John Richards

Quarantined as the coronavirus pandemic spread, on March 21, 2020, Liam Gallagher posted a video of himself washing his hands while singing this as "Champagne Soapernova." The same day, he also posted "Wonderwash" and "Soapersonic.": www.instagram.com

Urban Hymns was conceived as a Richard Ashcroft solo album, as The Verve had broken up. As it moved forward, Ashcroft enlisted help from this former bandmates, and it ended up becoming a Verve album and re-forming the band.

Thom Yorke: "Karma is important. The idea that something like karma exists makes me happy. It makes me smile. 'Karma Police' is dedicated to everyone who works for a big firm. It's a song against bosses."

In January, Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne performed as part of the virtual livestream Make Earth Cool Again, which was held to promote the fight against climate change through the organization Arctic Basecamp. "We’re a Canadian band and our next door neighbor is not just the United States, it’s also the Arctic," Butler said in the introduction to their pre-taped performance. "It’s really being affected by climate change, and I know everyone knows that, but I think we can make a difference if we work right now." They played their Reflektor track "Afterlife," an appropriately apocalyptic song for a potentially apocalyptic reality. Learn more about Arctic Basecamp here: arcticbasecamp.org

Low-Life is the third studio album by New Order and the only one to have pictures of the band on the jacket. Released on this day in 1985. That's 36 years ago if you're keeping count.

Operators performed "Cold Light" live at The Triple Door as part of KEXP's VIP Club concert series. Recorded April 4, 2016. www.youtube.com

Nation of Language vocalist Ian Devaney said: “When Aidan suggested ‘Gouge Away’ I was immediately struck by how badly I wanted to rework it in our style, and the whole song mapped itself out in my head right away. I didn’t let myself listen to the original from then until it was fully recorded so I might forget certain details about it, leaving only my impression of it’s foundational elements – the way the quiet, unsettling verses give way to the savage choruses, the way the big transitional guitar line overwhelms you every time it happens.”

X is the first new music from Working Men’s Club since their acclaimed self-titled debut was released in the autumn of 2020. Working Men's Club didn't get to tour for their debut thanks to the pandemic, but they've now announced UK dates for the fall. (Maybe they'll come "across the pond."): www.nme.com workingmensclub.bandcamp.com

karategunsandtanning.bandcamp.com Karate, Guns, & Tanning are Valerie Green in Indianapolis and Paige Shedletsky in Louisville. The two artists officially formed Karate, Guns & Tanning in late 2019, taking their name from a sign above a strip mall in Green’s hometown of Plainfield, Indiana.

Sharon was recently interviewed on the podcast "My Caffeine Withdrawal" Find it here: twitter.com

“This is one of the songs we wrote thinking that we would play it live,” lead singer Ellie Rowsell said in a press release. “I miss that feeling of singing on stage. It’s like screaming into a pillow or something — you can get away with being more nasty. There’s a whole other part of me missing.” Preorder Blue Weekend here: wolfalice.co.uk

Legendary UK label 4AD is celebrating their 40th anniversary (which was technically last year) with "Bills & Aches & Blues," a new compilation album in which current artists on the label cover songs by other artists on the label, which is out now. One recent single from the compilation is this tUnE-yArDs cover of The Breeders’ “Cannonball.” bit.ly

Maimouna Youssef aka "Mumu Fresh" is a Grammy nominated seasoned singer, emcee, songwriter and producer. - maimounayoussef.bandcamp.com Check out the "work" lyric video here: www.youtube.com

Holy s***! I just bought tickets to see Sylvan Esso in September! Thank GOD for vaccines!! Can I hear some Sylvan Esso this morning? Thanks!!! Hugs from ATL, Kiran ======= Go out and get vaccinated everyone and we'll all be able to go to shows with Kiran!

Daddy's Home is out tomorrow! St. Vincent has shared a video for “Down". The grainy, old-school clip was co-directed by St. Vincent and Bill Benz. Check it out: youtu.be

"Don't Go Puttin Wishes in My Head" is the first single from Thirstier, the new TORRES album, out July 30 via Merge. TORRES has also announced a massive tour spanning 2021 and 2022, including The Tractor on 9/27!

Francis of Delirium, aka Jana Bahrich gives a track-by-track breakdown of Wading here: floodmagazine.com

Bachelor is the new project of Jay Som’s Melina Duterte and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner. As they say, "Bachelor is not a band, it is a friendship." "Anything at All, " a song written, performed, and produced by them. is their debut single: kexp.org

This was Elastica's first single. It was released on November 1, 1993; its production was limited to 5,000 copies pressed on 7-inch vinyl. John Harris in his book "The Last Party" wrote: "Its lyrics concerned [Justine] Frischmann's frustration with the occasional problem of drunken male impotence."

In a 1994 interview, it was suggested that "Seether" could either be about female "animalistic instincts" or bouts of rage. Vocalist Nina Gordon agreed that her songs' meanings often changed during and after the writing process. "You write a song, think it's about one thing for five minutes....and discover that it's about many different things and working on many different levels."

