OoO highlights great but under-appreciated music albums, mostly from the 21st century, as selected by host DJ Poseur and a rotating brigade of fellow obsessives. Each co-host chooses an album pick to discuss at length, including consideration of why we think it’s awesome but woefully unknown to the listening public. All picks meet stringent criteria for obscurity (Under 50 user reviews in All Music Guide, Under 100k streams on YouTube). Features include games for the listener to play along with, like “The Obscurity Quiz” (in which albums are ranked by a contestant from most obscure to most famous), “Score the List” (in which cohosts compare their knowledge and music collections to online “Top 10” lists), “Stump the DJ” (in which the cohosts challenge one another’s knowledge of obscure bands), and the occasional “Scheduled Digression” (in which we tackle a specific topic in music or the music industry). See also the companion subreddit (www.reddit.com) for links to all the albums featured in OoO episodes if you'd rather skip our yakking: r/MusicNobodyElseLikes Who should listen to OoO? Anyone dissatisfied by contemporary pop music. Anyone unfamiliar with but interested in independent music of the 21st century. Fellow obsessives who want reviews of beloved but obscure albums and find existing online resources limited. People who want something totally out of left field to spice up their music listening experience. Anyone who enjoys a contentious dialog about art. Rather than being the kind of podcast whose any given episode will be of general interest, it is hoped that with time, with an accumulated body of work, we will hit upon an album or at least a very specific style of music that is beloved by potential listeners as much as by us. Welcome to the wild, weird, and wondrous world of OoO!
Episodes
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
As a preview for Idiotprogrammer's 2nd episode of OoO on "unpopular pop music," we take a brief look at some of Europe's most popular female vocalists since the 1980s. We have differing views on which we'd actually choose to listen to today and whether we'd prefer any of them over our episode's album picks, neither of which is listed in All Music Guide, as ever the measurement standard for the quiz.
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Purchase album picks on Bandcamp: https://thefaint.bandcamp.com/album/danse-macabre-deluxe-edition-remastered
https://nurses.bandcamp.com/album/dracula
Nurses’ 2017 follow-up is on Bandcamp on a “name your price” basis and should be owned by everyone w/ the faintest interest in experimental, electronic pop music or edgy music in general: https://nurses.bandcamp.com/album/naughtland . The music video for the “single” from the album, “Fortress”, is excellent, involving a Portland queer art collective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq2zcdjA7Ps
Structure: Ced’s thoughts on “Danse Macabre” (up to 2:36); Songs versus albums, owning versus streaming (2:36-4:10); Ced’s consideration of song themes & genre on “Danse Macabre” and an explanation of the appeal of the controversial “Agenda Suicide” & his legal background/rejection of capitalism (4:10-8:37); Does dance music age well? Ced’s nostalgia & general taste in music (8:37-10:30); The possibility of dying before 40 & how “successful” are The Faint as a band? Oberlin memories & Beach House connection. Ced the indie rock partisan was there before the bands hit the big time. Recommending music to friends & loved ones. Selling out as a hipster concern (10:30-19:14). Black and dark but not goth. Electronic dance punk as a style of music w/ consideration of imitators & “derivative” sounds. Cel’s current musical interests & uses for music, his appreciation of Spotify, and his intensity. (19:14-24:40) Side projects of The Faint & Wolf Parade, thoughts on the discography (or at least other favorite songs). Leaving it to Spotify & what makes a good or bad song, thoughts on very popular music. Artist compensation on streaming services (24:40-33:50). The deluxe version’s additional tracks. Spotify playlists as an existential threat to the album. Relative concerns of artist compensation versus existential threats to humanity, democracy, etc. (33:51-37:35). RIYL The Faint (37:35-40:56). Ratings for “Danse Macabre” (40:56-41:42). Transition between album picks & Cel’s initial thoughts on “Dracula” (41:42-45:02). The importance of a good live show and whether we’d ever go to a concert “blind” today (45:02-48:04). Basic specs for “Dracula” & hypotheses for the ongoing obscurity of Nurses. Music Ced doesn’t like and reasons to remember names of musicians/bands (48:04-52:53). “Best-of” lists on Pitchfork & elsewhere, favorites from the 2010s (52:53-58:45). Ced is a fan of Dracula. Reviews of the album. DJ Poseur heaps praise on “Dracula”, albums where songs connect to each other (1:03 ish). Nurses discography, Spotify’s algorithm & the lure of the obscure for DJ Poseur, putting the kibosh on Kanye conversation. RIYLs (1:04:01-1:09:05). Ratings for “Dracula” (1:09:05 to end).
