Indiecast

Steven and Ian begin this week’s episode by talking about shows they plan on seeing this weekend — Ian is going to check out the buzzy retro-pop master Cindy Lee (3:56) while Steven is venturing to Las Vegas to see Phish play the Sphere (0:29). They also briefly touch on the iffy-looking Taylor Swift album out today, The Tortured Poets Department, which has high “unintentional comedy” potential (12:16).From there they follow up on last week’s Coachella discussion to cover some of the festival’s viral performances, which also happen to be the biggest trainwrecks of the opening weekend: Blur’s indifferently received spot and Grimes’ glitch-filled DJ set (18:07). Then they review two albums out today by veteran rock acts: Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter (25:36)and Cloud Nothings’ Final Summer (39.18). Do they still have the juice? The guys hash it out.In Recommendation Corner, Ian recommends Chanel Beads and Steven raves about the new single by Ben Seratan (50:06).New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 185 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian open by talking about J. Cole’s botched diss track targeted at Kendrick Lamar (0:26). Is it lame to record a diss track and immediately apologize? Or is this actually a sign of personal growth? From there, the guys talk about the slumping ticket sales for Coachella (12:43). Is this a temporary bump or is the festival headed for a permanent downturn?The guys also check in with the Fantasy Album Draft, with the release of new records by Maggie Rogers, Shabaka Hutchings, and Nia Archives (24:01). They also talk about early contenders for Album Of The Year from Q1-ish of 2024, including Waxahatchee, Vampire Weekend, and Mannequin Pussy (30:21). In the mailbag, there are two yay-or-nay questions on two very different bands: Khruangbin and Our Lady Peace (48:17).In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the screamo band Heavenly Blue and Steven recommends the new documentary Lost Angel: The Genius Of Judee Sill (56:28).New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 184 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's episode opens with Steven and Ian remembering the old Pitchfork "stunt" review of Jet's 2006 album Shine On (0:27), which was dissected this week in an article by The Ringer. While stunt reviews are kind of dumb, Steven and Ian still miss them a little. The guys also explore the indie-rock guest stars on Beyoncé's new blockbuster album Cowboy Carter (7:11), including Adam Granduciel, Jonathan Rado, and some dude from The Stills.From there, they review the great new Vampire Weekend album, Only God Was Above Us (12:49), which manages to change the band's just enough while retrenching with some classic themes. They also look back at Modest Mouse's Good News For People Who Love Bad News (28:06), which turns 20 this week, a crucial album in the mainstreaming of indie rock in the aughts that might also be... not that great?In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the band Cindy Lee while Steven stumps for the latest from Phosphorescent and the Philly band A Country Western (52:36).New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 183 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode in an unlikely place — a discussion of the 2010 comedy Get Him To The Greek, which in light of the recent (horrifying) Sean Combs' news might be the most canceled film of the 21st century. From there, they quickly pivot to two other films about musicians, the forthcoming Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet and a reported Bruce Springsteen film starring The Bear's Jeremy Allen White. Will these films be any good? Let's hash it out (5:33).Next comes a conversation that truly no other music critics are having this week: A 20th anniversary remembrance of Aerosmith's Honkin' On Bobo (13:07). Is this really an album of blues covers or is it just a funny album title? How exactly does one honk on bobo? Finally, the guys do the Q2 Fantasy Albums Draft. Will Steven finally get it together and beat Ian for the first time? (22:29).In Recommendation Corner (51:25), Ian talks up the Brazilian shoegaze act Sonhos Tomos Conta while Steven praises the new EP from Wild Pink.