John Richards

Good morning and welcome to the Monday edition of the Morning Show with John! 'That came when I lived above a pizza restaurant in Bath and I could look out onto the centre of the city. Not that Bath is very mad – I should have called it "Bourgeois World"!' -- Roland Orzabal in the liner notes for the remaster of "The Hurting" Toronto's Choir! Choir! Choir! came to Seattle and led a group of KEXP Amplifiers in an exhilarating group performance of this song. Watch an interview with DJ Darek Mazzone and that performance: youtu.be

KEXP listener's #7 favorite song of all time! See the full list here: www.kexp.org

The cover of this album is a reproduction of the painting "A Basket of Roses" by French artist Henri Fantin-Latour, which is part of the National Gallery's permanent collection in London. Peter Saville, the cover's designer, had originally planned to use a Renaissance portrait of a dark prince to tie in with the Machiavellian theme of the title, but could not find a suitable portrait. At the gallery Saville picked up a postcard with Fantin-Latour's painting, and his girlfriend mockingly asked him if he was going to use it for the cover. Saville then realised it was a great idea. Saville suggested that the flowers "suggested the means by which power, corruption and lies infiltrate our lives. They're seductive."

The only single from Echo & The Bunnymen's 1985 compilation album -- the only song that had previously been unreleased on an album. The song was recorded specifically for the soundtrack to the 1986 John Hughes classic "Pretty in Pink." -- In the 2000 film "High Fidelity," Echo is part of some dialogue that takes place in a record store. When a customer comes in looking for "The Killing Moon" EP, he tells Jack Black's character that he owns all the other albums by the band. Black then pushes the Jesus And Mary Chain album "Psychocandy" on him, saying, "They picked up where your precious Echo left off, and you're sitting around complaining about no more Echo albums. I can't believe you don't own this f--king record."

"From The Hill" is the Brooklyn trio’s first new music since 2021’s "A Way Forward." The track will appear on a new 7″ single set to come out on December 9 alongside vinyl exclusive B-side ‘Ground Control’. -- On their new track, singer Ian Devaney said: “‘From the Hill’ is a song reflecting on times when friendships fall apart over romantic entanglement, accompanied by the sensation that you’re somehow watching it happen from above with a more zoomed-out perspective." www.nationoflanguage.com

Grace & Dignity came to be in winter 2020 when Benjamin Woods lost his job in lockdown and moved back to his parents’ house. The only work he found find was as a worker at a building site outside of Truro. From Woods: “It was such a bleak winter – waist-deep in mud digging holes and rolling out turf on top of building waste, really grim stuff, which became the backdrop to the stories I was trying to write." He cited Raymond Carver, Lydia Davis and Richard Hugo as influences for the album. thegoldendregs.bandcamp.com

New York-based musician Damon McMahon’s sixth album as Amen Dunes. Amen Dunes performed "Blue Rose" and other songs from "Freedom" live in the KEXP studio in 2018: www.youtube.com

From the new Death Cab for Cutie album! “‘Foxglove’ is by far the most personal song on the record,” lead vocalist and guitarist Ben Gibbard said in a statement. “While I was writing it, I thought I was merely the narrator. But the longer I sat with it, I realized I was both the protagonist AND the narrator.” - bit.ly --- We hosted Ben GIbbard - Live in the KEXP Studio in July! _- youtu.be

Boston band's third record. Check them out live on the Morning Show back in March of 2018. www.youtube.com

The Haunted Youth is the band centered around 28-year-old Joachim Liebens from Hasselt, Belgium. : www.thehauntedyouth.be Order their debut album here: thehauntedyouthofficial.bandcamp.com -- John Richards selected "Coming Home" as a free KEXP Song of the Day recently: www.kexp.org

shame knocked our socks off with this great live performance in our Gathering Space in 2018: www.youtube.com --- ‘Food For Worms’ is described as “a celebration of life” and “an ode to friendship”. It's out in February of 2023.

