What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Vespertine (Pt. 2)

The Big Mates discuss Pro Tools, music boxes, ocarinas, and Vespertine by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their dissection of Björk's fourth album by lookin

Oct 5
1 h 33 min

Vespertine (Pt. 1)

The Big Mates discuss Mr. Burns, activity times, ASMR, and Vespertine by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their dissection of Björk's fourth album by looking at

Sep 28
1 h 26 min

Selmasongs

The Big Mates discuss soundtracks, musique concrete, the number 14, and Selmasongs by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of Björk's career by

Sep 21
1 h 20 min

Dancer in the Dark

The Big Mates discuss Dogme 95, found sounds, The Mask, and Dancer in the Dark, starring Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of Björk's career

Sep 14
1 h 05 min

Björk Might Be a Moth

The Big Mates provide a smooth kind of audio accompaniment for a variety of clips from the Homogenic era of Björk’s career. Head to YouTube to watch along by clicking h

Sep 7
55 min

Homogenic (Pt. 3)

The Big Mates discuss song labels, Norse mythology, single edits, and Homogenic by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Björk and t

Aug 31
1 h 32 min

Homogenic (Pt. 2)

The Big Mates discuss dubstep, meditation, gonk pop, and Homogenic by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Björk and their track-by

Aug 24
1 h 42 min

Homogenic (Pt. 1)

The Big Mates discuss the launch of Channel 5, magical crime, “intelligent” dance music and Homogenic by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their dissection of her thi

Aug 17
1 h 47 min

Björk Confuses Wembley Arena

The Big Mates provide a large kind of audio accompaniment for a variety of clips from the Post era of Björk’s career. Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss dolphin noises, Bur

Aug 10
1 h 05 min

Post (Pt. 3)

The Big Mates discuss studying, relaxing, chilling, and Post by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Björk and their track-by-track

Aug 3
1 h 35 min

Post (Pt. 2)

The Big Mates discuss chance, big band jazz, sampling, and Post by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Björk and their track-by-tr

Jul 27
1 h 25 min

Post (Pt. 1)

The Big Mates discuss big batteries, envelopes, headphones , and Post by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their dissection of her second solo album by looking at how

Jul 20
1 h 32 min

Björk Shows Us Her Home Studio

The Big Mates provide a special kind of audio accompaniment for a variety of clips from the Debut era of Björk’s career. Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss late night hosts

Jul 13
1 h 04 min

Debut (Pt. 3)

The Big Mates discuss simulations, sampling, scores, and Debut by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Björk and conclude their tra

Jul 6
1 h 29 min

BREAKING MUSE: The Wow! Signal

BONG. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY NEWS BROADCAST. The Big Mates discuss the newly released album The Wow! Signal by Muse. They give their first impressions and pick some stando

Jul 1
30 min

Debut (Pt. 2)

The Big Mates discuss Goddesses, beauty, GoldenEye, and Debut by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their exploration of the career of Björk and their track-by-trac

Jun 29
1 h 16 min

Debut (Pt. 1)

The Big Mates discuss Mr. Oizo, the Second Summer of Love, Space Jam, and Debut by Björk. Adam, Steve, and Lucas begin their dissection of her first solo album by looki

Jun 22
1 h 22 min

Björk Handles Ants and Spiders and Lizards

The Big Mates provide a special kind of audio accompaniment for a variety of clips from across the career of The Sugarcubes. Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss Icelandic cu

Jun 15
1 h 00 min

Stick Around for Joy

The Big Mates discuss antique shops, alternative dance music, relatively new sweets, and Stick Around for Joy by The Sugarcubes. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue the pro

Jun 8
1 h 06 min

Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week!

The Big Mates discuss classic cities, CBGB’s, allergies, and Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! by The Sugarcubes. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue the prologue of their de

Jun 1
1 h 15 min

Chart trend

Position in the Music Commentary chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#99#196JulAugSepOct

#13

all-time peak

days in the top 50 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Music ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 7, 2026).

#78 ▲ 66 Music Commentary US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

The unique concept, a deep dive into an artist, song-by-song, track-by-track, is great both if you already know the artist well or know nothing about that music. You get history and context and different viewpoints from three people who engage with music in different ways. Takes a few eps or more to understand the in-jokes and appreciate the banter style, but when it clicks it makes for a fun listen. They are people who you would like to have as friends, to meet at the pub or coffee shop to talk about what you’re listening to, what shows you’re going to see…their Patreon is more than worth it, and connects you with more music nerds via the Discord community,

greg_kj · Nov 2025

I really don’t laugh at stuff in any form of media. No clue why. So I was shocked to listen to this podcast and find myself on the verge of tears from the beyond witty banter. You guys are hysterical. I love it. Please do these podcasts forever.

Shayflakes · Sep 2023

Incredible detail and context for some of the best music. The banter and personalities do not get old. Love it

jilltruth · Mar 2023

I had initially seen the What is Music podcast twitter account recommended in my feed and decided to check it out since they were covering Radiohead. I was instantly sucked in. So much great history and context covered, but nothing is taken too seriously. Makes complex music ideas more accessible for someone who isn’t musically inclined, but loves music and learning about it. They talk about music the way I wish I had someone to talk about it with! Lots of laughs and thought provoking ideas. You’ll never have a bad time with the big mates!

yannabucci · Mar 2023

A fun hang with likable hosts, but who are unapologetically stuck in their nostalgia for alternative rock bands that haven’t been relevant in decades. Great news for superfans who want to spend years exhausting over every REM album, but if you enjoy a more diverse spectrum of music, or feel that an endless parade of Manic Street Preachers isn’t worth hundreds of hours of scrutiny, then you may find yourself alienated by the otherwise admirably committed deep dive format.

Ed Mod · Dec 2023

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.