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 182 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode with a very non-indie rock topic — the story about Bruno Mars owing $50 million to a Las Vegas casino (4:29). They shoehorn a brief Sportscast about the emerging gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani, lamenting the bad side effects of gambling while also hoping to get some gambling sponsorships for the Fantasy Albums Draft. Speaking of which: Ian is killing Steven once again in the Fantasy Albums Draft (10:47), and Steven is thinking about firing his general manager (i.e. himself).Next the guys review the new album by Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood, which Steven likes more than Ian (16:36). They also talk about two other big singer-songwriter albums out today, Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker and Bite Down by Rosali (33:46). In the mailbag, a listener asks whether Steven's neighbors like his patio music, and then another listener asks about Indiecast's favorite albums to play on airplanes.In Recommendation Corner (54:32), Ian talks about the new album from Bedbug while Steven recommends the comeback record from Restorations and a new archival concert release from Bruce Springsteen.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 181 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian open this week's episode by rehashing a surprising trend from last week — Indiecast angered some people online! The (minor) mishap prompts a discussion about previous Indiecast-related controversies. After that they proceed to a quick Sportscast about the latest insanity over Aaron Rodgers, and Steven's inability to simply enjoy the biggest Wisconsin sports stars (9:34).Next, they talk about the recent controversies related to South By Southwest, which has seen dozens of bands bail out over the festival's ties to the military (14:35). Is it now better PR to quit SXSW than to participate? The guys also discuss the lineup for the Pitchfork Music Festival (24:14)and a viral tweet related to Pavement's tour rider in 1999 (36:55) before ending up with the 10th anniversary of The War On Drugs' Lost In The Dream (44:58) and sharing their favorite albums released since 2014.In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about a classic 2001 album by Texas band Lift To Experience while Steven recommends recent LPs by Kim Gordon and Hannah Frances (56:01).New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 180 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Indiecast went on as usual last week, but Steven and Ian haven't actually recorded together in about two weeks. (It feels more like six months.) Steven was off recording the audiobook of his forthcoming Springsteen book There Was Nothing You Could Do (out May 28!), and he recounts the experience. (It was hard but rewarding!) (9:45). After a brief tangent about the recent "13 Albums To Know You" prompt that went viral on social media, the guys do a lightning round of news that they missed — a new St. Vincent album, a very Ian-friendly emo festival, a very Steven-friendly pairing of The National and The War On Drugs for a joint tour, and a conversation about whether Yo La Tengo is a jam band (14:20). The guys also give an update on their Fantasy Album Draft teams, after recent records by Mannequin Pussy, Faye Webster, and Yard Act (32:02).In the mailbag (38:22), a listener asks about favorite performances by musicians in movies. While Ian is partial to Cam'ron in Killa Season, Steven gives a laundry list of actor/musicians that ranges from Kris Kristofferson to Ice-T.In Recommendation Corner (50:13), Ian talks about the Canadian band Little Kid while Steven raves about the new single from Texas heartland rock group Good Looks.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 179 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Was this a big indie news week? Steven and Ian hope it wasn't. Steven was off recording the audiobook version of his forthcoming book There Was Nothing You Could Do (out May 28, you can pre-order now!) so the guys had to bank this episode ahead of time. And you can immediately tell this was a banked episode, as they spend several minutes talking about the Kings Of Leon album that was announced last week. They also promise to spend next week talking about the big Fantasy Draft albums that are out today from Mannequin Pussy, Faye Webster, and Yard Act (10:46). Speaking of the fantasy draft, Vijay Iyer finally showed up on Metacritic and he has a fantastic score. But Ian insists he doesn't regret pivoting off of him.From there Steven and Ian dip into the mailbag to answer inquiries from our listeners (19:26). Some important topics are discussed. Is Q1 of the 2024 music release schedule historically great? Did Feist invent the "female seal" vocal style (28:40:)? Which modern albums would have ended up in thrift store bins (37:18), Fairweather Johnson-style? And Ty Segall, yay or nay (48:25)?New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 178 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode with an impromptu Moviecast about the news that Sam Mendes is directing four separate biopics about each member of The Beatles. Steven has often said that he can't ever have too much Beatles content, but this might finally test that theory. The guys also try to think about music biopics that are actually good, and come up with 24 Hour Party People, Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story