John Richards

Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to The Morning Show with john Richards! Thanks so much for listening! --- Ladies is a trio project formed by Seattle musicians Lydia Ramsey, Erin Austin (OK Sweetheart), and Miranda Zickler (Kuinka).: listentoladies.com

"Chemtrails over the Country Club" is the title track from Lana Del Rey's seventh studio album, due for release on March 19th.: www.lanadelrey.com -- Here's the video: www.youtube.com

“Darkest Hour” appears to revisit the journey of Adam and Eve, a Biblical story from the Book of Genesis. The song features as the ninth track on the digital release (not the physical version) of the album "Shabrang.": beatsperminute.com

Norwegian singer-songwriter and producer AURORA provided the vocals for this track. In a press release, The Chemical Brothers wrote: "AURORA really made this by coming up with these amazing images. Sonics-wise, there are a lot of ideas and a lot of movement... It’s a rolling psychedelic journey, for want of a better word." Read more: tinyurl.com ----- Cheryl Waters hosted AURORA Live in the KEXP Studio in February 2019: youtu.be

UNKLE are a British trip hop duo formed by James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy in 1992. The group once included American hip hop producer DJ Shadow, who left during touring of their debut album "Psyence Fiction.": www.facebook.com

Want to see The Verve performing "The Rolling People" live?: www.youtube.com

James Murphy was asked why he felt this song struck a chord with people. He replied: "I don't know. It's sad-ish and people are old. I was purposefully trying to chase a feeling I got from Joy Division's 'Transmission,' which starts off so gentle, and becomes so f--king overwhelming. By the time he's going, 'Dance, dance, dance to the radio!' your head's exploding. And that Arthur Russell song, where they sing, 'I just wanna see all my friends at once, I'd do anything to get the chance to go back.' It's the simplest thing I could imagine and it's f--king beautiful. It's always been a really important theme for me and it's nice to write a song that comes from it."

Bernard Sumner said in a 2015 interview that this is probably his favorite New Order song. He said: "It's got a spirituality to it. It's really uplifting without actually getting a specific message across. It was interesting to see that you could do that while, at the time, being fairly abstract. I struggled with the literalness of my lyrics in the early days. I didn't want to expose my inner feelings to the general public "

I’d like to request the song “Fearless” by Pink Floyd. Besides being a catchy tune that I’ve loved since I was a kid, it took on new meaning to me this year as a song about resiliency in the face of adversity.I also found out today that the Liverpool FC fans chanting in the background are singing “You Will Never Walk Alone” which became a rallying cry of sorts in the UK for essential workers during the pandemic. It seems an appropriate message to spread during these often lonely days and months of COVID.. ---Becca N. -- Roger Waters composed the ascending riff on guitar using an open tuning in G major, which gives the song its ringing quality. He played this riff and other rhythm guitar parts on the studio recording, despite his job as the band's usual bassist. --

This wonderful song started life as a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel." Watch Brittany Howard perform this classic, released on Election Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4vdYzUMWbo --- Check out a performance with Brittany Howard on KEXP from last year. www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3aOCIwtYbo

Friday! Glad we made it together. New Arlo Parks album out today, and I don't need to tell you how amazing it is. "Hope" seems to me to be a perfect morning show song: "You're not alonе like you think you are We all havе scars, I know it's hard You're not alone, you're not alone" Mark --- "Collapsed In Sunbeams," out today (!), is Arlo Parks' debut album. You can purchase the album from this talented London poet/singer here: arloparks.bandcamp.com

"Moderation is a memory... Dive right in and let him send me... I could take this in doses large enough to kill,,," Here are the disturbing lyrics to "Johnny Feelgood": songmeanings.com -- Read a glowing retrospective on Liz Phair's third album: www.stereogum.com

Thanks, Sev, for this request. -- The singer’s latest visual, directed by Cliqua, continues the storyline from previous After Hours videos. Here’s a recap: In the “Heartless” video, the Weeknd trips and parties in Vegas. He then gets bloodied-up in the “Blinding Lights” visual. By “In Your Eyes,” he’s decapitated. But in “Too Late,” his head gets attached to another guy’s body, and he’s reanimated. And in recent public performances, the Weeknd’s face was covered in bandages. Now, the “Save Your Tears” video reveals the results of some reconstructive surgery.: www.youtube.com

Today is my boyfriend Erik’s 42nd birthday. He is an avid KEXP listener and was actually the one who introduced me to it. I was wondering if you could play “Boys” by Lizzo to start his day off with some dancing. Thank you! -- --Andrea -- Lizzo said, “I want people to feel free, I want people to have fun, I want these boys to know that you could be my next victim… if you play your cards right.” See Lizzo dancing in front of the Minneapolis music note wall, dancing in a men’s bathroom and lying on rose petals: www.youtube.com

Teacher Thomas, this one's for you! --Basement Jaxx are a UK dance music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. This was the first single lifted from the band's fifth album, "Scars." Although they usually used guest vocalists, Felix Buxton came out from behind his synthesizer to sing on this track. -- Here's the official video for "Raindrops," described by one critic as "warm and uplifting as a summer breeze flurrying under your skirt" : www.youtube.com

"...one good thing that came out of this year was starting a relationship with a person I love more than anyone in the world. I'm feeling so thankful to have that love in my life today. would you guys play Head over heels by tears for fears?" --Rhiannon -- In the liner notes for the album, Roland Orzbal wrote: "[Head over Heels] is basically a romantic love song and one of the most simple tracks that Tears for Fears have ever recorded. It is a romance song that goes a bit perverse at the end." See how the songs veers when you read the lyrics: www.songfacts.com

