Eva Walker

Tommy James said about the title of this great song: “They were just two of my favorite words that came together. Actually, it was one morning as I was getting up out of bed, and it just came to me, those two words. And it sounded so poetic. I had no idea what it meant, or if it meant anything. They were just two of my favorite words." Read the story of the song: citrinitas.com

“Take Five” was originally intended to be a drum solo, but after collaborating with Desmond, it became a jazz standard that inspired other 5/4 themes, such as Lalo Schifrin’s classic “Mission: Impossible.” “Take Five” became such a part of the American vernacular that it was even used as the theme of NBC’s Today Show in the 1960s. As directed by Desmond’s estate after his death in 1977, all of the royalties from the song go to the American Red Cross. Read more here blogs.loc.gov

From one of five SAULT albums released this year on November 1! saultglobal.bandcamp.com On November 20th Sault Sault have hinted that they could finally play their first ever live show. Taking to Instagram, the mysterious collective asked fans, “if we were to do a live show…which songs would you want to hear?” www.nme.com

The title 'Good Vibrations' was inspired by Brian Wilson's fascination with cosmic vibrations. The track was released as a standalone single in 1966. Brian Wilson told Rolling Stone magazine: "My mother used to tell me about vibrations. I didn't really understand too much of what she meant when I was a boy. It scared me, the word 'vibrations' - to think that invisible feelings existed. She also told me about dogs that would bark at some people, but wouldn't bark at others, and so it came to pass that we talked about good vibrations." Read more here www.songfacts.com

Odesza posted to twitter that: This track is a nod to our past. Writing this one felt like we were back in our dorm rooms jamming on tunes. twitter.com "The Last Goodbye visualizes the fight between pandemic weariness and the desire to seize the fruits of the reopened world, and there’s a cognitive dissonance between the vocalists’ introspective mind-loops and the massive beats beneath them." ODESZA Earns GRAMMY Nomination For Best Dance/Electronic Album for 'The Last Goodbye' Read more here pitchfork.com

Unlike her previous releases on “Gorilla,” from Little Simz's latest album NO THANK YOU, she sounds fully relaxed. “Drink ’42 and smoke cigar/Name one time where I didn't deliver,” she boasts over thick bass plunks and light drums courtesy of producer Inflo. “Gorilla” is a retort against rap game bullshit, but it’s also the loosest Simz has sounded in years. It’s great. pitchfork.com

The lyrics for this song came from Sabahattin Ali (1907 – 1948), Turkish novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. The music was composed by Zülfü Livaneli. -- Go here to purchase this new song from Turkish psych-folk band Altın Gün: altingun.bandcamp.com

Oakland-based African psychedelic rock ensemble Orchestra Gold has released its new single titled ‘Koniya.’ The single will appear in their upcoming third studio album “Medicine” scheduled for release January 20, 2023. Vocalist Mariam Diakite says about ‘Koniya’: “The lyrics of this song are meant for everybody: all of Humanity. Jealousy is of no benefit. “What do I mean by Jealousy? For example, if I see you have lots of money and I get upset. That is the type of Jealousy I speak of. Orchestra Gold is a collaboration between Mariam Diakite (Mali) and Erich Huffaker (USA). The ensemble combines the traditions of Mali and American rock and funk with a retro feel, presenting a powerful cross-cultural experience. In reality, Orchestra Gold intertwines Malian traditions and vocals in Bambara along with heavy swinging rhythms, a funky fresh brass section, and cosmic guitar licks. Read more here worldmusiccentral.org

Read Seun Kuti on the dreams and struggles behind his new EP with Black Thought over on the Fader: www.thefader.com

Cigarettes After Sex have returned with their first new music in over two years, "Pistol," a song that brings together all of the elements that have made CAS such a celebrated band, while also introducing a subtle yet impactful increase in tempo. Equal parts transportive and romantic, the song’s driving rhythm meets a stark, minimalistic atmosphere that is given dimension by dreamy, washed-out guitars, swelling synths, and intimate, yearning vocals from Greg Gonzalez. cigarettesaftersex.bandcamp.com

Roger Waters put together the tape loop that plays throughout the song -- it was recorded by capturing the sounds of an old cash register on tape, and meticulously splicing and cutting the tape in a rhythmic pattern to make the effect. Dick Parry plays saxophone on this track and on "Us and Them" on this album, on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" on "Wish You Were Here", and "Wearing the Inside Out" on The Division Bell.

