Completely Conspicuous artwork

Completely Conspicuous

613 episodes - English - Latest episode: 29 days ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratings

Quality podcastification since 2006.

Society & Culture conspicuous talk completely culture jay kumar music news pop rock
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Episodes

Completely Conspicuous 631: Into Action

February 29, 2024 00:50 - 1 hour - 131 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2007. Show notes: In 2007, Jay had a kid starting kindergarten; that kids graduates from college soon Zeppelin played two reunion shows Separating the music from artists' bad behavior Daughtry had the #1 selling album of '07 Phil's non-top 5s: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, the National, St. Vincent, Jason Isbell, Okkervil River, Buffalo Tom, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Arctic Monkeys  Let's hear it for Dad Roc...

Completely Conspicuous 630: Goin' Against Your Mind

January 23, 2024 22:14 - 1 hour - 87.2 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2006. Show notes: Jay's non-top 5s: The Black Angels, Mission of Burma, Twilight Singers, The Tragically Hip, Girl Talk, Iron Maiden, Lemonheads Phil's #5: Beck's last really good album, especially the first half Jay's #5: First solo release from Pulp's Jarvis Cocker Phil's #4: Last Drive-By Truckers album with Jason Isbell expands their world view Jay's #4: Expansive and excellent outing from TV On the Radio ...

Completely Conspicuous 629: Star Witness

January 17, 2024 00:59 - 1 hour - 89.1 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 2006. Show notes: First episode of the year In 2006, Jay had two little kids Phil was having fun When you don't know anybody playing the festival Top-selling album of the year was High School Musical soundtrack The Who released an album in 2006 Phil's non-top 5s: Neko Case, Destroyer, the Hold Steady, the Walkmen, Dylan, Heartless Bastards, Tom Petty, Eagles of Death Metal, Black Keys, Yo La Tengo, Sonic You...

Completely Conspicuous 628: 2023 and Me

December 26, 2023 20:17 - 1 hour - 87.7 MB

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 H...

Completely Conspicuous 627: The Year in Music, Let It Bleed Edition

December 19, 2023 22:16 - 1 hour - 86.7 MB

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 stream...

Completely Conspicuous 626: Entertain

November 08, 2023 22:40 - 36 minutes - 48.6 MB

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 mons...

Completely Conspicuous 625: Road to Joy

November 01, 2023 22:29 - 49 minutes - 65.5 MB

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 Ca...

Completely Conspicuous 624: Positive Jam

September 27, 2023 22:00 - 52 minutes - 70.2 MB

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...

Completely Conspicuous 623: Take Me Out

September 19, 2023 23:28 - 1 hour - 105 MB

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...

Completely Conspicuous 622: The Hardest Button to Button

September 12, 2023 23:04 - 53 minutes - 48.8 MB

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 P...

Completely Conspicuous 621: It's Gonna Be a Long Night

September 06, 2023 00:22 - 1 hour - 75.9 MB

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, Jaso...

Completely Conspicuous 620: No One Knows

August 15, 2023 23:10 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MB

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 ...

Completely Conspicuous 619: Do You Realize?

August 08, 2023 21:20 - 1 hour - 65.2 MB

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: Do...

Completely Conspicuous 618: You Say It's Your Birthday

August 01, 2023 16:54 - 53 minutes - 49.7 MB

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 were...

Completely Conspicuous 617: Let There Be Rock

July 24, 2023 22:49 - 1 hour - 62.2 MB

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 mon...

Completely Conspicuous 616: Imitation of Life

July 18, 2023 22:56 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MB

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...

Completely Conspicuous 615: All Killer, No Filler

July 11, 2023 21:28 - 1 hour - 71.1 MB

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 gre...

Completely Conspicuous 614: The Midway Point

July 04, 2023 00:39 - 55 minutes - 51.1 MB

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 Breitl...

Completely Conspicuous 613: Stuck In a Moment

June 13, 2023 23:06 - 1 hour - 59.3 MB

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 w...

