A loud-mouth retired rock critic and a cranky expat rock obsessive discuss, analyze and just plain old argue about rock ‘n‘ roll: the old stuff, the new stuff and why it all still matters.
Episodes
Dec 7, 2022
Dec 7, 2022
2hr 21 min
Nov 16, 2022
Nov 16, 2022
1hr 34 min
In which The Curmudgeons celebrate this thing here called rock 'n' roll by going all the way back to the beginning. Actually, we go back to before the beginning and discuss the cultural movements and formative influences that gave our beloved musical form its shapes and colors. We also honor the four men we believe were the foremost pioneers of the genre: Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry.
Nov 2, 2022
Nov 2, 2022
1hr 45 min
In which the Curmudgeons counter one of the laziest conventional wisdoms in all of rock 'n' roll: that Muse is a self-serious, ridiculous ripoff of Radiohead that appeals to dumb people with bad taste. No, actually they're one of the most fearless and inventive bands of the 21st century that gets a central rock tenet: ridiculousness is your friend. This band rocks without apology. We make the case...
Songs discussed during this episode include:
Sudan Archives, "OMG Britt"
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, "Ice V"
And lots and lots of Muse:
"Sunburn"
"Unintended"
"Micro Cuts"
"Citizen Erased"
"Time is Running Out"
"Hysteria"
"Stockholm Syndrome"
"Supermassive Black Hole"
"Map of the Problematique"
"Uprising"
"United States of Eurasia(+Collateral Damage)"
"Madness"
"Dead Inside"
"Psycho"
"Reapers"
"The Dark Side"
"Propaganda"
"Will of the People"
"Kill Or Be Killed"
Oct 19, 2022
Oct 19, 2022
39 min
In which the Curmudgeons offer a study of albums from artists whose music and grand ambitions influenced the U.K.'s beloved band Muse. We'll be defending Muse during our next episode. The band's status as a mainstream stadium filler has made them a target for lazy disrespect. We're pushing back, and we're starting now with a journey through the past.
Albums discussed during this episode include:
Queen, A Night at the Opera (1975)
Rush, A Farewell to Kings (1977)
U2, Zooropa (1993)
Radiohead, The Bends (1995)
Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
Subscribe to our show on these platforms:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80MW
Oct 4, 2022
Oct 4, 2022
1hr 9 min
In which the Curmudgeons offer a public service and guide you through the essentials within Osees' vast catalog of albums. This is a band that changes its name every couple of years, so maybe it's not a surprise they've released more than 20 studio albums since 2007, plus singles collections and the like. That's a lot...but, yo, we got you covered.
Albums discussed during this episode include:
Floating Coffin (2013)
Mutilator Defeated at Last (2015)
A Weird Exits (2016)
Smote Reverser (2018)
Face Stabber (2019)
Protean Threat (2020)
A Foul Form (2022)
Subscribe to our show on these platforms:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80MW
Sep 21, 2022
Sep 21, 2022
2hr 7 min
In which Curmudgeons celebrate a cult band from Vermont whose cult became massive by the end of the 1990s. The members of Phish were not noodling descendants of The Grateful Dead. They were virtuoso musicians whose songcraft and studio output--and even their live performances!--are sorely underrated. Well, not anymore.
Songs discussed during this episode include:
The Chats, "I've Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane"
Built to Spill, "Spiderweb"
And from Phish:
"David Bowie"
"You Enjoy Myself"
"Wilson"
"Reba"
"Split Open and Melt"
"Chalkdust Torture"
"Stash"
"Fast Enough For You"
"Rift"
"The Great Divide"
"Down With Disease"
"Axilla (Pt. II)"
"Julius"
"Billy Breathes"
"Free"
"Prince Caspian"
"Guyute"
"Bird of a Feather"
"Farmhouse"
"First Tube"
Sep 6, 2022
Sep 6, 2022
1hr 28 min
In which the Curmudgeons explore the six studio albums the Dead recorded and released between 1973 and 1980. By the time they dropped Wake of the Flood in 1973, the exploding cult following of their live output meant they didn't really need to make good albums to remain successful. And yet they did.
Songs discussed during this episode include:
Phosphorescent, "My Beautiful Boy"
RZA, "We Push"
A whole lot of Grateful Dead:
"Eyes of the World"
"Stella Blue"
"U.S. Blues"
"Scarlet Begonias"
"Unbroken Chain"
"Help on the Way/Slipknot!"
"Franklin's Tower"
"Sage & Spirit"
"Estimated Prophet"
"Terrapin Pt. 1"
"Shakedown Street"
"All New Minglewood Blues"
"Fire on the Mountain"
"Alabama Getaway"
"Althea"
Subscribe to our show on these platforms:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80MW
Aug 23, 2022
Aug 23, 2022
1hr 24 min
Aug 8, 2022
Aug 8, 2022
1hr 51 min
In which the Curmudgeons express admiration for a band you may have heard a negative word or two about. No, Don Henley must not die! The Eagles were much, much more than the sum of a greatest hits record that sold a boatload of copies. We explain why.
Songs discussed during this episode include:
Pink Mountaintops, "Lights of the City"
Black Midi, "Hellfire"
The Eagles. Lots and lots and lots of Eagles:
"Take it Easy"
"Nightingale"
"Doolin' Dalton"
"Desperado"
"Outlaw Man"
"On the Border"
"Already Gone"
"Best of My Love"
"Take It to the Limit"
"Journey of the Sorceror"
"Hotel California"
"Victim of Love"
"The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks"
"The Sad Cafe"
"KIng of Hollywood"
Jul 25, 2022
Jul 25, 2022
2hr 21 min