Aimee Mann is a Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter. In the 80s, she fronted the band ‘Til Tuesday, and in 1993, she released her first solo album. In 2017, Aimee released her 9th album, Mental Illness, and in this episode, she tells the story of how the song “Patient Zero” was made. I talked to Aimee along with the song’s co-writer, Jonathan Coulton. The interview was recorded in front of a live audience, on board the JoCo Cruise, a music and comedy themed cruise organized by Jonathan Coulton.

You can buy “Patient Zero” and Mental Illness on iTunes.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Andrew Garfield
Paul Bryan (producer and bassist)
The Blue Nile – “Tinseltown in the Rain”
‘Til Tuesday – “Voices Carry”

A post shared by Hrishikesh Hirway (@hrishihirway) on Mar 10, 2017 at 9:04am PST

Gorillaz is a creation of musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. They’re a virtual band made up four animated characters. The songs are written by Damon Albarn and a roster of collaborators. Since the first album was released in 2001, Gorillaz have sold over 16 million records worldwide. In this episode, Damon breaks down the song “Andromeda” from the 2017 Gorillaz album Humanz. The song features guest vocals by D.R.A.M., a rapper and singer whose own hit single, “Broccoli,” went quadruple platinum in 2016. D.R.A.M. tells the story of how he got involved with this track, and Damon shares an exclusive clip of a scrapped version of the song with D.R.A.M. on lead vocals.

You can buy “Andromeda” and order the Gorillaz album Humanz on iTunes.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Twilite Tone (producer)
Michael Jackson – Billy Jean
Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go for That
Bobby Womack

Since her debut in 2002, Norah Jones has sold over 50 million albums and won 8 Grammys. In 2016, she released Day Breaks, her sixth album. In this episode, she takes apart the title track and details how the pieces unexpectedly came together. you’ll hear her original demo for the song, and how it was transformed in the studio, including a session with jazz saxophone legend Wayne Shorter. Plus, a few thoughts from Norah’s co-producer and longtime collaborator Sarah Oda.

Listen to “Day Breaks” on Apple Music or Spotify.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.