Life of the Record

Apr 14 2025 49 ep. 83 mins 594

Life of the Record Podcast artwork

Classic albums, told by the people who made them.

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The Making of THE MONITOR by Titus Andronicus - featuring Patrick Stickles

Apr 14 2025 152 mins

For the 15th anniversary of the second Titus Andronicus album, The Monitor, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Patrick Stickles founded Titus Andronicus in Glen Rock, New Jersey in 2005, he worked with a rotating group of musicians, many of whom he had known in high school. By the time they were ready to record their first album, the lineup had coalesced around Stick

The Making of SET YOURSELF ON FIRE by Stars - feat. Torquil Campbell, Amy Millan, Evan Cranley...

Mar 09 2025 126 mins

For the 20th anniversary of Stars’ breakthrough third album, Set Yourself on Fire, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Torquil Campbell and Chris Seligman grew up together in Toronto, they formed Stars when they were living in New York City. Their first album, Nightsongs, was made with the help of their friends in Metric and several guest singers, including Amy Mill

The Making of I'M WIDE AWAKE, IT'S MORNING by Bright Eyes - featuring Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis

Jan 26 2025 128 mins

For the 20th anniversary of the sixth Bright Eyes album, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, we take a detailed look at how it was made. Conor Oberst began Bright Eyes in 1995 in Omaha, Nebraska as an outlet for his solo material that he had been writing as a teenager. He formed a partnership with Saddle Creek Records, a label founded by his brother Justin Oberst and Mike Mogis and b

The Making of MEAN EVERYTHING TO NOTHING by Manchester Orchestra - featuring Andy Hull

Jan 06 2025 103 mins

For the 15th anniversary of Manchester Orchestra’s second album, Mean Everything to Nothing, we take a detailed look at how it was made. The band started in 2004 as an outlet for Andy Hull’s songwriting that he was doing as a teenager growing up in Atlanta, Georgia. Hull connected with bassist Jonathan Corley and drummer Jeremiah Edmond and self-released their first EP in 2005.

The Making of AMERICAN FOOTBALL (S/T) - featuring Mike Kinsella, Steve Holmes and Steve Lamos

Dec 03 2024 121 mins

For the 25th anniversary of American Football (Self-Titled), we take a detailed look at how it was made. The origins of American Football began with Mike Kinsella’s band Cap’n Jazz, who were hugely influential in the punk scene in the Chicago suburbs. Steve Holmes went to high school with Kinsella and was inspired to learn guitar after watching Cap’n Jazz perform. Kinsella an

The Making of LONG AFTER DARK by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - featuring Mike Campbell, Stan Lynch, Adria Petty and Ryan Ulyate

Oct 29 2024 114 mins

In celebration of the new Deluxe Edtion of Long After Dark, the fifth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Tom Petty connected with Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench to form Mudcrutch in Gainesville, Florida in 1970, they ended up relocating to Los Angeles. There they were able to sign a deal with Shelter Records, but Mudc

The Making of NO NEED TO ARGUE by The Cranberries - featuring Fergal Lawler and Stephen Street

Oct 02 2024 101 mins

For the 30th anniversary of The Cranberries’ second album, NO NEED TO ARGUE, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After forming in Limerick, Ireland in 1989, with a different lead singer named Niall Quinn, the band initially took on the name The Cranberry Saw Us. When Quinn decided to leave the band, he recommended Dolores O’Riordan as a potential replacement. O’Riorda

The Making of FOOLISH by Superchunk - featuring Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance and Jim Wilbur

Sep 18 2024 100 mins

For the 30th anniversary of Superchunk’s fourth album, FOOLISH, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Superchunk got their start in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1989, they were becoming known for their catchy punk anthems and busy touring schedule. Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance had been a couple and formed Merge Records initially as a way to release their early s

The Making of THEY WANT MY SOUL by Spoon - featuring Britt Daniel, Jim Eno and Alex Fischel

Aug 18 2024 86 mins

For the 10th anniversary of Spoon’s 8th full-length album, They Want My Soul, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Spoon concluded their remarkable run of records in the early 2000s with 2010’s Transference, they took a much needed break. During this time, Britt Daniel formed Divine Fits with Dan Boeckner, while Jim Eno produced records for other artists. When Spoo

The Making of DIARY by Sunny Day Real Estate - feat. Jeremy Enigk, Dan Hoerner and William Goldsmith

Jul 09 2024 90 mins

For the 30th anniversary of Sunny Day Real Estate’s iconic debut album, DIARY, we take a detailed look at how it was made. After Dan Hoerner and Nate Mendel began playing music together in Seattle in 1992, they asked William Goldsmith to join on drums, despite the fact that he was already playing in three other bands at the time. When Mendel went on tour with another band, they a