Planet Telex was the only song off the album that was written during the recording sessions. The song was a shift towards the more electronic sound of albums like Kid A and Amnesiac. The song was recorded while the band was drunk, and Thom Yorke sang the vocals while laying down intoxicated. The song was originally called Planet Xerox, but was changed because Xerox is a trademarked word. A reddit post on the meaning of the song www.reddit.com By request! --- Radioheads opening track of their 1995 album, The Bends. Rumor has it this is the only song written during The Bends recording session. It was recorded one night when the band returned to the studio after consuming a great amount of alcohol. Lead singer Thom Yorke did vocals lying down while intoxicated. - bit.ly --- Celebrating the music of 1995 & 50 years of KEXP! - www.kexp.org

Celebrating 2011! What a great way to do so! The Black Keys composed and produced “Lonely Boy” alongside Danger Mouse. In October 2011, the band (through Nonesuch Records) released this track from their “El Camino” album. It was El Camino’s lead single. Till date, many consider “Lonely Boy” to be the band’s most successful song. Upon its release, it climbed to the top of a number of rock singles charts in the United States, including Billboard’s own “Rock Songs” charts. www.songmeaningsandfacts.com

Celebrating 2011! “Here Before,” was released in 2011. Co-fronted by Million and guitarist-singer Glenn Mercer, The Feelies had gone through some early permutations, settling in with bassist Brenda Sauter, percussionist Dave Weckerman and former Luna drummer Stan Demeski by 1982. They disbanded in 1992 and reformed in 2008. “When we first decided to play again,” Million says, “the primary driving force in getting back together was having new music.”

Celebrating the year 2011! Watch Portugal. The man perform live on KEXP back in 2013 www.youtube.com

From 2011!!! Ritual Union is the third studio album by Swedish electronic music band Little Dragon. The album cover is a collage of married couples about which the band said, "It's a bunch of pics of our parents and relatives so there's that obvious connection [the overt idea of marriage]. But it's basically one perspective on the whole 'Ritual Union' theme which is pretty ambiguous. It can represent a band, a marriage, humanity, the universe... what ever you feel connected to."

2011 is ON!! The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Square Roots and The Foundation, are an influential, Grammy winning hip hop group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation. The Make Me Songfacts reports that The Roots' eleventh album, undun, is their first concept album. It tells the story of a man called Redford Stephens who died in 1999 at the age of 25. We hear Redford retelling his life post-mortem and attempting to deconstruct what led to his undoing. The Roots are also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airing first on March 2nd, 2009. www.wefunkradio.com

Two thousand eleven!! Most of the the Black up tracks end somewhere very different from where they begin. "Free Press and Curl" opens the album with a down but defiant rap ("Musically and bitch-wise, too/ I lost the best beat that I had") delivered over stuttering crunching drums and bass vibrations. pitchfork.com

Happy birthday Stephanie!!! Highlighting 2011 as a part of KEXP 50 years of music!

twenty eleven!! This track can be found on Live at KEXP Volume Seven. www.youtube.com

Rome, a long-gestating collaboration between producer Brian Joseph Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and Italian composer Daniele Luppi, pays tribute to Italian cinema’s spaghetti Western era with the subtlety of a revolver to the forehead. Lovingly detailed, atmospheric, and oozing the Technicolor glow of a smoke-stained '70s movie screen, Rome is awfully hard not to cheer for, even when it’s stuck on autopilot, as rarely do pet projects feel this alive and sumptuous. www.allmusic.com Highlighting the year 2011 on KEXP!

2011!!!!! I like to emphasize that "It's always darkest before the dawn." - Florence florenceandthemachine.net

By request! Celebrating the year of 2011 as a part of KEXP fifty years of music.

