It’s generally a bad sign when I have to try and diagnose some work’s appeal in terms of cultural trends as opposed to aesthetic merit, but that’s kind of where I fall with Welcome to Night Vale. I’d heard about the show briefly in some other contexts – it played a central role in the legitimately entertaining story of Dashcon’s rise and fall, and The Mountain Goats’ Heel Turn 2 debuted on it, so I’d actually listened to a couple minutes while skipping to that. But taken in full, I just can’t really see the appeal here. So I guess I’ll explain it, and then maybe you guys can figure it out?

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