No Filler Music Podcast

No Filler is a music podcast dedicated to sharing the often overlooked hidden gems that fill the space between the singles on our favorite records. In each episode we’ll dive into a little history of the artist and the album of choice, with snippets from interviews & concerts, as well as music from the album itself. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.

Music Commentary
Music History
Music
151
Whatcha Heard? The Where Has Catherine Wheel Be...
If there is one takeaway from this month's Whatcha Heard, it is that Catherine Wheel is an amazingly under-appreciated shoegaze alt-rock band from the 90s and you should listen to them immediately. And we learned that in the wide world of vaporwave, of course there's a subgenre called "mallsoft", and it's actually pretty amazing. From doomgaze stone metal group Torche's triumphant 2019 return with Admission to the latest single from quintessential indie singer-songwriter Jim Guthrie, tune in for perhaps our finest mixes yet. Tracklist: Loscil - Lumina Jim Guthrie - Hands In My Pocket Lord Huron - Mine Forever Greet Death - Circles Of Hell Fiddlehead - Heart To Heart Maenad Veyl - Out Of Sight John Mint - Toll Free Connection John Mint - Chemicals Catherine Wheel - Texture Catherine Wheel - I Confess Goat Girl - Sad Cowboy TORCHE - Admission Tricot - いない INAI Paris Jackson - Let Down This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
78 min
152
The Hives: Harder, Faster, Louder
We chat about the one-and-only Hives and what made them such a force to be reckoned with in the garage rock landscape. With their origins as more of a straightforward punk group and their love for new wave acts like DEVO, they took the garage rock sound and merged it with those 2 elements to create something that was truly unmatched and became one of the greatest live acts of all time. Buckle up: this one's gonna come at you hard, fast, and loud! Tracklist: The Hives - Abra Cadaver The Hives - King of Asskissing DEVO - Girl U Want The Hives - Walk Idiot Walk The Hives - Diabolic Scheme The Hives - No Pun Intended The Hives - See Through Head The Hives - Die, All Right! This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
44 min
153
The Walkmen: Indie's Timeless, Elevated Garage ...
From album one, The Walkmen carved out a unique space in the garage rock landscape. They did so by following a few unspoken rules. One of those was to insist on using only vintage equipment, including a decades old piano and hollow-body guitars. Add Hamilton Leithauser's vocal stylings that ranged from intense to intimate, and the result is a catalog of music that elevated The Walkmen above their peers. From the relentless rage of The Rat to the timeless ballads of their last record Heaven, we pay respects to one of the greatest indie groups from the 2000s. Tracklist: The Walkmen - We've Been Had The Recoys - Song of the Paper Dolls Jonathan Fire Eater - The Search For Cherry Red The Walkmen - Wake Up The Walkmen - My Old Man The Walkmen - The Rat (live on Letterman, 2004) The Walkmen - Woe Is Me The Walkmen - Blue As Your Blood The Walkmen - Song For Leigh This Microwave World - The Party Line This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
71 min
154
French Kicks "Swimming" - How A Garage Rock Ban...
If you were a garage rock, post-punk band from the 2000s, chances are your music was going to be compared to The Strokes, or Interpol, or fill-in-the-blank heavy-hitter from that era. For the French Kicks (a band from you guessed it: New York), they couldn't shed the comparisons, and their moderately popular releases never caught on like their fellow New Yorkers did. So on their self-produced fourth album (and unfortunately their last), Swimming, they decided to stop trying. And the resulting record ended up being on of their most endearing, with stripped-down intimate songs chock full of poppy hooks and catchy choruses. Tracklist French Kicks - Abandoned French Kicks - New Man French Kicks - Said So What French Kicks - Knee High French Kicks - The Way You Arrive French Kicks - Love In The Ruins This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
43 min
155
Whatcha Heard? The Grab Bag Edition
Our monthly mixtape is back with maybe our most varied tracklist yet. We start with the latest single from our favorite Norwegian folk duo Kings of Convenience (their first new track in 12 years). We then bounce from downtempo hip-hop to 90s emo to a Shins bluegrass cover to ambient jungle techno, with plenty of other stops along the way. Tracklist: Kings of Convenience - Rocky Trail Little Dragon & Moses Sumney - The Other Lover The Polish Ambassador, Blockhead - Memory Palace (feat. Zion I & Nitty Scott) LUMP - Animal Fear of Men - Into Strangeness Sam Amidon - Pretty Polly The Promise Ring - Make Me A Chevy JW Francis - New York Jane Weaver - You Are Dissolved Iron Horse, Pickin On' Series - Those To Come (The Shins cover) Forest Drive West - Persistence of Memory pt. 3 Modest Mouse - We Are Between This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
70 min
156
No Filler Rewind: Psychedelic, Shimmering, Heav...
