What happens when your podcast’s theme song—cobbled together from GarageBand loops—gets called “game show music” and likened to a cereal commercial? You rewrite it. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of Switched on Pop’s sonic makeover, from scathing critiques by music industry heavyweights to the creation of a lush, layered soundscape inspired b ... Show More
Today
Hrishikesh Hirway made an album “the old-fashioned way.” He nearly exploded.
Hrishikesh Hirway, host of Song Exploder, returns with his first album in fifteen years, In the Last Hour of Light, made under a premise that's almost contradictory for a podcaster built around isolated stems: session players who had never heard the songs, vocals tracked live in ... Show More
43m 12s
Apr 17
Maggie Rogers: going viral is a trap
Ten years ago, Maggie Rogers was a senior at NYU, scrambling to finish a song for a music production class she was close to failing. The guest critic that week happened to be Pharrell Williams. She played him "Alaska," a track she'd written in about fifteen minutes. It is a bit o ... Show More
37m 36s
Jan 2025
A Theme About Themes - TV, Movie, and Cartoon Theme Songs Karaoke Style
It's Episode 69 of the Friday Night Karaoke Podcast, and the theme was TV, Movie, and Cartoon themes! Get ready for the ultimate nostalgia trip! This week on the Friday Night Karaoke Podcast, Mike and Joe are diving into the world of Movie, TV, and Cartoon Themes, featuring incre ... Show More
58m 42s
Jul 2024
Star Trek the Original Series - the Music (Part IV)
Our final look at the music of Star Trek puts us in the position of the show's music editors and composers. With so many classic episodes to get through, how did they stretch their music budget to cover an entire season? The music of Sol Kaplan, Joseph Mullendore, Gerald Fried an ... Show More
59m 9s
Jun 2019
"Tiny Dancer" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John
<p>Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote so many great songs over the years that it was impossible to pick a single one for Strong Songs. So, why not do two? Kirk dives into a pair of classics by the storied songwriting duo, talking about Elton's chameleon-like voice, h ... Show More
46m 42s
Apr 2025
Even more songs to calm the nerves
Our third installment of calming songs includes Max Richter's tribute to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ambient sounds from Ryuichi Sakamoto, Brazilian jazz from Wayne Shorter and more.Featured artists and songs:01. The Choir: "You Don't Have To Smile," from 'Transluc ... Show More
54m 45s