You, Me and An Album

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This episode was originally published on the YMAAA Patreon in October 2025.
Munich-based soul-pop artist Caro Kelley visits Bonus Tracks to talk about her 1000 Albums project, in which she listened to three albums a day for an entire year. Caro shares why she started the project, and she explains how she determines what rating to give an album. She and Al get into discussions about seven of the albums she has listened to for the project, ranging from the one-star Flood by They Might Be Giants to Frank Ocean’s Blonde, which she gave five stars.
To see Caro’s Google sheet, which lists every album she has listened to for the project and their ratings, go to: 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lqeY7_ihNEpU-2ngUvmpn8p7FIrIRANCNWFwurbmM8I/edit?gid=0#gid=0
You can learn more about Caro and her music at https://carokelley.com!
Also, you can follow her on the following platforms:
Instagram and TikTok: @caro_kelley
Facebook: @carokelleymusic
YouTube: @CaroKelley
Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
0:00 Re-introducing Caro
1:09 Caro explains why she decided to undertake her 1000 Albums project
2:33 Caro details the process she used to select the 1000 albums
4:53 Caro explains how she rates the records she listens to
9:04 Why Caro gave her own album five stars
10:57 Caro clarifies the familiarity data from her 1000 Albums spreadsheet
Discussion of selected albums (with Caro’s ratings):
13:16 They Might Be Giants, Flood (1 star)
17:18 The Waterboys, This Is The Sea (2 stars)
24:07 Toto, self-titled (3 stars)
26:59 Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out (3 stars)
33:32 The Cars, Heartbeat City (4 stars)
36:40 Steve Winwood, Arc of a Diver (4 stars)
38:32 Frank Ocean, Blonde (5 stars)
Outro music is from “Guilty Feeling” by Caro Kelley.
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Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Peter Case (solo, The Plimsouls, The Nerves) returns to YMAAA to introduce Al to Fred Neil’s 1968 album Sessions. (Peter was previously on Ep 114 to discuss Bob Dylan’s self-titled debut album.) Peter talks about how he became fascinated with Neil and Sessions during his early teens, and he explains why Neil’s work has not received as much acclaim and appreciation as it deserves. He also discusses how Sessions is a concept album and why it’s not necessary to know about album’s cohesive theme in order to enjoy it. Peter walks through his long history with the Santa Monica venue McCabe’s Guitar Shop and discusses his new live album, My Life to Live, which was recorded there.

As Peter mentioned, the best place to follow him is on Instagram. He’s @petercase111. You can also keep up with Peter and his music at petercase.com and petercasemusic.bandcamp.com.

Peter talked about the work of Denise Sullivan (his wife), including her book Keep on Pushing. You can find out more about her work on her website, denisesullivan.org.
Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
As Al mentioned on this episode, excerpts from episodes are now available on YouTube at @YouMeAndAnAlbum. Please consider subscribing and liking!
Al has put a pause on publishing new Bonus Tracks episodes, but you can listen to the past ones at the You, Me and An Album Patreon for $1/month. Just go to https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum.
1:12 Peter’s introduction
2:14 Al explains why he picked Sessions from Peter’s short list
3:29 Peter provides some of the reasons for why Neil didn’t have more of a following despite his accomplishments
6:28 Peter talks about what drew him to Neil’s music during his teen years
11:44 Peter explains how Neil’s music is a synthesis of different genres
14:20 Peter talks about how the album’s emotion comes from its vibe
18:16 Peter discusses how Sessions is a concept album
24:25 Peter talks about the ways that Neil influenced Richie Havens and Bob Dylan (plus a Dave Von Ronk story)
31:22 Peter views Sessions as a late-night listen
33:57 Peter talks about Neil’s Coconut Grove period
35:12 Peter and Al appreciate the loose feel of Sessions
37:44 Peter highlights one aspect of the recording environment that gives Sessions its unique sound
40:06 Peter gave Al some new ways to listen to the album
41:10 Peter talks about Herb Metoyer and his contribution to Sessions
44:28 Peter contrasts Neil’s focus on social issues versus the relative lack thereof in current indie music
47:09 Peter gives Neil kudos for his rhythm guitar skills
48:04 Al makes a comparison between Fred Neil and Joni Mitchell (h/t Jesca Hoop)
49:53 Peter talks about his new live album and his history with McCabe’s Guitar Shop
58:39 Peter shares his upcoming tour and songwriting plans

Outro music is from “I Shook His Hand” by Peter Case.
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Grammy Award-winning producer, engineer, synthesizer programmer, studio owner, film producer and author Robert Margouleff stops by YMAAA to introduce Al to David Sanborn’s 1982 album As We Speak—an album that he produced. Robert talks about how he came to produce the saxophonist’s album and why the album had the novelty of two tracks with vocals by Michael Sembello. Robert and Al covered a wide range of topics, from how drum machines changed the nature of recorded music from the ‘80s forward to the demise of fade-outs to the drawbacks of noise-canceling headphones to the use of AI in music. Robert also discussed his recently-released memoir Shaping Sounds: Stevie Wonder, DEVO, The Synth Revolution and My Life Behind the Music, and he delved into his work with Stevie Wonder (along with his production and engineering partner Malcolm Cecil) during the early- and mid-‘70s.