No Filler Rewind: Just a few months before grunge took over the 90s, Smashing Pumpkins were carving out their own space in rock music with an album that perfectly bridged the alt-rock and post-punk sounds of the 80s with the heavy shift that was just around the corner. On this episode we talk Pumpkins' debut album Gish, and discuss the album's perfect blend of psychedelic, shoegaze, and hard rock fuzz, with Billy Corgan's sweet and sour vocal delivery tying it all together. Meticulously crafted in the studio by an obsessive Corgan and masterfully produced by Butch Vig just months before Nevermind, this album is a perfect example of rock's transition into the 90s, and a taste of where Corgan would take the band's unique sound throughout the decade. Tracklist Smashing Pumpkins - Rhinoceros Smashing Pumpkins - Bury Me Smashing Pumpkins - Crush Smashing Pumpkins - Daydream Altın Gün - Yolcu Whitest Boy Alive - Serious Smashing Pumpkins - I Am One This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
71 min
157
Built To Spill's Keep It Like A Secret: The Def...
Built To Spill had already released 3 records and signed to Warner Bros before putting out their definitive record Keep It Like A Secret in 1999. From their 2nd album There's Nothing Wrong With Love to their 3rd record Perfect From Now On, the band transitioned from quick-witted indie pop to more progressive experimental indie rock. Keep It Like A Secret combined the two, resulting in the quintessential indie rock album just in time for the new millenium: soft vocals, introspective lyrics combined with melodic guitar riffs and complex song structures, all wrapped in catchy hooks and pop-centric melodies. Built To Spill - Center of the Universe Built To Spill - Carry The Zero Built To Spill - Else Built To Spill - Temporarily Blind Built To Spill - You Were Right Treepeople - Liquid Boy This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
49 min
158
Beyond Zombie: The Overlooked Gems From The Cra...
You've heard "Dreams" and "Linger". You've probably heard "Zombie" close to a gazillion times by now. But as we like to say around here, it's often the tracks between the singles that need another listen (or for some - a first listen). We dive into The Cranberries' first three records and marvel over how unmatched Dolores O'Riordan's powerful and unique vocals were in the 90s rock landscape, and how refusing to shed their Irish origins made her voice that much more powerful by giving western audiences a perspective we may never have heard. Tracklist: The Cranberries - Reason The Cranberries - Pretty The Cranberries - Still Can't The Cranberries - Yeats' Grave The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again The Cranberries - I Just Shot John Lennon The Cranberries - Bosnia The Cranberries - Linger (live from MTV's Most Wanted) This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
51 min
159
Not So Dumb: The Forgotten Alt-Rock Gems From T...
From sitcom reboots to the return of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, if you grew up in the 90s you can't take a step these days without falling into a rabbit hole of never-ending nostalgia. For us, the beloved slapstick buddy comedy Dumb & Dumber is a film we watched over and over again throughout our youth, and it's no exaggeration to say the 90's alt-rock soundtrack helped shape our musical journey from a young age. Join us as we explore some more tunes from the bands behind the film's now iconic soundtrack. Tracklist: The Sons - Too Much of a Good Thing Green Jelly - The Bear Song Green Jelly - Carnage Echobelly - Insomniac Echobelly - Taste of You Gigolo Aunts - Where I Find My Heaven Gigolo Aunts - Lemon Peeler The Lupins - Take The Primitives - Crash This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
52 min
160
Whatcha Heard? Redacted Edition
Our monthly mixtape is back kicking things off with Josh Homme's cover of Paul McCartney's "Lavatory Lil" from the newly released "McCartney III Imagined". We then spend quite a bit of time with a bunch of new tracks from a slew of art-rock / punkish bands from the last few years. And for good measure, we throw in a doom metal, an IDM, and a math rock track just to keep things interesting. Tracklist: Paul McCartney & Josh Homme - Lavatory Lil Good Boy - CRF Yot Club - Water Fall Yot Club - Naive Mel (Talking Heads cover) Kryptograf - Seven King's X - The Difference (Into The Garden of St. Anne's On-The-Hill) King's X - Pleiades Infinite Scale - Ghost Strongboi - Tuff Girl Mod-Comm 81 - Ryzup Fake Fruit - Swing and a Miss TTNG - Cat Fantastic Naked Roommate - Repeat Slomosa - There is Nothing New Under the Sun This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
77 min
161
Distinctly Grunge, Distinctly Texan: Toadies - ...
