Buried Treasures & Alex Ross

Buried Treasures

Many great albums are released each year, but only a handful get the attention they deserve. Jim and Greg share some of their Buried Treasures of 2016: the best albums that flew under the radar.

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Buried Treasures

Looking for new music that's out of the mainstream? Jim and Greg uncover some buried treasures: albums from 2016 that you need to hear!

Greg

  • William Bell, This is Where I Live
  • Eryn Allen Kane, Aviary: Act II
  • The Black Watch, Highs and Lows
  • Eszter Balint, Airless Midnight

Jim

  • Honey Blood, Babes Never Die
  • La Femme, Mystère
  • Sneaks, Gymnastics
  • Skylar Spence, Prom King

Listener Picks

  • Peter from Chicago: PJ, Rare
  • Mark from Columbus, Ohio: Pinegrove, Cardinal
  • Peter from Honolulu, Hawaii: Fictionist, Free Spirit

Alex Ross

Music as Violence

Jim and Greg spend most of their time on Sound Opinions talking about music they love. Music they connect with, music that tells a relatable story, music that stirs an emotional reaction. But Alex Ross from the New Yorker magazine came on the show to talk about a different reaction to music, music as a weapon. His recent article When Music is Violence explores the use of music to sinister ends. Alex talks with Jim and Greg about the history of music as a weapon, from the use by the Nazis, to attempts to overthrow Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega with Led Zeppelin, to how classical music keeps kids from loitering in 7-11 parking lots. Alex says that ultimately music is not a sacred space, and the "music we love the most...can be deployed in some horrifying way."

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