RIYL The Faint - Supersystem, Mobius Band, The Fever, The Faux, Out Hud/!!!, The Rapture, The Show Is the Rainbow (also NE)
1.3-hr. mix of 20 songs for fans of The Faint: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCBeakfAKFQa3K0yjwO9ZlvZgxSgLsjW5
Nurses is RIYL - We Ragazzi; Dios (Malos); Shimmering Stars; Animal Collective; Fredrik
I mention that “Dracula” is #2 on my list of favorite albums of the 2010s, in full here: http://www.omnifoo.info/pages/Favorite%20Superlatives.html#2010s
The vampire rock band movie from Canada (starring Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, and many more) “Suck” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1323605/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_5
Monday Jul 12, 2021
Monday Jul 12, 2021
First-time guest host shares his concert memories, thoughts on fame versus obscurity, with reverences to seminal acts like The Fall, The Smiths, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Our episode on The Faint's "Danse Macabre" & Nurses "Dracula" will follow soon.
Sunday Jun 13, 2021
Sunday Jun 13, 2021
Purchase our album picks on Bandcamp https://manybirthdays.bandcamp.com/album/black-mountain-blue-sea https://13yearcicadas.bandcamp.com/
or eMusic https://www.emusic.com/artist/rs_3624495/13-Year-Cicada
Structure: The first album pick is an EP and the second is more of a comparison of two albums. (1:10) Robert’s discovery of & history appreciating Many Birthdays & IUMA music hosting site (5:20) turning Japanese and then less so over their discography (12:24) RIYLs (w/ whom would we “lump” MB?) (17:20) “Black Mountain Blue Sea” EP thoughts (20:42) Robert’s thoughts on Austin, TX (23:40) alternative explanations for MB’s obscurity: the importance of record label support & full albums (30:35) MB’s many genres and individual songs from the EP, comparisons to Mitchell Froom (35:37) MB’s music videos in comparison to 13 Year Cicada (41:20) Album ratings for “Black Mountain Blue Sea” & Robert’s thoughts on music reviews and “interesting failures” (48:38) transitioning to 13 Year Cicada with similarities between the groups (50:50) 13 Year Cicada’s “00YES” introduction & Robert’s introduction of the band (53:17) RIYLs & reaching for similar sounds to 13 Year Cicada, Robert compares to previous album “Totem Tongue” (57:05) Critics didn’t get the album, “Ride” compared to The Shaggs, other individual tracks from “00YES” (1:01:26) Who is the audience for this audience? Lyrics to “Squirrel”, video for the new track “What Will You Be Wearing?”, thoughts on individual songs with that song as a bridge between the quiet and loud of their two albums. (1:11:06) Why DJ Poseur prefers “Totem Tongue” & Robert’s preference for “00YES” friendly disagreement, their other music videos (1:13:52) Rating the two albums by 13 Year Cicada
Many Birthdays RIYL: The Kills, Asobi Seksu, Deerhoof, Trans Am, Sonic Youth, Parts & Labor, IQU, the soundtrack to "Zombies Ate My Neighbors" for SNES, Love Psychedelico, Takako Minekawa & J-Rock generally
13 Year Cicada RIYL: Pharmakon, Shilpa Ray, The Low Budgets, experimental punk w/ fem. vocals, Animal Collective
My favorite MB music video (for “Days Like Turtles”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGxrhFljxF0 and one I call lo-fi Cyriak, “Minnawa”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xlt5CEZ9J8
A great, new music video for 13 Year Cicada’s “What Will You Be Wearing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HCuzpYB7-E
Media on MB: https://www.sonicbids.com/band/manybirthdays/ ; https://www.facebook.com/manybirthdays
Media reviews of “00Yes”: Fuze Magazine (Germany) https://www.ox-fanzine.de/review/13-year-cicada-00yes-117164 ; https://www.ox-fanzine.de/review/13-year-cicada-00yes-117164
Other media we mention: IUMA
https://archive.org/details/iuma-archive
http://www.theoctopusproject.com/
Mitchell Froom -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Froom
Gram Rabbit https://gramrabbit.bandcamp.com/ (ok, maybe this connection is tenuous is best, but Gram Rabbit straddles country and electronica and occasionally punk, such as in this album)
https://gramrabbit.bandcamp.com/album/music-to-start-a-cult-to
Takako Minekawa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takako_Minekawa
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
