180. Jessica Dobson Discusses Radiohead, Amnesiac

Send us Fan MailMulti-instrumentalist Jessica Dobson—best-known as the guitarist and vocalist for Deep Sea Diver—joins Al to introduce him to Radiohead’s 2001 album Amnesiac. Jessica talks about the memorable circumstance under which she first heard Amnesiac, which tracks are her favorites and why, and how Radiohead has been an influence on her playing and songwriting. She discusses Deep Sea Diver’s new album, Billboard Heart, and how Radiohead helped to shape some of its sound. Jessica also breaks down one of the album’s singles, “Shovel,” and addresses whether U2 has also been an influence on the band’s sound.You can follow Jessica on Instagram at @thisisjdobson.To keep up with Deep Sea Diver, you can follow them on Bluesky at @thisisdeepseadiver or on Instagram, also at @thisisdeepseadiver. You can also visit their website, https://www.thisisdeepseadiver.com/. For information on tour dates, new music, merch and more, you can sign up for the DSD newsletter via Instagram or their website.Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/. You can also support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.1:24 Jessica joins the show1:46 Jessica explains why she opened up to letting her love of Radiohead influence the sound of Billboard Heart3:54 Jessica hears Amnesiac and Kid A as very different albums5:55 Jessica talks about the first time she listened to Amnesiac and how she first became aware of Radiohead9:43 Jessica explains why she chose to discuss Amnesiac11:36 Al and Jessica talk about some mathematical oddities in Radiohead’s music15:24 Jessica and Al note the odd ways that Radiohead creates balance in their music17:15 Jessica discusses the two sides of her songwriting—and Radiohead’s20:05 Jessica talks about her three favorite tracks from Amnesiac26:07 Jessica delves into the art of creating a big dramatic buildup28:14 Jessica cites a few songs from Billboard Heart that are Radiohead-influenced32:55 Jessica sheds light on Al’s favorite moment from Billboard Heart35:44 Jessica gives a reason for why she continues to find Radiohead an inspiration39:41 Jessica and Al talk about some Radiohead B-sides and bonus tracks44:24 Jessica likes interludes like “Hunting Bears”46:37 Jessica talks about how an object writing exercise led to her writing “Shovel”54:45 Has U2 been an influence on Deep Sea Diver?57:36 Jessica explains why a band’s fourth album is the “artist’s record”1:01:27 Jessica talks about Deep Sea Diver’s tour plansOutro music is from “Billboard Heart” by Deep Sea Diver.Support the show