Best Album Concept Hour Podcasts (2025)

1
King Diamond - Abigail II: The Revenge 1:10:04

11d ago1:10:04

1:10:04

It the Return of the KING... King Diamond that is!!!! After 28 years... wait, no I think it was 18 years... *checks notes* Oh... After 14 YEARS, King Diamond finally delivered to us one of the greatest concept album sequels of all time... and DEFINITELY the spookiest. .. This is one for the books, we hope you enjoy it!!!! Show Links: Eating Hot Win…

1
King Diamond - Abigail (w/ Nate Maney!) 1:17:25

25d ago1:17:25

1:17:25

We've covered King Gizzard and King Crimson as well as Freddie King and Carole King... We've discussed Operation Mindcrime (1 and 2!!!)... We followed the life of the Seventh Son of the Seventh Son... We've even discussed throwbacks to 80s speed metal with Lords of the Trident... But nothing could have prepared us for... THE HORROR!!!!!! That's rig…

1
[ARTIST SPOTLIGHT] Jordan Duffy - Nights Like These (with Danielle MacQuarrie and Jordan Duffy!!!) 2:05:21

1M ago2:05:21

2:05:21

We're doing another Artist Spotlight, where we interview an artist about THEIR album, including all our musing, breakdowns, and judgement! Today we have none other than two time guest and all time Engineer--it's Jordan Duffy!!!! She has a brand new album out all about her experiences of love and loss while dating in LA. It's a raw and real look int…

1
Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Data Doom (w/ LUNAR MOTH returning!!) 1:34:32

2M ago1:34:32

1:34:32

What's with all this Dominator culture? Are we going to succumb to Electricide or are we going to Feminize? Humanic and technologic revolution is possible. But only if we take the reigns of... DATA DOOM. Very special guests in the studio today, all three member of Lunar Moth: Mac, Gage, and Amber!!! They suggested this album and we are glad they di…

1
Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music 1:10:57

2M ago1:10:57

1:10:57

It's 1962. Ray Charles is several albums into his deal with ABC-Paramount. It's one of the greatest deals a musician has ever received from a label, but Ray is not satisfied. You see, he doesn't like the notion that his songs should be segregated into R&B charts and put in a separate category than Country. After all, they both sing from the soul ab…

1
Judgement Night (soundtrack) 1:29:36

3M ago1:29:36

1:29:36

A night out on the town... A heavy traffic jam... And one. wrong. turn. Don't Move. Don't Whisper. Don't Even Breathe... because its... Judgement Night... ...and it's got the most killer soundtrack. Links: Judgement Night trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5p7wq2PcJM Judgement Night full movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW4CFfpX0ps&t=3…

1
Blink 182 (untitled) 1:20:47

3M ago1:20:47

1:20:47

There comes a time in every boys life... That they must put away childish things... They must set aside their dick and fart jokes and have real observations about the world... They must stop their constant talk of jissom and dog's anus's... And when the boys put away childish things... they are able to create music... for adults... But all jokes as…

1
Elvis Costello - This Year's Model (w/ Adam Elk from Mommyheads!) 1:31:08

4M ago1:31:08

1:31:08

Today on the podcast, class is back in session with our professor of new wave, Adam Elk! But today he's lecturing on a different genre with the same attitude: Punk (with a specialty in Costello). Join us as we learn why Elvis Costello is still so highly regarded all these years later and learn about the state of punk before the genre was cast in st…

1
Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson (with George Heftler!!!) 1:30:04

5M ago1:30:04

1:30:04

On today's episode of "Musicians that should be a household name" we're talking about Harry Nilsson!!! Sure, he was talked about plenty in his day, but what if I were to tell you that "One is the loneliest number", "Put the lime in the coconut", and the "Gotta get up" song from the show Russian Doll were all from the same dude! Would you talk about…

1
K-OS - EXIT (w/ Kelly from Canuck is a Slur!!!) 2:10:14

5M ago2:10:14

2:10:14

When you think of the city Toronto, there are a few names come to mind. Drake... snowd4y................... the rest. But there's one Torontonian that both Drake and snowd4y look up to and respect. One Torontonian that walked, so that Drake could run. One Torontonian that's actually...weirdly connected to Drake... in the sense that his next album i…

