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Wednesday, Mar 31 2021, 4PM
Three years ago, CCFX played live in the KEXP studio. Such an amazing live session AND their second live performance, ever. The opened with "The One to Wait." Watch the full set here:
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"Who is Jane Inc? She is CEO and pencil pusher; she is a blank, unknowable Jane Doe, and she is the singular solo project of Carlyn Bezic. Also known as one half of weird pop duo Ice Cream, one fifth of rock and roll fever dream Darlene Shrugg, and touring member of US Girls band, Bezic has been building a body of work on merging a pop sensibility with off kilter influences. Jane Inc's debut album, Number One, out on Telephone Explosion on March 19th 2021, is an exciting progression of that body of work: a meditation on the self that marries pop songwriting with swirling sonic experiments."
janeinc.bandcamp.com
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The debut album from this Toronto multi-instrumentalist and regular U.S. Girls collaborator (aka Carlyn Bezic) is a well-crafted set of arty dance-pop with bright synths, silvery guitar riffs, propulsive beats and lyrics of identity and autonomy.
www.kexp.org
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Check out the music video: youtu.be
'High Fidelity' was released this day in 2000. "Let's Get It On" is from 'Rob's top five side one, track ones':
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'High Fidelity' follows the 'mid-life' crisis of Rob, a thirty-something record-store owner who must face the undeniable facts - he's growing up. In a hilarious homage to the music scene, Rob and the wacky, offbeat clerks that inhabit his store expound on the intricacies of life and song all the while trying to succeed in their adult relationships. Are they listening to pop music because they are miserable? Or are they miserable because they listen to pop music? This romantic comedy provides a whimsical glimpse into the male view of the affairs of the heart.
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Rob tells Laura that other women are just fantasies, Laura is reality, and he never tires of her. He proposes marriage; she thanks him for asking. She arranges for him to revisit his former love of dee-jaying. At the celebration of the newly released single by Vince and Justin, where Barry's band Sonic Death Monkey plays "Let's Get It On", Rob is surprised that Barry's band is not a disaster.
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Tegan and Sara's "Where Does The Good Go?" is from Branik's Top 5 song list.
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Tegan and Sara performing their song "Where does the good go":
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fountainsofwayne.bandcamp.com
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We lost Fountains of Wayne founding member Adam Schlesinger in April 2020 due to complications of the coronavirus. We remembered the first track from Fountains of Wayne's debut album.
www.kexp.org
Brand new release from the Australian band, out now! www.middlekidsmusic.com
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Middle Kids' vocalist/guitarist Hannah Joy, they “are just suburban kids”, speaking to NME from a hotel lobby in Melbourne. “We have these big dreams, and I think that’s cool, but most of life is just cutting your toenails and wiping your butt every day.”
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Beabadoobee speaks on her latest track to 'Rolling Stone':
"’Last Day on Earth’ is about all the things I would have done had I known we were going into a lockdown and the world was going to change the way it has,” Kristi said. “It was written shortly after the first main lockdown and lyrically it’s me reflecting on how it would feel if we all knew ahead of time what was going to happen. All the things I would have done if I knew it was the last day of our old normality.”
“I wrote and recorded the EP on a farm with Matty and George from the 1975 in the countryside,” she added. “It was really nice being able to create together, my first time writing and recording in that kind of setting. I wanted to experiment on the sounds and sonics even more and the EP to me has a feeling of togetherness to it… how we’re all in this joined as one.”
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PJ Harvey's "To Bring You My Love" is on Karen's Top 5 song list.
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'To Bring You My Love' is PJ Harvey’s third album, released in 1995, produced by Flood and John Parish.
“10/10 – To Bring You My Love proves beyond a doubt that PJ Harvey is one of the greats” – Spin
pjharvey.net
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PJ Harvey performing "To Bring You My Love" live at the 2016 Festival Nuits de Fourvière:
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From Alpine Skye's Top 5 songs to get through the pandemic:
"“Darling Be Home soon” Loving Spoonful. It sums up my ache for my daughter in LA"
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The Lovin' Spoonful recorded this with a studio orchestra in just one day. The next morning, however, John Sebastian was horrified to learn his vocal take had accidentally been erased and had to be re-recorded. "I did that right away, with the wound still fresh," he said. "What you hear on the record is me, a half hour after learning that my original vocal track had been erased. You can even hear my voice quiver a little at the end. That was me thinking about the vocal we lost and wanting to kill someone."
