John Richards

Oz in DC: It's 10:00 am in dc and I'm listening to from the edge of the deep green sea. I don't know what you are doinng there but I had chills after hearing the song. Brushing my tears away... Thanks for letting us that we are not alone. We'll be here forever and never say goodbye! == "'From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea' might well be about the indulgence of romantic love, but Smith has said drugs were the inspiration. Regardless, it’s quintessential Cure and is beyond brilliant to behold, especially live. It’s lush and layered, and the guitarwork alone is prime proof that the band deserve a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame." Enjoy this retrospective about "Wish," The Cure's great ninth studio album: bit.ly

Tim in Olympia: I love the serendipity of the radio and seeing what you play!!!!!! It totally fits mornings vibe here at high school right before the students show up!!!! == This was Snow Patrol's breakthrough British single. Lead singer Gary Lightbody said of the song i: "I've never told anyone before and I don't want to spoil it for people because it has its own meaning for them. But in 2000 I was on a massive bender and one night I was drinking in the bar of the Glasgow School Of Art. I fell down a full flight of stairs. Jonny Quinn (Snow Patrol's drummer) found me in the stairwell with blood coming out of my head. He said I looked like a police chalk line and he thought I was dead. I was very lucky. A fall like that could easily finish you off. I split my head open and my eye was closed and I lost a few teeth. I was put on a plane to see my mum and dad and they were terrified when they saw me. I wrote 'Run' soon after in this little guitar I'd tried to smash up in my s--t little room near Hillhead. The words 'light up, light up' gave this sense of a beacon. There had to be a light at the end of a tunnel."

“Wish I knew what you were looking for, might have known what you would find." As for what this song’s about, Steve Kilbey said: “It’s not about anything. Like all my songs, it’s a portal into your own mind where I give you a guided meditation. It’s a blank, abstract canvas for people to lose themselves in.”: bit.ly

This one's in honor of Rachel, Brian. -- Here are the lyrics: genius.com

Matt Berninger from The National guest stars on this new track. www.adiavictoria.com Watch an exclusive live performance by Adia Victoria at LKEXP earlier this year: www.youtube.com

Snail Mail is playing at The Moore Theatre on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. -- Lindsey Jordan's second album was released last week to glowing review: pitchfork.com

The Wrens' Kevin Whelan has signed with Sub Pop and is releasing his first album under the name Aeon Station. "Observatory" includes contributions from fellow Wrens Jerry MacDonald and Greg Whelan. -- Whelan is particularly proud of this song, "Leaves." He says, "The song conveys a level of vulnerability, with its gospel-like beginning, building to a reflective, triumphant and anthemic finish. “Leaves” is about finding the courage to leave negative people or situations behind. It is not about giving up or feeling defeated. It’s about learning self-love, finding your voice, and setting on a path for a chance at something better."

Watch an intimate live version of this gorgeous song, with KEXP's own Sean Nelson on vocals.: www.youtube.com

“Love Vigilantes” is the first song on New Order’s third album, 1985’s "Low-Life." It’s a record that established the band’s own unique potency and helped to legitimize the quartet as its own entity separate from Joy Division, its original incarnation. The song is attributed to all four band members (Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert), although the idea and lyrics sprung mainly from singer and guitarist Sumner.: americansongwriter.com

Chastity Belt will release "Fake" b/w "Fear" in December. Lydia Lund wrote "Fear"about the ambient terror of trying to communicate with other people.: chastity-belt.bandcamp.com -- In director Eleanor Petry‘s “Fear” video, the members of Chastity Belt play fantastical character-types, knights and elves and whatnot. They frolic with horses in sun-dappled fields: www.youtube.com.

John, At the pool coaching my masters swim group and listening to your show, which we do often. Can you play The National--Bloodbuzz? For the nostalgia of meeting up with family and friends down south for reunions. Thanks. --Kevin Sitka, AK -- John was the host when The National performed live in our studio in 2017. Watch that wonderful session: www.youtube.com

Good morning! I love the Friday show after a Mom Show. Related to the feel of this day-after show and John’s recent Instagram question about bands people learned about on KEXP, I’d love to hear some Japandroids if things can get that loud today. Thanks! --Spencer ---- Yes, you may have met this band here! See Vancouver, BC-based Japandroids perform way back when (2009) in the KEXP studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly.

You can hear this Leeds band at The Crocodile on April 18th, 2022. -- The Guardian calls them "one to watch' and says that they "excel at post-punk grooves and deadpan lyrics."

Ahhh....the Friday song. Yesterday, Thursday, November 11th, 7-10 a.m., was the 17th annual Mom Show. You can listen to that show on KEXP's streaming archive for two weeks: www.kexp.org

Matt Berninger of The National notes the positivity Ethan Marunas emanates. "What I like most about Baby Dayliner’s writing is that there's rarely any meanness in his songs; no forced posturing or aggressiveness; and they are loaded with empathy. He sings about flawed and vain characters but with genuine understanding and kindness. The music is catchy, smart, and weird — something beautiful and odd, that only he does. Baby Dayliner is something uncommon in pop music. He’s unique." -- KEXP premiered the video for this infectious song from Baby Dayliner: www.kexp.org

Here's what Yannis Philippakis says about Foals' "party-ready" new (seventh) album: "This new music comes out, it’s just solid good times – an explosion of energy and emotion. Come with your friends, lose your mind, f**king get down." The title and release date for this new album haven't been revealed.: bit.ly -- "Wake Me Up" is the new single.: www.youtube.com

