180. Jessica Dobson Discusses Radiohead, Amnesiac

Multi-instrumentalist Jessica Dobson—best-known as the guitarist and vocalist for Deep Sea Diver—joins Al to introduce him to Radiohead’s 2001 album Amnesiac. Jessica talks about the memorable circumstance under which she first heard Amnesiac, which tracks are her favorites and why, and how Radiohead has been an influence on her playing and songwriting. She discusses Deep Sea Diver’s new album, Billboard Heart, and how Radiohead helped to shape some of its sound. Jessica also breaks down one of the album’s singles, “Shovel,” and addresses whether U2 has also been an influence on the band’s sound.

You can follow Jessica on Instagram at @thisisjdobson.

To keep up with Deep Sea Diver, you can follow them on Bluesky at @thisisdeepseadiver or on Instagram, also at @thisisdeepseadiver. You can also visit their website, https://www.thisisdeepseadiver.com/. For information on tour dates, new music, merch and more, you can sign up for the DSD newsletter via Instagram or their website.

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. Subscribe for free to You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter! https://youmealbum.substack.com/. You can also support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.

1:24 Jessica joins the show

1:46 Jessica explains why she opened up to letting her love of Radiohead influence the sound of Billboard Heart

3:54 Jessica hears Amnesiac and Kid A as very different albums

5:55 Jessica talks about the first time she listened to Amnesiac and how she first became aware of Radiohead

9:43 Jessica explains why she chose to discuss Amnesiac

11:36 Al and Jessica talk about some mathematical oddities in Radiohead’s music

15:24 Jessica and Al note the odd ways that Radiohead creates balance in their music

17:15 Jessica discusses the two sides of her songwriting—and Radiohead’s

20:05 Jessica talks about her three favorite tracks from Amnesiac

26:07 Jessica delves into the art of creating a big dramatic buildup

28:14 Jessica cites a few songs from Billboard Heart that are Radiohead-influenced

32:55 Jessica sheds light on Al’s favorite moment from Billboard Heart

35:44 Jessica gives a reason for why she continues to find Radiohead an inspiration

39:41 Jessica and Al talk about some Radiohead B-sides and bonus tracks

44:24 Jessica likes interludes like “Hunting Bears”

46:37 Jessica talks about how an object writing exercise led to her writing “Shovel”

54:45 Has U2 been an influence on Deep Sea Diver?

57:36 Jessica explains why a band’s fourth album is the “artist’s record”

1:01:27 Jessica talks about Deep Sea Diver’s tour plans

Outro music is from “Billboard Heart” by Deep Sea Diver.