Yes, we were supposed to talk about The Last Dinner Party's Prelude to Ecstasy this week, but we couldn't stop listening to Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.

Don't worry, we'll be back to our regular episodes next time! For now, please enjoy this bonus episode that could have lasted another 54 minutes.

"Lizzy McAlpine’s sophomore album, ‘Five Seconds Flat’, was one of the first albums we reviewed here at The Album Files. It made an immediate impression on all of us and has been an album we’ve come back to again and again in the year and a bit since. So when she released her third album, ‘Older’, earlier this month, we knew we had to get together and talk about it." - Matt

We will be back next week with a regularly scheduled (what does that even mean with us) episode. Thank you for listening!

"Neutral Milk Hotel’s second and final album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998), is an indie rock cult classic, a weird and wonderful journey through the mind of a reclusive genius, and an album that’s as provocative as it is intriguing. Sonically it’s rough and unpolished; lyrically it’s largely impenetrable and often unsettling. Ultimately, this is a fascinating and important piece of art and one that’s deserving of all the attention it’s received in the past quarter century." - Matthew

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Album Files! We will be back in two weeks to discuss Abby's pick: Prelude to Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party. Next week we will have a special episode about Lizzy McAlpine's Older

We'd love to hear your thoughts, if you want to send us a voice memo to include in the show you can find our social media links below.

What we've been listening to lately...

Matt: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Collier - Little Blue (Mahogany Sessions), Lizzy McAlpine - Older (Jimmy Fallon)

Iain: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sadness - Lana, Sylvaine - Dagsens Auga Sloknar Ut

Abby: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beyoncé - Blackbiird

⁠⁠⁠⁠You can find a ⁠⁠playlist of the music we discussed in episode 26 of The Album Files ⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠ You can find us on social media ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@abimickey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@iaintreloar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@climbingcyclist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

"Before the Taylor Swift and Kanye West collabs, Bon Iver's debut album is an insular, inward-looking reflection on its frontman Justin Vernon, originally intended as a demo before going on to sell in its hundreds of thousands and birthing a new generation of singer-songwriter. It's a fascinating record not just because of what it says but what it doesn't - and the considerable mythology behind it." -Iain

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Album Files! We will be back in two weeks to discuss Matt's pick: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel.

We'd love to hear your thoughts, if you want to send us a voice memo to include in the show you can find our social media links below.

What we've been listening to lately...

Matt: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Collier - Bridge Over Troubled Water breakdown of how he made the song, Jacob Collier - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Iain: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alcest - L'Envol

Abby: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nothing this week :)

⁠⁠⁠You can find a ⁠⁠playlist of the music we discussed in episode 25 of The Album Files ⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠ You can find us on social media ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@abimickey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@iaintreloar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@climbingcyclist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

For this episode, we asked our listeners for their suggestions of albums that are worth listening to. The three that we landed on were Japanese Breakfast's Jubilee (suggested by Escape Collective member jlb1705), Alt-J's An Awesome Wave (suggested by Brooke Lendvay), and Camp Cope's How to Socialise and Make Friends (suggested by Andy Gerrie).

We had a blast listening to all three and as always are super grateful you all listen to this podcast, it means the world to us.

We will be back in two weeks to discuss Iain's pick: For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver.

We'd love to hear your thoughts, if you want to send us a voice memo to include in the show you can find our social media links below.

What we've been listening to lately...

Matt: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Older - Lizzy McAlpine, Little Simz - SOS, Lil Dicky - HAHAHA

Iain: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ratatat - Wildcat, Wild Beasts - Wanderlust

Abby: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sofiane Pamart - Seoul, Beyoncé - Texas Hold 'Em

⁠⁠⁠You can find a ⁠⁠playlist of the music we discussed in episode 24 of The Album Files ⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠ You can find us on social media ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@abimickey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@iaintreloar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@climbingcyclist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

"Apart from that I love it, and in a lot of ways it was the first album that I fell in love with without influence from my family, it also feels weirdly “too close” in the current political climate. John Colapinto of Rolling Stone wrote about the album that it "gives voice to the disenfranchised suburban underclass of Americans who feel wholly unrepresented by the current leadership of oilmen and Ivy Leaguers, and who are too smart to accept the "reality" presented by news media who sell the government's line of fear and warmongering." And If that’s not the world we are living in now…It was an album that changed me as a person, a freshman in high school in a lot of ways discovering who I was for the first time, this album became my anthem for a time and was the soundtrack behind a new version of myself and my departure from youth." -Abby

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Album Files! We will be back in two weeks to discuss the latest round of listener picks: Japanese Breakfast's Jubilee (suggested by jlb1705), Alt-J's An Awesome Wave (suggested by Brooke Lendvay), and Camp Cope's How to Socialise and Make Friends (suggested by Andy Gerrie).

We'd love to hear your thoughts, if you want to send us a voice memo to include in the show you can find our social media links below.

What we've been listening to lately...

Matt: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Green Day - Bobby Sox, Green Day - Saviors (full album), Green Day in the NYC subway

Iain: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Olhava, Violet Cold, Mono

Abby: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠René Rapp - SNL Snow Angel, Boygenius - Not Strong Enough, The Last Dinner Party - Caesar on the TV Screen

⁠⁠You can find a ⁠⁠playlist of the music we discussed in episode 23 of The Album Files ⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠ You can find us on social media ⁠⁠⁠⁠@abimickey⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠@iaintreloar⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠@climbingcyclist⁠⁠⁠⁠.

"Meat Loaf’s ‘Bat out of Hell’ holds a special place in my heart. It’s an album I grew up listening to and one that, decades later, still delights me every time I put it on. It’s an album that has everything from nine-minute self-contained mini rock operas, all the way across the spectrum to the most beautiful ballads you’re likely to hear. It’s a wild and bombastic ride and one that, almost 50 years since it was released, still has plenty to offer the listener." - Matt

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Album Files! We will be back in two weeks to discuss Abby's pick: American Idiot by Green Day.

We'd love to hear your thoughts, if you want to send us a voice memo to include in the show you can find our social media links below.

What we've been listening to lately...

Matt: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dirty Three (Tiny Desk), Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Ghosteen, Rick Wakeman - Criminal Record

Iain: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dua Lipa - Houdini, (also mentioned) Carnage (live)

Abby: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Taylor Swift - New Year's Day, Taylor Swift - Invisible String

⁠You can find a ⁠⁠playlist of the music we discussed in episode 22 of The Album Files ⁠here⁠⁠⁠.⁠ You can find us on social media ⁠⁠⁠@abimickey⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠@iaintreloar⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@climbingcyclist⁠⁠⁠.