Tue, 26 December 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2023. Show notes: - We're in there like swimwear
- On to the top 10 lists
- Breitling's #10: Return to from by Fog Lake
- Breitling's #9: Frog's new release unexpectedly has received critical praise
- Kumar's #9: Another consistenly great album from Protomartyr
- Breitling's #8: Minimalist excellence from Colleen that tests Jay's French pronunciation skills
- Kumar's #8: After an 11-year absence, the Hives' formula de rock still kicks ass in 2023
- Breitling's #7 and Kumar's #10: Yo La Tengo still bringing the heat, opening the album with 7-minute feedback-laden ripper
- Kumar's #7 and Breitling's #6: Supergroup is actually super, Voltroning into a monster act
- Kumar's #6: Return of the rock with Queens of the Stone Age, chock full o' bangers from a super-tight band
- Breitling's #5: Philly represent with Golden Apples dropping indie pop/rock with the fuzz bass and some wooder ice
- Kumar's #5: SF's Pardoner brings an assortment of guitar sounds from the last 50 years to their latest slack masterpiece
- The '90s sound (and look) is still thriving
- Breitling's #4: More of the Philly goodness with Purling Hiss with the lo-fi hooky guitar rock
- Kumar's #4: Indie power-pop supergroup Eyelids delivers the super-catchy goods
- Breilting's #3: Bay Area shoegaze concern Blue Ocean returns with a weird and rewarding album
- Kumar's #3: Sharp, concise indie post-punk from Kansas-via-Boston act Sweeping Promises
- Breitling's #2: Ohio-based indie act Connections connects with melodic rockers; RIYL GBV, Feelies
- Kumar's #2: New Zealand post-punk that smashes through with punchy, catchy rippers
- Breitling's #1: Long-awaited reunion album from American shoegaze icons Drop Nineteens does not disappoint
- Kumar's #1: Going into Hellmode with Jeff Rosenstock, who has been consistently releasing excellent albums for the last several years; additional layers of maturity and depth make this release all the more satisfying
Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_628_122623.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 3:17pm EDT
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Tue, 19 December 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2023. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky HQ
- The 14th year of "Year in Music" episodes
- Taylor Swift is big, but not bigger than Starbucks
- Breitling making fun of Croz
- Perfect synergy: The Stones tour sponsored by AARP
- Hall v. Oates
- KISS passes the torch to digital avatars of themselves
- The "new" old Beatles song
- Check it out on the YouthTube
- Spotify blows
- The kids love the streaming and whatnot
- Check out Parcheesi Redux Tuesday and Thursday on Mixcloud
- Also check out Brad Searles' show The Almanac on the first Wednesday of every month
- Shout out to the Rollins Archive
- Breitling's honorable mentions: Ted Pauly, Everything But the Girl, Cupid and Psyche, Everasting and Zilla, Superchunk
- Kumar's honorable mentions: Pile, Model/Actriz, Yves Tumor, Fucked Up, Shame, PJ Harvey, Peter Gabriel, Marnie Stern, Replacements' "Tim" reissue, Breeders' Last Splash reissue, Feelies live album of VU covers
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_627_121923.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 5:16pm EDT
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Wed, 8 November 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2005. Show notes: - Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: New Pornographers with another all-star power pop classic
- Phil's #5: Early '70s singer-songwriter jams from Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
- Still in the era of artists putting out overlong albums
- Jay's #3: Spoon expands their sound, grows their popularity
- Phil's #3: A powerful R&B belter from Sharon Jones
- Jay's #2: Queens of the Stone Age with a punchy follow-up to a monster hit
- Phil's #2: Beck with an Odelay-esque release with a nod to Latin music
- Phil's #1 and Jay's #4: Sleater-Kinney drops a monster rock album
- Jay's #1: Another winner from The Hold Steady, blending big riffs and nerdy scenester tales
- Jay makes a Rush joke
- Favorite songs: "Jumpers" (Phil), "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" (Jay)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_626_110823.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 5:40pm EDT
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Wed, 1 November 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2005. Show notes: - In 2005, Jay was dealing with tiny children while Phil was newly married
- Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Pink Floyd briefly reunited
- Jay: Listened to a lot of songs via MP3 blogs
- Jay's non-top 5s: White Stripes, Black Mountain, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Wolf Parade, Against Me!