1
Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter 1:20:49

6M ago1:20:49

1:20:49

MISSING Stranger Abduction Name: Ethel Cain ... Age: 20 ... Sex: Female ... Height: 5'8" ... Weight: 132 lbs ... Hair Color: Brown ... Eyes: Green Circumstances: Ethel was last seen Saturday, January 13 (1991) at 3:15 A.M being forced into a black, short-bed pickup truck in the old Winn Dixie parking lot on Abrams Street in Arlington, Texas. A witn…

1
John Denver & The Muppets - A Christmas Together (w/ Nate Maney) 1:17:52

6M ago1:17:52

1:17:52

HO HO HO....MEEEERRRRRY CHRISTMASSS..... It's that time of year again where we are good to each other for about a week! Let's make this one count cause it's going to be a bumpy one next year! Let's enjoy this calm before the proverbial storm by loving our neighbors as ourselves, especially the ones that are worrying about being torn from their home…

1
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow 1:37:38

7M ago1:37:38

1:37:38

The year is 1967. A lot of popular musicians are moving towards psychedelia. It's kind of a buttoned up movement still--on the surface people still look business casual, even if their hair is getting long. The San Francisco hippie scene hasn't yet merged with the British invasion. But all that would change during the "Summer of Love", when they all…

1
Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence 1:11:15

7M ago1:11:15

1:11:15

Join us this week as a mentally unwell man (Brad) attempts to explain the story of The Parallax II to a friend just trying to have a good time (Dave) in this paranoia filled, unaliving obsessed (TW), cosmic horror/power fantasy. Also, it's about isolation and entanglement... and the beginning of everything... or something like that. Idk, we drank a…

1
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Made in Timeland & Laminated Denim 1:05:11

7M ago1:05:11

1:05:11

It's the 5th anniversary show... kind of. We're a little late but there were some time travel shenanigans that we had to attend to. Anyway, we love you all and we appreciate listening to our ramblings all these years. Be good to each other out there. Links: The Gizzverse Explained playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLluo87o05TIGLPcsQ6ZZj-A…

1
Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother 1:19:04

8M ago1:19:04

1:19:04

Soooo... Last week we were glazing pretty hard about our boys in The Pink Floyd... but this week... the glazing has come to a hard stop. Maybe it's the weird production choices, maybe it's the awesome album cover for a below average Floyd album, maybe it's the fact that we JUST listened to Meddle, in which they perfect what they were trying to acco…

1
Pink Floyd - Meddle 1:14:19

9M ago1:14:19

1:14:19

We're officially in the throes of SEASON 5!!! And you know that means that it's time to talk about another Pink Floyd album in our series going backwards through their discography. Last time we left our heroes, they were throwing together an album that was for a movie, but also wasn't? (i don't remember that feels like a lifetime ago). However, bef…

1
[ARTIST SPOTLIGHT] Inspector 34 - Squint Your Ears (w/ Jimm, Alex, and Pat from Inspector 34!) 2:26:10

9M ago2:26:10

2:26:10

Everyone that listens to this podcast knows that I ride for Inspector 34. Their debut album, Love My Life was my album of the year when it came out and this is proving to be one of my favorites this year. Seriously, these guys are critically underrated and they deserve to be in your earholes. Also, this ep is fun if you enjoy musicians actually dis…

1
The 200th Episode! - Ranking Concept Albums (feat. TierMaker) 3:17:21

9M ago3:17:21

3:17:21

We've been doing the podcast for almost 5 years and in that time we've discussed all variety of concept albums. We've discussed brilliantly crafted social commentaries, deeply personal tragedies, space oddities, and brat reinventions. We've followed the rise of King Crimson and the fall of Pink Floyd, the tragedy of Janice Joplin and the triumph of…

1
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute (with Gus, Dan, and Stephen from The Bitter Ends!!!) 1:49:53

10M ago1:49:53

1:49:53

We have Rockford, IL's own The Bitter Ends and we're wrapping up 199 episodes of the podcast (before starting fresh on 200) with truly one of the greatest concepts to grace this podcast, Frances the Mute! From the beautiful, but tragic story, to the inspiration that created it, to the scorching riffs and prog trumpets (to the decoded version of the…

1
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs 2:05:28

10M ago2:05:28

2:05:28

I had a really awesome description for this episode but Spotify's new uploader deleted everything. I don't know exactly what I said but it was moving and concise. You have to believe me... Links: The Suburbs short film by Spike Jonze: https://vimeo.com/58296738?share=copy

