This is our love letter to the lost art of letter-writing…in songs. Consider it a carefully folded note passed across time. Signed, sealed, AND delivered by the Postal Service, or by hand. Song as letter, or letter as song, whatever the concept, these musical missives hit our hearts in ways an email can't. VIDEOS XTC: Dear God (1986) Lulu: To Sir, With Love (1967) EXTRAS ‘Dear God’: The violent protests triggered by XTC’s controversial single - Far Out Magazine T...

We’re getting into the spooky spirit talking about the scariest songs in our music libraries. While Monster Mash and Thriller do make an appearance, we’re clawing our way past the Halloween clichés to scream about the songs that really get under our skin and linger like the breath of death. VIDEOS Die Antwoord: Baby’s on Fire (2012) The Zombies: Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914) SPECIAL TREAT (NO TRICKS HERE) SCARY SONG LISTENER COLLAB PLAYLIST - Share YOUR scariest songs...if ...

Your eyes are not deceiving you–we are indeed going corporate! At least for this episode, wherein we reflect on the strange sorcery of songs from commercials: the ones that, for a moment, make you forget you're a cog in the sparkling machine of late capitalism. Sure, they were used to sell us stuff, but we still kind of love them. VIDEOS Geico Caveman Ad featuring “Remind Me” by Röyksopp (2006) Remind Me: Röyksopp (2001) Volkswagen, Trio, Da Da Da (1997) Trio: Da Da Da (1982) EXTRAS App...

What makes a song decadent? Is it the banging build-up giving way to a glorious release? The urge to don a banana skirt or surrender to collapse in a bathtub of brandy? From glitter to dust and lugubrious Balkan brassy indie waltzes, we wade into the lush layers of musical decadence. Melancholy meets spectacle. Longing meets the dance floor. Find out why surrender sometimes feels like survival, and whether we’re living in a decadent moment ourselves. VIDEOS Babylon Berlin Soundtrack, Se...

Ah, the joy of an animated TV show. Whether watching a Saturday morning cartoon, something not quite suitable for children, or the classics from the days of yore, you can probably bet on one thing: you're gonna hear a bangin' theme song. From cool-cat jazz on the prowl to a bumbling, cyborg sleuth, we celebrate the cartoon earworms you can’t shake. VIDEOS Pink Panther Theme Song Inspector Gadget Theme Song EXTRAS Skeleton Dance - Silly Symphonies Pink Panic - Episode of Pink Panther Pin...

What if time travel was about chasing the music you wish you could’ve felt in real time? In this episode we daydream our way into those moments, hearing first notes and electric performances as if they were happening now. It’s complicated, it’s joyful, and it’s all about how music lets us bend time, and, of course, as always, our minds! VIDEOSGeorge Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (1927 Recording) James Brown: The Payback (1974 Live in Zaire) EXTRASLeonard Bernstein, Rhapsody in Blue (1976) Ja...

Sometimes holding a grudge isn’t the healthiest option, but indulging one for the length of a song? That might be just what the moment calls for. In this episode, we lean into defiance, righteous anger, and the sweet, private thrill of SINGING what you’d never actually say out loud. To our enemies… this one’s for you! VIDEOS Islands: I Feel Evil Creeping In (2008) Alaska y Dinarama: A Quién Le Importa (1986) EXTRAS Article About Serial Theme Song A Pesar de Todo Trailer Thalía at Latin...

This week, we are restless! Maybe that’s every week. On edge and buzzing, we talk through the moods and ways of being that come with that jittery energy, and the songs, of course, that match, and sometimes surpass it. VIDEOS Almendra: Ana No Duerme (1969) Parquet Courts: Master of my Craft (2012/3) EXTRAS Sean’s Music Hunt - Story of Almendra Tacks, the Boy Disaster - Frozen Feet Who Will Save Gen X Podcast Accelerated Culture Podcast Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song...

For most of us, going to a concert is a special kind of experience with so many unknowns: Will there be guests? Will you hear your favorite songs, or fresh material that gets you excited for a new album? Will you stand in front of someone who complains about you being too tall? Will someone ask you for a “swallow” of wine? Will you be moved to dance? Or cry? Will this be a night to remember? What turns a good show into an iconic performance? And when that iconic performance is at an ico...

We're back, baby! We took our first ever pod-break and we are ready for Season Two. To kick things off, we thought we ought to share some songs that are... well, not quite our typical style. Out of Character, if you will. VIDEOS Guns N Roses: You’re Crazy (1987) Thin Lizzy: Jailbreak (1976) EXTRAS You’re Crazy (Lies) Best Debut Albums of All Time (GNR Appetite for Destruction #8) The Story Behind the F-word in "You’re Crazy" Axl Rose’s Twitter Transformation Subreddit Survey - Best Vers...

