That’s Dissect podcast host Cole Cuchna on the strength of his original idea for the show. And it’s him in a nutshell. Geniune surprise that he’s been able to garner such an audience for a show that does such deep dives.

Instead of creating something made for the masses, podcast creators can dive into something niche, self-described as “nerdy”, and still become a hit. Chances are if you’re incredibly interested in a particular subject others likely are as well.

We tend to find our tribe. That’s why everyone should consider having a podcast.

What Makes the Dissect Special?

Essentially, it’s the format coupled with a host that bleeds music. More important to the success of the show is our host bleeds music analysis.

If you’ve ever sat at a bar in college, or gone to a party, the topic of your favorite music is likely going to come up. The discussion will be wide-ranging and dive deeper than you thought possible. At least that’s been my experience.

That’s what makes the Dissect Podcast so important to a devoted audience.

Cuchna grew up loving music. Having seen Jimmi Hendrix light his guitar on fire at the impressionable age of 12, the seeds for what this show would become were planted early.

As a self taught guitarist (a man after my own heart), Cole would spend hours learning by playing music he loved. After spending his formative years playing in rock bands, touring around, and sleeping on dirty floors near dive bars, Cole hit a wall. A creative wall. A musical wall.

So, he did the natural thing. He quit the band and enrolled in at San Jose State University to study music theory. Years of classical music is an eye opening experience for a dirty punk rock kid.

But that experience informs the show’s format. Pairing the love of music with the proper bona fides is what makes the Dissect podcast such a hit.

The Dissect Podcast Format

The Dissect podcast seasons are a breakdown of an entire album. Each song on the album is taken apart in an individual episode that is roughly 45 minutes to an hour long.

That is impressive unto itself. Spending an hour teasing out what makes a particular song is no easy feat, but Cole does a fantastic job. This is also impressive because he was creating part-time when the show started.

“I was binging these Great Courses series. Every episode is a lecture and a full course would be sixteen to twenty of these lectures to download and listen to. I thought, ‘Oh I’ll just do that, but surround it around an album where one song would be an episode.’”

Of course, he doesn’t do it alone. As the years have gone on, and the show has gained more steam, Cuchna has been able to master his craft by bringing on subject matter experts to flesh out the project.

His growth from rock to a genuine appreciation and love of all things musical jumps out at the listener.

As a rock background person myself, it wasn’t until I went on a similar journey into classical and hip-hop that I was able to see the unifying bonds that music provides. Getting out of your silo helps broaden your horizons.

Cole Cuchna’s experience is much the same. And it’s what allows the Dissect Podcast In Rainbow’s season to gel with Season 6’s focus on Beyonce’s album Lemonade. These are two artists that know a thing or two about breaking out of a genre silo.

Our Favorite Dissect Seasons

No discussion of this podcast would make sense if you didn’t know where to start. I mean, you are committing to a season long album dissection. That’s 10 or so hours.

So, we thought we’d get you started with our favorite seasons. Let us know what you think.

Season 1: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

You have to go back to the OG season of Dissection to really understand the project as a whole. It was the first iteration of the show, and it resonated with listeners right off the bat.

“Serial helped inspire the format too. The whole serialized music analysis came from that podcast, and I wanted to do mini cliffhangers at the end of every episode, trying to replicate that feeling you get with Serial. It’s not ever going to be like Serial, but some of the structure came from that podcast.”- Cole Cuchna

The serialized nature allowed Cuchna to add the historical context that helped shape the respective albums, including the history of Compton for To Pimp a Butterfly and the ostracism of Kanye West after his interruption of Taylor Swift that led to MBDTF.

And this album certainly has some history behind it. After Lauryn left the Fugees, this album was her debut. It was controversial and sparked a ton of discussion among music nerds. Cole was no exception.

Season 11: Dissect Podcast Tackles In Rainbows

Radiohead is one of the best bands of this generation. From the raw early alternative rock to the electronic work, they are a dynamic, genre hopping band.

It’s hard to pick a favorite Radiohead song simply because they are so eclectic.

In Rainbows was ahead of its time in how it was released and distributed. It was a “pay what you want” model that was certainly a gamble, but one that I think ultimately paid off.

Episode 1 is naturally where to start. Cole covers the history of the band and what makes them special. In later episodes, he has Dr. Brad Olson, who is a legitimate Radiohead scholar to discuss the album and all things Radiohead.

