What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music

Adam Scott Glasspool, Steve Murphy, Lucas Way
  • 4.6 (68)
  • Music Commentary
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast that dives deep into discographies - one artist per season. Hosts Adam, Steve, and Lucas go album by album, track by track, exploring how context shapes our experience of music, why fans become obsessed, and what music really is. With three hosts coming from wildly different levels of musical knowledge, expect sharp analysis, wild tangents, hot takes, and more information about the artists (and the hosts) than you ever asked for. Current focus: Björk. Previous seasons featured Manic Street Preachers, Muse, Billie Eilish, Radiohead, Lauryn Hill, R.E.M., and Arctic Monkeys.

  1. 1d ago

    Björk Handles Ants and Spiders and Lizards

    The Big Mates provide a special kind of audio accompaniment for a variety of clips from across the career of The Sugarcubes.  Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss Icelandic cuisine, currency conversion rates, successful side projects, milk, Top of the Pops, Joan Jett, Netflix podcasts, and MTV programming whilst watching some music videos for the band’s biggest hits, footage of them performing on TV, and archival footage of Björk’s earlier projects.  Head to YouTube to watch along by clicking here! Or don't watch along - the episode works fine either way! Our next episode comes out Monday June 22nd, and sees us dive into Björk’s first solo album - Debut! Join the conversation on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@whatismusicpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod E-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.com Get access to more shows, exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes of this show, and more music discussion by subscribing to our Patreon! Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and receive up to two new episodes of our various shows every week (including our album club and monthly themed playlists!), ad-free archives of What Is Music?, and access to our Patron-only Discord server for even more music (and non-music) discussion! Support our show when starting your own podcast! By signing up to Buzzsprout with this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=780379 Check out our merch! https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.com Donate to our podcast! https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic http://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/ Support the show

    1 hr

  2. Jun 8

    Stick Around for Joy

    The Big Mates discuss antique shops, alternative dance music, relatively new sweets, and Stick Around for Joy by The Sugarcubes.  Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue the prologue of their deep-dive exploration into the music of Björk by talking about the third album by The Sugarcubes. They discuss the details of the band's hiatus, the journey to America to make the album, the incorporation of dance-influenced sounds, and offer analysis, interpretation, and opinion from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between! What is alternative dance music? How cheeky is the band? How thick is Meade? Find out on this episode of What Is Music? Our next episode is out next week, Monday June 15th, and we'll look at some of the visual media related to The Sugarcubes! Join the conversation on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@whatismusicpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod E-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.com Get access to more shows, exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes of this show, and more music discussion by subscribing to our Patreon! Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and receive up to two new episodes of our various shows every week (including our album club and monthly themed playlists!), ad-free archives of What Is Music?, and access to our Patron-only Discord server for even more music (and non-music) discussion! Support our show when starting your own podcast! By signing up to Buzzsprout with this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=780379 Check out our merch! https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.com Donate to our podcast! https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic http://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/ Support the show

    1h 6m

  3. Jun 1

    Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week!

    The Big Mates discuss classic cities, CBGB’s, allergies, and Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! by The Sugarcubes.  Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue the prologue of their deep-dive exploration into the music of Björk by talking about the second album by The Sugarcubes. They discuss how the band reacted to their early success, how the album was made, the expansion of the line-up, and offer analysis, interpretation, and opinion from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between! How does the second album stack up to the first? How do bees make honey? When does life begin? Find out on this episode of What Is Music? Our next episode is out next week, Monday June 8th, and we'll continue to tell the story of The Sugarcubes with their third album, Stick Around for Joy! Join the conversation on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@whatismusicpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod E-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.com Get access to more shows, exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes of this show, and more music discussion by subscribing to our Patreon! Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and receive up to two new episodes of our various shows every week (including our album club and monthly themed playlists!), ad-free archives of What Is Music?, and access to our Patron-only Discord server for even more music (and non-music) discussion! Support our show when starting your own podcast! By signing up to Buzzsprout with this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=780379 Check out our merch! https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.com Donate to our podcast! https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic http://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/ Support the show

    1h 15m

  4. May 25

    Life's Too Good

    The Big Mates discuss speaking, growling, fasting, and Life's Too Good by The Sugarcubes.  Adam, Steve, and Lucas properly begin their deep-dive exploration of Björk by talking about her upbringing, her musical background, the influences she found whilst discovering music, and how she started off her career. They discuss the early days of her creative output, the many projects she engaged with in Iceland, and how she found her artistic voice. They then talk about The Sugarcubes and offer analysis, interpretation, and opinion on their first album, Life's Too Good. It's an exciting first step in this career-long deep-dive from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between! How did Björk get started? Is it benevolence or malevolence? When were The Beatles music? Find out on this episode of What Is Music? Our next episode is out next week, Monday June 1st, and we'll continue to tell the story of The Sugarcubes with their second album; Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! Join the conversation on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@whatismusicpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod E-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.com Get access to more shows, exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes of this show, and more music discussion by subscribing to our Patreon! Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and receive up to two new episodes of our various shows every week (including our album club and monthly themed playlists!), ad-free archives of What Is Music?, and access to our Patron-only Discord server for even more music (and non-music) discussion! Support our show when starting your own podcast! By signing up to Buzzsprout with this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=780379 Check out our merch! https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.com Donate to our podcast! https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic http://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/ Support the show

    1h 43m

  5. May 18

    Season 8 Introduction: Do You All Is Full Of Love Us?