1
Usher - Confessions 1:16:17

11M ago1:16:17

1:16:17

In his most personal album yet, Usher took his rocket blasting into the stars and poured some nas in the tank. This album put him on the map for good and solidified him as our generation's R Kelly (without all the weird pdfile/pee stuff). This is the kind of thing that Millenials were bumping and grinding to, and for good reason. Listen along with …

1
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (with Trevor "The Altered Beast" Kolden returning) 2:09:35

11M ago2:09:35

2:09:35

We've raved over DAMN. We dick-rided To Pimp a Butterfly. Now it's time to really glaze, because it is the summer of "Not Like Us" and we're going back to long before the beef began. It's time for the origin story for Drake v Kendrick with the album that put them together in a track, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. Before Kendrick turned into the literal B…

1
Charli XCX - brat 1:50:02

12M ago1:50:02

1:50:02

Move over Swifties, it's time for brat girl summer. OUR DISCORD: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/2stA2P7pTC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/flyoverstatepark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EVERYTHING ELSE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/FlyoverStatePark⁠⁠⁠⁠

1
Woody Guthrie - Dust Bowl Ballads 1:13:46

1y ago1:13:46

1:13:46

We're 194 episodes into this show and as we draw closer to the 200th, we thought we'd get to the ACTUAL first concept album (by most accounts): Woody Guthrie's 1940 song collection called Dust Bowl Ballads. This collection came out in 2-three disc 78 rpm records with one song per side. With autobiographical elements as well as story elements of Joh…

1
King Crimson - Discipline (w/ Adam Elk!) 1:26:56

1y ago1:26:56

1:26:56

In 1974, in the wake of the release of their magnum opus, Red, Robert Fripp made the decree "King Crimson is completely over. For ever and ever." And he meant it... for a time. For the next few years, he left the music industry completely to focus on himself and his spirituality, but he wouldn't be out for long. In the late 70s into 1980, Fripp was…

1
Daft Punk - Discovery (w/ Derick McDuff!!!) 1:53:44

1y ago1:53:44

1:53:44

On September 9th, 1999 (or 9-9-99), Thomas Bangalter and and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo became robots. After a night of working on a track, their sampler crashed and exploded. After some quick surgery to treat their injuries, they came out as robots. After realizing their track had been erased from the incident, they started to toil away on "Disco…

1
Alice In Chains - Dirt (w/ Lunar Moth!!!) 2:13:50

1y ago2:13:50

2:13:50

Alrighty y'all, this episode is going to get DARK. We've talked about heroin as a subject matter in many songs for many bands, but today we get INTO it. Coming from an era glorifying the sex, drugs, and rock and roll style, Alice in Chains and their grunge cohorts recontextualized the lifestyle to be more of a cautionary tale than something to aspi…

1
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Pt. 2 (Return of the Ankh) 1:24:12

1y ago1:24:12

1:24:12

Last time on the pod we discussed Erykah's left brain album and today we have it's counterpart in her right brain album, New Amerykah Pt. 2, that arrived two years after New Amerykah Pt. 1. While it continues to have mixes from some of the best underground producers in the game, this one gets a little more personal. In "Return of the Ankh", she dis…

1
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Pt. 1 (4th World War) 1:29:09

1y ago1:29:09

1:29:09

Today we're talking about none other than the First Lady of Neo Soul. If you've ever wondered how hip hop of the 2010s got so groovy, look no further than New Amerykah. With her eclectic style and taste in music, she brings us everything from 70s funk to 90s R&B and everything in-between. After a several year hiatus due to writer's block, Erykah, w…

1
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World Soundtrack (w/ The Stinkeyes!!!) 2:04:00

1y ago2:04:00

2:04:00

What if Scott Pilgrim's garage rock band Sex Bob-Omb was real...? Well, it might sound like our guests for this episode, The Stinkeyes!!! What if we had that band on our podcast??? Fortunately for you we do! Today we're joined by Emily, Jordan, and Haley from The Stinkeyes to discuss an incredibly influential cult classic, Scott Pilgrim Vs The Worl…

