Jukebox Zeroes

R&B singer/songwriter Mariah Carey enjoyed a prolonged period of critical and commercial success throughout the 90s, during which she enjoyed multiple Billboard Hot 100 hits and sold millions upon millions of records. The 00s on the other hand were a brief stumbling point for the legendary performer; her involvement in the 2001 box office bomb Glitter and its subsequent soundtrack made her a polarizing and controversial figure, and coupled with the media's reaction to a public mental breakdown she had been going through, it nearly destroyed her career if not for 2005's mega-comeback The Emancipation of Mimi. Though she would recover her reputation, the failure of Glitter continued to be a yoke around her neck years later. On a new season of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick welcome Scott Kurland back to the podcast to talk about the soundtrack to Glitter, and Mariah Carey in general. Join them for some frank discussion about retrospective guilt, mental health awareness, reckoning with behaviors back during the 00s, and Mystikal's weird pride in soiling his under-drawers. #weresadnow Local Music Feature: Christina Jones - Free, Completely Free

On this very special(?) episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick with special return guest Aimee Hauthaway have opted to close out season 5 by listening to Sex And Violins by Rednex. You know, Rednex? The "Cotton Eye Joe" guys? Why are they doing this? Isn't that the question of the day. #AreWeNormalNow? #GoinTrunky #SeeYouNextSeason New England Music Feature: Christians & Lions - "Is To As Are To"

Christian Rock. A phenomenon in which the iconically American genre of music is used as a tool for evangelizing, preaching, or otherwise sharing christian religious beliefs. Though christianity had long opposed the "devil music" that was rock and roll, sometime around the late 1960s and early 1970s, former hippies who had turned to Christ discovered that they could use rock music as a means of spreading their gospel. Though many old guard christians considered it abhorrent, and conflicting to their values, christian rock gradually spread among the faithful, and even enjoyed a surge of mainstream commercial success in the 1990s via acts like Creed, Relient K, P.O.D., DC Talk, Jars of Clay, and many more. It's a phenomenon that many millennials and gen Z'ers grew up with, largely through the influence of religious parents or peers. Some embraced religion whole-heartedly through it, but for many among us...we still don't get it. With that level of ill-preparedness in mind, on this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick welcome Ashley Rogers and Shane Smith to the pod. Both return guests had grown up with christian rock as an everpresent force in their youth, and are glad to educate Lilz and Patrick in the ways of excessively earnest guys rocking out for Jeebus. Join them for a round-table discussion of random christian rock songs and artists, to exorcise some long dormant demons of their childhood, and make fun of Doug TenNapel. Seriously, fuck that guy. #werenormalnow Local Music Feature: The Revenants - "Why Is God A Goddamn Jerk"

Fresh after the release of Pink Floyd's mega-selling concept record The Wall, Roger Waters had plans to release a companion piece record to accompany the film adaptation of the famed album. The project was to be titled Spare Bricks, and consist of songs written for The Wall that didn't make the final draft, but Waters abruptly switched directions with the arrival of the Falkland Islands conflict. Waters already was no fan of then prime minister Margaret Thatcher, but this latest development lit an even bigger anti-war fire in his belly, and he set to work on new, more political material. Pink Floyd had already been experiencing internal tensions since Waters assumed total creative control over the group, and those simmering tensions finally boiled over with the production of the record, now named The Final Cut. Upon its release, most critical outlets would offer up mixed to negative reviews, while the band's guitarist David Gilmour would state that the songs on the record weren't good enough for their own release. Not long after The Final Cut, Waters would exit the band amidst a ruinous lawsuit. On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick are joined by return guest Nate Nemitz to discuss The Final Cut, an album that would subsequently be the final Pink Floyd record to feature Roger Waters. Join them for a frank discussion on solo projects, the politics of the 1980s, and absolutely no comparisons to modern events whatsoever. #werenormalnow Local Music Feature: Matt Drohan - "Thirteen"

