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Life of the Record

Life of the Record

De: Life of the Record / Talkhouse
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Classic albums, told by the people who made them.Life of the Record / Talkhouse Música
Episodios
  • The Making of WRITER'S BLOCK by Peter Bjorn and John - feat. Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson

    The Making of WRITER'S BLOCK by Peter Bjorn and John - feat. Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson
    Sep 2 2025
    In celebration of Peter, Bjorn and John’s breakthrough third album, Writer’s Block, we take a detailed look at how it was made. When Peter Morén and Björn Yttling started playing music together in high school, they bonded over a shared love of guitar rock. When they moved to Stockholm after high school, they met John Eriksson, who was a trained percussionist, playing in a percussion ensemble. They eventually asked him if he would consider playing drums with them in a pop band and the trio, Peter Bjorn and John, was born. In 2001, they self-released their first EP with a self-titled album following in 2002. They jumped between Swedish labels Beat That! Records to Planekonomi and released their second album, Falling Out in 2004. At this point, they considered ending the band, but decided to make one more album and record it themselves with Yttling producing. Writer’s Block was eventually released in 2006. In this episode, Peter Morén reflects on connecting with Yttling early on and how their sound evolved over the years. Morén shares how he originally approached guitar by using multiple chords and leaving little space until Eriksson encouraged him to play less. Björn Yttling describes his role as the producer and how the recording space he had at that time was not conducive to recording a full band. Despite the constraints of having no budget and only a couple of microphones, they were able to capture a unique sound by relying heavily on minimal drum arrangements, percussion overdubs and extensive use of a Space Echo. John Eriksson discusses his naive approach to the drums and how the relaxed recording atmosphere helped them to try new things with this album. With Morén and Yttling encouraging him to write and sing for the first time, Eriksson was able to add another dimension to the album with his own attempts at writing pop songs. From using a drum kit found in a trash heap, to relying on whistling instead of recording synth lines, to making the drum lines sample-able, to how hip hop artists like Drake, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar would go on to rap over beats from the album, to being in their late twenties and feeling like the band had run its course, to the unexpected global success of “Young Folks”, we’ll hear the stories of how the record came together.
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    1 h y 47 m
  • The Making of A RIVER AIN'T TOO MUCH TO LOVE by Smog - featuring Bill Callahan

    The Making of A RIVER AIN'T TOO MUCH TO LOVE by Smog - featuring Bill Callahan
    Aug 5 2025
    For the 20th anniversary of the Smog album, A River Ain’t Too Much to Love, we take a detailed look at how it was made. Bill Callahan began recording music under the name Smog in 1988 and releasing music on his own label, Disaster. After signing with Drag City early on, he released a series of albums in the 1990s and continued into the early 2000s. At this point, he was living in Chicago and wanted a change of scenery. After moving to Austin, Texas, he began writing songs for his 11th album. He decided to abandon the Smog name and start using his real name, but Drag City asked him to wait until the next record before making that change. After a two week tour with Jim White on drums and Connie Lovatt on bass, the three of them immediately went into Willie Nelson’s studio, Pedernales, to begin recording the album. A River Ain’t Too Much to Love was eventually released in 2005. In this episode, Bill Callahan reflects on this period of his life when he was in his late thirties and felt like he wanted to settle down. By moving to Austin and buying a house with a yard, he found himself spending a lot more time in nature, which greatly impacted the songs he was writing. Despite having writer’s block initially, his songwriting opened up when he bought a nylon string guitar and taught himself fingerpicking for the first time. This new approach to guitar playing really shaped the song arrangements and how his vocal would come across. Callahan describes how this transitional time in his life inspired him to give up the Smog name and start using his own name to reflect his newfound approach to making music. From the leap of moving somewhere without knowing anyone, to recording as a power trio, to the importance of a good title or central image, to taking inspiration from Mickey Newbury and Johnny Cash, to key overdubs by Joanna Newsom and Thor Harris, to a recording malfunction that lead to barely audible bass, to the lacking nature of waltz time, to a clear sound like a river, we’ll hear the stories of how the record came together.
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    1 h y 34 m
  • The Making of CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH (Self-Titled) - featuring Alec Ounsworth

    The Making of CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH (Self-Titled) - featuring Alec Ounsworth
    Jun 30 2025
    For the 20th anniversary of the debut Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Alec Ounsworth began recording demos of the songs he was writing, he connected with musicians he met while attending Connecticut College. The band was officially formed in 2004 and included Ounsworth, Lee Sargent, Tyler Sargent, Sean Greenhalgh and Robbie Guertin. As the rest of the band relocated to New York, Ounsworth remained in his hometown of Philadelphia and commuted for rehearsals and shows. They started recording an EP that they were intending to shop around to labels. While continuing to work on new songs, the EP evolved into a full-length album that they recorded in spurts when they could get studio time. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Self-Titled) was eventually self-released in 2005. In this episode, Ounsworth describes his songwriting process for the album and how his demos grew into the full band arrangements. He lays out his vision for the album and how he was hyper focused on adding overdubs, interludes and song segues to create a more impactful listening experience. By releasing and distributing the album themselves, he describes the value he put on being independent at that time. In addition, he talks about the discomfort he felt when the band started gaining a lot of attention, partially due to a Pitchfork review of the album. From being labeled “blog rock,” to developing his unconventional vocal style, to writing about romantic relationships and the prospect of success, to taking inspiration from artists like Brian Eno, Tom Waits, Wire, The Magnetic Fields and David Bowie, to the value of doing it yourself and remaining independent, we’ll hear the stories of how the record came together.
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    1 h y 36 m
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