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
Tuesday Oct 07, 2025
Tuesday Oct 07, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons wrap up their five-part lookback at the British rock of the 1990s. It was a decade that started with the demised of dance-rock and shoegazer scenes but then saw an absolute cultural revolution explode in their wake via Britpop. By the end of the decade, though, things were dying down a bit and bubblegum pop acts like Robbie Williams and The Spice Girls. Yet there was quite a lot of good Britpop-influenced rock emerging from the U.K. streets in 1998 and 1999. Bands like Belle and Sebastian and The Beta Band scored critical-carling status if not overwhelming commercial success. Bands like Coldplay and Muse, both of whom would dominate the next British decade, made their debut. And Britpop stalwarts Pulp and Blur were still hanging on and producing some grand tunes. We cover it with aplomb during this episode.
Enjoy the British rock of 1998 and 1999 by accessing our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XoRoHiH80oOfYQv9lFdk0?si=c579654c1eb4487f
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(00:52- 04:08) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of British rock in the late 1990s
(04:25 - 15:54) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albims from Margo Price and Geese
(16:53 - 32:00) - We launch into a lightning round to cover a bunch of great singles from 1998 and 1999, including songs from Travis, Coldplay and Earl Brutus
(34:01 - 01:09:41) - WE analyze great albums from Belle and Sebastian, The Beta Band, Pulp,
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
PJ Harvey, Blur and Muse
Tuesday Sep 23, 2025
Tuesday Sep 23, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons lovingly recall the latter edge of the Britpop era, covering the years of 1996 and 1997. Britpop, at this point, had become a defining cultural phenomenon in the U.K., leaving music fans to wonder what might come next. Yet while Oasis attempted to follow the smashing, overwhelming success of its first two albums by going even bigger and grander, other bands veered toward something else entirely--maturity. Oasis's chief Britpop rival Blur changed things up by embracing American indie rock and electronica, and crafted its best album in the process. The Verve toned down their shoegazing psychedelia and turned solemn and gorgeously melodic. And Radiohead portended the future of rock with the first of its two inarguable masterpieces. We discuss these albums and also cover a whole bunch of great, sunny Britpop singles.
Check out the great Britpop music of 1996 and 1997 bu accessing our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/515doUnbjJNx40O7kaBy1P?si=07858465088b45a8
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.
(00:52 - 03:06) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of Britpop in 1996 and 1997
(03:24 - 14:39) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Big Thief and Curtis Harding
(15:38 - 48:32) - We engage in a lightning round discussion of 23 terrific Britpop and Britpop-adjacent singles, from Supergrass, Super Furry Animals. Sleeper and others
(49:57 - 01:23:48) - We analyze classic albums from Blur, Oasis, The Verve and Radiohead
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
Tuesday Sep 09, 2025
Tuesday Sep 09, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons revisit the zenith of the Britpop movement. And by 1995, there definitely was a movement in the U.K. The music defined the style and defined the discussion and defined the culture. The mania was such that the two biggest bands in all of Britpop, Oasis and Blur, ended the year embroiled in a hilariously nasty feud. Here, we discuss albums by those two bands and others by The Verve, PJ Harvey, Elastica, Pulp and Radiohead. Oasis won't look back in anger, and neither will we.
Enjoy the Britpop and Britpop-adjacent music of 1995 by accessing our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/71HOiSyG8eJs3Jsrd5sKJb?si=6179b61852834ac6
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:
(00:52 - 02:46) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of Britpop in 1995
(03:04 - 14:52) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new music from Wolf Alice and Lorelle Meets the Obsolete
(15:51 - 43:59) - We discuss the height of the Britpop mania, and we also run through a bunch of great Britpop singles
(45:20 - 01:29:10) - We analyze great albums from PJ Harvey, Radiohead, Elastica, The Verve, Pulp, Blur and Oasis
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
Tuesday Aug 26, 2025
Tuesday Aug 26, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons continue catching a wave of Britpop and launch into the second part of our five-part series on the joys of the Britpop era. On this episode, we cover the eventful year of 1994, during which Britpop officially solidified as a thing and started its ascension toward the stratosphere. It was during 1994 that Oasis and Blur released seminal, awesome albums that effectively defined the genre. It was also when bands like Elastica, Primal Scream, Pulp and others released fantastic singles that extended Britpop's reach and scope. How good was it? Press play and find out, baby!