This Hussy and Goon Sax are my two jams!!!!! Never thought I'd say that sentence in my life. -Shannon in Houston == Sophie Nicole Ellison (aka Hussy) has shared her latest single ‘I Tried’. Describing her style as “DIY with high ambitions,” the South London-based songwriter and producer performed drums, guitars, synth and bass entirely by herself on this track, which is lifted from her debut EP due later this year.: getinherears.com

Good morning John and Owen! Checking in and yes it's working. I can feelz the energy!!! Thank you for introducing me to Mad Foxes... effffing love PROPELLER!!!! Jes in the Central District ----- Jes wasn't the only one introduced to Mad Foxes by John - Mad Foxes performed on The Jimmy Fallon show last Friday night. Learn about John's contribution to that event: www.seattletimes.com

Pete Townshend wrote part of the song in a swamp in Florida, drunk out of his mind. The swamp was covered in cockleburs that attached themselves to his hair and clothes, and stumbling along filled with frustration and pain he came up with "I'm looking for me, you're looking for you, we're looking at each other and we don't know what to do." Later on he denounced the song as not being one of his favourites, and said that "It sounded great in the mosquito-ridden swamp I made it up in - Florida at three in the morning, drunk out of my mind. But that's where the trouble always starts, in the swamp." www.songfacts.com

The White Stripes were recognized in the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for the shortest music concert ever. The publication reported that on July 16, 2007, the duo played just one note at St. John's in Newfoundland, Canada.

Australian trio The Goon Sax have announced their third album, Mirror II, which will be their first album for Matador and out July 9.

Low-Life was released 36 years ago today! According to Bernard Sumner, "Love Vigilantes" is one of the few songs for which he started out wanting to tell a story rather than his usual method of listening to a newly composed piece and writing lyrics to match the mood of the music.

"Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" is the fifth single from LCD Soundsystem, released on February 21, 2005. The accompanying music video paid tongue-in-cheek homage to Spike Jonze's and Michel Gondry's music videos for Daft Punk's "Da Funk" and "Around the World." James Murphy previously name-checked Daft Punk on LCD's debut single, "Losing My Edge." He explained his lyrical stalking of the French duo to ireallylovemusic.co.uk: "I do love Daft Punk, but really I think they're a great signifier because they manage to be genreless, rather than something really specific, you know, like 'Junior Sanchez is Playing In My House.' They are like a band and they are DJs; they do song style songs and techno songs; they do dark stuff and pop crossovers. It is like referring to David Bowie who has been everything from folk to glam rock."

"Get Lucky" won awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, during which Stevie Wonder joined Rodgers, Williams and Daft Punk onstage to perform the song.

"Black Hole Sun" was released on this day in 1994. It topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of seven weeks at number one. Despite peaking at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, "Black Hole Sun" finished as the number-one track of 1994 for that listing. Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, and Iceland, where it reached number one.

Watch Brandi Carlile with Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron (and Peter Frampton on guitar) as part of a Chris Cornell Tribute Concert in 2019: bit.ly

Happy birthday to Stevie Wonder! 71 today.

This groovy instrumental is a previously-unreleased outtake recording from the 2021 studio album, 'I Told You So' by the Seattle funk trio - featuring Delvon Lamarr on organ, guitarist Jimmy James and drummer Dan Weiss. Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio played Live on KEXP at Home in February: youtu.be delvonlamarrorgantrio.bandcamp.com

Root Down was recorded live on February 8 at the Bombay Bicycle Club in Los Angeles. Let’s jam, y’all, let’s jam. flophousemagazine.com

No points for guessing what Jimmy Smith song this Beastie Boys track samples

In addition to Jimmy Smith's "root Down", the Beastie Boys' "Root Down" also contains samples from this track from Doug E Fresh www.whosampled.com

"Is this the most influential love song in modern music?" Thirty years later, this article looks at a pop classic whose popularity has never waned.: www.dazeddigital.com

One of the greatest country songs of the year started off as a new wave ‘80s hit. Who woulda thought? Sturgill Simpson kills it, in any case. Read more: www.thefader.com

Diamond performed this on The Johnny Cash Show, where he explained: "This song was written about a revival meeting I was at in Jackson, Mississippi. I went there because I was curious, and also because I was a college kid who had all the answers - no one was going to teach me anything and I could lay a few answers on them. I sat in the back of this tent meeting and I got really caught up in the music - clapping, the singing - tremendously exciting. After a while I felt something about the people - there was a tremendous yearning, looking for answers. Trying to ease a very hard burden of very rough lives. After a while the music stopped and a preacher walked out. I remember thinking that all the education I had, all the books, all the words, all the learning I went through at college didn't mean anything to these people, I had nothing for them. So I found myself pulling for this man who was about to give them something that I couldn't even begin to give them."

Happy birthday Stevie! This song won Wonder the 1973 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Shigeto is the stage name of Zachary Shigeto Saginaw, originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. With a heavy jazz background, a strong love for hip-hop, and prodigious skills as an electronic producer. Shigeto flexes his DJ skills on this exclusive guest mix that explores a deep techno and cerebral house sound that's heavily influenced by the rich electronic producers and DJs from his hometown of Detroit, as well as Chicago, another Midwest city that has also left a lasting impact on the trajectory and innovative creativity within the electronic music world. kexp.org -- Shigeto performed this track live in the KEXP studio in 2013. Watch the full session here: youtu.be -- shigeto.bandcamp.com