Episode 122: Rachel Platten

“Broken Glass”

Rachel Platten is a singer and songwriter who’s released four albums, including her 2016 album Wildfire, which went Gold. The lead single from that album, “Fight Song,” was used prominently by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. For a normally apolitical artist, the sudden proximity to the election had profound effects, both positive and negative. In this episode, Rachel breaks down her song “Broken Glass,” which was inspired by that experience, and written just days before the 2016 election.

You can get “Broken Glass” on iTunes

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten
FiveThirtyEight Elections Podcast Countdown
Nate Cyphert (Co-writer)
Jarrad Rogers (Co-writer/Producer)
Stargate (Producers)

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Episode 121: Stranger Things

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein – “Stranger Things (Main Title Theme)”

The show Stranger Things is a Netflix original series. It was first released in July 2016. Season two’s release date: October 27, 2017. After the first season, the show was nominated for 18 Emmys, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. The theme music, along with the rest of the show’s score, was composed by Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon of the band SURVIVE. In this episode, they break down how they made the main title theme.

You can get “Stranger Things (Main Title Theme)” on iTunes and listen to an official extended version of the theme here.

Also, check out this great feature on the visuals for the title sequence of Stranger Things, by Art of the Title. 

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
“Dirge” by SURVIVE
Prophet V
Roland SH-2
Sequential Circuits Pro One

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Episode 120: TOKiMONSTA

“Bibimbap”

Los Angeles producer and beatmaker Jennifer Lee released her first album as TOKiMONSTA in 2010. She has released music on Flying Lotus‘s label Brainfeeder, and has collaborated with Kool Keith and Anderson .Paak, among others. Her newest album, Lune Rouge, was released in October 2017. In this episode, TOKiMONSTA breaks down her song “Bibimbap,” which is named after a Korean dish.

You can get “Bibimbap” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
Bibimbap
Pansori song used in episode
Short documentary on Pansori
Gayageum (traditional Korean stringed instrument)

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