Podcast Summary: "The Milk Carton Kids: 'I Only See the Moon' (Grammy Listening Party)"

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Date: January 12, 2024
Guests: The Milk Carton Kids (Joey Ryan & Kenneth Pattengale)

Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It spotlights Grammy-nominated folk duo The Milk Carton Kids and their album I Only See the Moon, nominated for Best Folk Album at the Grammy Awards. Host Alison Stewart invites Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale to discuss the making of the album, their creative evolution, production choices, and the stories behind select tracks, providing an intimate "listening party" experience for listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Revisiting the Band’s Roots and Production Choices

• Self-Production After a Decade

  • Kenneth resumes the role of producer, a title he hadn’t carried since their earliest work, aiming to rekindle the band’s original "spark."
  • Kenneth Pattengale (03:43):

    "We were trying to get back to what it felt like making music 10 years ago... things were fresh and alive and not overthought."

  • The decision was also practical:

    "It was still just me doing all of the work. Now it's just me getting credit for that."

• Scrapping the First Album Version

  • Despite three weeks of recording, they discarded nearly everything and wrote a new batch, thanks to Kenneth’s producer perspective.
  • Joey Ryan (05:24):

    "We thought we finished the album... It came down to Kenneth as the producer to say, hey, I don't think this is actually good...Let's basically scrap all of this and start again."

• Why Start Over?

  • The original attempt did not feel authentic or inspiring, especially when imagining the songs in their live set.
  • Kenneth (06:37):

    "If you're lying in bed late at night listening to it, trying to be transported to a different world, it didn't feel like that. It felt like maybe a songwriting exercise...I wanted to get to the stuff that felt like it felt 10 years ago, where it was the core of our identity."

Track-by-Track: Creative Decisions & Emotional Depth

"Running on Sweet Smile"

• First Song After the Restart
  • Marked a new direction; deeply personal and became a staple for live performances.
  • Joey (10:58):

    "That was the first one that Kenneth showed up with after we decided to redo the whole thing...felt like the first one that we knew, like, that's going to be one that we play every night in our shows."

Embracing Minimalism and Growth

• The band accounts for boredom with the minimalist folk duo "magic trick" and explores more varied approaches.
• Kenneth (12:21):

  "One of the things that happens 10, 12 years into that relationship is we get kind of bored of that magic trick. And we yearn for different tools and...forms of expression."

• This album found a "happy middle ground" between minimalist magic and broader sonic exploration.

"Wheels and Levers" and the Album’s Narrative Arc

• Only two tracks survived from the first recording attempt ("One True Love" and "Wheels and Levers").
• The arrangement of "Wheels and Levers" was rewritten to enhance the album's emotional and narrative flow, with its outro seamlessly leading into the title track.
• Joey (16:25):

  "Once we figured out the outro to this song and how it led into the intro for the title track, it really felt like, okay, a demarcation point where the Act 1 of the album is over...ushering you into sort of a darker kind of act two."

"I Only See the Moon" (Title Track)

• Long-term artistic dream involved recording with an orchestra—finally realized on this album.

• Kenneth (18:43):

  "I had this pile of money around and I thought, well, I'll just hire a giant orchestra."

• The song had been attempted and re-written over several records since 2014, but only now did it feel right.

• Kenneth (19:31):

  "We recorded this song for three other of our records and they never made it...I wrote this song in 2014, then rewrote it in 2016. All of the words. It's been coming into focus for quite a while."

• Collaborative anecdotes, including Joey missing the orchestral session (“Costco that day,” he jokes), add levity to their process.

• Kenneth (21:45):

  "Joey didn't even show up that day...He was invited, but I can't remember. Maybe somebody in your kid's preschool had a positive COVID test...Or you just had laundry."
  Joey: "I had to go to Costco that day."

"One True Love" (Banjo Blues)

• Joey's first banjo-driven song, inspired by old time “clawhammer” style, adapting a traditional form to a modern, autobiographical tale.
• Joey (22:32):

  "I just wanted to write a modern autobiographical old time banjo song. And that was what came out."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kenneth Pattengale’s dry wit when asked about producing his own band (03:43):

  "Well, we needed a fresh kind of look at things, and honestly, it didn't change much. It was still just me doing all of the work. Now it's just me getting credit for that."

• Joey Ryan teasing Kenneth about producing (04:56):

  "Letting the artist pursue his vision without getting in the way too much...I really felt like I was able to finally express myself once Kenneth got out of the way as producer."

• Banjo on public radio (03:10):

  • Kenneth: "How brave of you to play the banjo while people are trying to get their culture and their news."

• Orchestral dreams, humorously fulfilled (18:43, 21:27):

  • Kenneth, re: strings: "I had this pile of money around and I thought, well, I'll just hire a giant orchestra."
  • Joey, on missing the session: "I had to go to Costco that day."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:50: Alison Stewart introduces The Milk Carton Kids and the episode’s theme
• 03:21: Discussion of self-producing and the decision’s impact
• 05:24: Joey details the hard choice to restart the album
• 06:26: Kenneth explains why the first version fell short emotionally
• 09:49: Play and discussion of "Running on Sweet Smile"
• 10:58: Joey on how that song set the tone for their new process
• 12:21: Kenneth discusses minimalist magic, band evolution, and musical “middle ground”
• 14:57: Play and analysis of "Wheels and Levers"
• 16:25: Joey on creating the album’s narrative arc
• 17:50: Seamless musical segue into "I Only See the Moon"
• 18:39 – 21:27: In-depth, humorous recounting of arranging/recording the orchestral title track
• 22:32: Joey on writing his first banjo-based blues, "One True Love"
• 23:56: Episode plays out with "One True Love"

Conclusion

This episode offers a compelling look behind the scenes of I Only See the Moon, capturing both the vulnerability and humor that defines The Milk Carton Kids. Ryan and Pattengale discuss artistic risk, creative rebirth, and the personal stakes involved when crafting an album after a decade-long career. Listeners come away with a deeper appreciation for the album’s songs, the duo’s dynamic, and how reflection and risk can reignite a band’s creative core.