Stephen Kallao

The Record Company burst on to the scene in 2011 with its blues-inspired rock sound. After a decade making music together, the three-piece expanded their horizons on Play Loud, which sees the group working with outside producers and songwriters. The result is the band's biggest and most dynamic record to date.

Ron Gallo is perpetually evolving. Over the last few years, the former lead singer of roots rock band Toy Soldiers has embraced a range of sounds in his music: indie rock, garage and — for his newest album, Peacemeal -- lo-fi pop.

It probably comes as little surprise that Jakob Dylan thinks about songwriting a lot. He's been crafting songs for more than 30 years between his solo work and leading The Wallflowers.

In this episode, we're talking about the "sophomore slump" — or rather, the lack of one.

That case could easily be made for Nirvana, whose first album Bleach would pale in comparison to its follow-up, Nevermind. It sold over 30 million copies, made grunge a household name and turned Kurt Cobain into the planet's biggest rock star.