Explore every episode of the podcast John Kennedy's Track by Track Podcast

When the Maccabees disbanded in 2017, Felix and Hugo from the band (alongside their brother Will and Stereophonics' Jamie Morrison) got together to start a new project. 7 years later, and 86TVs released their debut album. Ahead of its release, the boys sat down with The Most Trusted Man in Music to talk about every track on the record.

Just days after performing a surprise set at Glastonbury, Serge from Kasabian sat down with The Most Trusted Man in Music to tell him all about the band's 8th studio album.

New Order's Bernard Sumner joined JK in the studio to discuss their 10th studio album. Talking about every track on the record, he discussed recent changes to the band's lineup, and explained how they explored using more contemporary elements in their music whilst also keeping true to the iconic New Order sound.

Jamie and Ed from Bombay Bicycle Club chatting to John about this album! It was the first back after a hiatus and the band were back with a bang! The Most Trusted Man In Music was on hand to dig through every song on the album and talk to the band about it’s creation.

Liam Fray came in Radio X to talk The Most Trusted Man In Music through The Courteeners 6th album! Hear Liam talk openly about what it’s like in the band now, recording an album, compared to what it has been previously! He talks John through the entirety of the record and delves into the meanings behind some of the songs.

The hugely successful third studio album from Michael Kiwanuka saw the man come into Radio X to talk to John Kennedy. Hear how he breaks down all his track and what went into the creation of them with The Most Trusted Man In Music.

If you want to celebrate and dissect an album after 25 years, who do you go to? The Most Trusted Man In Music! Michael and Mike came in to Radio X to discuss and listen back to a fully re-mixed version of Monster! Originally out 1994, the guys from the band joined John Kennedy in October 2019 to discuss the legacy the album has.

The second release from Foals in 2019 and the second time in 6 months that Yannis and Jimmy talked John Kennedy through every track on an album. It’s album full of mythology and moody riffs. Hear everything they’ve got to say to Johnny Kennedy about it, their first ever number 1 album!

The giants of indie Elbow were back in 2019 with their 8th studio album. The band have stepped away slightly with this one from the anthemic love stories, you can hear them talk John Kennedy through what caused this and an honest assessment of the album, as a whole.

An album title that foreshadowed the meteoric rise that this man had. Sam Fender came into Radio X to talk to John Kennedy about his first album Hypersonic Missiles. This chat was in 2019 and you’ll hear Sam talking candidly about his writing process and how he took a snapshot of life in that year and put it into chorus and verse. Enjoy this chat, track by track, with Sam Fender and The Most Trusted Man In Music, John Kennedy

Whilst Kasabian were on a little hiatus, Serge Pizzorno decided to record this debut album and then come in to talk to John about each of the tracks on there. It’s Serge’s first solo record and he came in to talk John through how it came about and what being away from the band allowed him to do.

Released in 2019, this is Frank’s eighth studio album and saw him put out an album telling the stories of 13 different women. Hear John Kennedy get into the background behind the whole album and what made Frank Turner decide to do a record that was unlike any other.

Album number 9 from The Black Keys saw them chat with John Kennedy via video link from their studio in Nashville. This is an album that saw Dan and Patrick step into a studio together after a short time apart and create an album dedicated to a close friend and influence Glen Schwartz. Hear as they break down the album with JK and talk him through each track on there!

Just a few hours before Foals were set to release their fourth studio album, Yannis and Jimmy from the band joined JK in the studio to him all about it.

Recorded in 2019 when Jack White and Brendon Benson came into Radio X, John Kennedy goes on a trip through the whole of the The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger album with them. In their own rights the pair of them are musical behemoths and together they created this huge third album that they’ve talked JK through!

Alex from Two Door joined John to dissect this record in 2019. Alex talks in this podcast about the inspiration they took whilst making the record and how other artists played a role in the whole thing! Listen as he talks the Most Trusted Man In Music through the whole thing!

John talks to Ezra Koenig about Vampire Weekend's fourth studio album. This track by track took place in Spring 2019 and you can hear John and Ezra get into a chat about what went into making the album and the meanings behind it's biggest songs.

This is the first album playback that John Kennedy did with Jade Bird as the pair of them delve into her self-titled debut album. Jade opens up with John to talk about what it was like creating the album and what each of the tracks meant to her.

The first of 2 albums that Foals released in 2019! In this episode Yannis and Jimmy talk about self-producing the album and the effort it took to make sure it had a unique sound to not only other Foals albums but also other albums out at the time. Hear the guys from the band talk about every track on the album and talk about inspirations behind it all.

Yard Act's James and Ryan joined JK to explain the meaning and inspiration behind every track on their second studio album.

Jack Cochrane from The Snuts joined The Most Trusted Man in Music in the studio to chat about every track on their third studio album. This was the first album to be released on their very own label, and Jack explained why they decided to part ways with their previous label, and what it meant for the band.

Meeting in-person for the first time, Joe Talbot sat down with John Kennedy to discuss IDLES' fifth studio album. Joe spoke about the dynamic of the band, how they create music, and what it was like to work with legendary producer Nigel Godrich.

Speaking in depth about every single track on their sixth studio album, Justin from The Vaccines explained how the departure bandmate Freddie affected the band, and what inspires him as an musician.