- Phil's non-top 5s: Sufjan Stevens, Son Volt, Bright Eyes, Neil Young, Trey Anastasio, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Southern Culture on the Skids, North Mississippi All-Stars
- Random cocaine references
- Wilco with a good live album
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_625_110123.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 6:29pm EDT
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Wed, 27 September 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2004. Show notes: - Phil's #5: Arcade Fire with a rousing debut about suburbia
- Jay's #5: First album from Mission of Burma in 19 years kicks serious butt
- Phil's #4: The last U2 album Phil enjoyed
- Zebra once opened for their Zeppelin cover band
- Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Drive-By Truckers unleash another powerful concept album about the South
- Phil's #2: Brian WIlson finally releases unreleased epic album Smile
- The Beach Boys went from "America's Beatles" to an oldies joke band
- Jay's #2: Another excellent album from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
- Jay's #1: Debut from the Hold Steady combines '70s riffs with indie rock
- Phil's #1 and Jay's #3: Mark Lanegan with a world-weary masterpiece with a little help from his friends
- Favorite songs: "Hit the City" (Phil), "Positive Jam" (Jay)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_624_092723.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 6:00pm EDT
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Tue, 19 September 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2004. Show notes: - In 2004, Jay became a father for the second time, was a diaper-changing machine
- Phil got married, saw the Red Sox and Patriots become champions
- Jay: Got an iPod, downloaded a ton of music
- Pixies reunited, Phish broke up
- Many bands take hiatuses
- The tale of Mr. Jimmy
- William Hung becomes famous
- Phil's non-top 5s: Wilco, Black Keys, Beastie Boys, Patterson Hood, Umphrey's McGee, the Killers, Green Day, Twilight Singers, Eagles of Death Metal, PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand, TV On the Radio, Tragically Hip
- Phil invents new words
- Green Day rejuvenates itself
- Jay's non-top 5s: The Walkmen, Death From Above 1979
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_623_091923.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 7:28pm EDT
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Tue, 12 September 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2003.
Show notes: - Phil's #5: Raucous debut from NYC's Yeah Yeah Yeahs, featuring the electric Karen O
- Jay's #5: Radiohead combined electronic and guitar-driven sounds
- Radiohead albums kept leaking early on file-sharing networks
- Phil's #4: The Shins hone their super catchy pop sound
- Jay's #4: An indie rock gem from the Wrens that still awaits a follow-up
- 20 years of starts, stops, indecision and disagreements
- Phil's #3: My Morning Jacket combined indie rock, Southern rock, folk and jam band sounds
- MP3 blog bands abound
- Jay's #3: Another kickass release from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
- Leo is one of the great unsung artists of our generation
- Is Springsteen overrated?
- Phil's #2: Drive-By Truckers add Jason Isbell and step up their game
- Jay's #2: A departure for Sloan, but one jam-packed with great songs
- The only Sloan album without an Andrew Scott song
- Phil's #1: The White Stripes expand their sound and totally blow up
- The Stripes made a lot of noise with minimal instrumentation
- Jay's #1: Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers unleash a classic album as a tribute to late friend
- Favorite songs: "The Hardest Button to Button" (Phil), "Teenage Wristband" (Jay)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_622_091223.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 7:04pm EDT
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Tue, 5 September 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2003.
Show notes: - In 2003, Jay had a toddler and found out another kid was on the way
- Started downloading a lot of music via blogs
- Jay saw Pat DiNizio, Gord Downie, Radiohead, Guster
- Phil got engaged, saw a lot of Red Sox games
- Coed softball struggles
- 50 Cent had the #1 song of the year
- A lot of number bands on the charts
- What's the deal with Kid Rock?