This later episode caps off the season. This was a fun season from beginning to end.

The Lyrical Masters Mixtape Season

Remember mix tapes?

They were a staple of listening to music for most Gen X and Millennials. Music nerds could spend hours working on the perfect mix to share with friends. So this season is a fun departure into that most important of projects.

Sadly mix tapes are a relic of the past now that streaming has taken over. Now the main place to discuss music seems to be reddit.

The nice thing about this lyrical masters run of episodes is the ability to skip around. Jay Z, MF Doom, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne are all featured on this ode to hip hop.

I also like that Cole didn’t simply feature all the big names. The songs themselves had to be the best. If you’re a hip hop fan, this season does not disappoint. If you’re a fan of pure lyrical analysis, you will not be disappointed.

Last Song Standing (Both Seasons)

This is another slight departure from the standard format of the show. In fact, it might be classified as another show altogether. That said, I think it belongs on this list.

Charles Holmes of The Midnight Boys joins Cole Cuchna on Last Song Standing which changes the dynamic completely.

The first season had the guys figuring out which Kendrick Lamar song is his best. Since it’s debate and competition of sorts, I won’t spoil the winning track.

Season 2 has Charles and Cole come together to deconstruct Frank Ocean’s catalog to determine which song is the artist’s best.

The back and forth banter is fun and enjoyable. It feels somewhat looser, and a nice change of pace.

Bo Burnham’s Inside

Deconstructing a comedy album?

Released in 2021, this is more an art project than a pure comedy album. There are songs and sketches, sure, but shot, completely alone during the pandemic lockdown, it has a lot of drama as well.

And that’s why it’s titled “Inside.” Just about everyone was stuck inside during the pandemic, and this was how he expressed some deteriorating mental health issues. It’s a wonderful concept film that tackles some deep topics.

Start with the introductory episode. Hasan Minhaj talks with Cole about how creative people express themselves no matter the medium. Bonus points for a Kanye West reference getting in there are Hasan’s favorite album.

Season 9: Mac Miller – Circles

This is another tragic story of the expression of pain and suffering. The album was released after Miller’s passing.

The album covers some heady themes and motifs. It’s the perfect album to listen to with headphones on. Cole’s breaking it down and exploring the concept that pain can be expressed so beautifully was a welcome interpretation.

This season is chronological and worth a listen from start to finish. I’d listen with headphones on though. Just as I would the album.

There You Have It – The Dissection Podcast in a Nutshell

As of this writing, Cole is still at it full time. We cover so many defunct podcasts here on the site that were wonderful expressions but ran out of steam. It is nice to see Cole succeeding.

Currently, in season 12, he’s breaking down the “life and legacy” of MF Doom. Another rough story and tough subject. Episode 1 covers Villain’s Mask, and Episode 2 tackles Operation Doomsday’s themes that would set the stage for the entire character universe Doom developed.

You don’t always have to stay in your lane.

As time has passed, Cole has been covering some heavy topics, but that has produced some of his best work. The Dissect podcast is simply a great show and a 4.9 rating on Spotify with 15,000 reviews supports that conclusion.

—

Editors Note: This podcast covers several artists who struggled with mental health. If you’re having trouble, reach out. There are resources available.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, offers 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also call, text or chat 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988/faqs

The post The Dissect Podcast Is My New Unexpected Obsession appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

If you’re interested in an even more diverse set of podcasts from 2018, see picks at the halfway mark of the year from Eric Silver, Wil Williams, Ma’ayan Plaut, Arielle Nissenblatt, and myself — the best podcasts of 2018 (so far).

Alright, enough blabber. Here were my best podcasts of 2018 in no discernable order.

1. Caliphate

Holy crap. I started my Caliphate binge during a 3-hour drive from Austin to Dallas. I honestly can’t remember a quicker trip. Caliphate, produced by The New York Times, follows journalist Rukmini Callimachi as she reports on ISIS and the fall of Mosul. Expertly researched, Callimachi gives adequate context and interviews a former ISIS member to give further insight into their initial appeal, recruiting, and organization.

Caliphate is a 10-episode story with each episode hovering around the 30-minute mark.

