Velocities In Music

There's always at least one genre that each of us just doesn't like. But where does this aversion come from? Is it preventing us from digging into an artist or album that we might otherwise like? In this podcast, we discuss the concept of genre bias and how it affects the average listener, as well as some ways of potentially getting around it.

Since 2002, Coheed and Cambria have been putting out albums in their unique blend of pop-punk, emo, post-hardcore, prog, and metal. So far, their career has displayed an ambition and musical variety that very few bands have been able to match while maintaining a similar level of quality. In this artist deep-dive, we go through every Coheed and Cambria album released to date and highlight where they succeed, where they fail, and where we hope to see them go next.

In this monthly wrap-up, we discuss the following albums: Field Music - Commontime Peter Astor - Spilt Milk DIIV - Is the Is Are Sunflower Bean - Human Ceremony Sidestepper - Supernatural Love Junior Boys - Big Black Coat Nonkeen - The Gamble Elton John - Wonderful Crazy Night Dr. Dog - The Psychedelic Swamp Future - EVOL The Black Queen - Fever Daydream Rokia Traore - Ne So Radiation City - Synesthetica Pinegrove - Cardinal Yoko Ono - Yes, I'm a Witch Too Cavern of Anti-Matter - Void Beats / Invocation Trex Animal Collective - Painting With School of Seven Bells - SVIIB Bonnie Raitt - Dig In Deep Steve Mason - Meet the Humans Emma Pollock - In Search of Harperfield Santigold - 99 Cents Barry Adamson - Know Where To Run Wild Nothing - Life of Pause Memoryhouse - Soft Hate

This year, we swallowed our pride and watched The Grammys in their entirety. There were some good performances, even more terrible performances, and a relatively small number of awards given, considering it's, um, supposed to be an awards show? We think? In this podcast, we give our thoughts on the year's most commercial night of music, and give a play-by-play breakdown of what happened.

Once again, the Grammys are upon us. It's one musical night we tend to get cynical about, and yet we can't help but watch the train wreck of fake smiles, awkward performances, and undeserved acclaim. In this podcast, we go through our general thoughts of the Grammys and highlight a handful of the notable categories, along with who we believe will win and who we think deserves to win.

In this podcast, we discuss albums that were released in January 2016, including: David Bowie - Blackstar Hinds - Leave Me Alone Savages - Adore Life Tortoise - The Catastrophist Eleanor Friedberger - New View Panic! At the Disco - Death of a Bachelor The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum Tindersticks - The Waiting Room Daughter - Not To Disappear Cauldron - In Ruin Anderson Paak - Malibu Megadeth - Dystopia Shearwater - Jet Plane and Oxbow Suede - Night Thoughts Ty Segall - Emotional Mugger Chairlift - Moth Cross Record - Wabi Sabi Nevermen - Nevermen Cian Nugent - Night Fiction Turin Brakes - Lost Property Saul Williams - MartyrLoserKing MONEY - Suicide Songs Bloc Party - Hymns Sia - This Is Acting Dream Theater - The Astonishing Milk Teeth - Vile Child Your Friend - Gumption Night Beats - Who Sold My Generation Wet - Don't You The Han Solo Project - The Force Hits Snooze

In 1966, The Beatles played their last official concert and holed up in the studio for the remainder of their musical career. The result? Some of the most genius and groundbreaking recordings that the world had heard and likely ever will. But as the 60s came to a close, relations within the group began to erode until personal and creative differences between the members became irreconcilable. In this podcast, we cover the last five years of The Beatles' career, from the recording of Revolver to the release of Let It Be.

The Beatles are arguably one of the greatest and most influential bands in music history, releasing 13 studio albums over just eight years. While they certainly weren't the only big act in 60s Britain, there were several things that set them apart from other artists of the time and allowed them to reach the unmatched levels of acclaim they did. In this podcast, we cover The Beatles' first six albums and discuss how their sound evolved in terms of lyrical content, instrumentation, production, and performance. 

Everyone defines their criteria for a "great" album differently. However, there are certain aspects of an album that will always be present-- people just prioritize them differently. In this podcast, we talk about album attributes, how important each of them are to us, and some examples of great albums. List of albums mentioned in this podcast: http://www.velocitiesinmusic.com/lists/what-makes-an-album-great-mentioned-artists/

2015 had a lot of great albums, and naturally we weren't able to listen to all of them. Thanks to your terrific feedback, we found some key albums to highlight as honorable mentions from the year, and even some that we just missed altogether. However, each year also comes with some major disappointments-- albums that you expected and hoped would be better, but just fell flat. In this podcast we talk through some key albums from 2015 that fit into those categories for us.

