Troy Nelson

Nation of Language will be back in Seattle, playing The Crocodile for a sold out show Thursday, March 24th... but there are still tickets for the second show they added on the 25th! www.nationoflanguage.com Watch Live Video Nation of Language's KEXP In-Studio from October 2021: bit.ly. www.nationoflanguage.com

Smalltown Boy tells the tale of a young gay man who packs up and heads for London in response to homophobic violence in his (un-named) home town. It’s supposedly based on the experiences of lead singer Jimmy Somerville, who quit the Scottish city of Glasgow in search of a better (and safer) life down South.

The first music in four years from Bellingham's own ODESZA, including the original vocal from Betty LaVette's 1965 track "Let Me Down Easy" “This song was born out of the concept of trying to bring these lasting, defining musical pieces like the 1965 release of ‘Let Me Down Easy’ by Bettye LaVette into a modern and contemporary electronic setting,” Odesza explained. “The idea of bringing two worlds together, that at first seem distant, has always been something we’ve been drawn to. It was an absolute honor to be able to work with Bettye’s voice over the course of writing the track. " odesza.bandcamp.com

The Avalanches' March 22 show at The Neptune has been rescheduled to Saturday, Sep 17. This song (featuring a sample of The Alan Parsons Project's "Eye in the Sky") was inspired by the love affair between writer Ann Druyan and her late husband, the cosmologist Carl Sagan. Sagan was chosen to chair a committee that selected a collection of songs, sounds and images representing planet Earth that were put on a pair of golden discs sent into interstellar space on board the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. Ann Druyan was on the committee as creative director, and she and Sagan fell in love when they were compiling the records. www.theavalanches.com

HARD FEELINGS (aka Amy Douglas and Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard) came to existence after Goddard publicly tweeted at Douglas, “Amy, can we make a thing?” Now, the duo is signed to Domino Records, released their debut single, “Holding On Too Long,” and released their self-titled debut album on November 5th. Here's the official video for "Holding On Too Long": youtu.be hardfeelings.net

The video for this song was directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard. She told Vogue that the video was inspired by the David Bowie-starring sci-fi film 'The Man Who Fell to Earth.' The video features Phil Collins’s daughter, Lily Collins. You can watch it at www.youtube.com

All 8 tracks from'Further' are accompanied by corresponding films by Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall. The main character of the films is portrayed by actress Romola Garai. The woman on the album cover is aquatic athlete Jenny Godding, who also body doubled for the underwater portions of the music videos. www.thechemicalbrothers.com

NEW MUSIC from Melody's Echo Chamber! Pre-order it here: melodysechochamber.bandcamp.com “I hope the record has that uplifting quality,” Prochet said in a press release. “I wanted to be more grounded and mindful through the process. I guided the sessions with simplicity—a contrast with the maximalism of [2018’s] Bon Voyage and the wilderness of my delusions. I made some big and impactful decisions and changes to my life. It took me to where it is peaceful, and I think the record reflects this. It’s more direct.” The video for this track was directed and animated by Hyoyon Paik and it's stunning! youtu.be

"Borderline" was written by Kevin Parker, who performed all instruments and vocals. Watch the debut of this song during the band's performance on Saturday Night Live: youtu.be

See Durand Jones & The Indications at the Neptune on May 19th! durandjonesandtheindications.com

Boy Harsher's sold out show April 15th at The Crocodile will feature a set by KEXP's DJ Sharlese! boyharsher.bandcamp.com Boy Harsher have directed a short horror film called "The Runner" -- a horror film intercut with a meta-style “documentary” about Boy Harsher’s recording process.

