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PODCAST

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music

Adam Scott Glasspool, Steve Murphy, Lucas Way

A podcast that dives deep into discographies - one artist per season. Hosts Adam, Steve, and Lucas go album by album, track by track, exploring how context shapes our experience of music, why fans become obsessed, and what music really is. With three hosts coming from wildly different levels of musical knowledge, expect sharp analysis, wild tangents, hot takes, and more information about the artists (and the hosts) than you ever asked for. Current focus: Björk. Previous seasons featured Manic Street

music music commentary

All Episodes

87:39

Arctic Monkeys Live at Liquid Room, Tokyo 2009...

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/09/08

The Big Mates provide wayward and explosionary audio commentary for Arctic Monkeys Live at Liquid Room, Tokyo 2009. Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss the 2009 concert and talk about the Humbug tour in general! Head to YouTube to watch along here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQqNc8u1vuE&t Or don't watch along - the episode works fine either way! Our next episode comes out Monday September 15th! Join the conversation on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.socia...

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79:59

Humbug (Pt. 3)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/09/01

The Big Mates discuss third albums, dinosaurs, jingles, and Humbug by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Arctic Monkeys and conclude their track-by-track analysis of their third album. They explore the composition, tone, lyrics, meaning, and context for each song in turn - all from three differing perspectives, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between! What do we think of...

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107:31

Humbug (Pt. 2)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/08/25

The Big Mates discuss engineering, confectionery, ego mechanics, and Humbug by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Arctic Monkeys and their track-by-track analysis of their third album. They explore the composition, tone, lyrics, meaning, and context for each song in turn - all from three differing perspectives, from being deeply into music and analysis, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between! What is "crying lig...

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94:35

Humbug (Pt. 1)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/08/18

The Big Mates discuss adventures, break ups, expectations, and Humbug by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Arctic Monkeys by diving into the band's divisive, murky, and spooky third album. They discuss the writing and recording of the album, explore the overall themes and sound, and (barely) begin their track-by-track analysis, exploring the composition, tone, lyrics, meaning, and context for each song in turn - all from three differing p...

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105:40

The Age of the Understatement

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/08/11

The Big Mates discuss Burt Bacharach, The Zombies, David Bowie, Scott Walker, Belle & Sebastian, Serge Gainsbourg, The Electric Prunes, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, John Barry, Ennio Morricone, Astrud Gilberto, Mel Torme, The Sonics, and The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Arctic Monkeys by briefly stepping outside of it in order to examine the debut album of a side project Ale...

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88:31

Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo Commentary

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/08/04

The Big Mates provide exciting and vital audio commentary for Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo. Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss the 2007 concert as released on DVD in 2008 and talk about the Favourite Worst Nightmare tour in general! Grab those official DVDs to watch along! Or don't watch along - the episode works fine either way! Our next episode comes out Monday August 11th and will see us explore The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets! Join the conversation on: Bluesky: ht...

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86:49

Favourite Worst Nightmare (Pt. 3)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/07/28

The Big Mates discuss CM Punk, Ennio Morricone, Tommy Lee Jones, and Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue and conclude their discussion of the band's second album, providing analysis and opinion as they finish up their track-by-track exploration. They discuss the final tracks of the album and then offer up their thoughts and feelings on the album as a whole, give it a score out of ten, and then explore the how the album was received when it came o...

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84:26

Favourite Worst Nightmare (Pt. 2)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/07/21

The Big Mates discuss Robot Wars, bingo, innuendo, and Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their discussion of the band's second album, going track-by-track to provide analysis and opinion. They talk about rhythmic expansion, holiday word games, pedal steel guitar, crazy parties, face coverings, tense relationships, and break ups as they explore the composition, tone, lyrics, meaning, and context for each song in turn - all from three differing p...

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86:39

Favourite Worst Nightmare (Pt. 1)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/07/14

The Big Mates discuss Avril Lavigne, Stewie Griffin, Duran Duran, and Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their dissection of the band's follow up to the hugely successful debut by talking about awards ceremonies, the mounting pressure they must have felt, and the attitude going into the creation of the record. They discuss the writing, rehearsal, and recording of the album, explore the overall themes and sound, and begin their track-by-track ...

