Recommendations you can check.
Musician and data analyst; writes Can't Get Much Higher, working through the history of popular music from the charts and the recordings.
34 things
The B Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American SongBook Ben Yagoda
An incredible history detailing the tumultuous changes that shaped the music industry in the late-1940s and early-1950s.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Music: A Subversive HistoryBook Ted Gioia
I’ve come to expect nothing but the best from Ted Gioia, but this book even outdid those expectations.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Cocaine & Rhinestones — "Bobbie Gentry: Exit Stage Left"Podcast Tyler Mahan Coe
This skill is best displayed in his episode on Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” a song that really isn’t even a country song. Not only will you learn about Gentry’s massive hit, but you will think deeply about the nature of fame and authorship.
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Switched On PopPodcast Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding
There’s a strong case that Switched on Pop is the greatest music podcast in existence.
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
A History of Rock Music in 500 SongsPodcast Andrew Hickey
While every podcast episode in this list is well-researched, I don’t think anybody’s depth of research approaches Andrew Hickey of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs .
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Song Exploder — "Lorde - Sober"Podcast Hrishikesh Hirway
In fact, by the time you get to the end of every episode, you’re almost guaranteed to like the song they’ve been discussing even if you’ve previously detested the artist. This episode featuring New Zealand pop star Lorde talking about her song “Sober” is no different.
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Ways of Hearing — "Time"Podcast Damon Krukowski
This episode on sound and time permanently rearranged my brain not just because Krukowski is a wonderful storyteller but because he knows how to use the podcast medium to demonstrate what he’s saying as he talks about it.
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music BusinessBook Fredric Dannen
Though it was written in the 1990s, this account of the rise and fall of payola remains as relevant as ever.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
How Music Got FreeBook Stephen Witt
You would think that every detail about how Napster upended the music industry has been written. Stephen Witt proves that’s not the case.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to Its Own PastBook Simon Reynolds
Critic Simon Reynolds was early on the trend. He wrote a book-length treatise on the topic in 2011.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Glass CenturyBook Ross Barkan
A compelling saga that traces a New York City family from the 1970s through today.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
See FriendshipBook Jeremy Gordon
A reporter attempts to make a podcast investigating the death of his high school buddy. A tale that is both contemporary and affecting.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Train DreamsBook Denis Johnson
A novella by a master, Johnson’s Train Dreams follows a man in the early 20th century whose life is transformed by tragedy and dramatically evolving technology.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
99% Invisible — "As Slow as Possible"Podcast
Though 99% Invisible is broadly a podcast about how architecture and design impact the world, they have delivered fascinating episodes on music over the years.
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Charting HoopsOther Chris Gunther | Charting Hoops
Basketball + Numbers
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter Charting Hoops, on their Substack's recommendations page.
2026-05-31·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Top Eight: How MySpace Changed MusicBook Michael Tedder
An exhaustive oral history of the MySpace era. If you were on the internet at this time, this is the book for you.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and OurselvesBook Chris Dalla Riva
Of course, I read my own book this year. It’s fantastic. You should buy it.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Louder Than a Riot — "The Conspiracy Against Hip-Hop"Podcast
The debut episode of Louder Than a Riot explores all of these questions and more.
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
One Year — "1942: The Day the Music Stopped"Podcast
Still, they devote an entire episode to one of the most important but under-discussed events in music history: when musicians went on strike and stopped recording new songs for two years.
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
This American LifePodcast
That said, they have many short music-related stories that are worthy of your time.
Ranked list of his favourite music podcast episodes, picked while researching his book
2025-06-26·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Hidden JapanOther Leon
Insightful takes on Japan
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter Hidden Japan, on their Substack's recommendations page.
2025-03-17·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Network NotesOther Darren Hemmings
My favorite place to get quick but deep insights on music's most pressing issues
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter Network Notes, on their Substack's recommendations page.
2024-08-07·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
AI Supremacy Other Michael Spencer
The best newsletter to understand how AI is shaping our world
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter AI Supremacy , on their Substack's recommendations page.
2023-11-18·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
On Repeat RecordsOther Kevin Alexander
Recommendations, interviews, and insights from Kevin Alexander
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter On Repeat Records, on their Substack's recommendations page.
2023-10-04·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Stat SignificantOther Daniel Parris
Picking apart popular culture with data
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter Stat Significant, on their Substack's recommendations page.
2023-09-05·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
The Run Out GroovesOther Mitchell Stirling
Diving into the highs and lows of an album's last track
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter The Run Out Grooves, on their Substack's recommendations page.
2023-05-17·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
SongletterOther
Unexpected song recommendations every week
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter Songletter, on their Substack's recommendations page.
2023-04-20·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Numlock NewsOther Walter Hickey
The perfect combination of data-driven news and humor
Chris Dalla Riva's own recommendation blurb for the newsletter Numlock News, on their Substack's recommendations page.
2023-01-20·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Death DiscsBook Alan Clayson
Unless you are deeply interested in how we sing about death, this probably isn’t the book for you.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in an Age of Musical PlentyBook Ben Ratliff
It was mostly a collection of essays. I might have enjoyed it more if I knew what I was getting into.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect PlaylistBook Liz Pelly
Liz Pelly’s account of how Spotify does things to hurt artists is well-researched and compelling. The second half of the book where she proposes solutions to these digital problems left me wanting more, though.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and CoolnessBook Steven Levy
Though it lacks the hindsight of the last two decades and borders on hagiography, it does capture both how innovative and popular the iPod was.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
North WoodsBook Daniel Mason
Because of that, the book feels somewhat disjointed. It is beautifully written, though.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
The City and Its Uncertain WallsBook Haruki Murakami
this is the third book that I read by the Japanese master. It made me realize that I might just not be a fan.
Year-end list of every book he read in 2025, with a short verdict on each
2025-12-14·cantgetmuchhigher.com ↗
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