CCP Ep. #242: Every Where Is Some Where by K.Flay

Make way for K.Flay, the indie pop & rap artist whose introspective approach to songwriting and blend of singing styles warrant some proper dissection. Tackling her most recent LP, Every Where Is Some Where, we invite you to join us as we inspect the highlights and mull over a variety of details. With plenty of praise and plenty of debate, where do you stand in the track-by-track? Also stick around for a discussion on the fine line between comfort and propaganda.

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Ep. #71 – Feat. Viktor Devonne

Today, Matt welcomes Viktor Devonne, burlesque producer and performer hailing from Jersey City. Producer of White Elephant Burlesque, held at Rockbar NYC every Wednesday at 8:30pm, Viktor chats about his roots in burlesque having been born of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. With Matt, he discusses the origins of White Elephant Burlesque, what it’s like to run a weekly show, and what goes into making that a success. He also explains how he produces his performances, where he draws inspiration, and how that affects his craft. And so, from an update on the burlesque scene to how it’s changing and evolving, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Viktor Devonne.

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CCP Ep. #241: Humanz by Gorillaz

It’s time for everyone’s favorite (and perhaps only) virtual band! Although we’ve inspected the work of Damon Albarn before, this is our first chance to take on the Gorillaz, an unrelated ensemble of animated musicians — 2-D, Mudoc, Noodle, and Russel — who, as far as we’re concerned, are behind the music we’re hearing. On their latest album, Humanz, the Gorillaz introduce a bevy of artists, both old and new, to help with the project and take on its variety of subjects. Let’s follow along! And save room for a brief discussion on the subjectivity and flexibility of rating criteria where art is concerned.

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CCP Ep. #240: All the Way by Diamanda Galás

Today we’re surveying the front lines of musical sensibilities. Avant garde singer, pianist, composer, and painter Diamanda Galás isn’t your everyday rom-com soprano. With a voice that’s been known to induce fear in a single note, bolstered by a three-and-a-half octave range, Diamanda’s followers range from fringe jazz cats to left field metalheads. Let’s let the work speak for itself; in this case, the work consists of peculiar re-workings of traditional jazz tunes… with a couple of surprises as well. The album is called All the Way, borrowed from its titular track, a cover of the familiar Frank Sinatra tune. Follow the originals with the provided playlist! We’ll explain them as we go. Also stick around for a discussion on the necessity of surveying all sides of the spectrum—good/bad, ugly/beautiful, moral/immoral—for only then do we have sufficient context for passing judgement.

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Ep. #70 – Feat. Fancy Feast

Today, Matt welcomes burlesque producer and performer extraordinaire Fancy Feast, hailing from Brooklyn, NY. Creator of the Coney Island show “Maim That Tune” and co-producer of the Fuck You Revue, Fancy Feast discusses her origins in burlesque and how her craft has evolved over the years. She also chats about some unconventional performances, how performing is sometimes just for the performer, and also what it’s like to cultivate an audience. And so, from and her day job at Babeland to her life as a sex educator, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Fancy Feast.

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CCP Ep. #239: Rosetta by Vangelis

Let’s traverse the cosmos to check in on our oft-mentioned composer of all things ‘space’, the one and only Vangelis. Although marrying electronic music to space-oriented themes is fairly intuitive, Vangelis, who cornered the market on it, also happens to have a penchant for paying homage to specific space missions. This time around, that homage is Rosetta, the musical play-by-play of the eponymous ESA probe’s voyage to Churyumov–Gerasimenko [comet 67P]. From the origins of the comet to Rosetta’s decade-long journey, to its dramatic end-of-mission impact—and let’s not forget about our brave little lander Philae—Vangelis has more than enough fodder for some juicy composition, as do we for some juicy discussion! Oh and our topic, you ask? Totally unrelated… SPACE.

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CCP Ep. #238: Drunk by Thundercat

At the behest of listener (and former guest Devin Jackson Mullen of Anxious Kids Make Good People), today we’re taking on Drunk, the latest project by Thundercat, the stage name of grammy-award winning bassist Stephen Bruner. Composed by Bruner, but with the help of long-time collaborator Flying Lotus and a myriad of guest artists, Drunk is a 23-track wormhole that explores the inventive and demented mind of the talented bassist — under any and all of life’s circumstances. Let’s explore the album together before broadcasting a monster monologue [@2:19:21 – @2:40:24] covering the ethics of criticism, a response to an artist, and some changes to the format of the series.

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CCP Ep. #237: Atlas by FM-84

Put on your speedos and roll, yes, roll down your windows. Today we’re surfing through some retrowave, a genre that’s all about those bygone times… but who’s kidding who: those times are the 1980s. With a debut album called Atlas, FM-84 (the mostly one-man project of Col Bennett) introduces vocalists Josh Dally, Ollie Wride, and Clive Farrington to help him with his first LP. The idea certainly caught our attention, as did its striking album cover, but ultimately, does it pass the album test? We’ll hash out a few discussions along those lines while for our topic we wrestle with the question of whether nostalgia is a prerequisite for just about everything we enjoy in some fashion.

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CCP Ep. #236: Actually, Extremely by Snooze

We are actually, extremely, keenly, and especially excited for today’s album. (Really.) You’ll want to stick it out to the end for this one as we’ve got a lot of material lined up for discussion courtesy of math rock band Snooze and their debut album Actually, Extremely. If you’re unfamiliar with math rock, take a chance on the genre, take a chance on Snooze, and take a chance on us! Let’s kick it off with some album art silliness and dive deep into some hardscrabble analysis. We also have out some pre-monologue monologues concerning—hoo boy—police brutality and how it is discussed.

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Ep. #69 – Feat. Fernando Pacheco

Today, Matt welcomes Fernando Pacheco, a professional photographer living in New York City whose work can be found at www.photobyfernando.com. With Matt, Fernando discusses his earliest memories of being interested in art and photography, and about how moving around a lot as child (and moving to the U.S. at a young age) has shaped him and his art. They also chat about how he found a day job in the arts as a product photographer, how phone cameras and the existence of apps like Instagram have changed photography, and about how social media has been both a blessing and a curse to his form of artistic expression. And so, from Fernando’s many projects to the photographers that have inspired him in his career, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Fernando Pacheco.

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