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69:07

Arctic Monkeys Live at Reading Festival 2006 Commentary

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/07/07

The Big Mates provide insightful and tangential audio commentary for Arctic Monkeys live Reading Festival 2006. Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss the concert as broadcast on BBC television and radio, and then lovingly stitched together by YouTuber Alex Turner (not that one). They also discuss Reading Festival in general, the festival landscape at the time, and Lucas' attendance at this very show! Here is the video we watch, if you'd like to watch along: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O_A5...

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93:17

Who the F*ck Are Arctic Monkeys?

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/06/30

The Big Mates discuss The 1975, My Chemical Romance, Klaxons, and Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their deep-dive into the career of Arctic Monkeys by exploring what happened in the immediate aftermath of their hugrly successful debut album. They discuss the EP Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?, exploring each track in turn and offering analysis, opinion, and various tengential thoughts. They then turn their attention to the b...

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84:22

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Pt. 3)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/06/23

The Big Mates discuss Shane Meadows, Stephen Graham, Paddy Considine, and Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue and conclude their discussion of the band's debut album, providing analysis and opinion as they finish up their track-by-track exploration. They discuss the final tracks of the album and then offer up their thoughts and feelings on the album as a whole, give it a score out of ten, and then explore the enormous success ...

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102:39

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Pt. 2)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/06/16

The Big Mates discuss Peter Buck, train love, traditional policemen, and Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their discussion of the band's debut album, going track-by-track to provide analysis and opinion. They also find time to talk about the origins of the post-punk revival scene, the NME's influence on the music scene, and the meanness of 00s culture - all from three differing perspectives, from being deeply into music and...

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103:08

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Pt. 1)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/06/09

The Big Mates discuss concept albums, Chris Tarrant, the alt. rock pipeline, and Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their dissection of the band's debut album by looking at the writing and recording process, the people who helped them make it, and the musical landscape at the time. They also find time to talk about the band's 2005 tour, and their first appearance at Reading and Leeds Festival, before starting the track-by-track ...

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96:45

Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/06/02

The Big Mates discuss bouncers, poets, rappers, and Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys. Adam, Steve, and Lucas properly begin their deep-dive exploration of Arctic Monkeys by talking about the people that make up the band, the various musical influences they brought with them, the city they grew up in, and the formation of the band itself. They discuss the early days of the band, their gigs and demo recordings, their songs being shared on the internet, and the first official Arctic M...

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99:08

Season 7 Introduction: Do U Wanna Know?

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/05/26

Introducing Season 7 of the What Is Music? podcast, which is called "Do U Wanna Know?: A Critical Analysis of the History, Cultural Impact, and Music of Arctic Monkeys". Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their deep-dive exploration of Arctic Monkeys by talking about their experiences with the band's music, their journeys with them over time, and what they know about the band. They also talk about what they value in music and the roles it plays in their lives before exploring the people that make u...

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85:52

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (Pt. 2)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/05/19

The Big Mates discuss call signs, the attraction of screens, easter eggs, and HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish. Adam, Steve, and Lucas return to the subject of their third season and explore Eilish's third studio album, released in 2024. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the albums, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or c...

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190:19

The WIM Album Club: Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/05/16

For the first time on our main feed, we present to you The WIM Album Club, with an episode we released on our Patreon last December. The episode is a classic WIM deep-dive into the album What's Going On by Marvin Gaye and features all of the usual discussion, analysis, commentary, history, insight, and tangents you've come to expect from the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to our Patreon to hear more episodes on a range of different artists, in different genres, from differ...

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79:05

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (Pt. 1)

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/05/12

The Big Mates discuss Spirited Away, underwater photography, deer vocalisations, and HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish. Adam, Steve, and Lucas return to the subject of their third season and explore Eilish's third studio album, released in 2024. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the albums, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for a...

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93:31

Wall of Eyes / Cutouts

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ·

2025/05/05

The Big Mates discuss ticket buying, secret agents, time signatures, and two albums by The Smile. Adam, Steve, and Lucas return to the subject of their fourth season in order to catch up with the extra-curricular activities of members of Radiohead. As the band released two albums within a year, the Big Mates talk about Wall of Eyes and Cutouts all in one episode! They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the albums, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoug...

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358 results

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