and the immortal made-for-VH1 classic about Def Leppard (7:00).From there, they talk about the latest album from MGMT, Loss Of Life, as well as the band's career (15:30). Shockingly, Ian has never heard Oracular Spectacular in its entirety! They also discuss the buzziest band of early 2024, the British export The Last Dinner Party, and the lineage of heavily hyped English rock bands (29:30).In the mailbag, they are asked to give a yay-or-nay verdict on the Lemonheads (39:30) and whether band lineup changes have ever helped bands in the long run (46:00).In Recommendation Corner (52:00), Ian pays tribute to Complex.com and a reissue of a lost classic by Curling while Steven recommends the latest from the jammy folk-rock outfit Itasca.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 177 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian open this week's episode by doing something they promised themselves they wouldn't do — taking shots at the new Idles album out today, TANGK (Even the title is annoying). Of course they then proceed with a quick Sportscast about the Super Bowl in which Steven explains how he can't bring himself to hate the Kansas City Chiefs in their current "dominant" era (5:05). During the Fantasy Draft update, Ian finally gets a chance to draft a replacement for the still-missing-from-Metacritic jazz album he originally picked (12:19).From there the guys review some big new recent album announcements from Vampire Weekend, DIIV, Pearl Jam, and Beyoncé. Steven and Ian have heard some of these albums, and they give praise while trying to not talk in too much detail (16:35). They also dip into the discourse about the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame nominations and weigh Oasis' chances of making it in spite of the Rock Hall's aversion to alt-leaning '90s bands (34:22).In the mailbag, a reader asks Steven and Ian to "yay or nay" Jessica Pratt, who also announced a new album this week (43:17). The guys are also asked to weigh in on whether Creed was secretly "innovative." Their answers (probably) will not shock you! (48:05)In Recommendation Corner (55:51), Ian goes with the young Chicago band Friko while Steven pays tribute to the late Can singer Damo Suzuki, who passed away on Feb. 9.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 176 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian start today's episode with an in-depth critical analysis of one of the hottest songs in pop right now, Ice Spice's "Think U The Shit (Fart)." Probably too in-depth, really. But the song is truly a rich text. From there they do the inevitable Sportscast on this weekend's Super Bowl game. Anyone who gets their sports news from indie rock podcasts will want to hear Steven and Ian's predictions (6:51). They also wonder how the brewing Taylor Swift backlash (if such a thing exists) might karmically affect the outcome. In the fantasy draft update, Ian marvels at the performance of the new Brittany Howard solo album and Steven wonders whether the controversy over Mannequin Pussy's recent AI-assisted video will impact his team (15:02).Next is a conversation about 2000s era indie folk spurred by new music this week from The Decemberists and Iron And Wine (23:10). Are the guys yay or nay on these acts? They also talk about a recent article outlining the behind-the-scenes fallout from the Pitchfork layoffs (34:17). In the mailbag, Steven and Ian reflect on the breakups of two bands, Tokyo Police Club and Hot Hot Heat (40:59).In Recommendation Corner (47:56), Ian goes with Bill Ryder-Jones (formerly of The Coral) while Steven picks two records from David Nance and Mowed Sound and Ducks Ltd.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 175 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode by discussing the recent story about Talking Heads being offered $80 million to reunite for some festival gigs... and turning it down. Do they really hate each other that much? Or do they accept that you can't perform Stop Making Sense-style magic in your 70s? (2:34) The guys also apologize to the city of San Francisco for some recent sports-related slander and check in on Ian's Fantasy Album team. (9:43)After that, they look ahead to the Grammys this weekend and make some predictions (21:48). Does Boygenius have a shot as a dark-horse pick? Which fanbase will be the angriest the following morning? Does any of this matter? They also talk about The Greatest Night In Pop, the very entertaining new documentary about the 1985 all-star single "We Are The World" that premiered on Netflix this week. Could such a song ever happen in 2024? (34:38)In Recommendation Corner (50:53), Ian goes to bat for the Norwegian emo band Flight Mode while Steven talks about the Philly "patio rock" band Memorytown.