1,154Shows
56,390Spins
Friday, Sep 27 2019, 6AM
Number 76. "Not to put too fine a point on it," but this album was the third by Brooklyn-based They Might Be Giants, released in 1990.
Number 76 (continued). Want to know how "Flood" transcends space and time?: medium.com
Number 75. Released on October 27, 2006, "Back to Black" was the second and (unfortunately) final album by Amy
Winehouse. The Guardian calls it "the best album of the 21st century": www.theguardian.com
Number 75 (continued). Watch the great Amy Winehouse in the video for "You Know I'm No Good": www.youtube.com
Number 74. "Demon Days" is the second studio album by English "virtual band" Gorillaz. It came out in Japan on May 11th, 2005 and in the UK and US on May 23rd of that year. One critic wrote, "Amazingly, only a couple of times does the broadness of what is going on get in the way or misfire... and at album's end, you can look back in wonder at how in the hell a barrel of cartoon monkeys managed to pull it off again."
Number 73. This 1992 release was the eight studio album by R.E.M. At the time, fans erroneously believed that Michael Stipe was near death. Following the AIDS-related death of Freddie Mercury in November 1991, Stipe’s bony appearance caused the tabloids to speculate that he too was suffering from the autoimmune disease. Read more about it here: bit.ly
Number 72. This 1991 album was the second studio album by A Tribe Called Quest. Largely produced by group member Q-Tip, it is regarded as Phife Dawg's breakout and is credited for helping launch rapper Busta Rhymes's successful solo career.
Number 72 (continued). Enjoy an oral history of this album from the folks who were there: ambrosiaforheads.com
Number 71. Another debut album! This groundbreaking album came out on March 3rd, 1989. It marked the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul.
Number 71 (continued). KEXP spent 12 hours of programming to break down this seminal album in its entirety. Support the station's innovative programming by calling 1-866-903-5397 or 206-903-5397.
Number 70. In February, 1977, Television release their debut (!). It was well worth the wait. Read a tribute, forty years later, in 2017: pitchfork.com
Number 69. This 2008 album was Frightened Rabbit's second studio album. It takes on special poignancy after Scott Hutchison's suicide in 2018. Watch Frightened Rabbit playing live in the KEXP studio in 2016: www.youtube.com
Number 68. "Yoshimi..." is the tenth album by The Flaming Lips. It was released in July, 2002. This review says, "It’s a safe bet to assume you haven’t heard many albums that weave robots, kung-fu and a young Japanese woman into their central theme. To be frank, it’s a concept that just shouldn’t work. But in the hands of The Flaming Lips, anything can be a conduit for visionary rock storytelling.": bit.ly
Number 67 (continued). Ans...here's the official 1987 music video for "True Faith": www.youtube.com
Number 66. Also known as the Blue Album, this is the self-titled debut (!) studio album by Weezer, released on May 10, 1994. The Cars' Ric Ocasek was the producer for this album.
Number 65. Another debut album....this one came out on vinyl and cassette in April, 1983.
Number...er...x? Ahhh...the Friday song. Take this opportunity to make your gift in support of KEXP. Call 206-903-5397 or donate online at kexp.org
Number 64. The fourth album by Neko Case came out in March, 2006. Partially inspired by the Ukrainian myths her grandmother told her as a kid, Fox Confessor is the Virginia-born, Tacoma-raised singer-songwriter’s attempt to “figure out how fairytales are born,” as she said. Read a track-by-track review: bitly.com
Number 63. This 1984 release was the third by The Replacements. It was No. 241 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest albums of all time. Read about its legacy here: music.avclub.com
Number 62. I'll bet you were worried that this album wouldn't make the list. Although Pixies had released a mini-album in October, 1987, "Surfer Rosa" was their debut full-length release, coming out in March, 1988. It was produced by Steve Albini.
Number 62 (continued) Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan said of this album, "It rocked without being lame.": thequietus.com
Number 62 (continued, continued). Watch Pixies performing "Tony's Theme" live in Utrecht in 1990: www.youtube.com
Number 61. This was The Strokes' debut album, released in July, 2001. he initial sessions for the record were done with producer Gil Norton (Pixies – ‘Doolittle’) but were scrapped by the band as they felt that the output sounded “too pretentious”. The group then teamed up with Gordon Raphael who they met at one of their live shows six months earlier.: www.nme.com
Number 60. Pink Floyd's "The Wall" was their eleventh studio album and was released on November 30th, 1979. Roger Waters said, "To date, The Wall is my finest musical achievement.”: www.loudersound.com
Number 59. Paul Simon's "Graceland" was his seventh studio album and came out in August, 1986. It remains one of the most beloved albums in pop history. And also one the most controversial. Simon had ventured to South Africa to record the album with local musicians, ignoring an international boycott set in place by the United Nations Anti-Apartheid Committee. Read about the questions that have surrounded this album.: www.rollingstone.com
Number 58. IDLES' second album came out on August 31. 2018. It quickly became a great favorite of KEXP DJs and listeners. Watch IDLES performing "Danny Nedelko" and other songs from the album in a live KEXP studio session: www.youtube.com
Number 57. "Daydream Nation" was Sonic Youth's fifth studio album and was released in October, 1988 as a double album. Widely considered to be Sonic Youth's greatest work, it was chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Recording Registry in 2005
Number 56. Out in 1977, this was Fleetwood Mac's eleventh studio album. Enjoy a ranking of every song on this classic album: www.billboard.com
Number 56 (continued). “The night I wrote ‘Dreams,’ I walked in and handed a cassette of the song to Lindsey [Buckingham],” Stevie Nicks said. “Even though he was mad with me at the time, Lindsey played it and then looked up at me and smiled. What was going on between us was sad. We were couples who couldn’t make it through. But as musicians, we still respected each other – and got some brilliant songs out of it.”
