Cosmic America

The period between September 1968 and November 1969 was an incredibly fertile time for The Rolling Stones, but also one of great tragedy and personal loss. Brian Jones would gradually fade into drug-induced obscurity before eventually being fired and accidentally dying, Mick Taylor would join the band as a replacement, and the personal relationships of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and others in the group's orbit would be altered permanently. The world was also on fire during this period, with war, student protests, and a rejection of traditional mores dominating western civilization.Despite this --- or perhaps more to the point, because of it --- the Rolling Stones entered their most fertile, enticing, and fascinating period as a band. The sound of the band gradually rounded into the true classic rock aesthetic, with crisp electric guitars, expert slidework, and key session players augmenting and improving their studio work. The writing became at once more advanced and more primitive, looking forward to the e

Please allow us to introduce one of the 1968 album that changed everything for the Rolling Stones. “Beggars Banquet” is the first in one of the greatest four-album runs in rock history, and starts off with “Sympathy for the Devil,” one of the band’s most iconic tracks. Galen and Alex go beyond “Sympathy” and “Street Fighting Man,” and dive into songs that you might not know as well. They don’t always see eye-to-eye on which lesser-known tracks they prefer, but they agree that this album is a must-listen for any rock fan. Share your thoughts with them by reaching out on Twitter at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy.

Galen and Alex take a step back, looking into some of the Rolling Stones’ earliest songs, and the key early tracks that were released as singles instead of being on albums. These include some of the most iconic songs in rock history, such as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Paint It, Black.” This episode covers more than four years, yielding an incredibly diverse collection of music. Please share your thoughts on the Stones by reaching out to us on Twitter at @doctorgc and @akmccarthy.

Dust off those wizard hats and kaftans and fire up your mellotron, it’s time to get weird. Galen and Alex examine a truly singular entry in the Rolling Stones’ career with 1967’s “Their Satanic Majesties Request.” There are some good ideas and some solid songs on this album, but a chaotic recording process resulted in the uneven, odd final product. You can get in touch with Galen and Alex, who can proudly say they survived “Gomper,” at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy on Twitter.

Galen and Alex dive into another somewhat overlooked gem in the Rolling Stones’ catalogue with 1967’s “Between the Buttons.” The American version includes the bigger hits (“Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Ruby Tuesday”), but the boys discuss the UK version to get a look at some unheralded tracks. It’s another diverse journey, ranging from blues to baroque pop. Weigh in on our Rolling Stones series by tweeting at us at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones! In what may be the most daunting challenge that Cosmic America could call upon itself, we have decided to review nearly the entire discography of The Rolling Stones, starting with the UK Version of Aftermath and beyond. Yes, this seems crazy even to us, but at the same time it's a challenge worth facing.Aftermath stands as the first truly original outing by the Stones, with no cover versions and a lot of really interesting twists and turns throughout. The first new album by the "Big Three" of rock and roll to come out in 1966, Aftermath represents a sizeable leap forward in songcraft and production for the band, maintaining their rough blues aura while combining some fascinating touches of english folk, appalachia, and eastern musical ideas. Join us for this initial foray into one of the longest discographies in rock and roll. Welcome to Cosmic America! For information or to ask questions, tweet the show at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Cosmic America’s deep dive into The National ends with a bang. Though it doesn’t have the grandiosity that the next two albums have, “Alligator” is almost certainly the most energetic and accessible listen in band’s catalogue. Two unforgettable songs bookend the album, with so many highlights in between that you might have forgotten about a couple. Galen and Alex touch on them all, discussing what makes this album so unforgettable. They pour a drink in honor of the narrator in “All the Wine” and toast the nine-part series on The National during this final episode of the bunch. Follow them on Twitter at @DoctorGC and @akmccarthy and let them know which bands you want them to tackle later and what you thought about The National series.

Galen and Alex accompany The National on a huge leap between albums, discussing 2003’s “Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers.” One of the band’s principal members described this as an “experimental album,” and the Cosmic America team dives into which new sounds the band carries forward and which sounds the band leaves behind on this album. Though it didn’t receive the attention that the subsequent albums received, “Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers” is a highlight of the band’s catalogue and a must-listen for fans of The National.Welcome to Cosmic America! For information or to ask questions, tweet the show at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Cosmic America takes a trip all the way back to the indie rock scene of 2001 New York City, when a group of white-collar rockers who had never played a gig together released their self-titled debut, “The National.” Galen and Alex find early patterns emerge among the band, recognizing musical elements and lyrical themes that return in the band’s later output. They also reach a resounding agreement that The National’s early output does not qualify as alt-country, no matter what music critics at the time had to say.Welcome to Cosmic America! For information or to ask questions, tweet the show at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Our final chronological The National discussion (but not our final discussion of The National!) is about 2019’s “I Am Easy to Find,” which stands alone among the band’s other albums. Created in tandem with a short film of the same name, “I Am Easy to Find” features an enormous array of backup singers, including interludes from the Brooklyn Youth Choir. Galen and Alex navigate the 64-minute album and break down whether the guest vocalists detract from the band’s signature sound, how this album fits with the band’s sonic development, and where The National might go from here.Welcome to Cosmic America! For information or to ask questions, tweet the show at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

On this new episode of Cosmic America, we take a listen to Sleep Well Beast, the four-years-in-the-making follow-up to Trouble Will Find Me. There's a definite evolution of sound here from earlier in the decade, including guitar solos(!) and a more antiseptic, distant mix. How do these sonic shifts affect the songs? Galen and Alex go track-by-track through the whole album, as we continue our evaluation of the entire catalogue of The National.

