The Next Track

Episode #305: Timo Andres on Steve Reich's Collected Works

April 9th, 2025  |  37 mins 19 secs

Composer and pianist Timo Andres wrote extensive listening notes for the new box set of Steve Reich's Collected Works. We talk with him about this composer whose work over the past five decades has been incredibly influential.

"I went everyone to listen to music in a more abstract way."

Episode #304: Box Sets

March 26th, 2025  |  29 mins 18 secs

The Grateful Dead released a big box set that Kirk will not buy, leading Doug and Kirk to discuss box sets of CDs.

Episode #303: What Is Our Dream Home Audio Setup?

March 12th, 2025  |  29 mins 20 secs

We muse on our dream home audio setups, the enshittification of streaming TV, and Doug explains how he has music in his bathroom.

Episode #302: Rant about Apple's Music App

February 26th, 2025  |  29 mins 3 secs

We rant about compilations in Apple's music app, and some other annoyances.

Episode #301: The Freddy Mercurization of Dylan

February 12th, 2025  |  23 mins 11 secs

The recent movie about Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown, has led many people to "discover" Bob Dylan's music.

Episode #300: Billions and Obscura

January 29th, 2025  |  28 mins 42 secs

We look at Spotify's Billions Club, and discuss how some people are trying to discover the most unplayed music.

Episode #299: The Normalization of Apple's Media App; Songs in Movies

January 15th, 2025  |  31 mins 47 secs

With the release of Kirk's new book, Take Control of Apple Media Apps, we discuss how Apple has normalized their media apps and, perhaps, finally made them easier to use. We also discus the use of songs in movies.

Episode #298: Fake Music

December 31st, 2024  |  30 mins 13 secs

Streaming services - mostly, but not only, Spotify - are filling their playlists with fake music.

Episode #297: 1984

December 18th, 2024  |  29 mins 9 secs

1984 wasn't like 1984.

Episode #296: Nostalgia Concerts, 74 Albums from 1974, Interstellar Soundtrack

December 4th, 2024  |  28 mins 52 secs

Apparently "nostalgia concerts," where bands play full albums, have become common; not everyone likes this idea. Rolling Stone made a list of the "best" 74 albums of 1974. And we discuss movie soundtracks, with specific reference to Hans Zimmer's music for Interstellar.

Episode #295: Selling Records with Pete Morgan of Burning Shed

November 20th, 2024  |  32 mins 11 secs

We talk about selling records with the unique Burning Shed, the British online record store that offers a curated selected of progressive rock, new wave, ambient, and electronic music.

Episode #294: Desert Island Bass Players

November 6th, 2024  |  33 mins 15 secs

With the passing of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, we talk about the bass players we would take to a desert island.

Episode #293: Desert Island Discs Redux

October 23rd, 2024  |  30 mins 9 secs

We discuss desert island discs as a thought experiment, though we didn't agree on the ground rules.

Episode #292: Music as Product

October 9th, 2024  |  32 mins

Music is a product. We discuss how music is sold and promoted.

Episode #291: Why Can't Concerts Be More Interesting?

September 25th, 2024  |  27 mins 57 secs

Kirk attended a unique concert recently, and Doug and Kirk discuss how concerts could be more interesting.

Episode #290: Why Most People Have Better Audio on Their TV Systems

September 11th, 2024  |  31 mins 11 secs

People are more likely to have good audio for their TV, to watch movies and films, than for music these days.