118 - Tantric Celibacy (She's So High)

This week we take on BTO royalty and totally-real human, Tal Bachman, and the totally-normal story behind his hit single “She’s So High.”

We address the overbearing wholesomeness of 90’s pop rock in general and resolute niceguy-ness in these lyrics, take a dive into Michael Muñoz’s history with NOW Thats What I Call Music, and explain why KIDZ BOP is objectively the superior franchise

We also discover the shocking truth behind the name “Bachman,” dissect a music video that cant quite pull the trigger on its hyper-literal concept, and I present a thoeory about the lyrics that involves neither the drugs, class barriers, or nice-guyism that Tal would have you believe.

Music We Like: The Stills’ “Logic Will Break Your Heart,” Hot Water Music’s “Light It Up," and Metz’ “Strange Peace,”

117 - Fudgefinger (Primer 55 - Loose)

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This week we have a super fun episode about a song you probably don't remember by a band you definitely don’t remember: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX’s “Loose” by Primer 55. 

We analyze the “new style” found in probably the most generic rap metal song in existence, aided and abetted by Incubus’s DJ and hed PE’s Jarod Gomes. What does “get loose” mean in this context? Why doesn't this vocalist sound the least bit loose?

Also: literal nu metal cringe, decoding the sexual messaging behind particular hairstyles in the nu metal community, contracting conjunctivitis in a push pit, an odd amount of singer J-Sin’s personal acquaintances in the comment section.

Music We Like: Lil Uzi Vert’s “Luv Is Rage 2” and Old Baby’s “Love Hangover”

116 - My Chemical Valentine (Mindless Self Indulgence - Shut Me Up)

This week we revisit the sick & twisted mind of Jimmy Urine and Mindless Self Indulgence with their 2005 single "Shut Me Up." Is this the most shocking band we've ever covered?

This isn't your daddy or mommy's episode of That Awful Sound, and we get offensive as hell as Emma traces her contamination with the MSI virus back to a single Juggalette on LiveJournal.

We try and fail to censor Mr. Urine's over-the-top lyrics about drinking black coffee and about how music has both bass and treble; question his purported love of black metal; and gasp at totally rAnDoM acts of violence in the music video, which was directed by the creator of Invader Zim, is DEFINITELY on drugs, and helped a youtube commentator finally realize class consciousness and anti-racism.

Music We Like: Mogwai - "Every Country’s Sun", Graham Nash - "Songs For Beginners," Neil Young - "Hitchhiker"

115 - The Gynoid Is High (Orgy - Fiction aka Dreams in Digital)

This week we get too drunk and cover Nu Nu Metal band Orgy and their y2k cybergoth single, “Fiction (Dreams in Digital).” 

Our guest Kevan describes the complications of buying an Orgy CD as a minor, we discuss how art in general has a bad track record of portraying comas as “beautiful” (including cultural titans like The Mars Volta and Monkeybone), we give competing theories about whether this song is about A.I. or a G.G. (Gamer Girlfriend), Jay Gordon removes his ribs for a different reason, and Emma gives the worldwide debut performance of a parody version of the song I found online that takes late-90’s establishment Democrats to task.

Music We LIke: Racetraitor’s “By The Time I Get To Pennsylvania,” Godflesh’s “Songs of Love and Hate in Dub,” and Vijay Iyer Sextet’s “Far from Over”

114 - Danger Cracker (Hoobastank - The Reason)

This week we’re taking on Hoobastank and their gigantic, sorry-about-the-domestic-violence mega-hit, “The Reason,” whose music video features an inexplicable jewel heist. (probably a good idea in retrospect)

My guest Michael remembers this being the moment his beloved Hoobastank “sold out”, we draw a definitive line between real music and fake music, I remember being forced to sing Christian parodies of popular secular songs (like this one), lead singer DougRobb sings a Sonic the Hedgehog theme about fistbumping, and much more.