The first three albums are ones that idiotprogrammer mentioned among his all time favorites, and the latter three are DJ Poseur's favorites from that year. Just imagine that we have the rights to play the hit by Smashing Pumpkins to open and close this obscurity quiz. A new episode with this guest is coming soon!
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
As OoO matures, it’s expected that DJ Poseur won’t know some guest hosts personally. After admiring Robert’s work for over a year, this is the first time DJ Poseur and idiotprogrammer met in real time. The guest shares his thoughts and experiences from a lifetime of going far above and beyond the average listener.
You can find idiotprogrammer’s music blog here: http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/category/music/musical-discoveries/
Other links to material covered in the interview…
the beloved 90-min. synthesizer soundscape: https://www.jamendo.com/album/6118/electrolongtempo
Steve Reich “It's Gonna rain” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vugqRAX7xQE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Gonna_Rain
His thoughts on “Sex on the Phone”: http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/2008/06/e-rotic-europop-mindless-sexy-and-embarrassing-and-very-fun/
& the song itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dizyctgh2fM & another: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjhdxsV7Ng4
Chinese pop singer g.e.m.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWtbGkpdoP4
Music in “Ghost World”: https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/36002/1/three-things-you-never-knew-about-ghost-world
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Purchase options: “Music for Mortals” http://www.stuartdavis.com/album/music-mortals “ibn El Leil” https://www.emusic.com/album/84891083/Mashrou-Leila/Ibn-El-Leil
Structure: Background on SD (up to 6:13); “Music for Mortals” album: songs in 3-4 tiers (6:13-16:00) Comparisons & RIYLs for SD and eclectic albums (16:00-25:36) The SD discography & ratings for “Music for Mortals” and whether to focus on one genre per album (25:36-30:31) Transition between picks (30:31-31:56) “Ibn El Leil” album, openness to the style, the band has faced adversity for its identity, political lyrics, their Tiny Desk concert, different versions and songs repeating appearances, Middle Eastern pop production strictures (31:56-41:23) Song highlights (41:23-47:53) ML discography and RIYLs from the Middle East and the West, Synth-pop examined (47:53-51:59) Ratings and possible appeal beyond a Middle East fanbase (51:59-end)
Hopeful news article on a previous album by SD: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/2257208-cd-review-davis-set-become-breakthrough-artist-new-release
Pitchfork called this video for ML’s “Roman” one of the best of the 2010s, and it’s been viewed enough times to make the pick for OoO questionable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF__cpsDmZk
ML lyrics in translation: https://mashrouleilalyrics.wordpress.com/2015/12/12/the-truth-behind-ibn-el-leil-night-wine-and-gods/
ML banned from performing in Jordan: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2016/04/28/moderate-jordan-bans-lebanese-rock-group-for-music-that-contradicts-the-abrahamic-faiths/
Clearly showing religion is not my forte nor the focus of OoO, I misremembered this documentary as being about LGBTQ Muslims rather than Hasidic & Orthodox Jews…still relevant, I suppose, and it’s good to establish a negligent correction policy. Sorry to anyone who’s offended. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/trembling-before-gd
SD is RIYL: 90s rock, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, RHCP, Adam Green
ML is RIYL: Depeche Mode, New Order, Pet Shop Boys
RIYL ML: A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Dissidenten, Ouzo Bazooka, Jerusalem in My Heart, Aufgang’s “Turbulences” album
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
Stream our picks here (but do also buy them if you can afford it): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lYasLPwrQ7z0-pepR1n43ZT-Fdl3QSWnc
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nnSVNrj2W6uETwPJK8h-Fl8UzhC6_mUN4
Listen to songs by Hannah Backward: https://soundcloud.com/hannah-backward
This episode is the longest one yet, so no worries if you want to skip to parts that interest you.
