| Song | Artist | Year | Pick | Genre(s) | Willis Notes | Gregg Notes |
| Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly) | The Icicle Works | 1984 | Willis | Alt. Rock | I often forget about this band, but loved this song I know from then whenever it came on the radio. I always loved how the jangle gives way to the hyper kinetic drums. | I’m with you on this one, and its been on my running list for over a year. Another song I tried to track down as a kid, but only found it on a Richard Blade New Wave comp in my later teens. The tribal drums and epic chorus were like crack for me. “We Are We Are We Are!”. Always wondered why they never had another sniff of a hit record – this is a top tier New Wave song. Drums sound great in headphones. |
| Still In Love Song | The Stills | 2003 | Gregg | Indie /Post Modern | I really think I’ve heard the chorus before. The vision I get when it starts is a ride on a motorcycle on the open road. Anything is possible. I like the bassline building back up after the chorus comes down. Also totally agree the 2 min mark guitar picking arpeggios is an outstanding, mood-inspiring interlude. Funny that before reading your notes, I thought the vocals were kinda similar to yours. So it was fitting you played the same night. | A 2000’s era song that feels like a distant cousin to Icicle Works. I was infatuated w/ this song – so when we got to play w/ them at The Stone Pony, it was quite cool (we both opened for Johnny Marr, one of the coolest nights of my life). Turns out they were fans of ours too, which made it surreal. This song should’ve been a worldwide hit, but it only found the indie underground audience sadly. “IYKYK” type song. Great pop structure, and that heavy 4 on the floor groove is thick. The 2 min mark is epic! |
| Violent Horizon | Jahrund | 2026 | Willis | Electronic | Yet another Insta-find. From Germany. In their own words: “warm, pulsating energy generated by love for the mysteries of our planet and the infinite space beyond. The lyrics combine astronomical plots on the one hand and deep psychological as well as global problems of society on the other.” Her merch looks super aesthetic. Translucent vinyl, transparent cassette tape, that I’d totally buy but need to pace my purchases! I like how this song develops into a gritty, back-alley synthetic feel with the electronic beat. | New to me. W/o seeing your words, I thought “cosmic”. Felt like lift-off into outerspace, while being under the influence of morphine. Gorgeous vox. This is insanely good. The swirling, inconsistent keyboard flourishes are messing with my senses. I’m a fan, and definitely want to dive deeper. |
| America’s Boy | Broadcast | 2005 | Gregg | Experimental/Psych pop | Nice follow up taking the electronic beat to wider exploratory sounds. I can hear that combo of overdriven synth up-down cycling with the angelic chimes being mimicked in other artists today. This creates a sustained level of noise that contrasts with her soft delicate voice. My first time hearing of her and sad to hear a loss to pneumonia, which I am acutely afraid of myself. | Took way too long to find a place for Broadcast on our show. Likely in the top 5 best experimental indie bands of the past 40 years, only rivaled by maybe Stereolab. Combining glitchy pop with jazz, brazilian, electro, and psychedelic – nobody sounded like them. More importantly, nobody sounded better either. Sadly Trish Keenan passed away from pneumonia at 42 yo in 2011. She was given her flowers posthumously, w/ so many artists citing her as an influence, tho I doubt she ever knew how worshipped she truly was while she was alive. Too many choices of music, but this one seemed perfectly paired with Jahrund. |
| Squares | The Beta Band | 2001 | Willis | Trip Hop | Chilling things out a bit. I heard “Daydream in Blue” by I Monster which samples “Daydream” by Gunter Kallmann Choir, just like this song. Both Trip-Hop. Interesting that this was to be released about the same time, but they chose not to clash and released a different song from this album first. This is more subtle and mellow than I Monster. | So proud that you chose Beta Band. They, along with the Notwist, were lowkey core influences on every bit of music I made back in those days. They were so experimental and weird, but always wrote beautiful melodies and songs, keeping the songs grounded. Squares is a classic, and along with “Dry the Rain”, are cult anthems in the indie rock world. They got a huge popularity lift from the movie “High Fidelity”, in one of the best scenes depicting music snobbery in cinema history. |