Completely Conspicuous 612: In the Year 2000

June 03, 2023 21:58 - 1 hour - 56.4 MB

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...

Completely Conspicuous 611: Climb to Safety

April 19, 2023 17:08 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MB

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...

Completely Conspicuous 610: End of the Century

April 13, 2023 01:42 - 1 hour - 70.9 MB

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,...

Completely Conspicuous 609: Right About Now

March 15, 2023 21:43 - 1 hour - 59.4 MB

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 do...

Completely Conspicuous 608: Tubthumping

March 09, 2023 00:36 - 1 hour - 58.1 MB

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 ...

Completely Conspicuous 607: My Poor Brain

February 14, 2023 23:50 - 58 minutes - 54.1 MB

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...

Completely Conspicuous 606: Brighten the Corners

February 08, 2023 01:22 - 1 hour - 61 MB

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 interes...

Completely Conspicuous 605: Playing the Role

January 25, 2023 22:30 - 1 hour - 67.3 MB

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 ...

Completely Conspicuous 604: New Pollution

January 18, 2023 02:57 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MB

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 ...

Completely Conspicuous 603: Bulls On Parade

January 10, 2023 23:05 - 1 hour - 66.1 MB

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 Gr...

Completely Conspicuous 602: Best In Show

January 02, 2023 17:33 - 1 hour - 62.2 MB

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 ta...

Completely Conspicuous 601: Your Favorite Thing

December 27, 2022 00:49 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2022. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky/Parcheesi Redux East HQ - We've been doing this for 13 years! - Kumar: Went to some more shows this year - Breitling went to zero shows in 2022 - Things to look forward to in '23: The Cure returns, Drop Nineteens, Hallelujah the Hills' DECK project, Johnny Foreigner, Fucked Up, Blue Ocean, Peter Gabriel - Kate Hudson is supposed to be releasing an a...

Completely Conspicuous 600: Meet Ze Monsta

December 21, 2022 23:02 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1995. Show notes: - Jay's non-top 5s: Mike Watt, Bjork, Guided By Voices, Boss Hog, Rancid, The Amps - Phil's #5: Bjork's second album embraces the quirkiness - Jay's #4: Jawbreaker's major label debut was a total bust, but it's really good - "Selling out" was a big deal back then - Phil's #3: The debut of Elastica was fully formed, but band disappeared a few years later - Jay's #3: Pavement's followup to their bi...

Completely Conspicuous 599: Army of Me

December 14, 2022 00:04 - 1 hour - 62 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1995. Show notes: - First show in quite a while - In '95, Phil turned 26, Jay turned 28 - We both saw a lot of concerts that year - Big deaths: Jerry Garcia, Eazy E, Shannon Hoon - Musings on Cleveland, where the Rock Hall of Fame opened in '95 - Jay saw a doubleheader of a Bruins game and a Chris Whitley show - Singles charts were leaning toward pop and lighter fare - Is band loyalty still a thing? - It's...

Completely Conspicuous 598: Basket Case

November 01, 2022 23:19 - 1 hour - 63.9 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1994. Show notes: - Jay's non-top 5s: Superchunk, Jeff Buckley, Drive Like Jehu, Rollins Band, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Helmet, Pulp Fiction soundtrack, Mark Lanegan, Nirvana - Phil's #5: Pearl Jam's third album gets a little adventurous and rough-edged - Jay's #5: The Tragically Hip gets more atmospheric after more straight-ahead rockers - Phil's #4: Debut album from Jeff Buckley showcases his vocal range and ...

Completely Conspicuous 597: Ill Communication

October 21, 2022 21:36 - 1 hour - 62.5 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1994. Show notes: - Back after a two-month summer break - In 1994, Jay turned 27, Phil turned 25 - Steely Dan was touring again - Jay: Life improved in '94 on job and home front - Jay: Saw a ton of shows including Pearl Jam, Afghan Whigs, Rollins Band, Cracker, Soundgarden, Buffalo Tom, Blues Explosion, Tragically Hip, Sugar - Debating the merits of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Phil's kids love the pop music...

