187. Andrew Dost Discusses The Rentals, Return of the Rentals

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Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and visual artist Andrew Dost (fun., Anathallo) joins Al for this episode and introduces him to The Rentals’ 1995 debut album Return of the Rentals. Andrew explains why he chose this album and why he consistently revisits it over the years. He also talks about the uniqueness of The Rentals’ sound and how frontman Matt Sharp has made it distinctive from the sound of Weezer (of which he is a former member). Andrew also discusses why he started his latest musical project, the bossa nova-influenced Metal Bubble Trio, and talks about a couple of tracks from the debut album Cucumber, which was released in January 2025. He also talks about how he ended up writing music for dogs on DOGTV.

To keep up with Andrew’s work with Metal Bubble Trio, visit their website at metalbubbletrio.com. You can also follow the project on Instagram at @metalbubbletrio.

Andrew is also on Instagram at @andrewdost.

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. You can support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.

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1:33 Andrew joins the show

2:03 Andrew explains why he chose Return of the Rentals from the albums he had on his short list

3:52 Andrew talks about how the experience of listening to the album has changed over the years

6:45 Andrew and Al talk about the punk influence that is part of the album’s sound

8:23 Andrew and Al highlight the aspects of The Rentals’ music that differentiate it from Weezer

15:00 What brings Andrew back to Return of the Rentals all these years later?

17:22 Andrew talks about why “Please Let That Be You” may be his favorite track on the album

19:20 Andrew and Al discuss the album’s two singles, “Friends of P.” and “Waiting”

21:35 Al was intrigued by the collection of musicians who played with The Rentals

23:58 Do The Rentals have a unique sound?

26:17 Andrew’s appreciation for The Rentals and Matt Sharp has only grown over the years

28:19 One of Al’s sources for researching The Rentals was Politico

29:36 Andrew found a Rentals concert t-shirt

30:57 Andrew discusses two of his favorite deeper cuts from the album

34:31 Al picks out his favorite tracks from Return of the Rentals

38:08 Andrew and Al identify albums that start with four great tracks in a row

39:52 Andrew describes a specific kind of connection he feels when he listens to The Rentals

42:20 Andrew explains why he blended diverse genres on Cucumber

47:00 Andrew talks about the origins of Metal Bubble Trio

52:17 Did The Rentals influence the sound of “99”?

55:49 Andrew recalls the time fun. tried to get Matt Sharp to play on one of their songs

57:11 Andrew explains how he wound up writing and recording music for DOGTV

59:55 Andrew talks about his recent and current projects

Outro music is from “Cucumber” by Metal Bubble Trio.

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