FINALLY, after a long hiatus (sorry Stoppies!) we are thrilled/enraged to bring you a truly confounding episode of Make it Stop, where our intrepid hosts engage in the critical work of unraveling the Mars Volta's deeply ill conceived 9th studio album, Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos Del Vacio. Joining us to wade through the murky depths is perpetual pod bestie Ben Stein, who shares Mike's love for the often infuriating, but undoubtedly talented band. Will the love endure through 14 painfully plodding tracks that lack hooks, drums, guitars, and any semblance of a coherent song structure? Will Heather learn to appreciate the obscure lyrical meanderings and intricate layers of jazzy jams or will she crash out entirely? And ultimately, is this the rare story of a band that maybe needs to be doing drugs in order to make a decent album? Find out on this episode of Make it Stop! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Howdy folks, we're back back back again with another WRETCH-rospective of a classic and beloved act, documenting and dissecting the 10 worst Queen tracks ever recorded. We're not gonna lie Stoppies, this was a tough one - not because their catalogue is overripe with audio atrocities but because with Freddie Mercury on vocals, Brian May on guitar, and Roger Taylor on drums (sorry to the oft-forgotten John Deacon on bass) it was hard to find TRULY awful tracks. However Mike did manage to dredge up some musical muck including misguided biblical retellings, reluctant talk box synth guitars and scat rap vaudeville singalongs about suicide. Enjoy!* *enjoyment not guaranteed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling futuristic? Horny and confused? Are your circuits overloaded with indie electro-clash posturing, fembot fantasies, and the desperate clang of a pop star perpetually trying to reboot her identity to decidedly mixed results? This week, we plug into Bionic, Christina Aguilera’s glittery, glitchy, seemingly cursed attempt at beating Lady Gaga in the art pop culture wars of the early 2010s. Joining us on this cybernetic misadventure is Boston musician and unrivaled electro pop diva Dave of Battlemode, as we unravel the tangled wires of Xtina’s identity crisis, complete with MIA-mimicking monotone choruses, Switch-pop dumbed down dubstep beats, and an inexplicable string of Sia-penned coffeehouse ballads. We dig into the cultural wasteland of 2010, when pop was plastic, femme-powerment was market-tested, and a newly married mom wanted all of us to know how much she wanted you to licky licky yum yum on her Woohoo. Bop, flop, whichever way you slice it....we wish it would STOP. Part of the Pantheon podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How are you feeling, Stoppies? A little aggrieved? A tad perturbed? Are you ready to get REAL about your DEFIANT opinions on the woke mind virus, how doctors are evil pill pushers, and why Jon Stewart doesn't send you cute little videos on your birthday anymore? This week we cover the precipitous fall of once beloved Cookie Monster-voiced ska dad Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who threw away the cushiest career in showbiz to become an RFK Jr. sycophant and conspiracy huckster. His new band, The Defiant, is the saddest supergroup of MAGA-pilled castaways whose only requirement for joining is presumably that they got kicked out of their previous elder punk bands for having one too many brain worms. Joining us to mourn our fallen soldier is comedian Dicky Stock and musician Tom Saunders, who can both boast membership in high school ska bands and shared suburban legacies with our dear hosts Heather and Mike. We go way off the rails for this one, and extremely heavy on the Massachusetts regional in jokes - who knew Dicky had so many absurdly specific stories about being punched out in green rooms with local hardcore legends? Apologies in advance, but hey, we're just being HONEST. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stoppies, are you ready to go to MOUND TOWN? Are you ready to don your trueys, blast some longhorns and hole up with your weird friends in an abandoned shack in the woods to make autotuned nightmare trap about paint by number horror tropes all encased in a thick glue of glitchy witch hop freak shit? Well WE ARE! Our first episode back and we're keeping it in the family with true blue besties Brian and Julez who help us sift through the chopper-ed and screwed weirdness that is Sematary, a Northern California bred freak show making modern day Monster Mashups for troubled teens. Do we hate it? Do we get it? Does it matter? Find out on this episode of MAKE IT STOP! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready for the hilarious return of the Make It Stop podcast! Hosts Heather and Mike Dunn are back starting April 15th, delivering funny music commentary and scathing critiques of the worst music out there. If you love podcasts that break down bad music with sharp opinions and hot takes, especially focusing on recent releases, Make It Stop is your destination. Expect new episodes packed with bad music analysis every other Tuesday. Follow Make It Stop wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a single terrible track. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you got our latest podcast project? It's time for even MORE of that Van you love to hate, because we're deep diving into round 2 of this miserable musical end of life crisis. Joining us this round is comedian and "famous coward" Mark Gallagher, known for his hilarious character work and his deep, deep appreciation of ornery out of touch white rock stars with God complexes and a chip on their shoulder the size of their ex-wife. Maybe not the second part. Either way, this disc is less wife-hatred and more life-hatred, specifically towards mask-wearers, public health officials, and the proverbial "they" who "own the media". Whoever could he be referring to? Hope you enjoy this blustering, bloviating batshit fuckery, 'cause we sure as hell didn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome Back, Stoppies! We're officially rounding the corner on a whole 100 episodes and 5 seasons of musical masochism, so thank you for your patience in advance for what will likely be a much more relaxed release schedule this time around. As punishment for our tardiness we kick off the "fun" by attempting to tackle cantankerous Celtic crooner Van Morrison's Latest Record Project Volume 1. An album that finds the short statured human neck lamenting the endless persecution he has suffered and continues to suffer at the callous hands of his ex-wife as well as the deep state. For Van the only thing worse than paying alimony and child support is having to wear a mask while you do it, and make no mistake he will let you know exactly how he feels about it, over babby's first 12 bar blues, for about 6 minutes at a time, about 28 times in a row. Your fave, returning guest Brandon Vallee, gets roped in to try to parse which of the two boogeymen Van is railing against on any given track, and now we're worried he'll never talk to us again. A wild night is calling, but don't blame us for what happens when you answer. Part of the Pantheon Podcast Network! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alright stoppies, it's the moment you've all been waiting for - a knock down, drag out deathmatch between two deeply embarrassing teenage genres of the late 90s: Nu Metal vs. 3rd Wave Ska. Nu Metal Mike vs. Perpetual Ska Kid Heather battle it out with fan of both genres and very funny comedian Ethan Marsh reffing to make sure there's no wallet chain yanking or funny trombone stuff going on, keeping it a good clean fight. Representing Nu Metal is of course the legendary Florida miscreants Limp Bizkit who know their way around a sick riff, heavy bassline and a catchy sgriggedy scratchy DJ Lethal breakdown on 1999's Significant Other. Challengers and fellow Floridians Less than Jake take on the nu metal megastars with 1998's Hello Rockview, a stalwart of the ska-punk pantheon and catchy and fun in their own right, if a little repetitive as they make sure every song calls out how lame and boring Florida is (we agree). Which embarassing genre will reign supreme as the least worst? Find out on our EPIC SEASON 4 FINALE - Enjoy! Support Make it Stop for just $5/month and you can get access to EXCLUSIVE bonus episodes including during our summer hiatus and other cool content! Check it out at www.patreon.com/makeitstop today. Part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MMM MMMM MMMM...nah. The world was briefly captivated in the early 90s by Brad Roberts' low, smoldering baritone and his band of eccentric Canadian rockers the Crash Test Dummies. The one hit hit hard, but after a string of sloppy follow ups, the Dummies were in the doldrums by the time 1999's Give Yourself A Hand rolled around. To switch things up they decided to have Roberts sing in a falsetto and let keyboardist Ellen Reid play lead on a few songs for some reason - though those tracks provide the only bright spots in an otherwise chaotically awful