On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, Blarf's "Cease and Desist". His only album to date, it is produced entirely of samples and noise. Clocking in at just under 28 minutes, the experience is over quickly. The existence of this album raises questions such as: "who or what is Blarf?", "why isn't it available on any major streaming service?" and "what did I just listen to?". To find out the answers ...
Jan 27, 2024•25 min•Season 2Ep. 22
On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe dive into the topic of picture discs. Bell brings George Ezra's "Wanted on Voyage" , Plouffe brings Hail Mary Mallon's "Bestiary" and Jamie brings Tool's " Lateralus". Once again, the albums could not be more different -- Bell's pick is a folksy bluesy record, Plouffe's pick is a rap album and Jamie's pick is a very long progressive metal record. What is a picture disc? Why don...
Jan 20, 2024•1 hr 47 min•Season 2Ep. 21
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, Smash Mouth's "Fush Yu Mang". Their debut album, it went to number 19 on the Billboard 200 and spawned two hit singles. One of these singles - "Wallkin' on the Sun" went to #1 in the US and Canada, and propelled sales of the album. To date, "Fush Yu Mang" has sold over two million copies in the US alone. But will the catchy blend of pop-punk and ska win over ska-skep...
Jan 14, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 20
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, Ray Charles' "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music". Released in 1962, it was an immediate success, bridging the big band and jazz sound that Ray Charles had pioneered during the previous decade, with hits from country music. The album is made up of twelve covers of songs previously made famous by artists such as the Everly Brothers and Hank Williams. Three songs from the album were rel...
Jan 07, 2024•50 min•Season 2Ep. 19
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, U2's "Songs of Innocence" . Released in 2014, it is their 13th album. It was released following the Apple Event to announce the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, with Apple making the album available to all iTunes users at no additional cost. Within a month, the album had been listened to by 81 million users and downloaded 26 million times. However, many artists were upset by the way the album was rel...
Dec 30, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Merry Christmas from the Vinyl Verdict crew! On today's episode, we review the Christmas album our company put out -- way back in 2015. How did this certified Christmas banger get a vinyl release? A fan had two pressings made up and one was given to previous guest Dan Besser. We borrowed this from Dan, who is apparently hard at work remastering the album as well. How does this album stack up against such Christmas greats like we covered last year? Come along and find out! And then come back ...
Dec 23, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 17
On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe get together to talk the artists they own the most albums by in their collections. Starting the episode off, Jamie brings the Beatles album "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" . Their eighth album, released in 1967, the band began work on this album shortly after retiring from touring in 1966. Many publications have cited this album as being a masterpiece in the Beatles catalogue, and Rolling Stone has named it both t...
Dec 17, 2023•1 hr 53 min•Season 2Ep. 16
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, Streetlight Manifesto's "Everything Goes Numb" . Released in 2003, it was their debut album. A ska album, the songs have the speed and tone of the Punk genre, combined with the large horn sounds of Ska. Critics have called this album one of the most important albums from the Third Wave of Ska, and reviews for it were largely positive. Led by lead singer, guitarist and the producer for this ...
Dec 10, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 15
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, The Kinks - "Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One". Released in 1970, this was their eighth album. A scathing critique of the British music industry, music contracts and royalties, the eventual success of the album led to the Kinks being able to negotiate a better contract and continue recording for many years. Buoyed by the hit singles Lola and Apeman, the album sold well and was ...
Dec 03, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 14
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, Father John Misty's "I Love You, Honeybear" . Father John Misty is the stage name of the musician Josh Tillman, previously of the band Fleet Foxes. This is his second album as Father John Misty, and it was released in 2015 to critical acclaim. Publications praised the lyrics, his warm delivery, and the instrumentation of the album. The album went on to make several year-end lists of the best a...
Nov 25, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 13
On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe get together to talk about their latest acquisitions. Bell brings Joji's "BALLADS 1", Plouffe brings Casiopea's "Super Flight" and Jamie brings The Flaming Lips' "Transmissions from the Satellite Heart". Once again, the album could not be more different! Which host had to fudge their latest acquisition? Which host was a good boy? Was there a clear winner from the haul? Come along and find ...
Nov 19, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Hey it's your buddy Jamie here with a minor content warning: this album is somewhat violent and sweary in its lyrical content, be forewarned. On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, Slipknot's " Slipknot". Their debut album, it was released in 1999 to critical and fan acclaim. In addition to positive reviews of the album, the single "Wait and Bleed" was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards....
Nov 12, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 11
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, R.E.M.'s "Green". Released in November 1988, this was R.E.M.'s sixth studio album, and also their major label debut. Prior to signing with Warner Bros. Records, the band was signed to the relatively small label, I.R.S. While some ardent fans of the previous five albums thought the band was selling out by signing to a major label, it led to a period of great success, musically and financia...
Nov 07, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 10
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, My Morning Jacket's "Evil Urges". Released in 2008, the album was the fifth studio recording from the band, and represented a shift in their sound. Jim James, the frontman for the band said that they were trying to achieve a sound more akin to what they sound like in concert. Reviews for this new album were mixed, with some reviewers noting that the change in sound would squander the goodwill ...
Oct 29, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 9
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe are joined by special guest Dan Besser. Like previous guests, Dan is both a friend and a coworker! Today, Dan brought with him Lorn's "Ask the Dust", the second album from the artist, released in 2012. If you've followed Dan's streams on Twitch (@BuhDan on there), you'll know that Dan likes songs with synths and sometimes dark lyrics -- two things "Ask the Dust" has. What will the boys ask of the dust? ...
Oct 22, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 8
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, Arctic Monkey's "AM". Their fifth studio album, it was released in September 2013, and the album was an immediate hit for the band. Six singles were release from the album, with most of them charting well in both UK, where the Arctic Monkeys are based, and internationally. "AM" has remained on the charts in countries such as Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands in the ten years ...
