John Richards

Following an extremely difficult & frustrating period for live music during the COVID19 pandemic, Massive Attack are now pleased to publish and offer as an open resource to the music industry the Roadmap to Super Low Carbon Live Music, commissioned by the band & produced by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research – a specialist body that brings together scientists, engineers, economists, and social scientists to accelerate society’s transition to a sustainable low carbon future and avert climate catastrophe. Read more about how the band is helping touring bands and venues reach zero carbon at their website: www.massiveattack.co.uk

The Smile will embark on their first tour this spring. The trio of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, with jazz drummer Tom Skinner, will sweep through Europe in May, starting in Zagreb and finishing up in July at Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival. Seems like there will be plenty of time afterwards for a North American tour? www.thesmiletheband.com

saultglobal.bandcamp.com The Guardian reviewed both 5 and 7, giving them each five stars out of five, writing that both are "fantastic, walking an idiosyncratic path that zig-zags between ESG-esque post-punk funk, early 80s boogie and something approaching neo-soul, without ever really fitting into any of those categories or sounding like straightforward homage".

Watch Bombay Bicycle Club perform 'Carry Me' from their 2014 Live On KEXP session here: www.youtube.com

If you haven't already, check out this fantastic mini documentary about shoegaze pioneers, Slowdive: bit.ly Prior to writing the album, band members Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead had ended their relationship, and Halstead began to spend more time writing songs alone, a process that had been completed by the full band in the past. Slowdive reunited after a 22-year hiatus and performed music from their eponymous release in 2017 LIVE at KEXP; check it that incredible set here: bit.ly

You can hear Blushing at the Lo-Fi Performance Gallery on Friday, April 22nd, as part of the Seagaze Festival. -- As the band explains, “‘Sour Punch’ originated In the summer of 2019 when our lead guitarist Noe shared an experimental, crunchy chord progression he’d written, unlike any the band had previously explored. He said he was watching the movie “Clueless” and was inspired to write something he could see being a title track to some 90’s teen rom-com.: weareblushing.bandcamp.com

Aeon Station is a new project from Kevin Whelan of Wrens. Discussing the new single, Whelan said: This song was inspired by one of my all-time favorite songs, "The Winner Takes it All" by ABBA. It’s about betting on the real you. Like a game of high-stakes poker, you push all your chips to the center of the table and aren’t afraid to go “all in.” bit.ly aeonstation.bandcamp.com

The song uses a recurring Australian issue—drought—to pose the question "what for?", meaning "why did Europeans bother to colonize this harsh place?" The song mentions two prominent indigenous Australians (Truganini and Albert Namatjira) whose lives were altered by European settlement and discusses current day sentiment towards the old country, namely the monarchy. en.wikipedia.org

New track from Hurray for the Riff Raff! Alynda Segarra says “Pierced Arrows,” is “a heartbreak song, lost in the realm of memory. Being stuck in the past, and finding the rapidly changing world uncanny and bizarre. Trying to outrun trauma. Finding a meeting place between tough and tender. Memory replaying inside/beside you, triggering fight or flight responses.” They'll be at The Tractor on Friday, April 1st, 2022. hurrayfortheriffraff.com

"Nobody Speak" was first released as a part of Run the Jewels' Record Store Day release, which was a virtual reality cardboard viewer that included a digital download code for the song “Occasionally, I make a beat that demands a specific vocal treatment and attitude,” DJ Shadow said of the song. “In the case of ‘Nobody Speak,’ I wasn’t going to settle for anyone other than Run the Jewels; in my mind, it was them or no one. Fortunately, they agreed, and they took the track to a place I could never get to on my own.”

New track from Bloc Party's upcoming album, Alpha Games, which drops on April 29th! You can pre-order it right here: www.blocparty.com “The Girls are Fighting” details a night out gone amiss, with frontman Kele Okereke singing, “There’s blood on the dancefloor, extensions on the bar.” “There was no specific incident that inspired this song — it was more a composite of lots of things I’ve seen over the years when being in clubs and seeing violence erupt with feuding love rivals,” Okereke explained in a statement. “I’ve always had a slight obsession with those sorts of moments; like a fuse being lit, when actions turn from words into violence. You can learn a lot about who people really are in those moments.”