album. No wonder their label dropped them after sharting out miserable musical monstrosities like "I Want Your Goo". Getting into the goo with us is none other than legendary Boston Rock Goddess Mistress Carrie of the Mistress Carrie Podcast and formerly of 107.3 WAAF (rest in peace), who does her best to honor the artistic intent while also eviscerating their bleating boring bullshit. It's a heck of an episode folks, and it's MMM MMM bad. Enjoy! Make It Stop and Mistress Carrie Podcast are part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're killing our Idols this week as we surf the circuits of cyber hell with none other than Billy Idol, who in 1993 was an aging "punk" desperately clinging to relevance while soaked in a haze of club drugs and heroin. But the drug called The Internet became the most addictive of all as he lazily skimmed Neuromancer and decided he was the ultimate authority on the emergent cyberpunk culture, to the point of audaciously making it the title of his album. Orchestra hits, sexy spoken word, sitars and self indulgent interludes abound on this 20 track digital disaster, though we have a blast surfing through the cybersludge with guest Manny Raposo who helps us contextualize this virtual insanity. Does it work? Not in the slightest, but it's also a hell of a fun ride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're reaching, and retching this week as we take a deep dive into Jack White's version of a musical midlife crisis, 2018's Boarding House Reach. Vocoder, hot topic spoken word poetry and RAPPING all make an appearance on this bloated collection of song stems, incoherent rambles, and riffless meandering sonic slogs that sound like the last gasps of a former musical genius. Most damning of all is the fact that more than half the songs aren't even songs at all - a far cry from the tight, furtive garage rock of Mr. White's heyday. It's sure to disappoint you as much as it did us, so reach around and hold on tight. It's bound to be a bumpy ride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All bad things must come to an end, and so we must say goodbye to this year's M-M-M-M-MARCH BADNESS. But before we can finally rid ourselves of this curse, a winner must be crowned. It's a true Cinderella Story this year, as the 6 seed Twenty One Pilots defied all odds, making it all the way to the finals to take on the 1 seed Chainsmokers. It's Blurryface vs Memories... Do Not Open, two albums considered by many to be the worst that the 2010s have to offer. Lethargic broDM, modern reggae rippity-rapping, all the worst aspects of millennial music is on display in this breathtaking finale. Mike and Heather are joined by friend of the pod, man about town, and unflappable sports expert Garvey Salomon. The debate is lively, the music is dreadful, but there can only be one winner! Whose tunes will shoot for the moon? Whose compositions will win the competition? Whose album will determine the outcome? FIND OUT TODAY ON THE M-M-M-M-MARCH BADNESS FINALE! Part of the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a bad, bad world Stoppies, and tonight's gonna be a long night as we go head to head with some of the most godawful garbage we've ever had to haul on this dumb, tragic show. Longtime besties and very funny friends Brian and Julez hold our hands as we wade through the muck of the legendarily insufferable Will.i.am whose dumb dumb drivel about girls' Donques nearly drives us off a cliff, but will it be enough to surmount the self-satisfied, homeschooled Christian theater kid sad sack jazz-rap of 21 Pilots? It's a race to the bottom once again, and at least we're enjoying the ride. All aboard, stoppies! This one's worth the trip. Part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Things are heating up as March Badness moves into the S-S-SEMI FINALS. Rippity rappity reggaety rockity 311 adds dubstep and Imagine Dragons-style indie to their bloated repertoir on 2019's Voyager, and that album goes head to head with the massively maligned one seed Chainsmokers' dashed off and cast aside nothing-album Sick Boy (2018). It is a HEATED battle this week, Stoppies, as we are joined by our dear friends Maggie and Ashleigh from the Rock Candy Podcast. Don't miss the spectacle, the passion, the joy of victory, the agony of defeat, the grinding misery of having to listen to all these awful albums for the entire month of March. We hate our lives! M-M-M-MARCH BADNESSSSSSSSSS. This show is a part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Make it Stop we continue to hone in