Lydia Loveless vs. Girl Ray (feat. Matthew Kato)

Explicit content warning

07/31/20 • 121 min

CrossFade: The Dueling Album Review Show

With special guest Matt Kato (formerly of Game Informer), Matt Helgeson takes a look at two women-led albums: Girl Ray’s shimmery debut “Earl Grey” and Lydia Loveless’s “Real”. With songwriting sensibilities well beyond their years, both acts seem somewhat out of time – “Earl Grey” is a 2017 record that could’ve come out fifty years earlier, while Loveless’s full country twang is tragically suited to the real-life heartbreak she recounts on “Real” (which she recorded with her then-husband, 20 years her senior, while their marriage was falling apart. Ouch.). Kato sticks around for some dynamite community questions, like chiptune vs. orchestral game music, video game references in popular music, and covers that sold us on the original song. WARNING: This episode of MinnTrax contains 200% of your daily recommended Captain Beefheart.

To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below...

6:05 - “Just Like That”

9:35 - “Cutting Shapes”

13:35 - “A Few Months”

26:15 - “Earl Grey (Stuck in a Groove)”

29:15 - “Earl Grey (Stuck in a Groove)” (cont’d)

35:30 - “Waiting Ages”

36:55 - “Stupid Things”

41:50 - “Preacher”

52:50 - “Frownland” (Captain Beefheart)

54:50 - “Longer”

58:15 - “Clumps”

1:02:35 - “Midwestern Guys”

1:08:07 - “European”

1:10:45 - “More Than Ever”

1:12:50 - “Same To You”

1:16:05 - “Out On Love”

1:24:50 - Community questions

1:47:40 - Community song (“Pedestrian at Best” by Courtney Barnett, suggested by MinnMax supporter Tim Lorow)

Follow Matt Kato on Twitter at @MattKato

Support MinnMax on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/minnmax/

MinnTrax Episode Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2vgqfvK

MinnTrax Community Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3aRRgox (edited)

To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below...

6:05 - “Just Like That”

9:35 - “Cutting Shapes”

13:35 - “A Few Months”

26:15 - “Earl Grey (Stuck in a Groove)”

29:15 - “Earl Grey (Stuck in a Groove)” (cont’d)

35:30 - “Waiting Ages”

36:55 - “Stupid Things”

41:50 - “Preacher”

52:50 - “Frownland” (Captain Beefheart)

54:50 - “Longer”

58:15 - “Clumps”

1:02:35 - “Midwestern Guys”

1:08:07 - “European”

1:10:45 - “More Than Ever”

1:12:50 - “Same To You”

1:16:05 - “Out On Love”

1:24:50 - Community questions

1:47:40 - Community song (“Pedestrian at Best” by Courtney Barnett, suggested by MinnMax supporter Tim Lorow)

Follow Matt Kato on Twitter at @MattKato

Support MinnMax on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/minnmax/

MinnTrax Episode Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2vgqfvK

MinnTrax Community Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3aRRgox (edited)

Previous Episode

Pink Floyd vs. Eyedea & Abilities (feat. Justice Harrison)

Mortality, humanity, and mental health struggles loom large over this episode’s MinnTrax albums: “By the Throat” from Minneapolis hip-hop duo Eyedea & Abilities and “Dark Side of the Moon” by classic English psych rockers Pink Floyd. They’re both really well-constructed albums that are fun to listen to in very different ways and for very different moods. Just how different is part of our discussion with Justice Harrison (Skybound Entertainment)! Our community-led segment is full of fun talk about bands we pigeonholed for some reason, favorite video game soundtracks, and if Kanye was better “before he became a genius.” Thanks to MinnMax supporter CalebMurray for suggesting this episode’s outro song!

To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below...

11:45 - “Hay Fever”

18:25 - “Spin Cycle”

23:50 - “Sky Diver”

31:45 - Eyedea vs. Brother Ali rap battle

33:40 - “Factory”

40:05 - “Junk”

43:35 - “Time Flies When You Have a Gun”

49:55 - “This Story”

58:20 - “Speak to Me”/”Breathe”

1:05:25 - “Brain Damage”

1:10:40 - “Money”

1:17:00 - “On the Run”/”Time”

1:30:20 - “The Great Gig in the Sky”

1:34:25 - “Us and Them”

1:41:55 - “Eclipse”

1:45:17 - Community questions

2:10:20 - Community song (“Crows” by The Delta Saints, suggested by MinnMax supporter CalebMurray)

Follow Justice on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lofijustice

Listen to Justice’s music on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wirelessthetireless

Learn more about Skybound and the upcoming Skybound Xpo at https://www.skybound.com/

Support MinnMax on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/minnmax/

MinnTrax Episode Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2vgqfvK

MinnTrax Community Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3aRRgox

Next Episode

Yo La Tengo vs. Other Lives (feat. Paul Charchian)

One of Matt’s formative college records versus a 2020 release? Only on MinnTrax! Special guest Paul Charchian (Guillotine Leagues, Video Games Weekly, and more) almost didn’t bring Other Lives’s “For Their Love” to the table, but we’re glad he did – it’s a densely-arranged indie pop classic at only six months old (and maybe also a subliminal message about the band being a group of vampires). Yo La Tengo’s “I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One,” on the other hand, was a shoo-in for Matt, who used to wander the UMN campus to its understated rock vibes. After the discussion, we field a few questions from the MinnMax community, touching on albums we think would make good game concepts, our favorite concert films, and music that defined the cultures we grew up in. Thanks for the great questions and song suggestions, everyone!

To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below...

7:15 - “We Wait”

11:30 - “Sound of Violence”

16:20 - “Lost Day”

22:25 - “All Eyes - For Their Love”

32:40 - “Dead Language”

36:13 - “Nites Out”

40:25 - “Hey Hey I”

53:45 - “Moby Octopad”

58:30 - “Little Honda”

1:01:50 - “Sugarcube”

1:06:10 - “Autumn Sweater”