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 174 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out hereSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's episode begins with a quick Sportscast in which Steven mourns the defeat of his surprisingly good Green Bay Packers and pays tribute to the lovable Detroit Lions (3:49). He and Ian also compare Detroit and San Francisco as music cities — it's Bob Seger vs. Huey Lewis time! Then they do a quick update of the winter Fantasy Albums Draft, as it is a big day for Steven's team with new releases by The Smile and Katy Kirby. (11:25) Then they break down The Smile's Wall Of Eyes, which sounds like a Radiohead album that's 90 percent as good.Next comes Steven's most anticipated part of the episode — it's an Ian Cohen pop quiz where Steven lists off 10 albums and asks Ian if he reviewed them for Pitchfork (25:45). This is taking "Remember Some Guys" to a whole new level. Then the guys address the discourse around Alex G's recent signing to RCA Records and whether he has the potential to become "Boygenius big." (40:38) In the mailbag, a listener asks about the recent commercial featuring a Das Racist oldie and an "explanation" of Hozier's success (48:25).In Recommendation Corner (1:00:31), Ian talks up the latest from the British band Courting and Steven reiterates Ian's recent rave for Glass Beach.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 173 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian recorded this week's episode a day earlier than normal, which means that the guys just missed the big (and bad) news about Pitchfork suffering massive layoffs and being folded into GQ. So they got together later and recorded an emergency 30-minute segment about what this all means for the fragile music media ecosystem and put it before the proper episode.In the proper episode, they did a quick Sportscast (27:09) about the shocking rise of Steven's Green Bay Packers and the even more shocking fall of Ian's Philadelphia Eagles. They also did an update on the Fantasy Albums draft, with Ian deciding for some reason to let Steven swap in the new Faye Webster album into his lineup. Will Ian regret this decision? We shall see! (34:21)After that, they take a look at early festival announcements for Coachella and Bonnaroo, which seem ... sort of random? Like, what is going on with these music festivals these days? They make no sense! (39:37) Then they talk about the new Green Day album out today, Saviors, which Steven thinks is very, very ... well, listen to the episode to find out which adjective applies. (57:28)In Recommendation Corner (1:14:25), Ian talks up the incredible new album from Glass Beach while Steven hypes his recent column ranking every Radiohead album, solo album, and side project.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 172 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before Steven and Ian get into this week's episode, they had to hash out a longer-than-usual Sportscast about their respective football teams (the Packers and the Eagles) making the playoffs and the absolutely insane and hateful video Stephen A. Smith dropped about Jason Whitlock this week. Sports media in general is melting down this year, and the guys can't get enough. After that, they revisit their predictions made at the beginning of last year about 2023, and check to see how right (or wrong) they were (11:05).Then it's on to a new fantasy albums draft for the first quarter of 2024. Who landed the just announced Waxahatchee record, sure to be one of the year's most acclaimed? Who pulled the jazz record with mainstream appeal that critics are guaranteed to love? Did anyone dare draft the new Scott Stapp record ironically? Let's find out. (19:32)Finally, the guys follow up on Steven's column this week taking an early look at the contenders for album of the decade from the first 40 percent of the 2020s. This is not a conversation about personal favorites — it's wild speculation on critical consensus based on what music writers have embraced so far. (44:59)In Recommendation Corner (58:30), Ian goes for the hardcore band Infant Island while Steven plugs the forthcoming album (due in March) from Rosali.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 171 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven and Ian have not recorded an episode in three weeks. Can you believe it? So there was a lot to talk about in the latest installment of Indiecast, starting with what the guys did over the holiday break. Ian won a ton of money playing fantasy football and Steven watched Paul Giamatti go full-Giamatti in The Holdovers (5:13). Once they were caught up with holiday talk, the guys paid tribute to Best Buy no longer selling CDs, finally, starting this year. They also did a "Bad Discourse Lightning Round" for all the bad discourse they missed online during the break. Topics include shoegaze music, The Smiths, and the possible wokeness of Green