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Friday, Sep 6 2019, 6AM
Good morning and happy Friday. In this recorded interview, Perry Farrell tells the story of Jane, her "wistful resilience," and her struggles with addiction: www.professorofrock.com
Talking Heads' 1980 song "Once in a Lifetime" is one of the most durable songs of its era. Watch and listen to numerous interpretations -- via remixes, covers, mash-ups, samples and live takes.: diffuser.fm
This song about seeking a paradise in a place where there are no roads was originally part of an EP that Arcade Fire recorded in 2003.: www.youtube.com
See the lyrics for "Transmission" in Ian Curtis' distinct handwriting in this article about his prose: www.theguardian.com
"A rich, soaring ode to the simplest acts of affection, ‘Soft Shock’ is the perfect example of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s emotional intimacy. Despite clocking in at a reasonably standard three-and-a-half minutes, it feels like it could go on for eternity, the steadily building, overwhelming use of electronics perfectly capturing that feeling of taking a deep dive into devotion." This discussion of "Soft Shock" is part of an article (and videos) of the band's "10 best songs": www.nme.com
"How did we get here?
To this point of living?
I held my breath...
And you said something." What was said, PJ?: thenervousbreakdown.com
Today is the birthday of Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan, lead singer of The cranberries. She died at age 46 of drowning in January, 2018.: www.rollingstone.com
Foals has just released this new track from "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost--Part 2," due for release on October 18th. In a press release, frontman Yannis Philippakis said of the song: “It’s a call to find a sense of purpose and perseverance despite the odds and despite the troubles we may find inside or outside ourselves.”
Thanks, Ivan, for this fine request today! "Featuring Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker, Chris Daly of Texas Is The Reason, and Jeremy Chatelain of Handsome, Jets to Brazil was a new band from musicians who each had a role in shaping the sound of what was being called emo in the 90s." Learn more about the band and the album, "Orange Rhyming dictionary" here: www.vice.com
Like this song? Watch James perform it live on the BBC last year: www.youtube.com
"Thrashing Through The Passion" is The Hold Steady's first new album in more than five years. Read a review of their "loose, welcome return": music.avclub.com
"Chelsea is a decadent region of West London, occasionally associated with prostitution, which seems to be "Chelsea"'s pivotal focus." Read more about this disturbing song: www.popmatters.com
Watch Ted Leo & The Pharmacists live in the KEXP studio in 2017: www.youtube.com
Sleater-Kinney will be here in Seattle at The Paramount Theatre on Saturday and Sunday, November 23rd and 24th, 2019.
Before Ex Hex, frontwoman Mary Timony solidified her standing as a beloved indie fixture, playing in Autoclave and Helium, while also releasing solo music. She also was a member of Wild Flag, the disappointingly short-lived band with Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss. This kickass cover of Slant 6’s “What Kind Of Monster Are You?” makes some sense, as Slant 6’s singer and guitarist Christina Billott was also in Autoclave with Timony.: bit.ly
"Rockaway Beach became the favoured hangout for young Doug Colvin (later aka Dee Dee Ramone) after he escaped with his mother from an alcoholic father in Germany and moved to New York City when he was 15." Read the story behind the song: www.loudersound.com
"Catfish Kate" is the second single from Pixies' upcoming album "Beneath The Eyrie," and comes along with a hand-painted music video courtesy of Krank! Collective. : www.spin.com
This song was originally released for Record Store Day 2019. Go to the Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio earlier this year to watch the great Mark Lanegan perform it live: www.youtube.com
James Murphy played a Supro Dual Tone guitar on "Emotional Haircut." The LCD Soundsystem leader had worked with David Bowie on his "Blackstar" album and it was because of Bowie's advice that he picked up the instrument.
"Bowie said you should get a Supro Dual Tone, it's what Link Wray played," Murphy explained. "He had two Supro Dual Tone guitars and he was very proud of them. So I bought one and played it on "Emotional Haircut" on the new album and love it."
"Oh kiss me like a frog, and turn me into flame..." Hmm. Here are the lyrics: songmeanings.com
Originally titled Pay To Play, this song appears to be about many things, including annoyance ("stay away"), lack of popularity ("I'd rather be dead than cool"), and predictability in people ("every line ends in a rhyme"). Here's Nirvana at the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1992, playing "Stay Away": www.youtube.com
"Hailing from all corners of Ireland, The Murder Capital are a post-punk band driven by the desire to affect cultural change." Follow them on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com
"Fugazi's music itself [is] a vigorous, visceral, and near-perfect example of what rock can be. As serious as its members may seem, this is a band that absolutely delights in creating music." Read a review of 2001's "The Argument": music.avclub.com
Read a discussion of "Pattern Against User": www.rockremnants.com
This one's for you, Lisa! Bikini Kill was joined by Joan Jett for "Rebel Girl" in Brooklyn recently: www.rollingstone.com
Written by the group's lead guitarist and keyboardist Charlotte Caffey, and considered to be their signature song, the band recorded the song in 1980 and it was released in July as a single in the UK on Stiff Records. Watch the video: www.youtube.com
Happy 16th birthday, Hazel, heading to school in west Seattle. As a present, here's Altered Images' official video for "Happy Birthday," beginning with a weird butler: www.youtube.com
In this May interview, Atlanta singer-songwriter Mattiel Brown shares the songs she's listening to: www.adhoc.fm
Ahhh....the Friday song. On September 10th, KEXP presents Music Heals: Mental Health – a day of programming dedicated to calling attention to the public health crisis that is depression and anxiety, and exploring how music can help us know we are not alone. Learn more: www.kexp.org
Prince said that he considered Stevie Wonder "an inspiration whom I look up to a great deal for the way that he crafted music, and his connection to the spirit." An example of that influence can be heard in the way Prince lets Revolution band members Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson each sing a line during the opening verse of "1999" before he takes over – echoing Wonder's approach to "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" from 1973. "When everybody got their parts separated," Prince said, "I realized we had something very special.": diffuser.fm
What are the best Chemical Brothers' collaborations? (Hint: Consider "Go" one of them.): www.vice.com
"No dark sarcasm in the classroom..." Happy birthday, Roger Waters, singer-songwriter, bass guitarist, and composer for Pink Floyd. He was born on this date in 1943.: www.allmusic.com
Read a New Yorker tribute to this amazing and powerful song and video: www.newyorker.com
This is the first new studio music that the producer and DJ has released since his 2017 EP The Mountain Has Fallen, which was the appropriately titled sequel to his 2016 full-length The Mountain Will Fall. “Rocket Fuel” will also be included on an upcoming playlist for the Madden NFL 20 video game.
