Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves

To Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch, "The Killing Moon" from Ocean Rain is a work of fate, born from dreams, chance discoveries, and cosmic obsession. From his claim that the lyrics were “already …

"Ashes to Ashes" is one of David Bowie’s most iconic songs. It collapses myth, reinvents old characters, and confronts the shadows of his own past. In this episode, we trace the story behind the song…

"The Head on the Door" transformed The Cure from cult favorites into global icons, blending irresistible pop hooks with unsettling undercurrents of melancholy. This is the story of the band’s creativ…

Most people remember Blind Melon for a single song, but their 1995 album was raw and misunderstood. This is the story of Blind Melon's struggles with fame after the success of "No Rain", leading to t…

Radiohead debuted "True Love Waits" in Brussels in 1995 while on tour for The Bends. They tried to capture it in the studio for OK Computer, then again for Kid A and Amnesiac, failing at every turn. …

In 2001, the most unlikely rock album took the world by storm. It didn't feature seasoned musicians. It featured 200 elementary school kids in a school gym, performing rock and pop songs of the 1970s…

It's time to peel back the layers of The Smashing Pumpkins’ iconic 1995 masterpiece "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" to explore how the haunting artwork shaped the emotional world created wit…

"The Last of the Famous International Playboys" was a critique of the media's idolizing tendencies that, decades later, has consistently gotten worse. This episode unravels the depths of Morrissey's …

In 1973, at the height of glam rock chaos, Elton John pulled one of the strangest pranks in music history: storming a Stooges concert in a full gorilla suit and tackling a drug-addled Iggy Pop onstag…

What happens when a pop band turns a London council block into a concept album? In 2005, Saint Etienne released "Tales from Turnpike House," a quietly radical record that captured the rhythms, routin…

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah didn’t sidestep the music business. They bulldozed right past it. And in doing so, they changed how bands could break through. This is the story of the band that went viral b…

Today, we remember Brian Wilson, the soul of the Beach Boys and a true voice of a generation. His unforgettable melodies defined an era, spanned generations, and shaped the early days of pop music. I…

In the summer of 2000, Modest Mouse released The Moon & Antarctica, and today we take a deep dive into the stories, sounds, and strange mythology behind Modest Mouse’s major-label debut. From cosmic …

Before becoming a worldwide rock icon, Jack White almost became a priest. And nowhere is the parallels between rock and roll and religion more present than on The White Stripes' 2005 album "Get Behin…

Pain and tragedy were no stranger to Charles Bradley, who struggled throughout his life to find his footing yet never gave up on his dreams of being a musician. At age 62, he released his debut album…

This is the story of how Blonde Redhead created Evil Morty's theme song, and how Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons and "For The Damaged Coda" went from a cult classic to a cultural phenomenon thanks t…

With just two months to craft an album to support an upcoming tour, Hawkwind created "Warrior on the Edge of Time," and it very nearly broke them. Members left, including the infamous departure of Le…

After touring to support OK Computer, Radiohead was at a breaking point. Thom Yorke more so than the rest of the band. And as they approached the album that would follow, he fell into a slump. He cou…

By the time The Decemberists released "Picaresque" in 2005, frontman Colin Meloy had been honing his narrative, storytelling style of songwriting for more than half a decade. Despite having dabbled i…

Ever wonder why David Bowie’s eyes looked like they belonged to an alien? If you’ve ever wondered why Bowie’s gaze felt like it could pierce through dimensions, you’re about to find out why. This is …