When frontman Todd Lewis ventured from Texas to California to record Rubberneck, he fully expected to be back working at the record store in Fort Worth with his fellow bandmates in a year or so. And he was almost right, until "Possum Kingdom" received some airplay on LA's KROQ radio and the album skyrocketed the band into the grunge limelight and cemented this record as a classic from that era. Influenced by Talking Heads, Sex Pistols, and the Pixies, the Toadies had a uniquely heavy-punk rock sound with a slight bend toward pop sensibilities. Tracklist: Velvet Quitter Mexican Hairless Happyface I Burn I Come From The Water Eagles of Death Metal - Midnight Creeper This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
52 min
162
Lighten Things Up A Little: The Presidents of t...
As lead-singer and two-string bass player Chris Ballew once observed of the grunge scene of the early nineties: "I wonder if we could lighten things up a little?" Thus The Presidents of the United States was born, a three-piece rock group from grunge's birthplace with one mission: to make grunge and alt-rock music without the themes of angst, depression, etc. With unforgettable singles like "Lump", "Peaches", and "Dune Buggy", The Presidents injected a little bit of fun and left a lasting impression on the rock landscape of the early nineties. Tracklist: Presidents of the United States of America - Lump Caspar & Mollusk - Twig Presidents of the United States of America - Stranger Presidents of the United States of America - Boll Weevil Presidents of the United States of America - Body Presidents of the United States of America - Kitty Caspar Babypants - Baby Bear Presidents of the United States of America - Peaches This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
46 min
163
Whatcha Heard? The Complete 180 Edition
On this month's edition of Whatcha Heard, we start with the latest single from our favorite disco, electronic, dream pop group Mr. Twin Sister. We keep the flow going with a couple more shoegazey, psychedelic indie rockers but then the inevitable happens when Travis throws in some metal to mix things up a bit. Quentin is still not ready to take the plunge into the deep end of metaldom, and pulls perhaps the most whiplash-inducing 180 so far in Whatcha Heard history and plays a song from French pianist Jean-Pierre Mas. From djent metal to French jazz? Tune in to hear the monthly mixtape that always keeps you on your toes, it's April's Whatcha Heard on No Filler. Tracklist: Mr. Twin Sister - Expressions Cat Hoch - Celestian Japanese Breakfast - Diving Woman Domenique Dumont - +371 Domenique Dumont - Comme Ça Slint - Noserfatu Man Beachy Head - Destroy Us Meshuggah - Combustion Meshuggah - Ritual Jean-Pierre Mas - (H)ombre DJ Alina - Loyalty Shadow Community 그림자 공동체 - Restless Song 동요 Swirlies - San Cristobal De Las Casas The Jesus and Mary Chain feat. Hope Sandoval - Sometimes Always This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
80 min
164
Dreaming in Slow Motion: The Ethereal Sludge of...
Ambient drone metal, dream sludge, bliss metal: it goes by many names, but one has finally stuck. The term is "doomgaze", and it's exactly what it sounds like: the reverb-drenched guitars and soft dreamy vocals of shoegaze played at the heavy, sludge-like pace of doom metal. That sound goes back much further than you might think, but didn't catch on until the mid 2010s with a steady rise in popularity ever since. Join us as we explore the dichotomy of doomgaze with a look back at it's history and gaze into its promising future. Tracklist: The Angelic Process - The Sun In Braids Jesu - Friends Are Evil Nadja - Long Dark Twenties Cloakroom - Seedless Star Spotlights - Under The Earth Pencey Sloe - Sins Pencey Sloe - Salvage Holy Fawn - Candy This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
63 min
165
The Obscure Shoegaze Episode
A couple weeks ago we pondered the question: what happens when you combine doom metal with shoegaze? Doomgaze is an actual thing, with a history dating back to the 90s and a rise in the mid 2010s. But we'll get into all that next week: on this episode we bask in the shimmering, deafening, lush haze of our favorite subgenre: shoegaze. We pick a few random branches on the shoegaze tree and admire all that makes grunge's less popular sibling so goddamn amazing. Tracklist: Oeil - Strawberry Cream Letting Up Despite Great Faults - The Colors Aren't You Or Me The December Sound - Never The December Sound - Painkiller Whirr - Blue Nothing - Bent Nail This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
46 min
166
Sleep's Holy Mountain: Bridging Metal's Past & ...
Legend has it that Tony Iommi himself once claimed that Sleep's Holy Mountain was the album that best encompassed the feel and spirit of Black Sabbath's Volume 4. Whether he said it or not is up for debate, but one thing is for certain: Sleep's embrace of the blues-leaning metal style of Sabbath's early sound oozes out of the sludgy, doom-paced stoner metal that Sleep helped define in this seminal record. So join the magic caravan or ride the crimson dragon as we kick back and slow head bang our way through a record that paved the way for the rise of stoner and doom metal in the 21st century. Tracklist: Black Sabbath - Cornucopia Sleep - Dragonaut Sleep - The Druid Sleep - Holy Mountain Kyuss - Demon Cleaner Black Sabbath - Snowblind (Sleep cover) This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
57 min
167
Funky Soulful Spaceship: The Progressive R&B Su...
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That saying certainly applies to the alternative R&B group The Internet. When the members of this group get together to create music, something truly unique happens. Their blend of R&B, hip hop, jazz, funk, and electronic dance music creates a leisurely, smooth, and undeniably cool sound that is unmistakably The Internet. Also unique about this supergroup is how each and every member puts out their own music that sounds like a slice from the same pie, often collaborating with one another to create an impressive catalog of tunes from just five unbelievably talented musicians: Syd, Matt Martians, Steve Lacy, Patrick Page II, and Christopher Smith. Tracklist: The Internet - Roll (Burbank Funk) The Internet - Red Balloon The Internet - Gabby (feat. Jaenelle Monáe) Syd - Nothin' From Somethin' The Jet Age of Tomorrow (Long Way Home (feat. Syd) Matt Martians - Movin' On Steve Lacy - Basement Jack + Guide Patrick Paige II - Beginning Patrick Paige II - Ode to Inebriation This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
62 min
168
Amon Tobin: Chaos Theory
When Ubisoft Montreal went searching for a composer to score Chaos Theory, the third installment of the Splinter Cell video game franchise, they went to the best of the best in Hollywood. This included legendary film composer Lalo Schiffrin, who was behind such scores as Dirty Harry, Bullitt, and Cool Hand Luke. When those plans fell through, Ubisoft turned to then underground producer Amon Tobin, who's jazz-infused drum and bass sound was the perfect compliment to the noir-soaked espionage stealth action of the Splinter Cell franchise. The result is the now iconic, groundbreaking soundtrack that changed gamer's perception of what a game score could sound like, and further cemented Tobin as a legendary underground producer. Tracklist: Kokubo Sosho Battle Main Title (Dirty Harry Theme) - Lalo Schifrin Ruthless El Cargo Displaced
30 min
169
Whatcha Heard? Deep Freeze Edition
The only thing that could thaw the Great Texas Freeze of 2021 is the hottest mixtape since Now That's What I Call Music! Tune in for our 2nd edition of Whatcha Heard, our monthly mix of varied jams from early synth to the one and only William Shatner. Tracklist: Harald Grosskopf - So Weit, So Gut Altın Gün - Ordunun Dereleri Sam Webster - Deep Cuts Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest - Flight Failure - Another Space Song William Shatner & Ben Folds - Common People (Pulp Cover) Petri Alanko & Martin Stig Anderson - Et Ratio Principalis shame - Human, For A Minute shame - Great Dog Men I Trust - Days Go By Men I Trust - Slap Pie Routine - Wait This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
71 min
170
Reflection and Reckoning: Blood Orange's Freeto...