In this podcast we highlight our 30 favorite songs from 2015. To listen to the top 70, check out our Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1213031281/playlist/4xa2h2nMAukmVX89UgndZg

As 2015 comes to an end, we went through and relistened to the albums we were loving throughout the year, as well as some late newcomers. In this episode, we talk through how we go about making lists, what they mean to us, and dig into our 20 favorite albums of 2015. Here's a link to that Liam Neeson bit we're always referring to: https://youtu.be/sqA577_IoBk Our full 2015 list: http://www.velocitiesinmusic.com/lists/favorite-albums-2015/

Musical duos have a very unique dynamic compared to solo artists and larger bands. A duo indicates a partnership, with some kind of give and take or checks and balances within the creative process. While defining what makes a duo may seem like a simple task, it becomes more complicated when we take into account the roles each member play and the contributions they make. Here are some great duos that you will NOT hear on this podcast but we would still recommend you check out: - The Black Keys - Suicide - Richard and Linda Thompson - The Kills - Death From Above 1979 - Lightning Bolt - Blood Red Shoes - Rodrigo y Gabriela - Cults - Department of Eagles - Majical Cloudz - Matt and Kim - No Age - Ratatat - Hall and Oates

Christmas music is a divisive subject this time of year, and not just for music aficionados. It's an inescapable part of the holiday season that some choose to embrace, while others strive to avoid. In this podcast, we go through our favorite Christmas songs, our most hated, and our favorite 10 Christmas albums.

November usually shows a decline in album releases as we approach the end of the year, but there were still a few great albums released this month. Here are the ones we highlight: Khruangbin - The Universe Smiles Upon You Grimes - Art Angels Floating Points - Elaenia Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete Bill Ryder-Jones - West Kirby County Primary Teeth of the Sea - Highly Deadly Black Tarantula Cee Lo Green - Heart Blanche Justin Bieber - Purpose Lanterns on the Lake - Beings Wreckless Eric - America Anna von Hausswolff - The Miraculous Adele - 25 Arca - Mutant Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt Chorusgirl - Chorusgirl TRAAMS - Modern Dancing Shye Ben-Tzur - Junun Ty Dolla $ign - Free TC Jeff Lynne's ELO - Alone in the Universe Enya - Dark Sky Island Ringo Deathstarr - Pure Mood King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Paper Mache Dream Balloon Logic - The Incredible True Story s

Double albums are naturally a very high-risk, high-reward venture for a musical artist. It can be an opportunity to wow listeners with your songwriting variety and conceptual prowess, or turn them away with a self-indulgent epic that simply could have been trimmed down to a single LP. Despite the risk, double albums are a medium that some of the best artists in history have chosen to tackle, and the successes end up being some of the most memorable moments in music. In this podcast, Jake and Tom talk through their top ten double albums, what makes a double album successful, and how we define them.   See the full list here: http://www.velocitiesinmusic.com/lists/favorite-double-albums/

The Smiths were one of the defining alternative rock bands of the 1980s. Over a span of only four years they left an indelible mark on music that still hasn't been matched in terms of wit, identity, and songwriting craft. In this podcast we'll take you through the highs and lows of The Smiths' discography and legacy.

October 2015 was full of terrific new releases, but also a few disappointments. In this album wrap-up, we discuss: Guy Garvey - Courting the Squall Beach Slang - The Things We Do To Find People Like Us Evil Blizzard - Everybody Come to Church Vhol - Deeper Than Sky Shining - International Blackjazz Society Fuzz - II Killing Joke - Pylon The Game - The Documentary 2.5 EL VY - Return to the Moon Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars Joanna Newsom - Divers Patty Griffin - Servant of Love Josh Ritter - Sermon on the Rocks Son Little - Son Little !!! - As If Borns - Dopamine Majical Cloudz - Are You Alone? Dan Friel - Life Luke Haines - British Nuclear Bunkers Neon Indian - Vega Intl. Night School Deerhunter - Fading Frontier Coheed and Cambria - The Color Before the Sun Israel Nash - Silver Season John Grant - Grey Tickles, Black Pressure Editors - In Dream Wavves - V Mercury Rev - The Light In You Shopping - Why Choose Hey Colossus - Radio Static High Kylesa - Exhausting Fire Blitzen Trapper - All Across This Lan

The musical world is full of larger-than-life personalities. Some are politically minded, some are egotistical, and some are just rude. In today's culture, where artist's are given a platform not only for their music to be heard, but also for their thoughts and opinions to have a far reach, these non-musical factors can play a big part of the way we hear their music. In this podcast, we discuss the overall impact of this phenomenon and discuss high-profile examples such as Kanye West, John Lennon, and Miley Cyrus.

Thirty-five years after vocalist Ian Curtis's untimely death, Joy Division continues to inspire artists in the post-punk and rock genres. With only two masterful LPs created in two short years, they stand as a testament to the fact that music doesn't need exuberant personalities and prolonged careers to make a significant impact. In this artist deep-dive, Jake and Tom go through Joy Division's history, discography, and influence on the last four decades of music.