- Phil's non-top 5s: TV On the Radio, Warren Zevon, Jason Molina, Black Keys, Jet, Outkast, Ween, Lucinda Williams, Bowie
- Jay's non-top 5s: Gord Downie, Electric Six, Dizzee Rascal, Stephen Malkmus, Zeppelin
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CC_621_090523.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 8:22pm EDT
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Tue, 15 August 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2002.
Show notes: - Phil's #5: Coldplay's second album turned them into superstars
- Jay's #5: Spoon returns to an indie and begins a long stretch of excellence
- Phil's and Jay's #4: Strong release from the Tragically Hip highlights their varied strengths
- Phil's #2: The last great Foo Fighters album caused a lot of turmoil for the band
- Jay's #3 and Phil's #1: Beck with another sad bastard folk-rock masterpiece
- Jay's #2: Killer debut from Interpol was part of the hot NYC scene of the early '00s
- It's hard for some bands to live up to a great first album
- Phil's #3 and Jay's #1: Queens of the Stone Age reaches new heights with help from Dave Grohl on drums
- Favorite songs: "No One Knows" (Jay), "End of the Day" (Phil)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_620_081523.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 7:10pm EDT
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Tue, 8 August 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2002.
Show notes: - In 2002, Jay became a first-time dad and didn't get much sleep
- Jay turned 35, Phil turned 33
- Phil was newly single, met his current wife
- John Entwistle died the classic rock star death
- Napster officially called it quits after lawsuits
- Owning music is an outdated concept now
- Nickelback had the top song of the year
- Charts had a mixture of nu metal, hip hop and pop
- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Doves, Sleater-Kinney, Flaming Lips, Spoon, Trey Anastasio, Dave Matthews Band, Interpol, Black Keys, Sonic Youth, GBV, Tom Petty, Bowie
- Jay's non-top 5s: McLusky, Hot Snakes, Trail of Dead, Elvis Costello, Broken Social Scene
- We never saw a lot of the rock videos of this era
- This was the age of the MP3 blog
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_619_080823.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 5:20pm EDT
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Tue, 1 August 2023
Celebrating the podcast's 17th birthday by talking to Amanda Guest about the 10th birthday of the radio station she founded, BFF.fm.
Show notes: - Amanda was last on the podcast 10 years ago talking about moving to SF and launching BFF.fm
- Plenty of surprises along the way
- She was a DJ at the Salem State College (now University) station for 18 years
- Commercial radio was already being automated in the mid-'90s
- Built a studio in the Secret Alley in SF
- A lot of the DJs at BFF now weren't alive when Amanda was DJing in the '90s
- Shorter attention spans: Newer DJs are doing one-hour shows
- Jay has been doing a show for BFF since the station started
- "Where's Koomdogg?"
- Building exposure through a crazy boat DJing gig
- Became a nonprofit in 2015
- Amanda was hired as the GM of the station, now doing it full-time
- Went from dues-based organization to nonprofit
- Allows BFF to fundraise and get grants
- Celebrating the station's 10th birthday with events throughout the city
- Amanda plans to stay involved but wants to retire at some point
- SF went into COVID lockdown early and stayed in it the longest
- Studio had to shut down so BFF enabled DJs to broadcast from home
- Found free space in the SF Ferry Building so were able to broadcast from there
- The future of radio won't get less corporate
- Not a lot of commercial stations for indie music, except for college stations
- Amanda: Big electronic music movement happening in SF
- Looking for new music
- The DJ as curator
- BFF has 120 shows on the schedule, most done live in the studio
- Different approaches to show construction
- Great achievements in song segues
- Jay: Coming up on 500 episodes of the radio show
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_618_080123.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 12:54pm EDT
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Mon, 24 July 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2001.
