Switched on Pop

On her eighth studio album Popstar, the criminally underrated multihyphenate Tinashe finally asserts herself as a Main Pop Girl, crafting a record about what it means to be a celebrity in the modern era. For her, it’s about grinding for years, living in the fantasy, and connecting herself to an artistic lineage – asserting a compelling thesis on stardom. On this episode of Switched On Pop, Reanna and Charlie talk all things Tinashe, and do some serious uplifting in the process.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer

Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator

Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer

Dion Lee: Art Director

Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer

Nick Ripps: Video Editor

Nate Sloan: Host

Lissa Soep: Editor

Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Tinashe – Sunglasses

Tinashe – Nasty

Tinashe – 2 On (feat. ScHoolboy Q)

Tinashe – Melatonin

Tinashe – I’d Rather Be Alone

Disco Lines, Tinashe – No Broke Boys

Tinashe – Too Easy

Tinashe – Popstar

Tinashe – The Show Must Go On

Britney Spears – Circus

Britney Spears – Piece of Me

Tinashe – Empty Stadium

Janet Jackson – Empty

Tinashe – Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore

Nine Inch Nails – Closer

Nine Inch Nails, Boys Noize – Closer - Nine Inch Noize

Miley Cyrus – Gimme What I Want

Rihanna – Kiss It Better

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A few months ago, Nate came across a glittering guitar riff unlike anything he had ever heard before; it managed to perfectly balance careful optimism with plaintive melancholy, stirring the spirit. That melody, played by guitarist Yvette Young, was a shining example of the “midwest emo” sound, a genre pioneered by bands like American Football, Gauge, and Braid. On this episode of Switched On Pop, Nate introduces Charlie to all things midwest and emo, speaking with Young and American Football frontman Mike Kinsella in the process.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer

Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator

Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer

Dion Lee: Art Director

Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer

Nick Ripps: Video Editor

Nate Sloan: Host

Lissa Soep: Editor

Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Link to Charlie and Nate's live event with Jensen McRae @ USC!

Songs discussed:

Gauge – Blunchlox

Braid – Never Will Come For Us

Joan Of Arc – The Hands

American Football – Never Meant

American Football – Stay Home

Covet, San Holo – shibuya (ft. San Holo)

Tiny Moving Parts – Always Focused

Oliver Houston – The Dork Ages

American Football – Man Overboard

American Football – Bad Moons

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The music of global girl group KATSEYE might be confusing on first listen. A less-generous read might consider their songs to be rudimentary: the lyrics are mostly nonsense, the instrumentals evoke lesser 2010s pop songs, and the aesthetic can’t decide whether it’s targeted to children or adults. However, maybe the nonsensical nature of KATSEYE is also… the point? And maybe that point is tethered to early surrealist movements of the early twentieth century?

On this episode of Switched on Pop, producer Reanna makes the case to Nate that KATSEYE and ADÉLA are indicative of a larger shift in pop music, one that tethers itself to Marcel Duchamp and the dada movement.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer

Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator

Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer

Dion Lee: Art Director

Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer

Nick Ripps: Video Editor

Nate Sloan: Host

Lissa Soep: Editor

Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Link to Charlie and Nate’s live event with Jensen McRae at USC!

Songs discussed:

The Lonely Island, Emma Stone – Turn Up The Beef

KATSEYE – Gnarly

KATSEYE – Animal

KATSEYE – Hootie Frutti

KATSEYE – PINKY UP

Fifth Harmony – I’m In Love With a Monster

Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still

Britney Spears – Toxic

Britney Spears – Circus

Da Hool – Meet Her at the Loveparade

Little Richard – Tutti Frutti

ADÉLA – Ain’t In La

Miley Cyrus – We Can’t Stop

ADÉLA – Nicole Kidman

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For the 500th(!) episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate try to answer the question that has stumped critics and philosophers since the dawn of sound: does bad music exist? Their quest to answer something so nebulous leads them through the annals of taste, and in the process, they recruit several other critics and journalists to give their two cents on the topic. Can things actually be bad, and if so, how do we define them?

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer

Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator

Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer

Dion Lee: Art Director

Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer

Nick Ripps: Video Editor

Nate Sloan: Host

Lissa Soep: Editor

Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Kristin Chenoweth, “Taylor the Latte Boy”

Komar and Melamid & Dave Soldier, “The Most Unwanted Song"

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, "Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35: III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo"

Johann Strauss II, The Blue Danube"

Johann Sebastian Bach, "The Well-Tempered Clavier No. 2: Prelude and Fugue in C minor"

Pete Rock & CL Smooth, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"

Lil Yachty, "1 Night"

Sam Laxton, Lonskii, “Adagio For Strings”

Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, “Get Lucky”

Florence Foster Jenkins, "Queen of the Night’s Aria"

BB King, Eric Clapton, “Riding With the King”

Paul McCartney, "Temporary Secretary"

The Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun"

Paul McCartney, "Wonderful Christmastime"

Lou Reed, "Who Am I? (Tripitena’s Song)"

Insane Clown Posse, "Miracles"

Primus, "DMV"

Iggy Azalea ft. Charli xcx, "Fancy"

The Killers, "Human"

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One year after the release of her twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift is back with an encore. Specifically, The Encore, four tracks that have polarized critics and Swifties alike, from the country-esque number one hit “Patient Zero” to her ode to married Ohioan bliss, “Cleveland!” For some, the new songs lean into Swift’s worst writing impulses. But for others, including our hosts (and resident Swiftologists) Charlie and Nate, the tracks call back to earlier eras of Swift’s songwriting, and perhaps evoke more nuanced discussion about what it means to release music as the biggest artist in the world. The question is: are we ready for it?

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer

Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator

Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer

Dion Lee: Art Director

Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer

Nick Ripps: Video Editor

Nate Sloan: Host

Lissa Soep: Editor

Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Taylor Swift, “Patient Zero”

Taylor Swift, “Cleveland!”

Taylor Swift, “Pink Clouding”

Taylor Swift, “Babylon”

Taylor Swift, “Red”

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