In an interview with Belgian filmmakers the Dardenne brothers, talking about the kinds of stories they tell, Luc Dardenne says, “Human suffering, that interests us very much.”

It also interests Tom Krell, a songwriter and producer who goes by the name How to Dress Well. After seeing one of the Dardenne brothers films, The Kid With a Bike, he was inspired to make the song “Pour Cyril.” In this episode, he’ll dig deep into that where that inspiration led him, from transformations within the song, within the film, and within himself.

Buy “Pour Cyril” on iTunes, and check out How to Dress Well’s live orchestral version of the song on Soundcloud.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
“The Kid with a Bike,” directed by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne


Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73, 2nd movement


“Special,” by Janet Jackson


“Beau Travail,” directed by Claire Denis

Casey Dienel is a producer, singer, and songwriter who goes by the name White Hinterland. In this episode, she’ll break down her song Ring the Bell. To make it, she had to break out of her comfort zone of working alone and reach to other people. She got a little unexpected help from Beyoncé.

Buy “Ring the Bell” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Here’s Beyoncé’s song “The End of Time.”

In 2013, Warpaint starting working on their sophomore album. They retreated away from their home in Los Angeles to the nearby desert oasis of Joshua Tree, California. There, they wrote the song “Love Is to Die,” and it was decided that it would be the single from the record. Now, with over 6 million plays on Spotify and nearly 3 million more on YouTube, “Love Is to Die” is by some measures their most popular song. Designating it as the single was a decision that was easy to make early on, but it was also carried unforeseen consequences for the band. In this episode, three of the four members break down the sounds in the song, and weigh in on some of the difficulty they faced getting this track from the initial idea to the finished recording.

Buy “Love Is to Die” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.