WICB Presents: The Deconstruct Podcast

The Deconstruct Podcast
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WICB presents The Deconstruct Podcast, hosted by Ben Macarell. This biweekly cast goes as in-depth as possible in its dissections of the musical stylings and techniques used by its chosen artists. Each show deconstructs one song down to its core elements.

  1. 09/22/2021

    Episode 02.02: "Love, Love, Love" by The Mountain Goats

    In this episode, we're expanding on the concepts put out in the first episode and applying them to "Love, Love, Love" by the Mountain Goats, talking about forming melodies, putting harmony to work, and creating a soundscape with instruments. LINKS: Listen and follow along to the music Ben's new album, Tramway, is out now on Bandcamp. You can stream the lead single, See You In Harlem, on all your favorite streaming platforms.

    23 min

  2. 09/07/2021

    Episode 02.01: Math, Physics, and Music

    For someone not already knee-deep in playing music, it can be challenging to have a framework with which to understand it. In the first episode of this season, Ben gets down to bare-bones and talks about what sound and music actually are, and how to take the basic elements and construct works out of them. LINKS: An explanation of the Harmonic Series Ben's new album, Tramway, is out now on Bandcamp. You can stream the lead single, See You In Harlem, on all your favorite services.

    17 min

  3. 05/26/2021

    Episode 11: On Racism in Music Education

    This week, we're doing something a bit different.  LINKS You can email requests for tracks to deconstruct@wicb.org Ben is on Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok as BMACS001 BIBLIOGRAPHY Clauhs, M., Beard, J., and Chadwick, A. (2017, December). Increasing Access to School Music through Modern Band. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321873901_Increasing_Access_to_School_Music_through_Modern_Band Clendenning, J. P., & Marvin, E. W. (2016). The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis (3rd ed.). W. W. Norton and Company. Elpus, K., & Abril, C. (2011). High School Music Ensemble Students in the United States: A Demographic Profile. Journal of Research in Music Education, 59(2), 128-145. Retrieved May 24, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23019481 Ewell, P. A. (2020). Music Theory and the White Racial Frame. Music Theory Online, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.30535/mto.26.2.4 Falconer, L. (2013, August). A Comparison of the Perceptions of Music Educators and School Administrators Regarding Trends in Secondary Curricular Offerings and Implications on Student Body Participation. Penn State University. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.862.3718&rep=rep1&type=pdf Marshall, W. (2008). Stuff! Good Guitar Players Should Know: An A-Z Guide to Getting Better. Hal Leonard. Powell, B. (2019). Modern Bands Impact on Student Enrollment in Traditional Music Ensembles. School Music News- New York State School Music Association. Published. https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/cali-facpubs/42/ Simon, K. A. (2013, March). Music Education in Urban America: A Demographic Report of Music Teachers in High-Poverty Urban Schools. Florida State University. http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-7605 Society for Music Theory. (2019, October). Annual Report on Membership Demographics. https://societymusictheory.org/sites/default/files/demographics/smt-demographics-report-2019.pdf

    12 min

  4. 05/18/2021

    Episode 10: Medley of "The Record Player Song", "The Wellerman", and "My Mother Told Me"

    TikTok's Duet feature has a habit of creating wild collaborations between musicians overlaying their talents on each other, creating art greater than the sum of its parts. Ben is taking a few minutes today to talk about one of these videos, an a capella medley of "The Record Player Song" by Daisy the Great, the whaling song "The Wellerman", and the verse "My Mother Told Me" from Egil's Saga as set in the History Channel series "Vikings", and discusses the basics of why something like this would work, analyzes each melody, and goes on a tangent about why learning music theory in school is soulless and lifeless. LINKS: The video in question (and no, you don't need the app to view it, this isn't Snapchat) You can email requests for tracks to deconstruct@wicb.org Ben is on Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok as BMACS001

    12 min

  5. 05/04/2021

    Episode 9: "Somebody's Baby" by Jackson Browne

    In this episode, Ben takes a look at the 80's nostalgia trip that is Somebody's Baby by Jackson Browne, and looks into how music can both be anthemic and catchy as heck, covering topics like slap bass, crafting a guitar's sound, and how to shape vocal lines around lyrics. LINKS: Listen and follow along with the music You can email requests for tracks to deconstruct@wicb.org Ben is on Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok as BMACS001

    46 min

  6. 04/20/2021

    Episode 8: "Mariposa" by the Peach Tree Rascals

    This week, Ben sits down with Ellen Chapman to discuss a song that made the rounds on TikTok last year, where even though the melodies are quickly forgotten, the dreamy vibes only get more intense with each listen. LINKS: Listen and follow along with the music Ellen wished to plug kindness here You can email requests for tracks to deconstruct@wicb.org Ben is also on Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok as BMACS001

    40 min

  7. 04/06/2021

    Episode 7: "Boys Don't Cry" by The Cure

    In which Ben is joined by Cam Narimanian again to discuss an early punk track. Even though the song is quite a simple one (and I may have picked that deliberately), we find that there's always meat to dive into, no matter the track. LINKS: Listen and follow along with the music Cam’s a member of the band Soul From Body You can email requests for tracks to deconstruct@wicb.org Ben is also on Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok as BMACS001

    27 min

  8. 03/23/2021

    Episode 6: "Layla" by Derek and the Dominoes

    In which Ben reminisces about the past, goes on a tangent about Automated Dialogue Replacement, and finishes the episode only halfway through talking about Derek and the Dominoes' "Layla" LINKS: Listen and follow along with the music: We talk about Eric Clapton's Unplugged version before the proper Derek and the Dominoes version You can email requests for tracks to deconstruct@wicb.org Ben is on Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok as BMACS001

    39 min
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WICB presents The Deconstruct Podcast, hosted by Ben Macarell. This biweekly cast goes as in-depth as possible in its dissections of the musical stylings and techniques used by its chosen artists. Each show deconstructs one song down to its core elements.

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