by hrishikesh

Episode 64: The New Pornographers

“Brill Bruisers”

SongExploder64

DOWNLOAD: iTUNES · MP3

The New Pornographers are kind of a supergroup, with seven members in the band, including Neko Case and Dan Bejar, who are both acclaimed songwriters with their own successful solo careers. But the band is led by Carl Newman, and in this episode, he breaks down the title song from their sixth album Brill Bruisers. Plus you’ll hear some thoughts from bassist and co-producer John Collins. My interview with Carl Newman was recorded live at The Greene Space at WNYC.

You can buy “Brill Bruisers” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Queen – We Will Rock You
Talking Heads – Psycho Killer

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by hrishikesh

Episode 63: Kelela

“Rewind”

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DOWNLOAD: iTUNES · MP3

Kelela is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. In 2015, she released Hallucinogen, and landed on critics’ lists in the New York Times, Washington Post, Pitchfork, and more. In this episode, Kelela takes apart her song “Rewind.” To make the track, she worked with five different producers, picking and choosing each for what they could best contribute to her overall vision for the song. This interview was recorded live in San Francisco at Fusion’s Real Future Fair.

You can buy “Rewind,” from Kelela’s EP Hallucinogen, on iTunes.

Watch the music video for the song:

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Kelela was looking for a Miami Bass sound along the lines of “My Boo” by Ghost Town DJs.

The collaborators on “Rewind” were:
Obey City
Nugget
Girl Unit
Kingdom
Ariel Rechtshaid

Photograph by Mitch Tobias

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by hrishikesh

Episode 62: MGMT

“Time to Pretend”

SongExploder62

DOWNLOAD: iTUNES · MP3

MGMT was formed by Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden in 2001. The song “Time to Pretend” was one they wrote early in their career. It first came out on their debut: the Time to Pretend EP in 2005. And three years after that, they put out a new version of the song, on their first full-length album, Oracular Spectactular, which was named album of the year by NME and was one of Rolling Stone’s top 20 albums of the decade. It went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. In this episode, Ben and Andrew trace how the song “Time to Pretend” was made, from its dorm room origins, to its first recording, to re-envisioning it with Grammy-winning producer Dave Fridmann. They also uncover the hidden sounds and easter eggs within the recording.

MGMT is giving away an exclusive white label pressing of the Time to Pretend EP on vinyl, signed by the band. If you’d like to enter to win the record, all you have to do is share a link to this episode, and tag MGMT and Song Exploder in your post. On Twitter and Instagram, their handle is @whoismgmt, and Song Exploder is just @songexploder. A winner will be announced on January 31 on Song Exploder’s Twitter.

You can buy “Time to Pretend,” from Oracular Spectacular on iTunes. You can also get the EP version of the song.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
The Flaming Lips – Fight Test
ABBA – Dancing Queen
The Thingamagoop

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