The Indie 500 Podcast

#244 Wild Beasts - SmotherThe Indie 500 Podcast is back from a long summer hiatus, and Season 3 opens with Wild Beasts' 2011 album Smother, sitting at #244 on NME's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Neither host had heard it before this week — no Limbo Panto, no Two Dancers, no Hayden Thorpe falsetto — which makes this a genuine first-listen deep dive into one of the strangest, most committed art-pop records British indie produced in the 2010s.We start with a Season 3 warm-up: 90s guilty pleasures, top three each. Eurodance obsessions (Alice DJ's "Better Off Alone," Culture Beat's "Mr. Vain"), George Michael's "Freedom! '90," Madonna's "Like a Prayer," The Cardigans' "Lovefool," and the strange true story of Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You" — the one-off Paris side project that turned down $3 million from Virgin and quietly became the prototype for Daft Punk's Discovery.Then the band history: two 16-year-olds at Queen Katherine School in Kendal, Cumbria, naming themselves after the Fauvist painters because there was nothing else to do; the move to Leeds; Tom Fleming joining on bass and bringing the baritone that makes the two-voice Wild Beasts sound work; Bad Sneakers Records, the signing to Domino, Limbo Panto, and the Mercury-nominated breakthrough Two Dancers.Our World Context segment plants Smother in May 9, 2011: Katy Perry's "E.T." at #1 in the US, LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" all over the UK, Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party rising out of post-recession anger, the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, the royal wedding, the bin Laden raid, the debut of Minecraft and Angry Birds, and Rebecca Black's "Friday" inventing the modern viral pile-on.The making of section covers the East London basement demos, the retreat to Bryn Derwen studio in Snowdonia, producer Richard Formby as unofficial fifth member and tiebreaker, and a recording philosophy built on subtraction, improvisation, and one-take crudeness — including a piece of "Albatross" tracked into a MacBook mic at 3 a.m. Plus Thorpe on intimacy, lust, and lyrics as self-discovery, and the near-unanimous 2011 press: NME 9/10, Pitchfork 8.2, a UK #17 chart peak.Then the honest verdict — a divisive falsetto, an acquired taste, and two hosts who land on real respect for a record they may not revisit — with time for "Bed of Nails," "Plaything," "Loop the Loop," "Burning," and the closing stretch of "End Come Too Soon," and an argument that Smother is secretly the best 80s throwback of 2011.The Eye of Agamotto hits #244 across the multiverse: Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak, Pavement, Dazed and Confused, Twister, and J.G. Ballard's High Rise. We spin the wheel for next week and land on De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising — plus an upcoming interview with grunge author Gillian Gaar.Rate, review, and subscribe. Questions to [email protected].

The IFP boys drop everything they’re doing to address a moment in the recent news that may be the most IFP thing to ever happen.*recorded prior to passing of Dolly Parton r.i.p.*

#63 Joni Mitchell - BlueJoni Mitchell's Blue album review and music history deep dive — Episode 37 of our indie music podcast covering NME's Top 500 albums. We take on Blue, Joni Mitchell's 36-minute tour de force of poetry and unconventional guitar tunings, a landmark feminist album and a consensus classic on nearly every "greatest albums of all time" list. This episode continues where our recent interview with music journalist Annie Zaleski left off — with the added bonus of finally avoiding the "two old dads talking about a landmark feminist album" problem.Inside this episode: the history of Blue, a look at Joni Mitchell as an artist and the era she was recording in, and why her songwriting and open-tuned guitar work still influences indie folk and singer-songwriters decades later. As always, we follow the rabbit down the hole — this time into color-themed music festivals, video game speedrunning, the "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad campaign, and the abolition of the shilling, the sixpence, and the farthing.If you're searching for a Blue album review, Joni Mitchell music history, or an in-depth breakdown of one of the most acclaimed folk albums of all time, this episode's for you.Rate, review, and subscribe to get notified on new episodes — we're working through NME's Top 500 Albums list one deep dive at a time.

