The Wright Up

Caliphate by The New York Times

In an age of actual FAKE NEWS (untrue news stories published as propaganda) and world leaders calling respected media outlets FAKE NEWS, quality investigative journalism is more crucial than ever. Reporting on ‘The War on Terror’ (and the political football it has generated in the form of immigration policy) evokes an emotional response unlike any other issue in 2018. It is therefore vital that war correspondents carry out their job with integrity, being very careful not to mislead.

From early 2014, Isis (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) had become a major global threat, driving out government forces in key Iraqi cities and claiming responsibility for terror attacks around the world. The ultimate goal of Isis, to establish a caliphate (government under a caliph; spiritual leader of Islam who claims succession from Muhammad) was declared on the 29th June 2014, motivating tens of thousands of muslims to join the fight Image result for caliphate new york times

Who are we really fighting? Caliphate, a podcast by Rukmini Callimachi of the New York Times takes us deep into the battle for Mosul as well as the minds of Isis members. Rukmini describes her processes as an investigative journalist, swooping in just behind the frontline to acquire ISIS’ documents. These documents will reveal the administrative processes ISIS’ success, including where the money comes from and how they control the masses. She also interviews current and former ISIS members, most of whom have been captured by security forces.

It is one particular former ISIS member’s interview which dominates the early episodes of this podcast. Rukmini tracks down an interview ‘Abu Huzayfah'(not his real name, ISIS members prefer a nom de guerre), a returned jihadist living at home in Canada. His personal story paints the picture of a disillusioned young male, groomed by radical islam in the internet age. The interview reveals the highly-successful recruitment strategies of ISIS, which centre around theological and ideological rationale. Their tactics leave young men convinced they have no other choice but to turn to jihad.

Image result for caliphate new york times

Abu Huzayfah’s recollections of entering Syria, being trained in the islamic religious police (Hisbah) and carrying out public executions are told with brutal vividness. But rather than resting on her laurels and being content with such an incredibly insightful and exclusive interview, Rukmini draws on the highly skilled investigators at the New York Times to fact-check Abu Huzayfah’s story. The episode that deals with this fact-checking process is like something straight out of Sherlock Holmes. The quality of the investigative journalism displayed by Rukmini and her team is super impressive.

The series concludes with Rukmini in Iraq, where she covers two contrasting stories from the recapturing of Mosul. Firstly, Rukmini enters Mosul mere hours after its fall to discover a briefcase belonging to a ISIS official. She tracks down his home and hears the story of how this otherwise compassionate family man joined the most feared terror organisation in the world. Her encounter with his family highlights the fact that each individual ISIS member has their own unique story of how and why they joined.

Secondly, Rukmini carries out interviews with ISIS members recently imprisoned by the Iraqi forces. It is discovered that a particular prisoner had taken a Yazidi girl as a sex slave from Mount Sinjar after ISIS gained control of Mosul. Rukmini does an excellent job of wrapping up her story by highlighting the plight of those who have arguably suffered the most in this conflict. The personal stories of the Yazidi girls Rukmini meets are equal parts devastating and uplifting. There are scenes in this episode where you feel like your heart is being ripped out of your chest.

This podcast doesn’t necessarily offer any solutions to shutting down the relentless jihad. What it does do is shed light on the darkness that surrounds ISIS by telling the personal stories of its members and its victims. With such inflammatory subject matter it is even more crucial to be accurate with the truth. Rukmini Callimachi’s reporting is meticulous and unyielding and raises the bar for wartime correspondence. Caliphate is the most gripping piece of investigative journalism I’ve come across this year!

Listen here.

CHVRCHES- Love is Dead Tour

Hordern Pavilion, Sydney

22nd July 2018

Supported by WAFIA and MANSIONAIR

When Chvrches hit the scene back in 2013 with the hit singles ‘Lies’ and ‘Recover’ I was instantly excited about their unique brand of synth-pop. On its surface, this genre of music can be easily dismissed as universally accessible ear-candy, yet the Glaswegian three-piece are so damn good at it, it is hard to be cynical. The contrast between singer Lauren Mayberry’s brightly colourful vocals and her bitingly venomous lyrics allow Chvrches to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. The often bittersweet subject matter along with anthemic hooks bring depth and polish to their high production sound. If you’re into HAIM, Grimes, Purity Ring or Passion Pit, you’re likely to dig Chvrches.

