Kitschfork

#18 - Us and Eric Adams Down By The Schoolyard (!!! - Me and Giuliani single & TV on the Radio - Young Liars EP)

EMAIL us: kitschforkpodcast@gmail.comwe continue on with our Best New Music circa 2003 era of Kitschfork by taking a visit back to the biggest apple of them all, Nu Yawk City baybee, in this special twofer episode. we first take a dip into 00's dancepunk revival with the ungoogleable !!!'s "Me and Giuliani Down By The Schoolyard" single (which curiously landed a 7.8 on Pitchfork but still made Best New Music), a thing we feel... sort of whatever about. and then we unearth a popular Brooklyn indie rock band's first notable release with TV On The Radio's "Young Liars" EP - both released on Touch & Go in 2003.
 
we talk bygone trends of 00's music and its 70's/80's obsession, gentrification, Celebrity Deathmatch, Eric Adams's horrible mayorship, and... much more.
 
this is the article about video game music interpolation in indie pop by Drew Mackie mentioned on the episode: https://www.thrillingtalesofoldvideogames.com/blog/star-maze-mario-land-2-owen-pallett

#17 - Cottagecore At The Kmart (Sufjan Stevens - Michigan)

EMAIL us: kitschforkpodcast@gmail.com
folks, it's time to get twee. for the first of our two twitter poll winners, we start season 2 of Kitschfork off with perennially beloved indie artist Sufjan Stevens and his 2003 breakout album "Michigan" which Pitchfork helped break with its brand new (circa 2003) "Best New Music" category. because of this, Liz talks about the history of Pitchfork's Best New Music and also the disputed history of this album's review. Max and Liz also have a very spirited disagreement about Sufjan. Much discussion about Sufjan's strengths (and failures) as an artist and this era's musical tropes in general ensues.

#16 - The Mallfucking Of America feat. Aaron Casias (Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West)

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EMAIL us: kitschforkpodcast@gmail.com
before we officially begin Kitschfork Season Two (aka our Best New Music era) and return back to our rightful place in the 2000's, we still have another 90's album to get to. that's right! we have finally made good on our intentions to talk about the (at the time very young, now rapidly aging) indie rock stars Modest Mouse's seminal 1997 double-album The Lonesome Crowded West. this time we are joined by 90's culture aficionado Aaron Casias, co-host of the 90's movie podcast Hit Factory to help us interpret this album's place in the culture of the time.
we talk about why this album is so critically beloved, and such a perfect road trip album. we talk about the untimely passing of Jeremiah Green at the beginning of this year, which tragically ended their reunion tour playing this album. we talk the now 10 year old official Pitchfork documentary from 2013 about the making of this album. we talk about the music scene of the Pacific Northwest for what feels like the billionth time. we talk about the mallfucking of America. and we take 2 hours and 40 minutes to do it.
so please enjoy. and thank you for your patience. expect more updates coming next podcast, which should be out in a couple of weeks (i promise!)
Pitchfork Lonesome Crowded West Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G33AcZzZ0pM
Aaron (Hit Factory)'s twitter: https://twitter.com/HitFactoryPod
Hit Factory's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

#15 - Better No Cred Than Dead (Pearl Jam - No Code)

our sponsor: https://imitone.com/kitschfork/
EMAIL us: kitschforkpodcast@gmail.com
today we delay the inevitable Modest Mouse coverage to go back again to the 90's to talk about an unkillable musical behemoth - Pearl Jam, and their (probably) weirdest album - 1996's No Code.
we also go into the background of Pearl Jam as both the most popular band in the world for a time, and also as the whipping boys of indie rock forum hipsters everywhere in the 00's. we reflect on the Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam conflict and the dangers of cred. and we talk about an initially divisive album The Quietus described as "Grunge's 'Kid A' moment" (a huge stretch), that is now generally recognized as one of their best.

#14 - Subterranean Non-Linear Ancestors (Dälek - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots)

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EMAIL us: kitschforkpodcast@gmail.com
WE'RE BACK FROM THE DEAD!
today on our 14th episode (originally recorded in late November last year), we talk about experimental/industrial hip-hop pioneers from New Jersey, Dälek (aka Will Brooks & company) and their seminal 2002 album "From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots"
we talk about how much Dälek's cross-genre inspirations (while still maintaining a traditional hip-hop essence) and high-minded experimentation set the stage for a lot of experimental hip-hop that came later in the 2010's. also how they still haven't gotten their due!
spoilers: this album is great, and you probably haven't heard of it before. which you can rectify here:
https://dalek.bandcamp.com/album/from-filthy-tongue-of-gods-and-griots

#13 - Twee And Horny (Mirah - Advisory Committee)

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EMAIL us: kitschforkpodcast@gmail.com
today during this very autumnal season we look at a very autumnal 2002 album from DIY bedroom pop progenitor/(former) Olympia Washington K Records twee-adjacent indie songwriter/musical cousin and collaborator of Phil Elvrum's: Mirah's (aka Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn) "Advisory Committee"
we talk K Records and the 90's Olympia music scene, about Mirah's background as a DIY artist, and her being one of the few visible and celebrated queer artists in the indie space at a time when there wasn't a lot. and of course... we talk about the music. which we both find to be generally likeable and fun, with occasional moments of brilliance.
we also get into Liz's brief twitter feud with a few Pitchfork writers that happened a century ago and the increasingly dire situation for touring musicians.

#12 - Ride The Apocalypse feat. James Webster (...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes)

our sponsor: https://imitone.com/kitschfork/
EMAIL us: kitschforkpodcast@gmail.com
various forces of humanity and nature conspired against you hearing this episode, but we have prevailed. we welcome James Webster, member of the cult vaporwave/electronic music group Death's Dynamic Shroud, to talk about an album that influenced him greatly, as well as a famous Pitchfork 10.0... 2002's "Source Tags & Codes" by Austin art rock band ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead.
has this album had the lasting cultural impact of other famously acclaimed Pitchfork albums? maybe not. is the band made up of cringey fantasy dorks who didn't really fit the rock zeitgeist at the time? definitely yes. but also - who cares? in 2022, this album is still great.
follow James on twitter here: https://mobile.twitter.com/HCMJmagic
listen to Darklife here: https://deathsdynamicshroud.bandcamp.com/album/darklife-2

#11 - Revolver Meets Jock Jams (Spoon - Girls Can Tell + more)

our sponsor: https://imitone.com/kitschfork/
EMAIL us: kitschforkpodcast@gmail.com
(most of the episodes of) Max's old podcast Desert Island Discourse: https://archive.org/details/podcast_desert-island-discourse_1204078946?tab=collection
today we begin by looking at a band that truly embodies 2000's indie rock in all its tropes (for better or worse): Spoon, and their breakout album - 2001's "Girls Can Tell". we examine why and how Spoon reformed itself from a Pixies-inspired 90's bar band floundering on a major label into being the archetypal mid-60's mod-inspired too cool for school hipster band that personified its big indie label, Merge Records, and the indie kitsch of the era. also we go into why neither of us feel particularly strongly about (or have much to say about) Spoon.
after that, we have another discussion about various news in the music world (at least at the time this episode was recorded...lol). from our thoughts about the current 'indie sleaze' revival which may or may not actually exist, to early 2000's nostalgia tours and why so much 'indie' music of the era sort of feels like the sound of gentrification, to people giving up on music in their 30's, to the Arcade Fire/Win Butler allegations... and more