Show notes: - Jay's non-top 5 albums: Von Bondies, Radiohead, Sloan, Frank Black & the Catholics, Guided By Voices, Fugazi
- The joy of shopping for imports
- Phil's #5: Great distillation of classic rock from Sweden's The Soundtrack of Our Lives
- Jay's #5: Indie folk-rock on first solo effort from Gord Downie includes spoken word
- Phil's #4 and Jay's #3: Breakthrough album from the White Stripes blew up several months after it came out
- Jay's #4: The Strokes led the return of guitar rock with a NYC-centric sound
- Highlighted in the book and documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom
- Phil's #3: Spoon with a strong release after getting dropped from a major
- Phil's #2: Another great album after getting dropped came from Wilco
- Phil's #1 and Jay's #2: A masterful double album about the duality of the Southern thang by Drive-By Truckers
- Jay's #1: Impressive release from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists showcased a melding of diverse rock styles
- Favorite songs: "Timorous Me" (Jay), "Ronnie and Neil" (Phil)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_617_072423.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 6:49pm EDT
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Tue, 18 July 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2001.
Show notes: - In 2001, Jay found out he was going to be a dad and also went back to his old employer
- Jay turned 34, Phil turned 32
- Phil got divorced
- 9/11 was a defining generational moment
- Jay: Saw concerts by Radiohead, Gord Downie, Tragically Hip, PJ Harvey, Built to Spill, Buddy Guy
- Apple launched iTunes music store and the iPod
- Napster got sued into oblivion
- Pop was big but garage rock started getting popular
- Lifehouse had the #1 single of the year?
- Scott Stapp wrote a pump-up song for the Marlins
- Phil got recruited by a Scientologist
- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Gorillaz, R.E.M., DMB, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Fugazi, Stephen Malkmus, Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_616_071823.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 6:56pm EDT
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Tue, 11 July 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2023.
Show notes: - Running down our favorite albums of the year so far
- Kumar's #10: Pile diversifies its sound
- Breitling's #9 and Kumar's #8: Yo La Tengo keeps on Yo La Tengoing
- Kumar's #9: Dangerous sounding debut from Model/Actriz
- Breitling's #8: Continued excellence from Protomartyr
- Kumar's #7: Excellent third release from Washer, giving off Meat Puppets vibe
- Another great act on Exploding In Sound
- Breitling's #7: Fog Lake returns with a compelling slowcore release; may or may not be Shady Canadians
- Breitling's #10 and Kumar's #6: Perennially pissed off hip hop from UK Grim
- Breitling's #6: Lo-fi folk rock stalwarts Hands and Knees return with a strong release
- Kumar's #5: Yves Tumor mixes shoegaze, alt-rock and funk into a powerful concoction
- Breitling's #5 and Kumar's #4: Legit supergroup Boygenius delivers the goods
- Breitling's #4: Bully with another excellent rock album
- Tom Cavanaugh tangent time
- Kumar's #3: Catchy hardcore from Fucked Up represents a more spontaneous recording process
- Breitling's #3: Quick collection of rippers from New Zealand's Guardian Singles
- Kumar's #2: UK act Shame pushes out of their post-punk comfort zone
- Breitling's #2: Going back to Philly with Purling Hiss, bringing hooks and attitude to the party
- Kumar's #1: Power pop awesomeness from the indie all-star band that is Eyelids
- Breitling's #1: Jangly indie pop straight outta Columbus with Connections
- Kurt Loder tangent
- Anticipated/newer albums: Drop Nineteens, Speedy Ortiz, Palehound, PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age, Jason Isbell, Jeff Rosenstock, OSees, Blur
Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_615_071123.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 5:28pm EDT
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Mon, 3 July 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2023.
Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon HQ
- Concerts are back
- TicketMaster is still a mess
- Nobody's buying CDs
- The Beatles and AI
- Parcheesi Redux is in its third year
- Talking about the band Toronto and their hit "Your Daddy Don't Know," covered by the New Pornographers
- The kids are alright
- Rock music is still around, although it's a minor part of the music business
- Breitling's bubbling under albums: Everything But the Girl; Depeche Mode; Sharp Pins; OK Cool; Reds, Pinks and Purples; Pile; Squitch; Mui Zyu
- Jay's bubbling unders: The Hold Steady; The New Pornographers; Ron Gallo; Quasi; Mudhoney
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_614_070323.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 8:39pm EDT
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Tue, 13 June 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2000.
