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 Frank Sinatra's crooning Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas to Lady Gaga's Christmas Tree, we've got a blend of new tunes and familiar favorites in the running this year. The Beach Boys' Little Saint Nick is also looking for redemption after underperforming a few years back. Will Fall Out Boy's Yule Shoot Your Eye Out remain our champion??

James & Connor are back to talk about their holiday traditions, previous Naughty Or Nice contests (including the tragic and complicated elimination of Wham! and Last Christmas a year ago). We'll play memory games about Connor's scores and units, learn about each of these seasonal staples, and compete against each other with our own brackets to break a years-long tie. Then we'll end the episode with a new memory game that might end up with James on the naughty list after all!

Thank you for another great year! Which of these holiday songs were your favorites? Would your bracket have matched the final score? Are there any artists we've covered with more deserving Christmas classics? Let us know on social media, and follow us into 2026 next week wherever you get your podcasts!

Check out this episode's playlists!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7HbbcFipapfg9h2BLUxGeR?si=2da8e2471a844871

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJtsKngXJU&list=PLYumnChiw_I_gaLMEZ0UiHzFwkN22kQu-

Thanks for listening!

Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com!

0:00 Intro

2:47 Tales Of The Glories Of Naughty Or Nice Long, Long Ago

6:29 Have We Been Naughty Or Nice?

11:33 The NoN 2025 Bracket

18:02 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Sinatra) vs. You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch (Tyler, The Creator)

25:40 Another Lonely Christmas (Prince) vs. Not Another Christmas Song (Blink-182)

33:20 Cherry Tree Carol (Wiggles feat. Hozier) vs. Christmas Tree (Lady Gaga)

41:45 We All Need Christmas (Def Leppard) vs. Little Saint Nick (The Beach Boys)

49:46 Together Again And A Very Merry Christmas (Randy Newman) vs. The Christmas Song (Olivia Dean)

57:10 Alone On Christmas With You (Cody Fry) vs. 8 Days Of Christmas (Destiny's Child)

1:04:11 A Nonsense Christmas (Sabrina Carpenter) vs. Winter (The Rolling Stones)

1:10:38 Round 2.1

1:12:19 Round 2.2

1:14:15 Round 2.3

1:16:16 Round 2.4 Featuring Yule Shoot Your Eye Out (Fall Out Boy)

1:19:28 Round 3.1

1:20:50 Round 3.2

1:22:56 Round 4: The Finale

1:24:30 One Last Experiment

1:29:33 Final Bracket Recap

1:30:28 One More Game For Connor

1:46:58 Final Spin

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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 sales to support dance companies and education... but what made it so popular in the first place? Sure, it features iconic songs like the March, the Russian Dance, and the Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy, but the remarkable history of The Nutcracker goes deeper than we realized!

James & Connor are talking holiday traditions! We look at the ballet's striking stats, meet Connor's (actual) 5'11" nutcracker Nick and the world's LARGEST functional nutcracker, and talk about some idiosyncrasies between different adaptations of the ballet. We'll explore Tchaikovsky's legendary career, from the 1812 Overture to Swan Lake. The Mixtaper has lost his head with some 19th-century Fact Or Spin tidbits about superstitions, giant bees, and grand theft Celesta during the Waltz Of The Dastard. Then we learn what sugar plums actually are and share our thoughts on the plot, characters, and music that make up this Christmas classic!

Have you seen The Nutcracker live? What's your favorite version of the ending? Have you ever had a sugar plum?! And... how do you decorate your tree? Let us know in the comments or on any of our social media! See you next week for our own tradition-- the annual Naughty Or Nice competition!

Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com!

Thanks for listening!

0:00 Intro

8:27 Modern Nutcracker Statistics

12:09 About Pyotr Tchaikovsky

18:19 About The Nutcracker

21:45 Why Did The Ballet Get So Famous?

26:58 Fact Or Spin

33:21 Tchaikovsky Was Afraid Of Losing His Head

37:31 He Was A Musical Secret Agent

42:47 The Original Ballet Avoided 13 Of Everything

47:01 The Original Nutcracker Was Quite The Buzz

53:53 Breaking Down The Ballet

54:15 What Are Sugarplums?