This year the band released their 3rd studio album, ‘Love is Dead’ and on the first listen I wasn’t as excited as I was for their earlier works. Initially it felt to me that they were drifting towards a more mainstream pop sound and abandoning their complex and edgy roots. However, like with most good music, this album has grown on me and I’ve been able to discover those complexities and darker moments that originally drew me to Chvrches. ‘My Enemy’ features Matt Berninger from The National to create the most melancholic track in their repertoire. ‘Never Say Die’ is a slow-build masterpiece with a heavy baseline and defiant lyrics and the two hit singles ‘Get Out’ and ‘Miracle’ are polished, radio-friendly bangers.

Having changed my mind on the new album I was super excited for the Splendour side-show in Sydney on Sunday night. I arrived to Mansionair warming up the crowd with their soaring electro pop. Chvrches hit the stage with force, opening with the hard-hitting ‘Get Out’, immediately engaging with the enthusiastic all ages crowd. Older hits followed with ‘Gun’ and ‘We Sink’ which are always standouts in the live show. There was some comic relief when Lauren spotted a Celine Dion t-shirt in the crowd and broke out into a hilarious impression of the Canadian songstress.

Disappointingly, the crowd seemed to be most interested in the latest hits they’ve heard on the radio this year. This was most evident when the old classic and my personal favourite, ‘Lies’ received a reaction more reminiscent of a church sermon rather than a Chvrches gig (perhaps all the massive Chvrches fans were at Splendour). Despite this, the night finished on a high with the triumphant ‘Clearest Blue’ rounding out the main set as the crowd lost their minds. The Encore opened with a down-tempo intro to ‘The Mother We Share’ before erupting into a wall of slick synth and deep base. ‘Never Say Die’ closed the gig on an introspective yet rebellious note. All in all, a polished and exciting live experience with the masters of modern synth-pop. My faith restored.

Listen to the latest album ‘Love is Dead’ here.

Buy ‘Love is Dead’ here.

The Teacher’s Pet

In 2018, we lose our collective minds when an NRL player acts like a goose on the drink. In 1981 a Newtown Jets player and high school PE teacher may have gotten away with murdering his wife to continue an affair with his student.

If you haven’t started listening to this Australian true crime podcast you need to download it immediately. The Teacher’s Pet explores the disappearance of Lynnette Dawson in the early 80s from her Bayview home on Sydney’s affluent northern beaches. Lynnette’s husband at the time was former first grade Rugby League player, Chris Dawson who, has been named as her killer in two separate coronial inquests. Despite this, Chris has never been charged and to this day he lives a comfortable life in Queensland.

What makes this story so intriguing is the circumstances of Lynette’s disappearance. The former professional athlete and PE teacher, Chris Dawson was engaging in an illicit affair with his 16yr old Cromer High School student Joanne. Not only was he not so secretly sleeping with Joanne, but he’d also moved her into the family home as the “babysitter” of the married couple’s two young daughters. This situation endured for more than a year before Lynette disappeared and Chris moved Joanne into the marital bed.

There are more than a number of other disturbing circumstances I could mention here but I don’t want to spoil it all for you so I’ll keep this short. Chris’ relationship with his twin brother Paul is super creepy and Paul’s influence over events seems to be lurking at every turn. The culture of teachers sleeping with students was disturbingly common in northern beaches high schools in general and Cromer High in particular. These
themes are particularly powerful and relevant in this #metoo age. After Lynette’s disappearance, Chris and Joanne moved to Queensland to start a new life. Chris resumed his teaching career at an all girls high school despite his previous sexual relationships with students considered as common knowledge.

Chris, Joanne and Lynnette. Photo: The Australian

How did he get away with the probable murder of his wife? Well, his minor celebrity status and friendships with some of the northern beaches police force seemed to keep the law at arm’s distance. Also, as you’ll hear in the podcast, those that knew Lynnette best and were concerned about her whereabouts were, for various reasons reluctant to contact the authorities.

