With special guest Matt Kato (formerly of Game Informer), Matt Helgeson takes a look at two women-led albums: Girl Ray’s shimmery debut “Earl Grey” and Lydia Loveless’s “Real”. With songwriting sensibilities well beyond their years, both acts seem somewhat out of time – “Earl Grey” is a 2017 record that could’ve come out fifty years earlier, while Loveless’s full country twang is tragically suited to the real-life heartbreak she recounts on “Real” (which she recorded with her then-husband, 20 years her senior, while their marriage was falling apart. Ouch.). Kato sticks around for some dynamite community questions, like chiptune vs. orchestral game music, video game references in popular music, and covers that sold us on the original song.WARNING: This episode of MinnTrax contains 200% of your daily recommended Captain Beefheart.

To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below…

6:05 - “Just Like That”

9:35 - “Cutting Shapes”

13:35 - “A Few Months”

26:15 - “Earl Grey (Stuck in a Groove)”

29:15 - “Earl Grey (Stuck in a Groove)” (cont’d)

35:30 - “Waiting Ages”

36:55 - “Stupid Things”

41:50 - “Preacher”

52:50 - “Frownland” (Captain Beefheart)

54:50 - “Longer”

58:15 - “Clumps”

1:02:35 - “Midwestern Guys”

1:08:07 - “European”

1:10:45 - “More Than Ever”

1:12:50 - “Same To You”

1:16:05 - “Out On Love”

1:24:50 - Community questions

1:47:40 - Community song (“Pedestrian at Best” by Courtney Barnett, suggested by MinnMax supporter Tim Lorow)

Follow Matt Kato on Twitter at @MattKato

Support MinnMax on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/minnmax/

MinnTrax Episode Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2vgqfvK

MinnTrax Community Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3aRRgox (edited)