This song and its video are a send-up of heavy metal music, playing up the ridiculous costumes, excessive hairspray and tendency for bands to take themselves just a tad too seriously in a very Spinal Tap way. The title is a play on "No Sleep 'til Hammersmith," which is the title of a 1981 Motörhead live album.
In order to spoof a heavy metal song, the Beasties needed a heavy guitar riff. That came courtesy of Kerry King, the guitarist for Slayer. Producer Rick Rubin was working with both Slayer and the Beastie Boys (each group was signed to Rubin's Def Jam Records), so he had King come down the hall and put down a guitar part, which he played intentionally out of tune in parts. King also appeared in the video: look for him pushing the gorilla off the stage.: www.youtube.com
This song explains the rapping isn't as easy as it sounds, and the chorus is almost a tongue twister as Run-D.M.C.'s MCs show off their vocal dexterity: "It's tricky to rock a rhyme to rock a rhyme that's right on time." The song contains samples of "My Sharona" by The Knack, as well as the entire vocal structure from "Mickey" by Toni Basil. The Knack sued Run-DMC over the track in 2006, and the lawsuit was settled out of court
Read a review of Lauryn Hill's recent performance at the Glastonbury Festival in July: www.theguardian.com
"Phantogram has been a beautiful vessel for expression and charitable action in the aftermath of Sarah Barthel's sister's suicide, a tragedy that greatly influenced the band's third album, "Three." "Into Happiness" is the culmination of so much healing, a dusty rose-colored horizon and a promise of smiles to come.": www.billboard.com
Watch Robert Smith's hilarious interview upon The Cure's induction into the Rock Hall of Fame: wxrt.radio.com
Stop! Here's a brief history of this song's inclusion in TV and films: community.ew.com
Today is the anniversary of Odesza's 2012 release, "Summer's Gone." Watch a live KEXP in-studio performance from 2017: www.youtube.com
This is listed by this critic as one of the top 100 singles of the 90's: freakytrigger.co.uk
Luscious Jackson was an alternative funk band which made four albums in the 1990s. "Naked Eye" was the most successful of the songs they produced. It's best remembered for its stylish video, in which all four members of the band (Jill Cunniff, Gabrielle Glaser, Kate Schellenbach and Vivian Trimble) portray the same character, a woman being escorted to a departing airplane by her boyfriend. Though the video looks like it takes place at an airport, it was actually filmed at the World Trade Center.: www.youtube.com
You probably want to know lots more about this Chapel Hill, NC band: www.allmusic.com
Turn to anyone with even a limited indie-rock background and say, "What about the voice of Geddy Lee? / How did it get so high / I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy." The immediate answer will be, "I know him. And he does." read this NPR "Songs We Love" essay about "Stereo": www.npr.org
John Richards welcomed IDLES to the KEXP studio for a stirring performance in 2018: www.youtube.com
The New Yorker just did an extensive feature on Mr. Pop: www.newyorker.com
Jay Som will be LIVE on KEXP on Wednesday, September 18th at 1:00 PM. The public is invited to come down and see that performance. Jay Som will play Neumos that night. Download "Superbike," a KEXP song of the Day, for free: www.kexp.org
"Black Gold" is one of three new songs that will be released on Editors' "Best of..." album, which will include 13 tracks from their six studio albums. It will arrive on October 25th.
This is not a drill: Bombay Bicycle Club are back after a three-year official hiatus. "Everything Else Has Gone Wrong," their first release as a group since 2014’s "So Long, See You Tomorrow, is set for release on Jan. 17, 2020," via Caroline International/Island Records. Check out the “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” video, the lead single from the new album: www.pastemagazine.com
"Cracked out and sleepless in Seattle..." Fidlar came to Seattle in 2015 to perform live in the KEXP studio: www.youtube.com
Here's a glowing review of this Vancouver duo's "Celebration Rock": pitchfork.com
"In my mind I'm breeding butterflies...
Broken dreams, and alibis...." Want to know everything they're chanting?: genius.com
John was there when Young Fathers performed "Nest" live in the KEXP studio. Watch the entire session: www.youtube.com
Read an exploration of the story behind Living Colour's "Cult of Personality": www.loudersound.com
“They were really like a spider’s web, pulling equally in five different directions,” recalls long-time Faith No More producer Matt Wallace. “There was no de facto leader of the band. If any guy tried to be the leader, the other guys would just say: ‘F**k you’. They would laugh him out of there. They were the most democratic band I’ve ever worked with.: www.loudersound.com