My Favorite Album With Jeremy Dylan

This week I chat to frontman of The Herd, co founder of Elefant Traks record label, manager and solo artist Urthboy (aka Tim Levinson) about A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘The Low End Theory’. We discuss how A Tribe Called Quest was political in a different way than other hip-hop artists of their era, how their sampling of jazz helped them cross generational lines and how your ability to appreciate contemporary music falters as you get older. Tim opens up about how the album educated him about issues not being discussed in school and why he has referenced and sampled elements of the album in his own music.

This week I talk to Queen of Australian radio Zan Rowe about Talking Heads ‘More Songs About Buildings and Food’. We chat about David Byrne’s outsider appeal, the new wave funk sound that defined Talking Heads, the album’s dystopian predictions and capitalist lyrics, producer Brian Eno’s contribution to the album and delve into his Oblique Strategies cards. Zan tells us about the first time she met David Byrne, his wonderful sense of curiosity and we both commiserate over missing his last tour.

This week I chat to rapper, writer, comedian, actor, one half of A.B. Original and the man who should've been PM, Briggs, about Snoop Dogg's classic album 'Doggy Style' (1993). We talk about Snoop as a crucial but underrated figure in the evolution of hip-hop, how Briggs discovered the record as a kid in Shepparton, make a case for the album's importance, the timelessness of the production, delve into the making of the album and how Briggs' channeled Snoop to capture the energy of the recording studio on 'Reclaim Australia'.

This week I chat to Australian singer-songwriter Gretta Ray about Blake Mills' 2010 album 'Break Mirrors'. Mills may be better known as a producer (Alabama Shakes, Dawes) but today we explore his own music. We talk about how Mills wrote this album as a calling card for his session work, his poetic but unpretentious turns of phrase, his unique but completely tasteful guitar work, Mills' production on Laura Marling's latest album and the advantages of operating slightly under the radar.

My Favorite Album Goes to the Movies continues as we explore how the iconic MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE theme has evolved over fifty years of the TV and film franchise, with special guest MI experts Drew Taylor and Charles Hood, hosts of the Light the Fuse podcasts. We look at the origins of the theme and delve into the scores of the 60s and 80s TV series, and how each composer has approached the films from Danny Elfman to Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino to Joe Kraemer and Lorne Balfe, plus lesser known takes on the theme music by U2’s Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr, Limp Bizkit, Kanye West and Jon Brion, and where we want to see the franchise take the score in the upcoming two (final?) films…

My Favorite Album goes to the Movies for the month of May! Kicking off with friend of the pod and host of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt, joining me to count down our competing lists of Top 10 James Bond theme songs. From Goldfinger to Live and Let Die, A View to a Kill to Nobody Does it Better, we celebrate and argue about the iconic theme songs that have soundtracked the long-running franchise, with some surprising and controversial choices amongst it. What makes for a great Bond theme? How much room is there to experiment with the form? What is the worst Bond theme? And who should carry the torch forward and sing the theme song for Bond 25?  

On the eve of her debut solo album release, I talk to singer-songwriter Charlie Collins about The War on Drugs’ Grammy-winning fourth album ‘A Deeper Understanding’. Charlie opens up about how the album influenced the sound and construction of her own record, even as they were recorded in total opposite ways. We talk about the blurred lines between bands and solo artists in the modern era, The War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel’s egoless performance style, why Charlie decided to release ‘Snowpine’ under her own name, the future of albums in the streaming age (and whether services like Spotify help or hinder them), how the meaning of an album changes as you evolve through life and the alternate band name that could’ve ruined the War on Drugs career...

LA singer/songwriter Christian Lee Hutson joins me to talk about Elliott Smith's classic 1998 album XO. We chat about how XO was Elliott's first album produced with a major label, retrospective listening and how many fans have hunted for hidden messages in the album's lyrics post Elliott's suicide and how a collision of musical worlds helped Christian bond with his Dad.  Christian tells me about an Elliott Smith tribute show he recently contributed to, how XO gave Christian courage to get into solo songwriting, plagiarism predicaments and we pledge to produce an Elliott Smith tribute record performed entirely by Hank Williams Jr.

LA Singer/songwriter Leslie Stevens joins me to chat about Neutral Milk Hotel's classic 1998 album 'In The Aeroplane Over the Sea'. We talk about The Diary of Anne Frank and it's influence on the album, authenticity in music and innocence lost. We unpack our teenage superiority complexes and debate whether genre labels are essential in the music world.   Leslie plays us an impromptu rendition of Norwegian Wood on her saw and we discuss vulnerability in song writing, whether 'Aeroplane Over the Sea' has dated and the album's hipster following. 

Podcasts collide as musician (The One AM Radio) and creator of my two favorite podcasts (Song Exploder, The West Wing Weekly) Hrishikesh Hirway joins me to delve into the sonic world Björk created on her classic 1997 album ‘Homogenic’ and how it inspired Hrishi to develop his own unique musical identity. From the beats to the string arrangements and beyond, we unpack the incredible craft and attention to detail that went into the album, and then Hrishi tells the story of Bjork’s appearance on Song Exploder, from how he landed his dream guest, behind the scenes on how the show is put together and the chance encounter he had with Bjork afterwards.

Screenwriter Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class, The Flash) has plenty of experience with charismatic aliens and mutants, so he’s right at home talking to me about David Bowie and his classic 1980 album ‘Scary Monsters… and Super Creeps’. We delve into how this record was Bowie’s journey back to mainstream success after his experimental Berlin period, Ashes to Ashes as a sequel song to Bowie’s first hit Space Oddity, the contributions on the records of musicians like Pete Townshend, Bowie’s underrated lyrics, Zack’s favorite Bowie acting performance (not what you’d expect) and why Bowie ended his stage acting career, how he would approach writing a film about Bowie and his frustrated plans to get Bowie into the X-Men films.

This week on the podcast, Hollywood producer and director David Friendly joins me to talk about Steely Dan's classic 1977 album 'Aja'. We talk about David's discovery of the album during his college years, how 'Aja' rewards repeat listens and how Walter Becker and Donald Fagen worked with the best session musicians of the time to create the perfect album recording.   Plus we discuss ageing musicians and their sometimes disappointing live performances and how the advancement of technology has changed the way we listen to and discover music. 

Grammy winning singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves talks her love iconic iconoclast John Prine and his self-titled debut album. Kacey talks about performing with Prine, playing him the song she wrote about him, how his approach to lyric writing inspired her own songs, why she put her Grammy in a Prine exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame, and wonders why people keep thinking her and Prine’s songs are about weed.

This week on the podcast I chat to Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos about Patti Smith's seminal album 'Horses'. We talk about how Michael Stipe led to Brittany’s discovery of the album as an aspiring music journalist, how it remains a seminal punk album while flying in the face of punk conventions, the album’s iconic opening line, Smith’s dismissal of traditional gender conventions, Brittany’s meeting with Patti at Lollapalooza and what Brittany sees as Patti Smith’s influence on contemporary music. My Favorite Album is a podcast on the impact great music has on our lives. Each episode features a guest on their favorite album of all time - why they love it, their history with the album and how it's influenced them. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist, concert promoter and photographer. He directed the the feature music documentaries Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts and Tommy Emmanuel: The Endless Road (coming soon). Edited by Ellie Willoughby. If you've got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a l