1
Megadeth - Killing is my Business... and Business is Good - The Final Kill (w/ Nate Maney) 1:39:51

1+ y ago1:39:51

1:39:51

Today, the concept... is revenge. Not just any revenge. A revenge that would go on to define the entire Thrash Metal genre. It's Dave Mustaine versus Metallica... Part ONE: Megadeth. With friend and Megadeth superfan, Nate Maney Megadeth "Behind the Music": ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/R3l4kZk2GXc?si=iBcP7FFCx8xfP1HY Icons: Dave Mustaine of Megadeth: https:/…

1
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (w/ Moses Wolfenstein!) 2:22:33

1+ y ago2:22:33

2:22:33

100 - 300 samples. That's how many songs, give or take, that went into the production of Beastie Boys' sophomore opus, "Paul's Boutique". After getting run through the music industry, sold as frat rap, and having a less than fly time in New York after their brush with success. After a few years, they escaped New York, saved by The Dust Brothers out…

1
Hole - Live Through This (w/ Emily Mills and Meghan Rose of Damsel Trash!!!) 2:11:46

1+ y ago2:11:46

2:11:46

Courtney Love. A woman plagued by tragedy and misogyny, tabloid and conspiracy. She has been called a lot things over the years, some by friends, many by the media. She has had beefs with the likes of Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, Gwen Stefani, and Tori Amos, to name a few. However, one thing is certain. She is a force to be reckoned with. Today we'r…

1
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 Soundtrack (w/ Robert Persinger AKA The Drop King) 1:31:20

1+ y ago1:31:20

1:31:20

Today we talk about the GOAT of sports video games. In 1999, a man by the name of Hawk cashed in all of his clout for one game that would change the landscape of games forever... and its music. We're talking about the soundtrack that introduced a generation to bands like Dead Kennedys, Primus, The Vandals, and Goldfinger, to name a few. This soundt…

1
Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III 1:14:49

1+ y ago1:14:49

1:14:49

From music becoming illegal to sexual expression becoming illegal, Joe has quite the dystopian adventure. After plooking Sy Borg too hard, he ends up in jail and is forced to create music in his own mind to save himself from becoming a drone for this new "orderly" society. "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you have load or unloa…

1
Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Act I (w/ Jon's coworker Nick!!!) 1:11:00

1+ y ago1:11:00

1:11:00

"Our criminal institutions are full of little creeps like you Who do wrong things And many of them were driven to these crimes By a horrible force called MUSIC! Our studies have shown that this horrible force Is so dangerous to society at large That laws are being drawn up at this very moment To stop it - forever! Cruel and inhuman punishments are …

1
[ARTIST SPOTLIGHT] Lords of the Trident - The Offering (w/ Fang VonWrathenstein from Lords of the Trident!!!) 1:54:04

1+ y ago1:54:04

1:54:04

From deep in the depths of Madison, comes a frontman. A frontman of untold power and an unrelenting voice. He has slain wolves and man alike and now he's here to... well now he's here to have a very chill and normal conversation about their newest album "The Offering"!!! Join us and Fang VonWrathenstein (or Ty Christian for the normies) as he tells…

1
NOFX - 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records (w/ Dan from All New, All Different, Number One Comics!) 2:24:50

1+ y ago2:24:50

2:24:50

We're back at it again with a another absolutely stuffed Fat Wreck Chords compilation, but this time, we have only one contributor: NOFX!! We discuss all 47 tracks in one action packed podcast episode and you're not going to want to miss it!!!! And of course, we could not have done this without DAN from ALL NEW, ALL DIFFERENT, NUMBER ONE COMICS!!!!…

1
Christmas Novelty Songs (w/ Andy Merrill Returning!!!) 2:29:51

1+ y ago2:29:51

2:29:51

We have a very special Christmas gift for you this year... Not only is it the return of Andy Merrill AKA Brak and other things--it's a Christmas Novelty Song celebration!!! Andy is one of the biggest fans of novelty music around and he has brought some classics to the table, including the likes of Allan Sherman, Stan Freburg, Tom Lehrer, and even s…

1
Guante and Big Cats - An Unwelcome Guest 1:26:20

1+ y ago1:26:20

1:26:20

Ok, so it's Brad... back from LA... Jumbo's Fun Room didn't work out and now I'm in the doghouse... Jon and Dave picked the album after they found out that I was coming back as host, so... you can only guess who the unwelcome guest is... Anyway, this is a really cool hip hop zombie apocalypse album by an amazing team in the twin cities. Hope you en…

