Sounding Bored

In the penultimate episode of 2016, Ben and Rob welcome Brian Guerin to discuss the current state of live music from the personal, cultural, socal, economic and performance point of view. LP of the month is Honeyblood's Babes Never Die.

Episode 10 of the pod sees Mike Gibbons join Ben and Rob to talk about Manchester as a music city;Joy Division, The Smiths, Take That, Northside and more. Album of the month is Aussies Jagwar Ma's Every Now and Then.

In Episode 9 of the pod, Ben Woolhead and Rob Langham are joined by fervent Nirvana fan David Cox to reflect upon the band's landmark release Nevermind after a quarter of a century. Album of the month is Angel Olsen's My Woman.

In Episode 8 of the pod, the team take the opportunity to assess the impact of online streaming on music by placing Spotify and other providers under the microscope. Are they a force for good? LP of the month this time out is Toronto band Pup's The Dream is Over.

For Episode 7 of the pod, Amy Laurens joins Ben and Rob to discuss the enduring influence of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds after half a century and the importance of production to music, concentrating on some of the masters of the art. Album of the month is Bat For Lashes' The Bride.

In the sixth episode of the pod, the team assess the current festival scene and how it compares to those of yesteryear while highlighting the variety of experiences on offer including glamping, posh nosh, poetry and nary a mention of a toilet. The album of the month up for discussion is James Blake's The Colour in Anything.

In the fifth installment of the podcast, the team welcome Ronan Munro, founder and editor of Oxford music magazine Nightshift and use a wider discussion of the city's musical impact to lead into analysis of Radiohead's ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool.

In the pod's fourth episode, the team run the rule over Wire's 15th LP Nocturnal Koreans, pick their favourite albums of the year so far and bemoan the cancellation of Drive Like Jehu's curation of the All Tomorrow's Parties event. Follow us on twitter at @soundingbored69 and subscribe on iTunes.

In Episode 3 of Sounding Bored, Niall Kennedy, Rob Langham and Ben Woolhead run the rule over Anna Meredith's stunning album Varmints, pause to reflect on the death of Prince and discuss the future of the record store in the wake of 2016's Record Store Day. Follow the team on twitter at @soundingbored69

In our second episode, Ben, Niall and Rob discuss Field Music's new LP, Commontime, analyse the impact of Primal Scream's Screamadelica after 25 years and use the latter as a launch pad to discuss Glasgow's rich contribution as a music city.