You, Me and An Album

Send us Fan Mail
On this episode, singer/songwriter/guitarist/economist Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly, Swansea Sound, Catenary Wires, Talulah Gosh) introduces Al to Girls at Our Best’s 1981 album Pleasure. Amelia revisits her teenage fandom of Girls at Our Best!, and she explains why they were—and continue to be—one of her favorite bands. She also talks about how their songwriting style has influenced her approach to writing songs and how that is reflected in Heavenly’s work. Amelia discusses several of the songs on Heavenly’s new album, Highway to Heavenly, and talks about how the recent virality of their 1993 song “P.U.N.K. Girl” contributed to the band’s reuniting. Finally, Amelia explains how balancing her careers as a musician and economist can sometimes be challenging.
You can keep up with Amelia, Heavenly and her Skep Wax label in the following places:

Instagram @ameliafletcher56, @heavenlyindie, @skepwax
Facebook @amelia.fletcher.980, @HeavenlyGroupOfficial
Tiktok @heavenlyindie
https://www.skepwax.com/

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
1:25 Amelia’s introduction
2:30 Amelia explains why she chose Pleasure for this episode
3:57 Amelia recalls how she first got into Girls at Our Best!
8:12 Amelia was not fooled by the band’s name
9:02 Amelia singles out the aspects of the band’s music that initially appealed to her
12:26 Amelia and Al share their observations about the album’s lyrics
17:26 Girls at Our Best! were influential to the sound of Heavenly
18:16 What ever happened to Girls at Our Best!?
23:00 Amelia likes other bands from the Leeds scene
25:29 Amelia and Al talk about their favorite tracks from Pleasure
30:48 Al noticed the connection between the songwriting style on Pleasure and on Highway to Heavenly
32:03 Is “Portland Town” based on Amelia’s experience?
34:20 Amelia talks about the real-life events she wrote about in “The Last Day”
38:11 The songs on Highway to Heavenly cover a wide range of moods
40:18 Amelia discusses Heavenly’s tour plans
41:30 Amelia explains why Heavenly decided to return to touring and recording
45:10 Amelia talks about her dual careers in music and economics

Outro music is from “Deflicted” by Heavenly.
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Austin-based producer, engineer, singer-songwriter and educator Matt Smith joins Al for the second part of their conversation. (You can hear the first part, in which they discuss Robert Plant’s Mighty ReArranger, on the previous episode.) This time around, Matt talks about the features of music that he enjoys listening to, his approach as a music producer and what he aimed to achieve as a songwriter on his latest album …this is not okay…

Learn more about Matt and his work at https://www.mattsmithsworld.net/.
You can also get information on Matt’s studio and music school, Six String Ranch, in the following places.
Website: https://6stringranch.com/
Facebook: @6stringranch
YouTube: @6stringranch148
Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
1:00 Matt shares what he looks for in the music he listens to
3:44 Matt talks about his approach to producing music at his studio
9:57 Matt explains how the focus of his songwriting has changed over time
13:18 Matt talks about how his last three albums reflect his feelings about the political climate over the last decade
23:28 Matt also wrote about the loss of his parents on …this is not okay…
29:52 Matt explains why he consciously tempered the angry tone of the album
33:46 Matt talks about his various educational forums

Outro music is from “Bad Man” by Matt Smith.
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Austin-based producer, engineer, singer-songwriter and educator Matt Smith joins Al to talk about Robert Plant’s 2005 album, Mighty ReArranger. Matt discusses why he chose this album for his short list of albums to talk about, and Al explains why he picked Mighty ReArranger from the albums on Matt’s list. Matt talks about the elements that make this album a high point in Plant’s solo discography and the role that members of Portishead played in making the album.

Learn more about Matt and his work at https://www.mattsmithsworld.net/.
You can also get information on Matt’s studio and music school, Six String Ranch, in the following places.
Website: https://6stringranch.com/
Facebook: @6stringranch
YouTube: @6stringranch148

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
2:35 Matt’s introduction
4:09 Matt and Al talk about how they arrived at deciding to talk about Mighty ReArranger
10:26 Matt explains how Plant incorporated elements of world music into the songs on the album
14:13 Matt makes note of the parts of the album that harken back to Led Zeppelin
18:36 Matt and Al talk about the challenges Plant faced when he began his solo career
23:04 Matt has a theory about why Plant was able to reach new heights as a solo artist on Mighty ReArranger
28:34 Matt discusses how he borrows from music that he admires
33:31 Matt compares the arcs of Plant’s and Jimmy Page’s solo careers
35:02 Matt breaks down various sections of “The Enchanter”
39:31 Matt talks about “Freedom Fries” and the counting trick he learned from Trey Anastasio
42:25 Matt discusses the origins of the guitar pattern and rhythm on “Mighty ReArranger”
46:51 Matt talks about the lengths to which he geeks out on musical analysis