Show notes: - Jay's non-top 5 picks: Hot Snakes, Rollins Band, Fu Manchu, Pearl Jam
- Phil's and Jay's #5: Diverse offering from the Tragically Hip
- Phil's and Jay's #4: More accessible effort about living in NYC by PJ Harvey
- Phil's #3: Bluesy debut album from North Mississippi All-Stars
- Jay's #3: Electrifying major-label debut from At the Drive-In
- Featured in Dan Ozzi's book Sellout about indie acts who sign with majors
- Phil's #2: Phish blends some different styles into their jam band formula
- Jay's #2: Queens of the Stone Age's second album takes a big leap onto the rock scene
- Phil's #1: U2 bounces back with a back-to-basics release
- Phil: Feeling down about what was once his favorite band
- How bands age
- The last really good U2 album
- Jay's #1: Radiohead totally reinvents their sound, embracing electronics
- Phil's not feeling it
- Favorite songs: "Optimistic" (Jay), "Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Phil)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_613_061323.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 7:06pm EDT
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Sat, 3 June 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2000.
Show notes: - In 2000, Jay got married
- Jay turned 33, Phil turned 31
- Jay: Went to SXSW, saw Modest Mouse, Fu Manchu, Bevis Frond
- Pivotal year for the dotcom boom
- Albums were leaking on Napster before they came out
- A better year than '99 in terms of stuff we liked
- Top 100 songs were predominantly pop
- Phil's non-top 5s: Ween, Sleater-Kinney, Outkast, White Stripes, Rage Against the Machine, Ryan Adams, New Pornographers, Doves, Neil Young, Steely Dan, the Hives
- Phil's out on runs scaring old ladies
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_612_060523.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 5:58pm EDT
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Wed, 19 April 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1999.
Show notes: - Jay's non-top 5s: Frank Black and the Catholics, Sebadoh, Matthew Sweet, Piebald, Fu Manchu, Superchunk, Songs: Ohia, GBV
- Phil's #5: Third release from Rage Against the Machine continues their anti-capitalist bent
- Jay's #5: Flaming Lips complete their transformation into a different sound
- Phil's #4: Dave Grohl continues to fight Foo and get more commercial-sounding
- Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Built to Spill with the triumphant peak of their terrific '90s run
- Jay's #3: The final Pavement album has only gotten better with age
- Phil's #2: Debut of Rilo Kiley was financed by Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall
- Jay's #2: Beck gets funky, continuing extreme genre shifts from album to album
- Phil's #1: Widespread Panic melds a lot of styles in a listener-friendly jam album
- Jay's #1: Back-to-back #1s from Sloan with a semi-autobiographical masterpiece
- Favorite songs: "Climb to Safety" (Phil); "Friendship" (Jay)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_611_041923.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 1:08pm EDT
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Wed, 12 April 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1999.
Show notes: - In '99, Jay turned 32, Phil turned 30
- Y2K was looming
- Phil got married, Jay got engaged
- Ireland on New Year's Eve
- Pop was on the upswing
- Nu metal and Woodstock 99
- Music sales were high, but MP3s were about to take a big bite
- Santana made a huge comeback
- Phil's non top 5 albums: Magnolia soundtrack, Sleater-Kinney, White Stripes, Wilco, Sheila Divine, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Moby, Red Hot Chili Peppers,
- The pickings were slim overall in '99
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_610_041223.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 9:42pm EDT
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Wed, 15 March 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1998.
