Let's Revisit The Blog Rock Era

Explicit content warning

08/18/23 • 61 min

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Steven was on vacation for part of the week, so he was checked out of the discourse. When he returned, he kept seeing the same face in his social media feed — the "Ginger Mumford" himself, Oliver Anthony. The folk-country artist went mega-viral this week with his right-wing, anti-welfare song "Rich Men North Of Richmond." Steven asked Ian if he's heard the song, and about the recent upswing in reactionary hits and whether this is a path forward for new artists looking for a way to break.

After that, the guys talk about Ian's recent list of the greatest blog rock albums of all time. They debate Ian's choices, and compare that mid-aughts era when amateur curators were obsessed with hyping obscure bands with today's safer, superstar-obsessed era. Have things gotten better or worse?

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the indie-pop band dreamTX while Steven recommends the Philadelphia country-rock outfit Florry.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 151 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the indie-pop band dreamTX while Steven recommends the Philadelphia country-rock outfit Florry.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Previous Episode

The Song Of The Summer vs. Patio Music

Every summer, the music press tries to figure out the song of the summer. For Steven, this can be a tedious exercise that feels like one of those fake holidays made up by greeting card companies to sell product. Nevertheless, the discourse is welcome during an otherwise dead time of the year. So Steven and Ian are getting down to the task this week of determining the defining track of the season.

Before that, the guys discuss the latest dust-up between musicians and music critics to unfold online. What is at the heart of this conflict, and can it ever be resolved? Also, there's a conversation about memorable review-related feuds that Steven and Ian have had over the years, including the time that Donald Glover threatened to beat Ian up. (Steven never tires of hearing this story.)

Along with talking about the song of the summer, Steven and Ian also talk about patio music, a concept that has particularly interested Steven during the summer months. What makes a good patio music album? And is it possible to appreciate this concept if (like Ian) you don't have a patio and live in a place where it's always warm?

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the new release from Spirit Night while Steven recommends an overlooked album from 2022 by Greg Freeman.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 150 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Next Episode

New Albums by The Armed + Ratboys, Plus: Our Favorite Soundtrack Albums

This week it was reported that Ed Droste of the fine art-rock band Grizzly Bear is now working as a therapist (:25). That this was news at all speaks to the weird navieté that we as indie-rock fans have about the financial realities of the musicians we love. Steven and Ian begin the episode by talking about the "Joe jobs" of indie-rock lifers, and the potential "indie star to therapist" pipe line.

From there, the guys talk about Steven's recent column on the best soundtrack albums of all-time, and why the golden age for soundtracks is from the mid-'80s to the early '00s. While it's true that a big film like Barbie can still spin off a successful soundtrack, the golden age of B and C-tier soundtracks — when an otherwise forgotten film like 1993's Judgment Night can be paired with a famous soundtrack — seems to be over (11:08).

After that, Steven and Ian review new albums by hardcore collective The Armed and the Chicago guitar-pop band Ratboys (27:39). In Recommendation Corner (56:01), Ian praises the bloghouse throwback DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ and Steven gives the nod to the new solo album from Big Thief guitarist Buck Meek.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 152 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.