Could we head to The Farm? I’ll keep the dad jokes coming. FYI, loved hearing your son YELL “IT’S THE FRIDAY SONG!” Hah! -Shane in murky Pennsylvania -- You will want to see the "groovy" video for this song, featuring the band (Guess what?) riding a train at Pleasureland Amusement Park: www.youtube.com

This song by Toronto producer Josh Korody was selected as a recent KEXP song of the Day. It features Cadence Weapon (the musical pseudonym of rapper/writer Rollie Pemberton) jumping in halfway through for an unexpected verse of nonsensical but clever as hell lines like, “On the web I surf like Brian Wilson.”: www.kexp.org

"How old are you? Are you old enough? Should you be in here watching that?": bit.ly -- "Along with the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays were the leaders of the late-'80s/early-'90s dance club-influenced Manchester scene, experiencing a brief moment in the spotlight before collapsing in 1992. While the Stone Roses were based in '60s pop, adding only a slight hint of dance music, Happy Mondays immersed themselves in the club and rave culture, eventually becoming the most recognizable band of that drug-fueled scene." Learn more here.:www.allmusic.com

The Charlatans formed in West Midlands in 1988. It was described as "a Hammond organ extravaganza." Watch The Charlatans performing "Weirdo" live on "Top of the Pops" in 1992.: www.youtube.com www.thecharlatans.net It was described as "a Hammond organ extravaganza." Watch The Charlatans performing it live on "Top of the Pops" in 1992.: (Watch out for those strobe lights!): www.youtube.com

In 2007 this song about greed was voted by BBC Radio 5 listeners as the song that best summed up the city of Manchester. Take a tour of The Madchester scene with these photos from the late '80's and early '90's: www.theguardian.com

Nation of Language will be at The Crocodile on Thursday, March 24th, 2022. Go right here to get tickets: www.jambase.com

Love And Rockets didn't typically use backup singers, but they wanted a "Walk On The Wild Side" vibe for "So Alive," so they brought in the trio of Lorna Wright, Sylvia Mason-James, Ruby James to "do do" the backing vocals.

Nina Simone’s iconic song "Feeling Good" now has an official music video, more than half a century after its release. The legendary musician and activist first released the song on her classic 1965 album "I Put a Spell on You." Directed by BET Award winner Sarah Lacombe, the music video for "Feeling Good" follows four generations of Black women “living their truths, loving each other, celebrating their hair, and feeling good,” according to a media release.: www.youtube.com

Iconic artist Bill withers died last year of heart complications at age 81. Watch the videos in KEXP's tribute to this great artist: www.kexp.org

Hmm.....want to know a lot about the Britpop battle between Blur and Oasis? (Hint: it may be a class conflict.): bit.ly

In L.A. in 2018, Al Jourgensen brought former bandmate Chris Connelly and Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro onstage to perform this goth club classic live for the first time in 30 years.: www.youtube.com -- See the cartoon footage that accompanies this song (Dancing skeletons....oh!): www.youtube.com

This song is made up of about 250 samples. The line, "Pump Up The Volume" came from "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim, which was released earlier in 1987. Other samples include Coldcut's 1987 song "Say, Kids What Time Is This" and James Brown's "Funky Drummer." -- M/A/R/R/S was a one-off collaboration between members of A.R. Kane (Alex and Rudi Kane) and Colourbox (Martin and Steve Young), both veteran 4AD artists. They took their name from the four collaborator's initials plus that of label boss Ivo Watts-Russell, who suggested they get together. Those four are the credited songwriters on the track.

One of the first openly gay groups in pop, the UK synth-pop trio Bronski Beat made a powerful statement with their 1984 debut single, “Smalltown Boy.” Bronski Beat founders Steve Bronski, Jimmy Somerville, and Larry Steinbachek met in 1983 at the taping of the documentary "Framed Youth: Revenge of the Teenage Perverts." Bronski and Somerville hail from Glasgow, while Steinbachek is from London.: bit.ly -- Here's the official music video for "Why?": www.youtube.com

According to Depeche Mode vocalist Dave Gahan, this song was written as the punk scene was winding down and London club kids were looking for music they could dance to that wasn't so aggressive. -- Depeche Mode founding member and keyboardist Vince Clarke wrote this synth-pop landmark. Musically, it was inspired by "To Cut a Long Story Short" by Spandau Ballet, released in 1980. To that point, Clark wasn't into dance music, but the Spandau Ballet song turned him around. "It was the first time I was actually impressed by a rhythm that went 'boom-thwack, boom-thwack,'" he said in 2000. "It was the first time I discovered dance music for myself, and to write a song around the rhythm was quite a revelation for me. 'Just Can't Get Enough' came out of that."

Vince Clarke (writer of the previous Depeche Mode song) and Andy Bell penned this one. -- Andy Bell was one of the first openly gay pop stars, and he would sometimes introduce this song on stage by saying: "When I was a little girl, I asked my mummy, 'Can I be gay when I grow up?' She replied, 'Yes if you show a little respect."

Yes, this song, too, was written by Vince Clarke! -- Yazoo, who were known in America as Yaz, lasted just two albums, with Clarke and vocalist Alison Moyet each contributing songs, but writing separately. -- The music video for the song features Moyet and Clarke in a sort of haunted mansion with Clarke cast in the role of Victor Frankenstein. Watch the video here: www.youtube.com

In the late '80's, few bands were as controversial and confrontational as Sigue Sigue Sputnik. In 2021, here's an interview with its founders, Tony James and Neal X.: www.classicpopmag.com