This week, we dive into Octavia Butler's short story, Bloodchild. Full disclosure, this one gets a little visceral, but in our defense, it' a visceral read. We discuss themes of love, symbiosis, and parasitic relationships as they relate to the narrative. It's a real romp through this wild sci-fi tale.Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Serpent and the Rainbow is a longer work, but it's one that's worth your time if you're interested in anthropology. The book details the work of ethnobotanist Wade Davis and his travels in Haiti, studying the potential origins of the phenomenon of zombification. In this episode, we discuss our thoughts on The Serpent and the Rainbow, its triumphs and its issues. We address the immense difficulty inherent in a white man's telling of a Haitian story, and we analyze the places where the narrative is at its most valuable.Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, Sweet Summer Children!Yes, this episode is also late. We're very sorry. We address it in the beginning of this episode, but with school on, editing on a regular schedule is a little bit difficult. On the plus side, the tardiness means you had plenty of time to watch Hamilton or listen to the soundtrack. In this episode, we let the void consume us and talk about why we all love this play. We also bring a bit of light criticism to keep things interesting. This episode also has more tangents than a geometry textbook. You can't say no to this.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, Sweet Summer Children!Apologies for the extra delay on this one. School has kicked up, and so I (Logan) officially slipped out of the editing groove while I moved. I'll be back to normal from here out, though. This week, we talk about Taylor Swift's new album folklore, and we do a deep dive into some of our favorite tracks. We talk about what makes this album significant, and ultimately, where we all land on it. Hope you enjoy it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The album Blood on the Tracks is one of Bob Dylan's most enduring, featuring a few of his more famous songs and liner notes that won a Grammy on their own merits. In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite tracks and what they mean to us. We review some of Dylan's more personal lyrics, investigate the source of Dylan's songwriting, and analyze the concept of the American rock-and-roll "road warrior"This episode has a little bit of audio difficulty, there were some noise gating issues that damaged the overall sound in the end. Hopefully they don't interfere too much, and you enjoy the episode notwithstanding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, Sweet Summer Children! Our apologies on the lateness of this episode. As a result of a move, things had to be shuffled and delayed, but we hope to be back to a weekly release schedule after this one.In the mean time, while this episode is here, you may as well enjoy it! In this one we talk about Lilo and Stitch, Disney's weird alien move form the early 00's. We talk about Secret Agent Cobra Bubbles, the relationship between would-be boyfriend David and the cute little family established in the film, and the way the film uses mirroring micro-narratives to establish its themes.Hope you like it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attack on Titan is a gritty, post-apocalyptic anime that explores the combat between the few remaining humans and vicious, giant beasts called Titans, which roam outside of the walls of a well-defended city. But this episode isn't about the gore and violence of that battle. In this one, we'll cover season 1, episode 14 of Attack on Titan, where a young man who can transform into a Titan is court-marshaled and put on trial.In this episode, we talk about the various ways that Attack on Titan approaches politics, power dynamics, and religious zeal. Content warning for Attack on Titan in general: This show is very violent and bloody. The episode discussed in today's podcast (S1,E14) is neither of those, though one character is hit repeatedly while imprisoned.Spoilers throughout for Attack on Titan as a series beyond the episode in question; nothing character based, but a few world things here and there.Hope you enjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an upload error delayed the release of this episode by four days, we decided to just save it for this week. Hopefully, though, that gave you time to read through Hemingway's Nobel Prize-winning classic The Old Man and the Sea. Inspired by the Hemingway's time spent in Cuba, this story details the battle between an experienced fisherman and the catch of a lifetime.In this episode, we talk about the story's themes, Hemingway's life, and the nature of the Old Man's relationship to the sea. We reflect on the overall meaning of the story, and we talk about the role of "The Great DiMaggio".Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Somewhere, deep in the dark recesses of our minds, a phrase has emanated loudly for as long as we have released Peep This Noise. "Everyone likes bad things" is more than a pithy maxim we say to defend the things we questionably love... It's a defense of the topics we select to discuss on the show.If you resonate with that opening, then boy, this episode is one for you. We discuss Disney's recent adaptation of Artemis Fowl, and let me tell ya, that film is a rough one. In this episode: Gregg laments the loss of the original source material, which is found almost nowhere in the film; Nathaniel discusses the problem of avoiding sensitive topics in children's movies; and Logan rants at length about how confusing the film was for him, given his lack of familiarity with the original text.Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While writing for Kotaku, critic Heather Alexandra once claimed that "criticism is an act of love". And if that's true, boy oh boy, we've got a lot of love for Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Released in 2001, the film is a splashy, colorful, and adventurous romp into some murky colonialist waters.In this episode, we talk about why we love to hate Atlantis. We examine its many problematic elements, and Nathaniel defends some of the cheap shots we take at the film's issues. Gregg talks about the gut-wrenching pain he endured watching the film with an anthropology degree, and Logan uses the very professional and legitimate term "fake-woke" at least a quarter-dozen times. Also, perhaps it's fitting, but this episode is a bit difficult to listen to, because Nathaniel and Gregg sound like they're underwater. Perhaps that's fitting, and if you listen close, you might even hear a whale noise.No seriously. Early on, you might hear a whale noise. Or you might not. Who can say what ended up in this mix?Hope you enjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're back for our first ever two-part episode, where we'll finish talking about Toradora!— at least for now. In this episode, we take a character each and examine how they interact with the show's core ideas of love and selfishness. Gregg talks about Ami Kawashima and how her need to be understood influences her understanding of love and connection; Nathaniel talks about Minori Kushieda and her emotional strategies of self-sacrifice for those around her; and Logan talks about Taiga Aisaka's instinctive discursive ownership of her feelings.Most importantly, Logan expands upon his developing thesis that Ryuji Takasu has oatmeal for brains.Hope you enjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everybody loves a good love story, right? Well at Peep This Noise, we certainly do, and this week, we're starting to talk about a great one. This week's media is an anime called Toradora!, and it's the heartwarming story of two neighbors, Taiga Aisaka (The Palm-Top Tiger) and Ryuji Takasu.We talk about the way that Toradora! explores various kinds of love and friendship. We talk about the ways certain characters interact, and how some of them create a certain selfishness in their relationships.But most importantly, we stan Taiga Aisaka. Like, a lot.Hope you enjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2013, The Fulbright Company released Gone Home into a video game scene full of re-used ideas and similar progression loops. Gone Home bucks the trend by playing in the "walking simulator" genre, which means that gameplay is light, and narrative elements take a heavy focus as players physically explore a three-dimensional space and (ideally) experience emotions similar to what the main character might feel. In this episode, we talk about the aesthetic, themes, and ideas found in Gone Home. We give our insights and reads into what some consider to be one of the most emotive games of our generation.Sorry for the little bit of background noise in this episode; we're just doing our best out here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Peep This Noise is— admittedly— a little different. It's not a traditional examination of our intended media (the short film Isle of Flowers) due to our inability to access it for review.Instead, we're examining three theoretical frameworks: Post-Colonialism, Historical Particularism, and Marxism. We talk about some basic ideas of each view, and how we use them to read texts.Despite the fact that it's unorthodox, we hope you enjoy this insight into a few of the things we read to help us wrap our heads around culture! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, sweet summer children! Due to some unexpected difficulties, we're releasing this old episode from our archive!In it, we talk about The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which is something of a common text in literary studies... Not that I had any idea of that at the time we recorded this episode, all the way back in November 2019.If you want to read it before listening, you should be able to find it on the internet for free.Also, stay around for the whole thing to hear Gregg do an impassioned reading of the story's final moments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Florence is an independent mobile game which hails from Australia, where it was developed by a small team called Mountains in Melbourne. The game is a touching rendition of a beautiful relationship, and what it means to fall in love.In this episode, we dive into the game's soundtrack, and some of the fascinating gameplay elements. We talk about how these pieces contribute to the storytelling of the game in meaningful ways, and we talk about our favorite parts. Things also get pretty personal as we discuss some of our own relationships, and where the game hit us hardest.If you were intimidated by the fact we chose a game (maybe you're not really a gamer) don't be! It's easy enough to play, and if for some reason you aren't able to access the game's main content on your own, there are places to watch it be played (like on YouTube).Thanks for listening; hope you enjoy!