56:23 The Plot: Act I

59:06 The Plot: Act II

1:01:17 The Music

1:03:51 The Suite

1:10:52 The Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy

1:12:23 Decorating The Christmas Tree

1:15:49 Full Ballet Vs. Suite?

1:16:50 Final Spin

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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 album that "changed the language of music." Its songs have become staples in the jazz canon, to the point that a certain chord is named the So What chord because it's so recognizable from this album. We'll talk about Miles' storied life and fluctuating career that led to his 1959 masterpiece... and then figure out why he later dismissed it as "warmed-over turkey."

James and Jazzy Connor talk about bearing Davis' torch into the future! As our resident trumpeter, Connor is quite familiar with Miles Davis. We learn how puffed up he can get. The Mixtaper is freestyling Fact Or Spin with tales about a vow of silence, a mysterious good Samaritan, and a Presidential Mix-Up that ended up Kinda Red. Then, get ready for a five-course meal as we examine the album track by track. Whether you're a decadent soup or an arugula dressed in regret, there's something on this album for every appetite.

How's this jazz album sit with you? Are there other foods you'd put in your five-course meal? Let us know if hard bop and modal jazz is music to your ears in the comments or on social media, and be sure to give us a follow! It's all no charge-- there are no Freddie Freeloaders here!

Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com!

Thanks for listening!

0:00 Intro

4:01 About Miles Davis

16:34 About Kind Of Blue

28:18 Awards & Accolades

29:19 Fact Or Spin

30:52 He Took A Year-Long Vow Of Silence

35:05 He Had A Presidential Mix-Up

38:49 He Was Saved By A Famous Good Samaritan

45:34 Albino Loco Punched Him In The Face

50:25 Album Art

51:23 So What

57:01 Freddie Freeloader

1:00:41 Blue In Green

1:05:03 All Blues

1:09:18 Flamenco Sketches

1:12:37 Final Spin

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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 the future viral hit Hayloft), the band pushed high-concept emotional rock to infectious levels with tracks like Oleander, Problems, and their first charting hit, The Stand! This self-made creative endeavor stands out from the rest of the band's discography with its sleek, polished romp through internal turmoil.

James & Connor Connor learn about Quadra Island, talk about the Greek & gold rush origins of the album title, and explore why the band became TikTok famous in the early 2020s. The Mixtaper will blow our hair and ears away as he belts out four supposedly-true facts about anthropomorphic metronomes, cover art cosplay, and a new type of magnet that fans took a bit too far. Will the album Carve A Name into our hearts, or will we have to Getaway to something new? Eureka might just awaken a new bad habit for Connor...

Let us know if you'd bring your own Mother to Mother Mother! Have you ever been poisoned by oleander? Are you.. some sort of butter knife hater? Chime in down in the comments and on social media!

Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com!

Thanks for listening!

0:00 Intro

1:27 About Mother Mother

7:17 About Eureka!

13:28 Awards & Accolades

13:53 Fact Or Spin

15:27 Ryan's Hair And Ears Were Blown Away

20:45 They Pitched A Mother Mother Cartoon

26:19 They Dressed As Their Album Art For Halloween

30:02 They Became A Mother Magnet

35:43 Album Art

39:19 Chasing It Down

41:31 The Stand

44:38 Baby Don't Dance

46:17 Original Spin

47:40 Born In A Flash

48:50 Simply Simple

50:23 Problems

51:55 Aspiring Fires

53:32 Getaway

54:49 Far In Time

56:02 Oleander

58:00 Calm Me Down

59:12 In The Wings

1:01:34 Carve A Name

1:02:46 Final Spin

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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 by vice, so seamlessly that you'll forget you're in the middle of the descent. Through moving songs like Francesca, All Things End, Butchered Tongue, and Eat Your Young, Hozier explores our relationship to darkness, power, and human connection through his well-sifted lyrics and unique creative lens.

