Why bands give us purpose (ft. MUNA)
EPISODE 478
A culture that rewards easily consumable individual identities produces plenty of pop stars and almost no bands. A significant exception: MUNA, the trio of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson. MUNA treats the band as a structure that grounds identity beyond the ego and makes any success feel shared among the three. Their new album, Dancing on the Wall, wraps that conviction in blaring, unapologetic '80s production: slap bass, brightness pushed to the front, everything connected in one time and place.
Links: Newsletter, YouTube
Songs Discussed
MUNA "It Gets So Hot"
MUNA "Dancing on the Wall"
Lionel Richie "Dancing on the Ceiling"
MUNA "Eastside Girls"
Yello "Oh Yeah" [?]
Dead or Alive "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)"
Pet Shop Boys "West End Girls"
Billy Joel "We Didn't Start the Fire"
Charli XCX "365"
MUNA "Wanna Be Her"
Bikini Kill "Rebel Girl"
Peaches "Boys Wanna Be Her"
Le Tigre "Deceptacon"
MUNA "Big Stick"
MUNA "Anything But Me"
Flobots "Handlebars"
MUNA "I Know a Place"