R U Talkin’ R.E.M. Re: Me?
If you love music obsessively, you know that it is more than just a solitary activity. Part of the joy comes from being able to share it with the people around you, whether it’s through playlists, heated debates, singalongs or karaoke sessions. Actor-comedian Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) and comedian Scott Aukerman (Comedy Bang! Bang!) tap into that shared joy in their brand new podcast, R U Talkin’ R.E.M. Re: Me?.
For those who have been keeping up with the pair, you’ll know that this is not a new podcast at all. Previously called U Talking U2 2 Me?, the show broke down the band U2 album by album, song for song, which they are now replicating for REM, most famous for songs such as Losing My Religion, Everybody Hurts and Shiny Happy People. Tune in to this show for huge belly laughs and surprising insights as the pair talk about everything and nothing through a show that’s supposedly about a band that peaked before the year 2000.
What’d I Say
Music label Atlantic Records also gets in on the podcasting action with their debut show, What’d I Say — a reference to Ray Charles’ 1959 Atlantic Records hit. The show will feature in-depth interviews with current artists signed on to the label, which includes Jason Mraz (who features on the first episode), Whethan, MILCK, Lil Skies, Chappell Roan, Trivium, Sweater Beats, Josie Dunne, and Molly Kate Kestner.
Apart from introducing fans to lesser-known artists, the podcast looks at bringing music lovers closer to their favourite musicians in the intimate setting of a free-wheeling podcast, where they talk about their own music, their current favourite songs by other artists and prop open a window into their songmaking process.
47 Minutes
If Donald Glover’s FX series Atlanta has you all hot and bothered (season two premiered last week), then 47 Minutes is here to satisfy the rest of your hip-hop pop-culture needs. Hosted by rappers Joey Badass and Nastee, the first episode dropped on Friday featured Vince Staples and Styles P.
The conversation that stretches well over 47 minutes, is an engaging and intense look at hip-hop culture, its history of being marginalised, and an analysis of rappers that are currently making it big.
Today, Explained
Vox Media has officially entered the daily news podcast genre and we’re pleased to report that it’s a valuable addition, one that may not probably compete with the The New York Times’ The Daily, but one that confidently complements it. However, unlike other new podcasts that aim to summarise and contextualise a day’s worth of breaking news and opinion pieces, Vox looks at creating focus.
Every day, an episode will focus on one story from the day, and explain it in typical Vox fashion, who pride themselves on their primer format. The show’s hosted by the charming and ever-ebullient Sean Rameswaram, whom you might have most recently heard on the Radiolab-spinoff, More Perfect. So far, topics on the podcast have included everything from gun violence and DACA to Black Panther and Cape Town’s horrifying drought situation.
