Spin It!

It's Connor's birthday! We finally remembered, but that doesn't mean things go any better... His latest pick is Flying by Cody Fry, an orchestral pop record featuring the viral TikTok hit I Hear A Symphony! In a shocking turn of events, it's an album James has known for 7 years. How will sweeping scores and saturated modern pop Hold On in the rankings? The Mixtaper has done his research into illegal trees, wooden rings, and inconsi...

We're crawling through Landmines this week as we explore St. Vincent's debut album Marry Me! Her unique, emotionally ambiguous polysemous lyrics paired with complex-but-intuitive instrumental arrangements bring this very gray self-made album to life in vibrant colors. We'll talk about her early life and the Sufjan Stevens connection that landed her a record deal! Then The Mixtaper will teach us about her vibe-matching voicemail but...

YOW!! We feel good, like you knew that we would when we listened to James Brown's album Out Of Sight! It features the debut of his iconic hit alongside other standards like Mona Lisa, Only You, I Loves You Porgy, and the ethereal Nature Boy. We'll talk about James Brown's time with the Famous Flames and learn how he became the hardest working man in show biz! Find out about the Godfather Of Soul's bougie Poojie, his backflipping Li...

Welcome to the Modern Age! The Strokes designed their 2001 debut album Is This It to be like a band from the past making an album in the future. Will its live sound and raw energy land its score among the greats? We'll go back to When It Started and learn how the band changed the conversation around post-punk and alternative music with hits like Last Nite and Someday! The Mixtaper will teach us how to keep track of our drummers and...

Sabrina Carpenter leaves quite an impression (5 feet, to be exact) with her explosive breakout album Short N' Sweet! James & Connor may not be the Sharpest Tools in the shed, but we're ready to break down this album! We'll talk about Sabrina's Best New Artist credentials, her probable and improbable family members, and all the dumb guys in these dozen tunes. The Mixtaper will give us a Taste about her X-Ray Chef Dad, secret dan...

Okayokayokayokay, we're heading to the Garden Shed this week and going back to November with Flower Boy, the hazy 2017 record from Tyler, The Creator! Find out whether this non-rap fusion record holds up or whether we have to unleash Connor, The Destroyer. We'll shine like Glitter, discover horrorcore, and eat all the ice cream we can handle as we learn about one of hip-hop's most provocative artists. The Mixtaper will try to trick...

Happy March Madness! Grab your controllers... We're taking on another bracket tournament featuring 32 iconic video game soundtracks! From action & RPGs to multiplayer and simulation games, find out which games and their music made the cut and which franchises will only make it to Game Over. We'll consider every detail, from popularity and cultural impact to the effect the music has on the game as we fight to determine the great...

We're waiting for it, that Green Light! This week Jamese and Connore are getting wild & fluorescent with Melodrama, the sophomore coming-of-age breakup album by New Zealand's resident royalty, Lorde! She broadcasts the boom boom boom, we decide whether it belongs in the Louvre. We'll discuss the complexities of dual citizenship before enjoying a Supercut of facts (or spins) about intimate art, comedic cameos, and a dangerous hi...

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called Life... and learn about one of pop music's biggest icons, Prince! His legendary film and soundtrack album Purple Rain dominated the mid-80s, whether he was tearing up the dance charts with When Doves Cry or triggering a congressional hearing full of parental outrage for Darling Nikki! We'll talk about the creation of the film, the whereabouts of his motorcy...

There's nothing like the sound of Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down, and there's no voice that can sing it like the froggy croak of Kris Kristofferson, perhaps the smartest man in music! His eponymous debut album is full of character work and hit after hit of excellent storytelling. We'll discover how he abandoned his Rhodes scholar days and exploited his military pilot training to harass a superstar and break into the music biz! After ch...

Maybe it's the loving in her eyes, but we're ready to Dive right into Olivia Dean's debut album Messy to celebrate Valentine's Day! She's one of the UK's biggest up-and-coming songwriters, and her vibrant lyrics and neo-soul style effortlessly dance through new love and heartbreak alike. We'll discuss her childhood stage fright, crack down on UFOs and UAPs, and learn about our own limited high-dive and Ladies Room experience. The H...

This ain't Texas, ain't no Hold 'Em... But there sure is an Album Of The Year Grammy! Beyoncé took home top honors at the 67th Grammy Awards this week and we're celebrating with our traditional special dedicated to Cowboy Carter! This genre-fluid country crossover record defied expectations and shed new light on country's history and trajectory. James & Connor will debrief about our favorite moments and award predictions (with ...

Happy Gopher Day! We finally caught 'em all-- all the members of Boygenius, that is-- and now it's time to be Cool About It as we learn about their debut record, The Record! You've listened to their episodes separately; now hear Lucy, Julien, and Phoebe's powers combined in a supergroup! From the sick riffs of $20 to the Grammy-winning Not Strong Enough, find out if We're In Love with this album! The Mixtaper has a Pokemon-inspired...

Hey, all you able-bodied creatures! This week James & Connor learn all the rules behind Mentors, the new album by singer, songwriter, Poet, and folk renaissance multi-instrumentalist Fish In A Birdcage. Connor discovered his music on a trip and has deemed it a "no skips" discography. After sharing a Fish List with James he decided to bring a brand new album to the podcast full of plucky instruments, ballads, and lyrics that are...

Jump into the heat of a Technicolour Beat with the 2015 debut record from the indie-pop duo Oh Wonder! This collection of bedroom-produced tracks was rolled out as a series of singles over the course of a full year before launching the couple into stardom! Get ready to Lose It in a warm, cozy blanket of soft emotions, sparked by a Livewire of electronic ambience. We'll discover how quickly and naturally Anthony and Josephine write ...

Get ready for a run-in with The Police and their farewell record Synchronicity! We're having Tea In The Sahara with Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting... and you know he'll be watching you! From the chaotic Mother to the dinosaur-filled Walking In Your Footsteps, this new wave record truly has a little bit of everything. We'll trace the band's story and learn what Sting can do during a headstand. The Mixtaper's also teaching...

What's our age again? 182 Episodes? That sounds like the perfect time to get into All The Small Things with Blink-182's genre-altering skate punk record Enema Of The State! We'll learn the moving stories behind Adam's Song and Going Away To College and the un-moving stories behind The Party Song and Mutt. The Mixtaper will teach us about Mark Hoppus' comedic flamingos, Tom DeLonge's extraterrestrial achievements, and an old friend ...

We're Back Again just in time for The New Year, and we're taking the leap with Parachute's very 2009 debut record Losing Sleep! It features their biggest hit She Is Love, alongside pop-rockers like Under Control and piano ballads like The Mess I Made. The Mixtaper's gone a bit mad and is teaching us about Parade Chutes, laundromats, and the Taste Of Love as we tackle another round of Fact Or Spin. Will this record's songwriting and...

Three years of competition all comes down to this... It's our annual Naughty Or Nice Holiday Special! We'll put the best seasonal songs by podcast artists head-to-head and see who comes out on top with live voting, and the stakes have never been higher. Not only is this a rubber match between James & Connor, NoN 2024 will also determine the fate of two-time champion Last Christmas by Wham! Will they rise to the challenge and ea...