Best Ballet Popular Podcasts (2025)

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The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 233 1:30:24

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5h ago1:30:24

1:30:24

We're gonna keep on dancing into 2026 with Chappell Roan's electric debut album The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess! Join us as we review and rank this Grammy-nominated record full of powerful pop hits like Red Wine Supernova and HOT TO GO! From a small town in Missouri to the world's biggest stages, Chappell Roan's rise has been surreal. We'll…

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Naughty Or Nice 4 - A Holiday Hits Bracket Challenge: Episode 232 1:49:21

7d ago1:49:21

1:49:21

The Spin-ter Wonderland season is upon us! Get ready for a head-to-head bracket elimination of your favorite holiday hits with our annual NAUGHTY OR NICE Competition! We've selected fourteen songs by artists we've covered on the podcast in the last year and pitted them against one another to determine who comes out on top, based on YOUR VOTES! From…

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The Nutcracker Ballet - Pyotr Tchaikovsky | History & Review: Episode 231 1:26:43

13d ago1:26:43

1:26:43

We're heading to the Land Of Sweets this week and reviewing The Nutcracker ballet, an annual seasonal staple around the globe! The 1892 ballet proved to be Pyotr Tchaikovsky's swansong, serving as a capstone on a composing career that brought Russian music to western audiences. Today, the ballet brings in more than $50 million in annual ticket sale…

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Kind Of Blue - Miles Davis | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 230 1:21:49

21d ago1:21:49

1:21:49

It's All Blues this week as we review and rank Kind Of Blue, the revolutionary instrumental modal jazz album by the legendary Miles Davis! Davis and his sextet (full of icons like John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley) abandoned the idea of chord progressions and studied scales, with minimal rehearsal. The result is a five-track improvised…

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Eureka - Mother Mother | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 229 1:15:21

28d ago1:15:21

1:15:21

It's like paradise spread out with a butter knife! This week we wanna scream "EUREKA!" with the colorful third record from Canadian sibling band Mother Mother! Ryan and Molly Guldemond noticed a striking lack of powerful melodic rock and set out to make the music they wanted to hear. After becoming British Columbia's next big thing (and releasing t…

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Unreal Unearth (Unaired) - Hozier | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 228 1:58:14

1M ago1:58:14

1:58:14

If you've lived your whole life before the First Light, you'd better check out Hozier's latest LP, Unreal Unearth! James & Connor are reviewing the "Unaired" edition of the album, with seven bonus tracks including Too Sweet, his biggest hit since Take Me To Church! This concept album inspired by Dante's Inferno takes us down circle by circle, vice …

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Sail Away - Randy Newman | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 227 1:17:13

1M ago1:17:13

1:17:13

You know him, you love him, You've Got A Friend In Him... It's Randy Newman! This week we're exploring his sardonic, sarcastic wit as we review and rank his commercial breakthrough, Sail Away! After years as a hit songwriter behind the scenes and a false start to his own recording career, Newman turned his greatest hits into a studio album full of …

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A Beautiful Lie - Thirty Seconds To Mars | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 226 1:25:55

2M ago1:25:55

1:25:55

Almost 200 weeks ago we explored Thirty Seconds To Mars' 2017 record America and... let's just say it didn't go well. For the Year Of Redemption, we decided the band needed a second chance so we're back to talk about A Beautiful Lie, the band's sophomore record that really solidified their arena rock sound. Jared Leto sings and screams his way thro…

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The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path - The Early November | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 225 1:26:38

2M ago1:26:38

1:26:38

The Early November came out of nowhere in 2001, and after a strong debut in The Room's Too Cold, frontman Ace Enders got ambitious. Their sophomore record, The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path, is a three-disc concept album that pushed every boundary. It's the longest album we've ever reviewed and scored, clocking in at 2 hours and 12 minutes, wi…

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Backtracks: Asking Alexandria (2017) - Asking Alexandria 18:32

2M ago18:32

18:32

Bonus Content! We sent our wolves to war with Asking Alexandria's Reckless And Relentless on Episode 224... but Connor wondered whether an album with less screaming and more melody could pique his interest. He listened to the band's 2017 self-titled album on his own, and we decided it needed a second look with this Backtrack. The band's shifted awa…

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Reckless And Relentless - Asking Alexandria | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 224 1:06:46

