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 2 items of Playing By Ear with the tag "songwriter".
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Drive (Bic Runga)
January 20th, 2026 | 1 hr 45 mins
1990s, 90s, american pie, musician, new zealand, rock, rock music, singer, songwriter, songwriting, sway, vocalist
Bic Runga's debut album features beautiful, haunting vocals and equal parts soft singer/songwriter, and late 90s female-powered grunge. Does "Drive" drive, or does it just drive us crazy? We delve into this layered and complex work to peel back what makes it worth paying attention to.
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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.