Show notes: - More of Phil's non-top 5s: Monster Magnet, R.E.M., Hole, Dave Matthews Band
- Jay's non-top 5s: Tragically Hip, Monster Magnet, Jerry Cantrell, Frank Black and the Catholics, Beastie Boys, Rocket From the Crypt, Rancid, Cat Power
- Phil tells of a magical mixtape service
- Phil's #5: Moe with a jazzy jam band album
- Phil says he's not a "Moe-ron"
- Not hating on Steely Dan
- Jay's #5: Silver Jews with downbeat indie rock classic
- Phil's #4 and Jay's #2: The debut from Queens of the Stone Age kicks serious ass, combining stoner rock with robotic grooves
- Jay's #4: Followed up Odelay with the experimental Mutations
- Phil's #3: A fun release from the Beastie Boys
- Jay's #3: R&B-influenced album from Afghan Whigs was last before they broke up
- Phil's #2: Phish's 7th album featured a "cow funk" sound
- Phil's #1: Big breakthrough from Fatboy Slim paved the way for DJ as frontman
- Jay's #1: Sloan with a '70s vibe, from arena rockers to sunny AM pop
- Favorite songs: "Praise You" (Phil), "She Says What She Means" (Jay)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_609_031523.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 5:43pm EDT
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Wed, 8 March 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1998.
Show notes: - 1998 was 25 years ago!
- Jay turned 31, Phil turned 29
- The one-hit wonders were abundant
- Alt-rock was fading in popularity
- MTV was predominantly airing programming that wasn't videos
- MP3s became another way to share/steal music
- Paved the way for Napster and eventually the near-collapse of the music industry
- Pop was taking over: Britney, Backstreet Boys, N Sync
- Artists who started out great and then just sold out/sucked
- Phil's non-top 5's: PJ Harvey, Mercury Rev, Drive-By Truckers, Pearl Jam, Government Mule, Mark Lanegan, Jerry Cantrell, Tragically Hip, Neutral Milk Hotel
- The Hip played at Woodstock '99 (correction: it was the weekend after JFK Jr.'s plane crash)
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_608_030823.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 7:36pm EDT
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Tue, 14 February 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1997.
Show notes: - Jay's non-top 5 albums: Cornershop, Yo La Tengo, Elliott Smith, Chris Whitley, Portishead, Ween
- Phil's #5 and Jay's #4: Ben Folds Five's breakthrough with piano-driven snark
- Phil's #4: Third album from Sleater-Kinney features Janet Weiss' debut on drums
- Phil's #3: Elliott Smith's lo-fi folk got a boost from Good Will Hunting
- Jay's #3: Built to Spill with another of their epic '90s releases
- Phil's #2: Dylan makes a triumphant return
- When artists stop writing new material
- Jay's #2: A masterful release from Pavement
- Phil's #1 and Jay's #5; Second Foo Fighters album establishes Grohl and his band as a musical force
- Jay's #1: Radiohead reaches new heights on its third album
- How Jay learned to love Radiohead
- Favorite songs: "My Poor Brain" (Phil), "Karma Police" (Jay)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_607_021423.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 6:50pm EDT
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Tue, 7 February 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1997.
Show notes: - In '97, Jay hit the big 3-0, Phil turned 28
- Big year for partying
- Alt-rock one-hit wonders abounded: Marcy Playground, Third Eye Blind, Smash Mouth
- Boy bands, hip hop, female singer-songwriters
- Phil's "bubbling under" albums: U2, Led Zeppelin, Bjork, Bowie, Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, Guided By Voices, Whiskeytown, Steve Earle, Prodigy, Radiohead, David Byrne
- U2 lost the plot with "Pop"
- The interesting career of David Byrne
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_606_020723.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 8:22pm EDT
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Wed, 25 January 2023
This week, I'm joined by guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the resurgence of role-playing games.
Show notes: - Recorded in Salem, Mass.
- Last time we recorded for the show was two years ago - Time is passing quickly - Jay: Going into the office once a week now - Matt: It was an extrovert's world for a long time - Matt's still writing YA books - Matt has been running Dungeons & Dragons games since pandemic started - Unprepared for the number of people who wanted to jump in - Matt: Didn't have enough friends to play in high school - Was going to start doing it for corporate retreats when COVID hit - A legal dispute over licensing with Hasbro - Jay: Was a total comics nerd in high school - D&D made a comeback thanks to Stranger Things - A D&D movie is coming out with Chris Pine - Tom Hanks starred in Mazes & Monsters, a "Satanic panic" movie about D&D - Stopped buying comics when there were bills to pay - Matt: Plenty of non-D&D role-playing games are popular - Played Vampire: The Masquerade in the '90s - Matt does a podcast called The Ravenfolly Institute that follows D&D campaigns as they happen - Matt's super-productive in his spare time - Working on an "adult" gritty fantasy book - Book industry is in "dire need of reform" - The first of Matt's books is getting an audiobook - Struggling to get through Dune (the book) - Matt's learning how to play a Dune role-playing game - Listens to a lot of RPG podcasts; helps you learn the game - D&D has had peaks and valleys of popularity since the mid-70s - On its 5th edition; went back to older style but streamlined - The stigma of being a nerd is gone now - Board games in general have become popular again - You get what you put into playing RPGs - A lot of mystery-themed games - Matt: Storytelling is storytelling, whether it's books or RPGs or podcasts - Matt's the D&Dealer - Gotta have the "math rocks" - Also does sister podcast Characters & Class Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_605_012423.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 5:30pm EDT
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Tue, 17 January 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1996.
Show notes: - Phil's #5: Cowboy Junkies score with their first album of originals
- Jay's #5: Sebadoh with a sprawling collection of rockers and ballads - Phil's #4: Soundgarden's last album of the '90s turned away from their big hit - Jay's #4: Frank Black with another album of quirky greatness - Phil's #3: Phish with a fan-friendly studio release - Jay's #3: Cinematic-sounding crime saga from the Afghan Whigs - Phil's #2: Double album that was the breakthrough for Wilco - Jay's #2: After a brief breakup, Sloan comes back with a power pop classic - Phil's and Jay's #1: Beck blows up with a spectacular album that explores multiple genres - Favorite songs: "New Pollution" (Phil), "G Turns to D" (Jay) Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_604_011723.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 9:57pm EDT
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Tue, 10 January 2023
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1996.
Show notes: - In '96, Jay turned 29, Phil turned 27
- Days of little to no responsibility other than work - Adventures in sports gambling - Tougher year to come up with top 5 - The Macarena was all the rage - Phil's non-top 5s: Rage Against the Machine, Fiona Apple, Sleater-Kinney, Tragically Hip, Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Moe, Tracy Bonham, Luscious Jackson, Sublime, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, Tom Petty, Tori Amos, Cake, Silver Jews - Rolling Stone lists are sheer clickbait - Jay's non-top 5s: Soundgarden, Superdrag, Posies, D Generation, Weezer, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - To be continued Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_603_011023.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 6:05pm EDT
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Mon, 2 January 2023
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we count down our favorite music of 2022.
Show notes: - On to our top 10 - Breitling's #10: Archers of Loaf returns with a different sounding release - Kumar's #10: Fontaines D.C. evolves its sound - Breitling's and Kumar's #9: Radiohead offshoot The Smile with an interesting return to early '00s sound - Breitling's #8: Pleasant surprise album from Palm - Breitling's #7: First Sub Pop album from Frankie Cosmos - Bernice taking over the couch - Breitling's #6: Shimmering pop brilliance from The Beths - Kumar's #6: A nostalgic rocker from Oceanator - Breitling's #5 and Kumar's #7: Horsegirl bursts out of nowhere with a lo-fi banger of a debut - Kumar's #5: Another strong release from Toronto's Kiwi Jr. - Breitling's #4 and Kumar's #8: Harking back to '85, band full of DC punk vets lands a massive post-hardcore statement - Kumar's #4: Triumphant return by Titus Andronicus overcoming setbacks - Breitling's #3: METZ side project Weird Nightmare is "peak Jay (Breitling)" - Kumar's #3: Afghan Whigs combines old collaborations with new sounds - Breitling's #2: A "modern shoegaze classic" from Helens - Kumar's #2: Sloan delivers another classic power pop album that they developed during the pandemic - Breitling's #1: Side project from Johnny Foreigner principals as Yr Poetry - Kumar's #1: Smart-ass and cynical look at being in an band from PUP Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_602_010223.mp3
Category: Completely Conspicuous
-- posted at: 12:33pm EDT
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