Posted in Album of the Month, Music chat, New Albums, podcast, Spin it or Bin It

Podcast Episode 56 | Saya Gray | ‘Saya’

Festive Greetings from This Is Not Happening and welcome to our year-end, 2025 wrap-up episode. As always we split the pod into Part 1 and Part 2.Part 1 features our Top 10 favourite albums of 2025. We use a proprietary algorithm to create our list our collective favourite albums, we're talking nascent data-science excellence! Every year it throws up some surprises as our tastes are so different (and in some ways so similar.Part 2 features a festive Spin It or Bin It. We each bring a candidate for track of the year and ask the age old question 'Spin It or Bin It' … will anyone really bin anyone elses Track of the Year? Probably.To retain the tension, I won't share any spoilers here … other than to share a 40 track playlist of some of our favourite 2025 tracks … here.Whatever you do at this time of year, who ever you do it with … have a good one.Please join us in January where we will go back to the usual format of Album of the Month + Spin It or Bin It.We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look – https://thisisnothappening.net/
  1. EP. 63 | Our Top 10 Albums of 2025
  2. EP. 62 | Juniper | Joy Crookes
  3. EP.61 | Blood Orange | Essex Honey
  4. EP.60 | Wet Leg | Moisturizer
  5. EP.59 | Little Simz | Lotus

We dispense with the niceties this month and discuss an album where we have quite differing opinions. Welcome to Episode 56 of This is Not Happening (TINH), an Album of the Month (AOTM) Podcast. 

In Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play ‘Spin it or Bin it’.  We pick a theme and each pick a song that represents that theme. We judge the selections by asking the question ‘Spin It or Bin It’?

In Part 1, David, resident ‘Pop Being’, has the pleasure of presenting an album from one of his genuine musical obsessions. ‘Saya’ the latest release by Saya Gray.

In Part 2, following the theme of ‘Saya’, break-up and heart-break, we play Spin It or Bin It with the simple theme of ‘Heart Break’ with no additional rules!

                                     —– Part 1 | Saya Gray | ‘Saya’ —–

To say David is a Saya Gray fan is something of an understatement. He has been championing the strange sounds of Saya for nearly 3 years. Nobody’s really sure if this is her debut album or not but that’s not important. It is an album and an artist that has divided opinion on the pod. 2 of us love this album, 1 of us doesn’t, and 1 of us has had such a busy month at work that we have no idea what they think pre-recording.

Regardless of how we feel about this album individually, we all think it’s an album that deserves a listen. Listen to the album, listen to the pod, tell us what you think.

  • Listen to the album … HERE.
  • Watch the World Cafe Podcast / Interview … HERE.
  • Watch the AMAZING Tiny Desk Performance … HERE.
  • Watch some ‘Visualisers’ (music videos!?!) … HERE.
  • Buy some stuff … HERE.             

                             —– Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | ‘Heart-Break —–

Was music originally created to express heart-break? Probably not but it definitely feels like it when you start looking for your favourite tracks that embrace the subject. We’ve chosen a track each that may not be what you expect.

Here is a link to our 16 track playlist of religion-inspired tracks – with the first 4 tracks being our picks for this month.

We’ve been writing the blog for years come and have a look – https://thisisnothappening.net/

Posted in Album of the Month, Music chat, New Albums, podcast, Spin it or Bin It

Podcast EP.55 | Brother Ali | Satisfied Soul.

Festive Greetings from This Is Not Happening and welcome to our year-end, 2025 wrap-up episode. As always we split the pod into Part 1 and Part 2.Part 1 features our Top 10 favourite albums of 2025. We use a proprietary algorithm to create our list our collective favourite albums, we're talking nascent data-science excellence! Every year it throws up some surprises as our tastes are so different (and in some ways so similar.Part 2 features a festive Spin It or Bin It. We each bring a candidate for track of the year and ask the age old question 'Spin It or Bin It' … will anyone really bin anyone elses Track of the Year? Probably.To retain the tension, I won't share any spoilers here … other than to share a 40 track playlist of some of our favourite 2025 tracks … here.Whatever you do at this time of year, who ever you do it with … have a good one.Please join us in January where we will go back to the usual format of Album of the Month + Spin It or Bin It.We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look – https://thisisnothappening.net/
  1. EP. 63 | Our Top 10 Albums of 2025
  2. EP. 62 | Juniper | Joy Crookes
  3. EP.61 | Blood Orange | Essex Honey
  4. EP.60 | Wet Leg | Moisturizer
  5. EP.59 | Little Simz | Lotus

The awesome albums keep coming early in 2025 and we’d love to introduce on to you today. Welcome to Episode 55 of This is Not Happening (TINH), an Album of the Month (AOTM) Podcast. 

In Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play ‘Spin it or Bin it’.  We pick a theme and each pick a song that represents that theme. We judge the selections by asking the question ‘Spin It or Bin It’?

In Part 1, Nolan, resident Hip Hop head stays true to form and brings a new album from a 47 year old artist! Brother Ali’s ‘Satisfied Soul’.

In Part 2, following Brother Ali’s exploration of peace, love, faith and religion, our Spin It or Bin It, our theme this month is ‘Religion’.

                               —– Part 1 | Brother Ali | Satisfied Soul —–

Nolan has been trying to introduce Brother Ali to us for years but … there’s a lot of music and not a lot of time. Previous album releases have not lined up with podcasts but this time they did! Satisfied Soul is an album that is worth any music fan spending some time with. It is not a niche hip hop album for niche hip hop fans. It’s soul music. It’s pop music. It’s Hip Hop. It’s intelligent. It’s massively thought provoking and massively accessible to anyone with an open mind and an open ear. 

Get on it. Please.

  • Listen to the album here.
  • This track is not from this album … but too good not to share Cadillac.
  • Nolan’s awesome ‘Intro to Brother Ali’ playlist can be found here.
  • Buy some stuff here.               

                             —– Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | ‘Religion’ —–

Popular music and religion have been uncomfortable bedfellows since … forever. We agreed to each select a track that ‘tackles’ the theme of religion in any way shape or form;

Here is a link to a this 4 track playlist.