Robert’s website (which links to sites where you can buy his book) and socials:
https://www.margouleff.com/
Instagram: @robertmargouleff
Facebook: @robert_margouleff

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
Al has put a pause on publishing new Bonus Tracks episodes, but you can listen to the past ones at the You, Me and An Album Patreon for $1/month. Just go to https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum.
1:41 Robert’s introduction
3:05 Robert talks about the archive of songs that provided tracks for Stevie Wonder’s albums from Music of My Mind to Fulfillingness’ First Finale
6:08 Robert delves into his first foray into digital recording for As We Speak
8:37 Robert points out the novelty of having tracks with vocals on a David Sanborn album
10:13 Robert and Al talk about some of the unquestioned conventions of album-making
12:31 Robert makes the case against noise-canceling headphones (and for cursive handwriting)
15:28 Robert mourns the loss of rubato and “objective listening” in recorded music
19:07 Robert explains why he wanted to record As We Speak as live as possible
20:19 Robert talks about how he came to produce As We Speak
22:48 Robert recalls the recording process for the album
27:08 Robert and Al talk about Michael Sembello’s contributions to As We Speak and why the album didn’t break him out
31:31 Robert talks about the impact of cocaine and drum machines on ‘80s music (plus an aside on crating dogs)
38:13 Robert pinpoints what makes Taylor Swift’s live performances powerful
39:18 Robert explains why he does not fear the use of AI in music
46:03 Robert shares his final thoughts on As We Speak and some observations about recording drums and percussion
51:55 Al sums up his reaction to listening to As We Speak
52:41 Robert explains why Music of My Mind has a joyous, human feel
1:01:16 Al cites one part of Robert’s book that made a big impression on him

Outro music is from “Boogie On Reggae Woman” by Stevie Wonder.

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Seattle-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Robert Deeble joins Al to get him acquainted with Florist’s 2022 self-titled album. Robert talks about how he got introduced to the album and why he connected with it almost immediately. He also discusses the parallels between the album and some of his own music. Al notes some connections between Florist and Robert’s latest album The Space Between Us, and Robert talks about inspirations and meanings of two of the album’s tracks, “Forest From the Tree” and “Not on Your Team.”

As Robert mentioned, you can check out his music and learn more about his work on his website, robertdeeble.com, and on his Bandcamp page, robertdeeble.bandcamp.com. You can also follow Robert on Instagram at @rdeeble.

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
Al has put a pause on publishing new Bonus Tracks episodes, but you can listen to the past ones at the You, Me and An Album Patreon for $1/month. Just go to https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum.

1:32 Robert’s introduction
2:16 Florist are nearly as new to Robert as they are to Al
4:59 Robert talks about some of the artists who have been influential to his music
7:07 Robert revisits his first impressions of the album
10:12 Robert shares his appreciation for music appreciators
11:51 Al found the album’s pacing and sequencing interesting
15:35 Robert talks about connections he’s discovered between his album’s and Florist’s
20:38 One similarity between Robert’s music and Florist’s was particularly notable
26:34 Robert explains what he likes about Florist’s sound and approach
29:05 Robert talks about Emily Sprague as a lyricist
31:15 Robert and Al discuss the healing quality of Florist
36:39 Robert talks about the album’s dreamlike quality
38:06 Al picks out the one track that stood out for him
40:00 Robert makes note of Sprague’s affinity for synths
43:12 Robert and Al sum up their reactions to Florist
44:15 Robert talks about the origins of his song “Forest From the Tree”
47:42 Robert reveals the conceptual layers of “Not on Your Team”
57:50 Robert talks about his upcoming plans

Outro music is from “Orphan Song” by Robert Deeble.
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Grace Bennett and Jade Alcantara of the Brooklyn-based band Sub*T introduce Al to Plumtree’s 1997 album Predicts the Future (or, as it is alternatively known, Plumtree Predicts the Future). Grace and Jade talk about why the album is an important one for both of them and the influence it has had on their own music. They also discuss favorite tracks from the album and the phenomenon that grew out of the song “Scott Pilgrim.” Grace and Jade talk about the evolution of their friendship and how that led to the formation of Sub*T, and they delve into their recently-released debut album, How My Own Voice Sounds.
Here’s where you can learn more about Sub*T…
@subtrules on Instagram and YouTube
https://www.subtrules.com/
https://subtrules.substack.com/

For information on the June 6 show at AS220 in Providence, go here: https://as220.org/calendar/guppy-subt-stupid-robots.

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
Al has put a pause on publishing new Bonus Tracks episodes, but you can listen to the past ones at the You, Me and An Album Patreon for $1/month. Just go to https://www.patreon.com/youmealbum.

1:39 Introducing Jade and Grace
2:17 Al barely knew what Scott Pilgrim was
3:11 Al had some confusion over the album’s name
4:16 Grace explains why they chose to talk about Predicts the Future
5:17 Grace and Jade talk about their early impressions of Plumtree
9:18 Jade and Grace point out the features of the album they find so appealing
14:20 Jade shares some interesting details about Plumtree’s members
16:38 Grace, Jade and Al talk about some of their favorite tracks from the album
21:20 Jade and Grace discuss how Plumtree’s sound progressed
24:50 Jade brings up some more of her favorite tracks
26:11 Grace and Jade talk about the album’s middle section
27:56 Jade and Grace discuss the phenomenon of “Scott Pilgrim”
36:31 Grace explains the origins of the album title, How My Own Voice Sounds
39:39 Grace reveals how she came up with the title for “Imaginal Cells”
41:33 Grace and Jade discuss how they determine vocal roles on their songs
46:55 Grace and Jade talk about how they became a band
54:14 What’s next for Sub*T?

Outro music is from “Mirror Image” by Sub*T.
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