| Year of the Cat | Al Stewart | 1975 | Gregg | Progressive Rock / Pop | From the studio onto a piano bar stage, but actually back into a studio! Headphones were a bit frustrating in the beginning (being only left side I thought something was wrong). I never would have guessed this came from 1975 by the style. Impressive production too with the string ensemble, piano, sax, electric guitar taking turns with solos. Spacey synth really feels modern. I felt like I just had a week of the cat, trying to get them wrangled to take to the vet. | Before there was “alternative” or “indie” as we know it, there was Al Stewart. IMO, he invented the style and sound we now know as “Alt” rock. Bands like Beta Band and Destroyer would not exist w/o him. This song is a work of art, and might be one of the best “long form” pop songs in history. It’s like watching someone else’s dream on a drive-in movie screen. It’s so romantic, so nostalgic, so moving, and at times so sad. The sax solo is mindblowing, better than any guitarist could achieve… but then the acoustic takes over, eventually giving way to the electric guitar. Only to be swallowed by the sax again. All of this in a pop song that actually was played on FM unedited! Very uncommon at that time esp. |
| Television Love | Of Monsters and Men | 2025 | Willis | Indie Folk / Rock | More cool music from Iceland – I won’t try to pronounce their names. I’ve heard their 2011 hit pop song “LIttle Talks” before, but this has a fuller, more impactful, slightly more intense sound. This has a brooding feeling and staggered pace like The National, and I love how the female vocals come in like, kinda like the XX, and then it builds to a crescendo that again reminds me of The National. On world tour, though only as close as Oregon. | I’ve long blamed them for River City’s failure to succeed. There were so many of these indie folk bands dropping at the same time, and it was just so hard for RCE to get out of their shadow. Frankly, I didn’t like their music either, which made it worse lol. But if you didn’t tell me this was them – I’d never guess. This is actually GREAT, and not folky at all. It’s more indie pop. There’s something very earnest about the melody too. Subtly epic. |
| In A Rut | Loraine James | 2026 | Gregg | Electronic /Neo Soul | Her voice is so present, LIke right in your head. clear and crisp with minimal effects. Trippy overall production yet somehow accessible. I think because they space it out. It comes in and out, gives you breaks. Male vocals from Sydney Spann – both in a trippy haze. The headphones give good separation, but interestingly, the bass sounded different on every single speaker or headphone I own. | I’ve been so intrigued by this artist. Production is bonkers, esp in headphones. She’s got such a soulful voice, but sings effortlessly – so there’s no diva. Then as a male voice enters, it’s almost equally despondent, both allowing the restrained chaos of the electronics shine. But the softness and warmth of the beats and percussion are mixed brilliantly. So echoey and swirly. |
| When the World Turns Grey | Princess Chelsea | 2015 | Willis | Baroque Pop | Played “Cigarette Duet” from this NZ artist not long ago, which included Jonathan Bree, which had a tongue and cheek, yet mysterious vibe. She recently released a live studio album which has this song on it, which caught my attention with simple piano chords and just her singing in a chamber, no beat. A little bit of atmospheric synth, which builds to a guitar solo at the end. A breakup song. However, it’s got an extra 3 mins of guitar solo at the end that I think “you had to be there” to appreciate it more. | I remember them now. That voice is a stunner. Innocent and child-like, like she’s standing on a stage in the dark with a single spotlight. The piano and ‘strings’ create such drama. Things feel unstable, but in the most beautiful way. |
| Blood Bank | Bon Iver | 2009 | Gregg | Indie | I feel exactly what you’re saying. It is like a scene from an indie movie, but not just watching but actually as the guy singing. The light thump of the kick drum creates a tense anticipation, for something… but if you think about it, actually is the fast beating of your heart. Reminder to edit the OPI | Another song that is attached to my relationship with C. Its weird, I’m just now able to revisit some of these and not feel uneasy. Somehow they hit just as hard now. The lyrics to this song are genius. Tells the story of falling in love while giving blood. So descriptive and colorful that it puts you RIGHT there. You can picture the gloomy, snowy day.. And feel the same hopefulness he felt. God i love this song. “Then the snow started falling, we were stuck out in your car. You were rubbing both my hands, chewing on a candy bar.” |
Song playlists are also available on these platforms:
The second playback button streams Part 1 again instead of Part 2
Good catch. Fixed now. Thanks Geoff!