Episode 82: Tobacco

“Gods In Heat”

SongExploder82-Tobacco

Tom Fec, aka Tobacco, has released four albums since 2008. He’s also the frontman of the band Black Moth Super Rainbow, and he created the theme music for the HBO show Silicon Valley. In this episode, Tom breaks down his song “Gods in Heat” from his newest album, Sweatbox Dynasty, recorded entirely on cassette.

You can buy “Gods In Heat” on iTunes and Bandcamp.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Ildjarn – “Himmelhvelv”
Butthole Surfers – “Birds”
“Silicon Valley” Opening Titles

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Episode 81: Andra Day

“Forever Mine”

SongExploder81-AndraDay

Singer/songwriter Andra Day put out her first record in August 2015. Since then, she’s been invited by the Obamas to perform at the White House on multiple occasions, and the record was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B album. In this episode, Andra breaks down her song “Forever Mine” along with the track’s producer, Rob Kleiner.

You can buy “Forever Mine” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
The Flamingos – “I Only Have Eyes For You”
Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones (Part II)”
The “Forever Mine” video (directed by Spike Lee):

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Episode 80: BoJack Horseman

Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney – BoJack Horseman (Main Title Theme)


BoJack Horseman is a Netflix original series, an animated comedy about a washed up 90s sitcom star who’s trying to figure out his life and career without drowning in self-loathing and existential despair. It won the 2016 Critics Choice award for best animated series. The theme song for the show was created by Patrick Carney, who is one half of The Black Keys, and his uncle, Ralph Carney, a multi-instrumentalist who has worked artists like Tom Waits, St Vincent, The B-52s, Galaxie 500, and others. But the track wasn’t written for the show, originally; it was just something that Patrick and Ralph made without knowing what it was for. In this episode, the two break down how the song was created, and how it went from their long-distance collaboration to become a TV theme song.

You can buy or stream the full version of the BoJack Horseman Main Title Theme here.

BoJack Horseman – Main Titles

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Here’s the Ralph Carney tribute in the main title sequence of Season 5, Episode 1:

Patrick and Ralph Carney’s MySpace page

The Simpsons Theme

Ralph Carney’s Obituary in The New York Times

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