64. Glen Phillips Discusses Dirty Projectors, Lamp Lit Prose

Send us Fan MailGlen Phillips from Toad the Wet Sprocket pays Al a visit to talk about Dirty Projectors’ ninth and most recent album, Lamp Lit Prose. Glen explains why he loves this album, what lessons he takes from it for his own work and what’s in store for him in the studio and on the road. He also talks about other artists he admires, other albums he thought about discussing here and a past project of his that Al just discovered.Al’s notes:As I mentioned on this episode, Glen was Brian Koppelman’s guest on his podcast, The Moment, several years ago. It’s a great conversation, and they get deeper into Glen’s career than he and I did on this podcast. Check it out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/glen-phillips-9-6-16/id814550071?i=1000519286763Glen made reference to “the Bob Schneider songwriting game.” I admit I had to look this up after recording the episode. Glen described it well here, but if you want to know more about it, this article is a good place to start. https://www.npr.org/2013/11/24/246755925/for-a-few-musicians-beating-songwriters-block-is-all-in-the-gameWebsites:http://www.glenphillips.com/https://toadthewetsprocket.com/.https://toadthewetsprocket.bandcamp.com/Though Glen said he doesn’t use social media much, you can still give him a follow on Twitter at @glenphillips. You can access his weekly livestream concerts there or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/glenphillipsofficial.Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/1:03 Glen joins the show1:32 Glen talks about how he has been influenced by Talk Talk and Peter Gabriel3:03 Glen discusses his EP, Secrets of the New Explorers5:21 Glen has known Brian Koppelman since his late teens6:16 Glen and Al talk about how much they love Talk Talk9:52 Glen lists other albums he thought about picking for this episode12:11 Glen talks about how he got into Dirty Projectors14:51 Al shares his reaction to Lamp Lit ProseReactions to selected tracks:15:43 That’s a Lifestyle20:53 I Feel Energy23:54 I Found It In U24:46 Zombie Conqueror (and a discussion of drummers who play out of the pocket)31:01 Right Now38:03 Al talks about exploring other Dirty Projectors albums40:56 Right Now (cont., and a discussion of hocketing)44:23 Break-Thru48:13 Glen talks about how different his songwriting approach is compared to David Longstreth’s51:24 Glen considers whether Dirty Projectors has influenced his music56:59 Glen also admires the work of Bjork and tUnE-yArDs58:45 One of Glen’s favorite musicians almost never performs1:01:14 Glen enjoys leading a community choir1:05:18 Al explains why he dug further into this album than others discussed on this podcast1:06:33 Glen talks about the solo project he’s been working on and the upcoming Toad the Wet Sprocket tourOutro music is from “The Best of Me” by Toad the Wet Sprocket (featuring Michael McDonald).Support the show