This song was written as a tribute to the Pixies, a band that had an important influence over Radiohead at the time, hence the single CD art cover is similar to the Pixies' Surfer Rosa. "Stop Whispering" is also one of Radiohead's oldest songs; it was created when the band was still known as On A Friday, originally being on Dungeon Demo.

On this energetic new single, Copenhagen's Lo Ersare invites you to pause, rewind the tape and bring the magic of childhood to the present. "Children's gut feeling is more intact and they are great at following their intuition. When we grow up, we tend to forget our ability to listen to what our body and subconscious are trying to communicate," she explains. -- Go here to order this brand-new single: luckylo.bandcamp.com

Pakastani-British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes)cites Donnie Darko as one of her favorite films, whose influence can be seen in her suitably creepy, stunt-filled video for this fantastic song. As well, video director Dougal Wilson also explained how Khan "is really into that scene in ET when they’re cycling over the forest. It’s really beautiful. We were [also] sort of ripping that off." vimeo.com

Here’s what Porridge Radio member Dana Margolin had to say about the song: At the beginning it was a song about a power dynamic where I was in control, by the end it was about one where I had none. My friends always accuse me of making up idioms and using them like they are well known phrases and I think this song is full of those. I love the idea of something being sick at the seams, like it’s disintegrating from its core. I like things that are so simple they are universal. I wanted it to sound like when your heart breaks so badly that your entire body aches. I wanted it to feel like your soul is dropping out of your body. porridgeradio.bandcamp.com porridgeradio.com

Big Joanie's bandcamp calls them "Black Feminist Sistah Punk." Hell yeah. They're from London. bigjoanie.bandcamp.com

At the time this song was written, Chrissie Hynde was dating Ray Davies of The Kinks; they had a daughter together in 1983 but split up soon after and never married. Hynde got married twice, first to Jim Kerr of Simple Minds in 1984, then to the artist Lucho Brieva in 1997 - neither worked out. "Relationships are not the be-all and end-all," she told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2015. "You have to be happy within yourself first. No man can give you that."

"Not Too Soon" was guitarist/vocalist Tanya Donelly's first and last single with the Throwing Muses. The straightforward pop style she had developed during her tenure with the band is exemplified in the song. bit.ly -- Throwing Muses gave a terrific performance for KEXP VIP Club members from Seattle's Triple Door in 2014: youtu.be

Star is the debut studio album by Belly, released in 1993. --- Here is Belly with 'Gepetto' live in the KEXP studio from 2018: www.youtube.com

Goat is a Swedish experimental and alternative fusion group formed in Korpilombolo, Sweden. goat.bandcamp.com

Released on this day in1975 from Nigerian activist and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, just as relevant today. "Fela . . . decided in the late 1960s that he had no use for love songs or party tunes; he wanted to challenge unjust authority." The New York Times discusses the great man's legacy: nyti.ms. felakuti.bandcamp.com felakuti.com

New release by the British music collective led by producer Inflo, known for their combination of house, rhythm and blues, and disco. www.sault.global

Hot on the heels of their debut 45 released on Colemine Records, German funk powerhouse The Winston Brothers re-up with their first-ever full length LP. “DRIFT” is the name of the game, presenting eleven versatile cuts to invite listeners on an all-instrumental trip back to the future of funk. But make no mistake: Though audibly steeped in the deep funk tradition, this retrophile outfit is anything but dusty. www.coleminerecords.com

Adrian Sherwood is an English producer who specializes in dub music: www.adriansherwood.com -- "Lucifer on the Moon" is his top-to-bottom reworking of Spoon's tenth album, "Lucifer on the Sofa": spoontheband.bandcamp.com

Dave Wakeling, who was a guitarist and vocalist in The English Beat, said, "The song 'Best Friend,' I'm actually singing it to myself in the same mirror that 'Mirror in the Bathroom' was written in. It was actually my sister's bathroom in Birmingham. 'Best Friend' was singing a song to a reflection, you know, I just found I'm your best friend - you."

