Jay kicks us off this week with a remembrance and celebration of the late Shane MacGowan, who died last week at the age of 65. Known best as the frontman for the Celtic punk band the Pogues, MacGowan brought traditional Irish music to the UK punk scene of the 1970s & 80s. His lyrics were both crass and profound, his voice fit his hard-lived appearance perfectly, and he will be missed.

Songs:

The Pogues - “If I Should Fall From Grace With God”

The Pogues - “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”

The Pogues (feat. Kristy MacColl) - “Fairytale of New York”

Elaborating on a story from last week’s News with Nick, we learn more about the lead up to New Mountain Capital’s acquisition BMI. Alongside ASCAP, BMI appealed to the Justice Department in 2014 for an update to the 1941 consent decrees that control major aspects of their organizations. In response, the Justice Department refused to modify any of the restrictions and added new requirements that seem to force the organization to find a better way to do its business. Read more from the NYTimes here and here.

Song: White Denim - “Matter of Matter”

Finally, Kaz’s brother Mike thinks Taylor Swift’s song “Don’t Blame Me” sounds curiously close to Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” and wants Greg to look into it. In Theory is a bit that does just that. Greg busts out the keyboard and breaks the songs down to determine whether there’s something to the claim.

Songs:

Hozier - “Take Me to Church”

Taylor Swift - “Don’t Blame Me”