The reason you need to get onto this podcast now is that, due to its massive popularity, more and more evidence against Chris Dawson is emerging. Along with new evidence, public outrage at what seems to be a gross injustice is building and putting pressure on police to re-investigate. Even ‘popular’ media personalities like Ben Fordham and Mia Freedman are publicly airing their opinions on this case and asking questions of the authorities. It is possible that before the podcast series concludes, major progress in the police investigation may occur and justice will be served!

Hedley Thomas from The Australian is the investigative journalist presenting this podcast. If you can endure his often sleepy tone and expressionless delivery and appreciate the quality and thoroughness of his investigation, The Teacher’s Pet is a must-listen for true crime fans. Who knows, the popularity of this brilliant piece of media may even be the catalyst for long-awaited justice.

Listen Here.

Radiohead Albums Ranked

Just a heads up… this is my first Radiohead-related blog post but it won’t be the last. Listen on Spotify.

With their 9 LP back-catalogue which includes a number of all-time classics, debate over which one is best is always a bit of fun. So for what its worth, here is my list of Radiohead albums from least favourite to favourite.

9. Pablo Honey (1993)

This is the obvious choice for Radiohead’s “worst” (it feels weird using that word) album. Despite the odd pop gem such as ‘Anyone Can Play Guitar’ and the mainstream mega-hit ‘Creep’, Radiohead’s debut album gave scant indication of the critical success to follow.

8. The King of Limbs (2011)

I remember lying in bed one night in 2011, scrolling through my phone to find an erratically dancing Thom Yorke in the video for ‘Lotus Flower’. The palpable excitement of an imminent Radiohead release gave way to mild disappointment when the album was available for download the following night. Expectations were high following 2007’s masterpiece In Rainbows, however the highly complex sonic landscapes of TKOL seemed pretentious even for Radiohead. Despite this album not quite hitting the mark for me, ‘Give Up the Ghost’ and ‘Separator’ close out LP7 beautifully and ‘Feral’ is an absolute banger in the live show.

7. Amnesiac (2001)

Often referred to (unfairly) as Kid B, this album is surprisingly coherent given that it is cobbled together from the remnants of the Kid A sessions. With its relatively slower tempo, Amnesiac delivers some truly beautiful ballads (‘Pyramid Song’, ‘Like Spinning Plates’) along with sprawling jazz-inspired tracks (‘Life in a Glass House’) and curiously distorted electro beats (Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors). I’ll always be haunted by Them Yorke’s lazy eye staring through the big screen at the Sydney live show in 2004 during ‘You and Whose Army?’. Why have I listed this album so low? I actually love it.

6. Hail to the Thief

After a mate burnt me a copy of The Bends and OK Computer in the early 2000s which kick-started my Radiohead obsession, Hail to the Thief was the first album I was onto right from its release. I remember downloading some tracks on Napster before getting together the funds to buy the CD from Sanity. Some tracks are a clear continuation of the Kid A /Amnesiac path (‘Sit Down, Stand Up’, ‘Backdrifts’) but its the return to more dark organic sounds like the tribal beats on ‘There There’ and the guitar driven rock of ‘2+2=5’ which gives this album its depth. Also, ‘The Gloaming’ is a truly awesome live experience not to be forgotten.

5. The Bends (1995)

The Bends is one of the greatest rock albums of the 90s and if you’re over 40 it’s probably your favourite Radiohead album. It is full of sing-along anthems (‘High and Dry’, ‘Fake Plastic Trees’) and catchy guitar riffs (‘Bones’, ‘Just’) but it also hints at the future direction of the band. The opening track, ‘Planet Telex’, with its bleak perspective on the technological age could easily feature on OK Computer. ‘My Iron Lung’ is a metaphor for the band’s reliance on their massive hit ‘Creep’ for survival but also how it restricts their artistic freedom. The closing track, ‘Street Spirit (Fade Out)’ is the prototype for all the greatest Radiohead songs yet to come, with its haunting, drawn out vocals and a tension-filled slow build to its crescendo.

4. A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

Radiohead are truly the masters of building tension for an album release. Mid-2016 saw all the band’s social media accounts wiped and mysterious postcards with the words ‘Burn the Witch’ sent to fans. A trickle of online content built over the next two weeks before two singles and the album were finally released… and it was worth the hype. AMSP feels like a culmination of everything great about Radiohead with Thom’s haunting lyrics, complex rhythm sections and electro soundscapes. And although Johnny Greenwood has dabbled with orchestral arrangements on previous albums, swooping string sections are felt throughout AMSP. ‘Daydreaming’ is a minimalist masterpiece and ‘The Numbers’ is the most overt display of activism on any Radiohead album. Finishing with a reimagined version on the fan favourite ‘True Love Waits’, AMSP is a modern classic and could potentially rise up this list in time.

