This Is Not Happening - An Album Of The Month Podcast

Welcome to Episode 59 of This is Not Happening (TINH), an Album of the Month (AOTM) Podcast. We're missing a team-member this month as Davide is on an Anglo-French diplomatic mission.  In Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play 'Spin it or Bin it'.  We pick a theme and each pick a song that represents that theme. We judge the selections by asking the question 'Spin It or Bin It'? In Part 1, Nolan is in the seat. He brings Little Sim'z new album, Lotus. This was a reluctant choice when he made it. He thought it was an interesting album but he was far from loving it. Has that changed in a month? In Part 2, we celebrate New Music. What are our favourite new tracks from the last couple of months?                             ----- Part 1 | Little Simz | 'Lotus' ----- This is the 2nd Little Simz album we're reviewed as our little Album of the Month collective. Last time round was here debut album Grey Area which would all pretty much loved. I think our experience of her work since then has varied significantly. This album has been launched in a quite dramatic and controversial environment following the collapse of Simz' relationship with former collaborator Inflo. What does Simz sound like without Inflo? Let's find out. Listen to the album, listen to the pod, tell us what you think. Here are some links that we mention on the pod or think could be useful to explore; * Listen to the album ... HERE. [https://open.spotify.com/album/0ofdTvYtx4LpsVjemJt71X?si=B0g1RhrRRBeuibSDjC5kqw] * We mention the great Louis Theroux podcast interview ... HERE. [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LX92FfEkRg5plMU7sf75I?si=v_hrneLvS961YsDdsJX7eg] * Watch the video for 'Young' ... HERE. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s07gWh37Xcc] * Buy some stuff ... HERE.  [https://ukstore.littlesimz.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorqUg6k2kEtZwR087dij5GDg-AR2bqKZGPC3q_PLqcgG2zg-ZnE]                            ----- Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | 'New Music' ----- The theme this month is New Music. Simple. What new tunes are we loving? There's LOADS of amazing music out but we also need to pick something that we think the rest of us will vote 'spin it' to. * Joey chose 'Feisty' [https://open.spotify.com/track/7Laa4tXNvO1QC63Qac53Gp?si=459a794b6e4a4933] by Smerz. * Nolan chose 'Next to You' [https://open.spotify.com/track/12wvLk3fOmOonVmH0TtQ8L?si=48ea7cbcc87f4551]by Erykah Badu and The Alchemist. * David chose 'Tricky' [https://open.spotify.com/track/2iqidVD8picsYtyqzvdl8A?si=692c428c43ee4e82] by New Windows. * Guy chose 'Lowly' [https://open.spotify.com/track/6A52lb32k3kos199mxEW5Q?si=fb52ec5f146a4193]by Young Fathers We all chose 4 tracks as a shortlist which we combine into a belter of a 16 track playlist, listen to that bad boy HERE. [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4KtTJN1B5rUZDkVJZTkH0I?si=881b7874848c44c8] We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/

This month's podcast could be re-titled 'How to Disagree Nicely.  Welcome to Episode 58 of This is Not Happening (TINH), an Album of the Month (AOTM) Podcast.  In Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play 'Spin it or Bin it'.  We pick a theme and each pick a song that represents that theme. We judge the selections by asking the question 'Spin It or Bin It'? In Part 1, Guy is in the seat. He brings Lucy Dacus' new album, Forever is a Feeling for us to consider and discuss. In Part 2, we celebrate the summer, it was hear, it has already gone. Nolan's specialist subject, the Summer Night track is our theme for Spin It or Bin It.                             ----- Part 1 | Lucy Dacus | 'Forever is a Feeling' ----- We have varying levels of experience and history with Lucy Dacus but Guy has fallen for this album in a big way. It's Lucy's 4th solo album and sits alongside her work as part of Boygenius. The album is a really easy listen, it can sit with you on repeat for a significant chunk of time. The question that we explore is, can penetrate beyond a nice listen ... opinions vary but at least one of us has this in their album of the year list at this point in the year. Listen to the album, listen to the pod, tell us what you think. Here are some links that we mention on the pod or think could be useful to explore; * Listen to the album ... HERE. [https://open.spotify.com/album/2PedUC4azy5ywqWp8gVVrs?si=ZH79aC-oTjywyT5hMD6G7g] * Listen to the the 'A Deeper Listen interview / podcast ... HERE. [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WpQ8S99BYxxrDjKFhfo29?si=q7E6lcYZQ-GjGUn4-Qpj0Q] * Watch some videos (particularly the live performances) ... HERE. [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC30azBKZICH0yBDZhOtyDlg] * Buy some stuff ... HERE. [https://www.lucydac.us/#/]                                 ----- Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | 'Summer Nights' ----- The theme this month is 'Summer Nights'. Which tracks give us big summer night vibes. Ever since I've known Nolan he has always immediately given songs a season, I've never known anyone think as 'seasonally' about music. So no pressure but we play Spin It or Bin it with his specialist subject! * David chose ' [https://open.spotify.com/track/5OLMwH0OXQigJThzKIjOAG?si=265cf3466c0f482c]Tropical Gangsters' [https://open.spotify.com/track/2n1NoPk5IJdfF5V4YeNwzg?si=6809c3087ee14b54]by Kid Creole & the Coconuts. * Nolan chose 'Thinking About You' [https://open.spotify.com/track/7bCIf1ElL8TxqMZWo1uDr8?si=e827df7f1e904259]by Saraga. * Joey chose ' [https://open.spotify.com/track/2P6QV6D4E3TxcYoYYz8ANJ?si=1ec8e76344ce43c7]Tomas' [https://open.spotify.com/track/0DYtqHz0Rav6PyIWbS1gFa?si=353604befaf647c0]  by Girl Ultra, Empress Of and  Chromeo. * Guy chose ' [https://open.spotify.com/track/2ILilOGEh31uHITYFazrLM?si=073aab3c61cc4047]Fly Life Xtra' [https://open.spotify.com/track/1Udv3FO6un09qd9Tn9VCat?si=6e0fde9a27bf495a]by Basement Jaxx. Here is a link [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2hCxmgwKxauuqSWIUeocKQ]to our 16 track playlist of religion-inspired tracks - with the first 4 tracks being our picks for this month.  (and just for a laugh, here's the video of DC10 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD0LFAHMt0k]we talked about We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/