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since 2017, Phoebe Bridgers has become one of the biggest names in indie music. Her folk-rock/emo debut Stranger in the Alps released in 2017 to positive reception that rocketed her career to new heights. Bridgers' music is somber, emotive, and haunting.In this episode, we talk at length about Stranger in the Alps. We discuss its themes, the ideas of joy hidden inside its somber appearance, and its cathartic nature. Bob Dylan gets quoted, and so does Hamlet.In order to aid in the explanations, we cut in some of Stranger in the Alps so that you could hear things we were talking about. Those cuts aren't perfect. Sorry about that.Also, a PSA down here: Bridgers' album addresses some difficult concepts, including suicide, depression, and lethal injection. We only really address the last of these directly, and only for two brief moments, but if you're extremely sensitive to any of those things, we see you and totally understand. Just know that this album (and episode) might be one to sit out.Hope you enjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, sweet summer children!Unfortunately, Nathaniel is out this week on emergency medical leave (don't worry, he's alright), so we're releasing an episode that was previously buried in the archive of recorded but unreleased episodes from when we were getting started with our work on the show. In this episode, we deep dive into "Aim and Ignite" by the baroque-pop band fun.. We chat about the album's themes, its most poignant lyricism, and what songs we like best. fun. rose to international fame after the release of their second studio album, "Some Nights" (2012). The band has been on hiatus since the end of the tour surrounding the release of "Some Nights". Both "Aim and Ignite" and "Some Nights" are excellent, emotive, and walk a curious tightrope between blind faith and heartfelt agnosticism. If you're reading this, you should absolutely listen to both albums.Also, we don't say it in the episode, but we're deeply grateful to Katy Davidson and the band Key Losers for allowing us to use their track "Don't Know Why" from the album "California Lite". This song bumpers our show, and without it, our voices would be hollow, empty, and sad.There's a few oddities in this episode that come from its divorce from other segments of the show that are presently unreleased. Don't be upset; relish in the mystery. We're sure you'll hear those pieces later.Thanks for listening. Remember: Everyone like bad things. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2008, during the throes of a TV writer's strike, Joss Whedon and a small team released the mini-series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, a short musical which comments and subverts superhero movies.In this episode, we look at the mini-series and discuss the ways in which it anticipates modern superhero films. We examine how it adheres to and diverts from Campbell's "monomyth", and we talk about the music and the role it plays in the project.Hope you enjoy!PS: Sorry this is late and that Nathaniel and Gregg sound like they're underwater. It's been a tough remote recording Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

K-Pop superstars BLACKPINK have been around the block out here in the United States. Between playing COACHELLA and recording with Dua Lipa, they're about as close as possible to being fixtures of Western pop culture. In this episode, we dig into a few of BLACKPINK's songs: "DDU-DU DDU-DU", "WHISTLE", "BOOMBAYAH", "Kill This Love", and "STAY".We talk about the ways their music has interacted with Western pop and shifted away from a traditional K-Pop sound. We examine the style and aesthetic of BLACKPINK, and we talk about the use of military language and ideas in their music.Apologies for the delay on this episode, we had some issues with uploading it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna and Elsa, sovereigns of Arendelle, have been pop culture icons since they debuted on the scene in Frozen in late 2013... Of course, you didn't need us to tell you that. However, their most recent adventure at the end of last year in Frozen II took a turn for the post-colonial. In this episode, we get deep into some headier post-colonial theories; we discuss the ways in which Arendelle defines itself relationally to its neighbors, and we talk about some of Frozen II's pitfalls. We talk about Spivak's concept of the subaltern, and which of the film's characters find themselves discursively excluded as a result of colonialist powers. Hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sherlock Holmes is a literary character with as much cultural history surrounding him as individual works of fiction. In today's episode, we discuss the BBC film Mr. Holmes, which depicts Sherlock as we've never seen him before: aged, forgetful, and almost completely alone. Ian Mckellen and Laura Linney deliver great performances, and we break down our takes on the film in an hour or so. Hope you enjoy!Note: This cast was recorded remotely in our apartments, in three distinct takes. Our apologies for any audio awkwardness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content warning for lots of discussion of racism and some discussion of gender oppression and eugenics.H.P. Lovecraft is a writer known largely for his "Cthulu Mythos"— think like the book version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, except instead of superheroes, it's ordinary folks losing their minds when confronted with eldritch forces. Lovecraft largely pioneered the genre of cosmic horror... But he was also like, super racist. In this episode, we examine The Shadow Over Innsmouth, one of Lovecraft's more famous tales. We examine the ways in which it revealed some of Lovecraft's racism and bad ideas, and we examine some of the other themes and ideas present in the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we discuss Kafka's novella Metamorphosis, its tones and themes, and the direction of the narrative. The episode grows into a full discussion of what it means to be a human being and in the end, we discuss whether or not Gregor Samsa truly underwent a metamorphosis at all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.