Discord and Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Frank Zappa is an awfully difficult man to summarize. He recorded dozens and dozens of albums with numerous different bands in countless different genres. He was a relentless innovator, never sticking with one style for long and always pushing forward into completely new musical territory, whether he thought his audience would be willing to follow him or not. Where do you even start discussing a man whose work consistently defies categorization and lacks a single album that stands as a “representative” work? Well, when all else fails, start at the beginning! On this episode, Phil is leading the Frank Zappa superfan contingent of Discord And Rhyme (consisting of John, Dan, and Mike) through a discussion of Frank Zappa’s wildly innovative 1966 debut double album, Freak Out!. Come for the doo-wop, stay for the musique concrète. NOTE: We put the explicit tag on this episode because we yelled some bad words, also it's Frank Zappa, of course it's explicit. Cohosts: Phil Maddox, Mike DeFabio, John McFerrin, Dan WatkinsComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/066-the-mothers-of-invention-freak-out-1966Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Time for a new comp series! This time around we're tackling Yellow Pills: Prefill, a collection of overlooked power pop songs. Come for the insightful commentary, stay for the catchy pop music. Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/67MbIIImCx9MRdYZuel6MG?si=wdezwl38ReuBtYAb36rgZwCohosts: Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabio, Chris Willie Williams• Luxury - Green Hearts• The Tweeds - I Need That Record• The Colors - All I Want• The Speedies - You Need Pop• Shoes - Like I Told You• The Sponsors - In and Out of Love• The Bats - Not My Girl Anymore• The Tweeds - She's the Girl (Who Said No)Get early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodOpening music: The Hector Collectorshttps://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/Closing credits music: Kenneth Krayliehttps://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/https://casinos.bandcamp.com/ 

Can you hear those towering walls of amped-up guitars in our latest episode, accompanied by aching lyrics you can barely hear? That’s because we’ve loaded it with Sugar! After pioneering alternative rock in the hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü, frontman and guitarist Bob Mould briefly went solo, then formed a new power trio named after a stray packet of sugar that caught his eye while eating at a Waffle House. (This naming convention would not be repeated until the 2000 Hootie & the Blowfish covers album Scattered, Smothered and Covered.) Sugar’s high-decibel, disarmingly sincere brand of power pop has always made the band Will’s preferred branch of the Mouldverse, and this week he’s joined by Ben, Will, and special guest Scott Floman to discuss their 1992 masterpiece Copper Blue. Cohosts: Chris Willie Williams, Rich Bunnell, Ben Marlin, Scott FlomanComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/065-sugar-copper-blue-1992Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod 

Elle King is a tough, scrappy, incredibly talented musician who doesn’t get nearly as much attention as she should. Rather than being dismissed as a “one-hit wonder,” which has unfairly (and inaccurately) already happened, she should be appreciated as a versatile artist who can rock your face off with enormous guitars and drums one minute, then turn around and break your heart with a banjo ballad the next. Today we’re here to tell you why her enormous voice, her gift for both melody and lyrics, and her love of really loud percussion make her an artist you should love. If you don't get it right away, just turn up the volume. NOTE: This one contains a few bad words and some adult topics. If your kids are around, you may want to be prepared to cover their ears.Cohosts: Amanda Rodgers, Chris Willie Williams, Rich Bunnell, Mike DeFabioComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/064-elle-king-love-stuff-2015Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Happy New Year! In the last episode of this round of Motown tracks, Stevie Wonder steals a song from Jeff Beck, Gladys Knight & the Pips get done wrong again, and Rich attempts to seduce Ben and John. Stevie Wonder - SuperstitionGladys Knight & the Pips - Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)The Temptations - MasterpieceStevie Wonder - You Are the Sunshine of My LifeDiana Ross - Touch Me in the MorningMarvin Gaye - Let's Get it OnCohosts: Rich Bunnell, Ben Marlin, John McFerrinTheme music: "The Motown Song" by Rod Stewart feat. the TemptationsClosing credits music by Kenneth Kraylie, originally composed by Andy Partridge with new lyrics by Adam Smith of the Hector Collectorshttps://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/https://casinos.bandcamp.com/https://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/

Hey, hey, it’s Discord & Rhyme! If, as alleged, the Monkees were a fake band, you’d never know it from listening to their 1967 album Headquarters - on which they wrote (most of) the songs and played (most of) the instruments. On this episode, Ben leads a discussion about this fascinating and fun anomaly in the career of the Pre-Fab Four. He’s joined by Micky, Peter, and Mike — oops, we mean by Amanda, Dan, and Rich.Cohosts: Ben Marlin, Rich Bunnell, Amanda Rodgers, Dan WatkinsComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/063-the-monkees-headquarters-1967Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

This episode is 57% Michael Jackson, including the song Ben Marlin was named after! (This is probably not true.) The Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces SometimesMarvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)Michael Jackson - Got to Be ThereMichael Jackson - Rockin' RobinMichael Jackson - I Wanna Be Where You AreMichael Jackson - BenThe Temptations - Papa Was a Rollin' StoneGet early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodCohosts: Rich Bunnell, Ben Marlin, Dan WatkinsTheme music: "The Motown Song" by Rod Stewart feat. the TemptationsClosing credits music by Kenneth Kraylie, originally composed by Andy Partridge with new lyrics by Adam Smith of the Hector Collectorshttps://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/https://casinos.bandcamp.com/ https://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/

It’s our third holiday episode, so why not sit comfortably and talk about a third Moody Blues album? By 1972, The Moody Blues had successfully transitioned their sound from the ’60s to the ’70s without losing their ability to generate top-5 charting albums in both the U.S. and the U.K., but they were also on the verge of total burnout that would lead to them taking a six-year hiatus between new studio albums. Seventh Sojourn is the last entry in the band’s core period before they went on break, and it has some of the band’s very best material despite not having any poetry or a single second of Mellotron. Come listen to John, Rich, Amanda, and Phil indulge themselves with an album they know and love from the podcast’s unofficial mascot band, and especially listen for when Amanda confesses to the single hottest take in the history of Moody Blues podcasting.Cohosts: Phil Maddox, Rich Bunnell, John McFerrin, Amanda RodgersComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/062-the-moody-blues-seventh-sojourn-1972Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod

Our Africa series is done and we are back in familiar territory! Welcome to the next round of Motown episodes, in which our insistence on reading out the punctuation in song titles reaches its hilarious peak. The Jackson 5 - Mama's PearlThe Temptations - Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)Marvin Gaye - What's Going OnThe Jackson 5 - Never Can Say GoodbyeMarvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)Diana Ross - I'm Still WaitingCohosts: Phil Maddox, Amanda Rodgers, John McFerrin Get early access to bonus episodes on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/discordpodTheme music: "The Motown Song" by Rod Stewart feat. the TemptationsClosing credits music by Kenneth Kraylie, originally composed by Andy Partridge with new lyrics by Adam Smith of the Hector Collectorshttps://kennethkraylie.bandcamp.com/https://casinos.bandcamp.com/https://thehectorcollectors.bandcamp.com/

On her junior album Homogenic, Björk (pronounced “Bjerk”) dumped the playful genre-bending of her earlier albums for a consistent palette of strings and volcano-like, almost proto-dubstep beats, and the result is almost universally considered the pièce de résistance of her career. But even more than that, the album is a mature, unique expression of Björk’s inner life, at a time when the press often treated her as more a quirky headline in a swan dress and less a human being. Well, Discord & Rhyme will have none of that! Returning guest Shivam Bhatt has a limitless ability to gush over Björk, and he joins Rich, John, and Mike for an episode best described as “groveling at the feet of a deity.” There are so many things we love about Björk, from her truly outside the box lyricism to her absolutely otherworldly voice, and we hope this episode conveys the unpredictable joy of getting to know her music.Cohosts: Rich Bunnell, John McFerrin, Mike DeFabio, Shivam BhattComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/bjrk-homogenic-1997Discord & Rhyme's merch store: http://tee.pub/lic/discordpodSupport the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod