The Casual Sound

We recorded a couple of our Casual Friday events at the Skylark here in Denver, so we've got 8 new episodes coming your way, starting with this one. This episode finds us on April 26, 2024 at 5 PM. This was live and all-vinyl so it may sound a little rough in patches. PLAYLIST:

Let's get one more of these things going before it's travel time. PLAYLIST:

The day podcast session started with the ritual of scratch hashbrowns, now featuring bell peppers and onions, eggs Sunnyside up, and a slice of the holy ghost. “Football” on the “Telly” and whackin' on some of the finest tunes you've ever heard – in. your. life. This episode's lineup includes… PLAYLIST

Ché Walden of New Zealand band Miniatures joins Jake Ryan for an in-depth discussion about the band and his past, interspersed with an absolute gem of a playlist from Ché himself on this double-length episode. You'll find it was worth the wait. PLAYLIST:

Could it be that not only did Lenny, Tyler, and Greg record an episode, but it's actually not getting tossed. I know – unheard of… or more literally, heard of. The music on this episode: Sublime. The banter: On Par with Expectations. You: In love with the experience of it all. PLAYLIST:

Look out world, Jake Ryan's got something to play. JR takes you through a beautiful tapestry of baggy, pop, shoegaze, and more in this solo episode. Because that's what we do here and, like clockwork, you can expect a new episode every quarter or so… or weekly… or once a year….. PLAYLIST:

Tyler decides to get episode 56 out of his and into yours. Dig it! PLAYLIST:

Yeah…it's been a minute. Why wait any longer? Lots of shoegaze and, dare I say, pop music curated by your favorite (at least he's in the top 3 if you not your favorite) host, Jake Ryan PLAYLIST:

Good stories and even better tunes on this one. You want a theme? That theme is just lining up some good ones for you. Have it. (Or don't – we won't know unless you tell us.) PLAYLIST: Secret Machines – The Road Leads Where It's Led The Clientele – Rain Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – … Continue reading "Episode 54: To Havin' It & To Havin' It Not"

This out of order episode (thanks bonus episode!) has us wondering, what would viking-indie sound like? Of course, it sounds amazing. Here are some of our favorite bands and tunes from WAY up north. PLAYLIST: A-ha – The Sun Always Shines On TV Westkust – Weekends The Cardigans – Your New Cuckoo Cinnamon – Me … Continue reading "Episode 53: Norway, Jose! Indie from Scandinavia"

Usually, only paid subscribers get the bonus episodes – but seeing as we don't have any paid subscribers, we don't usually produce bonus episodes. This one was done last week while Tyler we in New Orleans – visiting bars and picking up COVID from the local merchants. Jake references spinning records this Friday, which was … Continue reading "Episode 52: Casual Jake (BONUS Mid-week Episode!!)"

This episode is meta as fuck and it's about football – and not the American type. Does Lenny support Man United or Man City? Only way to know for sure is to listen to this episode. And mark my words, episode 51 of the casual sound is sure to be…. a home run! (I'm kidding. … Continue reading "Episode 51: 4-4-2 (Terrace Bangers)"

Barcelona here we come. Don't speak Catalon and my Spanish es muy mal. But, Pavement are reuniting and it feels so good. Here are our some of our favorite acts playing Primavera Sound Barcelona 2022. PLAYLIST: Gorillaz – Momentary Bliss (feat. Slaves & slowthai) Pavement – Trigger Cut Tim Burgess – Oh My Corazon Beach … Continue reading "Episode 50: Primavera Sound 2022 Picks"

Headed to Pasadena for Cruel World? Whether you don't know the bands (why are you going?) or you're just looking for an episode to get you in the mood – we've got your primer right here. There are a lot of bands to be morally disappointed by in the line-up, but the tunes endure. PLAYLIST: … Continue reading "Episode 49 – It's A Cruel World (Episode)"

Some tracks we love from Ireland. For Damian Murphy PLAYLIST: Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia Ash – Saskia Touch of Oliver – Barrington St. My Bloody Valentine – New You The Boomtown Rats – Up All Night The Frank And Walters – Walter's Trip Just Mustard – Still Rollerskate Skinny – Miss Leader U2 – … Continue reading "Episode 48 – To and From Ireland, With Love"

Jake and Tyler let one idea become the next in the episode. Intuitively, one song inspires another until we have a full set that flows like a great mix tape. And somehow, within this, we make it relevant to conversations on Episode 45. PLAYLIST: Clearlake – I Hang On Every Word You Say Billy Bragg … Continue reading "Episode 47 – Or part 46 of Episode 1?"

Sure, it's our 46th but it's Lenny's 50th. Our co-host misses his 3rd show – but he's got a good excuse – he had one of those bigger birthdays that everyone's having. So, Jake and Tyler put together a playlist just for him. Maybe you too. Also, Tyler blew it in the first break – … Continue reading "Episode 46: Lenny USM – 50 Something"

The third leg on our weird table, Lenny, or Lenford as his mother calls him (she doesn't), is out of town for the next couple of episodes. We've found that in his absence, Tyler and Jake go back to 10 minute long breaks. Did you miss them? Banger of an episode. You find out what … Continue reading "Episode 45: When Lenny Is Away The Smiths Will Be Played"

This is our second attempt at the Liverpool episode. When it comes to a town that's produced so much stellar music, you can't half-ass it. And yeah, we're playing Shack again, for like the 3rd episode in a row – and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. PLAYLIST: The La's – Son of a Gun … Continue reading "Episode 44: Bands From Liverpool"

A little something new bringing us into episode 43. In fact, you'll probably find some new loves that are recent releases and those that we're blowing the dust off of. This is all before we dive into a discussion around the exhausting and constantly relevant question about separating the artist from their art. I've gotta … Continue reading "Episode 43: Details Emerge"

We went into this episode attempting to do the baggiest episode every – but it's just too hard. It really is. Try it for yourself – coming up with the 12 baggiest songs is nearly impossible. That said, if you do it, send us the list. Hell, come on and host the episode. Do it. … Continue reading "Episode 42 – (Not) The Baggiest Podcast Episode Ever!"

Jake Ryan explores his vinyl collection – which is carefully currated to highlight the music nearest and dearest to him. Get in! PLAYLIST: Supergrass- In It For The Money Haircut 100 – Surprise Me Again Oasis – Columbia The Charlatans – (No One) Not Even The Rain The Ocean Blue – Sublime Echobelly – Angel … Continue reading "Episode 41: The Jake Ryan Vinyl Episode"

What does Jake Ryan sound like when he feels like his buttons are pushed? Also, there's a disproportionate amount of new tunes here… which makes it an exceptional episode. Anyway, after this episode was over, Tyler (on Lenny's recommendation) went and flipped Jake's toilet paper to deliver in the opposite way of his preference. He … Continue reading "Episode 40: It's only bog roll but I like it"

Prior to recording this episode we came up with a fantastic tagline for our podcast. Will Lenny, when given the proper setup from Jake and Tyler, actually say it? There's really only one way to find out and that's to listen to the episode. PLAYLIST: Trementina – Hazy Youth Ned's Atomic Dustbin – …To Be … Continue reading "Episode 39: It's New Wave, Old Wave, Shoegaze & More"

It's true – the Tiger King is mentioned, not for his recent re-sentencing of 21 years in prison for his attempted murder for hire of that bitch Carol Baskins (his words, not mine) but for his songs, that aren't really his but remind me of The Mighty Lemon Drops (and not for their songwriting.) Can … Continue reading "Episode 38: The one where Joe Exotic is mentioned"

In this episode we remind you to go download and listen to Episode 32 with Annemarie Duff. I'm going to remind you do it here in these show notes. I also realize I don't know how to describe the music played on this podcast. Are we a shoegaze podcast? Are we a brit-pop podcast? Are … Continue reading "Episode 37: More Shoegaze? Seriously?"

Out of the gate, sorry to bore the old listeners – we tend to repeat ourselves. Trying to do it less but when we discuss an album like Verve's A Storm In Heaven, certain known opinions have to be shared. I promise, our self-awareness is growing and we're trying to do it less, but, boy … Continue reading "Episode 36: Old Stories For New Listeners"

We waited 5 months between recording episode 34 and episode 35 – but you only needed to wait a week. See how well we take care of you? Oh hey – we also found out our email hasn't been working so if you tried to send us something – please try again. You can always … Continue reading "Episode 35: Still not to 2022 yet – but so close"

You should know that the “Clowns” song doesn't go on forever and we cut it off halfway through. Even as a fan of that track I agree – it's too long. Episode 34 was recorded on the same afternoon, outside and germ-free, as episode 33. Lager was involved but it still comes across as nothing … Continue reading "Episode 34: Happy 2022. Is it still last Summer?"

Episode number 33 of The Casual Sound was actually recorded on June 12, 2021. It was recorded outside and we're talking about all sorts of things that have already happened (Vegas trip) and didn't yet happen (Cruel World Festival). And the tunes… well, it's just a load of fantastic songs that are new to the … Continue reading "Episode 33: It took 6 mos. to get here."

Our guest for Episode 32 is Annemarie Duff of New Zealand's T. G. Shand and Melbourne, Australia's Miniatures. As you'll hear, we had a wonderful time discussing her projects and our shared love of shoegaze. Annemarie was kind enough to go above and beyond the request for a handful of her favorite songs to supplement … Continue reading "Episode 32 with Annemarie Duff of T.G. Shand & Miniatures"

Has it been a year already? Crazy – only felt like 12 years. Episode 31 is a mix of songs that kept me comfort through the pandemic (so far), new bangers, and some that are classics. Give it a spin. Share it with a friend. PLAYLIST: Ambulance Ltd – Country Gentleman Morrissey – Ordinary Boys … Continue reading "Episode 31: Tyler's Pandemic Playlist"

THE BIG THREE OH! Yes, we know we're the sweethearts of the the “wildly consistent output” genre of the America's exploding Brit-Pop and Shoegaze podcast scene – but for this Jake Ryan curated episode (and probably at least one more episode in the future) the focus shifts somewhat (not entirely) below the globe's belt buckle … Continue reading "Episode 30: There's something in the water down under"

2020 is over – what better way to celebrate than with a playlist from Jake Ryan? PLAYLIST: The Flowers – Origami The Mary Onettes – Lost Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart Shader – Don't You Forget About Me Crushed Beaks – History Tamaryn – Heavenly Bodies The Depreciation Guild – November Fazerdaze … Continue reading "Episode 29: New Year – New Jake Episode"