You, Me and An Album

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Writer, podcaster, guitarist and voiceover artist Joey Held joins Al to introduce him to The Gaslight Anthem’s 2008 album The ’59 Sound. Joey talks about the experience that led him to become a fan of The Gaslight Album and of The ’59 Sound in particular. He explains what it is about The ’59 Sound that makes it one of his favorite albums, and he and Al explore the many musical references that are captured in the album’s lyrics and sounds. Joey also talks about his recent work, including what’s new for his band Burning Years and wh...

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Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and film director Ben Hozie of the Brooklyn-based indie rock band Bodega visits YMAAA to talk about Milk Dick’s 2014 album It Grows on You. Ben explains how he got acquainted with Milk Dick’s music and why It Grows on You has been his musical companion for more than a decade. He discusses how the band’s theatrical and sometimes serious side co-exists with the humor and silliness inherent to their musical style and band name. Ben also breaks down several of his favorite tracks from the album. He talks...

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Los Angeles-based Americana singer-songwriter Paula Fong joins Al to introduce him to Gillian Welch’s 1996 album Revival. Paula explores what made Revival instantly appealing to her, and she explains why it continues to be one of her favorite albums and an important influence on her own music. Paula also discusses her new album A Bird on the Wing and her collaboration with Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins on her cover of “Turn! Turn! Turn!”.

For information on Paula’s music, upcoming live dates and more, visit her website paulafon...

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For this episode, virtuoso drummer Cindy Blackman Santana chose her 2020 album Give the Drummer Some as the focus for this discussion, but she and Al branch out into a wide-ranging conversation about several of her albums. Cindy talks about why she decided to write and sing lyrics for Give the Drummer Some, and she highlights some of the album’s notable tracks. Cindy also discusses her 2010 Tony Williams tribute album Another Lifetime, her recently-released album Coherence and the upcoming self-titled release for the supergroup Power of 3 (with Orianthi and Rhonda Smith).

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Jorina Stamm of the Swiss indie pop band Soft Loft joins Al for this week’s album deep dive, and she chose Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Weekend (released on August 14) to discuss. Jorina explains why she wanted to talk about Lost Weekend and shares her early reactions to this highly-anticipated release. She also discusses how listening to Lost Weekend got her thinking more about concept albums. Jorina explains how Soft Loft unintentionally made a concept album with their recent release Throw the Dice, and she talks about the band’s upcoming tour dates and other p...

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Albuquerque-based Americana singer-songwriter Michael Rudd joins Al for a deep-dive analysis of Townes Van Zandt’s 1969 self-titled album. Michael explains why he admires Van Zandt’s songwriting, notes what makes this album a special one in Van Zandt’s discography and breaks down the album’s highlights. He also discusses how he became inspired to create a five-album cycle over the last few years and goes into detail on some of the tracks off his latest release, Midnight at Dawn.

You can find Michael’s music and keep up with hi...

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For his album deep dive, singer, songwriter, author and educator Wesley Stace chose Robert Wyatt’s 1974 album Rock Bottom. Wesley recounts the adolescent friendship that led to his discovery of Rock Bottom, and he explains why it has been one of his favorite albums in the ensuing decades. He delves into the non-sensical nature of Wyatt’s lyrics and why they carry deep meaning for him. Wesley also talks about his latest album One Last Heist, his recent movement towards jazzier music and his upcoming shows.

There’s a lot...

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Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, YouTuber, poet and satirist Bossi joins Al for a rare double album deep dive, as she talks about Bruce Springsteen’s 1980 release The River. Bossi discusses her Springsteen fandom, which dates back to her childhood, and she explains why The River has been one of her favorite albums for decades. She explores the prominent themes of The River and illustrates how many of those themes are present in her own work, particularly on her latest album Tell All the Other Girls. Bossi also talks about her Finishing School for Di...

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For this week’s album deep dive, Brazilian-born, Brooklyn-based musician, songwriter and video game designer Rafael Melo (who records and performs as Late Again) chose Arthur Verocai’s 1972 self-titled album. Rafael talks about how he first came across Verocai’s music and why he connected with this album instantly. He also delves into why he takes inspiration from Verocai’s music and career and how he came to collaborate with the Brazilian maestro on the song “People Pleasers.” Rafael discusses his soon-to-be-released EP I Dreamt I Was Awake (out September 4) and the upcoming debut Late A...

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This week’s guest is Portland-based singer, songwriter, author, podcaster, educator and visual artist Laura Veirs, and she chose the 2021 release Promises by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra for her album deep dive. Laura talks about her recent explorations of EDM and how that led her to listening to Floating Points and, ultimately, to Promises. She discusses the elements of Promises that make it an enthralling listening experience for her, as well as how the album has helped to her to reconnect to her own music. That reconnection resulted in...