ONUKA (literally: granddaughter) is a Ukrainian electro-folk band created in 2013 by Ukrainian musicians Yevhen Filatov and Nata Zhyzhchenko. The band's instrumentation includes electronic drums, trombones, French horns and Ukrainian folk instruments bandura and sopilka. See the video for "ZENIT" here: www.youtube.com www.onuka.ua

Animator Virpi Kettu, who worked on the haunting video for this track, opines the band may have wanted "Witch" to raise awareness about the refugee crisis in Europe and the "blaming of different people... the blaming of Muslims and the negativity" that could lead to sentiments such as "burn the witch." She alluded to the mysterious postcard some Radiohead fans received recently that read, "we know where you live," a suggestion, she thought, of the current insecurity and blame game spawned by anti-immigration politicians. Watch the video here: www.youtube.com

“'Never Stop (Discotheque)'is a great 1983 single by the group that can be viewed as something of their response to the unbridled UK popularity of New Order. The song opts for the unlikely combination cellos and synthesizers (to great effect!) before Will Sergeant‘s whammy-bar equipped guitar and singer Ian McCulloch‘s characteristically soaring vampire vocals enter the fray." bit.ly Watch them perform it live in 1983 at Royal Albert Hall: youtu.be And you can catch them later this year at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, CA on May 14th and 15th! bunnymen.com

'CAPRISONGS' is FKA twigs's first mixtape and major label debut under Atlantic Records. Gone is the mournful crooner with haunting, operatic vocals; in her place stands a club rat on a mission of hedonism. A highlight of the mixtape's various hyperpop-adjacent bangers is "papi bones," featuring hip-hop grime master Shygirl. "We gon' run the dancefloor," a boisterous DJ shouts over a heartbeat pulse before alarms sound and the steel drums begin. n.pr www.fkatwigsofficial.com

The 18 year wait for new Wrens music is over (sort of): www.nytimes.com. The Wrens' Kevin Whelan has signed with Sub Pop and has released his first album under the name Aeon Station. 'Observatory' includes contributions from fellow Wrens Jerry MacDonald and Greg Whelan. They have just announced their debut live performance on March 11th in New York City. It’ll be the first time that Kevin and Greg Whelan and Jerry MacDonald have shared the stage together since 2009. “This is a new start for us…it’s energizing,” adds Jerry MacDonald. “I’m so incredibly excited to have music back in my life… and to do this with Kevin and Greg feels right.”

Atlas Sound is the solo project from Deerhunter's Bradford Cox. This one features Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, both as songwriter and vocalist. atlas-sound.bandcamp.com

Hello, I have a strange request. Considering how surreal and nightmarish today has been so far, I completely forgot that at 11:30 February 24th that a special agent Dale Cooper entered the town of Twin Peaks. Can you please play any music from the Twin Peaks soundtrack? Cheers Jenny from Tacoma. ========= In late 2016, the Chromatics ((Ruth Radelet, Johnny Jewel, Adam Miller, and Nat Walker) played "Shadow" at the Roadhouse in Twin Peaks, Washington. Locals in attendance included Shelly Briggs and her friends Hannah and Renee, Shelly's boyfriend Red, and Great Northern Hotel employees James Hurley and Freddie Sykes. Did you know there is a Twin Peaks wiki? twinpeaks.fandom.com --- You may also watch the official video for "Shadow": vehlinggo.com

In describing the album, A.C. Newman called it "a celebration record... After periods of difficulty, I am at a place where nothing in my life is dragging me down and the music reflects that." pitchfork.com Watch the video for this: youtu.be

Time Skiffs is the eleventh studio album Animal Collective and their first album in six years. It marks the return of band member Deakin, who sat out of the recording and touring of the band's previous album. anmlcollectve.bandcamp.com

Ora the Molecule is the musical moniker of Norwegian-born avant-pop artist Nora Schjelderup. Nora on this track: "'The Ball' is about everyone wanting the same thing but there's only one. And this ball is going so fast that it could actually kill you if it hits you the wrong way. Strong division creates friction and unhealthy competition. Community is everything, but it starts with the individual.” orathemolecule.bandcamp.com

Hatchie is playing Neumos on May 21st! bit.ly Be sure to check out the Live on KEXP performance from Hatchie's 2019 In-Studio session: youtu.be Brisbane, Australia's Hatchie (aka Harriet Pilbeam) is covering the Jennifer Paige 1998 hit "Crush." Speaking on the cover, Hatchie explains: “I’d been thinking of covering “Crush” for a few years before this opportunity arose. I always thought the lyrics were much more moody than the bright chorus they were paired with, so I wanted to shift the focus. I was super keen to be involved with SC25 when asked. It’s cool to be amongst some great artists doing the same.” bit.ly hatchie.bandcamp.com

New track from Lucius! Get this off the KEXP Song of the Day podcast: www.kexp.org Catch them with Brandi Carlile at the Gorge on June 11 (with a host of other guests!)

