The B-Sides

On today's episode we talk about nepo-siblings. Who are they? And what creates a power imbalance?

Nepo-siblings are a rare breed. Being a nepo-sibling pair relies on talent from both siblings – what level of talent separates each sibling we’ll get into in today's ep. It also relies on a hustle from the “lesser” famous sibling – putting themselves on reality shows, trapping themselves in an elevator, and lip syncing on SNL....

There are moments in pop culture where an artist makes a choice - and there’s no turning back.

Those moments, those inflection points, remind us that nothing is inevitable or predetermined, and we are all a part of history.

Join us to unpack 4 inflection points in detail and name a buncha others. 

Here are some links we mentioned:

• Our episode about The Chicks 

• Hannah’s 2018 newsletter about Miley Cyrus 

• “Mariah Carey...

So sorry, but: Why'd she have to go and make things so complicated? 

Avril is such a rare artist. She made a splash right away with Let Go, which had a rebellious yet old soul sort of vibe to it. And her early eras and albums are still so special to so many of us. She changed the moment, she was the moment, and, in some ways, she always will be. She opened doors almost immediately into 2000s alt rock and pop punk sub-genres in...

Now for something a little different: on today's podcast Mimi, Hannah and Becky take listeners through a few artists they're excited about. Getting yourself, or others, to listen to new artists can sometimes be a challenge. Our brains are literally hardwired to replay stuff we like and know. So let us do the hard work introduce you to some new artists including Renee Rapp, Omar Apollo, and Ethel Cain. Press play, sit back, and enjo...

First thing's first: Go birds; E-A-G-L-E-S; and Fly, Eagles, Fly. 

Whew, okay. Here we find ourselves again at the intersection of music and sports. We're getting into the NFL's dreadful politics, we're gabbing about the iconic Super Bowl halftime shows of yore, we're speculating not-so-wildly about Rihanna's upcoming performance, and so much more.

Here in the show notes, we're also correcting the record: Lady Gaga *caught* th...

It’s our 50th episode!! We are so proud of US! <3 

So - let’s reflect.

We’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror…until today.

Join us on a trip down memory lane. We talk about how pop music has changed since we launched in 2019, revisit our old takes (find out which ones did not age well!), reflect on some pop stars we thought were on the rise and now, simply, aren’t, and play a B-Sides quiz game.

We reference...

It's September 4, 2002. You're ten years old. You're huddled around your parents' TV, quickly dialing on your landline for vote for Kelly Clarkson. She is crowned the winner of American Idol. Hot tears are falling out your eyes. Kelly is belting a moment like this. You're wondering if like will ever be the same (it won't).

On today's podcast, we're talking about the one and only, Kelly Clarkson. We discuss how she's managed to stay...

When 10 people died at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in November of 2021, it was incredibly difficult and painful to make sense of the news. Over a year later, we are here to pull lessons learned from the tragedy.

TRIGGER WARNING for this episode: mass casualty events, substance use

Part 1. Overview

Part 2. The fallout for Travis and the Kardashian-Jenners

Part 3. How crowds and artists *usually* protect each other

Part 4...

This week we've got just one more review for you, and then we'll move on to our not-reviewing-a-new-album-or-film-every-episode programming.

We watched Selena Gomez's new documentary, "My Mind & Me," and now it's time to share some thoughts on the fallacies of celebrity activism, great expectations, managing relationships within pop stardom and child stardom, passing bills through Congress, and more — including the ever-present...

We came back for you with a full episode review of Carly Rae Jepsen's newest album, The Loneliest Time. The album – which was released the same midnight as Midnights – is a moonstruck album, chock-full of the suns and stars. 

First we do a quick recap of Carly Rae's rise to fame, and then play a fun superlative game about what is most Carly and which lyrics we couldn't understand. We hope you go find yourself or WHATEVER (as l...

The B-Sides is BACK for Season 3! (We came back for you, baby!)

We are the *most* excited to launch season 3 with a review of Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album, Midnights.

There’s a lot we would’ve, could’ve, should’ve said, but these are our immediate reactions after our first day of listening. We can’t wait to hear what you think - make sure to get in touch with your reactions.

We give out superlatives and awards like: The "That's...

The B-Sides season 3 is COMING!

Until then, enjoy this bonus episode. Your friendly neighborhood B-Sides hosts went to see Carly Rae Jepsen live in concert at Radio City Music Hall for her So Nice Tour. Today’s episode is an in-depth review of the magical show - even if you didn’t see the concert, our review will help you Cut To The Feeling.

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Welcome to our season 2 finale! We're wrapping up 2021 with a nice long chat about the long shadow of 2009 in pop and pop culture. Such power, such impact. It's time to revisit the brash and soaring sound of music, the final cohort of ubiquitous artists, and the transformative technology that ushered in our modern hell scape. Should be fun, so settle in!

Here was the syllabus for this episode, which we dropped a few days in advance...

Today we’re going to talk about Taylor Swift. We know it’s not ethical to speculate on celebrities’ sexualities. But it feels so intoxicating - and in some moments, righteous - to speculate on Taylor Swift’s personal life, especially when she invites deep speculation into her discography and all the text she puts out into the world. What’s a progressive to do?

We’ll tackle this in four parts:

• Part 1: Why it is actually...

On today’s episode we’re going to talk about the elusive and enduring genre of music that is Christian Rock. How did it happen? Why do we (as Jews) like the sound of Christian Rock? Why do some bands “pretend” not to be as Christian as they are? We'll discuss all this and more, plus play a game called "is this Christian Rock or White Christian Men singing?" We also dive into Adele's new album 30, and of course, Red (Taylor's Versio...

With her 2017 album Witness, Katy Perry invented the genre of “purposeful pop” more as a tool for relevance in her album promotion than an actual political analysis, which hurt both the political agenda she was pushing and the album itself. We think you’ll enjoy this episode whether or not you know the album (and spoiler: even some of the most ardent pop listeners don’t know this album!).

This episode continues the conversation we ...

This week, we return to flophood but with a Halloweentown twist. Because the flop eras we’re talking about this episode involve artists who felt compelled to enter eras and try on identities that are aesthetically creepy, at the very least. We dare you to take a side-by-side look at the cover art for Christina Aguilera's Bionic and Katy Perry's Witness...

But the larger story here is about what happens when a pop star reinvents the...

On today's podcast we are joined by musical expert Jon Schneidman. Together we do a deep dive into Dear Evan Hansen, the recent musical turned movie, that may or may not have ruined Ben Platt's career. We explore white mediocrity in film vs stage, autistic coding, and nepotism. Maybe, after you listen, you'll be found.

TW: this episode talks about suicide as it relates to the plot of DEH.

Reading on autistic coding and represe...

What’s in a flop?

On today’s episode, we look at moments that “flopped” through a more critical lens to discuss why albums flop, what happens when a “flop” is not really a “flop,” and how the cultural void of the early aughts fits in to this. We’ll do that by examining two seminal texts - ARTPOP by Lady Gaga (2013) and Glitter by Mariah Carey (2001).

So excited to announce the creation of our discord space, which you can join here:...