2. Binge Mode: Harry Potter

A little less heavy than Caliphate, but arguably denser, the Binge Mode team of Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion strike a happy nerd cord with their deep dives into the Harry Potter series. I’ve written about my love for Binge Mode before (here and here), but it’s honestly one of my favorite podcasts — whether they tackle Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. As co-hosts, Rubin and Concepcion have an unrivaled rapport combined with sharp, sometimes dirty humor and extensive knowledge of the series and wider canon.

Binge Mode isn’t the podcast for a quick binge. As of this writing, the Harry Potter version of the feed has 63 episodes with most having over a 1.5-hour runtime. If you call yourself a Potterhead, you can’t miss it.

3. Articles of Interest

99% Invisible‘s Avery Trufelman produced a 6-part series that exemplifies what I enjoy about podcasts. Each episode goes into a different piece of clothing to analyze its history and the events that shaped it to be what we now think about it. For instance, how did Hawaiian shirts lead to “casual Friday”, or how did blue jeans become and remain such a ubiquitous article of clothing? Each episode is around 30 minutes and while thematically linked, can be listened to separately.

4. The Bright Sessions

I’ll be the first to admit, I had zero interest in audio drama podcasts. I don’t know why, I just never bothered to listen to any. However, we’re fortunate enough to have audio drama conoussier, Wil Williams, write for Discover Pods and she gave me a curated audio drama starter kit. For a comic book fan, The Bright Sessions comparisons to The X-Men are easy to make, but still don’t quite do it justice. The Bright Sessions follows therapist to the extraordinary, Dr. Bright, as she navigates complex relationships, coming of age challenges, and a sinister government corporation.

The Bright Sessions wrapped up their core story in June, but they’re still producing special individual episodes following new patients and creator, Lauren Shippen, has deals in place to adapt the story into other formats. Read our feature on Shippen here.  

5. 30 for 30 Bikram

As you’ll likely pick up from this list, I listen to podcasts for a few reasons: to be informed, to learn about something new, and to be entertained. These interests tend to lead to vastly different podcast choices — which I consider a good thing. ESPN’s 30 for 30 is a podcast I’ve subscribed to since day one. I’ve always been a fan of the documentary series and highly anticipated the podcast version of episodic audio documentaries.

However, the podcast took a mini departure from their winning format with the serialized Bikram season. They expanded their story to a 5-part series detailing the rise of popular fitness regime, Bikram Yoga and its horrific founder, Bikram Choudhury.

Read my full review of 30 for 30 Bikram here.

6. Endless Thread

I was initially apprehensive about a podcast using Reddit as their foundation. It seemed like a short-lived pseudo-branded podcast destined to live in mediocrity. But once again, I was wrong. The Reddit x WBUR collab has been a delightful new podcast for 2018. Reddit, as it turns out, is a nearly endless supply of stories and ideation for a quality podcast to build off of. From diving into Ken Bone’s fifteen minutes of fame, to analyzing the Mattress Firm potential conspiracy, to a story of strangers going great lengths to do a favor, and many other tangents, Endless Thread combines WBUR’s talent for good radio and Reddit’s already proven focus group of what people find interesting.

7. Dissect

I wrote about Dissect, the deep dive podcast analyzing specific hip hop albums, after host Cole Cuchna wrapped up the season on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Since then, the podcast and host were gobbled up by Spotify and Cuchna has completed two seasons on Frank Ocean and Lauryn Hill.

Cuchna’s penchant for choosing albums that happen to near and dear to my heart is unfathomable (pssst Cole, Yeezus next, thanks). Dissect does a great job of providing context into the events that led to the album creation, analyzing and discussing the significance of the lyrics, and breaking apart the beat production so even us layman can understand.

8. Disgraceland

I don’t typically gush over true crime podcasts unless there’s something unique or some unmatched production value. Disgraceland does have its faults — notably some exaggeration. However, there’s no denying the compelling writing and delivery of the story. Each episode tells the past crime of some musician. Stories include the alleged forced overdose of Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious, drug- and sex-crazed Rick James, and of course the murder of Tupac.

Read my feature on Disgraceland creator, Jake Brennan here.

9. Slow Burn

The first anthology of Slow Burn was one of the best podcasts of 2017, chronicling the Watergate investigation and impeachment process of President Nixon. The collective podcast community was unsurprisingly excited when they revealed the Bill Clinton scandal and impeachment would be the focus of season two. It didn’t disappoint, and in many ways, surpassed the inaugural season. Host Leon Neyfakh does a masterful job of crafting historical evidence, new interviews, and forgotten context to present a well-known story in a new light.

Neyfakh surprised many when he announced his departure from Slate to start his own podcast company. Their first podcast, FIASCO, appears to follow a similar format to Slow Burn and will initially focus on the 2000 presidential election, Bush v. Gore. For their part, Slate has remained steadfast that Slow Burn will continue without Neyfakh.

10. Ars Paradoxica

Another audio drama I fell in love with (thanks again Wil! Read her full review). Ars Paradoxica tells the complicated story of time travel and clandestine government organizations. What I appreciated most, however, was their magnified attention to detail. They don’t shy away from the existential issues time travel would undoubtedly create — multiple universes, butterfly effect, and more. This unbridled focus is also readily apparent within the plot and dialogue that led to constant theorizing and speculation among the most ardent fans.

Though the main story is spread between 36 episodes, there are several bonus episodes and cast interviews that give even more insight into the story and characters.

11. Villains

Best-selling author, Shea Serrano, takes his unique humor, fanboy’ness, and honesty to create one of my favorite new podcasts. The concept of Villains is fairly simple, each week Serrano and a panel of guest hosts dive into a specific movie villain and discuss their motivations, actions, and determine if they’re redeemable. The topics and format is something The Ringer has already had success with The Rewatchables — a movie podcast.

What’s absolutely endearing about Villains is Shea’s honesty about being an amateur podcaster. In multiple episodes, Shea has added post-production audio footnotes providing meta-commentary on the podcast and his mistakes. It’s great.

12. Hi-Phi Nation

Along with Dissect, Hi-Phi Nation is another indie podcast receiving a promotion in 2018. In November, creator Barry Lam announced Hi-Phi Nation had been picked up by Slate to join their ranks. The philosophy podcast carefully blends qualitative and quantitative data to craft an immensely interesting podcast while also being extremely informative.

If you need to start with one episode, I’d recommend “The Chamber of Facts,” which details how our political beliefs are shaped by media echo chambers and what happens when the script is flipped.

13. Decoder Ring

Another new podcast from this year to crack my best of list. Slate’s Decoder Ring is billed as “cracking cultural mysteries”. This likely intentional vague descriptor really works for a podcast that’s explored topics ranging from opposing factions of a Sherlock Holmes fanfic theory to the origins and rise of the art in hotels.

Also, what I said at the top of the article about why I listen: “to be informed, to learn about something new, and to be entertained” — this podcast is a perfect 3/3. Host, Willa Paskin, does a great job acting as the audience’s proxy by asking the right questions and getting to the crucial aspects of the story.  

14. The Big Loop

Whoa, another audio drama! Audio dramas make-up 18.75% of my best of list, a stat I would not have believed had you told me a year ago. Creator and professional good human, Paul Bae, takes an episodic approach the genre. While most audio dramas tell a narrative fiction story serialized over several seasons, The Big Loop changes stories, characters, and overall format with each episode.

In the first episode, “The Studio,” Bae takes his influence from a popular Love+Radio episode, “The Living Room,” but adds a characteristic supernatural spin on the story. Arguably the best episode, however, is “Goodbye Mr. Adams,” which tells the coming-of-age story and a special lesson from a unique teacher. Briggon Snow voices the main character and does a great job encapsulating the teenage angst he brought to his character Caleb from The Bright Sessions. Combined with clever writing and intriguing stories, The Big Loop also adds custom music to provide the soundtrack for each episode.

15. Everything is Alive

Probably the most unique podcast I’ve heard in quite some time, Everything Is Alive brings life and personality to inanimate everyday objects. Creator and host, Ian Chillag, has a compelling and heartfelt unscripted conversation with objects you encounter on a daily basis to understand what they’re thinking, their struggles, and to see life a little differently. Objects range from a can of cola, to a lamppost, to a subway seat, and you actually start to think about how your interactions with these objects may be construed.

16. This is Love

I wanted to leave this list with the most heartfelt, uplifting podcasts in a world too often filled with negativity. Along with Everything Is Alive, This Is Love win the award for most likely to make you sob uncontrollably. From the team that brought you episodic true crime podcast, Criminal, you’ll get weekly episodes detailing different examples of love and loving in the world.

For example, in the second episode, “Something Large and Wild,” I was blown away by how much I cared about the relationship between an avid swimmer and a whale.

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