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On this episode, Kelley Dugan and Mina Walker of Daisy the Great drop by YMAAA. For their chosen album deep dive, they selected Fiona Apple’s 2005 release Extraordinary Machine. Kelley and Mina talk about their respective musical journeys with the album, from how they individually discovered and got hooked on it to how they collectively take inspiration from Apple’s songwriting and performances. They also chat with Al about their own latest album, The Rubber Teeth Talk with Friends, and why they decided to remake the songs from their 2025 album The Rubber Teeth Talk...

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Texas-based singer-songwriter Candace Hastings takes us on this week’s album deep dive, as she introduces Al to Adam Carroll’s 2000 album Lookin’ Out the Screen Door. Candace talks about first getting to know Carroll when he was a student in her creative writing class at Tyler Junior College in east Texas, and what it was like to first hear Lookin’ Out the Screen Door. She also talks about what she appreciates most about Carroll’s songwriting and how he helped her to restart her own musical career. Candace also chats with Al about her...

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Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Johanna Samuels joins Al to introduce him to Sparklehorse’s 2001 album It’s a Wonderful Life. Johanna shares the unique circumstance under which she first learned about Sparklehorse, and she explains what makes It’s a Wonderful Life a magical album for her. She and Al also explore two of the music videos that accompanied the release of the album. Johanna talks about her soon-to-be-released fourth album Sorry, Kid (out August 14 on Odd Man Out Records) and the music videos she made for the album’s singles.

#johannasamuels #sorrykid...

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On this episode, Brooklyn-based classical guitarist and music educator Tomas Rodriguez introduces Al to Toumani Diabaté’s 1988 album Kaira. Tomas talks about discovering Kaira during a visit to a New York record store and how his eclectic musical upbringing primed him to develop a deep appreciation for this album of Malian kora music. Tomas explains why Kaira is a spiritual album and how it has helped him to stay centered during tumultuous moments. He also discusses how this album influences his own music, and in particular, his latest album Whispered Awakening.

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Georgia-based vocalist, songwriter, graphic designer and illustrator Anne Richmond Boston (The Swimming Pool Q’s, solo) visits YMAAA to introduce Al to The Glands’ self-titled album, released in 2000. Anne talks about getting to know The Glands’ late frontman Ross Shaprio in Athens, Georgia, before learning he was in a band and then discovering The Glands’ music. She explains what she loves about the band’s self-titled album and about the band in general, discussing the contributions of Shaprio as well as other members. Anne also talks about her 2025 solo album I Should Be Happy, whi...

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Drummer and percussionist Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Jon Spencer and the HITmakers, solo) visits YMAAA to introduce Al to the 1978 no wave compilation No New York. Bob talks about the music he listened to growing up in New Jersey and how he ultimately became immersed in the New York punk and no wave scenes. He details how No New York was an instrumental part of his exposure to no wave and how he eventually collaborated with some of the musicians from the scene, including Lydia Lunch. Bob also discusses his new...

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Bassist, songwriter, music producer and film dialogue editor Kira Roessler (Black Flag, dos, solo) introduces Al to Bright Eyes’ 2005 album Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. Kira talks about why this album has been one of her favorites for the last 10 years and explains why she admires Conor Oberst’s musicianship and songwriting in general. She delves into her favorite tracks on the album and explores why Oberst’s highly vulnerable performances are a central reason for why she revisits Digital Ash frequently. Kira also talks about her second and latest solo album Enigma...

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This episode was originally published on the YMAAA Patreon in October 2025.

Munich-based soul-pop artist Caro Kelley visits Bonus Tracks to talk about her 1000 Albums project, in which she listened to three albums a day for an entire year. Caro shares why she started the project, and she explains how she determines what rating to give an album. She and Al get into discussions about seven of the albums she has listened to for the project, ranging from the one-star Flood by They Might Be Giants to Frank Ocean’s Blonde, which sh...

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Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Peter Case (solo, The Plimsouls, The Nerves) returns to YMAAA to introduce Al to Fred Neil’s 1968 album Sessions. (Peter was previously on Ep 114 to discuss Bob Dylan’s self-titled debut album.) Peter talks about how he became fascinated with Neil and Sessions during his early teens, and he explains why Neil’s work has not received as much acclaim and appreciation as it deserves. He also discusses how Sessions is a concept album and why it’s not necessary to know about album’s cohesive theme in order to e...

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Grammy Award-winning producer, engineer, synthesizer programmer, studio owner, film producer and author Robert Margouleff stops by YMAAA to introduce Al to David Sanborn’s 1982 album As We Speak—an album that he produced. Robert talks about how he came to produce the saxophonist’s album and why the album had the novelty of two tracks with vocals by Michael Sembello. Robert and Al covered a wide range of topics, from how drum machines changed the nature of recorded music from the ‘80s forward to the demise of fade-outs to the drawbacks of noise-canceling headphon...