A cover of Pixies "Gouge Away" by Brooklyn Band, Nation of Language -- 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 itsfoundational 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.”

"Lucifer On The Sofa" is due out on February 11th! The 10-track LP marks the first new Spoon album since 2017’s "Hot Thoughts." Mark Rankin (Adele, Queens of the Stone Age) co-produced Lucifer On The Sofa, which was recorded in the band’s hometown of Austin. Watch Britt Daniel exercise his acting chops in the Western-themed video for "Wild": youtu.be. spoontheband.bandcamp.com

Warpaint have announced their first album in six years, Radiate Like This, which follows 2016's Heads Up and comes out on May 6 via Virgin, following three consecutive albums on Rough Trade. The first single is "Champion," a chilled-out, atmospheric rock song that finds Warpaint's trademark sound in fine form The band say the song is about "being a champion to oneself and for others" and they add, "We are all in this together, life is too short not to strive for excellence in all that we do." bit.ly

Santigold told NME that reality shows are a metaphor for the inert mental state of most of the population. "The song 'The Keepers' is about that. It's about being able to sit and watch these shows and think, 'This is awful,' but not do anything about it. But people are starting to question things. You can see it in the riots and the Occupy movement. That's the spirit of the album. I want people to think about why they are doing what they are doing."

Released on this day in 1997! - David Bowie's electronica-influenced album Earthling, includes the Grammy-nominated song (Best Male Rock Vocal Performance) "Dead Man Walking," and the paranoia-tinged track "I'm Afraid Of Americans," featuring Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. "It's not as truly hostile about Americans as say Born In The U.S.A.': it's merely sardonic," Bowie explained. "I was traveling in Java when its first McDonald's went up: it was like, 'for f--k's sake.' The invasion by any homogenized culture is so depressing, the erection of another Disney World in, say, Umbria, Italy, more so. It strangles the indigenous culture and narrows expression of life."

The Soundcarriers formed in Nottingham in the late 2000s and this is their first new album in 8 years. the-soundcarriers.bandcamp.com

The Lazy Eyes are a four-piece psychedelic rock band based in Sydney, Australia. thelazyeyes.bandcamp.com The Lazy Eyes have released a new single, ‘Fuzz Jam’, coinciding with the announcement of their forthcoming debut album ‘SongBook’. In a press statement, the band’s vocalist-guitarist Harvey Geraghty discussed the foundations of the track’s soundscape. “I wrote ‘Fuzz Jam’ to use this instrument that [guitarist Itay Sasha] bought live,” he said. “It’s this Hohner Pianet T, and we wanted a more hard track to play on it, instead of just singing songy ones.”

On the song, PiL leader John Lydon has said: 'Public Image', despite what most of the press seemed to misinterpret it to be, is not about the fans at all, it's a slagging of the group I used to be in. It's what I went through from my own group. They never bothered to listen to what I was fucking singing, they don't even know the words to my songs. They never bothered to listen, it was like, 'Here's a tune, write some words to it.' So I did. They never questioned it. I found that offensive, it meant I was literally wasting my time, 'cause if you ain't working with people that are on the same level then you ain't doing anything. The rest of the band and Malcolm never bothered to find out if I could sing, they just took me as an image. It was as basic as that, they really were as dull as that. After a year of it they were going 'Why don't you have your hair this colour this year?' And I was going 'Oh God, a brick wall, I'm fighting a brick wall!' They don't understand even now."