on a central thesis of bad music - that no matter the genre, no matter the age or era, all bad music begins to flow together into the same swirling cesspool of shit. Nowhere is this more apparent than in tonight's episode of March Badness pitting whiny wine mom fantasy husband Pat Monahan and his band Train against nu-indie-rap-emo-Christian-rock disasters Twenty One Pilots. There exists a synchronicity of sanctimonious and deeply inane drivel so intense that there are several points in which the tracks blend seamlessly into one another, one ukelele riff at a time, synthetic hand clap in hand clap. Joining us on this doomed journey is returning guest and Boston comedian Nick Ortolani, who almost fully cracks as we deep dive into the shallow crevices of these cursed albums. It's a race to the bottom as we duke it out song by song to see which terrible white men are the least worst, and you'll be tearing your hair out till the very end. This is not a Drive By, stoppies. We're just shy guys, looking for a two-ply Hefty bag to hold our love. Part of the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's that time yet again, Stoppies. M-M-M-MARCH B-B-B-BADNESSSSSSSS. Our annual tournament to determine the worst of the worst is back, and it's time for six elite-level awful musical acts to duke it out for the trophy (we should have a trophy, huh). The first match of the Preliminary Round pits Western Mass's own constipated sad dads Staind against the funkiest white boys from Nebraska, 311. As they go blow for blow we are joined by dear friend and Worcester legend Shane Hall AKA Messiah Carey, who brings fantastic insight, making the Staind-to-Honkyball connection we never knew we needed. Who will emerge victorious? Whose tunes will reign inferior? Find out on Make It Stop's World of Sports Presents: March Badness: Part Deux! Part of the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They were the only band that mattered, but by 1985 they were in tatters. The Clash's swan song Cut The Crap is infamous in the music world, regarded by some as the worst album ever made. Having split with co-frontman and primary songwriter Mick Jones, Joe Strummer soldiered on with a few savvy studio musicians and his egomaniacal manager Bernard Rhodes. Together they set out to prove that they didn't need no Mick Jones and they could do it all themselves. Laden with studio trickery, drum machines, and 40 layers of identical sounding buzzsaw Les Pauls, the album is truly a chore to listen to, an all-time misfire from one of the greats. Mike and Heather are joined by Brandon, Meagan and Jack from Time and Place, because we knew they loved The Clash and we wanted to traumatize them. Fingerpop! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1994 three meth addled young punks from Oakland released an album that changed the musical landscape for decades, building the bridge that shepherded California pop punk from the fringes to the mainstream. 26 years and 10 albums later as, presumably, meth addled old punks, they released an album that changed nothing but the minds of longtime fans holding out one last hope for a return to form, shepherding soulless hockey anthems from the pro tools interface to the rink to the graveyard. Green Day’s Father of All Motherfuckers was an easy pick for our worst of 2020 list, and as lifelong Green Day apologists we figured it warranted a deep dive. We’re joined by friend of the show and ska trumpeter Ben Stein. The album clocks in at a paltry 26 minutes, but it packs enough nostalgia-shattering trauma over that span to make basket cases of us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Black History Month, which means it's the perfect time for another round of Eviscerating White Nonsense with returning white rapper roundup participant VQ of BLOWW and Boston comedian Izzy Da Rosa. The object of our ire this time is of course the ultimate Great White Embarassment Vanilla Ice and his 1992 follow up to his megahit debut album, the incredibly misinformed and extremely poorly executed "Mind Blowin". Featuring profoundly sad attempts to flex his 'gangsta rap' chops, references to smoking bales of 'hootie mac', and painfully corny sex tomes that dry up our collective vaginas quicker than old roller rink pizza under a heat lamp, this is a truly awful album. However modern day attempts to contextualize the infamous Ice invite us to consider - was Robert Matthew Van Winkle really all that bad, after all? Spoiler alert: yes, yes he was. Part of the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices