Category: Episode

by hrishikesh

Episode 96: Dropkick Murphys

“Blood”

SongExploder96-DropkickMurphys

DOWNLOAD: iTUNES · MP3

Dropkick Murphys formed in Massachusetts in 1996. For over twenty years, they’ve made music that’s reflected the culture and community they’ve come from, including their platinum single “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” In January 2017, they released their ninth album 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, which includes the song “Blood.” In this episode, guitarist Tim Brennan breaks down how the music for “Blood” was made, and the band founder Ken Casey explains the inspiration behind the lyrics.

Buy “Blood” on iTunes.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Dropkick Murphys – Time to Go
AC/DC – Back in Black
The Pogues – Dirty Old Town

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by hrishikesh

Episode 95: Moonlight

Nicholas Britell – Little’s Theme, Chiron’s Theme, Black’s Theme

SongExploder95-Moonlight-Portrait

DOWNLOAD: iTUNES · MP3

The film Moonlight tells the story of its main character, Chiron, in three chapters: when Chiron is a young boy, nicknamed Little, when he’s a teenager, and when he’s an adult, nicknamed Black. For each chapter of the film, composer Nicholas Britell created a theme, and in this episode, Nicholas takes those themes apart. The score for Moonlight was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and the film itself won the Golden Globe for Best Drama.

This episode is part of a series I’m doing in conjunction with New York Magazine’s site Vulture, looking at awards-worthy film music from this season. For more, visit vulture.com/awards.

You can buy the soundtrack to Moonlight on iTunes, or on vinyl.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

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by hrishikesh

Episode 94: Solange

“Cranes in the Sky”

DOWNLOAD: iTUNES · MP3

Solange Knowles released her first album in 2002, at the age of 16. Her third album, A Seat at the Table, came out in September 2016, and debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. It’s gotten widespread critical acclaim, including being named best album of the year by Pitchfork and by Vibe. In this episode, Solange takes apart the song “Cranes in the Sky.”

Buy “Cranes in the Sky” on iTunes.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Alice Coltrane – Transcendence
Taz Arnold

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