The Lumineers released their second album on April 8, 2016. Their first album went platinum, and they spent months touring relentlessly in support of it. That schedule took a toll on their relationship, but they ended up putting it into their songs. In this episode, Wes and Jeremiah break down their song “Ophelia.” You’ll hear their demos and a version that didn’t make it to the album. They’ll explain how the final track is not just a product of what they put into it, but what they decided to leave out.

You can buy “Ophelia” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
“Ophelia” by The Band

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Weezer’s 10th album, the self-titled “White” album, came out April 1, 2016. In this episode, Rivers Cuomo breaks down the meticulous process of making the song “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori,” through the different demo versions that the track went through, and the array of spreadsheets that he uses collect, analyze, and harvest his ideas.

You can buy “Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
“Walk Away Renee” by The Left Banke
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

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Thao & The Get Down Stay Down released the album A Man Alive in March 2016. In this episode, Thao Nguyen breaks down the song “Astonished Man.” Thao talks about working with Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards, who produced the album, and she speaks candidly about her relationship with her estranged father, the subject of the song.

You can buy “Astonished Man” from Thao & The Get Down Stay Down’s album A Man Alive, on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Gilead: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson
Read by Phoebe Judge of Criminal.

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