Troy Sennett and Matt Kistler talk music through the lens of their favorite artists’ discographies, one album at a time.
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We're at the end of our Death Cab For Cutie series this week, discussing their latest album I Built You a Tower just a couple months after its release. We also go through a host of fascinating Ben Gibbard interviews and rank the Death Cab discography. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF095
Death Cab For Cutie spent the pandemic lockdown writing exquisite corpse-style and whittled ninety song ideas down into 2022's Asphalt Meadows. It's an album that surprises at every turn, and this week we discuss everything from Ben Gibbard tackling isolation and aging to Troy's least favorite Death Cab song and the acoustic reimagining of the full album. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF094
This week we're covering Death Cab For Cutie's Thank You For Today, the band's ode to middle age and Seattle. There's a lot to talk about in this era of Death Cab, from the process of writing with new band members Zac Rae and Dave Depper to the atmospheric production style to the knockout closing track. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF093
Our Death Cab For Cutie series continues this week with 2015's Kintsugi, as we break down their first time working with an outside producer, guitarist Chris Walla's departure from the band, and role of divorce and Los Angeles in Ben Gibbard's writing. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF092
This week we're covering Death Cab For Cutie's Codes and Keys, an experiment in minimal lyricism and making rock music without focusing on guitars, as well as the band's least fondly remembered era. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF091
This week we're joined by Broken Left Foot frontman Blake Correll to discuss Narrow Stairs, Death Cab For Cutie's dark and adventurous follow-up to Plans. With two of us fresh from a trip to see the band in Milwaukee, we cover Ben Gibbard's Kerouac-inspired lyrics, Chris Walla's hands-off approach to the production, and much more. Broken Left Foot on Bandcamp Blake's work on Northern Transmissions Like What You Like Open Windows: The Making of Narrow Stairs "The Meaning of Life" - Ben Gibbard's Paste essay on writing Narrow Stairs Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpo
Plans was Death Cab For Cutie's major label debut and remains their most enduring mainstream success. This week, we discuss the production process at the legendary Long View Farm studio, Ben Gibbard's heart-wrenching lyrics about love and death, and the album's impact on our lives to this day. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF089
We're back to Death Cab For Cutie this week, digging into their momentous, genre-defining album, Transatlanticism. We discuss the themes of distance and longing, the songs that remain playlist staples to this day, and try not to spoil too much of our upcoming Give Up episode. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF088
We're taking a break from Death Cab For Cutie to recap our favorite albums of the first half of 2026 and look forward to the rest of the year. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF087
Our Death Cab For Cutie series continues this week with The Photo Album. Released in 2001, it serves as the transition point between the early days and the massive success that would follow. We get into the rushed production, the TV show placements, and how we both might have liked this album even more had we heard it in high school. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF086
This week we're discussing Death Cab For Cutie's We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, a document of post-college life and an "interstitial" time in the band's career. We cover everything from the long process of recording the album at their parents' houses to changing drummers to the follow-up Forbidden Love EP. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF085
This week we're getting into Death Cab For Cutie's Something About Airplanes, their first proper album, their first release on Barsuk Records, and the beginning of their time as a full band. We cover how the highlights from You Can Play These Songs With Chords evolved, vocalist Ben Gibbard's reflections on the album, and more. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF084
Our series on Death Cab For Cutie begins this week with their demo album, You Can Play These Songs With Chords, as we explore the early days of the Pacific Northwest emo pioneers and how their scrappy, self-produced debut formed the foundation of a decades-long career. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF083
This week we're tackling a legendary single-album discography: Operation Ivy. We break down the enduring legacy of Energy, the band's place in punk and ska history, and touch on the EPs and bootlegs, from the pioneering Hectic to the unlistenable Ramones EP. Pick it up! Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF082
Our Mitski series concludes a discussion of her new album, Nothing's About To Happen To Me, from the exploration of a house as a metaphor for the mind to the influence of touring band from The Land on the record's sonic direction. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF081
This week we're joined by Allison Parssi for a discussion of The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, Mitski's 2023 foray into country and Americana and the source of her massive viral hit, "My Love Mine All Mine." We talk about the album's relationship to memory, its nighttime vibes, and the accompanying tour and concert film. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF080
Next up in our Mitski series is Laurel Hell, Mitski's sixth album and her return after a brief hiatus from music in late 2019. We discuss the synth-driven arrangements, how it builds on the success of Be the Cowboy, and its themes of transformation and vulnerability. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF079
We're joined by our friend Emily Csuy this week to discuss Be the Cowboy, Mitski's biggest album to date. We cover everything from our initial reactions (and how the album has grown with us over the years) to the surreal "Nobody" music video to the stunning, cinematic closing track. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF078
Our Mitski series continues this week with Puberty 2, her true breakout album and another visceral exploration of the balance of happiness and sadness. We talk through the songs, including the arguably perfect "Your Best American Girl," and our experiences seeing Mitski shows in the Puberty 2 era. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF077
This week we dig into Mitski's third album, Bury Me At Makeout Creek, and how exhaustion, picking up guitar, and a shift towards playing live informed the production of this modern indie classic. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF076
Mitski's second album, Retired From Sad, New Career In Business, expands on the foundations of Lush with a full orchestra, an accompanying visual album, and even more visceral, emotional songwriting. On this episode, we talk through the songs, the legacy of the album, and the feeling of being on the cusp of life after college. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF075
This week we're beginning a new series on Mitski with Lush, the first of two records made while the singer-songwriter was still in college. We get into the varied approaches to writing and arrangement, similarities to other "figuring it out" albums we've covered, and much more. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF074
DuJour means podcast! We're trying something a little different this week and digging into the soundtrack to the 2001 film Josie and the Pussycats. Produced by Babyface and Adam Schlesinger and featuring vocals by Kay Hanley, it's a treasure trove of power pop bangers. Heads up: We also discuss the movie with some spoilers. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF073
Our Janelle Monáe series comes to a close with The Age of Pleasure. We discuss the album's reggae influence, themes of sex and liberation, and the arc of Monáe's exciting career so far. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF072
We're joined by our friend Jenna Stworzyjanek to discuss Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe's most personal album yet. We go through the record's sonic evolution, the incisive lyrics, and the companion movie and short story collection. Find us on the internet:@NoiseFloorPod on Instagramnoisefloorpodcast.comSend us mail: noisefloorpodcast@gmail.com NF071
