Discography Divers Nick Moffitt and Shannon McClain

Grateful Dead are one of the all time jam bands and on this episode of Discography Divers Nick and Shannon are going in head first. They are both relatively new to the Dead experience. Luckily they have their friend Andrew McDonaugh-Lee to ramble on with them. 

Grateful Dead are famous for their live concert experience, but for this episode they are only discussing the Dead's studio albums. Their studio album experience tells a story of a true American band. Over the course of 13 albums Grateful Dead begin as a prototypical 1960s San Fransisco psychedelic band, focus their song writing into a folk rock oriented sound, and then gain mainstream radio success in the 1980s. Grateful Dead fuse rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, reggae, folk, country, blues, and psychedelia into a one of a kind sound. 

How do the Discography Divers react to this original sound? Do they have similar taste or does the eclectic nature of Grateful Dead divide their rankings? Would the Deadheads approve of their ultimate ranking? 

Listen now and beat it on down the line.  

This, right here, is the first Shannon Pick! Shannon went back into her history of buying CDs at Fred Myer and chose Death Cab For Cutie. Death Cab began as a lo-fi local Pacific Northwest band and grew into to a major radio player. On this episode Nick and Shannon dive into their career and discuss how Death Cab fit into the definition of emo music, why Ben Gibbard's lyrics are so perfectly poetic, and if their themes of unrequited love is dangerous. It is just the two hosts on this episode and their goofiness comes out. Shannon can't help but discuss her love of the Forbidden Love EP and The Postal Service and Nick just can't help but singing.  

Want to catch up on Death Cab? Listen to our accompanying Spotify playlist at this link.

The Discography Divers are back with a special episode, Bob Dylan. Obviously Bob Dylan has too many albums over the course of his entire career to rank in one episode, so this episode is just his work in 1960s. Still, Dylan released 9 albums across the decade, many of which are considered masterpieces. Comparing and ranking Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 Revisited, The Times They Are A-Changin, Bringing It All Back Home seemed like an impossible task but somehow the Discography Divers pulled it off!

This episode features a very special guest, Nick's dad, Frank Busichio! Frank has firsthand experience listening to Dylan in the 1960s. He shares personal stories about protesting while listening to Dylan, his perspective on Dylan going electric, and why Dylan's music is still relevant today. 

Check out our accompanying Spotify playlist!

The Discography Divers are back and jumping into the career of one of the most accomplished women in pop music, Beyoncé. With the help of their friend Janah Valenzuela Cardin, Nick and Shannon discuss her rise coming out of Destiny's Child, her persona Sasha Fierce, the complicated relationship she had with her manager/father, and how her music continued to evolve and become more confident through her career. Beyoncé is undeniably a cultural force of nature. Do all of her albums hold up? How does Dangerously in Love stack up to Lemonade? What makes her concert film Homecoming so special? These are all questions the Discography Divers answer as they rank the discography of the great Queen Bey. 

Want to catch up on Beyoncé? Check out our accompanying playlist. 

The Discography Divers are back with their season 3 premiere featuring one of the most impactful indie rock bands in recent history, Arcade Fire. There are a few things special about this episode. Arcade Fire is the shortest discography we have covered. It makes for an interesting experience because most of their albums are great! As we dive in, we’ll discuss what aspects make Arcade Fire so timeless, how they tap into nostalgia in a meaningful way, and how they expand and push their sound with every release. Also, Brandon Bowlby is back as our first returning guest.

Check out our Arcade Fire accompanying playlist on Spotify!

My Morning Jacket has made a name for themselves as quintessential American rock. Right out the gate they had a strong Southern Rock sound which evolved over time to incorporate psychedelic rock, funk, alternative country, jam band, and indie rock. Listen as Nick and Shannon explore My Morning Jacket's discography with guest Nick Soriano as they discuss the divisive Evil Urges, the song order on Circuital, Jim James' genuine earnestness, and how everything seems to come together on The Waterfall. 

Want a My Morning Jacket refresher? Listen to our Spotify playlist!