STEPHEN TO ANNE MARIE:

SB: What is your favorite song?

AM: TimaLikesMusic, Cancel Plans.

SB: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

AM: No, but it’s never lost on me when I see songs by TOKiMONSTA or somebody I’ve loved for years and never thought to feature on here. Hilarious.

SB: Album artwork used to be such an important part of the musical experience. Walking down the rows at the store and spotting the iconic ones from a mile away. Michael Jackson in the white suit for Thriller, Pink Floyd’s prism or the Beatles Abbey Road. With the move to digital it’s become less of a focal point, but there are still some newer artists taking advantage of it. What is one (or a few) newer album covers that have stuck with you and why?

AM: Well, one strange thing about this question is the fact that my vehicle for music is now usually my phone and most platforms don’t use the album cover as the artwork you see anymore. So when you ask me what has stuck with me, I have to swim through all the fragments of mini music videos in my mind that they now do instead to think about the real thing.

I really loved Chromeo’s HEAD OVER HEELS and FANCY FOOTWORK covers. I remember seeing posters of them in LA and immediately they made me lean in. But you know I love anyone who can master a craft but not take themselves too seriously in the process. Those creatives are winners in my book. Little Simz SOMETIMES I MIGHT BE INTROVERT stayed with me, too. Sad Night Dynamite had a great cover with a limo in a pond that just made you think…what’s the story here? I tend to like a tableau that invokes a story or a totally abstract cover more than an object or just a photo of the musicians in high fashion attire. Just a little sprinkle of something to think about.

ANNE MARIE TO STEPHEN:

AM: What is your favorite song?

SB: I must have a lot of insecurities because Real Topeka People are speaking to me right now. Runner up goes to Sylo’s Why R U Back? Seriously, anything with that Michael Jackson The Way You Make Me Feel stutter beat and I’m in.

AM: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

SB: Just Radon Dungeon.

AM: What’s a summer song you used to wear out hardcore when you were little that you’d be embarrassed to flashback in time and see yourself repping? For me, Summer Nights by Lil Rob got way too much airtime. It was epic, but probably didn’t needed to be on repeat night after night, summer after summer. I know you’re going to claim that you’re Stephen and nothing embarrasses you because you’ve been effortlessly cool since you were born, but come on, at least admit a song you repeated more than you should have…

SB: Man! I Feel Like A Woman! by Shania Twain. I’ve said too much.