2M ago1:06:46

1:06:46

Got questions about being Reckless And Relentless? We do, and we're Asking Alexandria about their 2011 album. (Not literally asking, but we'll review and rank it just the same!) After guitarist Ben Bruce "Ship-Of-Theseused" his band from South Africa to London, they started making waves with vocalist Danny Worsnop and a metalcore sound that ruffled…

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"Everything is Art. Everything is Politics." AI WEIWEI'S TURANDOT Dir. MAXIM DEREVIANKO - Highlights

2M ago

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“So when we decided to do a documentary to follow Ai Weiwei, we knew, of course, it wouldn't be just a simple opera, and we knew he would bring his own very special and original vision. Because, of course, he is not an opera director. From his point of view, it's a challenge, but from another perspective, it’s probably an enrichment for the opera a…

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AI WEIWEI'S TURANDOT 59:36

2M ago59:36

59:36

“Everything is Art. Everything is Politics. I think art competes with reality. And art will give you the last words.” –Ai Weiwei The renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei has used sculpture, photography, documentaries, and large-scale installations to challenge authoritarian power for decades. But his project at the Rome Opera House, directing Puc…

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Paranoid - Black Sabbath | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 223 1:17:14

2M ago1:17:14

1:17:14

Black Sabbath has us Paranoid as we review their sophomore album this week! After Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and company literally invented the genre of heavy metal with their debut they knew they needed to push the envelope to further define and refine their style with the next release. With just three days of studio time and hits like War Pigs…

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The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 222 1:29:34

3M ago1:29:34

1:29:34

Will The Real Slim Shady please stand up? Mixtober continues as we score and rank The Marshall Mathers LP, the third record by legendary Detroit hip-hop artist Eminem! His shocking, horror film-esque lyrics exploded onto the scene with his Slim Shady LP, and this time around (as the title suggests) he gives us a peek behind the persona with a perso…

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ANOTHER Another Halloween Thirteen - The Mixtaper's Mixtober Playlist Evolves: Episode 221 59:37

3M ago59:37

59:37

HAPPY MIXTOBER! Connor is out of town, so once again the Mixtaper is taking over for his annual Halloween Thirteen playlist, with 13 songs guaranteed to get you into the spirit of the season! But there's a twist: too many holidays each year go underappreciated (and under-soundtracked), so this time around our resident dastard has decided to share s…

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OK Computer - Radiohead | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 220 1:38:44

3M ago1:38:44

1:38:44

No alarms and No Surprises! This week we're revisiting Radiohead for the Year Of Redemption! Connor tore into the experimental nature of Kid A on Episode 53, so we're turning back the clock to another definitive, revolutionary Radiohead record: OK Computer. We'll learn the story behind this iconic album (from transportation anxiety to haunted mansi…

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Hysteria - Def Leppard | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 219 1:29:51

3M ago1:29:51

1:29:51

Get ready to Rocket on a satellite of love with Def Leppard's 1987 hit record Hysteria! James & Connor discuss the band's challenges to grow an international fanbase through their first three albums of "lust, blood, and rock" music with a sleek, polished glam metal edge. We'll talk about the car accident that changed Thunder God Rick Allen's life a…

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Cage The Elephant (2009) - Cage The Elephant: Episode 218 1:05:54

3M ago1:05:54

1:05:54

How do you cage an elephant? One bar at a time! There Ain't No Rest For The Wicked this week as we take on the self-titled debut from Cage The Elephant! This unpolished garage rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky experiments with loud guitars, louder drums, and mile-a-minute soapbox lyrics that offer a candid look at life in 2009. We'll talk abou…

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Swimming - Mac Miller: Episode 217 1:13:11

4M ago1:13:11

1:13:11

We were drowning and now we're Swimming in the depths of Mac Miller's introspective 2018 record, the final album he'd release in his lifetime. We'll talk about the Pittsburgh native's EZ Mac days and his evolution from frat lyrics to his now-signature deeply personal jazz rap. Swimming features hits like What's The Use and Self Care that see Mac na…

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Here's Little Richard - Little Richard: Episode 216 1:19:02

