"Switched on Pop"

Another gem of a podcast discovery from last year is “Switched on Pop.” On this podcast a songwriter and a musicologist analyze various aspects of popular music. What they manage to do is highlight the sometimes incredible design and thinking that goes into pop music. Either that or they give these artists way too much credit and make them sound much more intelligent than they are.

Everything from the songwriting genius of Taylor Swift (an obvious observation) to the fact that One Direction are really just the modern day castrati is covered. If you already enjoy some of these songs and acts, hearing how their choice of scales, keys, chord progressions, and instrumentation ties into the lyrics to strengthen the message is fun to see. If not, you still get an interesting education into how and why these acts work so well.