This month we struggle with very conscious bias when we discuss how much we love Perfume Genius' new album Glory. Welcome to Episode 57 of This is Not Happening (TINH), an Album of the Month (AOTM) Podcast.  In Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play 'Spin it or Bin it'.  We pick a theme and each pick a song that represents that theme. We judge the selections by asking the question 'Spin It or Bin It'? In Part 1, Joey is in the seat and basically bangs on about how much he loves Perfume Genius. In Part 2, we celebrate contemporary queer music and play Spin It or Bin It with the theme. Joey's track is unfairly and poorly treated ... as is David's but two other bangers make up for it.                                      ----- Part 1 | Perfume Genius | 'Glory' ----- I love Perfume Genius. Always have ... barring something horrific happening, I always will. I love him so much that I get nervous when a new album comes out. And this one is a belter. But is it for the fan-people or is there enough to attract and entertain newcomers? Listen to the album, listen to the pod, tell us what you think. * Listen to the album ... HERE. [https://open.spotify.com/album/2Y5e4etT3wCXoyllnQ0aAD?si=LewjeaVYRpOmebUziWsP-Q] * Listen to the Soda Jerker podcast that we mention ... HERE. [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ExGpRnSauTEZ3DlA433JG?si=e0979f7376b84eb4] * Watch the AMAZING Tiny Desk Performance ... HERE. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7x79AtDKEw] * Watch the No Front Teeth video we discuss ... HERE. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1sffNdzjPU] * Buy some stuff ... HERE.  [https://perfume-genius-us.myshopify.com/]                                         ----- Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | 'Contemporary Queer' ----- Music has always been massive to the Gay and Queer community and has always been an interesting area of crossover. Has it changed? What ever, we're here to celebrate. * David chose 'Cinderella' [https://open.spotify.com/track/5OLMwH0OXQigJThzKIjOAG?si=265cf3466c0f482c]by Model/Actriz. * Joey chose 'The Giver' [https://open.spotify.com/track/5xHgo5JN0wfsV41HnRaos5?si=d456b587fa934a59] by Chappell Roan. * Nolan chose 'Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix' [https://open.spotify.com/track/2P6QV6D4E3TxcYoYYz8ANJ?si=1ec8e76344ce43c7]by Hercules and Love Affair * Guy chose 'Tilted' [https://open.spotify.com/track/2ILilOGEh31uHITYFazrLM?si=073aab3c61cc4047] by Christine and the Queens. Here is a link [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gQ1qPUSeXdgcD55FvHys6?si=63501fec73a34110]to our 16 track playlist of religion-inspired tracks - with the first 4 tracks being our picks for this month. We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/