Meet Ronnie Radke. Formerly the lead singer of the legendary metalcore act Escape The Fate, his tenure in the group was cut short after assault charges landed him in prison, and expelled from the band. Undaunted, Radke would form his own project upon leaving jail, known as Falling In Reverse, which followed a similar metalcore style as Escape had, but the central creative process was entirely Radke's. Though he would go on to attract a sizeable audience of metalcore fans with his music, he would become infamous for some truly scummy behavior, having been accused of sexual assault multiple times, consistently getting into fights with fans and critics, and more recently becoming an outspoken denouncer of cancel culture. And wouldn't you know it? In all this time, a truly detestable record came out of it too. In 2013, coming off of the success of Falling In Reverse's 2011 debut The Drug In Me Is You, Radke followed things up with Fashionably Late, a record that he declared to be the best music he'd ever written, with a heavy focus on uplifting and inspirational material. What critics and fans saw it as however, was an uncoordinated mess filled with questionable genre fusion, un-dynamic production, lyrics too misogynistic even for a stereotypically misogynistic genre as metalcore, and a disgusting amount of Radke's own inflated sense of ego. On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, we're joined by Jacob Russell of the Let's Play crew TheStrawhatNO!, for a frank and distressing listen to Fashionably Late. In which some metalcore demons of indiscretion are exorcised, closet skeletons are unearthed, and Lilz and Patrick wonder if they've somehow stumbled onto an album worse than the Steven Seagal one. #MowTheSausages Local Music Feature - Lockette - "The Mess"

In 2001 several revolutionary albums stood nominated for Album Of The Year at that year's Grammy Awards. Important records by Radiohead (Kid A), Eminem (The Marshall Mathers LP), and Beck (Midnite Vultures), all of which would go on to great acclaim and influence to new generations of musicians who discovered them. The conventional wisdom was that one of these three albums would take home the grand prize of the evening, but events played out very differently, and would contribute to increasingly disdainful public opinion towards the award. The Grammies already had a long and storied history of nominating "wrong" artists and albums for "Best Of The Year" awards that would earn widespread criticism among fans and critics. It happened when Jethro Tull took "Best Hard Rock/Metal Recording" by Metallica, it happened when Eric Clapton took "Best Rock Song" from Nirvana, and it happened once again when cerebral jazz-rockers and boomer institution Steely Dan took "Album Of The Year" with their 8th studio recording "Two Against Nature". On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, songwriter and synth-wizard Steve Borek of Telelectrix joins Lilz and Patrick to discuss the controversy and listen to the yacht rock staple's 2000 record. Join us for frank discussions on timelessness, old guard thinking, and be thoroughly skeeved out by the various songs about underage girls. #wearenormalnow Local Music Feature: The Heartsleeves - "Simple Machine"

Before famed musician Steven Seagal committed his musical genius upon the world, you may be surprised to learn that he also was an actor in action films like Under Siege, Hard To Kill, Above The Law, and On Deadly Ground. You may also learn that he was formerly a Navy SEAL, a CIA agent, and an Aikido master. (You will likely know this because he's made mention of it any and all chances he gets.) It's shocking, but all true! Before the subject of reality TV show Steven Seagal: Lawman decided he had blues he needed to let free, he had a long and storied career in direct-to-home-video show business, but thank goodness he settled into music. Otherwise we might have been denied his opus, 2005's Songs From The Crystal Cave. A mish-mash of middling white guy blues, confusing spiritual themes, and some of the clumsiest takes on world fusion you may ever hear in your life. On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Pat are joined by Mario Boiardi of Horsehands and The Band Dennis for a deep dive into the dojo, and a tortured listening of Songs From The Crystal Cave in its entirety. #WeAreNormalNow #LookIntoMyEyes

The 1995 motion picture Batman Forever marked the 3rd entry in the first cinematic universe of the titular DC Comics superhero. While previous entries had been directed by Tim Burton, Forever found Burton in a producing role instead, with directorial duties falling to Joel Schumacher. In contrast to the dark and macabre direction Burton took the film series, Schumacher found inspiration in the camp 1960s Batman TV show, to mixed critical reviews, but major commercial success. The film would go down as a blemish on the Batman franchise among fans, who along with its ill-fated sequel Batman & Robin did not appreciate the more light-hearted takes on the caped crusader. Nowadays it's best remembered as a low point for the comic book franchise, but also for its unassuming soundtrack, which just so happened to contain two of the most enduring pop songs of the 1990s: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2, and "Kiss From A Rose" by Seal. For two songs iconic to the decade to be connected to an otherwise mediocre soundtrack for an objectively bad superhero movie is a novelty in and of itself. That's why we're digging into this OST anomaly on a new episode of Jukebox Zeroes. Joining Lilz and Pat is streamer and author Danesha Artis, as the trio are swallowed up into 90s oblivion, and a never-ending chasm filled with Nick Cave saying "Daddy-O" way too much. #WeAreNormalNow Local Music Feature: Collapser - "A Ghost & The Sea"