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Seattle-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Robert Deeble joins Al to get him acquainted with Florist’s 2022 self-titled album. Robert talks about how he got introduced to the album and why he connected with it almost immediately. He also discusses the parallels between the album and some of his own music. Al notes some connections between Florist and Robert’s latest album The Space Between Us, and Robert talks about inspirations and meanings of two of the album’s tracks, “Forest From the Tree” and “Not on Your Team.”

As Robert ment...

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Grace Bennett and Jade Alcantara of the Brooklyn-based band Sub*T introduce Al to Plumtree’s 1997 album Predicts the Future (or, as it is alternatively known, Plumtree Predicts the Future). Grace and Jade talk about why the album is an important one for both of them and the influence it has had on their own music. They also discuss favorite tracks from the album and the phenomenon that grew out of the song “Scott Pilgrim.” Grace and Jade talk about the evolution of their friendship and how that led to the formation of Sub*T...

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This episode was first published in February 2026 on the You, Me and An Album Bonus Tracks Patreon.

Joe Adragna (The Junior League) and Mary Beth Melchior join me for this episode to discuss the Monkees’ film Head, as well as its soundtrack, both released in 1968. We talk about our impressions of the movie, what we liked about the songs from the soundtrack and the ways in which the film and songs were and weren’t a departure for the group. We also discuss why the film, the soundtrack and the Monkees in g...

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Manchester-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Jesca Hoop joins Al to introduce him to Joni Mitchell’s 1972 album For the Roses. Jesca talks about how she first discovered For the Roses as well as the earlier albums in Mitchell’s catalog after having minimal exposure to popular artists during much of her childhood. She explains why she connects with this album and why it’s a notable part of Mitchell’s discography. Jesca also discusses her new album Long Wave Home and delves into her experience as the album’s sole producer.

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On this episode, The Builders and The Butchers frontman Ryan Sollee joins Al to introduce him to No Knife’s 1999 album Fire in the City of Automatons. Ryan shares why he chose to talk about this No Knife album for this episode, and he explains what is special to him about this band and this album. He delves into his favorite tracks from Fire in the City of Automatons and talks about the rare encounter he had with another No Knife “mega-fan.” Ryan also talks about the new Builders and The Butchers album, No Tom...

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L.A.-based singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer James Petralli of White Denim joins Al for this episode to introduce him to Stevie Wonder’s 1972 album Music of My Mind. James talks about the album’s “value system,” and why it appealed to him so much when he first started listening to the record. He also discusses the ways in which Music of My Mind was a departure from Wonder’s previous work and how it foreshadowed his run of critically- and commercially-successful albums in the ‘70s. James talks about White Denim’s new album 13 a...

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On this episode, singer/songwriter/guitarist/economist Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly, Swansea Sound, Catenary Wires, Talulah Gosh) introduces Al to Girls at Our Best’s 1981 album Pleasure. Amelia revisits her teenage fandom of Girls at Our Best!, and she explains why they were—and continue to be—one of her favorite bands. She also talks about how their songwriting style has influenced her approach to writing songs and how that is reflected in Heavenly’s work. Amelia discusses several of the songs on Heavenly’s new album, Highway to Heavenly, and talks about how the recent...

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Austin-based producer, engineer, singer-songwriter and educator Matt Smith joins Al for the second part of their conversation. (You can hear the first part, in which they discuss Robert Plant’s Mighty ReArranger, on the previous episode.) This time around, Matt talks about the features of music that he enjoys listening to, his approach as a music producer and what he aimed to achieve as a songwriter on his latest album …this is not okay…

Learn more about Matt and his work at https://www.mattsmithsworld.net/.

You ca...

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Austin-based producer, engineer, singer-songwriter and educator Matt Smith joins Al to talk about Robert Plant’s 2005 album, Mighty ReArranger. Matt discusses why he chose this album for his short list of albums to talk about, and Al explains why he picked Mighty ReArranger from the albums on Matt’s list. Matt talks about the elements that make this album a high point in Plant’s solo discography and the role that members of Portishead played in making the album.

Learn more about Matt and his work at https://www.ma...

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Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, TV and film composer, radio show host and podcaster Ben Vaughn drops by to introduce Al to Alex Chilton’s 1979 debut solo album Like Flies on Sherbert. Ben talks about the negative impression he got the first time he was exposed to Chilton, when he appeared on a local 1960s television show in Philadelphia, and how he eventually became a fan, friend and collaborator of Chilton’s. He explains why he thinks Like Flies on Sherbert is Chilton’s best album, digging into several of the album’s tracks and disc...