Cosmic America continues on with the latest installment of The National. On this episode, we step back to 2013 for Trouble Will Find Me. This album finds the band trying to balance rhythm with atmosphere, with sometimes amazing results. How does this album hold up seven years later? Can it hope to compete with the giant artistic accomplishments of the previous three records? We discuss the album track-by-track and some to some split-decision conclusions. Katie Metz joins us once again for this episode.

It's time for a new installment of Cosmic America, as Galen and Alex are joined once again by Katie. This time out, we tackle High Violet, the band's full album foray into the 2010s. We take you track by track throughout the album and talk about the words, music, and emotions held within. This was an important album for The National, a chance to further establish their reputation as both great songwriters and performers and build upon the success of Boxer from three years earlier. We discuss popular songs like Bloodbuzz Ohio and England, while also delving into some of the deeper cuts and B-sides.Welcome to Cosmic America! For information or to ask questions, tweet the show at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review!

Alex and Galen are back to talk about The National. The period between 2005 - 2011 was an incredibly fertile time for the band, as they shed their earlier skin and started writing and recording songs that had increasingly sophisticated musical and lyrical filters.In this episode we talk about the studio cuts from the Cherry Tree EP, the Boxer B-sides, and several other cuts from the era, including fan favorites such as "Santa Clara", "So Far Around The Bend", and "Blank Slate". Welcome to Cosmic America! For information or to ask questions, tweet the show at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review!

The drought is over! Galen and Alex are back talking music. For this return episode, Katie Metz joins us as leap into the middle of an active discography and do a full breakdown of Boxer, the seminal 2007 album by The National. A natural sonic and lyrical expansion from 2005's Alligator, Boxer made many "Best Of" album lists for the 2000s and still maintains a fascinating aura today. We talk about our favorite parts of the album and how it fits into the canon, going through the whole thing song-by-song.Welcome to Cosmic America! For information or to ask questions, tweet the show at @doctorgc or @akmccarthy. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We've reached the end of our Doors odyssey — we're not doing the non-Morrison albums that followed this one, and we're also not doing American Prayer for reasons that should be obvious if you listen to any of those titles. But that's okay, because this is a tremendous high point upon which to leave. LA Woman, released in 1971, represented a sort of full circle for the band, who returned to more spontaneous studio performances after the perfectionism of the previous three albums. The songs are even bluesier than those on Morrison Hotel, and the album contains two bona fide rock and role classics.If you enjoy these and other Cosmic America podcasts, be sure to subscribe to Cosmic America on iTunes or Stitcher, and consider reviewing the podcast on either of those sites. Tell your friends, and let us know what you think via social media — you can catch us at @doctorgc and @akmccarthy.

We've entered 1970, and The Doors are back in the critical spotlight with their penultimate album, Morrison Hotel. Both a critical and fan favorite, this album saw The Doors moving (mostly) away from the pop and psychedelic sounds that dominated their last couple of albums, in favor of a rawer blues-influenced rock and roll sound. We take you track-by-track through the album, from the rollicking opener "Roadhouse Blues" through the ending of "Maggie M'Gill".Cosmic America reviews artists and their records, and we do it by going album-by-album through their careers. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Back we are, tackling the fourth (and easily most controversial) album in The Doors' canon. The Soft Parade, released in mid-1969, represented a pretty big departure from the band, and…well, the critics didn't dig it. Like, at all. They hated the horns and strings on some of the songs, they hated the lyrics in places, and they seemed to have a significant amount of Morrison fatigue going on, after some of Jim's on-stage and in-press shenanigans over the previous couple of years. So the critics slagged the album and that was that. Or was it? Was this album really so problematic, or just a victim of bad timing and bitchy music journalism? We dive in and go song-by-song through the entire album.

On our 34th episode, we reach the midway point of The Doors discography, reviewing 1968's "Waiting For The Sun". Significantly different in character from the previous two albums, this piece of work is a bit less coherent, a bit more muddled, yet still shines through with several excellent tracks and an intriguing departure from the sound they'd developed to this point. We also take a listen to the infamous studio version of "Celebration Of The Lizard", the whole-side would-be epic that garnered so little traction among the producer and band members not named Jim that they decided to shelve almost the entire thing.Cosmic America reviews artists and their records, and we do it by going album-by-album through their careers. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Back for round 2 of The Doors' discography, Galen and Alex tackle their sophomore effort, Strange Days. An interesting mix of late 60s psychedelia, guitar/organ pop sensibility, and another grand epic of a song, this album unfortunately has gotten a bit lost in the historical shuffle. But not here! We walk you through each track song-by-song, and also take some listener questions via Twitter and Facebook.Be sure to subscribe to Cosmic America on iTunes or Stitcher, and consider reviewing the podcast on either of those sites. Tell your friends, and let us know what you think via social media — you can catch us at @doctorgc and @akmccarthy.