Playing By Ear
Every episode of this podcast breaks an album down, track by track, to cover why it's not only worth playing, but replaying.
Displaying 4 items of Playing By Ear with the tag "indie rock".
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Big Red Letter Day (Buffalo Tom)
August 11th, 2026 | 2 hrs 7 mins
college rock, grunge, indie, indie music, indie rock, music, my so-called life, rock, rock and roll, songwriters, songwriting
Buffalo Tom's "Big Red Letter Day" may not have commercially been the big red letter day the band was looking for, but it exemplifies the feelings and soundscapes of grunge-era college rock. We're joined by musician and comedian Dylan Ris (www.lostmoonradio.com and www.themoonunits.com) to throw on some flannel and think about our so-called lives in the early 90s.
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Goths (The Mountain Goats)
February 17th, 2026 | 2 hrs 27 mins
goth, indie, indie rock, john darnielle, music, singer, songwriter, songwriting
Moody, beautiful, deep, dark, all words that describe goth music. And yet, while The Mountain Goats' "Goths" explores all the themes of goth music, the bands that played it, and the subculture that embraced it in the 1980s, the album occupies a woodwind-heavy guitarless soundscape wholly unlike its black-draped synth-heavy subject matter. We're joined by guest Rick Firestone of the Pixel Project Radio podcast to explore this album's sundrenched wistful look back at a gloomy subject.
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The American Egypt (Mike Viola)
December 9th, 2025 | 2 hrs 35 mins
indie, indie rock, music, rock, rock music, songwriter, songwriting, that thing you do
Wistul, emotional, cheeky, and melodic, Mike Viola's "An American Egypt" uses inventive stream-of-consciousness lyrics to paint a dreamy picture of life as a middle-aged parent in Los Angeles. Sometimes silly, sometimes sad, and often both, Doug, Ami, and Kyle had a blast unpacking this album along with guest musician Sophie Gonzalez (www.themoonunits.com) to discuss an album she loves so much she wants to be buried with it lik a true American Egyptian.
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Sha Sha (Ben Kweller)
September 23rd, 2025 | 1 hr 54 mins
00s, 2000s, indie, indie rock, music, rock, rock music
This episode we're revisiting Ben Kweller's freshman album, Sha Sha, as he brings his Weezer-esque sincere and heartfelt music straight from his soul to your ears. In the early 2000s indie artists were trying to break through the pop music brick wall built by NSYNC, Brittney Spears, and others. Although this particular album did not break through, its thoughtful approach and lack of polished prouction makes it worth replaying as part of that indie scene.