Summer Dungeon Synth? No, Summer and Dungeon Synth!

Summer Dungeon Synth? No, Summer and Dungeon Synth!

Author: Ross Payton, Birk McBirkinson July 22, 2025 Duration: 39:10
In this episode, Ross and I set out to find some new summer dungeon synth. That didn’t work out, so by complete chance Ross went with dungeon synth and I went with summer. It doesn’t matter! We ended up finding two super fun albums. Start your day off with a little patrol loop around The Borderlands then come back and settle into a nice air conditioned theater and enjoy some Summer Blockbusters.

Ever find yourself drawn to a melody that feels like it's echoing from an empty mall or a soundtrack for a forgotten dream? That's the territory explored on Night Clerk Radio: Haunted Music Reviews. Hosts Ross Payton and Birk McBirkinson act as your guides through the often-overlooked corridors of sound, focusing on genres like vaporwave and dark ambient where nostalgia and unease intertwine. Each episode is less a standard review and more a deep dive into the history and emotional resonance of this "haunted" music. You'll hear curated selections of tracks, but the discussion goes much further, unpacking why certain retro aesthetics or melancholic tones hold such power over us. The podcast regularly features interviews with artists and enthusiasts, adding layers of context and personal insight to the commentary. It’s for anyone who’s ever wondered about the stories behind the strangely comforting, sometimes unsettling music that exists just outside the mainstream. Tune in to discover not just what to listen to next, but to better understand the quiet pull of the shadows in our playlists.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Night Clerk Radio: Haunted Music Reviews
Podcast Episodes
An April New Music Sandwich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:14
It’s time for our April New Music episode! This time around, we’re breaking the rules a bit by discussing three albums. Your three course meal starts with some classic USPS inspired vaporwave, moving on to an eclectic se…
Listenin’ To listencorp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:05
In this episode, we’re checking out listencorp, a long-running magazine that covers vaporwave and electronic music. Each of their six issues features long-form articles, artist interviews, album reviews, and a whole bunc…
Japanese Ambient Explorations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:13
You should know that this episode was divinely ordained. The Discogs article below was posted by a listener on our Patreon Discord at the precise moment Birk was listening to a related album and thinking about this episo…
New Music: Cursed Mall and Blueberries on Mars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:10
In this month’s new music episode, we’re exploring the anxiety/comfort duality in vaporwave as it appears across two amazing albums. Join us as we discuss the wonderfully anxiety-inducing Cursed Mall from AWITW and then…
Passionate Plunderphonics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:38
In this episode, we’re discussing the 2024 album Passion by D.J. VLK. This amazing display of plunderphonics is made entirely using samples from the forgotten paranormal soap opera “Passions.” We talk about the show itse…
Solarpunk Exploration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:06
In this episode we’re digging into Solarpunk, a multi-media art movement that aims to build a vision of a more optimistic future, free from the crushing doom of environmental collapse. We talk about the movement, some ex…
New Music: 飑 and Apeiron [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:24
It’s time for our first new music episode of 2025! It’s getting cold and snowy where we live so we picked out some albums that fit our wintery mood. We’re covering an amazing slushwave compilation from Mom and Dad’s Comp…
Vaporwave Stocking Stuffers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:24
We’re back! In this episode, we’re easing back into our recording schedule with a discussion of thirteen diverse albums spanning a wide range of Christmastude. From classic vaporwave to modern jazz, dark ambient to goth…
The Neverending Discord Scroll [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:06
In this episode, we’re getting back into some crowd-sourced crate digging. We’re scrolling back in time through our Patreon Discord and checking out albums suggested by our listeners. Join us as we discuss 13 albums that…
Storming the Lego Castle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:20
In this episode, we’re tossing the new music format out the Part 4444 2x5x6 Wall with Window so we can focus entirely on Lego Castle (1979-1998) by Dreamcastle™. This phenomenally ambitious concept album/experimental fil…