Outro music is from “World Is a Wheel” by Matt Smith.
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, TV and film composer, radio show host and podcaster Ben Vaughn drops by to introduce Al to Alex Chilton’s 1979 debut solo album Like Flies on Sherbert. Ben talks about the negative impression he got the first time he was exposed to Chilton, when he appeared on a local 1960s television show in Philadelphia, and how he eventually became a fan, friend and collaborator of Chilton’s. He explains why he thinks Like Flies on Sherbert is Chilton’s best album, digging into several of the album’s tracks and discussing the circumstances under which the album was recorded. Ben also talks about his recently-launched podcast Straight From The Hat, as well as his upcoming album with Deer Tick.

Follow Ben on Instagram! He’s at @benvaughnmusic.
You can also learn more about Ben and his work on his website https://benvaughn.org/.
Ben also mentioned that Straight From The Hat has a website. Check out episodes and the extra goodies that Ben talked about at straightfromthehat.com.

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
The first eight episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
1:48 Ben’s introduction
3:00 Ben revisits his earliest memories of Chilton
6:59 Ben shares the story of how he got introduced to Big Star
9:27 Ben explains how he first heard Like Flies on Sherbert
14:43 Ben talks about the circumstances under which Like Flies on Sherbert was made, as he learned from Chilton himself
18:09 Ben discusses the eclecticism of the album
21:06 Al talks about the album’s different versions
23:33 Al shares his reaction to the album
25:17 Ben talks about the musicians who played on Like Flies on Sherbert and the challenges they must have faced
27:48 Ben discusses the mysterious quality of the title track
30:10 Ben and Al talk about how the album feels unfinished
32:10 Ben explains why he thinks the album resonated with him
33:38 Ben talks about how he became friends with Chilton and how he and Chilton wound up working with Alan Vega
43:12 Chilton’s music used to be hard to find
49:53 Ben discusses the origins of his new podcast Straight From The Hat
57:21 Ben shares news of an upcoming release with Deer Tick

Outro music is from “Magdalena ’94 (live)” by Ben Vaughn.
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Vermont-based singer, composer, guitarist, dancer and poet Hannah Frances joins Al to introduce him to Fiona Apple’s 2012 album The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (aka The Idler Wheel…). Hannah talks about her earliest experiences with listening to The Idler Wheel… and why the album made such an impression on her. She and Al delve into several of the album’s tracks, and they highlight what they enjoy about Apple’s lyrics, vocal delivery and instrumentation in general. Hannah also discusses her most recent album Nested in Tangles as well as her recent and upcoming shows and projects, including her Landscapes of Song workshop.
Correction: Al made an incorrect reference to Hannah's album Nested in Tangles as Nestled in Tangles.
To find Hannah’s music, videos, merch and more, visit her website https://hannahfrancesmusic.com/. As mentioned on this episode, you will also be able to purchase the on-demand version of Hannah’s Landscapes of Song songwriting workshop via her website soon.
You can follow Hannah on Instagram and Substack at @hannahfracesmusic.

Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. 
The first eight episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.
To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.
2:02 Hannah’s introduction
2:38 Does Vermont need a new state seal?
3:17 Hannah talks about how she got introduced to The Idler Wheel…
5:53 Hannah explains why she chose to discuss The Idler Wheel…
8:27 Hannah discusses the personal loss that changed her music listening
13:27 Hannah revisits one of the first times she had listened to the album
17:01 Hannah explains why she thinks Apple’s anger is part of what makes The Idler Wheel… an important album
20:33 Hannah and Al find Apple’s lyrical directness appealing
23:10 Hannah explains why she needs to hear the album in full

Discussion of specific tracks:
23:59 Daredevil/Valentine
27:09 Werewolf
30:20 Periphery
31:58 Regret

34:05 Hannah contrasts Apple’s approach on The Idler Wheel… to Fetch the Bolt Cutters and Extraordinary Machine
37:06 Al and Hannah comment on the variety in the use of percussion across the tracks on The Idler Wheel…
42:07 Hannah sums up what she loves about The Idler Wheel…
42:57 Hannah talks about the sonic and lyrical landscapes of Nested in Tangles
46:08 Hannah explains how she consciously wanted to defy genre labels
51:10 Hannah talks about how Joni Mitchell is an inspiration for her
54:38 Hannah discusses how her love of progressive rock impacts her own music
56:47 Hannah shares her upcoming plans for live and recorded music
1:00:43 Hannah talks about her recent songwriting workshop

Outro music is from “Falling From and Further” by Hannah Frances.
Support the show