We dispense with the niceties this month and discuss an album where we have quite differing opinions. Welcome to Episode 56 of This is Not Happening (TINH), an Album of the Month (AOTM) Podcast.  In Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play 'Spin it or Bin it'.  We pick a theme and each pick a song that represents that theme. We judge the selections by asking the question 'Spin It or Bin It'? In Part 1, David, resident 'Pop Being', has the pleasure of presenting an album from one of his genuine musical obsessions. 'Saya' the latest release by Saya Gray. In Part 2, following the theme of 'Saya', break-up and heart-break, we play Spin It or Bin It with the simple theme of 'Heart Break' with no additional rules!                                      ----- Part 1 | Saya Gray | 'Saya' ----- To say David is a Saya Gray fan is something of an understatement. He has been championing the strange sounds of Saya for nearly 3 years. Nobody's really sure if this is her debut album or not but that's not important. It is an album and an artist that has divided opinion on the pod. 2 of us love this album, 1 of us doesn't, and 1 of us has had such a busy month at work that we have no idea what they think pre-recording. Regardless of how we feel about this album individually, we all think it's an album that deserves a listen. Listen to the album, listen to the pod, tell us what you think. * Listen to the album ... HERE. [https://open.spotify.com/album/4w5yIvQJ8vlxDnMyN8A8qE?si=JIqyvdrfS_CB6Bl6z3joGg] * Watch the World Cafe Podcast / Interview ... HERE. [https://youtu.be/ZDsIT_e5UFA?si=TTqGMttgtcI3icNn] * Watch the AMAZING Tiny Desk Performance ... HERE. [https://youtu.be/MQBuO2yWsFQ?si=h1Gwm-Xy8p2nUoXS] * Watch some 'Visualisers' (music videos!?!) ... HERE. [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL2V6B97-b5YHl9CM7ykx_3iSmAo-cI4Q&si=q6WMa1iSENVN1qbQ] * Buy some stuff ... HERE.  [https://store.dirtyhit.co.uk/saya-gray?lang=en_GB]                                         ----- Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | 'Heart-Break ----- Was music originally created to express heart-break? Probably not but it definitely feels like it when you start looking for your favourite tracks that embrace the subject. We've chosen a track each that may not be what you expect. * Guy chose 'A Little Respect' [https://youtu.be/x34icYC8zA0?si=c36ebbXt0-RgkQL0] by Erasure.  * David chose 'Already Dead' [https://youtu.be/8LNfNPoMH2M?si=OGXXnrYstDsDYXFV]by Beck.  * Joey chose 'It's Not Right, But It's Okay' [https://youtu.be/6J538b-OLRU?si=0ggm42jF5eBF-Np9] by Whitney Houston.  * Nolan chose 'Shiver' [https://youtu.be/1o84y-5-cO0?si=z06Fj5-ai9qP_tnM]by Lucy Rose.  Here is a link [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7qlZPBp6vSi9VHSOcmalBs?si=4ae3ada0dc3e4043]to our 16 track playlist of religion-inspired tracks - with the first 4 tracks being our picks for this month. We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/ We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/

The awesome albums keep coming early in 2025 and we'd love to introduce on to you today. Welcome to Episode 55 of This is Not Happening (TINH), an Album of the Month (AOTM) Podcast.  In Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play 'Spin it or Bin it'.  We pick a theme and each pick a song that represents that theme. We judge the selections by asking the question 'Spin It or Bin It'? In Part 1, Nolan, resident Hip Hop head stays true to form and brings a new album from a 47 year old artist! Brother Ali's 'Satisfied Soul'. In Part 2, following Brother Ali's exploration of peace, love, faith and religion, our Spin It or Bin It, our theme this month is 'Religion'.                                ----- Part 1 | Brother Ali | Satisfied Soul ----- Nolan has been trying to introduce Brother Ali to us for years but ... there's a lot of music and not a lot of time. Previous album releases have not lined up with podcasts but this time they did! Satisfied Soul is an album that is worth any music fan spending some time with. It is not a niche hip hop album for niche hip hop fans. It's soul music. It's pop music. It's Hip Hop. It's intelligent. It's massively thought provoking and massively accessible to anyone with an open mind and an open ear.  Get on it. Please. * Listen to the albumhere. [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7fE7jsbW8ftShgbH6tRVfG?si=9573071529c04e23] * This track is not from this album ... but too good not to share Cadillac [https://youtu.be/ihavRcQZeeM?si=01Kt7-ct8UIq-Dxh]. * Nolan's awesome 'Intro to Brother Ali' playlist can be found here. [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Q8K9LqfMWZfmVcPP3QXLr?si=8f912b425ffd4629] * Buy some stuff here. [https://www.brotherali.com/]                                            ----- Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | 'Religion' ----- Popular music and religion have been uncomfortable bedfellows since ... forever. We agreed to each select a track that 'tackles' the theme of religion in any way shape or form; * Joey chose Tennessee [https://open.spotify.com/track/1aaoIHFT9UqhlaEwLAhh00?si=53c8fa1002d94f26] by Arrested Development. * David chose Dear God [https://open.spotify.com/track/6nFdjV1Ko66O111x74K2kn?si=75f2464367ef4098] by XTC. * Guy chose Stand on the Word [https://open.spotify.com/track/6TOhXLevQUI4fjrxLL1nJE?si=4ec2dcd592fc4dd6] by The Joubert Singers. * Nolan chose Name of God [https://open.spotify.com/track/0nvsWayNp3WFQGta5Zcxyv?si=aa75ae123b7746af] by Mustafa. Here is a link [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/12ynuAY38gI59MA8MqbeLH?si=060127988cc14f84]to our 16 track playlist of religion-inspired tracks - with the first 4 tracks being our picks for this month. We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look - https://thisisnothappening.net/