Number 55. This 2015 release was the third by rapper Kendrick Lamar. "To Pimp A Butterfly sounded unlike anything Lamar had done before: a genre-busting jubilee in honour of the funkiest, freshest and most out-there elements of African-American music. He assembled a crack band of the most exciting jazz musicians of the day, installing saxophone colossus Kamasi Washington as musical director.": www.udiscovermusic.com
Number 54. This fine album, Built to
Spill's fourth full-length, came out twenty years ago, in February 1999.: consequenceofsound.net
Number 53. "The Lonesome Crowded West," out in 1997, was Modest Mouse's second release. The towers on the cover are The Westin Seattle. Here's a tribute to this "sprawling" album: consequenceofsound.net
Number 52. The sixth studio album from The Beatles, Rubber Soul dropped in 1965. Rubber Soul caused a widespread move away from singles in the music community, and onto creating albums of across-the-board high-quality songs.
Number 51. Interpol's debut record! Turn On the Bright Lights was released in 2002. The album influenced numerous rock groups in the 2000s, including the Killers, the xx. and Editors. Along with the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and TV on the Radio, Interpol is cited as helping usher in the post-punk revival scene.
Number 50. The fifth studio album from Kate Bush, Hounds of Love is considered by many to be Bush's best album. And fun fact: The opening of Hounds of Love – “It’s in the trees! It’s coming!” – is a sample of a line from the 1957 horror film Night of the Demon.
Number 49: Bob Dylan's 1966 record Blonde on Blonde completed the trilogy of rock albums Dylan recorded through 1965 and 1966 (starting with Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited). It was one of the first double albums ever in rock music.
Number 48: Odelay, Beck's fifth studio record released in 1996, is his most successful to date. It has sold 2.3 million copies in the US. The title is an English attempt at the Mexican slang "órale," which roughly translates to "listen up" or "what's up?."
Number 48: Beck continued his style of absurdist lyrics on Odelay, attempting to create intentionally disposable pop songs.
Number 47: Of the 1993 final Nirvana record In Utero, Kurt Cobain said "it'll be more raw with some songs and more candy pop on some of the others. It won't be as one-dimensional [as Nevermind]."
Nirvana self-imposed a two-week deadline for recording In Utero, and agreed to pay for the sessions with their own money to avoid interference from their record label.
Nirvana self-imposed a two-week deadline for recording In Utero, and agreed to pay for the sessions with their own money to avoid interference from their record label.
Number 46: Numerous things inspired The War on Drugs third studio record, Lost in Dream, including 1980s rock, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, and the lonelieness and depression lead singer Adam Granduciel faced after extensive touring.
Number 45: Boxer is the fourth album from The National, released in 2007. The artwork for the record was a photo from an actual wedding, that of Boxer producer Peter Katis. The band performed "The Geese of Beverly Road" from Alligator in front of Katis’ friends and family and there was actually people dancing, making for the perfect photo.
Number 44: "One of the decade’s most thrilling bummers"- William Skar.
Mezzanine is the third studio album from Massive Attack, released in 1998. The production of Mezzanine almost split the band, as they disagreed about the musical direction of the new material. Read more: bit.ly
Mezzanine is the third studio album from Massive Attack, released in 1998. The production of Mezzanine almost split the band, as they disagreed about the musical direction of the new material. Read more: bit.ly
Number 43: The year is 2007, and the world is about to to hear Bon Iver for the first time. For Emma, Forever Ago was recorded in a cabin the year before, where Justin Vernon abandoned old songwriting methods to instead focus on wordless melodies, later be set to words.He also hunted his food and spent most of his time in isolation...which is true commitment
Number 42: Transatlanticism was releasd in 2003 after the regrouping of Death Cab for Cutie. The band had taken some time apart, after nearly a half-decade of touring. The concept album explores the theme of a long-distance romance.
