Polyphonic Press is the show for music fans. Anywhere from the casual listener to the nerdiest of audiophiles. Each week, we review a classic album from a curated list of over one thousand releases, spanning multiples genres. At the top of each show, we have no idea what album we’re going to listen to. So we fire up the Random Album Generator and it gives the album of the week. Join us every Tuesday morning for a new classic album to discover!
Latest Episodes
Dry by PJ Harvey: The Gritty 1992 Album That Changed Indie Rock
Dry (1992) is PJ Harvey’s fierce and arresting debut album—an explosive arrival that instantly set her apart from every other voice in early ’90s alternative rock. Recorded with her original trio (Rob Ellis and Steve Vaughan), the album is raw,…
So by Peter Gabriel: How an Avant-Rock Outsider Made a Pop Classic
Peter Gabriel’s So is one of the most iconic art-pop albums of the 1980s, a record that blends emotional vulnerability, ambitious production, and global musical influences into something both personal and cinematic. After years of being known as the “enigmatic”…
#1 Record by Big Star: The Blueprint for Power Pop
Released in 1972, #1 Record is the debut album by Big Star, a band from Memphis, Tennessee that blended British Invasion melodies with Southern soul and jangly guitar pop. Though it wasn’t a commercial success upon release, the album became…
London Calling by The Clash: Punk Rebellion Meets Rock Revolution
A bass-smashing cover. Nineteen tracks that refuse to sit still. And a city’s pulse pressed into vinyl. We spin The Clash’s London Calling and pull apart why this double album still feels urgent, generous, and wildly playable decades later. From…
Skylarking by XTC: Studio Perfection and Pastoral Pop Genius
Released in 1986, Skylarking stands as one of XTC’s most celebrated and cohesive works—a shimmering, pastoral pop masterpiece that marries the band’s sharp songwriting with lush, orchestral production. Produced by Todd Rundgren, the album was conceived as a conceptual song…
Eat a Peach by The Allman Brothers Band: Southern Rock’s Bittersweet Triumph
The Allman Brothers Band’s Eat a Peach (1972) is both a celebration of their fiery Southern rock sound and a poignant farewell to founding guitarist Duane Allman, who died in a motorcycle accident during its recording. The album is a…