Watch Out! In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by Sam Sutherland (@SamSthrlnd) of the blink-155 podcast to talk about…not blink-182, surprisingly. Instead, the trio takes a deep look at alexisonfire’s sophomore 2004 album Watch Out! Sam’s choice of album surprised, but explained through the lens of that moment in Canadian music history, it was the right choice. Find out more about Sam’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the early-2000s...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by Taylor Markarian (@TKMarkarian), author of From The Basement: A History of Emo Music and How It Changed Society, to reminisce about the self-titled 2003 debut from The All-American Rejects. Tyson Ritter hive, it’s your time to log on. Find out more about Taylor’s AOL Instant Messenger association with the Rejects, which song stands out as a missed opportunity as the follow-up single behind Swing,...

It’s about time. In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy finally open up the grunge side of the podcast, diving deep on Nirvana’s industry-changing 1993 album In Utero. If you preferred Nevermind, well, blame the Patreon supporters who voted for this, and maybe give that take a second thought upon re-listening. Find out more about what Kurt Cobain set out to do with the impossible task of following up on Nevermind, the difficult process of trying to...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by Katie Heindl (@wtevs) to discuss FEELINGS and the 2014 album Singles from Future Islands. It’s a bit more of a pop turn than usual for the hosts, but upon deeper listening, it fits right in with the CHP ethos. Find out more about how freestyle rapping played a role in Future Islands’ development, Katie’s emotional run-in with the lead singer, and whether Jake could dance on late-night TV on this...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy explore TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain, what they feel is one of the best albums to come out of the early-2000s indie rock boom. So much so, in fact, that this episode invites the first discussion of a potential CHP Hall of Fame for one of TV on the Radio’s members. Find out more about the David Letterman performance that helped put them on the map, where they veer from otherwise similar Meet Me...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by poet, essayist, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad, abdurraqib.com) to discuss the seminal 1982 Descendents album Milo Goes to College. It’s a wider-ranging chat than usual, thanks to Hanif’s incredible insight and thoughtfulness about how and why we connect with music at different stages. Find out more about the album’s iconic artwork, how we deal with problematic lyrics nearly...

Isn’t it ironic? In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy go deep on a Canadian classic, Alanis Morissette’s incredible 1995 album Jagged Little Pill. Not only is the album excellent, it’s credited with facilitating important change in the rock scene for the late-90s and beyond. Find out more about Alanis’ roots as a child star in Ottawa, why and how she changed her approach for Jagged Little Pill, and who we think You Oughta Know might be about on...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by Arkells frontman Max Kerman (@arkellsmusic) to discuss Shine A Light, the 2003 sophomore album from Constantines. The Cons had a huge influence on Max and his bandmates, and this episode allows us to explore how influences make their way into a band’s sound, consciously and subconsciously. Find out more about The Cons’ 519 roots, how their legendary live shows helped build a following, and why...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy trace the so-called emo tree back up almost all the way to the top, exploring the definitive parent of the Midwest emo branch, Sunny Day Real Estate’s 1994 album Diary. It stands to reason that if you listen to this podcast, a lot of the bands you enjoy (and episodes we’ve done to date) were influenced by Diary, as SDRE genuinely helped move the genre forward. Find out more about why SDRE couldn’t sustain...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by NBA writer James Herbert (@outsidethenba) to discuss At The Drive-In’s 2000 album Relationship of Command. This is a fun revisiting of a very influential album. Find out more about James and Blake’s unlikely non-friendship in university, how At The Drive-In became the Mars Volta and Sparta separately, and how Relationship of Command holds up against In/Casino/Out in the present on this week’s...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by Sasha Kalra (@sashakalra) to discuss Lil Peep’s 2017 album Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 1. While Lil Peep is admittedly outside of the podcast’s normal genre wheelhouse, his influences are so similar to the podcast’s and to the artists that the podcast covers that he represents a unique look into the out-of-genre effects of industry and cultural changes. Find out more about how Lil Peep...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy break down Modest Mouse’s 2004 breakthrough Good News for People Who Like Bad News. Unlike some of the other bands to perform at The Bait Shop, Modest Mouse were already quite well-established, but The OC rub and an enormous hit in Float On helped push them into the mainstream consciousness. That didn’t mean Good News was any less weird and fun, though. Find out more about why a band like Modest Mouse would...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by culture writer Sarah MacDonald (@sarahsmacdonald, sarahsmacdonald.com) to discuss The Killers’ 2004 debut Hot Fuss. Another Meet Me In The Bathroom-era breakthrough sees our hosts bring Sarah back because The Killers require a certain level of cool they can’t reach alone. That’s a long way to have come for some kids from Las Vegas sneaking in to UNLV to practice and record. Find out more about...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy break down The Walkmen’s 2004 album Bows + Arrows. The Walkmen represent an interesting and often self-defeating secondary character in the indie rock boom and an unlikely Bait Shop performer. They’re also emblematic of the Meet Me In The Bathroom-era New York rock scene, dripping in cool while made up of the pieces of other, disbanded groups. Find out more about the enormity of The Rat, the overall excellent...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by comedian Lauren Mitchell (host of the @cavernofsecrets podcast) to discuss Death Cab For Cutie’s enormous 2003 hit Transatlanticism. The podcast will explore bands that performed at The Bait Shop on the hit show The OC, which served as a snapshot and elevator of the early-2000s indie rock scene. Find out more about Ben Gibbard’s workmanlike songwriting approach for Transatlanticism, what...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are just two boys talking about Just A Girl as they dive deep on No Doubt’s 1995 classic Tragic Kingdom. They’re also joined briefly by Cassie Leigh Clancy (@cassleigh, co-host of the @restingonpod podcast) to discuss the fashion side of Gwen Stefani’s legacy. Find out more about some of the controversy around Stefani’s more problematic choices in that regard, how Stefani became a major pop culture influence...

