You, Me and An Album

Send a text
On this episode, Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir introduces Al to the 2013 album Amok by the supergroup/Radiohead spinoff Atoms for Peace. Ásgeir talks about how he got acquainted with the album and why he and his bandmates had it on repeat during their 2013 tour. While Ásgeir highlights particular tracks that are his favorites, he explains how he experiences the album as a cohesive whole. Ásgeir also talks about his new album Julia, his upcoming Icelandic-language album and his tour plans.

Keep up with Ásgeir on Instagram at @asgeirmusic! You can also find Ásgeir’s tour dates, music and more on his website, https://www.asgeirmusic.com/.

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
The first eight episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
1:25 Ásgeir’s introduction
2;01 Al knew very little about Atoms for Peace before researching the album
3:16 Ásgeir explains why he chose to discuss Amok
4:03 Ásgeir cites some other artists he considered talking about on this episode
5:21 Ásgeir explains how he discovered Amok
8:16 Ásgeir talks about how the album is both immediate and nuanced
12:04 Ásgeir and Al both experience the album as more of a “vibe” than a collection of distinctive songs
16:37 Listening to Amok helped Ásgeir to take his own music into a more electronic direction
17:46 Ásgeir and his bandmates had a special motivation for having Amok on repeat
22:05 Al and Ásgeir enjoy what the rhythm section brings to the band’s sound
24:02 Ásgeir and Al both view “Ingenue” as a highlight
26:00 Ásgeir doesn’t listen to Amok nearly as often lately
29:08 Ásgeir acknowledges the Radiohead/Atoms for Peace influence on “Sugar Clouds”
31;34 Ásgeir talks about writing all of the lyrics for the songs on Julia
32:30 Ásgeir discusses the challenges of writing songs in two languages
34:28 Does Ásgeir have any upcoming collaborations?
35:34 Ásgeir talks about the success he has had in Australia
36:46 Ásgeir discusses his upcoming tour

Outro music is from “Ferris Wheel” by Ásgeir.
Support the show

Send a text
On this episode, Nashville-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Olivia Barton introduces Al to Mount Eerie’s 2017 album A Crow Looked at Me. Olivia talks about why she chose this album to discuss, even though she hasn’t listened to it very often, and she explains why she considers this a life-changing album. She also highlights some of the most impactful lyrics and musical elements from the album. Olivia  discusses her latest album For Myself and For You, as well as the .m4a version of the album she released in January.
Correction: Al referred to Olivia’s song “The Hardest Thing” as “The Hardest Part.”

To keep up with Olivia’s tour plans and much, much more, be sure to give her a follow on Instagram at @oliviabartonhaha. She has the same handle on TikTok and YouTube.

You can also find tour information and merch on Olivia’s website, https://oliviabartonhaha.com/. Also, you can explore and buy Olivia’s music on Bandcamp at https://oliviabarton.bandcamp.com/.

Olivia mentioned her collaboration with Lizzie McAlpine, “Learn Something,” which is now available on Bandcamp. All proceeds go to the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund in Minnesota. Check it out here: https://lizzymcalpine.bandcamp.com/track/learn-something.

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
The first eight episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum

1:19 Olivia’s introduction
2:42 A Crow Looked at Me was an obvious choice for Olivia, even though she had listened to it only three times
5:30 Olivia recalls the part of the album that first made a big impression on her
10:22 Olivia and Al talk about some of the mundane details Phil Elverum sings about and the emotional impact they felt
14:24 Al and Olivia interpret some of the lyrics from “Emptiness Pt. 2”
17:40 Olivia explains how Elverum’s vocal style adds to the album’s emotional impact
18:50 Al and Olivia discuss Elverum’s unconventional use of noises in the recording
21:13 Olivia talks about the directness of Elverum’s lyrics
26:43 Olivia notes the album’s lack of hooks
28:16 Al and Olivia talk about the slight change in tone in the album’s last two tracks
36:51 Olivia discusses Elverum’s symbolic use of the crow
40:47 Listening to A Crow Looked at Me made Olivia think about stream counts
42:59 Olivia talks about her own emotionally difficult songs
45:27 Olivia mentions the other album she could have chosen for this episode
47:26 Olivia discusses the .m4a version of For Myself and For You
50:30 Olivia shares her upcoming tour plans

Outro music is from “Kissing in Public” by Olivia Barton.
Support the show

Send a text
Musician, songwriter, producer, engineer and ethnomusicologist Alan Williams (solo, Birdsong at Morning, Knots and Crosses) joins Al to talk about Carla Bley and Paul Haines’ 1971 album Escalator over the Hill. Alan discusses why he decided to explore EOTH during his high school years, what his favorite parts of the album are, why it has stuck with him over the years and how much he actually likes the album. Alan explores the challenges the album presents to the genrefication of music and talks about several of the artists involved, including Linda Ronstadt, Jack Bruce and Charlie Haden. He also shares details about the making of his soon-to-be-released solo album Floating on the Dreamline (out on March 6) and his experiences with directing the Album Ensembles at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where he is a Professor of Music.