4M ago1:19:02

1:19:02

Wop-Bop-A-Loo-Wop-A-Wop-Bam-Boom! This week we're Slippin' And Slidin' into the world of Little Richard Penniman! Raised on Gospel music in his dad's church, the War Hawk soon took to the stage to play "the Devil's music," complete with rollicking piano, screaming vocals, and boundless energy. His 1957 debut Here's Little Richard exploded onto the …

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GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo: Episode 215 1:26:02

4M ago1:26:02

1:26:02

We Got Her Back! The Year Of Redemption continues with Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album GUTS. After our Year Two episode about Sour (Episode 54) James & Connor discovered they weren't in her primary audience demographic... but her maturing perspective and a new, punkier voice might elevate our opinions! Can the Ballads Of A Homeschooled Girl win us…

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Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii: Episode 214 1:20:07

4M ago1:20:07

1:20:07

Doechii the Don, Doechii the Dean, Doechii Supreme has us caught in a Death Roll this week with her Grammy-winning mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal! TikTok turned Jaylah Hickmon from an aspiring choral singer into an overnight rap sensation. On her sophomore record the Swamp Princess blends styles and genres into a biting, analog hip-hop sound th…

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Honky Tonk Heroes - Waylon Jennings: Episode 213 1:03:05

5M ago1:03:05

1:03:05

It's the last stop on our road to The Highwaymen with Waylon Jennings! He's an icon of Outlaw Country, and his 1973 record Honky Tonk Heroes combines his diverse musical influences and Billy Joe Shaver's modern cowboy songwriting into a consistent, ramblin' experience. From his humble DJ beginnings to his near brush with the Day The Music Died, we'…

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Art, Empathy & Resilience with CADY McCLAIN, Actor, Director, Writer, Artist, Musician - Highlights 11:20

5M ago11:20

11:20

“I had to become the father of my family very young because my parents divorced when I was 12. My situation was a little bit unusual in that my father kind of disappeared, and I had been making a fair amount of money as a kid, doing commercials and television and film. We needed money, and I kind of became the breadwinner. But I had this amazing wo…

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Born This Way - Lady Gaga: Episode 212 1:33:56

5M ago1:33:56

1:33:56

We're on the Edge Of Glory this week with pop superstar Lady Gaga! After her glam burlesque beginnings and earth-shaking debut, Gaga released her so-called "freedom album" Born This Way. She refines the pillars of her signature sound while seamlessly blending influences across a surprising range of genres. From the religious undertones (and overton…

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A Life in Acting with Emmy Award-winning Actor, Director, Musician, Writer CADY McCLAIN 1:06:02

5M ago1:06:02

1:06:02

“I won my first Emmy when I was 21, which was the result of absolutely devoting myself day and night for two years to doing all the scene work. I attended classes simultaneously and did plays until my mother died. I studied with Michael Howard for eight years. Even when I was so tired I couldn't get up to do a scene, he would say, "Get up and do a …

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Juno - Remi Wolf: Episode 211 1:20:22

5M ago1:20:22

1:20:22

Quiet On Set.. we're going Guerilla this week with Juno, the debut LP by Remi Wolf! James' birthday pick comes with a unique tale of discovery and a lot more chaos than he's used to. Find out why this album had him hooked instantly! Can Connor keep up? We'll talk about Remi's Olympic career, American Idol run, and her dog-centric style. The Mixtape…

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Only The Lonely - Frank Sinatra: Episode 210 1:46:45

5M ago1:46:45

1:46:45

Ol' Blue Eyes is crooning his way onto the podcast this week! We're reclining by the fireside, tie loose, scotch in hand, and listening as Frank Sinatra sings for Only The Lonely. It's Connor's first crack at the Year Of Redemption; James scored Sinatra's Watertown years ago (and he was pretty harsh). Will this ballad-laden, melancholy album raise …

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The Theory of Water with LEANNE BETASAMOSAKE SIMPSON 43:11

6M ago43:11

43:11

“So I think that part of colonialism for Indigenous peoples has been this idea that Indigenous peoples aren't thinking peoples and that we don't have thought on a kind of systemic level. One of the things that I was interested in doing is intervening in that because I think Indigenous people have a lot of beautiful, very intellectual, theoretical c…

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The Beach Boys Today! - The Beach Boys: Episode 209 1:32:48