Yard Act will be at Madame Lou's (The Crocodile) on Monday, April 18. bit.ly "Waspish portraits of the country’s worst people – from alpha male businessmen to middle-class foodies – are punchily delivered by this excitingly undeveloped Leeds quartet" bit.ly yardact.bandcamp.com

In a 2005 interview with The Triangle, lead singer Eric Bachmann reflected on the album: "When we first came out we had that energy. It's a weird thing that you can't put your finger on... I listened to Icky Mettle, and I almost cringe when I hear it. But what the people probably liked when they heard that record was the energy we were putting out." Icky Mettle ranked number 32 in Pitchfork's original Top 100 Albums of the 1990s list archersofloaf.bandcamp.com

After several years of touring, singer Rob Zabrecky had an epiphany. He stumbled into a magic store in Baltimore, and got set on the path for a career change. For the last 20 years, Rob has been a world-class magician, storyteller and now author, after publishing his 2019 memoir, Strange Cures. Hear more in this 2020 NPR interview: www.npr.org

School of Fish was an alternative rock band which formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1994. The core members were Josh Clayton-Felt and Michael Ward who would play club dates in Los Angeles, California as a duo accompanied by programmed drums and bass. Josh Clayton-Felt died of cancer in 2000 at age 32.: www.nytimes.com

Soak, the alias of musician Bridie Monds-Watson, said ‘If I Never Know You Like This Again’ will be released on May 20 via Rough Trade Records. Monds-Watson said the new album focuses on the idea of identity. They said: “I hate the idea of getting older and forgetting, or having a family and not being able to perfectly explain a memory or a feeling. I always want to remember exactly how I felt at a certain moment. “This record is the most accurate picture of me. I felt no pressure at all, it was almost like I was ranting as I was writing. “When I was looking to the past, it was as though I had a big lottery ball of all my recent memories and I would just randomly select which one I wanted to unpack. It helped me to process my past.” Check out SOAK's 2019 KEXP in-studio: bit.ly

Mitski is playing two shows at the Moore on Wednesday & Thursday, March 9-10, with special guest CHAI. bit.ly Mitski reveals: "As 'Love Me More' was written pre-pandemic, lyrics like 'If I keep myself at home' had different meanings than what they would now, but I kept them on the album because I found that some of the sentiments not only remained the same, but were accentuated by the lockdown. "'Love Me More' went through the most iterations out of all the songs on the album. It’s been too fast, too slow, and at some point, it was even an old style country song. bit.ly

John Richards I don't know how you do it....this last hour has been filled with all my favourites and it has brought me more joy than you could even imagine. It truly felt like a sign....that everything is going to be okay and that I am definitely not alone. You are the best and I am so grateful for you and everyone at KEXP. 💜💜💜 Next up, perhaps some Kylie?! 💃🏼⚡️ Tara in Nelson, BC ================ Thank you Tara!

Good morning! It's teacher Thomas' bday today! (Teacher Mr Cunningham fr Bertschi who loves you and your show). Could you play Dancing on my Own by Robyn? Thanks!! From Diane and Mikey You are literally the best!! Shhh...don't tell anyone ❤️🤟🕺 Michael == Robyn said, "The whole album is about being really lonely, but I think it's interesting to put that idea in a club where a lot of people are crammed into a small room." tinyurl.com -- Here's a link to KEXP's "Afternoon Dance Party" with our listeners dancing in isolation, but together, to this fabulous song: www.youtube.com

For Shannon in West Seattle -- Alan Sutherland, who goes by Land Of The Loops, is a Boston keyboardist who, inspired by avantgarde ensemble Negativland, composes eccentric collages of samples. This song was apparently used in a Miller Lite commercial: kspc.org

Too Early for Ministry? Because All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world So there was only one thing that I could do Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long Peter in Seattle ========= Ministry are coming to the Showbox on April 18th! bit.ly

Wet Leg's show on March 26th has been moved from the Sunset to the Crocodile! Tickets go on sale Friday at 10am! www.ticketweb.com DJ Larry Mizell Jr. sat down with British band Wet Leg for a recent KEXP Sound & Vision podcast and found out just how silly they really are. Check out the whole segment here: www.kexp.org

Dear John Sorry to hear about your car troubles. Some people are just mean. Some people are not mean but beautiful. Madder Rose released a song in 1993 called Beautiful John. You deserve to hear this song today. Fondest wishes Adam ========= 'Bring It Down' - released by Seed. Recorded at the fabulous Studio Red in Philadelphia. For various reasons, the band was not crazy about the results. I remember Matt saying, "Who would even like this?" I kinda knew what he meant. I thought it would sound bigger. But happily, we were wrong, so we hit the road. We embraced the myth, and were privileged to live the lives of modern, demented nomads. Almost every where we went, people were nice to us. It was as if the universe was saying. "Do whatever you want!" So we did. Matt and I made the cover painting (and all art associated with this album's campaign). Aesthetically, the art is mostly Matt. www.madderroseband.com

Perfect Teeth is the seventh and final studio album by the Washington, D.C. band Unrest, released on August 9, 1993! www.teenbeatrecords.com/artists/unrest.html

From The The's sixth album, featuring guitar and harmonica work from Smiths legend Johnny Marr -- the album "leaves behind the infected dance beats that served as the framework for many of his previous albums and replaces them with steamy acoustic-based rhythms that shimmer with red-orange warmth" bit.ly

This is a Seattle band from Ballard! You can purchase their new album, "High Tide," here: firesofficial.bandcamp.com

"Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" tells the story of Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood, his heroin addiction, and his fiancé, Xana La Fuente. La Fuente danced in a strip club to support the pair as Wood tried to break through in the music industry, hence the "dancer" in the title. She only lasted one hour before deciding it wasn't for her. --- Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, who later formed Pearl Jam, were in Mother Love Bone along with Wood, Bruce Fairweather and Greg Gilmore. The entire band is credited as writers on this track. Pearl Jam has played this song live many times over their career. --- See a hand-held film of a live performance at Bumbershoot in 1989: www.youtube.com

There is an old interview where Billy Corgan is asked about the title "Rhinoceros." His response was the following: “Say you write a song about a chandelier, and the chandelier gives off light. And the light is the color red and red reminds you of the color you're not supposed to wear around a bull. So you name the song 'Cow'." imdb.to

New single from the upcoming album, PAINLESS, which drops March 3rd! niluferyanya.bandcamp.com Nilüfer Yanya is playing The Crocodile on Saturday, May 21. Get your tickets here: bit.ly “It’s a song about recognizing what it feels like to be pushed down but wanting to resist,” Yanya says about “midnight sun,” adding, “I really like the imagery of ‘midnight sun’ as a lyric as it insinuates a light guiding you through darkness. The wings carry their own symbolism — freedom, lightness, flight, fantasy. If I could pick what people saw and heard it would be seeing the beauty of confrontation and the necessity of rebellion.” bit.ly Check out Nilüfer Yanya's cover of PJ Harvey's 'Rid of Me' and more during her Live on KEXP at Home performance from this past May: www.youtube.com niluferyanya.com

New cover of the Nada Surf 90's classic! And a shot for shot remake of the original music video, with all of the parts played by Mia Berrin of Pom Pom Squad. It was even shot at the same High School: youtu.be Pom Pom Squad will be at Neumo's on Friday, March 11th along with Illuminati Hotties and Fenne Lily! bit.ly

Beaster is Sugar's 1993 EP. Its songs were recorded at the same time as the band's acclaimed first album, Copper Blue. However, it has a much denser, heavier sound, closer in spirit to Hüsker Dü than that record. "Lyrically it's so unnerving for me to listen to it…" said band leader Bob Mould. "Musically it's harder, it's a little looser. Lyrically, it's a lot wilder than Copper Blue… Copper Blue was such a great pop record that I just saw this as like the evil twin."

For Danny. Musician Nichole Nordeman, who has covered this song, said: "'Beautiful Day' just cries out for what's ahead. What's next. The light peering over the hill. The dawn. The crack in the heavy drapes. Don't let it get away."

KEXP Song of the Day (as chosen by Cheryl Waters) a few weeks back! Seattle artist Sea Lemon (aka 26-year-old singer/songwriter Natalie Lew) shares a shimmery slice of dreampop on her debut single "Sunday," a first listen at her forthcoming EP, out this year. Read more about what Lew said about "Sunday" and download this track for free here: www.kexp.org.