You can watch videos of the Album Ensembles’ live performances from Alan’s website:
https://www.alanwilliamsevidence.com/musings/an-incredible-simulation-the-umass-lowell-album-ensemble-projects

You can follow Alan on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at @alanwilliamsevidence.

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
The first seven episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum

1:16 Alan’s introduction
2:27 Alan explains why he got interested in Escalator over the Hill
3:55 Alan describes his initial experience with listening to the album
7:17 Alan and Al talk about the album’s lack of a story
11:01 Alan talks about the blending of the jazz and rock worlds on EOTH
16:29 Alan explains why EOTH made a big impact on him
19:47 Is it best to listen to all six sides of the album all the way through?
22:24 Alan picks out some of his favorite parts of the album
27:27 Linda Ronstadt’s involvement with this album puts the rest of her career in perspective
30:53 Alan is impressed that Bley got the project completed in spite of the obstacles
32:50 Bley continued to collaborate with rock musicians after EOTH
34:38 Does Alan actually like EOTH?
39:45 Alan explains why he finds EOTH inspirational
42:45 Alan recounts a personal encounter he had related to EOTH
44:20 Alan talks about artists who influenced the sound of Floating on the Dreamline
47:49 Alan discusses how “Feel No Pain” came together
51:16 Al hears FOTD as sonically cohesive
53:06 Alan talks about his students’ eclectic musical tastes
53:56 Alan discusses the Album Ensembles at University of Massachusetts-Lowell
1:06:37 Alan talks about his imminent retirement and upcoming events

Outro music is from “Before My Eyes” by Alan Williams.
Support the show

Send a text
Woodstock, NY-based composer and musician Will Epstein joins Al to introduce him to Lou Reed’s 1982 album The Blue Mask. Will talks about when he first got acquainted with the Velvet Underground and how he eventually started listening to Reed’s solo material and The Blue Mask specifically. He breaks down several of the album’s tracks, illustrating what impresses him about Reed as a songwriter and performer. Will also discusses his recently-released album Yeah, mostly and talks about his upcoming plans.

You can follow Will on Instagram at @willcrushwater and find his music on Bandcamp at https://willepstein.bandcamp.com/.

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
The first seven episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum

1:15 Will's introduction
1:55 Will talks about how he first got interested in the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed
5:24 Will explains why The Blue Mask impressed him when he first explored it
13:04 Al and Will discuss the album’s track sequencing
16:35 Will explains how “My House” inspires him
20:44 Will discusses the contradictions of “Women” and “Underneath the Bottle”
24:36 Will sees Reed as being connected to Larry David
26:50 Al is impressed by the fluidity of the moods on The Blue Mask
28:03 Will hears contradictions in “Waves of Fear,” too
32:15 Will talks about how listening to The Blue Mask had an impact on the making of Yeah, mostly
40:25 Will explains why he name-checked Reed in “Socks in LA”
42:23 Will revisits some of the times he saw Reed perform
44:07 Did Will channel Reed on “Dishwasher”?
49:03 Will explains why he chose Yeah, mostly as the album title
53:12 Will talks about his plans for the coming months

Outro music is from “Brideshead Revisited Revisited” by Will Epstein.
Support the show

Send a text
This is an excerpt from the first-ever Patreon-only episode of You, Me and An Album, aka Bonus Tracks. On the original version of this episode, Mary Beth and Al Melchior discuss four songs, two that Mary Beth experiences as sad and two that Al experiences as sad. Al's choices were “Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)" by James and “Murmurations” by Amy Millan. Mary Beth’s were “Remember My Name” by Sons of Legion and “Hallelujah” by k.d. lang (specifically, her performance of the song at the 2005 Juno Awards). This excerpted version features the discussions of "Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)" and "Hallelujah." Mary Beth and Al wound up having very different reactions to each of the songs, and they try to figure out why each song made one of them sad but not the other.
To hear k.d. lang's Juno Awards performance of "Hallelujah," you can find it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE&list=RDP_NpxTWbovE&start_radio=1.
Mary Beth has a wonderful poetry channel on YouTube! Check it out and subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@OnThePath88.
You can also follow Mary Beth on Instagram at @mbmelchior.
To hear the full version of this episode, plus all of the other Bonus Tracks episodes, join the YMAAA Patreon at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.
Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.

1:47 What to expect from Bonus Tracks
4:38 Mary Beth joins the show
5:57 The theme of this episode was Mary Beth’s idea
7:05 Mary Beth and Al deal with sadness in music very differently
Discussion of specific sad songs
8:37 James, “Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)"
29:36 k.d. lang, “Hallelujah”
45:10 Other versions of “Hallelujah”
48:39 Mary Beth helps Al to understand why he doesn’t get “Hallelujah”
58:15 Mary Beth’s final thoughts about comparing reactions to the songs
Support the show