In-Depth Discussion of Pop Music
On Episode 36 of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge discuss Scott’s Master’s Thesis “‘But I’m In A Cool Boy Band’: Anxiety and Masculinity in the Music of One Direction.”
Read Scott’s full thesis here
On Episode 35 of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge discuss Kurt’s new music charts website, Crownnote, with pop blogger and music consultant Adam Soybel, introduce the Crowncast podcast, and share what’s on their personal charts.
Visit Crownnote.com
On Episode 34 of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge talk with Argentinian writer Juana Giaimo about the current scene in Chilean pop music.
Songs discussed in this episode:
Javiera Mena – “Los Olores Tu Alma”
Gepe – “En la Naturaleza (4-3-2-1-0)”
Francisca Valenzuela – “Estremecer”
Dënver – “Revista de Gimnasia”
Alex Anwandter – “Siempre Es Viernes En Mi Corazón”
Planeta no – “El Campo”
Hear these songs and discover more Chilean pop music with this playlist created by Juana on Spotify or Google Play.
On Episode 33 of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge are joined by Leonel Manzanares to discuss the music and legacy of late Mexican singer and songwriter Juan Gabriel.
Hear all the songs discussed on this episode here.
On Episode 32 of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge embrace their love of Carly Rae Jepsen. With music writer and Maura Magazine managing editor Brad Nelson, writer and photographer Zan McQuade, and host of ALL CAPS with Kate and Bri Bri Mattia, they discuss Carly Slay Jepsen’s latest release E·mo·tion Side B
For more reading:
Brad Nelson, “How Carly Rae Jepsen Draws Listeners Into Her Emotional Universe,” The Guardian.
Brad Nelson (ed), Emotional, Maura Magazine (featuring essays by Zan McQuade and Scott Interrante)
Bri Mattia, “E•MO•TION Side B” brimattia.com
On Episode 31 of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge are joined by Business Development Coordinator at Songkick Adam Raza to talk about “Kids,” the latest single from OneRepublic and why some artists are perceived as “cool” while others aren’t.
On Episode 30 of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge discuss this Summer’s lack of “bangerz.” With Katy Perry’s “Rise” and Britney Spears’s “Make Me,” it seems as if the era of battling for the Song Of The Summer is over. Guess you win, Justin Timberlake’s Troll song.
For more reading:
Michael Cragg, “Britney Spears’ Make Me and the New Slow Pop Movement,” The Guardian
On Episode 29 of Pop Unmuted Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge are joined by Music Theory Ph.D. student Megan Lavengood, who is writing her dissertation on timbre and the Yamaha Dx7 synthesizer. They talk about the role timbre and sound plays in defining genre and why so much music released in the 2010s is called “80s inspired.”
For more reading:
Mark Spicer, “(Ac)cumulative Form in Pop-Rock Music,” in twentieth century music vol. 1, 1.
Theodore Canterforis, Are We Not New Wave?: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s, University of Michigan Press.
Marissa Larusso, “Shura’s ‘What’s It Gonna Be’ Video Celebrates Teen Crush Team Work,” npr.org.
To celebrate two years of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge look at songs from two years ago and then songs from those same artists that have come out this year. Kurt discusses Sia’s “Chandelier” and “Cheap Thrills” while Scott recommends Mitski’s “First Love / Late Spring” and “Your Best American Girl.”
Thanks for sticking with us for two years! If you like the podcast, show your appreciation by leaving a rating and review on iTunes so more people can find us. Here’s to two more!
On Episode 27 of Pop Unmuted, Scott Interrante and Kurt Trowbridge are joined by the hosts of the ALL CAPS podcast, Kate McGarry and Bri Mattia, to discuss being a fan and the role fandom plays in our lives.
Be sure to subscribe to ALL CAPS with Kate and Bri.