Meet Our Makers

40. José González - Enjoy Music & Hugging (Without Making People Die)

In this episode, the final episode of 2021, we get to meet singer/songwriter José González. Speaking with me from his home in Sweden a couple days before the release of his newest record, Local Valley, José and I chat about the album and his excitement about touring. We discuss the themes and sonic risks he took this time around, including the sounds from around the globe that influenced the album. We talk about his first-ever use of Swedish and Spanish on an album, as well as his famous covers, and more. Please enjoy, and thank you for listening.

39. Meric Long - With(in) a Guitar

In this episode, we get to meet Meric Long, a singer/songwriter/guitarist best known as one half of indie rock band The Dodos. In this chat, Meric and I discuss what went into the band's newest record, November's Grizzly Peak, including some of the themes, the tone, the production, as well as their attempt to get back to what Meric describes as his original intention with the project. We talk about life, art, and his relationship with music, specifically with the guitar as an instrument, and how it's changed over time. And all of this while Meric simmers a nice vegetable soup. Please enjoy, and thank you for listening.

38. Xenia Rubinos - This is Why

In this episode, we get to meet Xenia Rubinos, a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist hailing from Brooklyn. I actually interviewed Xenia once before, years ago, but because we'd already gotten a lot of the "meeting" out of the way, we were able to really zero in on her brand new album, Una Rosa, which came out this fall on ANTI-. In this chat, we discuss a lot about the record, including themes, styles, the hard road toward making it (in which Xenia wasn't even sure she'd make another record), and much more. I think you'll enjoy it, especially if you've already listened to the album. Thhank you for listening.

37. Nite Jewel - World Beyond

In this episode, we get to meet Nite Jewel, which is the alias of singer, songwriter, producer, instrumentalist Ramona Gonzalez. In this chat, Ramona and I discuss, at length, her newest record, No Sun, which came out this past summer. We discuss minimalism, history, how the lament as a musical form inspired a lot of this new material, the personal bent behind this new record, the "chill wave thing," and more. Thank you for listening, and please enjoy.

36. Madi Diaz - One Big Release

In this episode, we get to meet Madi Diaz. Madi is a singer-songwriter based in Nashville, who has just released her deeply personal and honest new solo record, History of a Feeling. Out on Anti-, the record details, with autopsy-like precision, the aftermath of a relationship gone awry. In this chat, Madi and I discuss at length this new album, and the comfort level it took for her to release such personal work. We also somehow get on the topic of Disney Movies and Brave Little Toaster, so there's also that. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy this humorous and slightly circuitous conversation. 

35. Indigo Sparke - It Can Only Be Beautiful

In this episode, we get to meet Indigo Sparke. Indigo is a singer-songwriter who just put out her debut record, Echo, back in February. In this chat, she and I talk about the process of making her first album, including coproducing with Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker. We talk about some of the symbiosis between her record and Lenker's recent solo album, as well as the artistic sojourn she took in Italy with Damien Rice, Feist, and others. We talk about her recent relocation from her native Australia to New York, spaciousness in music, and lots more. Thank you for listening, and please enjoy.

34. Spencer Krug - A Tinkerer at Heart

In this episode, we get to meet Spencer Krug. Spencer is best known as one of the lead singers and songwriter of indie rock veterans Wolf Parade, but he has a long history of solo work and other bands, such as Sunset Rubdown, Moonface, and more. In this chat, Spencer and I discuss his latest solo record, Fading Graffiti, which is his first to come out under his given name. We talk about transforming the songs from ornate piano ballads to more upfront rock songs. We also talk about Wolf Parade, starting his own label, and being a new dad amidst the global pandemic. Thank you for listening, and please enjoy.

33. SPELLLING - Vessel for the Sound

In this episode, we get to meet SPELLLING, which is the pseudonym of singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Chrystia Cabral. In this chat, Chrystia talk quite a bit about her brand new album, The Turning Wheel, which is out now on Sacred Bones. We discuss some of what went into the process of making it, some of the inspirations behind it like childhood, storytelling, myticism, and tarot cards. We talk about what led her and Scared Bones together in the first place, as well as what the centerpiece of the new record, "Boys at School", is about and where it came from. Thank you for listening, and please enjoy.

32. Juana Molina - How to Make an Omelette

In this episode, we get to meet singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Juana Molina. Speaking to me from her home in Argentina, Juana and I discuss the brand new, 21st century reissue of her 2nd album, Segundo. We talk about the origin of that album, her process then vs. now, as well as the journey of going back at it for the reissue. We also discuss her long-lost first album, her start in - and eventual departure from - TV comedy, her profound love of what she does, as well as her surprise punk-inspired EP, Forfun, from 2019. Thank you for listening, and please enjoy.

31. Japanese Breakfast - Year of Release

In this episode, we get to meet Japanese Breakfast, aka Michelle Zauner. Under the Japanese Breakfast name, Zauner has just put out her third record, Jubilee. She also recently released her debut memoir, Crying in H Mart, which landed on the NYT Bestsellers List. In this chat, she and I discuss the album -- sonic and lyrical inspirations, the concept of exploring joy, and more -- as well as the memoir, which deals heavily with her complex relationship with her late mother. We talk about fictional vs. personal in songwriting, the sort of complicated backstory of her single "Posing in Bondage", and much more. Thank you for listening, and please enjoy.