EarWax: An Amoeba Podcast EarWax

How many power chords do you have? Because this week we've got plenty to spare!Thin Lizzy had been more or less given one final shot to break big. Despite big creative differences, perhaps a little too much "hydration," and maybe not enough discipline early on, the crew behind Jailbreak all recognized the stakes.Packed with rock radio staples and incredible deep cuts, Jailbreak secured Thin Lizzy's future on the recording front. Driven by Phil Lynott's vision and supported by exquisite drummi...

Hunker down, because we've got a record full of absolute bangers this week.Part electronic, part disco, part hard rock and all teeth, this duo found their footing with a series of remixes, before heading into the basement of an old club and chapel to record what would be their first studio album.Justice's debut album † (Cross) brings the heat. With over 400 albums sampled (and micro-sampled), the influences are as present as the originality. Are you going to be able to catch all 400? Not a ch...

Come on now, you know we got geared up for this one. One of the heaviest hitters in the world music conversation, Buena Vista Social Club's self-titled debut is this week's focus on EarWax!Let's head to Cuba (by way of Mexico, if you're Ry Cooder), find some legendary Cuban musicians, get them in the studio and see what magic unfolds. After their initial idea broke down, this is how Nick Gold and Ry Cooder pivoted, and man did it work out.These are songs that have been around Cuba for decades...

We love our shiny, glossy pop albums here on EarWax, and this week we've got one that is among the shiniest and poppiest - Carly Rae Jepsen's "E•MO•TION."After rocketing to the top of the charts with the monster single "Call Me Maybe," Carly Rae Jepsen needed to take some time to figure out where she fit in the pop landscape, and more importantly, how to fit in a way that was comfortable for her.The time "away" included a stint on Broadway, a scrapped album, and taking control of her creative...

We are heading into familiar territory this week as EarWax revisits the Newport Jazz Festival!Cody and Hilary pick up four years after we last left Newport to tell the tale behind Muddy Waters' incredible live album "At Newport 1960." This record is an absolutely scorching set of blues set against a weekend that was marred by capacity limits, Bermuda shorts-wearing hoodlums, riots, and a Mingus-led rival festival.With tracks written by giants like Willie Dixon and Langston Hughes, "At Newport...

Looking for a breezy jam to cruise into the summer season? Nah, we're hitting you with beats, bars, and Vince Staples' debut album.Cody and Hilary talk about our responsibilities as fans, how to respectfully engage with weighty material, and how in the pocket Vince Staples is throughout this whole record.Weaving together a tapestry of matter-of-fact stories with a seamless display of flows, Summertime '06 tells us about a loss of innocence. The ability to deliver such a weighty message in suc...