Unsung Podcast

Unsung Podcast
  • 4.5 (12)
  • MUSIC
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

If there was a definitive discography of classic albums, what should be in it? Hosts Mark Fraser and Chris Cusack, plus the occasional guest, discuss and dissect perceived classic albums to decide which albums would make this list. We also interview amazing artists, do genre deep dives and throw a journalistic lens on musical topics you might not know much about.

  1. The Band That Made One Album About the End of the World (Then Disappeared)

    5D AGO

    The Band That Made One Album About the End of the World (Then Disappeared)

    You may be shocked to hear that Lift to Experience made one album. One. A ninety-minute double CD concept record about the apocalypse, set entirely in Texas, written by three boys from Pentecostal and Baptist backgrounds who genuinely believed they had something to say to God. And then, more or less, they vanished. In this episode we cover the Texas Jerusalem Crossroads in full — the vision behind it, the religious fervour that powered it, and the question of whether you need to share any of that fervour to find the record genuinely moving. We'd argue you don't, and the band themselves seemed fairly relaxed about that. We also get into the wider story, which turns out to be just as compelling as the music. The album that couldn't be bought in its home country for years. The label that mixed it without the band present and broke their hearts. The tour that never happened. The beard competition. The sandwich grill. Along the way we ask a question that feels increasingly relevant right now — what does it actually mean when Americans start singing about Texas as the site of the final battle between good and evil? In 2001 it seemed like a grand artistic conceit. In 2025 it feels a little different. Is the Texas Jerusalem Crossroads the unsung post rock record with actual things to say? We think so. But it's a ninety-minute album, so you've got time to make up your own mind. Highlights: 00:00 Intro and Whether We’re Actually Living in the End Times 03:11 Album Introduction 04:46 Millennium Anxiety 09:17 Band Origins 11:19 Sound and Influences 12:22 Post Rock With Vocals?! 17:33 Name and Release 19:48 Religion and Meaning 25:46 Art Versus Belief 29:46 Lyrics and Apocalypse 32:00 Track Highlights 33:51 Shoegaze Favourite Track 34:50 Dynamics of Cloud Nine 36:27 Maximalist Texas Vibes 37:03 Album Art Joke Explained 38:56 Religion and Tech Rants 40:53 UK Success US Absence 44:22 Recording Struggles and SXSW Myth 49:19 Bad Mix and Band Fallout 53:17 Aftermath and Cult Legacy 56:02 Reunion and 2017 Reissue 59:41 Remix Reviews and Changes 01:02:42 Apocalypse Talk and Final Thoughts 01:07:45 Outro

    1h 14m
  2. FROM THE VAULT: Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

    MAR 23 ·  BONUS

    FROM THE VAULT: Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

    This week we're throwing back to June 2018, when this pod was only six months old. Things were simpler - the research was less onerous, episodes were shorter (this would easily be a two parter these days), Dave was still part of the crew and the world wasn't ending... Godspeed You! Black Emperor don't really do brevity. They do epic, sweeping, often joyous, always elaborate, suites of music that are designed to move you. They're thorough, crafting songs with painstaking attention to detail. In keeping with the spirit of the band, we thought we'd do the same, so we present to your our longest episode yet. But trust us when we say that it's probably up there with our most interesting listens. We dive deep into the band's back catalogue, stopping along the way to talk about the politics of the band and yes, we do offer a take on some thorny subjects. With this band it's something that can often be inseparable from the way their music, and image, is presented, so it had to happen. The Foo Fighters Nexus also returns (jingle pending) and Chris has a full on GY!BE superfan nerdgasm, while Weaver whacks his politics degree on the table and Mark takes issue with the label "post-rock". This is a fun and captivating listen. We understand that the title of "best Godspeed album" is a contentious one, so we're intrigued to see if people agree with our decision to include this in our canon Unsung classics.

