Significant Signals

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Episodes

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Significant Signals

A trained music theory nerd and an amateur music history nerd talk at length about the composition of songs from the last however many years. Expect conversations about music genres, classic albums, band origins, meaningful lyrics, and style inspirations.

Episodes

7. Supertramp's Crime of the Century

What could it be, this Crime of the Century? Join Gus and Tony as they don striped shirts and burglar caps and attempt to capture the nation's morbid curiosity by discussing the album Crime of the Century by Supertramp. While apparently not an intentional concept album, the Sig-Sig Boys analyze it as such, in an attempt to understand Supertramp's comments on conformity, loneliness, and morality. The boys give particular attention to three of the album's staple songs: "School", a build-up of tens...

Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Transcript available on Metacast

6. Pink Floyd's The Wall

Tony and Gus do something no one has ever done before ever: discuss Pink Floyd's The Wall! The Significant Signals boys dive deep into the classic progressive rock opera after a close inspection of the film, and give thought as to what makes this album such an effective story told in a musical medium. The album tells the tale of Pink, a fatherless boy with a controlling mother who grows up and becomes a disillusioned and isolated rock star, trying to figure out where and why it all went wrong. T...

Apr 08, 2022•2 hr 33 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast

5. "Weird Al" Yankovic

In this very special episode, Significant Signals pulls out all the stops. Gus and Tony have hired professional musician Andres Luke and music historian Alex Schirling to discuss one of the biggest names in the industry over the last 50 years, "Weird Al" Yankovic. Be amazed as Alex and Andres take you on a mind bending journey through the dramatic origins of "Weird Al", being very specific about the roots of his comedic style, the intellectual mastery of his musical composition, and transitionin...

Feb 05, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast

4. Philip Glass and Einstein on the Beach

Tony and Gus spend a night at the opera! Join us as we discuss Philip Glass, the celebrated composer, and one of his greatest works, Einstein on the Beach. This opera represents the life of Albert Einstein by exposing the viewer to minimalist and repetitive instrumentation, impressive feats of vocal work, and elegant and purposeful dance. In particular, Tony and Gus discuss the opera through the lens of “Knee Play 3”, a track that exists at almost the exact middle of the opera, which Tony once p...

Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast

3. Vince Clarke

Vince Clarke is perhaps the most collaborative 80’s synthpop musician that ever was, having established numerous successful synthpop bands, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and Erasure. In this episode, Tony and Gus discuss their appreciation for Clarke’s ability to infuse synthetic songs with deep and visceral emotion. First up is “Ice Machine” by Depeche Mode, a b-side written by Clarke for Depeche Mode’s first single that captures dark and mysterious memories in a pop format. Next is “Softly Ov...

Nov 03, 2021•2 hr 1 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast

2. Daniel Miller and Mute Records

The executives greenlit another episode! This time, Gus and Tony talk about Daniel Miller, electronic music pioneer and producer who founded the independent label Mute Records, home to Depeche Mode, Erasure, and Nick Cave (among others). Specifically, Tony and Gus talk about the first three Mute Records singles: "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal, a minimalist industrial song that Tony describes as "the exact opposite of Careless Whisper"; "Back to Nature" by Fad Gadget, an overcast post-apocalypt...

Jul 06, 2021•2 hr 39 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast

1. The First Three Depeche Mode Albums

In this episode, one song from each of the first three Depeche Mode albums are examined. Tony and Symm start by discussing their inspirations for the podcast, and their individual relationships to music. The first song, “Photographic” from 1981’s Speak & Spell, is discussed as a reflection of Depeche Mode’s beginnings and the theme of dark vs. light. The second song, “Leave in Silence” from 1982’s A Broken Frame, sees Depeche Mode in a state of recovery and reflects the tension in the band throu...

Jun 04, 2021•2 hr 41 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast