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Thursday, Apr 21 2022, 7AM
Wild Pink have shared a new single, "Q. Degraw."
"This song is about my experiences with some health problems and how an extremely stressful situation can sharpen your focus on what’s important in life," states frontman John Ross in a press release. "It’s also about how that stress can sometimes cause you to dissociate from yourself."
wildpink.bandcamp.com
Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol stated in a band video from 2013 about this song: ""Run” was written in 2000, wasn’t released until 2003 on Final Straw. All I really wanted from life was to be able to take care of my family: my mum and dad, my sister, my niece. So it was a song written about that, and any future family that I have of my own, of course...
So it was a song about the future, written in a heightened situation, an imagined apocalyptic situation. Like, running for your life: what are the things you wanna take with you? Who are the people you wanna save? Who puts a light into your life?"
Pitchfork re-reviewd this album upon the re-release and named it 'Best New Reissue':
pitchfork.com
"Cities in Dust" was the lead single from the seventh studio album, Tinderbox, by Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1986. 36 years ago today!
Nilüfer Yanya is playing The Crocodile on Saturday, May 21.
bit.ly
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Nilüfer Yanya shared a live performance recorded exclusively for KEXP and chatted with Cheryl Waters in 2021.
youtu.be
This London-based artist’s second album is an impressive set of sharply detailed indie-pop ranging from crunchy, ‘90s-influenced rock to anxious, electronic-tinged pop.
kexp.org
niluferyanya.bandcamp.com
niluferyanya.com
Stromae gets candid about his mental health on his latest album. “People often define my songs as ones with joyful music and themes that are a little darker, a little sadder, It’s how I see life… There is no high without low, there is no low without high. That’s life.” -- tinyurl.com
Darek Mazzone hosted Stromae Live in the KEXP Studio back in 2015: youtu.be
Conte was born in Asti, a small city in the Piedmont region in Northern Italy. While he had been playing vibraphone in local jazz bands and writing songs for other artists since the early ’60s, he spent most of his early career working as a lawyer and it was not until 1974 that he recorded his debut solo album, prompted by the renowned Italian music producer Lilli Greco.
www.jazziz.com
Leonard Cohen's take on the anti-fascist anthem composed in 1943 about the French Resistance in World War II.
That Stromae song made me think of Tom Wait’s Hoist That Rag. Could you please play that? Hope you’re doing well.
Thanks for all you do,
Evan in Poulsbo
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I hope you're sitting down... "Check Your Head" was released 30 YEARS AGO today.
DLO3 will be back in Seattle playing at Jazz Alley on Thursday-Sunday, May 12-15.
bit.ly
“‘Fried Soul’ takes you back to a time of the juke joints, when those steamy grooves made you want to shake your shimmy,” Delvon Lamarr said in a statement.
bit.ly
delvonlamarrorgantrio.bandcamp.com
delvonlamarrorgantrio.com
I'm overwhelmed and feeling like Running away (thanks for the Prince (always) and SP songs so far). Could you play We Could Run by Beth Ditto to keep it going?
Leslie in Sammamish
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You are not alone Leslie!
"Kylie Minogue is the most charming and unassuming pop superstar of all....The performer who was dismissively dubbed ‘the singing budgie’ when she broke through with The Loco-Motion in the late 1980s is now a gold-plated icon whose first name alone stands for joyous dance-pop brilliance." Read a tribute to Australian's best-selling female artist who released her fifteenth album, "DISCO," in 2020: bbc.in
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See the interstellar backdrop for Kylie on a horse statue in the video for "Say Something": www.youtube.com
“‘Anniversary’ is a special song for us,” John Taylor said in a statement. “Obviously we were conscious of our own impending 40th anniversary of making music together, but we wanted the song’s meaning to be inclusive in the broadest possible way. After playing and working together for so long, we very much appreciate what ‘being together’ and ’staying together’ can really mean, it’s not something we would have thought song-worthy 40 years ago but we do today! It was also fun to build a track with hints of previous Duran hits, they’re like Easter eggs, for the fans to find.”
The BBC banned this song so of course it hit #1 in the UK and spent 48 weeks on the UK Singles chart
"'About Damn Time' can lead into so many conversations," Lizzo shares. "It’s about damn time I feel better, it’s about damn time we get out this pandemic. It’s about damn time we to get the first Black female Supreme Court Justice. There’s so many things. It’s about damn time we popped the champagne. It’s about damn time the tequila got here." bit.ly
www.lizzomusic.com
This was the first of five US #1 hits for KC & The Sunshine Band. It also went to #1 on the R&B charts. According to bass player Richard Finch, they knew they were creating a new sound, but it was based on what was happening on the charts and in the clubs.
