IndieCast

Time flies when you're having fun: this week marks the one-year anniversary of Indiecast! Steve and Ian kick off the new episode with reflections of their highs and lows from a year of doing the show, and take a moment to thank all of the listeners who have engaged with the show and submitted questions.The meat of this episode has Steve and Ian revisiting the Indiecast Hall Of Fame, which is dedicated to honoring albums that are under-appreciated in the modern lexicon of indie rock. The new albums receiving honors include The Soundtrack Of Our Lives' 2002 effort Behind The Music, Screaming Trees' Dust, and more.In this week's Recommendation Corner, Ian is paying tribute to Joey Jordison, the late Slipknot drummer who passed away earlier this week, and reminding fans to revisit the first Slipknot album. Steve, on the other hand, is prepared to start revving the engine of the hype train around Let Me Do One More, the new album from Illuminati Hotties that isn't due until October.

With new music incoming from The War On Drugs, The Killers, and Coldplay, this episode of Indiecast asks the question we've all been thinking: is heartland rock stronger than ever or drawing its last breath? The staying power of the aforementioned acts is undeniable, but at the same time there aren't many up and coming acts who are creating music that feels similar, sonically or thematically. It's unclear whether there is even room in the heartland rock space for any acts that are still emerging, including some of our favorite underrated artists like like Wild Pink or Strand Of Oaks.In this week's Recommendation Corner, Ian has been vibing with Johnny Football Hero's Complacency EP, while Steve is once again plugging HBO's forthcoming Woodstock '99 documentary for which he served as a consulting producer.

This week's episode opens with Steve and Ian discussing recent albums from the offspring of famous people. This leads naturally into a conversation of Sling, the new sophomore album from indie pop phenom Clairo. Claire Cotrill's parents are well-connected in the music industry, which many haters use as a way to discount her success as an artist over the last few years and reiterate the “bootstraps” mentality (that is a driving force of the capitalist mindset, but we digress).Musically, Sling is a very low-key affair that could be viewed as another “reaction to fame” record that exists as the opposite end of the harshness spectrum from Nirvana's In Utero. Produce by Jack Antonoff, the LP stems from the pent-up anxiety of Cotrill's sudden fame after her debut, and the intense touring schedule that followed. It's not as immediately gripping as Immunity, but seems like a record that could get definitely grow on a listener after it settles in the brain and ages.In this week's Recommendation Corner, both Steve and Ian are plugging brand new surprise EPs from two of their favorite artists. Steve is urging everyone to check out Total Serene, the latest short-form release from Gang Of Youths, and Ian can't get enough of the new EP from Yves Tumor.

As is tradition, this week's episode of Indiecast has Steve and Ian taking questions from you: the loyal listeners. Questions were fielded from all around the globe, leading this Mailbag episode to revolve around a provocative conversation about topics like the state of music journalism and which medium is best for learning about an artist in 2021, as well as bands that could have been bigger had they come around at a different time, blog rock, and the songs that Steve and Ian have listened to the most over the years.In this week's Recommendation Corner, Steve is recommending Liam Kazar, whose latest effort, Due North, is set for release in August. Ian, on the other hand, is taking the opportunity to once again plug South Carolina outfit Adjy, who released The Idyll Opus (I-IV) last week.You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news.

Late last year, Steve and Ian created the Indiecasties, a special, highly sought-after distinction honoring the best, worst, and downright strangest releases of the year. This week, they're bringing back the segment for a mid-year review to award titles like Most Valuable Album Cycle (MVAC), Memory-Holed Album Of The Year So Far, and Most “Festival Band” Festival Band to the best and brightest of the first six months of 2021.In this week's Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging South Carolina outfit Adjy, whi released The Idyll Opus (I-IV) earlier this week. Steve, on the other hand, is shouting out Summer Of Soul, the new Questlove-directed documentary focused on the Harlem Cultural Festival during the summer of 1969.

Lucy Dacus! Modest Mouse! Pom Pom Squad! Tyler, The Creator! Lightning Bug! Free Throw! Faye Webster! All of these albums drop today, and that's just the beginning of the list. Steve and Ian got in front of this week's onslaught of releases by discussing the new Modest Mouse LP in last week's episode. Even with advance preparation, it was difficult to choose just two albums to dig into this week, so they decided to tack on a third. The latest efforts from Lucy Dacus, Lightning Bug, and Faye Webster stand above the rest of the laundry list of releases this week, marking creative high points for all three artists.In this week's Recommendation Corner, Ian is digging Butterfly 3000, the latest in a string of 2021 releases from prolific Australian outfit King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Steve wants to spread the good word about The Veiled Sea, the new effort from indie jam band Six Organs Of Admittance.You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at indiecastmailbag@gmail.com, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news.

Next week, Modest Mose is releasing The Golden Casket, their first new music since 2015's Strangers To Ourselves . We recently got Isaac Brock to review every Modest Mouse album, including their latest, and now it's time for Steve and Ian to give their takes on the band's first release for the better part of a decade.In addition to new music, Steve and Ian are also reflecting on the catalogue and career of one of the brightest lights in the indie rock scene of the aughts: The Shins. The band recently celebrated twenty years of Oh, Inverted World with a newly remastered version of the album, considered to be one of the definitive touchstones of the indie rock canon. How does it hold up two decades after its initial release?In this week's Recommendation Corner, Steve is excited about the return of Gang Of Youths with the new single “The Angel Of 8th Ave.” Ian is digging Megabear, the new album from UK outfit Me Rex.

This month marks the tenth anniversary of Bon Iver's self-titled sophomore album, which solidified Justin Vernon's project as an indie rock powerhouse, and eventually earned him a handful of Grammys (see above). To celebrate ten years of this pivotal record, Steve and Ian are putting aside their opposing views on Bon Iver to spend an episode reflecting on the outfit's catalogue and lasting impact.In the decade since the release of Bon Iver, Justin Vernon has made a name for himself as one of the least predictable and most adventurous artists of recent memory, with a series of ultimate “grower” albums that end up shifting listeners' tastes, that somehow exist in the same timeline as recent massive collaborations with Taylor Swift. This week, Steve and Ian discuss whether “Woods” is one of the most important indie rock songs of the 21st century, and how much Vernon's association with Kanye actually accounts for his credibility in the indie world.In this week's Recommendation Corner, Steve is digging Australian indie-pop outfit The Goon Sax's forthcoming LP Mirror II, while Ian is plugging Militarie Gun's new EP All Roads Lead To The Gun.

Somehow, 2021 is already nearly halfway over. With the world getting ready to emerge from our collective cocoon, here's to hoping that the second half of the year will bring more joy IRL than the first half. Despite the lack of in-person interactions over the last six months, one thing that hasn't been lacking is the release of exceptional new music. On this week's episode of Indiecast, Steve and Ian are digging into some of the year's best albums that might have flown under the radar.Ranging from punk and punk-adjacent efforts like Fiddlehead's Between The Richness and Field Music's Flat White Moon, to the good vibes of Jimmy Montague's Casual Use or Sunburned Hand Of The Man's Pick A Day To Die, Steve and Ian cover a lot of sonic ground in their picks.With much of this episode dedicated to music you might not have heard before, there is no Recommendation Corner this week.

Last week, Olivia Rodrigo released her highly anticipated debut album Sour. The full-length effort includes three absolutely massive singles, and sets Rodrigo as one of the biggest stars on the planet. However, some of the discourse online was criticizing the praise, questioning whether critics have any place reviewing “teenage” music. On this week’s episode of Indiecast, Steve and Ian dig into Sour, and this confounding divide.Later in the episode, the duo also discuss Cavalcade, the new album from English experimental rockers Black Midi. In the midst of an era of music consumption that gives listeners exactly what they want, Black Midi is the rare rock band with a significant profile that is unafraid of irritating people. At a time when boundless musical comfort food is at our fingertips, the buzz around the group is equal parts confusing and exciting.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is plugging I Won’t Reach Out To You, the new EP from Michigan punks Hot Mulligan. Steve wants listeners to check out his recent interview with Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, whose forthcoming Jubilee is a big contender for indie album of the year.

The new episode of Indiecast is all about listener questions. Steve and Ian fielded questions from listeners all over the country, with topics ranging from nostalgia to underdog bands. To begin, a listener is wondering about stan culture, specifically with regard to the response to lukewarm reception of St. Vincent’s new album, Daddy’s Home. After Pitchfork released a tepid review, screenshots were circulating around the internet of Annie Clark’s fan base threatening violence against both the publication, and the writer.Another listener is wondering if it’s too late to dig into The Smashing Pumpkins’ 1995 opus Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. Steve and Ian are both quick to give their response, which is a resounding: “NO!”In this week’s recommendation corner, Ian is enjoying The Dance, the latest release from NATL PARK SVC. Hyden, on the other hand, is plugging Mdou Moctar’s new album Afrique Victime, which drops today.

This week’s episode kicks off with a listener question about the current renaissance of post-punk outfits like Dry Cleaning, Squid, or Pottery. Is this style of music, which is often built around the dry musings of a distinctly BRITISH vocalist, built to last, or is its popularity merely a byproduct of being inside for too long?The main crux of this week’s episode, however, is dedicated to Daddy’s Home and Delta Kream, new albums from two of the biggest working indie artists today: St. Vincent and The Black Keys, respectively. Where do the latest efforts from these two genre-defining acts rank in their lengthy discographies? While The Black Keys have been pumping out radio hits for the better part of the last decade, St. Vincent has achieved an interesting level of critical acclaim comparing her to legends like Prince, Madonna, and David Bowie, albeit without any bona-fide hits on her setlist.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is digging Whole Damn Body, the recent b-sides EP from Los Campesinos! Meanwhile, Steve is can’t get enough of Topaz, the soulful new album from Texas singer-songwriter Israel Nash.

For weeks, we’ve been quietly hoping that Steve and Ian would dedicate an episode of Indiecast to the evolution and purported impending comeback of ska. Well, that day has finally arrived, as this week’s episode is all about talkin’ ska. For the uninitiated, ska is a genre of music that originally started in Jamaica in the 1960’s but soon moved over to the UK with the 2 Tone revival in the late 70’s, then re-emerged prominently in the 80’s and 90’s with bands like Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, The Aquabats, and more.With Jeff Rosenstock reimagining his entire 2020 opus No Dream as a ska album and the prevalence of Ska Tune Network on YouTube, could ska be making another comeback in the 2020’s? Perhaps, but the deciding factor will come when a new ska band starts to get critical and commercial attention.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian has been digging Internet Breath, the new album from Montana band Hey, ILY. Hyden is looking ahead a bit to the forthcoming album from Brooklyn-based quintet Lightning Bug, which is due June 25.

This week’s episode of Indiecast kicks off with Steve and Ian recounting their worst and toughest interview experiences with artists. There’s a difference between a good bad interview, like a conversation with Liam Gallagher, and a plain bad interview, like an inaudible conference call with Migos. The main topic of this week’s episode is a conversation about new albums from Manchester Orchestra and the revival of the long-dormant collaborative project of Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Matt Sweeney.Manchester Orchestra has been one of the staples of the emo universe for the better part of the last two decades and their latest effort, The Million Masks Of God, is their grandest work to date. Meanwhile, the last time Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Matt Sweeney worked together was before Manchester Orchestra even released their debut album, with 2005’s Superwolf. Now, 16 years after their last collaboration, the duo is back for an album fittingly entitled Superwolves. After two decades apart, how does the collaborative spirit between the two artists hold up?In this week's Recommendation Corner, Steve can't with for the forthcoming EP from Mannequin Pussy, while Ian is enjoying the latest from Porter Robinson.Disclaimer: Technical difficulties resulted in Ian having to record this episode through his computer, which could result in slightly lower quality audio than usual. This should be rectified for next week's episode.

Steve and Ian would be remiss if they didn’t kick off this week’s episode of Indiecast with a discussion of the Morrissey/Simpsons controversy, wherein The Smiths’ singer called the show’s depiction of him “hurtful” and “racist.”The main crux of this episode, however, returns to the Indiecast Hall Of Fame, which was designed to honor albums in the indie rock and alternative rock realm that were influential and beloved at the time of their release, but have since been lost to the test of time and sadly — some might say shamefully — left out of the widely accepted canon of the genre. After an episode paying tribute to albums by Counting Crows, The Promise Ring, and more, Steve and Ian are now turning their attention to efforts from Saves The Day, Megafaun, Secret Machines, and Unkle.In this week’s recommendation corner, Steve is boosting the forthcoming new EP from DIY power-pop icon Pronoun, entitled OMG I Made It. Ian is shouting out Snow Ellet, whose latest effort Suburban Indie Rock Star is out now.

This week’s episode of Indiecast kicks off with a discussion of the new collaborative track from Mick Jagger and Dave Grohl, a very goofy moment in rock history. The conversation then segues into the mailbag segment, which raises the question of which indie artists should follow in Taylor Swift’s footsteps to take another stab at their earlier material.The main crux of this week’s episode revolves around new albums from The Armed and Greta Van Fleet, the former of which gets their name from being the most jacked band since Manowar. The latter? Not so much.Both bands are indicative of a strange moment in the modern mainstream rock landscape, in ways that are almost diametrically opposed. The Armed evocative of the heyday of mainstream hard rock, one of the most commercially successful genres ever. Greta Van Fleet, on the other hand, are a band so preposterous that they become almost endearing and endlessly fun to engage with.

After a very long year without live music, it seems like there could finally be a light at the end of the tunnel. Bonnaroo is on the books for September, and Outside Lands is scheduled for late October. On this week’s episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen are feeling cautiously optimistic about what the return of these festivals could mean for the live music landscape, as a whole.With festivals scheduled for the fall, many artist teams are also feeling confident in the touring landscape for the latter months of 2021. Julien Baker and Japanese Breakfast have both shared routings for the fall, and Pavement is also rumored to be announcing a 2022 tour sometime in the near future. However, the question still remains: will there be any reluctance from fans to get back together in large groups, or will people just be rearing to go?In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Hyden is shouting out Chicago band Floatie, who dropped their debut album Voyage Out last month. Cohen is excited about Dream Weapon, the new album from New York experimental metal band Genghis Tron, and the quartet’s first release in 13 years.

On last week’s episode, Steven and Ian reflected on the year-end lists they made in 2011. They spent time discussing albums like Real Estate’s Days and M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, albums that were very highly regarded at the time.This week, they are using the benefit of hindsight to revise those lists and name the albums that might have flown under the critical radar in 2011, but we can acknowledge today to have been very influential. For Steven, these are albums like The War On Drugs’ Slave Ambient and Wye Oak’s Civilian, while Cold Cave’s Cherish The Light Years and Drake’s Take Care still reign supreme in Ian's mind.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven is plugging Course In Fable, the new album from Ryley Walker that’s out today. Ian, on the other hand, is digging through some obscure recent uploads on Bandcamp to showcase some new names like Get Well, Kid and Twinkle Park.

A decade in the rearview, 2011 has revealed itself to be a very interesting year for indie rock. There are several albums that were considered to be very important in the moment, but have, in the years since, faded from the spotlight to become not much more than asterisks. Remember Whokill? How about the first and only Wild Flag LP?That said, there are still some albums that stand the test of time today: self-titled efforts from Bon Iver and Joyce Manor, Real Estate’s Days, M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. In this episode of Indiecast, Steven and Ian are reflecting on the first year of the 2010’s to determine which albums still have that staying power.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is vibing with Green To Gold, the latest album from 2010’s stalwarts The Antlers. Steven, on the other hand, is plugging his new retrospective on Stone Temple Pilots’ Tiny Music. Check that out here.

Steven and Ian kick off this week’s episode of Indiecast with a half-assed recap of last week’s Grammys. It doesn’t last long before the duo dive straight into a discussion of the aesthetic and influence of Kurt Vile in honor of the tenth anniversary of Smoke Ring.The main topic this week is Chemtrails Over The Country Club, the seventh studio album from Lana Del Rey. It’s the follow-up to Norman F*cking Rockwell, which was one of our favorite albums of 2019, and Lana seems to feel the pressure across her latest. Like her other work, Chemtrails is a cinematic affair ripe with what can only be described as “vibes.”In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven is bumping Ian's previous recommendation of the new self-titled album by Really From. Ian, on the other hand, has been digging into South Korean outfit Parannoul, whose releases are only available on Bandcamp.

Before Steven and Ian can jump into the latest all-mailbag episode of Indiecast, they must address the story of Mumford And Sons temporarily parting ways with their banjo player Winston Marshall after he came under fire for praising known right-wing agitator Andy Ngo in a social media post. Mumford has killed one of his sons.This week’s mailbag is the most interesting collection of listener comments yet, with a wide range of questions. Topics covered include the sexism that is inherent when classifying music by genre, critical re-evaluation of under-appreciated records, and British press lauding post-punk acts like Fontaines DC and Idles.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is plugging the new self-titled LP from Boston quartet Really From. Hyden, on the other hand, is enjoying Heaven And Holy, the latest from Painted Shrine, the collaborative project of Jeremy Earl (Woods) and Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, The Reds, Pinks & Purples).

It’s been teased for weeks now, but the time has finally come: Indiecast is delving into the career and music of Animal Collective. At one point in the aughts, the Baltimore-based group was inextricable from the overall concept of indie rock, and thus indie rock as an actual force in pop music. These days, however, the band seems to have little to no profile or lasting impact. What happened in the last decade or so that forced one of the most important bands in the genre into near obscurity? In the latest episode of Indiecast, Steven and Ian look to get to the bottom of this mystery, while also reevaluating some of the band’s definitive works like Merriweather Post Pavilion and Centipede Hz.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is digging Florida quartet Home Is Where, who just released the new EP I Became Birds. Meanwhile, Steven is enjoying the long-running rotating collective of musicians releasing projects under the name Sunburned Hand Of The Man.

With the consistent haze of winter slowly fading into the rearview, 2021 is finally starting to kick it into high gear on the new music front. This week, Steven and Ian are digging into new releases from Julien Baker and Cloud Nothings, but not before taking a moment to eulogize the end of Daft Punk after 28 years.For Julien Baker, 'Little Oblivions' is her first album in nearly four years, and marks a turning point for the 25-year-old songwriter. Where her arrangements were previously sparse and centered around a looped guitar or a piano, the new album incorporates a full band aesthetic with drums and much more space to roam. What does a fleshed-out sound mean for one of indie’s most earnest songwriters?While Baker was quiet for nearly four years, Cloud Nothings have been more active than ever during the pandemic, turning to a Bandcamp subscription plan as a way to keep fans engaged. They released the home-recorded 'The Black Hole Understands' in July of 2020, and have already followed it up with the proper next studio album, 'The Shadow I Remember.' Where does it stack up in their nearly decade-long discography?In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven is honoring the late Miles Seaton by revisiting the catalogue of his band Akron/Family, while Ian has been enjoying the new EP from Canadian outfit Arm’s Length.

This week, Steven and Ian are discussing two of the most exciting indie releases of the week. First up is a passionate discussion of Open Door Policy, the new album from veteran rockers The Hold Steady. Steven appreciates the band’s long-running arc and recent comeback, while Ian has never connected with the Beat-style of what he calls “dude writing.”Next up on the docket is A Billion Little Lights, the new effort from Wild Pink’s. Led by singer-songwriter John Ross, who moved to Brooklyn after college to be a film composer, Wild Pink’s latest is undeniably cinematic and meditative, a stubbornly un-flashy affair that was originally intended to be a double album about the American West, but was eventually condensed to a lean 10-track affair.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is vibing with New Music And Big Pop, the debut album from Another Michael, while Steven is enjoying Call In The Mess, the forthcoming sophomore album from New York outfit Nervous Dater.

