Bleghs and Breakdowns

The State of the Scene is a podcast that features two men, Sam, and Marcos, who review the Emo, Metalcore, Deathcore, and Alternative music scene. Usually, Sam and Marcos discuss and review new music, but in the episode, No Sun, No Moon, No Problem, they casually talk about recent concerts they have attended. The State of the Scene effectively reaches metal and alternative music fans, by using casual and interesting discussion, music, and voice inflection.

As a music review podcast, The State of the Scene uses a casual discussion format to talk about current news, albums, and concerts. In episode 38, they stray from their usual structure, to talk about their week, and the concert one of them attended. Even though the podcast is mostly a conversation, the information they bring listeners is not only researched but also experienced. The episodes are created for metal music nerds, so the music reviewers have to be at least caught up with the nerdy news and facts about bands. In this aspect, the music reviewers utilize a large amount of constant research, by paraphrasing fan tweets, statements by band members, and their own experiences at concerts.

In the episode No Sun, No Moon, No Problem, the episode opens with an automated voice and is followed by a heavy breakdown of a metal song. As metal fans are known for loving a good breakdown and blegh, utilizing these sounds automatically makes metal fans feel comfortable. They capture fans attention by starting and ending the podcast with a clip of music. While the intro and outro engage listeners to the episode, music does not play a major role in this podcast series. There are no sound effects and there is minimal music played throughout the 1-2 hour episodes, with the exception of the intro and outro. Sam and Marcos briefly use clips of specific songs while reviewing a particular band, after the band is mentioned, but it is a small part of their episode. Even though music does not play a major role in the episodes, it is an element that enhances the podcast and makes it more interesting for listeners.

Another important element The State of the Scene utilizes in their podcast is the power of voice inflection and language in general. The two men laugh, make jokes, and are animated with their voices in every episode. Because they are casual and laid back, listeners feel like they are in the room with them. This is an effective strategy to make listeners feel comfortable and familiar with the content as well as the people producing the content.

While some people might get offended or turned off from the borderline offensive jokes and hearing the f-bomb, it is the kind of humor many metal fans enjoy. The Sam and Marcos make passing jokes about local bands, lightly criticize bands for the order of their setlist and also praise bands for their engagement with fans all in the same episode. The reviewers are less critical about bands than music critiques, but they still give their unfiltered opinions when necessary.

The No Sun, No Moon, No Problem episode is representative of the podcast series, but it differs because Sam and Marcos recap their week and concert engagements, rather than reviewing a list of new music. Their nerdy research makes their podcast appealing to metal and alternative fans who are new to the scene or have been in the scene for years. Overall, Sam and Marcos use interesting discussion and music to create an engaging and informative podcast.