You, Me and An Album

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This week’s guest is Portland-based singer, songwriter, author, podcaster, educator and visual artist Laura Veirs, and she chose the 2021 release Promises by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra for her album deep dive. Laura talks about her recent explorations of EDM and how that led her to listening to Floating Points and, ultimately, to Promises. She discusses the elements of Promises that make it an enthralling listening experience for her, as well as how the album has helped to her to reconnect to her own music. That reconnection resulted in the making of Temple Songs (released Aug. 14), and Laura delves into her process of writing and recording songs for the album.

There are many ways to keep up with Laura online!
lauraveirs.com
@lauraveirs on Instagram, Facebook and X
@_lauraveirs_ on Tiktok
@RavenMarchingBandLauraVeirs on YouTube

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.
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 www.patreon.com/youmealbum.
1:22 Laura’s introduction
2:38 Laura discovered Promises by way of Floating Points’ EDM work
5:06 Laura was also drawn to the album due to her interest in Pharoah Sanders
7:45 Laura talks about the relationship between Sam Shepherd and Sanders
9:32 Laura was impressed by the use of silence and human noises on Promises
14:16 Laura hears some elements of EDM in Promises
17:50 Laura revisits the moment when she decided to pick this album
19:39 Listening to the album sparked a greater interest in Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders
21:53 Promises helped Laura to reconnect with music after a period of burnout
25:00 Laura talks about how she wound up making Temple Songs
27:43 Laura focused on her performances and not on gear when making her album
32:18 Laura explains why she didn’t mix Temple Songs
36:27 Laura talks about the “No Masters” theme of Temple Songs and why she decided not to make that the name of the album
44:41 Laura discusses the upcoming reissued version of the case/lang/veirs album
47:57 Laura talks about her videos and upcoming tour dates

Outro music is from “Arc Still Bends” by Laura Veirs.
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On this episode, Kelley Dugan and Mina Walker of Daisy the Great drop by YMAAA. For their chosen album deep dive, they selected Fiona Apple’s 2005 release Extraordinary Machine. Kelley and Mina talk about their respective musical journeys with the album, from how they individually discovered and got hooked on it to how they collectively take inspiration from Apple’s songwriting and performances. They also chat with Al about their own latest album, The Rubber Teeth Talk with Friends, and why they decided to remake the songs from their 2025 album The Rubber Teeth Talk.

You can keep up with Daisy the Great via their website daisythegreat.com, as well as on the following social media accounts.
Instagram and Facebook: @daisythegreatband
YouTube and TikTok: @daisythegreat

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.
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 www.patreon.com/youmealbum.
1:18 Kelley and Mina’s introduction
2:08 Mina and Kelley talk about listening to the Jon Brion version of Extraordinary Machine
7:08 Mina and Kelley explain how they chose Extraordinary Machine for this episode
9:55 Mina recounts how she first encountered Extraordinary Machine
13:31 Kelley talks about first discovering Apple early in high school
15:54 Kelley, Mina and Al explore the theatrical side of Apple’s music
17:48 Kelley talks about what makes Extraordinary Machine stand out among Apple’s albums
20:26 Kelley, Mina and Al all view “Tymps” as a standout track
23:17 Mina explains how Apple’s rhythms accentuate her lyrics
24:32 Mina took some lessons about songwriting from the album
28:50 Kelley and Mina discuss the parallels between Apple’s music and their own
33:58 Mina and Kelley consider whether quirkiness is part of Apple’s appeal
37:10 Al was mystified the first time he had ever heard Apple
39:33 Kelley appreciates the tactile quality of Apple’s vocals
42:17 Kelley explains why she decided to go to school for theater
45:00 Kelley and Mina discuss how they came to create Daisy the Great
52:27 Mina and Kelley explain why they remade The Rubber Teeth Talk
1:01:24 Kelley and Mina talk about their upcoming plans

Outro music is from “Mary’s at the Carnival (Lutalo remix)” by Daisy the Great.
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Texas-based singer-songwriter Candace Hastings takes us on this week’s album deep dive, as she introduces Al to Adam Carroll’s 2000 album Lookin’ Out the Screen Door. Candace talks about first getting to know Carroll when he was a student in her creative writing class at Tyler Junior College in east Texas, and what it was like to first hear Lookin’ Out the Screen Door. She also talks about what she appreciates most about Carroll’s songwriting and how he helped her to restart her own musical career. Candace also chats with Al about her recently-released album Soft Place to Land, and how Carroll was instrumental to her writing one of the tracks.