Because you need Ukrainian metal. stonedjesus.bandcamp.com Watch the video for "Here Come the Robots": www.youtube.com

From Rolling Stone interview with Guitarist Kim Thayil : What was everyone’s headspace like around the making of Badmotorfinger? There was a definite sense of excitement because we had this new bass player. Everything was working creatively. There was a little bit of hesitation because we’d really built something over five or six years with Hiro, and in between we played with [tour bassist] Jason Everman, but when Ben joined it was exciting. He’s one of my best friend’s little brothers, so I felt responsible for him. So it was excitement and eagerness but also a little trepidation because it was new. Read More Here: www.rollingstone.com

www.theshivas.org They play Chop Suey April 14th and Alma Mater Tacoma on the 15th! More info & dates: bit.ly

Leeds, UK band Yard Act will be LIVE on KEXP at Noon on Monday, April 18. This sessions is NOT open to the public, so be sure to tune in (or listen from the archives). bit.ly They'll play at Madame Lou's (The Crocodile) later that night. bit.ly yardact.bandcamp.com yardactors.com

Last month, ten years after the release of his GRAMMY-winning Black Radio, Glasper has announced Black Radio III. The album is out TOMORROW via Loma Vista Recordings. robert-glasper.lnk.to

Charles Bradley played a powerful Gathering Space performance in 2016, and we miss him every day! youtu.be

The track is built around samples from "Woman of the Ghetto" by Marlena Shaw: "Remember me? I'm the one who had your babies, I", in reference to African-American maids raising white children for little pay, came from a live version, whereas the "ging, gi-gi-gi-gi-ging..." sample repeated throughout the song is the scat portion of the original song's refrain. Shaw had the following to say about it: When it first happened, and the Mushroom Jazz people contacted me from San Francisco, I was kind of excited about it. But then, once I actually HEARD it, my first reaction was 'Oh my goodness! How in the world can I possibly stand onstage and sing those same notes, and those same lyrics, over and over again?'! You know, 'I'm the one who had your babies - ha-ha-ha-ha'! I mean, it’s different when it's being recorded and you're just pushing the button! But then, once I got used to the idea, I became excited all over again! And actually several other people have sampled the song since, though with them it's been the onstage version I did on the (1973-released) 'Live At Montreux' album that seems to have got more attention - I guess because it was more spontaneous. Which, as I say, is something that HAPPENS in my live performances! And I particularly liked the St. Germain version, which had more of a jazz flavour to it."

Sally Shapiro is both the pseudonym of an anonymous Swedish singer AND the name of the synth/pop duo featuring that singer and producer Johan Agebjörn. Both live in Lund, Sweden. : www.johanagebjorn.info Their new album, "Sad Cities," was released on the 18th and you can find it on their bandcamp sallyshapiro.bandcamp.com

Hey Troy Always enjoy when you're on the morning show. I'd love to hear some TR/ST this morning. Can you play Shoom or Iris? Thanks, dan =========== TR/ST performed live on KEXP May 15, 2019 bit.ly

The (now-disbanded) Pains of Being Pure at Heart covering this song from James' 1993 album of the same name. This EP also features a cover of Felt's "Ballad of the Band"

Bob Dylan's Jewish paternal grandparents emigrated from Odessa in the Russian Empire (now Ukraine). -- In the liner notes to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Dylan says of "Masters Of War": "I've never really written anything like that before. I don't sing songs which hope people will die, but I couldn't help it with this one. The song is a soft of striking out, a reaction to the last straw, a feeling of what can you do?"