Separation Sunday (2005, Frenchkiss).

Transcribed - Published: 9 June 2019

Musician Scott Sylvester () hangs out with Bill and Brian while we discuss Sonic Youth's Murray St. (2002, DGC Records).

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2019

Writer, blogger, and vlogger Maureen Zahn joins Bill and Brian to discuss the Police's Synchronicity (1983, A&M). *There's a part in the show where we reference Synchronicity and Thriller being out in the same year. Thriller was actually released in November 1982 with this following in June 1983. However, it's worth noting that in that time period they were both eligible for the same Grammy awards ceremony in 1984.

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2019

Podcaster Rachel from We Are Weezer joins us from across the country to talk about one of her top 3 bands of all time, Garbage, and their debut self titled album (1995, Almo).

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2019

We're back from a month long break from the podcast with a Liner Notes episode. Bill and Brian discuss what they've been up to in their time off - check out Brian's new band the Extensions, and check out Bill's band ! Also, we've got a special announcement regarding the future of the podcast. Jump to 32:25 if you want to just get the bad news out of the way...

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2019

On another exciting episode of the Great Albums...Bill and Brian are joined by Matt Warren, Digital Content Manager for filmindependent.org, to discuss the Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002, Warner Bros.).

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2019

Bill and Brian are joined by musician Savannah Pope () to discuss Aretha Franklin's I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967, Atlantic).

Transcribed - Published: 18 March 2019

Bill and Brian are joined by musician Nikki Karwacki (Finding Feebas, Triage, Batting a Thousand) to discuss Superchunk's unique brand of punk/power pop/alternative music on the album Here's Where the Strings Come In (1995, Merge).

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2019

Bill and Brian go sans guest this episode in order to dive into one of Bill's favorites from his formative years, Foo Fighters' There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999, Roswell, RCA).

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2019

Podcaster and musician David Rosen ( and ) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Tenacious D's self titled debut (2001, Epic).

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2019

Podcaster James Anderson (Unabashedly Obsessed, Kids on Bikes) steps into Brian's large shoes to cohost and help Bill discuss the Barenaked Ladies' Maroon (2000, Reprise).

Transcribed - Published: 18 February 2019

Bill and Brian are joined by radio-film-book-trivia guy (really unsure how else to define him!) Vincent Onorati to discuss Depeche Mode's Violator (1990, Mute). Vinny discusses finding his people when he discovered new wave radio and Depeche Mode's output. Then he explains how he got to experience the band's breakout success while interning at his favorite radio station. Then we get into a bunch of detail about loving this album with the track by track review!

Transcribed - Published: 11 February 2019

Bill and Brian don't spend much time discussing albums on this week's episode. Instead, we talk about our top favorite theme songs from TV shows!

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2019

Podcaster and journalist Cassidy Robinson (Jabber and the Drone) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Sunny Day Real Estate's debut album Diary (1994, Sub Pop). Cassidy talks about his journey of first discovering the mainstream emo of the early 2000s, not enjoying it much, then finding his way back to the genre's hardcore roots, and discovering this Sunny Day Real Estate thanks to the recommendation of a record store clerk. Plus we talk about much more as we make our way through album track by track!

Transcribed - Published: 21 January 2019

Bill and Brian are joined by writer-director-producer-manager KL Martin (kaleidosightfilms.com and 3143mgmt.com) to discuss Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt (1996, Roc-A-Fella). KL talks about "stealing" this album from his cousin and being fascinated by the world it depicted. We discuss how Jay-Z fits into the 90s rap world with the Notorious BIG, Tupac, and the East Coast/West Coast dichotomy. Then we get into a whole bunch of stuff about each song!

Transcribed - Published: 14 January 2019

Bill and Brian are joined by musician Justin Pope to discuss Belle and Sebastian's sophomore album If You're Feeling Sinister (1996, Jeepster). Justin tells an appropriately "twee" story about hearing Belle and Sebastian on late night radio, being unable to find the band that sang the "beautiful" tune, and then finally discovering band when his crush made him a mixtape filled with Belle and Sebastian songs. Then Bill, Brian, and Justin get into the band's sound and what "twee" means, how they evolved to the point to be sharing a stage with the bombastic New Pornographers, Douglas Coupland, Stuart Murdoch vs. Morrissey, and more as we make our through the album track by track!

Transcribed - Published: 7 January 2019

Bill and Brian are joined by thegreatalbums.com blogger Jeff Fiedler to discuss his favorite albums of 2018! It's all new, all different this week, so check out where Jeff ranked albums by: Leon Bridges, Gorillaz, Albert Hammond Jr., Lake Street Dive, Paul McCartney, Kacey Musgraves, Panic! At the Disco, Natalie Press, Charlie Puth, and Richard Thompson! Check out this week's sponsor: !

Transcribed - Published: 17 December 2018

Brian tells Bill about his favorite albums of 2018! Learn a little about Brian's process and  the trends he saw happening in music this year before we dive into a discussion on 10 albums from artists like:  Caroline Rose, The Carters, Father John Misty, Kamasi Washington, Mitski, Pusha T, Serpentwithfeet, Soccer Mommy, Superchunk, and U.S. Girls (alphabetized to mask Brian's actual order, listen to find out who's #1!). Check out this week's sponsor: ! Use the code ALBUMS!

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2018

Bill and Brian open up the email inbox, check the tweets, and have some discussions about Rolling Stone, Weezer, Batman, Spiderman, and Stan Lee. Also, Bill takes a little time to update everyone on his recent health issues (it's looking pretty okay, now). Check out this week's sponsor: ! Use promo code ALBUMS! Also, if you're enjoying the tunes in this week's episode, that's courtesy of the Paper Jets' new album. Check it out at !

Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2018

Musician Mick Chorba () joins Bill and Brian to discuss the iconic White Album (Apple, 1968) by the Beatles. It's our first episode dedicated to a single Beatles album! Yeah, it's taken us awhile to get there, but we did.

Transcribed - Published: 26 November 2018

Massive Album November week 3 has arrived! Bill and Brian sit down with blogger and Aqualung Records head, Jeff Fiedler, to discuss Supertramp's Breakfast in America (1979, A&M).

Transcribed - Published: 19 November 2018

Massive Album November reaches week 2, and Bill and Brian welcome Telegraph Hill Records' Kristen Costa () to discuss No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom (1995, Trauma/Interscope).

Transcribed - Published: 12 November 2018

Massive Album November week 1 is here! And Bill and Brian dive into Sheryl Crow's huge debut Tuesday Night Music Club (1993, A&M) with podcaster James Kittle. *At one point in the podcast, we debate the sales for this album because we came across a few different numbers in different places. Per RIAA.org, Tuesday Night Music Club is certified 7x platinum on 7 million units shipped in the US. Check out this week's sponsor: !

Transcribed - Published: 5 November 2018

Bill and Brian hang out with singer/songwriter Renee Maskin () and discuss Father John Misty's I Love You, Honeybear (2015, Sub Pop).   Check out this week's sponsor: !

Transcribed - Published: 29 October 2018

Bill and Brian are joined by podcaster and author Brian Wagner ( and )to discuss a-ha's debut album Hunting High and Low (1985, Warner Bros.). Brian helps us explain how a-ha is so much more than just an 80s one hit wonder (especially to the rest of the world). Then we get into Morten Harket's awesome voice, how Pal Waaktaar was the driving force behind the band's songwriting, Mags Furuholmen's distinctive keys, and more as we make our way through the album track by track!

Transcribed - Published: 22 October 2018

Bill and Brian discuss the almost lost masterpiece from Ryan Adams, Love Is Hell (2004, Lost Highway). Without a guest, we explore our own origin stories of listening to Ryan Adams before getting into the allure of a tortured artist, Ryan Adams' signature reverb/echo, which songs Ricky Fataar may or may not play on, the significance of the Hotel Chelsea, and more as we make our way through the album track by track!

Transcribed - Published: 15 October 2018

Bill and Brian hang out with musician Nick Palmer (normally, we'd link to the band's website here, but Brian and I were discussing how awesome "Generation Gap" by WAX WAV is, so click this link and go watch the kickass video for it: ) and discuss Fugazi's Repeater (1990, Dischord). All the prerequisite talk about punk and what it means to punk happens, but we also discuss Ian MacKaye and Guy Piccioto's politically/emotionally charged lyrics that are still relevant today and the awesome musicianship of the rhythm section, Joe Lally and Brendan Canty. This and more as we make our way through the album track by track!

Transcribed - Published: 8 October 2018

Bill and Brian couldn't pick just a single album from Harvey Danger. With 3 excellently crafted LPs, we had no idea where to start, so we decided to discuss all 3 at the same time! Bill and Brian each pick a favorite song from Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone (1997, Arena Rock/London/Slash) King James Version (2000, London/Sire), and Little by Little... (2005, Phonographic/Kill Rock Stars) and talk about what makes each song great! And check out this week's sponsors: and !

Transcribed - Published: 1 October 2018

Bill and Brian list their top 5 albums they enjoy listening to while avoiding looking at the cover. This week's sponsor: !

Transcribed - Published: 27 August 2018

Singer-songwriter and piano rocker Matt Cook () joins Bill and Brian to discuss Sufjan Stevens' The Age of Adz (2010, Asthmatic Kitty). Matt shares his story about discovering this album as he recovered from a coma (yes, seriously, it's a wild story!) and how he was won over despite not enjoying it at first. We get into Royal Robertson's influence on the album, whether or not to tag Sufjan with the 'genius' label, reevaluating our lives when faced with our own mortality, just what synth makes those sounds, and more as we make our way through the album track by track!

Transcribed - Published: 20 August 2018

Bill and Brian get into the indie-pop bliss that is Nada Surf's The Weight Is a Gift (2005, Barsuk)! Bill talks about this album accompanying him on long drives home in NJ, and Brian breaks down his new knowledge about guitar effect pedals. And of course we have a track by track review, discussing this work by Matthew Caws, Daniel Lorca, Ira Elliot, Louie Lino, and Chris Walla.

Transcribed - Published: 13 August 2018

Musician Tyler Plazio () joins Bill and Brian to discuss Blink-182's seminal pop-punk album Enema of the State (1999, MCA). Check out this week's sponsor, !

Transcribed - Published: 6 August 2018

Musician and podcaster Chris Tull () joins Bill and Brian for one final episode in the old studio to discuss XTC's landmark album, Skylarking. We talk about the contentious relationship between main songwriter Andy Partridge and producer Todd Rundgren, the album's overarching theme of birth, life, and death, Colin Moulding's generous songwriting contributions, and Dave Gregory's idiosyncratic guitar-playing all while going through the album track-by-track. This episode sponsored by and .

Transcribed - Published: 31 July 2018

In a special summer episode, Bill and Brian call each other up to discuss the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy.

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2018

While Bill is vacationing with his wife and celebrating their wedding anniversary, Brian has decided to gaze shoe-ward with longtime friend Dan Drago of the , and producer, engineer, studio owner Alex Santilli of . Together, we unpack My Bloody Valentine's 1991 opus Loveless. Alex offers insight into how an album that is technically incorrect can still sound wonderful, while Dan makes us believe that soulmates may actually exist!   This weeks sponsor:

Transcribed - Published: 9 July 2018