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James Lavelle talks to NME about new mixtape ‘Rōnin I’, why clubbing matters, and a surreal encounter with some Beatles and Disney magic through working with Dhani Harrison. “There’s a lot of tension on the streets – we need clubbing to release that”
James Lavelle:
“You get this light out of the darkness in club music. It was important, looking at the songs, that some of the lyrics and what they meant could be put into a different context. I like the idea that, as a journey, the records are still lyrically trying to communicate things that I feel are quite appropriate right now, even though a lot of songs were recorded before COVID. Before COVID there was still this sense of a lot of uncertainty and unrest and political extremes. You do feel like there’s BC and AC, Before COVID and After COVID. Before COVID felt so narcissistically over the top and a very greedy period of time, so a lot of the songs had connection with those feelings. Yet when you put them into a different context with COVID, there was still this feeling of that sort of sentiment being important now.”
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unkle.bandcamp.com
unkle.bandcamp.com
Throughout the pandemic, people have been looking for ways to cultivate new skills and explore their creativity (or, to see how many times Netflix asks, "are you still there?").
To launch the new home-studio system, Moog has released the seven-song EP 'Explorations in Analog Synthesis', inviting artists like Bonobo, Julianna Barwick, Ela Minus, Dan Deacon, Martial Canterel, and Peter Cottontale to contribute tracks they created using it. Today, KEXP is premiering the contribution from artist/activist Madame Gandhi, who wow'ed us with her performance at our 2019 Iceland Airwaves Music Festival broadcast.
We asked Madame Gandhi about her experience crafting her track "Bending Time." As a former drummer for M.I.A. and Thievery Corporation, we knew she'd utilize the percussive features in a fascinating way. (And, we learned what DFAM stands for!)
www.kexp.org
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Check out Madame Gandhi's chat with KEXPs Sound and Vision:
www.kexp.org
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Madame Gandhi performed live at Kex Hostel in Reykjavik during Iceland Airwaves 2019:
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'Kid A' turned *twenty years old* last October! This track was the first one Thom Yorke wrote for Kid A, working from a new house near the cliffs of Cornwall.
The lyrics, “yesterday I woke up suckin a lemon,” refers to a sour disposition. The lyrics are relatively ambiguous, however, as most of Radiohead lyrics are. The line can also sound like, “Yesterday I woke up stuck in hollywood,” and Yorke has been known to blend the lyrics during live shows.
Read more at Dazed magazine: bit.ly
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Radiohead performed "Everything In Its Right Place" live at Key Arena in Seattle, WA in 2017:
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The scene from 'High Fidelity' is which Rob plays "Dry The Rain":
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John Cusack's character in 'High Fidelity' claims he can sell five copies of the Beta Band's 'The Three EPs' just by playing "Dry the Rain" to his record store patrons.
But by having the song on the movie's soundtrack, it turns out, the Scottish electronic-rock quartet has been able to sell a lot more than that.
A month after the film's release, the album's sales quadrupled, according to the Beta Band's U.S. label, Astralwerks.
on.mtv.com
Yazoo's "Only You" made Rebecca's Top Songs To Get You Through the Pandemic List.
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Yazoo, who were known in America as Yaz, was the duo of instrumentalist/programmer Vince Clarke and vocalist Alison Moyet. Clarke was an original member of Depeche Mode, and wrote this song for them. He was about to leave the band in late 1981, and he wanted them to have a good single starting off 1982. Depeche Mode didn't want it; instead they released "See You," a song Martin Gore wrote when he was only 15. This song ended up on Yazoo's debut album.