Before you can truly appreciate Freetown Sound and the message it delivers, you need a little bit of context around the state of the country in the summers leading up to its release. But more importantly, how a very specific incident in Dev Hynes career was the tipping point for an artist at his wit's end confronting the realities of being a black man in America. We break it all down in our look at one of 2016's best records, Blood Orange's Freetown Sound. Tracklist: Blood Orange - Do You See My Skin Through The Flames? Blood Orange - With Him + EVP Blood Orange - Hands Up Blood Orange - Squash Squash Blood Orange - Better Than Me Tame Impala - Borderline (Blood Orange Remix) This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
54 min
171
Jesse Johnson & The Minneapolis Sound
As part of his contract with Warner Bros., Prince was able to recruit and produce his own artists. One of those bands was The Time, formed in 1981 fronted by Morris Day with Jesse Johnson on lead guitar. Based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, The Time's blend of funk rock with elements of synth-pop and new wave was the origin of what came to be known as the Minneapolis sound. A collection of songs written by Prince that allowed him to experiment and be a bit edgier than the music he wrote under his own name, The Time's debut is an absolute blast of a gem from that era, with Jesse Johnson shredding on the guitar in moments that rival the best of 80s glam metal. We play a couple of tracks off his solo record Jesse Johnson's Revue, where he carried the torch of The Time and continued to cultivate that unmistakable Minneapolis sound. Tracklist: Jesse Johnson - Be Your Man The Time - 777-9311 The Time - Cool The Time - Jungle Love Jesse Johnson - Just Too Much Jesse Johnson - Special Love This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
48 min
172
No Filler Rewind: A Tribe Called Quest - The Lo...
We pull from the No Filler vaults and take a listen to our first dive into hip hop with our episode on The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. The group emerged from the Native Tongues in the early 90s, bringing with them positive-minded, Afrocentric lyrics and eclectic, unique & jazz-influenced beats. We also take a quick peek at the golden age of hip hop, focusing on New York's hip hop community in the mid to late 80s and early 90s, leading up to the rise of A Tribe Called Quest.  Tracklist: A Tribe Called Quest - Jazz (We've Got) Stop the Violence Movement - Self Destruction A Tribe Called Quest - Push It Along A Tribe Called Quest - Excursion A Tribe Called Quest - Butter A Tribe Called Quest - Verses From The Abstract A Tribe Called Quest - What? Heatwave - Star Of The Story This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
78 min
173
No Filler Presents: Whatcha Heard? Episode 01
Every week we both share a song that we heard since the last time we recorded. It's a way to add some variety to the episode, and share some more tunes with our listeners! We called the segment: Whatcha Heard? In 2021, we're trying something new. We're ditching the weekly segment for a monthly episode, where the entire show is dedicated to sharing whatever it is we've been listening to that month. Think of it as a monthly mixtape curated by your 2 favorite podcasters. Have a nice listen. Tracklist: All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors - Saturn Jig Drug Church - Bliss Out Tigers Jaw - Lemon Mouth KILN - Beachglass Dead Melodies - The Hunted DARKPYRAMID - She Still Dreams Drab Majesty - No Rain (Blind Melon Cover) Monie Love - Read Between The Lines Sampa The Great - Freedom TesseracT - Lament This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Pantheon is a proud partner of AKG by Harman.
68 min
174
Andy Stott: The Darker Side of Electronic
Our first episode digging into the deeper, darker side of electronic music, we listen to a handful of tracks from UK producer Andy Stott. Leveraging a slew of genres from industrial and ambient to Detroit techno and deep house, Stott's adventurous and experimental sound keeps the listener on her toes throughout his varied and wide-ranging discography. Travis is also convinced that Stott samples a John Carpenter track from the first Halloween film. Listen and judge for yourself. Part of Pantheon Podcasts.
47 min
175
Arms & Sleepers - Black Paris 86
When the duo behind Arms and Sleepers sits down to make music together, they typically turn to movies for inspiration. That was the goal for their 2006 debut record Black Paris 86 after all: to make a soundtrack for an imaginary film. The music is both dark and mysterious, but also warm and beautiful. Blending exceptional drumbeats and killer bass lines with glockenspiels and toy pianos, Arms and Sleepers create a truly unique sound. Join us as we chat about this hidden gem in the ambient downtempo genre. Tracklist: Arms & Sleepers - Arms/Sleepers Arms & Sleepers - Mission To Prague Arms & Sleepers - Lausanneut Arms & Sleepers - Butterflycatcher Arms & Sleepers - Rooftops/Lanterns The List Exists - Film Noir Love Story This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network.
54 min