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The world of music podcasts has expanded so much that it’s hard to know where to begin. From unpacking a single song across a half-hour chat to exploring the darker side of country twang, our starter guide tunes in to some of the best.
Song Exploder
Hrishikesh Hirway and Alicia Keys on the set of Song Exploder’s Netflix spin-off.Credit: Netflix
Some music podcasts go wide. Song Exploder is the opposite, drilling down into just one song per episode. The show’s erudite host, Hrishikesh Hirway, is a musician himself, but shuns the limelight, editing out all his questions so we can hear each artist tell their own story of how a song came into being. Sometimes they play the voice memo that was the first spark of inspiration. Sometimes they play rejected early studio versions. And they also isolate the musical stems from the finished product to explain how the different parts of the music came together. The guest list is eclectic – Metallica, Fleetwood Mac, Bjork, Courtney Barnett and more. Episodes are under 30 minutes and are so addictive that you’ll find yourself eagerly listening to the stories of songs you mightn’t even know.
If you like this, try: Life Of The Record – alternative artists such as The Feelies, The Shins, Spoon and Superchunk go deep into the making of one of their albums, song by song.
A History Of Rock Music In 500 Songs
The Rolling Stones in 1968, the year they released Sympathy For The Devil.Credit: Redferns
Did you watch the almost eight hours of Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back and think, “Actually, I could have taken more”? Well, this podcast is for you. Andrew Hickey is an Englishman with a mission – to tell the entire history of rock music over the space of 500 songs. To say he is thorough is an understatement. Some episodes go for a few hours, and some songs – such as The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy For The Devil – take up multiple episodes. Even if you think you know everything about music history, Hickey knows more, while taking delightful detours and making wild connections. In the process, he talks not just about the music, but the people behind it and the times in which it was made.
If you like this, try: All Songs Considered – this cornerstone NPR program just celebrated 25 years of uncovering new music from all corners of the record store.
Switched On Pop
Taylor Swift during last year’s Eras tour. Credit: AP
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Songwriter Charlie Harding and musicologist Nate Sloan have been making this revered podcast since 2014. The dynamic duo are highly regarded academics, and they take chart pop seriously, pulling apart the hits to see how they tick, how they’re put together, what bits of the past they have adopted and adapted, and what makes them so damn catchy. You can look at it as the most entertaining music theory class you’ll ever take, but you’re learning about ABBA’s Dancing Queen, Britney Spears’ Oops!…I Did It Again or Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me rather than Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
If you like this, try: Popcast – the gravel-voiced New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica leads spirited, informed roundtable discussions about new music releases and trends.
Cocaine & Rhinestones
Tyler Mahan Coe explores the darker side of country music.Credit: Getty Images
Tyler Mahan Coe is uniquely placed to make a podcast about country music, often delving into the darker, more complicated side of the genre. After all, he is the son of David Allen Coe, the country singer and songwriter (Take This Job And Shove It, Would You Lay With Me In A Field Of Stone) who spent almost 20 years in and out of jail. Coe the younger delves into the backstories of classic songs and performers to investigate their social context, and he’s especially strong in telling the tales of female writers and singers – Loretta Lynn being banned for a song about the contraceptive pill; Bobbie Gentry rejecting the corporate machine to do it her own way; the real story behind the seemingly subservient message of Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man.
If you like this, try: Dolly Parton’s America – Jad Abumrad of Radiolab finds that the story of the beloved superstar says a whole lot, not just about country music, but about the United States itself.
That’s How I Remember It
Craig Finn on stage with The Hold Steady.Credit: Getty Images
What better way to get a songwriter to open up than to have another songwriter interview them? That’s how it works with this show from Craig Finn, the highly literate frontman with dynamic US rock band The Hold Steady. The concept here is a subject that has fascinated Finn since writing and recording his 2002 solo album, A Legacy Of Rentals – how do artists use memory to tell their stories?
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He starts every episode the same way, asking the question: “Do you consider yourself to be someone who has a good memory?” He expected most artists to say yes, but finds it’s about 50/50, and people have decidedly selective memories. What unfolds each time is a rich conversation about creativity and how we use it.
If you like this, try: I Never Thought It Would Happen – hosted by the understated Chris Difford, co-songwriter in UK band Squeeze, who turns out to have an easy rapport with a wide range of artists, from Robbie Williams to Henry Rollins.
Just Ace
The Hummingbirds.
Along with the popular Facebook group Sound As Ever, which is now over 20,000 members strong, and anniversary tours by everyone from Grinspoon to You Am I, Just Ace is proof that the ’90s Australian alternative music revival is in full swing. Host Danny Yau displays forensic research and the enthusiasm of a Labrador puppy, whether investigating the mainstream/alternative divide straddled by the rooArt label, or lovingly recounting the career of indie pioneers The Hummingbirds. And as he devotes entire episodes to the record stores, music press and rock venues of the past, he’s also providing a valuable local history.
If you like this, try: The J Files Podcast – the national broadcaster’s archive of interviews and live performances by Aussie bands is huge, and you can delve into it with these profiles of artists and albums.
Questlove Supreme
Questlove performing in France in June.Credit: Getty Images
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s CV is impressive – drummer and founder of hip-hop royalty The Roots; band leader on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon; author of books about music, creativity and cooking; winner of six Grammys. His musical knowledge is equally wide, so on his podcast, he can also speak with authority on soul, R&B, jazz, funk and pretty much any genre that has a cool beat. He’s also endlessly curious and a generous host, whether talking to Erykah Badu or Stevie Wonder. Music doesn’t appear in a vacuum, and he knows it, examining the entertainment industry itself, and the social and cultural issues around the music.
If you like this, try: Dissect – Want to hear entire seasons devoted to great albums in hip-hop? Cole Cuchna is your man, dissecting everything from Beyonce’s Lemonade to Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
No Dogs In Space
The Ramones were at the forefront of punk in the US.Credit: REUTERS
Punk is a genre that’s so subjective, and everyone has an opinion. When did it start? Should the UK get the credit, or the US? Who gets to be called punk? And, more importantly, who does not? Carolina Hidalgo and Marcus Parks cut through all that chatter by evenly distributing the kudos, broadening the scope, and making sure they get the facts right along the way. Yes, The Damned and The Ramones are in there. But they also go back to The Stooges and The Velvet Underground, and go forward to The Replacements. After all, punk was – and is – an attitude and an energy rather than a strict style.
If you like this, try: Turned Out A Punk – Damian Abraham, from Canadian band F—ed Up, interviews artists who definitely fall under the punk umbrella (Buzzcocks, Bad Religion) and others who embody the spirit (Liz Phair, Beastie Boys).
Primer
Credit: Getty Images
This podcast takes music genres from outside the English-speaking world and jumps in head-first. The first season is about City Pop, which emerged in Japan in the mid-’70s, embracing the smooth sounds of Western pop – funk, disco, jazz fusion, yacht rock and soft rock. After falling out of favour in the ’80s and not making an impact outside of Asia, it’s now enjoying a second wave of popularity much bigger than the first, becoming a major influence on modern genres such as vaporwave and future funk, and being sampled by The Weeknd, Chris Brown and Tyler, The Creator. Primer tells the whole fascinating story, plays the music, and gets you hooked on a genre you might have previously known nothing about. It’s the next yacht rock.
If you like this, try: Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? – In this light-hearted show, hosted by comedian Joanne McNally, you’ll learn all about the persistent conspiracy theory that Lavigne died in 2003 and was replaced with a doppelganger.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