Day. Trust us — the discourse is very, very bad! (13:03)After that, they get into the business of soothsaying as they lay out their predictions for 2024 (34:08). While the guys kept their prognostications secret from each other, there ended up being some crossover as they talked about potential new albums from Haim and Vampire Weekend dominating the year, the possibility that [CANCELED BAND X] might make a comeback, and whether that long-delayed Sky Ferreira record will finally see the light of day this year. (Spoiler alert: Don't get your hopes up.)New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 170 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, Steven and Ian kicked off part one of their most sacred annual tradition, the Indiecasties. This week, they bring home part two. (This is a banked episode so if any major indie-rock news occurred this week, the guys won't be talking about it.)Part one had many incredible categories. But Steven and Ian saved the really good stuff for this week. Categories include Biggest Disappointment (3:12), The Album We're Most Surprised We Liked (11:05), The Most Egregiously Overrated Album On Year-End Lists (18:20), The Comeback Of The Year (25:17), The Year's Most Enjoyable Trend To Hash Out (30:51), and (Steven's personal favorite) The Most Memory-Holed Album Of 2023 (40:38). Who won? We can't wait to share the news!New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 169 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we near the end of 2023, the time has come for Steven and Ian to revive their most sacred annual tradition: The Indiecasties! Like the Oscars, the Indiecasties goes long every year, so we actually are splitting it up into two episodes. (Part two drops next week.) Before that, however, the guys do a quick Sportscast about a wild week in Wisconsin-based athletics, including a Packers loss to Tommy DeVito and Giannis losing his cool against the Indiana Pacers over a lost game ball. Steven and Ian also address the viral TikTok video by Bethany Cosentino about her disappointment over the reception to her 2023 solo debut album, Natural Disaster, and the long tail of Peak Indie disappointment (6:10).Then it's on to the Indiecasties (19:00)! There are five categories in this episode: Most Valuable Annoying Music Story (21:45), The Album Cycle Of The Year (28:33), The Feel-Good Story Of The Year (35:15), The Most 2023 Album Of 2023 (40:47), and the Most Hyped Album That Turned Out To Be Actually Good (47:48). Who won? And who "won" (since winning some of these categories doesn't feel like a victory)? Listen and find out!New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 168 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's that time of the year again when critics try to think of every record they heard in the previous 11 months and determine their favorites. Steven and Ian are up to the challenge in this week's episode. But first they talk about the stock albums that seem to populate these lists — the "arty" and "obscure" hip-hop record with an unpronounceable name, the near-unlistenable "acclaimed" death-metal record, the "accessible" jazz album with indie cred. etc.From there they do a quick Sportscast about Steven's recent love of college football (13:12). They also discuss Taylor Swift being named Person Of The Year by Time magazine and how the media was weirdly in the tank for her all throughout this past year (20:39). Finally, Steven and Ian each pick their five favorite albums of the year, and hash out the trends that defined 2023 (29:16).New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 167 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's the calm before the storm on the show this week — Steven and Ian are working on their year-end albums lists ahead of the big reveal in early December (1:57), so in the meantime they decided to answer to some listener questions. But before that, Ian shared the shocking news that he watched The Last Waltz for the first time over the Thanksgiving break. What did Ian think of this foundational film in Steven's life? Naturally, he gravitated to Van Morrison's purple suit. The guys also commenced a brief Bookcast segment to talk about the hellacious new book about southern fraternities (and how they coincide with southern rap), Among The Bros by Max Marshall.In the mailbag (29:38), Steven and Ian address topics as diverse as Gen Z's obsession with personal listening statistics (30:20), whether an artist sounding a lot like another artist is a distraction (36:50), and the value (or not) of demos being added to reissues and box sets. (44:57)In Recommendation Corner (51:07), Ian talks up the latest from Quannic and Steven recommends the extremely long in the works new album by Peter Gabriel.New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 166 and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.