Led by the Australian singer-songwriting and guitarist duo of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, The Go-Betweens became one of the great, and one of the most underrated bands from the 1980's. Founded in 1977 by Forster and McLennan in Brisbane, Queensland, this indie rock, jangle pop, and alternative band would create six studio albums during the 80's culminating with the classic, 16 Lovers Lane.

This episode will discuss the early years of the band from the debut single, "Lee Remick", through 16 Lovers Lane of 1988.

In 1989, when Trent Reznor created the groundbreaking Nine Inch Nails album, Pretty Hate Machine, it changed the course of alternative music. The music blended industrial, rock, dance and pop synths, keyboards, and programmed drums, along with emotional lyrics, to create music that would influence artists and genres.

This episode discusses the early years of Trent Reznor, the beginning of Nine Inch Nails, and the revolutionary debut album, Pretty Hate Machine.

The band Pink Turns Blue rose from the early years of the German gothic music scene in Berlin, during the Cold War period, to become a pioneer of the dark wave genre.

Their debut album from 1987, If Two World Kiss, is considered a dark wave classic. Pink Turns Blue built on this developing sound for their second album a year later, Meta.

This episode tells the story of the band including formation in the 1980's, the music of the band, and the genre influential two albums of 1987 and 1988.
(Episode was recorded prior to the new album, Black Swan)

The Boston band Pixies would become one of the most influential indie and alternative bands contributing to the growth of the 90’s alternative rock scene.

Their music was known for an extreme contrasting volume dynamic of quiet verses and loud choruses, creating a "loud-quiet-loud" song structure. Many bands would follow and adopt this style, in particular those within the grunge movement.

The unique sound of the Pixies blends various genres and styles, and is best represented on their first two classic and influential albums, Surfer Rosa (1988) and Doolittle (1989).

This episode discusses the forming of the band in 1986, the music of their early mini-LP, and the music of the first two studio albums.

Formed in 1979 by Billy MacKenzie and Alan Rankine, the Scottish post-punk band The Associates attained commercial and critical success by 1982 with the synth-pop and new-pop album, Sulk. Despite the accomplishments, various issues led to Rankine leaving the band while MacKenzie continued The Associates, but without achieving the same level of success.

This episode discusses the early years of the group and their music prior to the departure of Rankine in 1982.

Members of Pylon join us on the episode to discuss the legacy of this Athens, Georgia band that formed in 1979 creating a unique danceable, post-punk, indie rock sound. During their initial run, they would release two studio albums in the early 80's before disbanding in 1983. They would reform as Pylon a couple of times over the years, but today the legacy continues with the band Pylon Reenactment Society (PRS) that formed in 2014.

Joining us for this episode are Vanessa Briscoe Hay (lead singer of Pylon and PRS), Pylon’s bassist Michael Lachowski, and PRS guitarist Jason NeSmith.

Originating from Newport, Rhode Island, Throwing Muses was led by step-sisters Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, who would release their debut album in 1986 on 4AD records. Throwing Muses would be one of the most original post-punk, college rock bands and their music be a precursor to 90's alt-rock.

This episode discusses the origins of the band along with their music through the 90's.

After forming in the mid-70's inspired by glam rock, the English band Japan would alter their sound by their third album to a more synth-pop, art-pop and electronic approach. Led by singer David Sylvian, Japan would begin to achieve commercial success the influential fifth album Tin Drum and the song "Ghosts", before disbanding soon after in 1982.

This episode discusses the early years of the group from formation through the album, Tin Drum, of 1981.