In 1967, The Beatles released their 8th studio album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, a record that has been considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Heavily influenced by The Beach Boys' record Pet Sounds a year earlier, Sgt. Pepper was renowned for its' innovative style of production, adept fusion of multiple styles of music, and has been credited with bridging the gap between contemporary pop/rock and high art. It has gone down as a highly influential album, and routinely reaches the top 10 of retrospective "Greatest Of All Time" lists by music magazines. Fast-forward to 1978; The Beatles had been broken up for a decade, and producer Robert Stigwood (Who had also produced Grease and Saturday Night Fever) decided that modern audiences needed to be re-introduced to the band. He went about this by teaming up with Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees to adapt an off-Broadway stage musical that utilized Beatles music for the silver screen. This film was titled Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, featured Frampton and the Bee Gees in starring roles, and cameos from the likes of George Burns, Alice Cooper, Steve Martin, and many more. And it was a complete and total clusterfuck. On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick (Joined by special guest Franco Micale) decide there's no way to fully understand the thoroughly awful insanity that is the 1978 soundtrack to the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film without watching the film itself. Join them for a bewildered and befuddled recap filled with soft-rock covers of Beatles songs, insipid settings, and acting ranging from wooden to intensely hammy. #WeAreNormalNow Local Music Feature: Forhill - "Luna"

Okay. Funny story. Originally we set out to give a fair critical and retrospective shake to Middle Of Nowhere, the 1997 full-length debut from Tulsa, Oklahoma act Hanson. The record most famous for the pop rock mega-hit "MMM Bop", it was a critical smash and a commercial powerhouse that sold over 10 million albums worldwide, but somehow never quite translated to artistic credibility down the line for the then teenaged band. On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick, along with previous guests and fan favorites Ashleigh and Maggie of Rock Candy, originally sought out to stand up for Hanson and their abilities to write their own music, perform their own instruments, and take in influences well beyond their years. That was the original plan. Then we discovered some truly heinous controversial shit. So instead enjoy this episode of random nonsense rooted around the slim pretense of listening to Middle Of Nowhere and critiquing it. Frasier have mercy on us all. #WeAreNormalNow Local Music Feature: Eli & The Mammoth - "Such A Great Fool"

In keeping with annual tradition Lilz and Patrick are proud to present their yearly Christmas Music Roundup (In January) with a specific focus on the boring disappointments wrought against music by white people via bland, tasteless holiday ditties. PWESEEEEENTS KWISMAAAAAS UNCAH DANNOHHH

Singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette is indelibly linked to the 1990s. Her commercial breakthrough Jagged Little Pill remains a vital piece of pop culture from the decade, in addition to selling millions of copies worldwide, earning widespread critical acclaim, and heralding a wave of successful female pop-rockers. The likes of P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, Shakira, and many others have cited Morissette and Jagged Little Pill as major influences on their development as artists. If not for Jagged Little Pill, Morissette's own career might have gone in a different direction entirely. Prior to her embrace of post-grunge and alt-rock sounds, she was poised to be Canada's newest teen pop sensation, in a similar vein to the likes of Debbie Gibson or Tiffany. Her eponymous debut record Alanis even resulted in minor commercial success, but is nowadays considered an oddity in her catalogue. Equally beloved and reviled by certain of her fanbase, and best left for dead according to Morissette herself. On a new episode of Jukebox Zeroes Lilz and Pat welcome the return of Phil Fleming to the program, for a dive into the teenybopper-minded Alanis. Join them for a journey filled with confusing production choices, Canadian flavour, and new jack swing for white people. #WeAreNormalNow Local Music Feature: Poor Eliza - "Good Doctor"

Todd Rundgren has a long and storied history of musical innovation throughout his storied career. In addition to producing a slew of famed records from Meat Loaf, XTC, and The New York Dolls among others, Rundgren is responsible for pioneering the notion of the one-man band via his music, producing and performing every facet of his projects. This has extended to his embrace of new technology, having created several of the first interactive records to have ever existed. In spite of their revolutionary technology, these records were not always well-received. Two in particular from the 1990s, though featuring innovative CD-ROM features to be played on a Windows PC, were largely lambasted by critics as having strayed too far away from Rundgren's signature sound. These records; 1993's No World Order, and 1995's The Individualist are routinely ranked by fans and critics at the bottom of Rundgren's extended discography, and would be his final studio release until 2004. On a new episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick are joined by Lilz' own brother Glenn Martin to give a listen to The Individualist, a record the siblings Martin have a strange familiarity and history with. Join them for all manner of discussion regarding Rundgren's over-abundance of ideas, and unfortunate rap sections. #WeAreNormalNow #ShutUp! Local Music Feature: John Powhida International Airport - "Vaguely Like Rock & Roll"

For the first decade of their career, Judas Priest was best known as a prototypical innovator of the then fledgling genre of heavy metal, heralded as pioneers by those in the scene, but largely unknown to wider audiences. That all changed by the 1980s, when the band shot to major commercial success on the backs of songs like "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law", and "Living After Midnight." Over time the band would go down in metal history as one of the all-time greatest, with a legacy of millions of records sold. This legacy was not always secure however; after the comparatively lesser success of their 1984 record Defenders Of The Faith, the band decided they needed to lean in a more commercial direction. Taking cues from the popular if widely mocked glam metal movement of the era, Judas Priest traded their humble New Wave of British Metal sound in for one decked out with synths, drum machines, and more simplistic songs about partying and romance. This record was 1986's Turbo, which while not a commercial flop disappeared from the charts as quickly as it arrived, while leaving a sour taste in the mouths of their fanbase. On a new episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick are joined by Ryan Davison of Froggy & The Friendship (The composer of our theme music!) and Judas Priest mega-fan. Join the three of them as they dig into Turbo and decide for themselves whether it was deserving of the scorn it received from 80s metalheads. #WeAreNormalNow #RobHalfordTheCrow Local Music Feature: Froggy & The Friendship - "Fake It"

Before conquering the world of disco music in the 1970s, The Bee Gees were better known for their blend of soft rock/easy listening throughout the UK. In their formative years in the 1960s the group maintained a comfortable grip on the UK Singles chart, with high-ranking singles like "I've Gotta Get A Message To You", "To Love Somebody", and "I Started A Joke." This commercial dominance very nearly came crashing down in 1969, with the release of their sixth studio record; the double album Odessa. Almost certainly inspired by the success of records like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pet Sounds, Odessa leaned heavily into realms of baroque, progressive rock, chamber music, and orchestral pop, all the while jumping across other genres with reckless abandon. At the time of its release it was a commercial flop and made critics shrug their shoulders, while the production led to some of the Gibb brothers' most furious arguments, which even led to the temporary absence of lead vocalist Robin Gibb. Nowadays Odessa is considered an unheralded work of genius, but we'll be the judge of that. On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Patrick welcome the arrival of Season 5 with the return of Tyler Kent as their special guest. Join them through a whimsical journey through Odessa, to determine whether or not it was a misunderstood classic, or a bloated mess of pretentiousness and clashing egos. #WeAreNormalNow #DudeWheresMyBoat Local Music Feature: Squirrel Flower - "Roadkill"

As with most acts who experienced their greatest triumphs in the 1960s and 1970s, the Beach Boys stumbled embarrassingly and ungracefully into the 1980s and beyond. The lushly orchestrated and deeply emotional chamber pop of Brian Wilson was long in the rear view mirror, as the group's former lead songwriter and arranger found himself detached further and further from the rest of the Beach Boys, undergoing infamous and controversial psychological therapy. Away from Wilson's leadership, band vocalist and frequent song co-writer Mike Love would steer the group further towards singularly commercial ventures. To this day the Beach Boys exist as little more than an oldies nostalgia act, but for a brief moment in the 1980s the band would experience cultural relevancy again, by way of their #1 single "Kokomo", which was written for the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise romantic comedy Cocktail. Its success would lead to its inclusion on Still Cruisin', an album released in 1989 that presented itself as a new studio release, but was made up primarily of songs previously released on film soundtracks, including tracks that had been recorded as far back as the 1960s. Though Still Cruisin' was a modest commercial success on the back of "Kokomo", critics were unimpressed with the conceit and even less so with the meager new songs written for it, and saw through its facade as little more than a naked cash-in. But what do WE think about it? That's what we're going to find out on this episode of Jukebox Zeroes. Join Lilz and Patrick as they cap off Season 4 with return guest Jon Sasor, and a listen to Still Cruisin', a hollow shell of a Beach Boys record that has Mike Love's commercially-focused stink all over it. Oh, and Patrick sorts out his vampire business. Or does he... Local Music Feature: Clamb - "Eggs in the Mainstream"

