by hrishikesh

Episode 145: Cat Power

“Woman”

 

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Chan Marshall is a singer songwriter who’s been making records under the name Cat Power since 1995. In 2018, she put out her tenth album, Wanderer. It includes this song “Woman,” which has Lana Del Rey on backing vocals. In this episode, Chan breaks down the song and what it means to her, as she tells the story of how she made  “Woman” in Miami and Los Angeles over the course of a few years.

Buy or stream “Woman” here, and watch the music video below. You can buy her album, Wanderer on vinyl here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
Rob Schnapf
MANT Studios
Rhodes piano

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by hrishikesh

Episode 144: Blood Orange

“Saint”

 

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Blood Orange is the project of songwriter and producer Devonté Hynes. He’s produced and co-written songs for artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, Solange, HAIM, and ASAP Rocky, among others. He’s been releasing his own music as Blood Orange since 2011. In August 2018, he released his fourth Blood Orange album, Negro Swan, and in this episode, Dev breaks down how he made the song “Saint.” You’ll hear the original version of the track from 2015, as well as the layers and voices that were added over the months to create the final version that appears on the album.

Buy or stream “Saint” here, and watch the music video below. You can buy his album, Negro Swan on vinyl here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
Arthur Russell – Let’s Go Swimming (Puppy Surf Dub)
Guest vocalists on the song: Bea1991, Ava Rain, Aaron Maine (Porches), Adam Bainbridge (Kindness).
Jason Arce, saxophonist

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by hrishikesh

Episode 143: The Decemberists

“Once In My Life”

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The Decemberists are a Grammy-nominated five-piece band from Portland, Oregon. They released their first album in 2001, and since then they’ve put out seven more, including the 2018 album I’ll Be Your Girl. In this episode, singer and guitarist Colin Meloy breaks down The Decemberists’ song “Once In My Life” — from his first demo, to the final tracks they recorded in the studio.

Buy or stream “Once In My Life” here, and watch the music video below. You can buy the album, I’ll Be Your Girl on vinyl here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
Richard Thompson – “1952 Vincent Black Lightning”
The Smiths – “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”
SinBin, home of Halfling Studios in Portland

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