Music We Like: Joni Mitchel, The Roches, & Brand New’s “Science Fiction”

Support the show for as little as $1/month and get weekly bonus episodes (including all past bonus episodes) in a private feed on your podcast app: Patreon.com/thatawfulsound

113 - Limp Bizkit - Mission Impossible II Theme (AKA Now I know Why You Wanna Hate Me AKA Take A Look Around)

We're back from vacation! This week we're talking about Limp Bizkit's intensely lame stab at the Mission Impossible theme, which, for some reason, is called "Take A Look Around" and almost entirely about hitting back at critics.

I talk about how this song definitely affected me for the worse, John Woo's bizarre entry into the Mission Impossible canon, and the painfully uneventful music video directed by Fred Durst himself.

Music We Like: Meat Wave's "The Incessant," Chipmunks on 16 speed, Tay-K, and Trouble

112 - Cthulhu Bath Bomb (Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country)

This week we revisit the song that made my guest rip off his Avenged Sevenfold shirt, peel off his fingerless gloves, and stomp on his leather fedora flat: “Bat Country”

We discuss the Guns N Rose-ification of the band on their third album, the time my high school English teacher made me turn their shirt inside out, and their choice to honor Hunter S Thompson with CGI bat wings and weirdly phallic, reptilian stripper tails.

Also: incessant over-the-top drumming, phrase after boring phrase coined in the lyrics, embarrassing listener comments from the Facebook group and an overly supportive stepdad in the youtube comments

Music We Like: Royal Blood’s “Hook Line and Sinker,” Royal Headache’s “Royal Headache,” Lemonheads “The Lemonheads,” Propagandhi’s “Victory Lap,” and Boris’s “Dear”

111 - Amateur Tools (311 - Don't Stay Home)

This week we return to the abundant well of 311, with the much-too-pleasant lead single from their 1995 self-titled album, “Don’t Stay Home.”

Emma has to create a new ranking system to convey exactly how much she loves this band, we feel pity for whatever stoner Nick Hexum is condescending to in these lyrics, we get latin double-time breaks to rival even those of Led Zeppelin, and the video, while boring, contains two elements crucial to the success of this podcast.

We get one of the wildest metaphors yet in these lyrics, discover the 311 section of youtube commentariat, and introduce what I hope will be a running segment: Archived FAQs from 311.com

Music We Actually Like: Dwarr’s “Animals,” 21 Savage’s “Issa Album,” and Protomartyr’s “A Private Understanding”

110 - Forced Anthem (Jordan Knight - Give It To You)

This week my guest Leigh tells us about being “indoctrinated” into the world of New Kids On The Block by an over-enthusiastic Blockhead cousin, and we discuss the lyrically reprehensible and musically unreasonable “Give It To You” by Jordan Knight.

We uncover Robin Thicke, Alan Thicke, and Donnie Wahlberg's roles in this supremely creepy “forced anthem,” we get an unreliable, secondhand account from Jordan Knight assuring us that his conquest did indeed “want this,” and how his history with NKOTB might've created the sense entitlement we hear in these lyrics.

Movies(?!) We Like: Baby Drive and One More Time With Feeling

109 - I Am Claus (Aqua - Barbie Girl)

This week we’re revisiting “Barbie Girl,” the anomalous, insanely popular European dance song by Danish band Aqua. 

My guest Angie remembers associating this song with “evil” and “pain,” Emma relates her thorough knowledge of Barbie and Ken’s anatomy, and together we explore the overall weirdness of this fairly sexual song built around a children’s toy.

We’ve got courtroom controversy, misheard and misunderstood lyrics, an extremely interesting shaved head, lots of misguided rage in the youtube comments, and plenty of terrible parody videos.

“I don’t think anybody liked this song. It just happened to all of us.”

108 - Polygod (Blindside - Pitiful)

This week we discuss our second Christian song in two weeks (the first of course being OPM’s seminal hit “Heaven is a Halfpipe”), “Pitiful” by Blindside, Christianity’s answer to Refused. 

Emma shares her memories of relating to this song despite her secular upbringing, and guest Michael Muñoz describes not recognizing the religious themes of this song despite his Christian upbringing. We dive into amazing lyrics about nails being driven into “beautiful hands,” and try to figure out how a devout Christian band can be filled with so much angst.

Also: we finally get to see whats going on outside of the “rotating room” music video trope, the uncomfortable master/slave dynamic between singer Christian and his namesake, and the lyrical twist that serves as the crux of these lyrics but also doesn't quite work.