1
The Who Sell Out (w/ Sam Bronn and a surprise guest!) 1:39:23

1+ y ago1:39:23

1:39:23

What's up everyone it's Nate here with our first episode of "The Concept", a rebranding of The Album Concept Hour, now with more personality and introducing our new correspondent Sam Bronn! Brad left us high and dry by staying out in LA, so now I can finally really start to clean up this disaster that he created. In keeping with the spirit of the a…

1
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Eyes Like the Sky (w/ Brad, Gus, Jimm, Seth, and Bard!!!) 1:56:06

1+ y ago1:56:06

1:56:06

After 4 years of doing the podcast, Brad has finally hit the big time. That's right, he's out making a star out of himself in LA, Hollywood, California... or... at least that's what he keeps telling me. It's me, Nate Maney, the new host of the podcast... How's it goin? Anyway, I keep getting the sense that he's in some sort of trouble out west, but…

1
Novelty Halloween Songs (feat. Hot Blood - Disco Dracula) 1:17:58

1+ y ago1:17:58

1:17:58

You've heard of the Monster Mash. You've seen Nightmare Before Christmas 1000 times. Your parents forced you to watch the "Thriller" music video. These are things we expect every Halloween. And like clockwork, every year they come back into the spotlight. Every year, the same playlist of the same Halloween songs and tropes. BUT NO MORE!! We've put …

1
Macabre - Dahmer (w/ Nate Maney!) 1:45:43

1+ y ago1:45:43

1:45:43

Netflix: We're going to make a tasteless dramatization of a serial killer with no regard to the surviving family members of the victims. Macabre: Hold my beer. Links: Nate's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Grymgar OUR DISCORD: https://discord.gg/2stA2P7pTC Flyover State Hotline - 1 608 HIT-NERD (608-448-6373) https://www.youtube.com/flyoverstatep…

1
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Petrodragonic Apocalypse; or Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Eternal Damnation (w/ Johnny aka @NicheMusicMemes!!!) 1:33:54

2y ago1:33:54

1:33:54

Mars: Superbug ravages the population. People goin nuts out there. Venus: One crew flies into it and explodes. Other lands on and proceeds to self-immolate. People goin nuts out there. Meanwhile, on Earth: Spirit of fossil fuel enacts revenge on the world via super storm that turns into super MEGA storm. People goin nuts out there, witchcraft. Spir…

1
Corb Lund - Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! (w/ Kelly from the Born Under Punchs podcast!!!) 2:11:02

2y ago2:11:02

2:11:02

So I didn't mean to release an episode largely about the plight of soldiers on 9/11... but today we have an album that is about just that! Well, specifically, HORSE soldiers... We're talking about Corb Lund's love letter to the profession, Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! He's an Alberta boy that has a Texas spirit, coming from a line of country folk …

1
The Olivia Tremor Control - Music from the Unrealized Film Script- Dusk at Cubist Castle (w/ CB Stockfleth, director from The Elephant 6 Recording Company documentary, a Realized Film) 2:15:08

2y ago2:15:08

2:15:08

Today we have a very special treat for you guys. We had the opportunity to talk to CB Stockfleth, the director of The Elephant 6 Recording Company, the most highly anticipated music documentary by any indie music lover of the 90s and on. He shares with us the origin story of the documentary--from Robert Schneider believing in him to tell their stor…

1
Against Me - Transgender Dysphoria Blues (w/ Siobhan from Have a Nice Apodcalypse!!!) 1:08:39

2y ago1:08:39

1:08:39

Laura Jane Grace originally pitched the concept for Transgender Dysphoria Blues as a fictional account of the experiences of a transgendered prostitute dealing with the various aspects of addiction and gender dysphoria. However, this was more than just a fictional tale to help her write, it was a way for her to start coming out as a trans person. W…

1
Armor for Sleep - What to Do When You Are Dead (w/ Dan from All New, All Different Number One Comics!) 1:24:35

2y ago1:24:35

1:24:35

Excerpts from a comprehensive guide to your afterlife: "Stay aware of your surroundings at all times... you will not feel the urge to sleep and you will never dream." (Your Surroundings, fig. 2) "Do not revel in regret. Attempt to find your previous place of residence" (Recognizing Your Past, fig. 3) "Do not hold onto memories of life. They will be…

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