Sleater-Kinney was formed in 1994 by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. Drummer Janet Weiss was a member of the band from 1997 until 2019. In 2001, author and critic Greil Marcus named Sleater-Kinney “America’s Best Band” in Time Magazine. Over the years, they’ve made nine albums, including this year’s The Center Won’t Hold which was produced by Annie Clark of St. Vincent. In this episode, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein break down how the song “The Future Is Here” was made.

You can buy or stream “The Future is Here” right here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
Joseph Keckler
Weirdo Night at Zebulon
St Vincent episode of Song Exploder

Denzel Curry is a rapper from Miami. He started his career at age 16 as part of the hip hop collective Raider Klan. He released his first solo album while still in high school.

In May 2019 Denzel released his fourth album, ZUU. He made it with the Australian production duo FnZ, who have been collaborating with him since 2016. The album was named “Best New Music” by Pitchfork, and Denzel made his TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

In this episode, Denzel Curry and FnZ break down the song “RICKY,” which was named after Denzel’s father.

You can buy or stream “RICKY” here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
“Twisted Blood” – Lukid
“Boyz-N-The-Hood” – Eazy-E
“Been Around the World” freestyle – DJ Screw
Wu-Tang Clan
“Break Da Law ’95′” – Three 6 Mafia
Dipset

 

Jamila Woods is a singer, songwriter, and poet from Chicago. She’s released two albums, and she’s collaborated with artists like Chance the Rapper, Noname, and Macklemore.

In May 2019, she put out her second album, LEGACY! LEGACY!, to critical acclaim. NME called it one of the albums of the year, Rolling Stone called it a “revelation,” and Pitchfork named it “Best New Music.”

In this episode, Jamila and her producer Slot-A break down a song from that album, called “Baldwin,” named after the late author and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

You can buy or stream “BALDWIN” here. Check out the album LEGACY! LEGACY! on vinyl here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
“A Letter To My Nephew” by James Baldwin
Young Chicago Authors
“I’m So Into You” – SWV
Rhodes piano
Akai MPC
Moog synthesizer
Chicago Children’s Choir
Nico Segal – horns