This was the first song Clarke and Moyet recorded together. In our 2010 interview with Vince Clarke, he explained: "One of the big reasons I asked Alison to sing 'Only You' was because I felt that it was a ballad that needed someone with a soulful voice. And it wasn't like I thought to myself, 'Okay, you have a chance to marry electronics with song.' It just turned out that way, and it happened Alison had a great voice, and it worked really well."
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Peter Croce's "The Revival" making Sarah's top songs list getting her through the pandemic
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Released on Rocksteady Disco nearly a year ago, the original is a house edit of a speech given at the 2016 Democratic National Convention by Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II. Rousing in every way shape and form, it grips the heart and drives home the need for fierceness when reviving moral fortitude.
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Peter Croce is a Detroit-based deejay, producer, and the head of the label/party Rocksteady Disco. In his short and rising career he’s been asked by Ron Trent to play alongside him and François K, and was asked to open for the legendary Grace Jones. A true personality deejay, Peter's musical mind focuses more on soul and spirit than genres and rules, putting him straight in the heart of the next generation of deeply rooted American selectors and label bosses.
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petercroce.bandcamp.com
Ah Mer Ah Su talks her debut album 'STAR' and creating positive narratives for Black trans girls and women.
www.them.us
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A self-described "poptronic princess," Ah Mer Ah Su combines glittering production with sharp vocals and introspective songwriting.
"'Need You, Need Me' is a song about how important it was for me to be able to move on from an abusive relationship. I had a partner who told me that I needed him, that I would be lost without him," she explains. “It required a Herculean strength of will to leave, I had to not unlike Orpheus travel to the darkest parts of myself and leave that behind without looking back in order to salvage my sanity and get out. We don't talk about this much in our community how queer relationships are just as prone to abuse as others. I found myself wishing I could leave this cycle, yet still going back. One of the ways I was able to change my narrative was through the power of sisterhood. My sisters helped me see that I was worth so much more."
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The colorful, dance-centric video for "Need You, Need Me," directed by Vice Cooler and starring Saturn Rising, Zenobia, and Ah Mer Ah Su herself:
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Through this past rough year during the pandemic, many listeners played "This Year" by the Mountain Goats, including Bronko from Shoreline and Holly.
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'The Sunset Tree' is The Mountain Goats ninth studio album, released in 2005 on 4AD. The album's songs revolve around the house John Darnielle grew up in and the people who lived there, including his mother, sister, stepfather, friends, and enemies.
4ad.com
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Stephen Colbert joined The Mountain Goats to perform "This Year" in 2019:
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Pearl Jam's "Just Breathe" helped keep Holly going through the pandemic.
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Consequence of Sound's Matthew Taub wrote a retrospective of this album for the magazine's special @ the band's 30th anniversary. Check out "Making The Case for Pearl Jam's 'Backspacer':
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"Just Breathe" - Live Austin City Limits 2009:
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Request for Cat Power! "Hoping to show my 14 yo daughter how it feels to hear Cat Power on the radio." ~ Mike
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Cat Power released 'You Are Free' in 2003. The album features guest appearances by Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Warren Ellis of the Dirty Three.
In a 2003 interview with Pitchfork, Chan Marshall explained the album was recorded "Sporadically. While I was traveling...Adam was working on other things, and I worked on his schedule. He'd get these really nice studios, and when he had off time we'd go in and then try to remember what we did like two months ago and pull that tape up. I'd be like, 'Uh, no, I wanna do something new,' and then I'd write a new song. So it basically worked like that-- every few months getting together and essentially writing new songs."[2] According to Marshall, Kasper helped her decide which of the 40 songs they recorded should make it onto the album.
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Chong the Nomad's Exclusive International Women’s Month Set for KEXP
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“Highs & Lows” the newest single from 20 year old Seattle singer/songwriter Claudine Magbag and platinum selling producer Budo is pure musical nostalgia. It tells a familiar story, that feeling you can’t shake. Sonically H&L finds a pocket between driving drums and airy piano. Claudine’s signature vocal texture gives the song an upbeat and yet somehow calming atmosphere. The lyrics touch on the journey we’re all on and how the people we care about weave in and out of our life as they blaze their own path through existence. Highs & Lows is another example of Claudine’s ability to write lyrically simple yet emotionally complex alt-pop anthems.
claudinemagbag.bandcamp.com
Chong the Nomad's Exclusive International Women’s Month Set for KEXP
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Kilamanzego is a music producer and visual artist from Philadelphia, PA.