Number 41: Nirvana filmed the entire 1993 MTV Unplugged performance in a single take. The 14-song setlist included one song from Bleach, four songs from Nevermind, three tracks from In Utero, and six cover songs.
Number 40: The third record from the Smiths, The Queen Is Dead was released in 1986. The title of the album was pulled from Hubert Selby Jr.'s 1964 novel Last Exit to Brooklyn.
Number 39: Remember when Sufjan Stevens was going to release fifty albums based on U.S. states? Still waiting on Washington...
Illinois was released in 2005 and features songs referencing places, events, and people related to the state of Illinois. In the first tour of the record, Stevens and his band the Illinoisemakers wore outfits inspired by cheerleaders from the University of Illinois.
Illinois was released in 2005 and features songs referencing places, events, and people related to the state of Illinois. In the first tour of the record, Stevens and his band the Illinoisemakers wore outfits inspired by cheerleaders from the University of Illinois.
Number 39: To create lllinois, Sufjan Stevens analyzed criminal, literary, and historical documents of the state.
Number 38: The Stone Roses self-titled debut was released in 1989. and established the band as one of the fixtures of the Madchester and baggy cultural scenes.
Number 37: Dummy turned 25 this year!! KEXP celebrated all day on August 22, and DJ Morgan sat down with Portishead's Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley for a 3! Hour! Interview!
Transport yourself back to 1994, take a listen here: www.kexp.org
Transport yourself back to 1994, take a listen here: www.kexp.org
Number 36: Released in 1975, Blood on the Tracks has been viewed as one of the bst examples of a confessional singer-songwriter's craft. Dylan denies the lyrics are autobiographical, while son Jakob Dylan has said "When I'm listening to Blood On The Tracks, that's about my parents."
Number 35: Kind of Blue was released in 1959, and features saxophonist John Coltrane, plus Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, pianist Bill Evans, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb. Often called Miles Davis's masterpiece, Kind of Blue is one of the best-selling jazz records of all time.
Number 34: Written after a nervous breakdown and subsequent visits to therapy, Billy Corgan's lyrics on 1993's Siamese Dream dealt more directly with his insecurities and troubled past. Despite timing delays and going over budget, Siamese Dream sold over six million worldwide records
Number 33: Exile on Main St. dropped in 1972, and was recorded from 1969-1972 in various mobile recording studios in England and France. Recording sessions lasted late into the night and were loose and unorganized, shining through in the relaxed feel of the album.
Number 32: Inspiring big suit Halloween costumes yearly. 1984's Stop Making Sense is the soundtrack to the concert film of the same name. Shot over four nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater, the band raised the $1.2 million budget themselves.
Number 31: Feeling smothered by the success of "Creep," Radiohead transitioned towards greater depth on their second album, The Bends, released in 1995. The album marked the start of a change in Thom Yorke's songwriting from personal angst to cryptic lyrics on social and global themes.
Number 31: Of "Fake Plastic Trees" Thom Yorke said it was "the product of a joke that wasn't really a joke, a very lonely, drunken evening and, well, a breakdown of sorts"
Number 30: Violator, Depeche Mode's seventh record, released in 1990, propelled the band to international recognition. Of the title Martin Gore said "We called it Violator as a joke. We wanted to come up with the most extreme, ridiculously Heavy Metal title that we could. I'll be surprised if people will get the joke."
Number 30: "Enjoy the Silence" was written by Martin Gore, and started off as a ballad. At Alan Wilder's insistence, the song was re-worked into this up-tempo version.
Number 29: Velvet Underground's debut record was released in 1967. Early copies of the album featured a peel-away of the iconic Warhol-designed banana print, revealing a flesh-colored banana underneath.
Number 28: Hunky Dory was the first record to feature all members of Bowie's backing band Spiders From Mars.
Of the record Bowie said "Hunky Dory gave me a fabulous groundswell. I guess it provided me, for the first time in my life, with an actual audience – I mean, people actually coming up to me and saying, 'Good album, good songs.' That hadn't happened to me before. It was like, 'Ah, I'm getting it, I'm finding my feet. I'm starting to communicate what I want to do. Now: what is it I want to do?' There was always a double whammy there."
Of the record Bowie said "Hunky Dory gave me a fabulous groundswell. I guess it provided me, for the first time in my life, with an actual audience – I mean, people actually coming up to me and saying, 'Good album, good songs.' That hadn't happened to me before. It was like, 'Ah, I'm getting it, I'm finding my feet. I'm starting to communicate what I want to do. Now: what is it I want to do?' There was always a double whammy there."
Number 28: Opening track "Changes" focuses on the compulsive nature of artistic reinvention. Hunky Dory was a stylistic change from the hard rock of Bowie's previous album The Man Who Sold the World.
Number 27: The debut album from Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures was released in 1979. If you need convincing that science is cool...the cover of Unknown Pleasures was found by one of the band members in the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Science.