Completely Conspicuous 596: Pass the Popcorn

August 23, 2022 21:35 - 51 minutes - 47.7 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about movie fandom. Show notes: - Recorded while driving to Tree House Brewery - Watching scary movies as a kid - The Shining still holds up - Favorite directors: Kubrick, Scorsese, Tarantino - Jay: After Hours is a fun movie; similar plot to Into the Night, which came out around the same time - The current state of prestige TV is giving movies a run for their money - Better Call Saul is the latest great show - The early days...

Completely Conspicuous 595: At the Movies

August 17, 2022 00:02 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MB

Celebrating the show's 16th birthday with part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our love of movies. Show notes: - Recorded while driving to Tree House Brewery - Phil remembers seeing "Bambi" in the theater and "Halloween" a little early - The interesting career beginnings of Kurt Russell - Jay: Watched a lot of Disney movies as a kid - Drive-in theaters were fun - Getting into James Bond movies - Jay's early favorites: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounter...

Completely Conspicuous 594: Exile in Guyville

July 26, 2022 23:30 - 1 hour - 63.3 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1993. Show notes: - Jay's non-top 5s: Urge Overkill, Living Colour, Matthew Sweet, The Pursuit of Happiness, Paw, Fugazi - Some good comps and soundtracks: No Alternative, Sweet Relief, Judgment Night - Phil's #5: Belly with a strong debut - Jay's #5: Dinosaur Jr. straddles the line between alt- and classic rock - Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Smashing Pumpkins break through on sophomore effort - Jay's #3: Ele...

Completely Conspicuous 593: Cure For Pain

July 12, 2022 21:46 - 57 minutes - 53.4 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1993. Show notes: - In 1993, Jay turned 26, Phil turned 24 - Jay moved to Middleton, Mass. - Phil saw the Breeders, Belly, Lenny Kravitz - Jay saw Nirvana and the Breeders, Midnight Oil, Lollapalooza - Big year for hip hop - Hair metal was dead - Phil's non-top 5s: Pearl Jam, Lenny Kravitz, Breeders, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, Afghan Whigs, Uncle Tupelo, Frank Black, Juliana Hatfield, Morphine, Velvet Undergr...

Completely Conspicuous 592: Right in the Middle

July 05, 2022 22:37 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2022. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - Breitling's #5: Papercuts with a solid effort featuring gratuitious Mellotron - Kumar's #5: Spoon serves up a quality dollop of Spoon - Breitling's #4: Elvis Costello in his occasional rock mode - Kumar's #4: The Smile fills the gap between Radiohead albums with a pretty damn good album - Kumar's #3: Oceanator brings the...

Completely Conspicuous 591: The First Part

June 21, 2022 21:43 - 1 hour - 60 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2022. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - Breitling's laptop is acting up - Concerts are mostly back - Kate Bush sees a resurgence in popularity - R.I.P., the iPod - RL Mathews discovers the new stuff - Breitling's honorable mentions: Graveyard Club, David West, Big Cream, Peaness, Golden Apples, Stomptalk Modstone, Pillow Queens, Pinchpoints, Flash Hits - K...

Completely Conspicuous 590: Hoover Dam

May 31, 2022 22:30 - 1 hour - 57.1 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1992. Show notes: - More of Phil's non top 5s: Soul Asylum, Screaming Trees, Kyuss, Jayhawks, Grateful Dead, Rage Against the Machine - A few more from Jay: Helmet, Faith No More - Phil interviewed hockey players who liked RATM - Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: Buffalo Tom hones their craft with their third album - Phil's #5: Neil Young turns down after a few years of extreme volume - Jay's #4: Beastie Boys wit...