"Become the weary and the wild We will become, become" Music from our favorite year this week, 2011! On 2007's The Shepherd's Dog, Sam Beam reinvented Iron & Wine, building out the whisper-quiet acoustic songs he'd made his name on into a strange and mysterious soundworld, using a full band and mastering the art of multitracking his own voice. It's tempting to think that the hard work was done there-- Beam established a new approach and made a great album in the process-- but Kiss Each Other Clean, the full-band follow-up, is in some ways even more ambitious than its predecessor. He's reaching in a few new directions here, pushing himself hard as a singer, and taking risks, some of which pan out and a few of which don't. pitchfork.com

"Give 'Em Enough Rope, for all of its many attributes, was essentially a holding pattern for the Clash, but the double-album 'London Calling' is a remarkable leap forward, incorporating the punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music." bit.ly

Released on this day 2005! Nothing about Dinosaur Jr.’s chaotic music should have worked, but on their sophomore LP, the Western Massachusetts trio made it mesh, and in the process altered the fabric of independent rock music forever. Explore Dinosaur Jr.’s You’re Living All Over Me in 4 Minutes pitchfork.com

Covering the Cure's "Just like Heaven" Dinosaur Jr. performed this song live at KEXP 8 years ago - Check it out here! www.youtube.com

New Order performing "Bizarre Love Triangle" at Brixton Academy in London circa 1987. Sometimes the internet is a wonderous thing: www.youtube.com Another fantastic live performance at Alexandra Palace www.youtube.com A comment on YouTube reads : This song seems to get better and better with age. How true!!!

"The song is one of the many highlights from Kraftwerk‘s incredible career and really highlights the beating heart that lurked behind the band’s icy exterior and embrace of techno-futurism." Read a tribute to this 7-minute song that matches floating synths with a gentle electric organ melody: www.djdmac.com

Part of Walker Wormhole discovery series; English R&B band formed in London 1963 and active between 1964 and 1967. Despite being a popular live band on the club circuit, the Artwoods were unsuccessful commercially and released only one charting single. Singer and frontman Art Wood, for whom the band was named, was the older brother of guitarist Ronnie Wood. Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord was also a member until the group disbanded. www.discogs.com

It's Wednesday which can only mean one thing.... it's business time! "I might go to bed now, I've got work in the morning". Watch Flight of the Conchords perform "Business Time" here: bit.ly. More about this unique New Zealand duo: "Bret and Jemaine first met in 1996 at Victoria University Wellington. Jemaine vividly remembers the first time he met Bret; “he was wearing a hat”. Bret doesn’t remember meeting Jemaine, but says it was unforgettable." www.flightoftheconchords.co.nz Bret Mackenzie stopped by the KEXP studio earlier this month. Subscribe to KEXP's Youtube channel to stay up to date with our latest in studio performances! youtube.com/kexp

This was the debut single from Wu-Tang Clan. RZA built "Protect" on a casual yet insistent drum loop and samples from The J.B.’s "The Grunt, LL Cool J’s "Rock the Bells," as well as some martial arts clips — but here is perhaps a secret to its off-kilter musical drama: the group is rapping to a completely different beat. RZA did this just to get the verses recorded so he could then rearrange their order to his liking. This gives the track a slightly dizzying feel as the verses refuse to move in lock-step to music. Recently a Scottish man has been fined £500 for rapping along to the N-word in Wu-Tang Clan’s 1992 hit ‘Protect Ya Neck’. According to Scottish outlet The National, 25-year-old Kyle Siegel, who is white, was ordered to pay the fine – as well as an additional £20 “victim surcharge” – during which he took full responsibility for the offence. www.nme.com

Dave Grohl: "I think Kurt wanted to bring it down to just the lowest, most dirge-like, Leonard Cohen level, which was really fun. I think that's what made it so special; it wasn't just acoustic versions of Nevermind." Nirvana was nervous about this MTV recording and expected it to be a disaster. Instead, it became a renowned live album.: bit.ly

Happy Wednesday and welcome to The Afternoon show with Larry Mizell, Jr.! It’s KEXP’s 50th anniversary, and to celebrate we've been taking an in-depth look at each year of our history – from 1972 to 2022. All year long we’ve been bouncing around on the timeline, pulling out the best music from each year – both the songs we all know and love and the music you might’ve missed the first time around. Today, we begin a week's focus on the great musical year--2011. Thanks so much for listening! -- "Nine Types of Light" was TVOTR's fourth studio album. Their bassist Gerard Smith died of lung cancer nine days after the album was released. Here's a Guardian obituary: www.theguardian.com