Good morning, John and KEXP crew. I'd LOVE to hear park life by blur. Makes me think of warm weather, it's 17 degrees farenheit here. -- Go back twenty-seven years to look at an album that defined an era: www.nme.com

The Reds, Pinks, and Purples are a DIY kitchen pop project of Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, Art Museums etc). His latest, "Uncommon Weather," which he describes as an "elusive portrait of San Francisco –– during one of its fluctuations as an untenable place for musicians and artists, comes out April 9th via Slumberland Records. Preorder the new album: theredspinksandpurples.bandcamp.com

Friday song with cutie pie intro (Henry) makes the Friday song even better, even though it's already the best! Happy Friday, and thanks for all you do! #youarenotalone -Kathleen ============ Ahhhh.....the Friday song! Join KEXP on Thursday, February 18th for Live Music Heals. At a time when beloved music venues are shuttered, and artists and others who make their living from live music are struggling, it’s more important than ever to talk about why live music matters. Share your stories about what live music has meant to you by leaving us a voice message at 1-833-303-KEXP or by emailing stories@kexp.org. Then tune in on Thursday, February 18th to revel in all of our cherished memories of live music, hear from music venue owners and artists, and much more.

Because my wife is an amazing person, an amazing wife, an amazing mom, and my bestest of friends, not to mention the fact that she loves YOU, can you play the Cure’s Lovesong for Anna in Rhode Island? Thanks!! Chris ========= On August 21st, 1989 The Cure released “Love Song”, a track from the band’s eighth studio album Disintegration. The song was penned by frontman Robert Smith as a wedding present to his wife Mary Poole, whom he had married just a year before the song’s release. Robert Smith had met Mary Poole when he was just 14 years old at St. Wilfrid’s Comprehensive School in Crawley, England, when he mustered the courage to ask her to be his partner in a drama-class project. “I just struck lucky early on,” he told The Guardian in 2004. And indeed luck was with him, as he got a partner for life instead.: post-punk.com

This song is a tribute to recently deceased David Berman and features his words in the lyrics. The Avalanches had recorded “A Cowboy Overflow of the Heart” and “Saturday Night Inside Out" with Berman, the latter song appearing on The Avalanches’ second LP "Wildflower." bit.ly See the video for "Running Red Lights": youtu.be

John selected MGMT's "In the Afternoon," a 2019 release from Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, as a KEXP Song of the Day: www.kexp.org

Guitarist/singer Graham Lambert began the earliest incarnation of Inspiral Carpets back in 1980 with Glen Chesworth on bass/vocals and Tony Feeley on keyboards. They named themselves Inspiral Carpets after a clothing shop in their hometown of Oldham in Greater Manchester. Here's a biography of this fixture in the "Madchester" scene: www.amoeba.com

On January 9th, 2021 Trent Reznor, Mariqueen Maandig Reznor, and Atticus Ross helped celebrate David Bowie’s life and legacy by performing a rendition of "Fashion" for A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day! -- This socially distanced clip featuring NIN's Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Reznor's wife, singer Mariqueen Maandig Reznor, takes the footage from the Jan. 9 event and turns it into a multi-screen homage to the late rock icon.: www.youtube.com Donate to Save the Children: support.savethechildren.org

In 1972 and 1973 Bowie was planning a stage adaptation of the Ziggy Stardust story. The project never came to fruition, but two songs written for it – ‘Rebel Rebel’ and ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll With Me’ – were recorded for "Diamond Dogs.": www.bowiebible.com --- Bowie's guitarist, Mick Ronson, quit in 1973 in order to pursue a solo career, so Bowie played guitar on this song. Alan Parker helped him work out the guitar riff.

The led has been gotten, er, out. --- “I wish we were remembered for Kashmir more than Stairway To Heaven,” Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant said. “It’s so right; there’s nothing overblown, no vocal hysterics. Perfect Zeppelin.” Read the story behind this great song: www.loudersound.com

The Brooklyn retro-funk and soul collective known as Menahan Street Band has shared another new original single from their forthcoming studio album, The Exciting Sounds Of The Menahan Street Band, due out next month on February 26th via Daptone. The album will be the group’s first full-length studio album of new originals in nearly a decade since 2012’s The Crossing.: liveforlivemusic.com Debuting in 2008, Brooklyn's Menahan Street Band features musicians from Antibalas, El Michels Affair, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and The Budos Band. menahanstreetband.bandcamp.com

Seattle band Polyrhythmics were live in our studio last February, just before the pandemic closing. Watch that full performance: www.youtube.com

KEXP recently premiered this second single from Seattle funkmasters True Loves off their forthcoming full-length "Sunday Afternoon," out on May 28th.: Ihttps://www.kexp.org/read/2021/1/21/true-loves-make-another-great-first-impression-kexp-premiere/

Inspired by the Beastie Boys 'Book' and Questlove’s 'Creative Quest' tUnE-yArDs fifth studio album 'sketchy.' is due out March 26. Singer Merrill Garbus says of "hold yourself.": “This song is about feeling really betrayed, by my parents’ generation, and at the same time, really seeing how we are betraying the future." pitchfork.com Check out the animated multi-media visual directed by Basa Studio for “hold yourself." youtu.be