3. OK Computer (1997)

Many people suggest that this is the greatest album of the 90s and I couldn’t argue with them. It is a timeless commentary on loneliness, alienation and anxiety in the modern digital age. I still remember hearing the epic ‘Paranoid Android’ for the first time and being completely blown away… I had never heard anything like it. Its complete deviation from traditional song structure and constantly evolving identity is equally alarming and refreshing. Just like The Bends there are plenty of opportunities to sing-along (‘Karma Police’, ‘No Surprises’) as well as blazing guitar riffs to rock out to (‘Electioneering’). But its the beautifully anxious moments in ‘Paranoid Android’, ‘Exit Music (For a Film)’ and ‘Climbing Up the Walls’ that give this album its unique identity. And ‘Let Down’ is near on perfection!

2. Kid A (2000)

After the massive commercial and critical success of OK Computer, Radiohead could have easily stuck to their formula and become the next U2. Instead they released Kid A. Their 4th studio album was a monumental departure from the type of music that had given them so much success. The band pushed the boundaries of electronic sounds, jazz freak outs and driving baselines, alienating many of their guitar-loving fans. The fearless experimentation in the face of expectation is what I love most about this album in particular and Radiohead in general. ‘The National Anthem’ is a force to be reckoned with and ‘Idioteque’ is a fist-pumping activists’ jam. ‘How to Disappear Completely’ is an exquisitely heart wrenching portrait of anxiety and ‘Kid A’ is a low-key live classic!

1. In Rainbows (2007)

I’m not 100% sure why this is my #1 Radiohead album. It is not their most daring and experimental album. It is not full of instantly recognisable classic singles. It does not fill your ears with layers of silky production. That’s it, I think it’s the confidence and restraint of this album which makes it so good. Released as a ‘pay what you want’ download, this was the band’s first album under their own label and caused a stir in the music industry. ‘Body Snatchers’ and ‘Jigsaw Falling Into Place’ are rare, up-tempo rock songs, ‘All I Need’ and ‘House of Cards’ are beautifully constructed ear worms. ‘Nude’ see Thom’s voice at its absolute best and ‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’ is the greatest song of all time.

May the debate continue!

The Alienist

“The defenders of decent society and the disciples of degeneracy are often the same people”

If you were unaware that ‘alienist’ is an archaic term used to describe early psychiatrists, you may expect this Netflix series to be high concept science fiction. Instead, The Alienist combines the nostalgia and aesthetics typical of period dramas with the thrill-seeking guilty pleasure of a murder investigation.

This 10-episode TV series, which has been adapted from the novel of the same name, is set in mid-1890s New York City. Daniel Brühl and Dakota Fanning star as members of an ad-hoc investigative team, hunting a serial killer with a fetish for street boys. The team is led by Brühl’s character, Dr Laszlo Kreizler, a criminal psychologist who enlists the help of a newspaper illustrator, John Moore (played by Luke Evans) and the secretary of police commissioner Roosevelt, Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning). Their covert investigation takes place in parallel to that of the police, who Dr Kreizler suspects are subverting the course of justice

Period dramas tend to present us with an idealised perspective of simpler times. What strikes me most about this series is the grim realism that is depicted through the uncensored portrayal of the gruesome murders as well as the horridly desperate living conditions of the poorest classes in 19th century New York City. That’s not to say that the amazing costume and production design, which we all love about period pieces is missing here. In fact, the stark contrast between the flawlessly lavish costumes of our upper-middle class investigators and the dirt poor rags of the serial killer’s victims, clearly illustrates the socio-economic chasm of the time.

It is this class-disparity which seems to be the motivation for the police corruption surrounding our serial killer’s case. It would appear that the police are protecting potential high-society suspects in the case with little concern for the destitute victims. Enter Dr Kreizler and team, who employ radical investigation methods (for the time) such as psychological profiling and rudimentary fingerprint technology. It is worth noting that the psychological profiling of violent offenders, which is fashionable in TV and literature (Mindhunter, Manhunt:Unabomber), is historically controversial. Looking deeply into the life history and past abuses of violent offenders to better understand behaviour is seen by some as an attempt to humanise and sympathise with evil. The tension surrounding these differing views creates conflict between the complex characters in this series. The lead characters grapple with implementing questionable forensic psychology to catch a serial killer as well as facing their own psychological imperfections.

If you are looking for a new series on Netflix at the moment, The Alienist will not disappoint. As is the case with the best TV drama series, tension builds throughout the episodes. Our heroes are faced with increasingly higher stakes as danger looms from multiple fronts. Wether its the corrupt police resorting to violence to save face, or the impending confrontation with a psychopathic multiple-child murderer, Dr Kreizler’s team bravely press on. But possibly the most satisfying thing about this series is the performance of former child-star Dakota Fanning (she’s no Macaulay Culkin or Haley Joel Osmet). Her portrayal of a strong, trailblazing, sexually independent, professional woman is worth the ten hours alone!

Watch It Now

“I’ve made my life’s work the study of the human mind and now my own mind deceives me”- Dr Laszlo Kreizler

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

You get the impression when Sebastian Junger set out to write Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, his intended audience was returned servicemen. Junger, a journalist who has worked the on frontline of combat zones for decades, understands the massive impact war can have on the psychology of veterans. Bringing war to the public, showing its raw brutality and stress is his niche. I doubt there has been a more accurate display of the emotional harm caused by frontline service than in Junger’s 2007 documentary Restrepo. Set in the Korengal Valley,

Afghanistan, Restrepo chronicles the months he spent filming a platoon’s efforts to hold an isolated outpost in one of the most extreme combat zones on the planet. The US military consider Korengal as the deadliest place on Earth and is often said to ‘receive more enemy fire in a day than the average war zone does in a month’. Fifty US Marines died during the shooting of Restrepo. The outpost which takes its name is manned by a platoon of 15. See the documentary

Junger knows war. As Tribe unfolds it is clear Junger realises he is hitting a nerve that extends well beyond military. The sense of belonging, being part of something bigger, which seems somehow lost these days. Acutely experienced by returning soldiers, this absence of place exists everywhere in modern society. The better off the community, the more enlightened or wealthy, the greater this lack of belonging seems to be apparent

The novel is well researched. Junger is not a blogger who has a ‘theory’. All his conclusions are drawn on research, well reviewed and cited in the book, which speaks volumes about the truth Tribe presents. His examples are varied, from African tribes to Canadian Indigenous, Junger looks deeply into the structure of these societies and what holds them together. He then starts to join the dots. As a reader, you begin to draw the conclusions before Junger puts them on paper.

Tribe is able to state the obvious, yet at the same time make you realise that you have somehow missed what is in front of you. As you read of historical accounts concerning survival under horrific conditions, you can almost anticipate how a community pulled together and became stronger because of the hardships. This is illustrated in the account of the Serbian war, where civilian survivors reminisce on how much better they felt during the war. War, conflict, adversity and struggle bring communities together and make the individual feel necessary. This is the message Junger delivers, humans have evolved to be part of a community, it is how we survived, and modern society has taken that away. To quote Junger ‘Humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary. It’s time for that to end’

U.S. Army soldiers from Bravo Company of the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division stand for a portrait at Fire Base Restrepo in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan in March, 2009. Photo by Adam Ferguson

Tribe is by no means a depressing book. The reader will either identify with the author or not. For me, this book created a foundation for which I could understand my own sense of place. The message resonated with what I knew was true, but never had the ability to piece the concept together.

Buy the book!

Slowly Slowly @ The Corner Hotel

The Corner Hotel, Melbourne

16th June, 2018

Supported by Face Face, Just About Done & Slow

“I don’t wanna live with dinosaurs.Yeah, I don’t wanna be here anymore. There’s something in the water that hurts your brain. You shouldn’t take the meds” was yelled back to the Melbourne four-piece as they opened the stage. Energy was high from the second the curtains opened.

12 months ago, Slowly Slowly sold out Northcote Social Club and now they have sold out The Corner Hotel, which is when bands know they’ve ‘made it’.

The night was opened by Face Face and Just About Done. Oslow rocked out their emo-indie tunes with the drummer smashing out an epic solo towards the end of their set.

Slowly Slowly showed us why they’re one of Australia’s favourite rock bands right now. Their emotive lyrics were executed with such epic riffs. The night was a mix of tracks from their latest album St Leonard’sand from their earlier released album; Chamomile. Both new and old, the crowd knew all the songs.

“We’ve got a surprise for you” Ben (lead singer) excited the crowd. “I can’t believe this is actually happening” as Something For Kate’s Paul Dempsey joined the Melbourne four-piece on stage. “Paul friggin’ Dempsey!!” The crowd was pretty pumped and you could see the overwhelming gratitude on the band’s faces. He is one of the band’s major influences and now he is on stage playing with them. Paul joined the band for The Cold War,belting out a solo with his magical voice.

The boys shredded out each of the single releases from St Leonard’s including; Aliens, Alchemy, and the latest releaseTen Leaf Clover. Returning to the stage with an encore of a track from each album; New York, Parisand closing the show with Smile Lines. “Aw this has made my night!” exclaimed an excited punter as he cheersed his mate.

The room was filled with Vans, beanies, beers and each person had a smile on their face at some point, if not for the whole night. Slowly Slowly executed an epic night of indie-rock music, showing why they’ve sold-out their Melbourne show, along with many other on their St Leonards Tour. They really know how to make you feel things.

Visit their Facebook Page to check out upcoming gigs.

Listen on Spotify

S-Town

“Every hour wounds. The last kills”

Horology and cyanide. Climate change and hidden gold. Horticulture and extreme racism. Pissing in the sink and Andrea Bocelli. What links these seemingly random and fascinating topics? The uniquely misanthropic genius, John B McLemore. Do yourself a favour and switch off the mindless talkback on commercial radio and immerse yourself in the quality journalism and storytelling found in S-Town.

Over the past few months I have developed un often unhealthy obsession with true-crime podcasts (sitting in the car for an extra 30min to hear the end of an episode and being late for appointments is now my normal). It started with Casefile: True Crime which at 87 episodes as of this week, took me the best part of 2 months to get through. There are way too many cases to mention them all here but I’d recommend checking out case 81: Brian Wells which has been turned into the Netflix documentary series Evil Genius, case 76: Silk Road which covers the rise and fall of the infamous dark web marketplace and case 60: Jonestown where the victim count and mass delusion defies belief.

The hole that was left in my life when I was finally up to date with the ongoing Casefile series was filled by the all-time #1 podcast… Serial. Where Casefile deals with a new case in each episode, Serial covers a teenage murder case across the 12 episodes of season 1 and a US Army deserter in the 11 episode second season. The brilliant journalism from the Chicago-based team that gave us Serial are responsible for This American Life, a weekly podcast on a range ofpolitical and social topics. They are also the creators of the mesmerising S-Town which is on review here.

S-Town centres around a semi-homosexual atheist from Woodstock, Alabama. This small town in Bibb County is described as “Shit Town” by our protagonist, John B McLemore (pictured), who, at least on the surface, loathes his geo-cultural situation. This surprising podcast series begins as an intriguing, if not bizarre murder investigation. Narrator and journalist Brian Reed follows up a murder and corruption story presented to him by John B, however it is fairly clear from the outset that the real interest surrounds John himself. Early episodes are filled with taped interviews and conversations with John whose flamboyant manner and southern drawl will have you captivated and hanging on his every word. John is an agitated genius with a lifestyle and interests well outside the norm for Shit Town. The incompatibility of John B’s personality and his environment is the driving force behind the many intertwined stories and characters that make up this podcast.

I’m reluctant to give much more away as you really need to go in fresh to get the most out of the character development and the relentless twists. Early highlights to listen out for are the tattoo parlour scene where we meet the typical Shit Town locals with their comically stereotypical accents and alarming racism (chapter 2). Later in this episode, the most pivotal event of the podcast takes place which literally stopped me in my tracks (and when I say literally, I actually mean it as I was briskly walking to work with my headphones on and stopped dead at this). As much as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this S-Town I’m also worried that I’ll forever unfairly compare every podcast I listen to from now on to this near-perfect and deeply profound masterpiece.