    Introducing Season 8 of the What Is Music? podcast, which is called "Do You All Is Full Of Love Us?: A Critical Analysis of the History, Cultural Impact, and Music of Björk". Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their deep-dive exploration of Björk by talking about their experiences with her music, their journeys with her over time, and what they know about her. They also talk about what they value in music and the roles it plays in their lives before exploring where Björk is from, the genres she operates in, and what made her stand out from her contemporaries. The season to come will be an album-by-album, track-by-track exploration of Björk's varied and storied career, the context around each release, behind-the-scenes stories of each recording session, a look at the legacy of the albums she has released, and a review of all of it, complete with scores, rankings, and lists! It promises to be exhaustive, informative, and fun as we approach the Björk discography from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between! What do we already know about Björk? What are we most excited to talk about? What's making us nervous? Find out on this episode of What Is Music? The season continues next week, Monday May 25th, and we'll look at the early days of Björk and her first album with The Sugarcubes! Join the conversation on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@whatismusicpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod E-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.com Get access to more shows, exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes of this show, and more music discussion by subscribing to our Patreon! Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and receive up to two new episodes of our various shows every week (including our album club and monthly themed playlists!), ad-free archives of What Is Music?, and access to our Patron-only Discord server for even more music (and non-music) discussion! Support our show when starting your own podcast! By signing up to Buzzsprout with this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=780379 Check out our merch! https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.com Donate to our podcast! https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic http://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/ Support the show

    1h 15m

  6. May 11

    We Went to See Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) in 3D at the Cinema

    The Big Mates discuss the cats, burgers, popcorn, and the new Billie Eilish film. Adam, Steve, and Lucas met in person for the first time in decades to go and see Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D). They discuss the film, its focus, its direction, the performance, and its use of 3D! Our next episode is out next Monday, May 18th, and will see us begin a brand new season!  Join the conversation on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@whatismusicpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod E-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.com Get access to more shows, exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes of this show, and more music discussion by subscribing to our Patreon! Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and receive up to two new episodes of our various shows every week (including our album club and monthly themed playlists!), ad-free archives of What Is Music?, and access to our Patron-only Discord server for even more music (and non-music) discussion! Support our show when starting your own podcast! By signing up to Buzzsprout with this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=780379 Check out our merch! https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.com Donate to our podcast! https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic http://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/ Support the show

    42 min

  7. May 4

    Who Is Music?: The Reckoning

    The Big Mates look to the future of the podcast by kicking off a tournament to decide the artist covered in a future season of What Is Music? Adam, Steve, and Lucas reveal the participants for the forthcoming competition and set the first round of matches. These head-to-heads will take place daily, starting on Tuesday May 5th.  The matches will be voted on by you, our listeners, and will take place exclusively on our Patreon - but you only need a Free Membership to participate. Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod to sign up! The matches kick off at 6pm (UK time) each day, and voting will be open until 5pm (UK time) the following day. The semi-finals and the Grand Final will take place at a later date.  Who have the Big Mates picked? Who have the listeners picked? Who is music? Find out on this episode of What Is Music? To vote - head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and sign up for a Free Membership, or a paid membership if you prefer! All paid memberships come with access to our subscriber-only Discord server where you can discuss the matches and their results with other listeners and Adam, Steve, and Lucas! Support the show

    1h 2m
  8. Album Club: U2 - The Joshua Tree

    Apr 27

    Album Club: U2 - The Joshua Tree

    Now on our main feed, we present to you The WIM Album Club, with an episode we released on our Patreon earlier this year. The episode is a classic WIM deep-dive into the album The Joshua Tree by U2 and features all of the usual discussion, analysis, commentary, history, insight, and tangents you've come to expect from the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to our Patreon to hear more episodes on a range of different artists, in different genres, from different countries and eras. Going to https://www.patreon.com/whatismusicpod and subscribing at the Bigger Mates tier or higher will get you instant access to all of the Album Club episodes we've released so far. That's just £5 a month! It also gives you the opportunity to submit your own choice of albums for possible future episodes, and means you can get involved in the discussion!   Our next episode is out next Monday, May 4th and features details on how you can help us shape a forthcoming season of the podcast! Support the show

    4h 9m
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Trailer

4.6
out of 5
68 Ratings

About

A podcast that dives deep into discographies - one artist per season. Hosts Adam, Steve, and Lucas go album by album, track by track, exploring how context shapes our experience of music, why fans become obsessed, and what music really is. With three hosts coming from wildly different levels of musical knowledge, expect sharp analysis, wild tangents, hot takes, and more information about the artists (and the hosts) than you ever asked for. Current focus: Björk. Previous seasons featured Manic Street Preachers, Muse, Billie Eilish, Radiohead, Lauryn Hill, R.E.M., and Arctic Monkeys.

Information

  • Creator
    Adam Scott Glasspool, Steve Murphy, Lucas Way
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    338
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music
  • Show Website
    What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music

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