You can keep up with Candace online in the following places:
https://www.candacehastings.com/
https://candacehastings.bandcamp.com/
Instagram and YouTube: @candacehastingsmusic

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.
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 www.patreon.com/youmealbum.
1:28 Candace’s introduction
2:12 Candace talks about her history with Carroll, beginning with him being a student of hers
6:00 Candace explains why she chose Lookin’ Out the Screen Door for this episode
7:57 Al and Candace discuss how “Sno Cone Man” exemplifies Carroll’s songwriting acumen
11:05 “Race Car Joe” shows a different side of Carroll’s songwriting
14:06 Al talks about the premise of this show
16:08 Candace revisits her first experience with listening to the album
18:23 Candace discusses how Adam helped her to re-launch her music career
23:19 Candace highlights “Screen Door” as a standout track
26:00 Candace pinpoints what she likes about Carroll’s songwriting
29:14 How autobiographical is “Errol’s Song”?
32:49 Candace talks about a special aspect of Carroll’s live shows
34:08 Candace explains why Carroll introduces his songs
36:12 Al appreciates the variety of moods on the album
38:35 Candace talks about how one of Adam’s workshops helped her to write “Come Home”
43:41 Candace discusses the sentiment behind a lyric from “Come Home”
46:12 Candace explains how her songs reflect her feelings of separation and belonging
54:54 Candace talks about her plans for the next several months

Outro music is from “Too Damn Hot” by Candace Hastings.
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Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Johanna Samuels joins Al to introduce him to Sparklehorse’s 2001 album It’s a Wonderful Life. Johanna shares the unique circumstance under which she first learned about Sparklehorse, and she explains what makes It’s a Wonderful Life a magical album for her. She and Al also explore two of the music videos that accompanied the release of the album. Johanna talks about her soon-to-be-released fourth album Sorry, Kid (out August 14 on Odd Man Out Records) and the music videos she made for the album’s singles.
#johannasamuels #sorrykid #sparklehorse #marklinkous #itsawonderfullife #albumdiscussions

There are lots of places to keep up with Johanna and hear her music…
https://www.johannasamuels.com/
https://johannasamuels.bandcamp.com/
https://johannasamuels.substack.com/
@johannasamuels on Instagram and YouTube
@johannasamuelsmusic on Facebook

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.
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 www.patreon.com/youmealbum.
1:29 Johanna’s introduction
2:49 Johanna revisits the unusual circumstance that led to her discovery of It’s a Wonderful Life
6:13 Johanna made a connection between Sparklehorse and Elliott Smith
8:50 Johanna recalls the artists who were on her iPod when she first heard Sparklehorse
10:25 Johanna talks about the experience of listening to It’s a Wonderful Life in its entirety
12:55 Johanna interprets the overarching theme of It’s a Wonderful Life
16:50 Johanna and Al make note of Mark Linkous’ frequent references to animals and nature in general
19:35 Johanna and Al talk about the indirectness of Linkous’ lyrics
21:19 “Gold Day” was Johanna’s entry point into the rest of the album
22:21 Johanna digs into some specific lyrics from the album
26:25 Johanna talks about some of the collaborators who appear on It’s a Wonderful Life
28:17 Johanna has bonded with people over Sparklehorse
32:21 Johanna thinks the stranger songs on the album play an important role
37:09 Johanna and Al discuss the video for “King of Nails”
42:36 Johanna and Al discuss the video for “Little Fat Baby”
49:09 Johanna’s final thought on It’s a Wonderful Life
50:10 Johanna and Al talk about the videos she made for Sorry, Kid
55:15 Johanna talks about the history of writing and recording “White Limousine”
57:45 Johanna explains how she recruited collaborators for Sorry, Kid
1:01:19 Johanna discusses her upcoming plans

Outro music is from “Full Story” by Johanna Samuels.
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On this episode, Brooklyn-based classical guitarist and music educator Tomas Rodriguez introduces Al to Toumani Diabaté’s 1988 album Kaira. Tomas talks about discovering Kaira during a visit to a New York record store and how his eclectic musical upbringing primed him to develop a deep appreciation for this album of Malian kora music. Tomas explains why Kaira is a spiritual album and how it has helped him to stay centered during tumultuous moments. He also discusses how this album influences his own music, and in particular, his latest album Whispered Awakening.

To get Tomas’ music, schedule of live dates and more, please visit his website tomasrodriguez.com/. You can also buy or stream his music on Bandcamp at tomasrodriguez.bandcamp.com/.
You can follow Tomas on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at @tomasrodriguezguitar.

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.
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 www.patreon.com/youmealbum.

1:34 Tomas’ introduction
2:18 Tomas recalls when he was first introduced to Kaira and kora music
6:11 Tomas and Al talk about the uniqueness of the kora as an instrument
10:58 Tomas notes how the spirituality of Diabaté’s music drew him in
14:53 It took Al a while to notice the variety across the tracks of the album
17:30 Tomas explains how each track is derived from Malian standards
19:34 Tomas discusses the circularity of Diabaté’s music
22:36 Tomas and Al contrast and compare kora music with blues
24:44 Tomas makes a case for listening to tracks from Kaira as one-offs
26:56 Tomas talks about how Diabaté borrows specific lines from other genres
29:46 Tomas explains how listening to Kaira helps him with his own compositions
30:56 Tomas was influenced by a wide variety of musical genres growing up
33:16 Tomas talks about the tribute to Diabaté he recorded for his new album
40:02 Tomas revisits the lead-up to making Whispered Awakening
43:42 Tomas explains why he founded the Tomas Guitar Studio in Brooklyn and how he uses Kaira in his instruction
48:21 Tomas talks about teaching with Rick Beato’s materials
50:21 Tomas talks about his upcoming shows

Outro music is from “Mélancolie” by Tomas Rodriguez.
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