After a week of banter about Phoebe Bridgers smashing her guitar on 'SNL' and the discourse that inevitably surrounds the annual announcement of nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Ian and Steven are spending this week’s episode of Indiecast reflecting on a simpler moment in indie history. The so-called indie R&B scene of the early 2010’s spawned some of the biggest artists of today, including The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and James Blake.At the same time, Beyonce and Jay-Z were going to see both Coldplay and Grizzly Bear live, and Kanye was collaborating with Bon Iver. With James Blake’s debut album turning ten and The Weeknd playing the Super Bowl halftime show, now is as fitting a time as ever to reminisce on an era ripe with musical collaboration and exciting releases that remain part of the conversation nearly a decade later.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been enjoying For Your Health's debut album 'In Spite Of,' while Hyden can’t get enough of the Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo collabroative album, 'Deep Fried Grandeur.'

This week kicks off with an enlightening discussion of which indie bands should release greatest hits albums. Then, Steven and Ian are diving into one of the biggest releases of 2021 so far: Foo Fighters’ tenth studio album 'Medicine At Midnight.' The album doesn’t really sound like anything the Foos have released to date, continuing down the path that began with 2014’s 'Sonic Highways,' moving away from the thrashing rock that seems to have culminated in 2011’s 'Wasting Light.' 25 years into the band’s career, Hyden and Cohen try to figure out where the experimental 'Medicine At Midnight' stacks up in Foo Fighters’ massive catalogue.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian is loving 'Earbudz,' the first charity compilation from artist development company No Earbuds, which is now available for Bandcamp Friday. All proceeds will be donated The Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis-related criminal justice reform. Steven, on the other hand, can’t get enough of Yasmin Williams’ captivating instrumental guitar album 'Urban Driftwood.'

Despite a handful of optimistic festival announcements, the return of live music still doesn’t look to be closing in (unless you live in New Zealand). With the absence of in-person events, many artists have been turning to both free and paid livestream concerts to keep their fans engaged.This week, Steven and Ian are discussing the pros and cons of a virtual future for the live music industry. Is livestreaming here to stay? Is it all even worth paying for? While it’s great to see your favorite artists perform, it’s hard to feel the same magic you get from being in a room with other music fans. Earlier this year, concert database Bandsintown announced a paid tier of their service, wherein fans can unlock live performances from artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Adrianne Lenker, and more. This, combined with long-running livestream organizations like Audiotree, could indicate big shifts for the music industry as we know it.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been digging Portrayal Of Guilt, who released Garden Of Despair, a new EP, earlier this year. Hyden is taking a step away from new music this week, encouraging wants listeners to check out Miranda Reinert’s new music-centric newsletter, Something Old.

This week, Steven and Ian are once again taking questions from listeners. The episode kicks off with a discussion ska, the oft-maligned sect of punk that people tend to joke about, but also have an encyclopedic understanding of its intricacies. After the recent critical reevaluation of nu metal, is ska next in line for a reinvention? Jeff Rosenstock has been proudly waving the flag of ska for years, and the world is finally starting to come around.There were many thoughtful questions from listeners, guiding Hyden and Cohen’s conversation on the episode and finding the duo discussing their methods for digging into the discography of a newly-discovered artist, the big budget albums they'd like to hear, and the role of Manchester Orchestra in modern indie.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been enjoying Downtiming, the debut EP from Camp Trash. Instead of new music, Hyden is taking the opportunity to plug his recent interview with The Wrens’ Charles Bissel, who revealed that the band’s long awaited follow up to 2003’s The Meadowlands might finally be released later this year!

There are albums in the indie rock and alternative rock realm that were influential and beloved at the time of their release, but have since been lost to the test of time and sadly — some might say shamefully — left out of the widely accepted canon of the genre. On this episode, Steven and Ian are looking to right these wrongs with the creation the Indiecast Hall Of Fame. This week, Hyden and Cohen are using the episode as a way to give proper recognition to albums they love, and to make the case for why they remain important in the lore of indie rock history to this day. Included on the list are records from Counting Crows, The Promise Ring, Afghan Whigs, and more.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been revisiting Tokyo Police Club’s Champ in honor of its upcoming tenth anniversary. Looking ahead, Hyden is excited about Drunk Tank Pink, the forthcoming effort from UK post-punk outfit Shame.

After a long year, 2021 is finally here, bringing with it new episodes of Indiecast. To kick off the first episode of the new year, Steven and Ian are discussing musical trends that took hold in the 2010’s that might begin to fade out as we settle into the 2020’s. It’s impossible to predict what the next decade is going to look like, musically, but we can only hope that it will be something genuinely new and exciting.Before Steven and Ian dig in for a typical episode of news, reviews, and more, the duo want to take some time to declare their New Year’s Resolutions. In this week’s episode, Steven and Ian are digging through the things they want to see more of (and less of) in 2021, upcoming new albums from The War On Drugs, Father John Misty, Foxing, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, and more.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Steven has been enjoying 'At The Moonbase,' the surprise new album from Slaughter Beach, Dog. Ian, on the other hand, can’t get enough of the band Curve.