We’re that band, Radiohead. In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by music and culture writer Josh Terry (@JoshhTerry) to break down Radiohead’s 2007 album In Rainbows. With a handful of interesting Radiohead options, the guys go the In Rainbows route out of deep appreciation, but maybe not because it’s their No. 1 Radiohead album. You, too, surely have a Radiohead album ranking take. Find out more about that choice, how Radiohead...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy circle back to another influential album, The Cure’s 1989 masterpiece, Disintegration. Part two, as Robert Smith tells it, of a three-part trilogy that spans 18 years and eight of their 13 records, Disintegration is The Cure at their best, with Smith’s songwriting and vocals at their peak and the ambition of the overall musical environment pushing the album to a new height for the group. Find out more about...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy are joined by basketball and culture writer Alex Wong (@steven_lebron, stevenlebron.com) to break down Lil Wayne’s 2008 smash hit, Tha Carter III. At the very peak of his power as the self-proclaimed Best Rapper Alive, Lil Wayne goes way outside of the usual rap album construct to push himself and the listener creatively. There are some misses as a result, but Wayne’s claim to be atop the game in that moment...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy realize it was time for them to Give The Drummer Some by diving deep on Travis Barker’s solo album of that name. Yes, Barker had a solo album. Yes, it kind of rules. No, rap-rock will never die. Find out more about Barker’s sad and arduous road to creating his solo project, the incredible list of hip-hop artists Barker finds to rap over his drums and synths, and what weird moment in rap the success of Barker’s...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy dive into one of a handful of blink side-projects, +44’s lone album, When Your Heart Stops Beating. The unofficial follow-up to blink’s untitled album, +44 sees Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker continue down that same road, with Hoppus trying to extend himself creatively but ultimately reining himself back in. Find out more about where +44 fits in the blink fracture, why they don’t utilize Carol Heller more, and...

Breathing deeply, walking backwards. In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy dive back into one of the seminal works of not only the pop-punk explosion but of all of early-2000s pop culture, Blink-182’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. It was time for a blink episode, as a key moment in the podcast’s origin story involved our hosts quite lubricated on the first tour with Matt Skiba. Find out more about how the making of Take Off Your Pants and Jacket...

A can of matches, a can of kerosene, a bad idea. In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy revisit what they agree to be the best Alkaline Trio album, 2003’s Good Mourning. Even with the podcast still in its relative infancy, this almost felt overdue – Jake and Blake began their friendship arguing about the ranking of Alkaline Trio albums on Twitter. Find out more about how challenging Good Mourning was for the band to write and record, how Blake...

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy dive into an album that is inextricable from every episode that’s come before or will come after, the 1989 classic Doolittle from Pixies. It’s just Pixies, by the way. The impact Pixies had on all of alt-rock, pop-punk, and the subgenres between is well established but becomes obvious through a deep re-examining of their most prominent work. Find out more about which modern bands the guys hear Pixies in most,...