Sounds, Important
The Indigenous Setlist review
Rating – 
As some of you will know, one of the few things I love more than podcasts is music. It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Once I got over the cringe worthy teenage years of only liking “cool” music, I sailed uncharted waters, often looking for the weirdest stuff I could find (lists with titles such as “albums that are impossible to listen to” or “is this even music anymore?”)
Over the years I’ve become a fan of everything from Indian classical music, 1970s Japanese funk, Musique Concrete and North African tribal music, to Gamelan music from Bali. There is so much more to life than what everyone else listens to. This week’s review ties in with what appears to be a burgeoning Native American podcast scene. I’ve reviewed some shows in the past such as Lodge Tales and The Historical Natives. These covered the folklore of the people involved, and was a real breath of fresh air to the many UK and American folklore shows.
When Indigenous House reached out to tell me about this show, I was intrigued. That was a while ago now, and I apologise for not getting this out sooner, but anyway…
So what’s it about?
The Indigenous Setlist features interviews with Native American artists that cover a wide gamut from soul, to country, to electronic and more. Each episode covers a separate musician, and they get to discuss their upbringing, influences and experiences as a recording artist.
Scattered throughout the episodes are examples of their music as well, and this is where the show becomes invaluable. I really think that there is a real goldmine here for fans of music, and whether you are a true collector of new sounds, or just want to get one up on your friends, then this is the podcast for you.
Is it any good?
This is a fascinating insight into what is unfortunately a niche market. I say niche, because they all deserve more recognition. Actually, some of them do have plenty of recognition, it’s just outside of the wheelhouse for a middle aged white guy living in a small village in South Wales. I’m being honest here, when I say that my introduction to modern Native American music were the reservation nightclub scenes in Yellowstone. That probably (definitely) sounds more flippant than I mean it to be.
My only criticism of the show is that it seems to be focussed on more mainstream sounding artists. While I love all kinds of music, I am a metalhead at heart, and so it would be good to hear from some punk/metal/hardcore artists. I know they’re out there, the metal band Black Braid has been playing festivals over here for a while. This is only a minor thing though, and unless all you listen to is heavy music, then you’ll probably wonder what the problem is.
Final thoughts
If you are bored of whatever half baked excuse for music that the various algorithms spew onto your device of choice, then you should really check this podcast out. There is a whole world of great stuff out there, and you could do worse than start here.
It’s become something of a cliché nowadays that “there’s no good music any more”. This is a lazy excuse for people who want to be spoon fed. Do some digging, find something you love, because for all the generic slop that major labels love, there are genuinely great artists just waiting to be discovered.
You can get Indigenous Setlist here:
https://www.greatpods.co/podcasts/the-indigenous-setlist-7904308
For more great reviews, I recommend GreatPods