We'll dig into Hozier's Irish roots, from a small hometown to the country's national choir, and discover his rise from starving artist to folk pop sensation. We refamiliarize ourselves with the mythology behind the Divine Comedy, reminisce on the popularity of Take Me To Church, and gear up for Thanksgiving before The Mixtaper brings us his Hoziest facts to date! Twitter stalkers, lead pants, and a well full of digestive biscuits (for the land) await us in Fact Or Spin! Then we'll discuss the whopping 16-track record and its accompanying EPs in their entirety! Will this hellish descent be able to rise above the competition?

Let us know which EP songs you think should have made the album! Did we get close on pronouncing "uiscefhuaraithe?" If this podcast felt like Hozier's yell, let us know in the comments and on social media.. and be sure to follow along through the holiday season! Happy Thanksgiving!

Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com!

Thanks for listening!

0:00 Intro

4:30 About Hozier

13:04 About Unreal Unearth

18:13 Podcast Segment That Feels Like Hozier's Yell

19:10 Awards & Accolades

21:22 Fact Or Spin

22:50 His Fans Track Him

27:22 He Nearly Drowned

31:22 He's Immortal

34:43 He Offered Biscuits To Faeries

43:04 Album Art

44:30 Nobody's Soldier

46:22 July

48:53 That You Are

51:18 Too Sweet

55:44 Wildflower And Barley (feat. Allison Russell)

59:09 Empire Now

1:01:00 Fare Well

1:02:34 De Selby (Part 1)

1:04:55 De Selby (Part 2)

1:08:09 First Time

1:10:49 Francesca

1:13:43 I, Carrion (Icarian)

1:16:59 Eat Your Young

1:20:19 Damage Gets Done (feat. Brandi Carlile)

1:22:56 Who We Are

1:26:34 Son Of Nyx

1:28:26 All Things End

1:30:22 To Someone From A Warm Climate (Uiscefhuaraithe)

1:33:44 Butchered Tongue

1:36:05 Anything But

1:38:41 Abstract (Psychopomp)

1:40:50 Unknown / Nth

1:42:52 First Light

1:45:05 Final Spin

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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 social commentary that still resonates today. From the frolicking Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear to the rollicking You Can Leave Your Hat On, this songsmith and his piano crank out hits faster than you can say "satire."

We'll trace Randy's roots to a family tree that's full of talent (the most Oscar-nominated family tree in history, actually). We'll talk about the rocky road into recording, the artists whose covers paved the way, and more! Then we reminisce about our favorite Newman-scored films, talk about his career in score, and find out how he broke his Oscar drought! The Mixtaper is bringing a roster of four supposedly true Friends of Randy Newman, from athletes to archeologists to... literal dancing bears. From Major League to Monsters Inc., Randy Newman's music has shaped generations of entertainment... but how will this solo record fare in our rankings? Tune in and find out!

We wouldn't have nothin' if we didn't have you-- tell us your favorite Randy Newman-scored movie! How does his hard-hitting satire resonate with short people? Rednecks? Politicians?? Tell us your take in the comments and on social media!

Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com!

Thanks for listening!

0:00 Intro

3:14 About Randy Newman

12:50 About Sail Away

20:40 Awards & Accolades

23:58 Fact Or Spin

24:44 Randy Newman Has A Friend In The Cincinnati Bengals

27:37 He's Got A Friend In A Dancing Bear

30:28 He Has A Friend In A FAKE Dancing Bear

33:02 Randy Newman's Got A Friend In Harrison Ford

38:12 Album Art

39:58 Sail Away

45:04 Lonely At The Top

46:27 He Gives Us All His Love

47:49 Last Night I Had A Dream

49:27 Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear

51:45 Old Man

53:58 Political Science

56:35 Burn On

59:13 Memo To My Son

1:00:43 Dayton, Ohio - 1903

1:02:30 You Can Leave Your Hat On

1:04:05 God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)

1:05:13 Let It Shine

1:06:48 Final Spin

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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 through some of the band's all-time classics like Attack, The Kill, and From Yesterday. Their lyrics pull back from cosmic generality and hone in on the angsty, intimate side of the human experience. Bartholomew Cubbins is also back in the picture and we'll talk about some of his directorial feats, including a climate change documentary and a music video from the Forbidden City!