Matty Healy talks John Kennedy through every track on The 1975's third studio album, revealing his writing process, difficulties they faced while recording, and the inspirations behind the songs - including everything from John Hopkins to Disney.

Marcus and Winston from Mumford & Sons spoke to John Kennedy about every track on their fourth studio album.

The Prodigy's Liam Howlett joined JK in the studio to talk about every single track on No Tourists. Liam told John which samples and equipment were used in the production of this record to achieve the iconic Prodigy sound.

Back in 2018, John Kennedy was joined in the studio by Suede's Mat and Brett, as they spoke in depth about their eighth studio album.

The latest offering from Paul Weller underwent the Track by Track treatment when he met with The Most Trusted Man in Music on the release date of his 17th solo studio album.

The Modfather sat down with The Most Trusted Man in Music to explain the meaning and inspiration behind every track on his fourteenth solo studio album.

James and Nick from The Coral explained the story behind every track on their 9th studio album. They also told John how they keep their music sounding fresh after over a decade together as 'The Coral'.

Miles Kane joined The Most Trusted Man in Music back in 2018 to discuss his third studio album, 'Coup De Grace'. Collaborators on this record include Jamie T and Lana Del Ray, and Miles told John about how each track came about.

Florence Welch joined John Kennedy in the studio following the release of Florence + The Machine’s 4th studio album to talk about every single track on the ‘High As Hope’, and explain the process behind how she creates music.

Recorded on the 6th floor of a factory in Stockport, Call The Comet is the third solo album from Johnny Marr. Following its release, JK sat down with Johnny to talk about the meaning and inspiration behind every track on ‘Call The Comet’

In 2018, we heard the first new music from Snow Patrol in over 7 years. On release day, The Most Trusted Man in Music caught up with Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol, who opened up about his sobriety and spoke about how his healing process influenced this record.

Sitting down with The Most Trusted Man in Music to discuss his 7th studio album, Frank Turner explained the meaning behind his lyrics, and revealed which musicians inspired the sound of this album.

All five members of Blossoms squeezed into the studio to tell JK all about their latest album. They spoke in-depth about writing, recording, and producing the record, and explained how they fought to stay original and true to themselves with this new music.

Justin and Freddie from The Vaccines sat down with The Most Trusted Man in Music for a track by track breakdown of their 4th studio album, ‘Combat Sports’. They spoke to John about the process of producing this record, and explained which questions they had to ask themselves as a band before they could even begin putting pen to paper and writing music for the record.

Just a few hours before the release of their 5th studio album ‘Always Ascending’, Alex and Bob from Franz Ferdinand joined John Kennedy in the studio to tell him all about it.

Widely considered to be their best work since 'Dog Man Star', Brett and Matt from Suede joined The Most Trusted Man in Music to explain the meaning and inspiration behind every track on their 9th album 'Night Thoughts.

Why Make Sense? It’s a great question, and also the title of the sixth studio album from Hot Chip. Just before its release, John Kennedy sat down with Al and Joe from the band to talk all about it, track by track.

The Most Trusted Man in Music met with self-described ‘Corduroy-infected knob-twiddler’ J. Wilgoose Esq. to discuss his band’s second studio album, ‘The Race For Space’. After talking about two songs he wrote in Dutch for an ice-skating event, he revealed why this record had a space theme, and spoke about the meaning behind every track on the album.

John Kennedy was joined in the studio by Gaz Coombes, following the release of his second solo album, ‘Matador’. As well as speaking in depth about every track on the album, he also touched on what it was like to go solo, after recording and performing with bands for nearly 30 years.

With the release of their third studio album ‘Get To Heaven’, Jonathan and Alex from Everything Everything sat down with The Most Trusted Man in Music to explain their writing process and delve into the meaning behind every track on the record.

Dom and Matt from Muse spoke to John Kennedy about every track on their first conceptual album, ‘Drones’. They explained that on one hand, this record follows a protagonist through their emotional journey to find the light inside themselves, and on the other hand, commentates on the battle between humanity and technology.

Where do The Cribs write their music, and how to they keep their ideas flowing? When John Kennedy spoke to the Wakefield trio about their sixth studio album, they answered both of those questions, as well as revealing the meaning and inspiration behind every track on ‘For All My Sisters’. 

When Weezer frontman Rivers sat down with JK (from across the pond!) to talk about their 9th studio album, he explained how this album marks a return to the iconic ‘Weezer’ sound that we heard in their earlier albums. He also told John how they are trying to use this record to reconnect with their fans.

Serge from Kasabian sat down with the most trusted man in music to discuss the band’s latest album, 48:13.

2012 and 2013 were two very busy years for alt-J. Releasing their hugely successful debut album ‘An Awesome Wave’, winning the Mercury prize, and then touring the album around the world. So, when they released their second album in 2014, it was great to see them in the studio with John Kennedy, talking to him about how they found the past few years, and revealing what went into making this brand new record.

In 2013, for the fifth time in Track by Track history, Arctic Monkeys joined the most trusted man in music for an album playback. This time, the album in question was AM. As well as providing John with some exclusive insights into the album, Alex and Matt told him what it was like to try and stick to their Sheffield roots whilst living in the city of angels.

Ahead of the release of their 9th studio album, Caleb and Jared from Kings of Leon sat down with John to reveal the musical and lyrical inspiration behind every track on the record.