    1h 31m
  3. When Artists Aren't What They Seem - Ghost Bath Musical Catfishing and Hoax Bands - 380

    MAR 16

    When Artists Aren't What They Seem - Ghost Bath Musical Catfishing and Hoax Bands - 380

    You may be shocked to hear that musicians sometimes lie about who they are. Some may say this is not shocking at all - it's almost a tradition. But there's a meaningful difference between Ziggy Stardust and a band from North Dakota claiming to be a Chinese black metal act to game the press. In this episode we try to map that difference. We spend a healthy portion of time on what we're not talking about - aliases, concept bands, anonymity for anonymity's sake - before getting into the genuinely murky territory of bands that have used fabricated identities for commercial advantage. We cover the fake Zombies that toured America simultaneously in 1969, The Masked Marauders and the elaborate Rolling Stone prank that accidentally became a real album, Silibil n Brains, Dundee rappers who got signed to Island Records on the strength of their American accents, before discussing Ghost Bath, the project that brought this whole phenomenon into focus for us. Along the way we also get into AI-generated music, Milli Vanilli (and why what they did is arguably less dishonest than what plenty of current pop stars do routinely, and a genuinely unresolved case involving a supposedly Iraqi black metal band that may or may not have put its members in real danger. The question running through all of it: does context change how we hear music? And if it does — what does that say about us? Highlights: 00:00 Introduction 01:24 Catfish and Hoax Bands Explained 02:11 Patreon 05:10 Famous Death Hoaxes 05:42 Mystique Versus Scams 09:02 Not Aliases or Roleplay 10:43 Anonymity and Masks 13:23 Fake Touring Lineups 19:03 Concept Bands and Bits 24:28 AI Bands and Deception 27:54 Outright Music Scams 30:13 Milli Vanilli Then and Now 30:53 Pop Star Fraud Culture 33:39 Mask Marauders Hoax 35:20 Orion Elvis Impostor 38:50 Platinum Weird Backstory 40:25 Syllable American Rap Ruse 43:38 Jana Mystery Metal Band 46:06 Velvet Cocoon Troll Scam 48:36 Ghost Bath Identity Debate 54:40 Context and Cultural Relativism 58:10 Ghost Bath Fallout and Ethics 01:02:53 Outro

    1h 8m
  4. FROM THE VAULT: ПАСХА (Paskha) by Shortparis w/ Rebecca Yurivna

    MAR 10 ·  BONUS

    FROM THE VAULT: ПАСХА (Paskha) by Shortparis w/ Rebecca Yurivna

    WELCOME BACK TO FROM THE VAULT. That's right, on our off weeks we'll be pulling an episode from our extensive vault that we love and we think is somewhat relevant to goings on in the modern era. And our latest episode is about Pashka by Shortparis. An episode which has been through into sharp relevance by the recent death of singer Nikolai Komyagin, who passed away in mysterious circumstances on Feb 20th 2026. We hope you enjoy. This week we’re joined by American artist and academic Rebecca Yurivna to talk about the Russian band Shortparis. Shortparis is a Russian experimental rock band hailing from the city of St. Petersburg. The band was formed in 2012 and musically, the band are quite difficult to catagorise. They take in elements of post-punk, electronic, and avant-garde music with traditional Russian folk melodies and lyrics. Their sound is quite unique, and is characterized by intense vocals, complex instrumentation, and a theatrical stage presence. More recent albums are almost exclusively sung in Russian, with the occasional lapse into English and French peppered throughout their career. Chris is fairly new to this band, as are Mark and Rebecca, so it was fun to get under their skin. We also chat about their political stance, which until the recent Russo-Ukrainian war, was somewhat ambiguous in their music. This often contrasts with their videos, which are more overt in their pro-LGBT+, almost anti-Russian stance. Indeed, they’ve become quite outspoken critics of Russia snice the war. In this episode we go through all of their records whilst also touching on the political situation in Russia today, and take a quick look at some other protest music that has cropped up in Russia since the war. Check out Rebecca’s music here, and give her a wee follow on Instagram here. It was great to have her on the show. Hopefully we can link up again soon! Let us know what you think of Shortparis on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

    2h 2m
  5. Is Insomniac by Green Day an Unsung Classic? (Side B) w/ Rick Bruce from Coffin Mulch/Moondshine Docs - 379

    MAR 2

    Is Insomniac by Green Day an Unsung Classic? (Side B) w/ Rick Bruce from Coffin Mulch/Moondshine Docs - 379

    You may be shocked to hear that Green Day have a lot of songs. Some may say, in fact, that they have too MANY songs, because there does come a point where they all just blend into on another. In this episode we explore this phenomenon, and it is exclusively (in our view) an issue that plagues the latter half of their career. We cover everything from American Idiot to Saviors, and whilst not all of these albums are afflicted in such a way, it definitely seems to become more prevalent as we more closer to the present era. We also ask a crucial question - is Green Day punk? The answer is probably not quite what you expect, but we do debate the finer points. Suggesting that perhaps they could be Schrodinger's punx... All this leads us to trying to answer the real question - is Insomniac Green Day's unsung classic? Let's find out. Highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:53 Car Album Debate 05:07 Legacy Act Question 09:31 Setting Up American Idiot 10:24 American Idiot Phenomenon 14:22 Stadium Band Status 23:08 Broadway And 21st Century 31:15 Uno, Dos, Tre And Rehab 35:38 Revolution Radio To Father Of All 37:38 Father of All Reappraisal 39:03 Critics vs Short Runtime 39:49 Side Projects and Salty Pretzel 43:18 2020 Output and Pandemic Era 44:18 Saviors and Derivative Sounds 48:42 Compression and Phone Listening 52:49 Is Green Day Punk? 01:00:28 Defining Punk and Yardsticks 01:19:59 Insomniac Context and Backlash 01:21:21 Critics and Rawness 01:22:22 Sales and Fan Backlash 01:24:01 Honest Bridge Album 01:26:28 Opening Tracks and Tone 01:30:29 Singles and Track Picks 01:32:56 Production and Gear Talk 01:39:54 Songwriting and Label Control 01:53:48 Closing Tracks and Verdict 01:59:22 Wrap Up and Goodbyes

    1h 60m
  6. Is Insomniac by Green Day an Unsung Classic? (Side A) - 378

    FEB 16

    Is Insomniac by Green Day an Unsung Classic? (Side A) - 378

    Could it be done? Is it possible to call anything Green Day have ever released both unsung AND (crucially, because there's a fair bit of 'meh' in their catalogue) good? Well folks, this week and next we're going to do our very best to find out. And we're joined by our good friend Rick Bruce from Coffin Mulch and Moonshine Docks. Our contention? That their fourth album, Insomniac, is an unsung classic. This is all relative of course--in the 90s and 00s they sold bucket loads of records. How many people had copies of their records knocking about in their car footwells before 2010? Probably millions. And it hasn't stopped. They're still pulling down millions of streams per month. Objectively, they are huge. And somewhat less objectively, they're probably the biggest punk band ever, and certainly one of the biggest bands on earth. I mean, Insomniac itself isn't even their lowest selling record. And in this episode, we don't even get to it! It's a two parter after all. No, in this episode we talk about everything from the 1000 Hours EP right up to, and including, Warning. With a brief detour into Pinhead Gunpowder too. We'll tackle Insomniac itself in our next episode--as is our way. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:08 Green Day at the Super Bowl 04:47 Is It Even Possible for Green Day to be Unsung?! 05:23 Support us on Patreon 06:53 Mark's Album-a-Day Project, Power Pop Rabbit Holes & Mic Banter 08:45 Green Day 101: Origins, Pop-Punk Blueprint & Gilman Street 10:51 Influences Deep Dive: Hüsker Dü, Replacements, Costello, Op Ivy & More 15:21 Which Album Is Unsung? Debating Kerplunk, Nimrod & Insomniac 20:27 Early Timeline: Sweet Children, 1,000 Hours EP & 39/Smooth Era 22:40 Scene Discipline vs Scottish Modesty: Getting Good on Purpose 33:03 Kerplunk Breakthrough, Major-Label Controversy & Setting Up Dookie 35:27 How I First Bought Dookie (and Why It Wasn't a 5/5 Yet) 37:03 1994: The Year Pop-Punk Exploded (Offspring, NOFX, Weezer & More) 38:04 Green Day's Mainstream Breakthrough: MTV, Grammys, and the Blink-182 Ripple Effect 43:56 Insomniac (1995): Darker, Faster, Burnout After Fame 46:55 Nimrod (1997): 'Good Riddance' and the Genre-Hopping Era 51:38 Seeing Green Day Live: Glasgow Shows, Merch Regrets, and Peak Memories 53:17 Do Novelty Songs Ruin Pop-Punk? The Big Debate (Descendents, The Offspring, Blink) 59:50 Warning (2000): Polished Pivot, Chasing Hits—or Underrated Growth? 01:09:12 From Warning to American Idiot: The Stolen 'Cigarettes & Valentines' Sessions 01:12:12 On the Cusp of American Idiot (Wrap-Up & Next Part Tease)