“This song captures the feeling of stepping outside your door and onto the street, walking through a city with no destination in mind,” Delicate Steve, aka Steve Marion, says of “Street Breeze.” “When you have no destination in mind, you become open to the possibility of ending up anywhere. Usually that ends up being a good thing.”
Wet Leg are in the lineup for THING August 26-28 at historic Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA.
thingnw.org
This British duo’s debut album is a fun, sharply crafted set of playful post-punk with bursts of angular guitars, driving rhythms, occasional keyboards, deadpan vocals and often-sardonic lyrics depicting the absurdities and annoyances of love and life as a young adult during these tumultuous times.
www.kexp.org
wetleg.bandcamp.com
Iggy was inspired to write his only Top 40 hit after reminiscing about his teenage girlfriend, Betsy, and realizing that the complexity of their relationship could only be captured as a duet. "I thought, 'Let's be fair. Let the girl have her say,'" he said in an interview at the time.
To articulate Betsy's side, he called in Kate Pierson of the B-52's, a group that had recently become bigger than ever with the success of "Love Shack." "I wanted a girl who would sing with a small-town voice," Iggy explained, "and Kate has a little twang in her voice that sounds slightly rural and naive."
“‘Tennis’ is a paypig’s personal redemption narrative, set in “the city”, and told in two parts,” the band said of their new track. “A twisted tale of two lovers’ back and forth, bound by cricket, bodybuilding and money. A story as old as time.”
courtingband.com
The band states: “Synergy is a mantra. A reminder that the collective struggle is more important than the individual. We should remember, no matter the importance we place on the person, no matter how much the powers that be attempt to single us out and turn us into consumerist automations, we will only really know ourselves properly when we interact with those around us.”
Death of The High Street said this on their Facebook page: "Massive thanks to @djjohnrichards at @kexp for playing SYNERGY on The Morning Show on Tuesday! You can listen back in the archives now!
KEXP has introduced us to so many great bands music over the years so it means loads to have our track played on the station and John’s show! 🙌": www.facebook.com
Ned's Atomic Dustbin are unusual for using two bass-players in their line-up: Alex Griffin plays melody lines high up on one bass, and Matt Cheslin plays the regular bass lines on the other.
Can you play Adorable Homeboy again?! I could t believe my ears when I heard that song playing on the radio. Or anything off of RIDE off Nowhere! VapourTrail? They're doing a 30-year Nowhere UK your this week. I keep asking them to bring it to the states!
Purple Rain starting off this morning.
"So Choice" - Ferris Bueller
Stephen in Dallas
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Bandmember Pete Fijalkowski said of "Homeboy":
This was written pre-Adorable when we were called the Candy Thieves, which I had formed in 1988 with my friend Wayne Peters on guitar, when we were on a Film Studies course together at Warwick University. I can still remember the day we wrote it. Wil started playing the bass line, and Kevin joined in on the floor tom. I sang a whole load of lines culled from other discarded songs, Wayne picked some notes, and then when it felt right I stepped on my distortion pedal to make it start feeding back, Kevin sensed it was time to move onto the snare and we all crashed in – it was beautiful.
www.creation-records.com
Here’s what beabadoobee had to say about "Talk":
I wrote “Talk” just after my first album. I was obsessed with Tuesday because I thought it was the best night to go out, not too much chaos but just enough to have a good time. Generally, it’s about doing things that aren’t necessarily healthy or great for you, but you can’t help indulging. It’s like that unavoidable feeling that you get. You can’t get rid of it, and you know it’s bad, but you love it really, and it’s whatever, so you do it anyways.
The new album, "Beatopia" is out in July
www.beabadoobee.com
Stockholm-based trio VERO have shared their latest single ‘Cupid’. Taken from the band’s upcoming debut album Unsoothing Interior, which is set for release on 6th May via PNK SLM.
“‘Cupid’ was the first song we wrote that made the album” the band explain. “We had made a couple of demos before, but we weren’t loving them. They all sounded a bit too pretty and safe, so when the drums for Cupid were done, we took a guitar and started making these wheeling, chaotic noises, and that was it. That was the sound that set the tone for our album. The lyrics are a bit dream-like, it’s about lust and control.”
veroband.bandcamp.com
getinherears.com
Hey John,
How you doing? Please can you play Supergrass Richard III from the in it for the money album? Such a great tune, reminds me of blasting it in my car, just after passing my driving test!
Thanks, have a great day 😀
Ragen, Brighton UK
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"In It For the Money" was released 25 years ago today!
