The Ripple Effect: The Music Commentary Radio Show  

Kevin:
A few come to mind. The first one was probably when I heard “…And Justice for All” in 6th grade. Again about 2 years later when I heard “Disco Volante” by Mr. Bungle. Another a few years after that when I heard “Red” by King Crimson. Finally, last year when I heard “Barriers and Passages” by Dysrhythmia and “World Class Listening Problem” by Don Caballero.

Matt:
Tool’s Aenima really opened my eyes to what you could do with heavy music. The marrying of metal with atmosphere was so unique to me, and I think it really influenced a lot of what we did at the time. Bjork also surprised me with how intimate she could be in her vocals. Songs on Post and Homogenic were the most personal things I’d ever heard, and I felt like she was telling the world exactly what was going on inside her head and her heart, bearing her soul to all. Nowadays they just call that blogging…Meshuggah and Dillinger Escape Plan definitely expanded my understanding of rhythm. And Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring just all around kicked my ass. I think I tried to emulate that piece (poorly) for about a year. In that vein, Rachmaninov 2 taught me a lot about using themes. Failure’s Fantastic Planet is my favorite album to this day. Melody, impact, atmosphere, lyrics…it’s all there. Oh, and Isis’ Oceanic as well as Converge’s Jane Doe set new standards for me in terms of a complete and cohesive album. Those albums really feel like one song from beginning to end.

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