Song Exploder is a podcast hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway in which musicians dissect their songs in great detail to reveal how they were created. Each episode is about 10-15 minutes and by the end of it, you get a thorough understanding of the track under discussion and its creator. This is a great concept for hardcore fans of artists featured or an ingenious way for novices to discover new musicians—or decide they have no need for them, as the case may be. There have been 21 episodes so far; some of the artists interviewed include Julia Holter, Brian Reitzell, Open Mike Eagle, the Thermals, Spoon, Daedelus, and the Microphones, and the composer of Bob's Burgers' theme song, Loren Bouchard.

When asked what factors lead him to showcase his subjects in Song Exploder, Hirway said, "There's no specific criteria in particular, really. I guess I'm often looking for songs that have lots of layers, or where the songwriting or production seem like they might have interesting stories. You never really know until you get into it, though. Some songs haven't been that layered (like the Thermals episode) but still turned out to be interesting. I've tried to have a good mix of styles of music and artist backgrounds, but I am limited somewhat by my own taste. I spend so much time working on each episode that I have to listen to the music for hours, so whether it's metal, hiphop, a TV score, indie rock, or anything else, I have to like the song to want to have it on the show."

On November 15 at 9 pm at the Rendezvous, Hirway will present a live version of Song Exploder with John Roderick, who will delve into how the Long Winters' "The Commander Thinks Aloud" came into being.

Hirway talks about Song Exploder and probably some other things with John Roderick at Rendezvous Saturday November 15.