199. Joel Johnston (Far Caspian) Discusses The Radio Dept., Clinging to a Scheme

Send us Fan MailOn this episode, Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Joel Johnston (Far Caspian) introduces Al to The Radio Dept.’s 2010 album Clinging to a Scheme. Joel talks about how he unexpectedly first encountered Clinging to a Scheme, several years after its release, and why it made such an overwhelmingly positive impression on him. He highlights the tracks from the album that he has enjoyed the most and a couple that have taken him longer to appreciate. Joel also talks about his new Far Caspian album, Autofiction, specifically delving into the new approach he took to writing and recording the songs.You can find Far Caspian's music and information on tour dates on Joel's website, fascaspian.org.Also be sure to follow Joel on the following platforms!@farcaspian on Instagram and [email protected] on TikTokThe first episode of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—is now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes, posts and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.1:27 Joel joins the show2:21 For Joel, learning about Clinging to a Scheme was a happy accident5:47 Joel thinks “Domestic Scene” is representative of what The Radio Dept. does well on the entire album6:56 Joel discusses the art of making a minimal song that is effective10:18 Through his research, Joel learned about how The Radio Dept. picked the songs for this album16:31 Joel hadn’t heard a lot of artists that sounded like The Radio Dept. when he first listened to Clinging to a Scheme19:46 Joel and Al note the hip-hop influence on “David”21:52 Joel and Al were on opposite ends when revealing their most and least favorite tracks27:43 Joel explains why “You Stopped Making Sense” and “Four Months in the Shade” are also among his favorites35:35 Al and Joel discuss what they find appealing about “David” and “Never Follow Suit”38:09 Al and Joel talk about the political content of “Heaven’s on Fire” and “Never Follow Suit”44:59 Joel hears the influence of chillwave on The Radio Dept.’s use of synths48:58 Joel imagines he would have liked Clinging to a Scheme if he had heard it when it came out50:21 Joel still enjoys the music he grew up with, even though not much of it has influenced his own music53:24 Joel talks about how he approached writing the songs for Autofiction differently than on his previous albums58:12 Joel explains his choice of the title “Autofiction”1:01:37 Joel talks about Far Caspian’s upcoming in-the-round performanceOutro music is from “End” by Far Caspian.Support the show