Enjoy the Britpop sounds of 1994 by accessing our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gesREv76xGMtXggp2BAvd?si=6462123662b84ffb
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.
(00:52 - 04:10) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of Britpop in 1994
(04:18 - 16:16) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Golomb and Osees
(17:15 - 43:37) - We breakdown just how monumental of a shift in British culture Britpop represented. We also run through a bunch of great Britpop and Britpop-adjacent singles from 1994.
(44:38 - 01:01:25) - We discuss and analyze two great albums: Blur's Parklife and Oasis' Definitely Maybe
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
Monday Aug 11, 2025
Monday Aug 11, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons hop into the phone booth and travel back to the time when Britpop ruled the world during the heart of the 1990s. What was Britpop? Most specifically, it was a call to rock 'n' roll arms by a swath of young, hungry bands peeved at America's cultural imperialism of the era. The music swayed and blasted with confidence, and its pop structures were tight, tuneful--and, as a result, titanic. We start this series of episodes in the early 1990s, in 1992 and 1993. We cover Britpop artists such as Blur, Suede, Pulp, Elastica and The Verve on this episode. Yet we also cover what we call "Britpop adjacent" acts like PJ Harvey, Radiohead and The Cranberries, whose own Britishness seeped its way into groundbreaking music they were making in their own right.
Enjoy the Britpop and Britpop adjacency from this episode by accessing our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/08abNW4XljAQS4ZvJ77Cpp?si=f199dce9a4cc4ab7
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.
(00:52 - 02:55) - Arturo sets the parameters for our discussion of early Britpop
(05:44 - 16:56) - The Parallel Universe, featruing reviews of recent albums from Bob Vylan and Sault
(17:55 - 51:54) - We describe the British music of the early 1990s and the forces that shaped Britpop, plus we kick off a lightning round of great Britpop singles from 1992 and 1993
(53:08 - 01:15:11) - We analyze important and vital British records from PJ Harvey, The Verve, Radiohead and Blur
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
Wednesday Jul 30, 2025
Wednesday Jul 30, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons continue their exploration of all the cool and revolutionary sounds blasting out of the City of Angels in the 1990s. By 1995, the music world had been grungified, making things safer, brighter and lovelier for not only hard-rock artists, but folks of the more soul-breaking, confessional variety. And that L.A. satisfied both ends of that spectrum between 1995 and 1999. Rage Against the Machine, Tool, System of a Down and Kyuss all blasted down doors and melted minds. Meanwhile, Beck, eels and Los Lobos soothed the more sensitive souls. We take a run through work by those artists and more on this episode. We begin this episode, though, by discussing the legacies of two recently departed icons, Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan.
Enjoy the music that came out of Los Angeles during the latter half of the 1990s by accessing our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7KHCvbSIZv6lqVOLW88yTw?si=1f93bf2fb25a48a4
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.
(00:52 - 03:40) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of rock in Los Angles during the latter half of the 1990s
(03:43 - 27:31) - The Curmudgeons, both children of the 1980s, discuss the legacies of Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan
(28:30 - 45:04) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of recent releases by Wet Leg and Orua.
(46:24 - 01:36:04) - We cover albums by No Doubt, Kyuss, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Los Lobos, Beck, Weezer and Sublime
(01:36:04 - 02:19:31) - We cover albums by Tool, System of a Down, Queens of the Stone Age, eels, Beck (again), The Red Hot Chili Peppers (again) and Rage Against the Machine (again)
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
Tuesday Jul 15, 2025
Tuesday Jul 15, 2025
In which the Curmudgeons once again venture to the City of Angels to recapture all the great vibes generated during the 1990s. After a 1980s in which glam metal and punk scenes dominated, what came next for Los Angeles? Well, the trade winds blew in from the Pacific Northwest, and the influence of grunge made the music crunchier and louder, giving us bands like Tool and Weezer. Meanwhile, the longstanding stylings of the L.A. underground found their way into the mainstream, giving us radio-ready glory from Jane's Addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beck. A lot happened in L.A. during the dawn of the Internet age. We begin to cover those happenings in this episode.