Completely Conspicuous 589: The End of Silence

May 24, 2022 22:17 - 1 hour - 68 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1992. Show notes: - In 1992, Jay turned 25, Phil turned 23 - We both worked at local newspapers - The so-called grunge explosion kicked into full gear - Jay: Saw lots of great shows, including Lollapallooza, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney - "Bohemian Rhapsody" was back on the singles chart thanks to Wayne's World - Metal was phasing out - Keeping the band brand going - Jay's non-top 5s: Afghan Whi...

Completely Conspicuous 588: Divine Intervention

May 18, 2022 23:38 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1991. Show notes: - Phil's #5: The debut of an unknown band called Pearl Jam - Album had a slow build, didn't really get big until spring '92 - Jay's #5: Smashing Pumpkins' debut is a guitar feast - Phil's #4: Prince's last great album, according to Phil - Jay's #4: Under-the-radar power pop genius from Scotland - Gene Simmons sued over the album cover - That time Simmons covered "Firestarter" - Phil'...

Completely Conspicuous 587: The Sound of Young America

May 10, 2022 21:51 - 1 hour - 65 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1991. Show notes: - In '91, Phil graduated from college; Jay worked at the Peabody Times newspaper - A big year for rock, although a lot of the impact wasn't felt until the following year - Seeds for alt-rock explosion had been sown in the previous few years - Still a lot of classic rock, hair metal and pop on the charts - Freddie Mercury died, Lollapallooza tour started - Bryan Adams was in full ballad...

Completely Conspicuous 586: Repeater

April 12, 2022 21:44 - 56 minutes - 52 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1990. Show notes: - Our top 5 albums of '90 - Phil's #5: Jane's Addiction with a sprawling classic - Jay's #5: Sophomore release from Living Colour explored a lot of different styles - Phil's #4: Sinead O'Connor blows up with her second album - Her SNL appearance in '92 caused serious controversy - Sinead is alive and well - Jay's #4: Kim Deal goes out on her own with the Breeders - Phil's #3: Phish c...

Completely Conspicuous 585: All Shook Down

March 30, 2022 02:14 - 1 hour - 61.4 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1990. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as"). Show notes: - Recorded in person at CompCon World HQ - In '90, Jay turned 23 and Phil turned 21 - Phil's short career in foodservice - Jay was a newspaper reporter in Peabody, Mass. - Controversies over 2 Live Crew, Milli Vanilli and Madonna - Lots of scenes happening: Alternative, New Jack Swing, Madchester, Seattle ...

Completely Conspicuous 584: Wave of Mutilation

February 09, 2022 00:12 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1989. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard - Our top 5 albums of '89 - Phil's #5: Tom Petty finds renewed success with a solo album -Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: Nirvana's sludgy debut hints at future success - Jay's #4: The Beasties go sample crazy and blow up the sophomore slump - Phil's #3: Phish with an auspicious debut - Jay had a run-in with a pre-fame Trey Anastasio at the UNH newspaper...

Completely Conspicuous 583: Fascination Street

February 02, 2022 00:06 - 1 hour - 55.8 MB

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1989. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard - In '89, Jay turned 22 and graduated from college, Phil turned 20 - Early seeds of Seattle and Manchester sound - GNR became huge - Milli Vanilli was enjoying some short-lived success -Big year for pop - Phil's non-top 5 albums: Bob Mould, The Cure, B-52s, Stone Roses, The Ocean Blue, XTC, De La Soul, Replacements, Joe Jackson, Galaxie 500, Fuga...

Completely Conspicuous 582: Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

January 12, 2022 00:29 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MB

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1988. Show notes: - Recorded while driving home from Trillium Brewing in Canton, Mass. - Phil's #5: Sonic Youth focuses their sound  - Jay's #5: J. Mascis and Dino Jr. get more melodic while still delivering a heavy sound - Phil's #4: U2's first controversial album still provides a lot of memorable moments, overshadowed by the movie - Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Living Colour's debut showed off their many ta...