James & Connor reminisce on Episode 33, talk about cotton candy grapes (and yes, the ear), and then learn more about 30STM's early days before The Mixtaper enters the scene with Beautiful (Potential) Lies about pyramid schemes, cult islands, and ambitious zero-G promotion in Fact Or Spin! Then we'll take a look at this top-heavy rock record and decide whether it reigns supreme. Will Thirty Seconds To Mars blast off to redemption, or are they doomed to be one of our lowest-scoring bands of all time?

Did our 30STM takes get a little too hot? Too cold?? Is there an even better record we could have chosen for redemption? And... do you like cotton candy grapes as much as Connor does? Okay.. the answer to the last question is "no," but check in with us in the comments or on socials about the rest! Follow us for more album reviews and rankings every week!

Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com!

Thanks for listening!

0:00 Intro

0:48 Last Time: America

3:18 Past 30STM Experience

6:58 About Thirty Seconds To Mars

11:10 About A Beautiful Lie

20:18 Awards & Accolades

21:26 Fact Or Spin

24:05 The Band's Desert Pyramid Extravaganza

28:13 The Tale Of Mars Island

35:45 They're Pioneers Of Space Rock Marketing

39:16 The Band Wanted To Record On The International Space Station

47:39 Album Art

49:19 Attack

52:54 A Beautiful Lie

57:16 The Kill

1:03:16 Was It A Dream?

1:04:52 The Fantasy

1:05:59 Savior

1:07:00 From Yesterday

1:09:28 The Story

1:10:56 R-Evolve

1:12:34 A Modern Myth

1:13:06 Battle Of One

1:14:13 Hunter

1:15:26 Final Spin

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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, with more than 45 tracks that tell the story of a broken family and a boy who's afraid to follow in his father's footsteps... and make his father's mistakes. It's all told in their quintessential 2006 emo-punk sound, over the course of hits like Decoration, Hair, and 1,000 Times A Day. Whether it's a big hit or a big miss, you can't deny it's a big swing for this new band.

We'll talk about the band's debut in the rock scene and their acoustic re-workings of their early songs that help develop their softer side. The Mixtaper introduces us to a record-breaking Conga and a new adrenaline sport, as well as the art of van-flipping. We do have a Mixtober tie to break in Fact Or Spin, after all! Then we'll work our way through the album disc by disc by disc, sharing our favorite moments, our impressions of the story, and more. Which disc will reign supreme? Will Connor be able to overlook integrated dialogue on The Path, a section that feels more like an audio drama than an album? If there's A Bigger Meaning to this record we'll Figure It Out this week!

What did YOU think about this self-indulgent album? Does the unique storytelling structure justify the immense length? Which of the three discs was your favorite? Reach out and let us know in the comments or on social media, and be sure to follow for more!

Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com!

Thanks for listening!

0:00 Intro

8:31 About The Early November

11:18 About The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path

18:29 Fact Or Spin

20:21 They Have An Impressive Conga

29:38 They Had A Tarot Interpreter

32:07 They Wrote A Hit While Desert Surfing

35:37 They Might Hold The Record For Most Replaced Equipment In A Month

42:18 Album Art

43:33 Doing Things A Little Differently

44:41 Disc 1: The Mechanic

46:28 Decoration

47:33 No Good At Saying Sorry

49:24 Outside

49:55 The Car In 20

50:10 Figure It Out

51:09 Disc 2: The Mother

52:00 My Lack Of Skill

52:23 A Little More Time

53:11 Hair

55:13 The Truth Is / 1000 Times A Day

57:18 Disc 3: The Path

1:04:43 Story Content

1:07:33 Standout Disc 3 Moments

1:07:42 Long Talks

1:08:20 Guess What

1:09:56 Runaway & Runaway II

1:11:31 Final Spin

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