This week in 2001, Stuart Adamson, Scottish guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and lead singer of Big Country, was found dead in hotel in Hawaii a month after disappearing from his home in Nashville. The 43-year old Scottish musician had fought a long battle against alcoholism. (b. April 11, 1958)

"The creator of 'HIJINXX', Nia Archives champions the DIY spirit. She is a producer, singer, songwriter and visual artist. Nia Archives distinct aesthetic and versatile style is influenced by a mixture of genres such as Hip Hop, Soul, Drum and Bass, Jungle and House." soundcloud.com Check out the video for this new single: youtu.be

This tale of anxiety and self-harm was very real to Sia. The very night she wrote it, she attempted suicide by taking 22 Valium and downing a bottle of vodka, something she didn't reveal until a series of interviews in 2018. After, a phone call from an old friend convinced her to get sober. You are not alone. There are great people who want to help. Reach out if you need it. www.kexp.org

This track ranked number 273 in NME's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Ride performed this track, along with some fantastic new tracks, during a great KEXP live in-studio session in 2017. Watch it here: bit.ly Spend Valentine's day with Ride and The Charlatans: www.axs.com

"Good morning John, My sister Nicole lost her battle with cancer yesterday. I want to thank you for your kind words throughout this journey. Although we haven't yet met in person, I feel I have a friend on the other side of the continent. One day I'll visit your bar and thank you in person. And nerd out about music. Please thank all of the KEXP listeners that sent in positive messages. It reminds me that we truly are not alone. If you could find time in your show today, would you play some Spirit of the West? Nicole really liked them and when I worked at HMV Records, a friend got us back stage to meet them. They were wonderful people. It's a fond memory I have of her. You are not alone. Thanks, Sean"

A-House formed in Dublin in 1985 and broke up in 1997. They got together briefly in 2019 to play their classic 1991 album, "I Am the Greatest" live: bit.ly

Trouser Press wrote that "Paul Marsh sings as if he’s trying to impress either Ian McCulloch or Jim Morrison."

Inspiral Carpets is an alternative rock band which formed in Oldham, England in 1983. It was named after a rug shop in Shaw.

Written by band member Theodore “Ted” Ottaviano, this heartstruck anthem describes the frustrations of a girl with feelings for a boy who likes boys. In a 2016 Village Voice interview, Ted added that the song was “written about Boy Bar, which was a very exclusive gay club in the East Village.”

Chris Butler, founder of The Waitresses, recalls a conversation with the owner of ZE Records about making a Christmas song - "He came up in July, June of 1981 and said, 'Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful? Let's do a Christmas album with all of our artists.' Now, at the time, the artists were Lydia Lunch, Alan Vega from Suicide, people you don't normally associate with warm, fuzzy Christmas feelings." Read more about the making of this classic Christmas tune here: www.npr.org

Dance Fever was recorded in London over the course of the pandemic. The songs evoke what singer Florence Welch “missed most during lockdown — clubs, dancing at festivals, being in the whirl of movement, and togetherness,” according to a release. On Instagram, the singer described the album as “a fairytale in 14 songs.”

Yam Who & Alan Dixon Remix

Wait a sec... I'm sensing a theme. "I'm Free" is a song by the Rolling Stones written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, first released as the final track on the UK version of their album Out of Our Heads on 24 September 1965.

You get a freedom, and you get a freedom, and you get a freedom!! "Freedom! '90" (also known simply as "Freedom!") is a song written, produced, and performed by George Michael, and released in 1990. The year was added to the song title, originally released as "Freedom," so as not to confuse it with the hit single by Wham! also titled "Freedom."

Video of this song live from Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY: youtu.be ; on World Cafe talking about this album: www.npr.org ; bigthief.bandcamp.com ; bigthief.net ; www.facebook.com Stay tuned for the Midday Show!