Lainey Wilson, HARDY, and Today’s Pop-Country (with Clover-Lynn a.k.a hillbillygothic)
Rose-Colored Headphones
If you’re the sort of person who scoffs at the ever-shifting boogyman of “today’s Country music,” sit down and listen. Clover-Lynn is here to guide Michael and Ralph through two very different examples of contemporary pop-country: Lainey Wilson’s Hillbilly Hippie and HARDY’s The Mockingbird and the Crow. Why are people so opposed to pop-country? Is it a matter of classism? Is “Americana” just gentrified country? Why do bands in vests inspire skepticism? Later, Ralph breaks out the banjo and performs “Smell Like Smoke." Don’t forget to subscribe to hear new...
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Human After All by Daft Punk (with Aaron Carnes)
Rose-Colored Headphones
Aaron Carnes is back! For a non-ska episode! What’s the deal with this album? Why is it the one Daft Punk album that people don’t adore? Is this album fun? Is it dark? What was Daft Punk trying to tell us, and were we just not ready to hear it? Later, Ralph performs “Steam Machine” in the style of Incubus. (It’ll make sense once you hear it.) Check out Aaron’s book In Defense of Ska and his podcast of the same name. Don’t forget to subscribe to hear new episodes every other Tuesday! Find us on Bluesky: Or send us an email:...
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Doo Bop by Miles Davis
Rose-Colored Headphones
Miles Davis made a hip-hop record. This should be an easy episode to do, right? I mean, we like Miles Davis. We like hip-hop. But… we also read Miles Davis’ autobiography. This wasn’t the episode we set out to make, but here we are. We’ve got some stuff to tangle with. And it’s been brewing for some time. Our experience with music is shaped by our ideas about the people who make that music. Your mileage may vary, of course, but we’ve got a lot to unpack here. Bear with us. On a lighter note, Ralph made a beat for Michael to improvise over. You know, like on...
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Risk by Megadeth
Rose-Colored Headphones
Megadeth sure did a thing here. And Megadeth fans sure didn’t like it. But why not? Calibrate your expectations and let us help you find a way to enjoy this thing! Also in this episode: Ralph and Michael attempt to banter like normal podcasters. And they talk about that movie Highlander, for some reason. But it’s more on-topic than you would think. Is Risk the perfect album for a day by the pool? Maybe. And maybe that’s the problem: Megadeth fans don’t go swimming enough. Plus, we read listener mail and Ralph performs “Wanderlust” like you’ve never heard it...
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Chalkmark In A Rainstorm by Joni Mitchell (with Ann Powers, author of Travelling: On The Path of Joni Mitchell)
Rose-Colored Headphones
Ann Powers is here to share her insight into the creative life of Joni Mitchell in the 1980s. We delve into the influence of new musical technology, a shifting musical landscape, and Joni’s romantic and creative partner Larry Klein. Don’t you think it’s time you checked out some of those Joni Mitchell albums you haven’t heard yet? Start here. Also, check out Ann’s wonderful book Travelling: On The Path of Joni Mitchell. And welcome back, listener. Thanks for joining us! This is going to be a really good season. We can already tell. Oh, also in this episode: Ralph...
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Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films
Rose-Colored Headphones
Ralph and Michael have been assigned a Disney tribute album featuring Sun Ra, Tom Waits, Garth Hudson, one of The Beatles, Sinead O'Connor, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Stipe, Herb Alpert, The Replacements, and more. Hear us out. It's... eerie. Later, a response from a Disney Adult and the return of Saucy Walter. Thanks for listening to our second season. We liked making it, and we'll be back soon with our third season. In the meantime, circle back to the episodes you missed and tell your friends about us. This episode was recorded before we heard the sad news of David Lynch's...
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Fodder On My Wings by Nina Simone
Rose-Colored Headphones
In the eighties, Nina Simone recorded one of her most eclectic and personal albums. It’s also one of her best, and Ralph and Michael are here to tell you all about it, doing our best to understand her as a musician, as a person, and as a political figure. (Michael says this is his favorite album we've covered on this show so far. What do you think, listener?) Later, Ralph performs a Nina Simone original in the style of Radiohead. Find us on Bluesky: Or send us an email: Our visual art was created by Elaine Banks (@elaineprints on IG).
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One Hot Minute by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rose-Colored Headphones
This is another one of those episodes where Michael struggles to get into the album, and Ralph has to take the wheel. What is it about the Red Hot Chili Peppers that Michael doesn’t get? Seriously, what crawled up that guy’s butt? First Lil’ Wayne and now this. It’s like he hates fun or something, that Scrooge. Don’t worry, listener; empathy and open-mindedness will win in the end. (In this episode anyway. Not sure about real life.) Remember in the Bob Dylan episode when we promised our podcast wouldn’t be weird anymore? How are we doing with that? Later, Ralph shares a mysterious...
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A Twisted Christmas by Twisted Sister (with Dee Snider)
Rose-Colored Headphones
Dee Snider drops by to talk about Christmas music, his time as a choir boy, and the making of a yuletide metal classic on our first annual Holiday Spectacular! Yeah, we do holiday specials now, like Doctor Who! And don't worry, listener; we ask him about that book and he's got news about it. Also in this episode, Michael is visited by ghosts and he and Ralph grapple with complicated feelings about the holidays and uncertainty about the future. But mostly they talk about Twisted Sister. Happy Holidays, everyone! (Even you, Derek.) This episode is dedicated to the memory of our dear...
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Let’s Face It by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (with Aaron Carnes, author of In Defense of Ska)
Rose-Colored Headphones
Aaron Carnes drops by to educate Ralph and Michael about the wide world of Ska. Why is “Third Wave Ska” a misleading term? Where do the Bosstones fit into the larger story of the genre? Plus more listener mail from Michael’s arch-nemesis Derek. Ugh. Later, Ralph is joined by drummer Elwood Bond as he brings a Bosstones anthem back to the roots of ska. Be sure to check out the new expanded edition of Aaron’s fantastic book In Defense of Ska. It makes a great gift for ska-enthusiasts and an even better gift for ska-haters. Find us on Bluesky: Or...
info_outlineRalph and Michael dive into the Christian-Rock equivalent of Thriller and weigh DC Talk’s evangelical credentials against DC Talk’s counter-cultural inclinations. To whom is this album speaking? What is being said? Is it more than a collection of 1990s pastiche with religious lyrics? Maybe this album isn’t what you remember. (Well, it probably is in a lot of ways, but there’s more to it than that.)
Also, is there a DC Talk group-chat where these guys argue about politics? (We will not find an answer to that question, but if you were once a member of DC Talk, drop us a line and let us know.)
Later, we take a call from a listener in distress, Ralph converts “Just Between You and Me” into a delightful slab of reggae, and he and Michael turn that delightful slab of reggae into some spacey dub.
Find us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rchpodcast.bsky.social
Or send us an email: [email protected]
Our visual art was created by Elaine Banks.