A short explanation from Steve about why there's no episode this week.

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Steven and Ian begin today's episode with a quick recap of the seemingly on-pause rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake (0:25), as well as a Sportscast segment on Steven's bandwagon-jumping with the Minnesota Timberwolves (3:39). After that, they address the sad news about the death of Steve Albini at the age of 61 (16:11). They recap the musician/producer's illustrious career, and wonder whether his death marks the end of an era in indie music. Then the guys delve into a recent interview with a member of the shoegaze band Whirr and Ian's run-in with them back in the 2010s (38:02).

In the mailbag, a listener comes up with a new term — Poochie band, after the famous Simpsons episode — to describe acts that have one song so good that it makes it impossible to hear any other song they have ever made (46:46). What bands apply as "Poochie" material?

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the latest effort from hardcore band Knocked Loose while Steven backs the new album by Amen Dunes (55:19).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 188 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], 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.

Steven and Ian begin today's episode by catching up with "Euphoria," the diss track that Kendrick Lamar unleashed on Drake this week. Did Kendrick really confuse The Sixth Sense star Haley Joel Osment with Texas televangelist Joel Osteen? Looks like it! (0:30) They also check in with the buzzy Sabrina Carpenter pop hit "Espresso," which has signaled the annual (tiresome) conversation about the song of the summer. (11:14)

Then they transition to a conversation about Local Natives, the LA band who recently lost one of their founding members. Steven and Ian recap the group's career and comment on the enduring popularity of early 2010s indie stars. (17:26) From there, they discuss three artists who Steven's Fantasy Albums team — Jessica Pratt, Mdou Moctar, and Kamasi Washington — who put out new albums today. (30:25)

In the mailbag, they give the yay-or-nay treatment to Amen Dunes (41:54), and also engage in more Lake Mendota/Hovvdy talk. (48:03)

For Recommendation Corner, Ian talks up the Swedish band Rain Recordings while Steven catches with the British group English Teacher. (53:31)

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 187 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], 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.

Steven begins this episode like he has many other installments of Indiecast — by complaining to Ian about the performance of his Fantasy Albums team. In this instance, he thought he had a sure thing — a new Taylor Swift album — but after a predictable wave of early raves, Taylor’s Metacritic score has tumbled amid a critical backlash. What happened? (0:30) Steven and Ian also recap their recent experiences at two very different concerts, Phish at Sphere and Cindy Lee in San Diego. (16:08)

After that, Steven proceeds to rant about Oasis not get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year, and how this underlines once again the Rock Hall’s bias against alt and indie bands of the 1980s and ’90s. (25:24) He also compares Foreigner and Peter Frampton to former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. and it definitely makes sense. Then the guys review the new album by the charming Austin indie-pop duo Hovvdy, who make very good patio music. (36:23) In the mailbag, a listener brings up new music from Menomena and if it’s ever bad to sound too much like yourself. (45:07)

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the “sasscore” band SeeYouSpaceCowboy while Steven goes for a classic rec with the ’80s band Love And Rockets. (52:57)

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 186 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], 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.

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 [email protected], 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 [email protected], 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 [email protected], 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 [email protected], 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 [email protected], 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 [email protected], 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 [email protected], 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.