Listen to all the great sound of Los Angeles in the 1990s by access our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/44Gum0MV2jMIMehRa1ja72?si=5a06f9d388d74bac
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.
(00:52 - 02:36) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of Los Angeles rocking in the 1990s
(05:15 - 16:10) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new music from Blondshell and Durand Jones & The Indications
(17:09 - 57:25) - We discuss great L.A. albums from Los Lobos, Guns N' Roses, Jane's Addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine and Kyuss
(58:43 - 01:33:23) - WE discuss great L.A. albums from Los Lobos (again), Tool, Weezer, Beck, Kyuss (again) and Korn
Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
Wednesday Jul 02, 2025
Wednesday Jul 02, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons pay loving tribute to one of our favorite bands. Built to Spill is the brainchild of Boise, Idaho, native and guitar maestro Doug Martsch, who's been banging and crunching his way through indie-rock anthems for more than three decades now. As Arturo Andrade likes to say, BTS, as we call them for short, taught indie-rockers everywhere that classic rock and guitar solos were cool. And BTS has served up some remarkable guitar tapestries over the years. We discuss the band's albums and also break down the band's legacy on this episode.
Enjoy the music of Built to Spill by accessing our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/28IWa36crH0h7z5CyzrGay?si=97f1b37037e64956
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:
(00:52 - 03:07) - Arturo sets the parameters for our discussion of Built to Spill
(04:33 - 15:12) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new music from Snapped Ankles and Little Simz
(16:11 - 52:09) - We discuss the origins of Built to Spill and analyze their first five albums, including classics such There's Nothing Wrong With Love, Perfect From Now On and Keep It Like a Secret
(53:33 - 01:15:18) - We analyze Built to Spill's last five albums, including their most recent effort, 2022's terrific When the Wind Forgets Your Name
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons take a big ol' dukey on that most prominent of rap-metal bands Limp Bizkit. The band is surely one of the worst hard-rock outfits to make it big since cranking up guitars real loud became a thing. Its plodding, uninspired riffage was eclipsed only by its misogynistic, corroded worldview and ultra-dumb lyrics. We dive into the rock's dregs here, analyzing the band's origins as well as its first four albums, all of which are awful. It all begs the question: How the heck did Limp Bizkit get so huge, anyway? We attempt to answer that question.
Marvel in horror at the awful music of Limp Bizkit by accessing out Spotify plylist for the episode:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5s6kczKDwbpVDYt3DoTiaD?si=f88d0b956bcf4120
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.
(00:52 - 06:15) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of Limp Bizkit
(15:04 - 29:52) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums by Ty Segall and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
(30:50 - 38:56) - We discuss the origin story behind Limp Bizkit's improbable rise from the underground of Jacksonville, Fla., to corporate rock's front burner
(40:03 - 1:18:23) - We break down why this band's first four album are, in fact, truly terrible and even offensive. And we ponder why this kind of rap-metal may have been so appealing to so many people.
Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor
Tuesday Jun 03, 2025
Tuesday Jun 03, 2025
In which The Curmudgeons trip out through outer space and rock out to Hawkwind, one of the most singular psychedelic rock bands of all time. And in which we do it completely sober! This band practically invented what is known as space rock, a jammy, propulsive brand of heavy metal that focuses its gaze firmly on the cosmos and all the alien beings and strange phenomena the Great Beyond can generate. We focus on this longtime, prolific band's most fruitful period, namely the 1970s, when maybe only Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd kinda, sorta counted as peers.
Enjoy the awesome music of Hawkwind by accessing our special Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2K0qbD4dzEv9XHJj7dBLTm?si=0252e442d42643b7
Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:
(00:52 - 03:27) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of Hawkwind
(6:05 - 17:24) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Lael Neale and Perfume Genius
(18:23 - 01:04:13) - We give five reasons why Hawkwind merits a defense, discuss the band's origin story and analyze five great albums, from In Search of Space (1971) to Warriors on the Edge of Time (1975)
(01:05:16 - 01:23:59) - We analyze four more Hawkwind albums, from Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music (1976) to PXR5 (1979)
Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911
https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor