Join us for an expertly meandering 20-minute warm-up during which we forget what we’re meant to be doing, then suddenly remember we’re here to talk about Formaldehyde by Terrorvision.
Neil celebrates his birthday by buying his own fruit pastilles and reminiscing about heated car seats, while Chris contemplates the joys of nice soap and avoiding Glastonbury. Eventually, we discuss the album, including the bassist’s optimistic confession that there was “no plan B”—which, with hindsight, explains quite a lot.
Expect tangents, family chaos, a suspicious lack of rock and roll, and actual facts about Formaldehyde if you listen long enough.
Riffology: come for the music, stay for the back pain anecdotes.
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1:24:36
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1:24:36
RIFF054 - Feeder - Polythene
This week, we attempt to remember how podcasts actually start and then promptly forget what we were talking about. Join us as we take a meandering, moderately reverent stroll through Feeder’s debut album Polythene—the record that had us singing “High,” even if no one else asked for it (or knew what it was).
We chat about setlists that audiences never wanted, the confusing popularity of “Mr. Brightside” at every acoustic night, and what it’s like to fall in love with an album about two decades after everyone else did.
It’s got nostalgia and the usual accidental insight and chaos you know and love.
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1:16:15
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1:16:15
RIFF053 - Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
This week, we fulfil a long-standing listener request (hello, Lindsay) and dig into Manic Street Preachers’ Everything Must Go. Expect the usual blend of forensic music analysis and complete shambles, as we celebrate Lindsay’s loyalty, discuss how long we’ve been doing this (answers vary from three to seventy-five years), and try to work out what day it is.
Chris reveals his secret life as a Download Festival rock star, we reminisce about Monster Shop, Dog House, and all our previous attempts at podcast branding, and then lose several minutes to the technicalities of coin tossing with a key fob. (Spoiler: it does not go smoothly.)
Other highlights: debating the merits of Apocalyptica’s cello-based Metallica covers, the agony of coming up with a new sign-off, and realising—eventually—that Riffology is now an actual thing, at least according to Google.
Dry, meandering, and occasionally insightful, as ever.
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1:43:24
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1:43:24
RIFF052 - Ash - 1977
It’s another barely-controlled episode as we tackle Ash’s 1977: part Britpop nostalgia, part forensic Wikipedia investigation. We discuss what melisma is (with a Beyoncé impression you won’t soon forget), why half the world has never heard of The Wildhearts, and the challenges of figuring out exactly what’s on an album when even the band can’t be bothered to send a proper tracklist.
There’s music theory, sort of. There’s podcast admin, if you’re into that. And there’s a group laugh breakdown that lasts longer than some Ash singles.
Come for the facts, stay for the confused riffing, and enjoy the kind of musical insight you can only get when two people openly admit they’re winging it.
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1:44:08
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1:44:08
RIFF051 - The Wildhearts - Earth Versus The Wildhearts
On this episode of Riffology, Neil and Chris dive into The Wildhearts and the lasting legacy of 90s alternative rock. Expect stories about band t-shirts as badges of honour, the curious truth behind Loughborough’s Left Legged Pineapple, and a healthy amount of nostalgia for the days when discovering a band felt like joining a secret club. Along the way, there’s plenty of debate, music memories, and the occasional detour into other classic albums. If The Wildhearts have ever found their way onto your playlist—or your wardrobe—this one’s for you.
México