Night Clerk Radio: Haunted Music Reviews

I always appreciate niche podcasts. I am in love with niche podcasts with a tone of fantastical unimportance. Let’s all waste some time together and have fun. Any hack can pretend their show is serious and about “ stuff”. You need a baseline of knowledge and talent to pull off a podcast like this. I’m not even all that partial to this kind of music, but I like this show.

but im begrudgingly looking up the references and even reading books despite my best efforts. for me it’s the perfect balance of the actual music (just enough) and discussion (a lot of it). And I appreciate how how the musing, and the associations the hosts make are still always rooted in the subject at hand, no wild podcast-style irresponsible liberties or misrepresentation of the concepts.

Positives: Ross and Birk have a layers-deep understanding of the nuance behind Vaporwave, and all of its various sub genres. Their knowledge, passion, and vocabulary on the subject is evident, and usually very enjoyable to listen to. The commentary and musical analysis is thought provoking, and the added context from their own understanding of each album is interesting. If nothing else, I’ll always be grateful for their recommendation of the Miles to Midnight album, which I never knew I needed. It’s exceptional. Suggestions: I would describe my interest in Vaporwave as curious, but not committed. To be honest, for someone like me, the discussion can shift a little over my head at times. I’m not saying that creators should always cater for the lowest common denominator, but perhaps ease us in a bit? Additionally, I was surprised at the ratio of track samples to discussion. Maybe it’s not their intent, and the topics are certainly interesting, but I’d love to hear more of the music. Summary: If you love Ross and Birk, or have even a passing interest in Vaporwave, give this a shot. It seems evident that they’re still working through show format and deciding on what works, but it’s a good listen.