Oct 15, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 7
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Deja Vu" . Released in 1970, the album was one of the first albums released by a rock supergroup. David Crosby had previously been the guitarist in the band The Byrds, Stephen Stills and Neil Young had both been guitarists in the band Buffalo Springfield, and Graham Nash had been the lead singer of The Hollies. As a trio, CSN released their debut album in 196...
Oct 08, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Hey it's your buddy Jamie with a Content Warning: every song on this album has been flagged by Spotify/Apple Music as 'explicit'. The lyrics and song titles may be offensive to you. Maybe sit this one out if you listen with your kids. On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, Machine Girl's "U-Void Synthesizer". The fifth studio album from the duo of Matt Stephenson and Sean Kelly, it has been variously described as fittin...
Oct 01, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 5
On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell and Plouffe have teamed up to pick two albums from Jamie's collection! Bell's pick is the Electric Light Orchestra's " A New World Record", their sixth, and perhaps most successful album, released in 1976. This album spawned four hit singles - Do Ya, Livin' Thing, Telephone Line, and Rockaria! and went to number one here in Canada. A fun record incorporating elements of orchestral accompaniment, the 70s rock sound and opera...
Sep 23, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 4
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, Marcy Playground's Marcy Playground . Released in February 1997, the album went nowhere until the single, Sex and Candy was released as a radio single in September. The immediate success of the single led to the album being re-released in October 1997. As a single, Sex and Candy went to #1 on the Modern Rock chart for 15 weeks. In addition, it went to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, while over here in C...
Sep 16, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 3
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie’s next pick, Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Their sixth album, it marks the end of the period where Peter Gabriel was the lead singer. The album features a winding story of a boy named Rael, living in New York who experiences miraculous and bizarre events. Upon release, the reviews were mixed, but it was and remains popular among Genesis fans. Will the epic length of the album cause an irreparable rift in the pod...
Sep 09, 2023•49 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome back! We're happy to have you along for season 2! On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe, listen to Bell's next pick, Prozzak's Hot Show . Like Gorillaz, Prozzak is a virtual band, consisting of two characters - Simon and Milo. In reality, Prozzak consists of the Canadian duo Jay Levine and James Bryan McCollum, previously of the group The Philosopher Kings. Levine and McCollum started Prozzak after needing a way to hash out their differences musically, eve...
Sep 02, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 1
After a long summer, Vinyl Verdict will be returning from our break with season 2 on September 2nd! Our first two episodes will be Bell's pick Hot Show by Prozzak, and Jamie's pick The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis. Thank you so much for tuning in, we can't wait to talk soon! Also: Make sure to check out vinylverdict.com where we'll be updating it with our reviews from Season 1!...
Aug 27, 2023•43 sec
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, the boys look back on our first year as a podcast! Were the ratings too harsh on some records? Too fair on others? What did we do well, what are we going to work on for next season? Will Jamie continue rating albums out of absurd numbers? All of these things will be answered! While this is our year end podcast, we're coming back with more Vinyl Verdict in August. So come along with us to look at the year that was and then come back for the year that will be!...
Jul 08, 2023•48 min
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe, listen to Plouffe's next pick, Rage Against the Machine's The Battle of Los Angeles. Their third, and final album of original material, The Battle of Los Angeles was released in 1999 to critical and commercial success. Critics cited the lyrics and innovative guitar playing of Tom Morello as high points of the album. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 43rd Grammy Awards. On t...
Jul 01, 2023•43 min
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe, listen to Jamie's next pick, Billy Joel's The Stranger . Released in 1977, The Stranger was a Hail Mary from Billy Joel to save his recording contract with Columbia. After his inexplicable rise to fame with Piano Man in 1973, his subsequent releases were lukewarmly received by both critics and the general public. Searching for a solution, he turned to his touring band and veteran producer Phil Ramone to cut this album in little o...
Jun 26, 2023•34 min
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe, listen to Bell's next pick SZA's CTRL. Her debut studio album, it was released to widespread critical acclaim, with multiple reviewers citing its writing and SZA's singing as high points. In 2020, Rolling Stone pegged it as the number 472 of the 500 Greatest Albums of all Time. At the 2018 Grammy Awards, SZA received a nomination for Best New Artist and the album itself received four nominations. Like Begonia's Fear, which we have covere...
Jun 17, 2023•38 min
On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Plouffe and Jamie have teamed up to pick two albums from Bell's collection! Jamie picks Leon Bridges' Coming Home and Plouffe picks Muse's Black Holes and Revelations . The two albums could not be more different! Coming Home, released in 2015, is a soul album with a throwback sound that would not be out of place on the radio of the late 50s and early 60s. His retro style and smooth sound is reminiscent of Sam Cooke, who we previously covered ...
Jun 10, 2023•58 min
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe, listen to Plouffe's next pick, Skinshape's Arrogance is the Death of Men . His sixth album in five years, and second of 2020, Arrogance is the Death of Men is a quick trek through a jazzy psychedelic sound with a distinct v i b e. While relatively unknown, Skinshape is the stage name of Will Dorey, previously of the band Palace, where he played bass. On this album, he plays most of the instruments, but is joined occasionally by o...
Jun 04, 2023•33 min
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe, listen to Jamie's next pick, Death From Above 1979's - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine. Released in 2004, the album was recorded by the Canadian duo of Jesse F. Keeler on bass and Sebastien Grainger on drums and vocals. Genre-wise, this album was described as 'dance-punk', a genre combining the sound of post-punk, with a beat you could dance to if you wanted to. Despite being relatively unknown outside of Canada, De...
May 28, 2023•37 min