    1h 21m
  7. IN SESSION: Stewart Home - Musician, Author, Artist and Punk

    JAN 19

    IN SESSION: Stewart Home - Musician, Author, Artist and Punk

    This week we've got a really fascinating chat with Stewart Home. Originally a punk in London in the early days of the movement, he's since forged a career as a musician, author and visual artist. In this interview we talk at length about his early days as a punk in London in the late 70s and early 80s, and dig into how his own perception of the genre has helped to inform his outlook on music ever since. We dig into his 1994 treatise on punk rock, Cranked Up Really High, discussing his rather unique take on the genre and its legacy—including his controversial argument that punk rock wasn't actually influenced by Situationism. Naturally, conversation drifts into how right-wing oi! music grew out from the genre, touching on figures like Ian Stuart, Skrewdriver, and the uncomfortable middle-class origins of many prominent fascist punk bands. From there, we tie things into his latest book, Fascist Yoga: Grifters, Occultists, White Supremacists, and the New Order in Wellness, which takes a close look at the origins of modern yoga, uncovering the grifters and white supremacists who sat at the heart of the movement as it grew throughout the mid to late 20th century. In it, he argues that yoga served as a blueprint for the tactics and ideology that permeate the modern wellness movement—and traces the pipeline from 1960s counterculture libertarianism to today's anti-government conspiracism. Which, once again, leads into the far-right. Because, y'know, that's what we do. We thoroughly recommend both books: Cranked Up Really High is available to read fully on his website. Fascist Yoga: Grifters, Occultists, White Supremacists, and the New Order In Wellness currently available at all good booksellers, published by Pluto Press. Highlights: 00:20 Welcome to the Show 02:36 Stuart's Journey and Punk Rock Insights 12:05 The Evolution of Punk Rock 17:40 Fascism and Music: A Complex Relationship 20:53 David Bowie and the National Front 31:38 The Intersection of Esotericism and Fascism 34:28 The Evolution of Link Records and Skrewdriver's Iconography 36:17 Boyd Rice and the Punk Scene 39:01 Tony Wakeford and the Controversies of Sol Invictus 42:17 The Working Class Roots of Metal and Neo-Folk 46:18 The Rise of Neo-Nazi and Fascist Music 50:55 The Intersection of Wellness Culture and Alt-Right Ideologies 56:34 The Role of Doubt and Disinformation in Modern Politics 01:00:58 The Punk Rock Influence on Chan Culture 01:06:48 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

    1h 13m
  8. The Unsung Best of 2025

    12/30/2025

    The Unsung Best of 2025

    Ah yes, the gooch of the year. Or the barse if you're so inclined (or perineum if you want to keep it medical). Long time fans will know that every Xmas we usually have a massive blow out where we answer fan questions. Well, we did that this year too! Part one is available to our Patreon subscribers, and you can still listen to it here: www.pateron.com/unsungpod hell, we won't even begrudge you signing up for a month just hear it before leaving. As part of that we usually chuck in our favourites of the year, but in 2025 we've decided to break that out into a standalone episode for general release. So now everyone gets to hear our slightly tipsy opinions on our favourite records, gigs and Scottish acts from 2025. Also, as is tradition, Dave has resurrected himself to join us on this most holy of holidays. We miss you Dave! But yes, this is the Best of 2025 edition of Unsung. We'll have a third episode of this entire Xmas debacle dropping for subs later this week, which you can find on the above linked Patreon. It is...drunken. To say the least. ANYWAY ENJOY. HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT XMAS AND HAVE A WONDERFUL 2026. KTHXBAI.

    1h 46m
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About

If there was a definitive discography of classic albums, what should be in it? Hosts Mark Fraser and Chris Cusack, plus the occasional guest, discuss and dissect perceived classic albums to decide which albums would make this list. We also interview amazing artists, do genre deep dives and throw a journalistic lens on musical topics you might not know much about.

Information

  • Creator
    Unsung Podcast
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    446
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Unsung Podcast
  • Show Website
    Unsung Podcast

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