Structure: Background, JC’s YouTube videos, Tiny Desk concerts (up to 8:30); Instrumental & vocal virtuosity and technical skill, guests in the studio, parental appreciation of JC (8:29-12:05); Popularity with musicians but not yet the general public, the relevance of Grammy Awards, can jazz musicians be superstars?, Hannah’s listening habits & favorites (12:05-17:20); Close listening as opposed to background music, situations when she listens to music or podcasts, complexity/quality/desire to listen to something, impressiveness versus what music she could have done herself (17:20-22:40); Music as “a coloring book” with rules and whether or not it’s art, which prominent artists “can’t sing”? (22:40-30:55); A tasty dish according to J.Gold is likelier w/ a smaller number of ingredients? Not so for music? (30:55-33:00); the album “Djesse Vol.2” and shifting preferences in its songs, African cultural appropriation, Gospel & Kanye (33:00-38:06); Is JC “obscure enough” for OoO? (38:06-39:10); “Here Comes the Sun” & cover songs generally, can a young person cover standards and classics with gravitas and sufficient emotion? An instrument versus a voice conveying emotions with words, vocal affectation and experimentation, subtle variations in harmony (39:10-49:26); More music education in public schools to understand JC’s music? Musical talent versus academic study. Musicals and being outed as a non-fan of Randy Rainbow (49:26-56:58); The album as a whole, Hannah cares not for genre or DJ Poseur’s activism, vocal loops by JC and Sparks, workout music & repetition (56:58-1:03:19); Do we like music music that we want to make ourselves? More “amp you up” workout music, Hannah rejects more categories and dichotomies but is an album listener, what do we skip and why? (1:03:19-1:07:18); R&B on the radio & DJ Poseur’s Beijing roommate revenge for Mariah Carey, R&B and JC’s commercial success, videos of the musicians playing the song, JC’s discography (1:07:18-1:14:22); Hannah’s rating system will not be forthcoming (1:14:22-1:18:17); Could DJ Poseur like an album by an artist he doesn’t like? His rating of “Djesse Vol.2” in a roundabout way through middle school music class (1:18:17-1:24:05); Transition between picks, skinny dark-haired white dudes who sing a lot, Hyperpotamus covering The Beatles and other familiar pop songs versus JC’s ways, cringeworthy comparisons of awe and musical skillz (1:24:05-1:35:30); pop music versus opera in vocal virtuosity, obscure/hidden talents versus being “world best” at something everyone (thinks they) can do, how to go viral with a music video or not (1:35:30-1:41:57); Specs for “Delta” and general thoughts on a cappella’s fit with “pop” or “experimental” music (1:41:57-1:46:14); “Delta” versus “Largo Bailón” and “taking drums literally” , novelty albums and formulaic songwriting, unexpected bassline placement, love-themed lyrics, a cappella & psychic powers (1:46:14-1:55:15); Noisier elements and when do his loops come together and sound like a song?, RIYLS with vocal loops or pedal board composition (1:55:15-1:59:14); Attempts at rating and comparison between album picks, revisiting whether the possibility of one being able to make a particular kind of music oneself as a musician influences liking it, Hannah’s a cappella history and ambition (1:59:14-2:02:56); DJ Poseur’s rating of “Delta”, what’s annoying enough to turn off or skip? For Hannah, it’s autotune. (2:02:56 to end)
