I Thought I Heard A Sound Podcast

In this episode Mick explores the myriad twists, turns, double backs, and secret passages of User Pleasure Gaunrteed, an EP from digital emotional-core artist Analogue Heart, with the artist themself as his guide. The EP is out on Lonely Ghost Records.

Talking up Nicky the Gnome about the magic behind his underground synth and metal label, WereGnome Records.

Warning to listeners: Hearing this interview may result in you wearing crocs 100% more often than your current norm. Listener beware!

2023 is over and done, but I still have quite a few things I'd like to say before I let it go. Listen in to hear Will Green of Full Blown Meltdown and I recap our favorite and/or the best albums from this past year. Will is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of DIY music I know and it's why I reached out to him about sharing his list. Also, he's a huge anime nerd, which means that this episode, at some point, devolves into us swapping recommendations from our Crunchroll watchlists.

Covered in this episode are albums by: Jeff Rosenstock, MSPAINT, Stray from the Path, JPEGMAFIA, Palette Knife, Screaming Females, Origami Angel, Hemlocke Springs, Fall Out Boy, Initiate, Huachuca Aerostat, Royal Thunder, Frost Children, Lunch Money Life, Thanks! I hate it!, The Merrier, Kicksie, Aesop Rock, and Super Cassette.

My conversation with the very smart, humble, and talented Jeremy Gustin about his band Blurry the Explorer and their latest album Angel Ecology.

Note: Spotify unceremoniously changed how they did podcasts just as this episode was being posted originally, which was in the Fall of 2023. As a result, there is another version of it floating around out there. Not sure what to do about that, and I'm not going to worry about it too much other than noting it here.

For this episode, I tracked down the illusive Superdestroyer, the enigmatic personality of the emo and electronic underground and founder of Lonely Ghost Records.

Superdestroyer's mindbending good album SoakedInSynth.zip drops later this week (June 30, 2023).

Check out www.lonelyghostrecords.com for more info. 

Thor Maillet is the label head of the innovative indie venture Fish Prints. Operating under the banner of "Curious sounds, past and present," Thor unearths the strange, the beautiful, the uncanny, and the forgotten in a never-ending search to give a platform to the worthy but unsung icons of the international underground. He's a generous guy and let me ask him all of the questions that popped out of my brain for over an hour, and as a result, I learned more than is humanly necessary, but just enough for my own vindication, about some of my favorite albums put out on Fish Prints, the unique advantages of releasing music to minidisc, and what inspires Thor to continue to putting tread to the pavement for each new release.

You can find out more about Fish Prints and check out the label's catalog at https://fishprintsinc.bandcamp.com/

Featured tracks in order:

Nelories - "Glass Chocolate"

After Dinner - "A Man of Marble"

Barbara Morgenstern x Petridisch - "Angel's Whisper (Alternate Remix)"

mynameisblueskye - "Famous Last Words Before Execution"

Petridisch - "Et moi je sais... (Song of the Deity)"

Mick R from "I Thought I Heard a Sound" blog recently interviewed Gabe Noel, jazz composer and the creator of The Randy Paserntes Trio, an AI singer project. During the interview, Gabe shared his inspiration for the project and how he made the AI mimic the sound of a real-life jazz singer. Gabe also talked about the challenges he faced during the development process, including the need to capture the nuances of a human voice and incorporate improvisation. Although Gabe believes that AI has a lot of potential in music, he also shared that he doesn't think it can replace musicians like him. The interview provided interesting insights into the use of AI in music. Overall, it was a fascinating conversation that provided insights into the intersection of AI and music. - Written by CHAT GPT The above description doesn't do justice to this episode. It is anything but a routine interview. Gabe shares some incredible and somewhat bizarre facts about developing this project and the experience of collaborating with a machine. It also doesn't mention how messy and imprecise the entire process was, which just makes the final product all the more interesting. While it's clear that AI has a long way to go before it can perfectly mimic a human vocal performance, it is succeeding at generating a number of fascinating questions, and prompting some very creative solutions.

The Randy Paserntes Trio's debut EP Now At Last is out on Colorfield Records.

A fun (and somewhat chaotic) chat with LA punks Jonathan, Zach, and Tony of Crisis Actor. We primarily talk about their latest album False Flag, but I also get their essential takes on the best era of the Misfits, how much paranoia is the right amount of paranoia, how flammable Chicago happens to be, and the sinking of Alex Jones' career. Every episode I do of this podcast feels like a party- this one more than most. 

Oort Smog is a heavy jazz duo comprised of players Mark Kimbrell and Patrick Shiroishi. Mark plays drums and Patrick plays sax and they can conjure a truly transportive racket. We talked about the ins and outs of their collaboration as well as the themes and approach of their album Every Motherfucker Is Your Brother out on AKP Recordings. Honestly, these two have way too much fun together. If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were brothers. 

In this episode I catch up with Cody of Cryostasium to talk about his new album Dragon's Keep, discussing its conception, and Cody's love for the scaly protagonist Draco from the '90s fantasy flick Dragon Heart. We also get into some of Cody's major influences, learn some fun facts about his previous albums, and pin down what genre designations best characterize his sound (for now!). 

A brief but enlightening conversation with Minneapolis-based experimental artist Matthew Himes about his album Cassiope: Protection Songs for Guitar and unpacking its themes of healing, protection, gods, and folk magic. 

Good chat with Mike Erdody of Temple of Void about their awesome album Summoning the Slayer. It's a great take on death-doom and I'm really happy we were able to unpack what makes it so great! 

Got to know Joe Trainor of Dummy following the release of their "Mono Retriever / Pepsi Vacuum" for Sub Pop's Singles Club. We cover a huge range of topics, including the most pressing of the day, "How much should you pay to see Dummy when they play your town?" The answer might surprise you. 

Conversation with the mastermind behind experimental metal and post-hardcore band Bitter Lake, the one and only Jason Myles. Jason also hosts a podcast called This is Revolution. It's pretty dope. You should check it out. 

A conversation with Bonnie Baxter of Kill Alters about her album 'Armed To The Teeth L.M.O.M.M.,' turrets syndrome, and her short stint as a NYC refugee. 

Nelson B is a producer signed to Lonely Ghost Records, one of the coolest DIY labels at the moment (imo). I love his beats and production style so I got in touch and we talked about his techniques current projects, favorite/least desirable production trends, and the proper use of auto-tune. 

Conversation with Grégoire of the Brussels-based industrial and post-rock band THOT about the reissue of their 2011 album, Obscured By The Wind. 

Conversation with British experimental percussionist and electronic producer Chiminyo.

Conversation with Anxela of Spanish heavy rockers Bala.

Interview with the vocalist Knox Colby of the cross-over thrash and hardcore band Enforced.