6M ago1:32:48

1:32:48

Welcome to the Year Of Redemption! Throughout the year we'll revisit artists we've covered in the past who have received lower scores than we expected and see how their other work compares. Up first is The Beach Boys! After Pet Sounds (Episode 29) failed to meet Connor's expectations, James decided to step a little farther back in time with The Bea…

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Discovery - Daft Punk: Episode 208 1:25:24

6M ago1:25:24

1:25:24

The Year Of Discovery comes to a close this week! We're exploring Discovery, the sophomore album from Daft Punk, the iconic robotic French duo that changed the trajectory of electronica as we know it. Their sample-heavy style breathed new life into funk and disco, and hits like Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and One More Time took the world by st…

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Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf: Episode 207 1:12:46

6M ago1:12:46

1:12:46

Today we'll answer the age-old question.. WHO IS MEAT LOAF?! From the moment he was born, Marvin Aday lived an unbelievable life. We dive into the lore that led to the ninth-bestselling album in the world, Bat Out Of Hell! Inspired by Jim Steinman's Peter Pan metal musical, this theatrical metal record features major and inexplicable hits like Para…

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Desire, I Want To Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek: Episode 206 1:17:11

6M ago1:17:11

1:17:11

Bunny Is A Rider, and she probably listens to Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek! This atmospheric, artsy pop record showcases her voice and musicality as she uses familiar instruments and sounds in new ways. James discovered her on tour with the Queen Dua Lipa but Connor is just hearing of her now. We'll explore her past ventures…

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Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO! - DEVO: Episode 205 1:17:34

7M ago1:17:34

1:17:34

We've got an Uncontrollable Urge to de-evolve this week with DEVO, the satirical concept band from Akron, Ohio! Their 1978 debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO! is full of social commentary, wacky lyrics, and disorienting music inspired by classic films, anti-evolution propaganda, and even NORAD. We'll talk about the tragedy that inspired the ba…

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An Actor Prepares - SHARON LAWRENCE on Musical Theatre, Dance & Performing with the Whole Body to Create Complex Characters 20:42

7M ago20:42

20:42

“I would encourage you, as I do if you're an actor, to know your own equipment, know your own psychology, and use the great teachers that are synthesized in my favorite teacher's book, Moss, who I studied with later. There is a book called Intent to Live that distills down Uta Hagen, Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, and Stanislavski. The great teachers a…

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SHARON LAWRENCE on Acting, Activism & The Art of Transformation 1:02:31

7M ago1:02:31

1:02:31

“That transformation was key to my next step as an artist, to knowing that's what acting is. It isn't just posing; it isn't just being a version of yourself in a way that was free. Performing wasn't just performing; it was transforming. I think that artists find that in many different ways, and as actors, there are many ways into that. I would enco…

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Believe - Cher: Episode 204 1:23:09

7M ago1:23:09

1:23:09

Do you Believe in life after love? We do! And so does Cher, one of pop music's legends. We'll trace her path to superstardom through every Ch-era. We'll talk about her time with Sonny, a handful of TV shows, her endless comebacks, and her eruption into the world of dance pop with her 22nd studio album Believe! It features hits like the title track,…

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Childhood, Creativity & the Stories that Define Who We Are with MEGAN ABBOTT - Highlights 16:23

7M ago16:23

16:23

“I think that it all goes back to childhood. I’ve always really been writing about family. I suppose we always are. I do think that it is the original wound, and it's where we are kind of wired and built from those early years. So I think every other relationship just replicates that. It's very natural for me to go there, I suppose because the feel…

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Exploring Family Dynamics & Fierce Female Friendships with Novelist MEGAN ABBOTT 49:59

7M ago49:59

49:59

“I always say to young writers, you need to put your heart on the page. Don't worry about being like anyone else. I would say that foremost, in any of the arts, it is self-expression at its core. I don't buy rules or a set criteria or a static criteria. I don't believe in any of that. I think the most exciting talents are kind of inexplicable. You …

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The Heights - Knox Hamilton: Episode 203 1:06:09

7M ago1:06:09

1:06:09

This week we're lost in love and Washed Up Together with Knox Hamilton's debut record The Heights! This Little Rock-based alt pop band picked up thrift store instruments, named themselves after a rockin' yearbook photo, and took the radio by storm with their hit Work It Out! And Rightfully So... we'll talk about the band's mission to keep the good …