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Vermont-based singer, composer, guitarist, dancer and poet Hannah Frances joins Al to introduce him to Fiona Apple’s 2012 album The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (aka The Idler Wheel…). Hannah talks about her earliest experiences with listening to The Idler Wheel… and why the album made such an impression on her. She and Al delve into several of the album’s tracks, and they highlight what they enjoy about Apple’s lyrics, vocal delivery and instrumentation in general...

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On this episode, Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir introduces Al to the 2013 album Amok by the supergroup/Radiohead spinoff Atoms for Peace. Ásgeir talks about how he got acquainted with the album and why he and his bandmates had it on repeat during their 2013 tour. While Ásgeir highlights particular tracks that are his favorites, he explains how he experiences the album as a cohesive whole. Ásgeir also talks about his new album Julia, his upcoming Icelandic-language album and his tour plans.

Keep up with Ásgeir on Instagram at @asgeirmusic! You can a...

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On this episode, Nashville-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Olivia Barton introduces Al to Mount Eerie’s 2017 album A Crow Looked at Me. Olivia talks about why she chose this album to discuss, even though she hasn’t listened to it very often, and she explains why she considers this a life-changing album. She also highlights some of the most impactful lyrics and musical elements from the album. Olivia  discusses her latest album For Myself and For You, as well as the .m4a version of the album she released in January.

Corre...

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Musician, songwriter, producer, engineer and ethnomusicologist Alan Williams (solo, Birdsong at Morning, Knots and Crosses) joins Al to talk about Carla Bley and Paul Haines’ 1971 album Escalator over the Hill. Alan discusses why he decided to explore EOTH during his high school years, what his favorite parts of the album are, why it has stuck with him over the years and how much he actually likes the album. Alan explores the challenges the album presents to the genrefication of music and talks about several of the artists involved, including Linda Ronstadt, Jack Bruce an...

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Woodstock, NY-based composer and musician Will Epstein joins Al to introduce him to Lou Reed’s 1982 album The Blue Mask. Will talks about when he first got acquainted with the Velvet Underground and how he eventually started listening to Reed’s solo material and The Blue Mask specifically. He breaks down several of the album’s tracks, illustrating what impresses him about Reed as a songwriter and performer. Will also discusses his recently-released album Yeah, mostly and talks about his upcoming plans.

You can follow Will on Instagram at @wi...

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This is an excerpt from the first-ever Patreon-only episode of You, Me and An Album, aka Bonus Tracks. On the original version of this episode, Mary Beth and Al Melchior discuss four songs, two that Mary Beth experiences as sad and two that Al experiences as sad. Al's choices were “Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)" by James and “Murmurations” by Amy Millan. Mary Beth’s were “Remember My Name” by Sons of Legion and “Hallelujah” by k.d. lang (specifically, her performance of the song at the 2005 Juno Awards). This excerpted version features...

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Woodstock, NY-based singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist Storey Littleton joins Al to talk about Madi Diaz’s 2021 album History of a Feeling. Storey explains why she chose to discuss this album, even though she doesn’t always listen to it regularly, and she highlights certain tracks that are among her favorites. She also talks about how the album is a departure from the breakup albums that she used to listen to. Storey and Al chat about Storey’s soon-to-be-released debut album At a Diner (Feb. 6 on Don Giovanni Records), and Storey goes into detail...

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This is an excerpt from a Bonus Tracks episode published on the You, Me and An Album Patreon on Sept. 25, 2025. You can hear the entire episode, plus all of the other Bonus Tracks episodes, by joining the YMAAA Patreon at patreon.com/youmealbum.

Dulcimer player Sam Edelston joins Al to talk about listening to albums that are off the beaten path. Whether we're listening to genres we're unfamiliar with or music that we come across unexpectedly, finding the key that allows us to enjoy that music can be a challenge. Sam...

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On this episode, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Maia Sharp gets Al acquainted with Lord Huron’s 2018 album Vide Noir. (Maia was previously a guest on Ep 124, when she and Al talked about Historian by Lucy Dacus.) Maia explains why Vide Noir is on heavy rotation at her home and how this album—and Lord Huron’s music more generally—has informed her own songwriting. She also discusses the making of her latest album Tomboy, delving into some of the lyrical themes, arrangements and songwriting processes.

Learn more about Ma...

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For the final YMAAA episode of 2025, music photographer, podcaster, entrepreneur and record collector Scott Dudelson introduces Al to Dillard & Clark’s 1968 debut album The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark. Scott talks about how he first encountered the album, why it had special significance for him during an important time in his life and why it continues to be a favorite album of his. He also discusses how bluegrass legend Doug Dillard and rock icon Gene Clark became a duo and how Bernie Leadon came to be an important contributor to their work. Scott al...