Curious what KCMU DJs thought about Sonic Youth's 'Goo' when it came out in 1990? Check out the vinyl notes on Sonic Youth's 'Dirty' with KEXP's Review Revue: www.kexp.org
www.kexp.org
Flavor Flav sang this intentionally out of key. Chuck D. explained: "When you put him in key, it gets syrupy - too close to music. See, when you add noise on top of noise, you gonna tune everybody out. But with Flavor, he becomes the noise, because he is annoying!"
www.kexp.org
The song is sung as a duet with Apollonia Kotero, and was originally intended for the Apollonia 6 album, but was pulled for the Purple Rain soundtrack.
"Prince" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American sitcom New Girl, and the sixty-third overall. It was written by David Feeney and Rob Rosell, and directed by Fred Goss. It was broadcast on February 2, 2014, on the Fox network in the United States. In the episode, best friends Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) and Cece Parikh (Hannah Simone) are invited to a party held at Prince's house. When Jess's boyfriend Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) tells her he loves her, she gives him an unexpected response, which results in Nick and his roommates crashing Prince's party, so Nick can talk to Jess. At the party, Prince gives Jess advice that helps her tell Nick she loves him too.
After learning that New Girl had secured the post-Super Bowl XLVIII timeslot, writers and producers began preparing an episode that would attract newcomers to the show, as well as creating something special for regular viewers. Around the time of the announcement, Prince enquired about making a guest appearance on the show and it was decided that the episode would be written around him. During production, Prince made contributions to the script and debuted a new song, featuring vocals from Deschanel. "Prince" was filmed in December 2013 and became one of the most expensive episodes of New Girl to be shot. It also features guest appearances from baseball player Clayton Kershaw and models Alessandra Ambrosio, Ana Beatriz Barros and Lais Ribeiro.
"Prince" was seen by 26.30 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most watched episode of New Girl. It became the highest rated scripted entertainment telecast on television in three years, since the post-Super Bowl episode of Glee. "Prince" received a mixed response from critics, many of whom enjoyed Prince's performance, but most thought the plot was not as strong as previous episodes, with one calling it "a little tedious".[1] Following Prince's death on April 21, 2016, Fox reran the episode on April 26 in tribute.
"Ain't Got No, I Got Life" was included in the book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before you Die
Nina Simone passed away on this day in 2003 at the age of 70
Check Your Head is still 30 years old. And it is still slightly shocking.
"Pass the Mic" contains an unlicensed sample of "Choir", a 1982 composition by jazz flautist James Newton. Newton sued in 2000; the judge found that the sample, comprising six seconds and three notes, was de minimis and too small to require a license. Newton lost appeals in 2003 and 2004.
Melt Yourself Down have never been fully attached to a particular scene or sound, but this ability to stand out has allowed them to survive.
As musician Pete Wareham puts it: “We don’t fit the archetype. For too long this has felt like a problem, now we have the opportunity to say: We don’t fit in, we’re in the cracks, we’re ourselves.”
Of the single, Gaya adds: “In everything I create there is a tension between wanting to fit in, to feel included and the fear of losing my culture or forgetting where I am from. The refusal to fit in whatever narrative an African man of Asian appearance should play in western society. I started not really caring so much, not second-guessing myself or my vocals so much, which was a huge hurdle to overcome.” www.clashmusic.com
From Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981) when trying to write about The Stooges' "Fun House":
Now I regret all the times I've used words like 'power' and 'energy' to describe rock and roll, because this is what such rhetoric should have been saved for. Shall I compare it to an atom bomb? a wrecker's ball? a hydroelectric plant? Language wasn't designed for the job.
“I was watching a Debbie Harry [Blondie] documentary and one of the quotes was ‘she just gets on stage and she turns it on.’ As soon as I heard this I paused it and started writing,” singer and songwriter Alanna Oliver said in a statement. “The lyrics flowed effortlessly. It was such a simple idea to channel that inner power. When I sing this song I am now a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it.”
How Did ‘Mind Your Own Business,’ Delta 5’s 40-Year-Old Cult Hit, End Up in an Apple Ad?:
variety.com
'Wish,' produced 3 hit singles, and a worldwide sell-out tour in 1992. Though "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" wasn't released as a single, it's still a fan favorite.
'Wish' is 30 years old today.
It is also Robert Smith's birthday! Happy 63rd!
The Black Angels are playing at The Crocodile on June 12th!
theblackangels.com
The horn section was made up of eight Jazz musicians from the St. John's Orchestra. Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood conducted them, but since they didn't really know how to conduct, they jumped up and down when they wanted them to play faster and made calming gestures if they wanted the music slower.
Always hauntingly beautiful, "Sometimes It Snows in April" gained a new mythology after Prince's death on April 21, 2016 - 31 years to the day after the song's original recording.
The recording features only Prince, Lisa Coleman (on piano) and Wendy Melvoin (on guitar).