In the second of a special two-part episode, Steven and Ian are wrapping up the show for the year by awarding the highly sought-after Indiecasties to the most surprising, overrated, and genuinely impressive releases of the year from artists like The Killers, Fiona Apple, Phoebe Bridgers, and more.This week, the duo are ready to bestow some trophies upon the albums that best embodied the aesthetics of 2020, as well as the artists who made the best comeback this year. Also on the slate for this episode are artists who defied the odds set by their back catalogue to surprise critics with the strengths of their most recent release, and the most overhyped albums that actually managed to deserve the praise, among many more.Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly music recommendations in your inbox and follow the official Topsify playlist.

Just like everyone, as the year winds down, Steven and Ian are getting reflective. But rather than just continue breaking down the best of 2020 in a standard list form, they are launching the official Indiecast awards show, The Indiecasties. Across two episodes, the duo will be awarding the highly sought-after Indiecasties to the best, worst, and downright strangest releases of the year.This week brings the first of two installments of the award show, and Hyden and Cohen are waiting and ready to bestow some trophies. assigning the most “Indiecast-as-a-genre” album or artist of 2020, Hyden’s favorite “Ian Cohen-core” album and Cohen’s favorite “Steven Hyden-core” album, as well as the year’s most annoying album cycle, and most memory-holed album.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Hyden has been enjoying Open Door Policy, the forthcoming new album from The Hold Steady. Cohen has been listening to a lot of Ogbert The Nerd.Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly music recommendations in your inbox and follow the official Topsify playlist.

Approximately 25 years after it started, 2020 is finally coming to an end. As is customary in the music world, before one can look ahead, one must look back. Our latest episode is no exception, with Steven and Ian reflecting on a year of excellent releases in the indie world to choose their ultimate top five. Featuring efforts from The 1975, Bartees Strange, Dogleg, Bob Dylan, and more, Steven and Ian have each respectively crafted their list of 2020’s definitive records. If you're looking for more music that you might have missed this year, check out our full list of the year's best albums here and the indie-specific list here. As for new selections in this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian has been spinning 'I Had Everybody Snowed,' the debut solo album from Taking Meds vocalist/guitarist Skylar Sarkis that has been a work in progress for nearly a decade. Steven, on the other hand, has been enjoying '2020,' the aptly titled latest effort from Magik Markers, their first in seven years.Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly music recommendations in your inbox and stream the official Topsify playlist.

Something we can all agree upon is that it’s been far too long since we’ve heard live music in person. In 2020, recordings of live shows feel more relevant than ever, with the roar of a crowd imbuing nostalgia for a simpler time. This is the central focus of our latest episode, which finds Steven and Ian digging in to the swath of live albums that are on the docket for the remainder of the year, including forthcoming releases from The War On Drugs, Arctic Monkeys, and The Postal Service.2020 has forced artists to get creative in how they connect with fans, and are utilizing live streams and live albums to remind music lovers of why shows are such a vital part of their lives. Sometimes, these live albums offers listeners a glimpse at exciting alternate versions of the songs they know and love, with improvised sections, different arrangements, and elongated instrumental sections. Other times, they just feel like relics of a lost art.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is endorsing 'Summer Sleeping,' the new EP from Indiana quartet Thunder Dreamer. Hyden is advocating for the new Ganser album, 'Just Look At That Sky,' which he believes is being slept on by most.Check out Steven's ranking of the best live albums of all time here and sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter here.

This week, Steven and Ian are once again taking questions from listeners. One listener was interested in exploring the place of CDs in the modern music industry, both in terms of audio quality, as well as the best method of listening. The result is a spirited conversation about how CDs compare in quality to that of streaming and vinyl, and the sense of ownership that comes with holding in your hand a physical manifestation of music. Is there anything quite like gathering a stack of CDs to take on a road trip?Of course, an episode of Indiecast wouldn’t be complete without a chance for Cohen to sing his praises about emo bands, this week focusing on 'Ground Aswim,' the latest from Sinai Vessel. The record hasn’t been getting much mainstream attention this year, which begs the question of what it really means for an album to be “slept on” in 2020.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is recommending new albums from Soul Glo and Record Setter, while Hyden can’t get enough of the latest from David Nance.Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at uproxx.com/indie

With Wilco’s 'Summerteeth' reissue coming later this month to (belatedly) celebrate its twentieth anniversary, Steven and Ian are looking back to 1999. While it might not have necessarily been a more innocent time, it was certainly a simpler time where teen pop and nu-metal ruled the radio waves and alternative rock was starting to become plain old indie rock.For the new episode of Indiecast, Steven and Ian revisited some of their five favorite albums from the era to determine what still holds up today. While Hyden’s top five albums walks that line between alt-rock and indie rock with albums like 'Summerteeth' and Nine Inch Nails’ 'The Fragile,' Cohen was more focused on the emo rock scene, remembering albums from Jimmy Eat World and American Football.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen the new album from Philadelphia band The Goalie’s Anxiety At The Penalty Kick. Hyden, on the other hand, is still looking to the past to sing the praises of Foxygen’s 2013 album 'We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic.'

