by hrishikesh

Episode 61: Courtney Barnett

“Depreston”

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DOWNLOAD: iTUNES · MP3

Courtney Barnett released her debut album in March 2015. By the end of the year, she had been nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist, Spin named her the Songwriter of the Year, and she won four ARIA Music Awards in her native Australia. In this episode, Courtney Barnett breaks down the song “Depreston,” which began with a visit to an open house, on a househunting trip she took in the town of Preston.

You can buy “Depreston,” from Courtney Barnett’s album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, on iTunes.

Watch Courtney Barnett’s live performance of “Depreston” on The Ellen Degeneres Show:

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Courtney’s guitar part was influenced by The Go-Betweens – Streets of Your Town.

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by hrishikesh

Episode 60: Björk

“Stonemilker”

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In January 2015, Björk released Vulnicura. She described it as “a complete heartbreak album.” And in November, she released Vulnicura Strings, a companion album that stripped away the electronics. In this episode, Björk breaks down the making of both the original version of the song “Stonemilker,” as well as the strings version. She traces her writing and recording process for the track, her collaboration with the electronic producer Arca, and why she wanted to make a second version.

You can find Björk’s podcast, Sonic Symbolism, here.

Watch the music video for Stonemilker:

You can buy Vulnicura and Vulnicura Strings from Björk’s webstore, or on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

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by hrishikesh

Episode 59: Transparent

Dustin O’Halloran – “Transparent (Main Title Theme)”

SongExploder59

DOWNLOAD: iTUNES · MP3

Transparent is an Amazon original series, created by Jill Soloway. The story centers on a family where the father, played by actor Jeffrey Tambor, comes out to his children and the to world at large as transgender. The first season was released in September 2014. It was critically acclaimed and won a lot of awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. In this episode, composer Dustin O’Halloran breaks down how he made the Transparent theme, using an 80-year old piano and channeling his own family nostalgia.

Watch the opening title sequence:

You can get the original music from Transparent on Amazon.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Dustin’s song from Piano Solos, Volume 2 that plays in the episode is Opus 22. You can buy the album on vinyl or the song on iTunes.

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