uswithoutThem

Dec 01 2024 44 ep. 98 mins 32

uswithoutThem Podcast artwork

The uswithoutThem Podcast explores the musical output of one of the greatest bands of the 21st century: mewithoutYou. Hosts Nic Houle, Steven Eiler, and Joel Harrison each bring their love of mewithoutYou and some specific expertise to their song-by-song analysis of the mewithoutYou discography. Steven, a music theory educator and expert, breaks down the musical themes of each track and draws connections between songs and albums. Joel, a Ph.D. in religion with expertise in philosophy of religion and Christianity, explains the lyrical themes and the connections to and critiques of evangelical Christianity. Nic, a devoted mewithoutYou listener and Tolkien reader, ties these threads together with the perspective of the average mwY fan listening to the podcast.

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Introducing uswithoutThem

Feb 16 2022 2 mins

The trailer for a new podcast launching March 8, 2022 exploring the musical output of one of the greatest bands of the 21st century: mewithoutYou. It's uswithoutThem.

S1|E1: What Do We Do Without mewithoutYou?

Mar 07 2022 63 mins

Welcome to uswithoutThem! In this inaugural episode, Nic, Joel, and Steven introduce the podcast and themselves and talk about the legacy of mewithoutYou, how they got into the band, and some of the things they're most excited about digging into over the course of the entire series. Please consider rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple and Spotify!For more info about the podcas

S1|E2: [A--＞B] Life

Mar 07 2022 54 mins

The guys introduce the record for Season 1, [A--B] Life, discussing musical influences and connections from Hildegard of Bingen to Slint's Spiderland and the plan to use Søren Kierkegaard's Either/Or as a potential lens through which to interpret the record. Steven also floats an interesting Tarantino-esque theory for how we can understand the narrative order of the tracks. Pleas

S1|E3: Bullet to Binary

Mar 14 2022 79 mins

Joel, Nic, and Steven dive into "Bullet to Binary," the first track from [A--B] Life, and discuss Islamic mysticism, break-ups at 20 years old, John Carpenter's Halloween theme, and the operas of Henry Purcell. Please consider rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple and Spotify! For more info about the podcast, including show notes, short blogs, and host info, visit our website:

S1|E4: The Ghost

Mar 22 2022 77 mins

This week Steven, Nic, and Joel discuss "The Ghost" and dig deeper into their narrative theory for the record. The book of Job, Kurt Vonnegut, circus music--they get into it all! Please consider rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple and Spotify! For more info about the podcast, including show notes, short blogs, and host info, visit our website: uswithoutthempod.com Join our Fa

S1|E5: Nice and Blue

Mar 29 2022 90 mins

This week, the boys discuss track three from [A--B] Life, "Nice and Blue." They talk about healing from emotional pain, wine and wineskins, and the use of the chromatic mediant in Franz Schubert and The Doors. Has the Narrator finally made the turn from the aesthetic life to the ethical? Or did he truly miss what he was supposed to learn? Please consider rating and reviewing the po

S1|E6: Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

Apr 05 2022 89 mins

This episode is PACKED. We get a primer on John Donne and the metaphysical poets of 16th c. England, an explanation of the oft misquoted Vonnegut line from which this track takes its title, and discussions of 90s emo, 9/11, Bach, Orpheus, Cornerstone memories, mewithoutYou fashion, and much, MUCH more. Strap in, because this is definitely the best episode so far! Please consider ra

S1|E7: (A)

Apr 12 2022 41 mins

A whole episode on an instrumental track that's less than a minute long? Preposterous! Impossible! Unthinkable! WELL THINK AGAIN! We did it, y'all. It's not the 90 minutes you've gotten the last few episodes, but it's a solid 42 minutes breaking down this instrumental transition--a musical vortex, if you will--into what we're arguing is the beginning of the narrative of the album.

S1|E8: Gentleman

Apr 27 2022 53 mins

That's right. We said we would come back, and now we're back, and we hope you enjoyed your time alone. But you're not alone now, because Nic, Joel, and Steven are going to come and whisper in your ear, my dear, "It'll be alright!" We may or may not be lying about that (the whispering.)The gentlemen dive into a discussion of "Gentleman," the midpoint of the record, but the beginning

S1|E9: Be Still, Child

May 04 2022 83 mins

Missionary relationships, Nirvana, and Mozart's Don Giovanni. What do they have in common? We think you already know the answer. The boys cover a surprisingly large amount of territory on the seventh track from [A--B] Life, "Be Still, Child." We're half way through the season! Please consider rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple, Google, and Spotify! For more info about the po