This week's episode kicks off with a reader question asking for Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen's thoughts on the artists of the 2000's and 2010's that were hugely influential to the new crop of indie musicians coming out today. Each "scene" has its own central name, but Cohen is quick to assign roles of leadership to artists like Mac DeMarco, Frankie Cosmos, Alex G, and Title Fight. Hyden is also adds to the list artists like Tame Impala and The War On Drugs, who influenced a whole other sect of emerging indie artists with their psychedelic tendencies.The meat of the episode is dedicated to diving into new albums from Oneohtrix Point Never and Salem. In the case of 'Magic Oneohtrix Point Never,' Hyden wonders whether this will be the record that breaks Daniel Lopatin into the pop mainstream, with a track featuring none other than The Weeknd. On the other hand, Hyden and Cohen are unsure what to think of 'Fires In Heaven,' the new album from Michigan duo Salem, who The Washington Post called "the stupidest band on Earth" in 2011.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is digging 'No Driver,' the new album from Swedish band I Love Your Lifestyle, while Hyden is tiding himself over until the return of live music with new live albums from The War On Drugs and Arctic Monkeys. Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter here.

After quarantine set in, it wasn’t long before Adrianne Lenker got to work on some more music, opting for a solo project since she was unable to see her bandmates. While Big Thief apparently were able to reconvene and record a new album over the summer, Lenker has shared the result of her musical exploration at the beginning of quarantine, two new solo LPs titled 'songs' and 'instrumentals.' In this episode, Steven and Ian dig into the lore surrounding Lenker and her band Big Thief, as well as their prolific and acclaimed output over the last few years. The conversation centers around one central question: is Big Thief really a band or is it just a front for Lenker?The episode’s second half is focused on Fake It Flowers, the debut album from 20-year-old rocker Beabadoobee. With catchy songs and big choruses, Hyden argues that Beabadoobee’s debut album solidifies her role in the modern indie rock canon as Stone Temple Pilots, where Soccer Mommy is Nirvana and Clairo is Pearl Jam.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen is looking to the ’90s and plugging Ida’s 1996 album 'I Know About You,' while Hyden is digging 'Optimisme,' the new album from Songhoy Blues.Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at uproxx.com/indie

Last week, Steven tweeted a call for questions from listeners that would inform the podcast's new episode, the first entry in a new feature on the show. The curious responses to Hyden's call were wide-reaching, ranging from questions the relevance of Foo Fighters in today's musical landscape to the realistic influence of alternative streaming platforms like Bandcamp. Most interestingly, however, one listener requested for Hyden and co-host Ian Cohen to reveal their guilty pleasures, or "bands that you're embarrassed you like," while another was wondering about the pandemic's lasting impact on the music industry and whether we will ever see a live show again. These prompts lead to a discussion revolving around the current state of the music industry and what we can expect from the weeks and months to come. Of course, an episode of Indiecast wouldn't be complete without touching upon some of today's biggest indie stars like Phoebe Bridgers and Tame Impala. In this week's recommendation corner, Cohen is praising the mid-aughts post punk outfit The Stills and Hyden is praising Brian Eno and 'Cuttin' Grass,' the new album from Sturgill Simpson.Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at https://uproxx.com/indie/

Released only a few weeks after Radiohead's 'Kid A,' Linkin Park's debut studio album 'Hybrid Theory' turns 20 this month. It featured four major singles ("One Step Closer", "In the End", "Crawling" and "Papercut") and has sold 27 million albums worldwide since its release, making it the best-selling debut album since Guns N' Roses' 1987 debut 'Appetite for Destruction,' and the single best-selling rock album of the 21st century. The record's success marked a transition moment to the mainstream for a type of rock music that was pioneered by bands like Korn and Deftones. With the emergence of nu metal came a through line that Linkin Park was able to capitalize upon, one that continues today with Machine Gun Kelly's new album 'Tickets To My Downfall,' which is currently sitting at Number One on the Billboard 200 chart. In this episode, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen trace the lasting influence of nu metal and big, fun chart-topping rock music. Recommendation Corner: Field Medic's 'Floral Prince' and "The Shining But Tropical," a beautiful new single from Wild Pink.Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at uproxx.com/indie

It's hard to believe in retrospect, but many music critics in the early '90s assumed that bands who became popular after Nirvana could never last. After the success of Radiohead's "Creep," they were roped in with other bands that fizzled out after their one-hit-wonder, with many turning their noses up at the somewhat nerdy alternative rock outfit. Needless to say, those estimations couldn't have been further from the truth.In many ways, Radiohead's fourth album 'Kid A' was the culmination of the band putting their alternative rock era behind them, moving toward the more esoteric, dream-like sound that we've come to know and love. Two decades after its release, Steven and Ian look back on the iconic album.In this week's Recommendation Corner, Hyden is singing the praises of Bartees Strange's debut album 'Live Forever' while Cohen is plugging 'Dubnobasswithmyheadman' and 'Second Toughest in the Infants,' the first two albums from British electronica band Underworld. Pick up Steven's new book 'This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's 'Kid A' And The Beginning Of The 21st Century' here and sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter here.

