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? 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
152
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
153
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
154
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
155
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
156
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
157
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
158
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
159
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
160
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
161
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
162
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
163
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
164
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
165
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
166
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
167
No Filler Rewind: Amon Tobin - Bricolage
On this week's episode, we dig deep into the No Filler archives and revisit our episode on Brazilian electronic musician Amon Tobin's debut record Bricolage. Unlike most trip hop albums from the nineties, Tobin perfectly blends old jazz samples with a drum and bass backbone, and an IDM sensibility. Dark, moody, and effortlessly cool, this record stands out as a true gem in the field of trip hop. Tracklist Amon Tobin - "Bitter & Twistd" Quantic - "Time Is The Enemy" DJ Cam - "No Competition" Amon Tobin - "Easy Muffin" Amon Tobin - "Yasawas" Amon Tobin - "Defocus" Bebel Gilberto - "Samba da Benção" This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network.
53 min
168
No Filler's Best of 2020: Listener Favorites
We close out our Best of 2020 episodes with a little help from our friends. We asked our listeners and some No Filler guests from the past to share their favorite tracks of the year with us, and we've narrowed it down to our favorites from the list for this episode. And we end our favorite musical moments countdown with arguably the greatest thing that happened in 2020: the epic drum battle between ten year old Nandi Bushell and Dave Grohl. Tracklist: The Nychillarmonic - Mean Thee Oh Sees - If I Had My Way Nicole Atkins - Domino Crack Cloud - Post Truth (Birth of a Nation) Four Year Strong - Get Out of My Head Sufjan Stevens - Ursa Major Tame Impala - Is It True Dave Grohl's Nandi Bushell Tribute Song This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network.
55 min
169
No Filler's Best of 2020: Part 4
To close out our Best of 2020 episodes, we're left with 5 wildly different tracks and a couple of Alice in Chains covers thrown in for good measure. From the demon-crushing metal of Mick Gordon's bombastic Doom Eternal soundtrack to the post-punk emo throwback of Tigers Jaw, we chat about our final favorites from this crazy year. Tracklist: Mick Gordon - The Only Thing They Fear Is You (DOOM Eternal OST) IDLES - Grounds IDLES - War Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow - Stealing The Code (Devs OST) Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow - Entering Devs / The Machine (Devs OST) Tigers Jaw - Warn Me Narrow Head - Yer' Song Mark Lanegan - Nutshell (Alice In Chains cover) Metallica - Would (Alice In Chains cover) This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network.
69 min
170
No Filler's Best of 2020: Part 3
On perhaps our most eclectic set of tunes so far in our year-end batch of episodes, we bring everything from 70s-inspired dance/funk indie pop to songs that make you stop and reflect on the human experience world around you in this crazy year we've all been through together. Tune in to hear our next 5 picks from our Top 20 Tracks from 2020. Tracklist: Laura Marling - Only The Strong Tall Black Guy - F.I.Y.E (feat. Tony Ozier) George Clanton & Nick Hexum - Under Your Window The Whitest Boy Alive - Serious LA Priest - Beginning Post Malone - Drain You (Nirvana cover) This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network.
41 min
171
No Filler's Best of 2020: Part 2
On part 2 of our look back at some of our favorite tracks from the year, we've got a more eclectic (some would say more psychedelic leaning) batch of songs. From an artist that headlined Lollapalooza to a couple of artists that make video-game inspired lo-fi vaporwave, we're confident you'll hear some tunes you missed on this crazy roller-coaster of a year. Tracklist: Kiaron; IRSE! - An Bat None Tame Impala - One More Year Equip, R23X - Airship Theme (Fast Air Travel) Yaeji - WHEN I GROW UP Real Estate - Also A But Erlend Øye, Sebastian Maschat - Wipeout This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network.
50 min
172
No Filler's Best of 2020: Part 1
When it comes to years, 2020 has been a doozy (to put it mildly). And for music lovers like us, the absence of live music has perhaps been the toughest loss from what we know as "normal" to navigate. But music has still been there for us, like the reliable companion it always has been. There has been some amazing music to come out this year, and we're starting off our list of Top 20 of 2020 with picks 1-5. Tracklist: Stay Inside - Revisionist Saint Karloff - Sleeping Village Fontaines D.C. - I Was Not Born Hum - The Summoning Spillage Village - Mecca Thom Yorke - Plasticine Figures This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network.
51 min
173
Sidetrack Double Feature: Longwave + French Kicks
When it comes to post-punk and garage-rock from the 2000s, it's hard to pick just one band for a sidetrack episode. So we're doing our first ever Sidetrack Double Feature (don't get too excited). Today we cover a couple tracks from Longwave's The Strangest Things and French Kicks Swimming. Tracklist: Longwave - Wake Me When It's Over Longwave - Exit French Kicks - All Our Weekends Leon Vynehall - Paradisea The Pillows - Stalker Longwave - Everywhere You Turn This show is part of the Pantheon Podcast network.
41 min
174
The Stills: Logic Will Break Your Heart
We've said it before, and we'll probably say it again: the early 00's marked the beginning of our journey as music lovers. And this is right about the time garage rock and the post-punk revival started to really take off. The Stills is just another of the countless "The" bands that hit the scene around that time, but there's just something about their debut record Logic Will Break Your Heart that stands out amongst the rest. It's dark and clever lyrics pair perfectly with the always clean, angular guitar work reminiscent of Interpol and Joy Division with catchy riffs and hooks aplenty. This show is a part of The Pantheon Podcast Network.
51 min
175
Sidetrack: The Pathetx
Hot off our White Stripes episode, we went digging through Third Man Record's roster to see what gems we could uncover. The album cover for The Pathetx's 1981 called out to us, begging for a spin. A collection of unreleased material from this classic 80's punk outfit from Detroit, 1981 is eighteen minutes of raw energy that only 80s punk can truly deliver. Tracklist The Pathetx - Piss On My Shoes The Pathetx - Energize Tears For Fears - Mothers Talk SASAMI - Mess The Pathetx - Kmart Krowd This show is a part of The Pantheon Podcast Network.
28 min