Sounding Bored

Elvis Presley died at Graceland 40 years ago this month and in Episode 20 of the podcast, Rob and David Cox devote the bulk of their discussion to the King and his legacy, concentrating on 5 key points in his life - his birth and upbringing in East Tupelo, the release of Heartbreak Hotel in 1956, the pivotal year of 1958 which saw the death of his mother and entry into the US army, the 1968 comeback special and his sad demise nine years later. To close, the duo focus on Arcade Fire's newly released fifth album, the hotly debated Everything Now.

In the nineteenth episode of the regular pod, Rob Langham is joined by Amy Laurens and David Cox to look back to the chart music of the 1980s. The trio discuss Wham!, Madonna, the Human League, Michael Jackson, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Phil Collins and others while Live Aid, MTV, Radio 1, politics, hairspray, shoulder pads and the 'Hobsbawmian Long 1980s' also fall under the microscope. Album of the month is Haim's decidedly 1980s referencing Something To Tell You.

For the first in a series of podcasts that will run parallel to the main show, we interview Simon Bailey, head honcho of Future Perfect and a man whose company has done wonders in bringing quality acts to Oxford, Leicester, Wolverhampton and elsewhere. Acts that Simon has promoted have included Slowdive, Slaves, Ghostpoet, Deap Vally, The Big Moon and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart while he is also currently masterminding the saliva inducing Ritual Union one day festival that will take place in October 2017. The interview provides a fascinating insight into the ins and outs of music promotion, the wheeler-dealing, the creativity, the teamwork and the immense emthusiasm and hard work required.

A year and a half into the lifetime of Sounding Bored, Rob Langham and Ben Woolhead convene in Cardiff to assess the health of the local music scene while casting an eye back to famous Welsh acts of the past including Los Campesinos!, Manic Street Preachers, Shirley Bassey, Anhrefn and the Super Furry Animals. Album of the month is Sweet Baboo's Wild Imagination.

In Episode 17 of the podcast, Rob is joined by Brian Guerin and electronic artist Peter Lloyd aka Kid Kin to discuss the broad sweep of music that combines traditional and electronic elements to a lesser or greater degree - with mentions for Muse, David Bowie, Battles, Animal Collective, Burial, Brian Eno, Tim Hecker, Mogwai, Radiohead and many more. Album of the month is Forest Swords' Compassion.

In Episode 16 of the podcast, Mike Gibbons, author of Euro 96 chronicle When Football Came Home and Tom Sutton join host Rob to discuss Britpop: the anthems, the albums, the halfwits and the hullaballoo. Album of the month is 2017's decidedly Britpop tinged Love in the 4th Dimension from The Big Moon.

The latest edition of the pod sees Tom Sutton join Rob Langham and Niall Kennedy to look back to the 2000s and a musical landscape upon which Bill Callahan, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, Pitchfork and the New York borough of Brooklyn all made their mark. Album of the month is Dirty Projectors' eponymous eighth album.

In the fourteenth edition of the pod, Rob Langham is joined by David Cox and newcomer Josh Wells to discuss the phenomenon that is Hip Hop, twenty years on from the slaying of The Notorious B.I.G. LP of the month is Sleaford Mods' English Tapas.

In the latest episode of the podcast, Niall Kennedy and Amy Laurens return to join Rob Langham in pondering the musical possibilities for 2017 with mentions for Acid Arab, Japandroids, the Magnetic Fields and Abattoir Blues among others. Album of the month is the third long player from The xx, I See You while the panel reflect on the passing of George Michael.

To round off a first year in the business, Amy Laurens joins Rob and Ben to run through the list of the Sounding Bored team's top 10 LPs of 2016.

In the penultimate episode of 2016, Ben and Rob welcome Brian Guerin to discuss the current state of live music from the personal, cultural, socal, economic and performance point of view. LP of the month is Honeyblood's Babes Never Die.

Episode 10 of the pod sees Mike Gibbons join Ben and Rob to talk about Manchester as a music city;Joy Division, The Smiths, Take That, Northside and more. Album of the month is Aussies Jagwar Ma's Every Now and Then.

In Episode 9 of the pod, Ben Woolhead and Rob Langham are joined by fervent Nirvana fan David Cox to reflect upon the band's landmark release Nevermind after a quarter of a century. Album of the month is Angel Olsen's My Woman.

In Episode 8 of the pod, the team take the opportunity to assess the impact of online streaming on music by placing Spotify and other providers under the microscope. Are they a force for good? LP of the month this time out is Toronto band Pup's The Dream is Over.

For Episode 7 of the pod, Amy Laurens joins Ben and Rob to discuss the enduring influence of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds after half a century and the importance of production to music, concentrating on some of the masters of the art. Album of the month is Bat For Lashes' The Bride.

In the sixth episode of the pod, the team assess the current festival scene and how it compares to those of yesteryear while highlighting the variety of experiences on offer including glamping, posh nosh, poetry and nary a mention of a toilet. The album of the month up for discussion is James Blake's The Colour in Anything.

In the fifth installment of the podcast, the team welcome Ronan Munro, founder and editor of Oxford music magazine Nightshift and use a wider discussion of the city's musical impact to lead into analysis of Radiohead's ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool.

In the pod's fourth episode, the team run the rule over Wire's 15th LP Nocturnal Koreans, pick their favourite albums of the year so far and bemoan the cancellation of Drive Like Jehu's curation of the All Tomorrow's Parties event. Follow us on twitter at @soundingbored69 and subscribe on iTunes.

In Episode 3 of Sounding Bored, Niall Kennedy, Rob Langham and Ben Woolhead run the rule over Anna Meredith's stunning album Varmints, pause to reflect on the death of Prince and discuss the future of the record store in the wake of 2016's Record Store Day. Follow the team on twitter at @soundingbored69

In our second episode, Ben, Niall and Rob discuss Field Music's new LP, Commontime, analyse the impact of Primal Scream's Screamadelica after 25 years and use the latter as a launch pad to discuss Glasgow's rich contribution as a music city.