UK act The Prodigy made a name for themselves in the 1990s through their distinct style of electronic music, which introduced raucous punk rock energy to the subgenres of hardcore techno and rave music, and also introduce the world to the sound of big beat music. In spite of their success in the 90s however, the group stumbled entering the 00s, debuting an infamous single in 2002, "Baby's Got A Temper", which was roundly rejected by critics and fans. Sensing a need to switch directions, Prodigy brainchild Liam Howlett scrapped the forthcoming album that he'd originally planned to put "Baby's Got A Temper" on and started from scratch with an album produced alone and entirely in the Propellerheads Reason software program. This album was titled Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned and stunned fans upon its release in 2004, standing out as the first ever Prodigy record to contain no contributions from longtime vocalists Keith Flint or Maxim Reality. Critics continued to be unimpressed, citing Outnumbered as being uninspired and making no effort to build upon the group's already existing sound. Years after its release the album was quickly disavowed by Howlett himself, and fans to this day consider it a lower tier release in The Prodigy's catalog. On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes we're going to do some critique of our own, as we are rejoined by previous guest mynameisblueskye to reconsider Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned. Local Music Feature: Ava Vex - These Walls

During his 18-year career as a musician, Don Van Vliet, better known by the moniker of Captain Beefheart, never experienced major levels of commercial success. Despite the cult following that he commanded, and an eventual long and storied legacy of innovation and influence upon future art and progressive rock acts, he and his famed Magic Band backing group were always struggling to get by financially. Their records were critical marvels, but were slim on sales. As the 70s progressed, Beefheart made multiple attempts to allay this lack of commercial success by gradually tempering his signature sound back. This meant less abrasive, frenzied, and surreal arrangements and lyrics, and more relaxed tempos, standard rhythms and simple love songs. These attempts would not bring Beefheart the mainstream clout he desired, but would turn off his cult following, and alienate the Magic Band themselves. In 1974, a particular nadir was reached with the release of the record Unconditionally Guaranteed, which traded the experimentation of beloved albums like Trout Mask Replica and Safe As Milk for generic, un-challenging, over-simplified 70s blues rock. Critics shunned it, fans detested it, and the Magic Band would quit shortly after the album's release in a huff. Even Beefheart himself would disavow the record, encouraging fans to get a refund if they bought it. Will we feel the same way? That's what we aim to find out on a new Jukebox Zeroes, in which Lilz and Patrick welcome return guest Tim Howd of The Only Humans. Join them as they go track-by-track, trying to find the signature weirdness and scrappy charm missing from Unconditionally Guaranteed. Local Music Feature: Fiddlehead - Heart to Heart

As the 1990s came to a close, so too went the commercial viability of Britpop music. What was once a sales juggernaut in the UK and a well-regarded if obscure staple of alternative rock in the US gradually began to die out as musical tastes changed with the times. Blur, one of the biggest acts of this movement, took the opportunity to disappear for a little while, with lead singer Damon Albarn engaging in the highly successful collaboration Gorillaz, while the other members of the band explored other ventures. Blur would eventually regroup to record a new album; Think Tank, which would see release in 2003, and dove headlong into experimentation, distancing themselves from their classic Britpop sound, and delving in areas of hip-hop, worldbeat, dub, and electronic fusion. Think Tank would be a critical boon for Blur, who received high praise for the record, but their commercial fortunes suffered, and interpersonal tensions with recording and touring that occured within Blur's ranks would taint the record for Albarn and company, who broke up shortly after. To this day Think Tank has been dismissed by Albarn himself, and is regularly thought of as a lower-tier record in Blur's canon, but we're not so sure about that. On this episode of Jukebox Zeroes, Lilz and Pat welcome Kylie Wilson, the host of the ESC Pulse podcast, to the program. The three of them team up to attempt to find some solace in Think Tank's challenging listen. Local Music Feature: Arlen - "Rescue Me"

2020 saw the release of nu-metal C-listers Trapt's 8th studio record Shadow Work, amidst an intense atmosphere of intense internet mockery and scorn. As far back as 2017, the band's frontman Chris Taylor Brown had developed a vitriolic presence on Trapt's various social media outlets, attracting controversy by claiming institutional racism doesn't exist, joking about sexual assault, and outright bullying users unprovoked, among many other things. This persona was jacked up to ridiculous extremes during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and almost certainly influenced Shadow Work's lack of sales, which only amounted to around 600 copies in its first week of release. But is it at all possible that there's something more to Shadow Work, hiding just below the surface? Could there be some hidden treasure amidst all the controversy and furor? No. This album is absolutely putrid, and we refuse to pretend otherwise. Join Lilz & Patrick on a new Jukebox Zeroes, along with return guest Aimee Hauthaway, as they take every opportunity to tear Chris Taylor Brown's "legacy" to shreds, while pretending to impartially listen to the post-grunge garbage fire that is Shadow Work. Local Music Feature: Surfliner - "Pocono Bay"