Season 2 starts September 2, and yes, we are making a statement. About music. About meaning. About life and death. Stereothematica is back: dramatic, erratic, and occasionally bombastic. Connect with us on Instagram, Spotify, and Stereothematica.blog If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, and if you love it, a five-star rating and review would send us into the exosphere of excitement. Email us at stereothematica@gmail.com

We are on break until September 2, but we hope you’ll press play on this re-release of one of our favorite episodes. -- Ever love an album so much, you'd call it perfect—if it wasn't for that one skippable track? This week, Christina and Christine reveal the single songs they'd remove from a couple of their favorite records to create their ultimate no-skip albums. VIDEOS: Beach House: L’Inconnue, 7 (2018) David Bowie: Andy Warhol, Hunky Dory (1971) EXTRAS: Pitchfork album review...

We’re on a short break until September 2, so we’re rewinding our Mixtape episode. Please press play and relive the joy of swapping songs, discovering new favorites, and maybe falling for Devo all over again. -- This week on Stereothematica, we’re diving into the songs we first heard on mixtapes. Whether it was on a carefully curated cassette from a friend, a crush, or a burned CD passed around in high school, these are the tracks that hit different and never left our rotation. We get into the...

Songs can teach you things! Who knew? Our artists knew, obviously. And we've learned a few cautionary tales in addition to our picks this week. Like... don't drink and gamble. Don't be a bad dad! Guns? Not our favorite. But if you're gonna have them, don't take them to town! And above all, if you're a jerk husband like Earl, well, watch out! Our cautionary tale to you, dear listeners, is to stay in touch lest you want to make us sad. And we will be back September 2 with Season Two of Stereoth...

Today we are waxing nostalgic. Well, more like longing for a moment, a feeling, a history we never experienced. The Germans, of course, have a word for it: sehnsucht. In Korean, it's han, a soulful ache that can span generations. And in English? We’ve got anemoia (thanks to a somewhat newly made-up word rooted in Greek). Join us as we unpack this beautifully complicated feeling through music, memory (real and yearned for), and imagination. VIDEOS Kim Jung Mi: Haenim (1973) Karen Dalton:...

This week we tackle the songs we love with lyrics that confuddle us. Less, "what are they saying???" and more "what do they mean?!" VIDEOS The Replacements: Swinging Party (1984) Sabina Sciubba: Viva L’Amour (2014) EXTRAS When did drunks start wearing lampshades? VPM Interview with Sabina Sciubba (2024) Penelope and Mrs. Baskets at Costco The Pleasure of the Text (Not Christine's copy, but some of her favorite parts are underlined) Jung in the World discussion with Lewis Hyde Con...

Movie magic is back (again)! This time we’re talking sing-alongs! Not the big staged numbers, but those diegetic moments when characters just start singing along to a song because they must. Whether it’s in a bar, a bus, or a car, these are scenes that sneak up on you and stick around long after the credits roll. VIDEOS The Deer Hunter - Can’t Take My Eyes Off You Almost Famous - Tiny Dancer WHAT DOES NOT COUNT! Lip Syncing Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Twist and Shout Anything A ...

What happens when music refuses to stay in its lane? It gets some major Stereothematica love. This week Christina and Christine talk about the artists who blur boundaries, break molds, and bend genres in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable. These are sounds shaped by curiosity, contradiction, and a refusal to be easily defined. Videos: Arthur Russell: This is How We Walk on the Moon (1994) Yellow Magic Orchestra: Simoon (1979) Extras: Psycho Killer feat. Arthur Russell playing...

It’s our 25th episode! What better way to celebrate than with a chat about collaboration—the good, the weird, and the legendary. From surprise duets to global jams, we’re talking about musical magic-making that moves our bodies and minds and reassures us that just maybe humanity isn’t doomed after all. Thanks for being a part of the Stereothematica collaboration! VIDEOS David Byrne and Selena: God’s Child (Baila Conmigo) (1995) Khruangbin & Vieux Farka Touré: Tongo Barra (2022) EXTRAS Sa...

From the grief-fueled artistry of Ben Kweller to the soulful resurgence of Ethiopian legend Girma Bèyènè, this week, we get into the emotional power of musical comebacks—those triumphant, and sometimes tragic, returns to the spotlight. Videos: Ben Kweller: Dollar Store (2025) Girma Bèyènè & Akalé Wubé: Enkèn Yèlélèbesh (2017) Extras: Ben Kweller’s famous nosebleed at ACL 2006 Vulture’s Review of “Cover the Mirrors” Ben’s show at the Troubadour is on July 23! Girma Bèyènè: Enk...