Description: "In preparation for our deep dive into Joni Mitchell's landmark album Blue, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Annie Zaleski for a wide-ranging conversation on Joni Mitchell's music history and trailblazing impact on pop music. This indie music podcast interview covers Joni Mitchell's influence as a songwriter, her open-tuned guitar innovations, and the long shadow she's cast over generations of artists.Annie Zaleski is an acclaimed music journalist and author — find her at anniez.com or on Instagram @anniezaleskiauthor. Her new book, a deep dive into the catalog of Dolly Parton, arrives August 2026 and is available for pre-order now.This conversation sets the stage for our full album review of Blue — a consensus masterpiece and one of the most influential feminist albums in music history. If you're searching for Joni Mitchell music history or context on her impact on pop music, this episode's for you.Rate, review, and subscribe for more indie music history, artist interviews, and album deep dives from NME's Top 500 Albums list.Find Annie on the web at https://anniez.com/or an instagram @anniezaleskiauthorShe has a new book arriving in August of 2026 deep diving into the catalog of Dolly Parton that can be pre-ordered here!

#351 The Byrds - Sweetheart of the RodeoThe Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo album review and music history — Episode 36 digs into NME's #351 album on the Top 500 list, The Byrds' pioneering foray into Nashville country rock. This indie music podcast episode traces how the album helped invent country rock, ties back to an album we covered in a previous episode, and profiles the band's shifting lineup during this era.Inside this episode: the country cordyceps growing in Gram Parsons' brain, Chris Hillman's poker problem, how to correctly pronounce SZA, correcting Bob Dylan lyrics on the fly, and why the UK economy is booming — just kidding, it's not.If you're searching for a Sweetheart of the Rodeo review, The Byrds music history, or the story behind a founding album of country rock, this episode's for you.Rate, review, and subscribe to catch new episodes covering NME's Top 500 Albums, one deep dive at a time.

Tiers in Heaven is our recurring segment where we rank the albums we've covered on this indie music podcast — and this time we've got some catching up to do. We meant to check in every 10 album episodes, but let 23 go by, so it's officially time to get organized before things get out of hand.In this episode: a full tier ranking of the NME Top 500 albums we've reviewed since our last check-in, a catch-up on what we've been listening to lately, bragging rights for scoring tickets to Angine de Poitrine, and a familiar face reappearing when we roll up the next album for the queue.If you're searching for indie album rankings, a music history podcast that revisits its own back catalog, or want to know where your favorite NME Top 500 album landed in our tier list, this episode's for you.Be there and be square. Rate, review, and subscribe for more indie music history and album deep dives

Krautrock music history meets New German Cinema in this episode of Recorded On a Podcast With Better Equipment (ROAPWBE), the Indie 500 Podcast's music history sub-series. Host Kyle Reiff explores the deep link between the German Krautrock scene and the New German Cinema movement of the 1960s and '70s, tracing the melodic brilliance of Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream's breakthrough into Hollywood film scoring, and the creative partnerships between these Krautrock pioneers and legendary filmmakers like Werner Herzog.Follow along with Kyle's curated playlist for this episode.Recorded On a Podcast With Better Equipment is a sub-series of The Indie 500 Podcast spearheaded by show contributor Kyle Reiff, diving into music history topics alongside our main NME Top 500 Albums coverage. Check out Kyle's Bandcamp store for Krautrock ephemera and posters, and give his music group Eerie Indiana a listen.If you're searching for Krautrock history, Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream, New German Cinema, or the music behind Werner Herzog's films, this episode is for you.Like and subscribe to this series to get notified of new episodes — we're aiming for a monthly release.Follow along with Kyle's curated playlist for this episode!Recorded on a Podcast with Better Equipment is a sub-series of The Indie 500 podcast spearheaded by show contributor Kyle Reiff. Be sure to check out ⁠⁠⁠Kyle's bandcamp store ⁠⁠⁠for some incredible krautrock ephemera and posters. He is also a member of the music group⁠⁠⁠ Eerie Indiana ⁠⁠⁠Give them a listen! Be sure to like and subscribe to this series to be notified of new episodes of this show as we are aiming for a monthly release of this sub-series

#49 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of SilverBreddy gets a big ol' thing off his chest that's been bugging him for maybe a minute or two. Helio finds inspiration in one of the great late bloomers in 21st century music. The normally positive guys share times "artists pissed them off" and embark on the usual travels through time and space.

#290 The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly(Solid Snake Voice) Kept you waiting, huh? The boys are back in town after a short hiatus with one of those albums they’ve never heard of before. Come soak up the history of Hounslands own don’t-call-us-Brit-pop band, who perhaps represent the 90s UK rock lifecycle better than anyone. Elsewhere on the pod you get Parappa the Rapper protips, Hideo Kojima, Morrisey and the rock hall of fame get their regular check ups, and Breddy makes the case for Bayonetta as more than just T n’ A.