102 - We Can, In Shallow Bay (Orgy - Blue Monday)

It's fairly ironic (or is it appropriate?) that I was unable to release this episode yesterday, because Emma Maatman and I are revisiting “Blue Monday,” Orgy’s “aggro-fied-for-the-1990s” version of the New Order classic.

We cover the angst-filled tone-shift in this incarnation of the song, harsh puns in the lyrics, and have an in-depth discussion about the intense makeup situation going on in this pretty-good music video.

Plus: genius.com contributors argue bitterly over who the real victims are in these lyrics, Wikipedia credits Orgy for The Matrix, Buckcherry starts beef with the band, Rihanna releases a covert cover of the cover that we discovered, and of course, plenty of wild comments from youtube and songmeanings.

Music We Like: Kamasi Washington’s “The Epic” and a huge helping of Afghan Whigs, including their new album, “In Spades”

101 - Prove Your Worth Through Dance (Spice Girls - Wannabe)

This week it's a ridiculously fun episode on Spice Girls' Wannabe from 1996. Emma laments having to be the Baby Spice in her friend group; I discover the stigma against my childhood crush, Sporty Spice; we reveal the strange and wonderful etymology of "zigazig ha," as well as the sordid pasts that the Girls want you to forget.

Also: charitable and WILDLY uncharitable interpretations of the song’s confusing message, the sociopathic behavior exhibited by the group in a music video with unsettling parallels to A Clockwork Orange, and an extra long, extra perverted comment section.

Music We Like: Gnarwhal's Crucial, Animal Collective's 2009 EP Fall Be Kind, and Ides of Gemini's new album Women

100 - Jesse James Hetfield & The Hot Rod Dads (Metallica - Memory Remains)

It's the 100th Episode Spectacular! We're returning to our roots by covering one of our favorite targets: Metallica and another Load-era, mid-tempo slogger, "The Memory Remains." Possibly more importantly, we're also covering the new Hetfield-narrated, moralizing documentary "Addicted to Porn: Chasing the Cardboard Butterfly." That's a real title, and we don't know what it means.

We find surprisingly competent lyrics (probably not written by James) as well as expectedly cliche lyrics (definitely written by James), all of which tell the story of an aging, washed-up celebrity desperately clinging to the vestiges of her fame, and played by singer Marianne Faithful in the video.

Was it an insult to offer her this gig? Does Metallica realize the irony in the subject matter? Is Faithful the reason that the Rolling Stones pop up so much in this episode? Is Lars' drumming even worse than usual?

Plus: we briefly go over the amazing aforementioned documentary that attempts to protect the "beautiful essence of women," as exhibited in the wife who wants to gouge out her husband's eyes for watching porn. We also discover some of James amazing late-in-life tattoos, and I get Szyslak'd by a listener email.

Thank you so much to everyone for helping me make it to 100 episodes! This is the funnest thing I've ever done, and I hope I can do at least 100 more.

99 - Birthday Shower (Methods of Mayhem - Get Naked)

This week it's a thoroughly disgusting episode of That Awful Sound: we’re revisiting the undiluted raunch in Methods of Mayhem’s “Get Naked.” Tommy Lee flops around naked in a bucket hat. Lil Kim rides a giant mechanical rooster. Fred Durst, George Clinton, and Mixmaster Mike chip away at their varying degrees of dignity by making cameos. 

Also: angry/horny youtube commenters, cgi nipples, plenty of racism, and Anthony Tomato responds to our Mest episode on instagram.

“This music video is bad for you”

“It’s bad. It’s not like junk food, it’s not like a Snickers bar, its like putting gasoline in your body”

98 - Flagellate (Creed - My Own Prison)

This week we're revisiting the unreliable witnesses in Creed and their utterly sour lead single, My Own Prison. 

We're chatting about how they fit into our christian (or non-Christian) backgrounds, the band's absurd claim that they aren't actually a "christian band," and how Scott Stapp’s narcissism seeps through these overtly pious lyrics.

Music we like: The Mountain Goats and Pile's "A Hairshirt of Purpose"