Steely Dan - Two Against Nature

We recommend playing this at .75 speed while gradually increasing the volume.  Change chords less often as we ask: do we always like the post-thing more than the thing itself? Can it still be cinematic if we're scoring the TV version? Can Matt be forced to supply an example that squarely fits all the criteria we've laid out? For fans of: space, vocal samples that are either angry or sad, the original Madden version.

Our two great loves, snare sounds and publishing rights, collide. Choose a side in our acrimonious breakup as we explore: what's "the song," really? Has Rick Rubin ever heard a b-side? How can we defend Lars without, you know, defending Lars? For fans of: forbidden hi hats, healthy collaborations between reasonable adults, taxonomy as meditation rather than organization.

We conclude "make it impossible to stumble across our podcast by covering artists no one is searching for in 2026" month (TM) with Archers of Loaf's Icky Mettle. Fade into obscurity with us as we explore: which punk band is actually two punk bands operating under the same name? Should you say the name of your genre out loud like this? Are we embarrassed for ourselves or on behalf of others? For fans of: emphasizing the two, accidental jazz chords, mixing self-loathing with smug superiority.

Where the robes are flowing and the spirituality is vague and palatable. Rest in a state of effortless awareness as we explore: When do dynamics become dead air? How fast can you move your fingers? What's to be done about the sites contaminated by the waste product of jazz fission? For fans of: Essex meets Wessex, jewelry with semantic meaning, correctly betting that the song is about you.

Bill Berry decides to take the tax hit and start withdrawing early, but the remaining members soldier on (being good southern boys, likely as part of a battlefield reenactment). Refute the lost cause myth as we explore: Do we miss the mumbling? How far do you need to travel to call it a departure? Does spinning in a circle and clutching at your t-shirt count? For fans of: extra strings, having one main eyebrow guy, guy remembering and removal.

I'm actually not sure whether we're supposed to watch out for each other in the pit, so do what feels right. Scare away the art school kids as we determine: Which punk house is most livable? If Matt isn't edge now, was he ever? Is there some some sort of prize for truth in advertising? For fans of: pre-post-hardcore, visible veins, exerting your dominance over rival crews.

Groups that are pretty much only mentioned in "influenced by" lists: we love those! Complain about the usability of your sampler's Song Mode as we ask: What is it not unlike? Is there nothing outside the text? Where y'all from? For fans of: jinglin', janglin', morbid island tales, near-miss libel. 

Hey, daddy-o, climb into a dangerous automobile and return with us to a time that did not occur. We'll embrace the domino theory and answer critically important questions like: Who set my dice on fire? Should marriage be defined as being between one man and one metaphor? Do any of you hepcats want to rumble perchance? For fans of: Elvis (Presley), rats (finks, prey), grease (all types).

We return to Grammy-bait hell (and middle-Strat-position hell!) to discuss and older (!) and wiser (?) Steely Dan's triumphant (?) return. Yell at the closest waiter as we ask a series of rhetorical questions: Should we call it a comback? Should we call the police about this man in the park? Where's Don Henley's Nobel Prize? For fans of: things that suck, chords with numbers in 'em, nature, general MIDI.

Wherein we give one another albums to listen to and discover that actually Matt is the mean one. Get on this crazy bird with us and ask: Why not call up Young to try to round out the list? Is it cool if we leave our stuff here? What are the stories BEHIND the music? For fans of: Canadians explaining the blues, close readings of joke songs, forgetting the SASE.