On the new episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen dissect the new albums by two very successful indie acts who originated in the aughts: Sufjan Stevens’ 'The Ascension' and Fleet Foxes’ 'Shore'. While the rollout of 'The Ascension' took on a more traditional approach, the arrival of 'Shore' came as a surprise, with the release timed perfectly to coincide with the autumnal equinox on September 22nd at 9:31am EST.While Hyden was initially resistant to Sufjan Stevens’ early work and Cohen felt similarly about Fleet Foxes’ early work, both have come around to the recent releases from each respective artist. 'The Ascension' is some of Stevens’ darkest and angriest music to date, and 'Shore' represents Fleet Foxes at their most attainable and melodic.In this week’s recommendation corner, we have the new self-titled album from Teenage Halloween and the long-awaited new Deftones album Ohms. Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at uproxx.com/indie

This week, Steven and Ian make the argument that Deerhunter might be the last great American indie band. It’s an interesting claim, but one that makes more and more sense as the discussion continues. It all starts when the duo is digging deep into the band’s 2010 album Halcyon Digest in celebration of its tenth anniversary, when they reveal that Deerhunter is the last band in the true sense of the word: an entity that exists as a collective, rather than an identity that’s actually driven by one person.In this week’s Recommendation Corner, we have Lomelda’s impressive new album 'Hannah' and Jeff Tweedy’s forthcoming book 'How To Write One Song.'Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at uproxx.com/indie

On the new episode of 'Indiecast,' Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen reflect on twenty years of Cameron Crowe's 'Almost Famous,' using their background as real-life music critics to examine the accuracy of the central plot (there is literally no way that a publicist would let you spend several weeks on the road with a band for a profile), the depiction of Lester Bangs, and whether Stillwater is actually even a good band at all. Check out Hyden's full essay about the film here. In this week's Recommendation Corner, Steven is spreading the good word about William Tyler's new album 'New Vanitas,' while Ian is pointing toward 'I'll Figure This Out,' the latest from Milwaukee's Barely Civil. Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter: uproxx.com/indie

With most of the year behind us, it's time to look forward to what we are expecting from the remaining months of 2020. In our fall music preview episode, Steven and Ian discuss upcoming projects from artists like A.G. Cook, Sufjan Stevens, Bartees Strange, Mary Lattimore, Matt Berninger, Deftones, Lana Del Rey, Idles, Touche Amore, Beabadoobee, and Respire.In addition to the albums Steven and Ian are looking forward to this fall, this week's Recommendation Corner is dedicated to Bill Callahan's 'Gold Record' and the 2002 film '24 Hour Party People,' starring Steve Coogan.Check out our full list of anticipated fall albums here: https://uproxx.com/music/most-anticipated-albums-fall-2020/Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter: https://uproxx.com/indie/

On the new episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen look back to 2013, a pivotal year in recent indie history that saw the arrival of some of the biggest names in the genre, and the staying power of some of its veterans. 2013 brought the emergence of artists like Disclosure, Lorde, The 1975 and Haim. Vampire Weekend also dropped their seminal LP 'Modern Vampires Of The City' and Sky Ferreira finally delivered 'Night Time, My Time.' Back in our first episode about Arcade Fire's 'The Suburbs,' we noted how that album helped to mark the end of the aughts. In this episode, Hyden and Cohen declare 2013 to be the official beginning of the 2010s, with many artists still in the collective conscience today. Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at uproxx.com/indie

Bright Eyes and The Killers are both back with new albums. For Bright Eyes, 'Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was' is their first album in nearly a decade; for The Killers, 'Imploding The Mirage' is their first since the underwhelming 'Wonderful Wonderful' in 2017. On this week's episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen sink their teeth into the new albums from these legacy indie acts, while recalling their respective careers and seeing where the new work fits into their catalogues.This week's recommendations: Now It's Overheard, The Good Life, and two new singles from Father John Misty.Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at uproxx.com/indie

Purple Noon, the new album from Washed Out, is the impetus for this week's episode of Indiecast, which finds Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen digging into the rise and fall of the chillwave genre, starting and ending with Washed Out. Purple Noon is an album from a genre strongly associated with nostalgia, but also manages to provide nostalgia for... chillwave itself. In 2020, the genre stands to remind millennials that they are getting older.Also covered in the episode is Welcome To Conceptual Beach, the expansive, stunning new album from Young Jesus that is already a strong contender for Album Of The Year.This week's recommendations: Dehd's Flowers Of Devotion and Gulch's Impenetrable Cerebral ForcesSign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at indiemixtape.com

On the second episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen dig in on the 2020 albums they think are accessible and easy-to-like, but might not have the big promo push that other records from big-name artists might get. These are albums that thrive on Bandcamp and in the underground, filling basements, but perhaps never get above-board. With their podcast, Hyden and Cohen seek to right this wrong by sharing their best finds from this year. Artists discussed include: Stay Inside, Rose City Band, Ben Seratan, Ezra Feinberg, I’m Glad It’s You, 2nd Grade, Peel Dream Magazine, Wares, Weave, and I Break Horses.

Presented by UPROXX Indie Mixtape, Indiecast is a weekly show hosted by music critics Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen. Every week, Hyden and Cohen discuss the biggest news and names in modern indie, as well as look back to moments that established the indie rock canon.