Disclaimer article for JC being too popular/well known for OoO: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/28/jacob-collier-grammy-nomination-best-album
JC’s cover of “Here Comes the Sun”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXf1nUVdVuM
Hyperpotamus’ cover of “Strawberry Fields Forever”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zr9syen5Lw
Hyperpotamus’ most-viewed music video (91k views, not 40k as DJ Poseur misspeaks) “In the Time”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK_bkWreCdo
RIYL for JC: Nickel Creek, old musicals (for Djesse v.2) more generally...Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, funky/soulful 1970s jazz/R&B, The Manhattan Transfer, PM Dawn, Sonik Boom of Love
RIYL Hyperpotamus: A Cappella music, Emily Wells, Pentatonix, Chanticlear, Rag Fair, Björk's "Medúlla"
For reference, DJ Poseur gets the scale wrong when comparing the number of views for YouTube videos. As of late Feb. 2021, “Gangnam Style” and “Baby Shark” are in the billions, not hundreds of millions like Pentatonix. Jacob Collier’s “Djesse Vol. 2” has about 25 thousand views. Hyperpotamus’ “Delta” album has a little over a dozen views.
Thursday Feb 11, 2021
Thursday Feb 11, 2021
Welcome a new cohost, HannahBackward, to give her thoughts on AMG, a cappella music, and whether megasites like Amazon and YouTube are too evil for OoO. An addendum cross-references AMG user ratings with YouTube views for extra empirical excitement!
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Buy our album picks here: https://gabbysworld.bandcamp.com/album/o-k
https://sharkstears.bandcamp.com/album/experience-of-the-charm
https://www.emusic.com/album/209403644/-/-
GW RIYL: Epoch Collective (Bellows, Florist, etc.), Frankie Cosmos, Mitski, Beach Bunny, Mus, K Records
ST RIYL: Slowdive, 4AD Label, Projekt Label, Beach House?, Lush
Structure: Where DJs Keep Roomie & Karev heard of Gabby’s World/Eskimeaux (up to 3:50); review of “OK” (3:50-14:45); Gabby’s voice (14:45-17ish); Her future & discography & possibly offensive language on “Year of the Rabbit” (17ish-20:59); the hipster elephant in the room & the collaborative spirit, friendship, name changes (20:59-26ish); Will DJ Karev be a solo artist or form a band? (26:15-28); An explicit hipster accusation on cassettes https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2015/06/15/eskimeaux-o-k/. (28ish-35:09) & the quantitative social science methodology of measuring “how hipster” any particular artist/band is https://news.avclub.com/here-are-the-mathematically-determined-most-hipster-b-1798266690?utm_campaign ; Ratings for “OK” (35:09-36:45); Transitional plug for buying our picks on Bandcamp & eMusic cheaply (36:45-37:20); Female-fronted and all-girl bands, DJ Karev’s preferences for all but solo male artists (37:20-43:00); Films of Lukas Moodysson w/ young female protagonists, especially “We Are the Best!” (43:00-45:28); Review of “Experience the Charm” (45:28-49:27); Shoegaze Vs. Dream Pop (49:27-52ish); Live versus studio work, lyrics in a foreign language, & heavy rotation (52ish-53); More on dream pop & synth-pop of greater distinction, the 80s, extreme obscurity (53-56:27); Choosing tracks to highlight (or play on college radio) on an album that blends together, no handicaps or “grading on a curve” (56:27-1:00:30); Beach House’s dream pop superiority according to DJs Karev & Keep Roomie and Trans Am as a more synthetic voice (1:00:30-1:04:40); Ratings of “Experience the Charm” (1:04:40-1:06:40); What does it mean to rate something a 5 or below? Is anything above a 5 (or 3/5) positive?