"It’s been a really chaotic year, full of a range of emotions (anxiety and meditative self reflection)."
kilamanzego.com
Chong the Nomad's Exclusive International Women’s Month Set for KEXP
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'Little Girl Blue,' released in 1957, was Nina Simone's first recording, originally issued on the Bethlehem label. Backed by bassist Jimmy Bond and Albert "Tootie" Heath, it showcases her ballad voice as one of mystery and sensuality and showcases her uptempo jazz style with authority and an enigmatic down-home feel that is nonetheless elegant. The album also introduced a fine jazz pianist. Simone was a solid improviser who never strayed far from the blues.
www.ninasimone.com
Chong the Nomad's Exclusive International Women’s Month Set for KEXP
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Chong the Nomad spent much of her college career learning to score compositions for film, and she draws from this cinematic background to create her own consistently evolving style of dynamic, quirky, shape-shifting music that blends sleek electronic production with an addictive pop sensibility.
Brand new from Chong the Nomad!
chongthenomad.bandcamp.com
Top songs to get you through a pandemic:
"Hard Life" by SAULT was my top track to get me through the rough times. All 4 albums we're on the turntables often. ~ Ref
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"'Hard Life' is another example of the detailed thought that characterizes [SAULT's UNTITLED (Black Is)] in its entirety. Starting with sparse syncopation and a rumbling, truculent bassline, it adds Cleo Sol's effortless vocals and some necessary incendiary lyrics: 'I ain't gonna wait no more / Gonna start a war / I ain't gonna wait no more.' The song's change from war cry to victory march mirrors that oft quoted idea that the arc of progress heads towards justice and it is remarkable." Learn more about this remarkable album that "embodies the soul, spirit, and sanctity of revolution.": www.albumism.com
From Peter's top songs list getting him through the pandemic.
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Augustus Pablo one of the greatest music legends that surpassed the musical limitations in which most musicians have when choosing an instrument. He choose the 'melodica' as his weapon to contribute to the world of music, harmony and a melody of his spirit, however, he was trained in array of instruments in addition to his famed possession. Pablo works have surpassed his own life.
rockersinternational.bandcamp.com
Megan in Minneapolis requested "I" by Kendrick Lamar. This was in her top songs list getting her through the pandemic.
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The first single from Kendrick Lamar's third studio album finds him rapping about the need for self-assurance to get by in this world. While premiering the song on LA's Power 106, Lamar explained the confidence boosting anthem was inspired by what he's experienced on the streets of Compton. "It's about self love [which] comes from within," he said. "A lot of cats that go to jail, be in these homes, or in foster homes they grew up in from these hoods, they never had that love within themselves. They thinking they get it from their parents or their mothers or big homies or grandmas, but it starts with themselves and that's why we carry ourselves the way we do."
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The jubilant video, directed by Alexandre Moors and the Little Homies, finds Lamar rapping, dancing and spreading the love through the Los Angeles streets. Look out for Ronald Isley's cameo as the rapper's driver.
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This song goes out to Bernadette and Rufus James Brown. Someone is great! ❤️
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The song "Someone Great" takes its instrumental from one part of the band's six-part, 46-minute long 2006 composition "45:33".
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'Sound of Silver' was dedicated to "the memory of Dr. George Kamen (1942–2006), one of the great minds of his or any generation." The Bulgarian-born doctor was a pioneer of group therapy and had opened a practice in New York City.
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LCD Soundsystem play "Someone Great" Live on Austin City Limits:
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Deep Sea Diver's "Impossible Weight" was on repeat for Shelby on her top songs list to get her through the pandemic.
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Listen to this episode of KEXP's Isolated Tracks, where we talk to Jessica Dobson from Deep Sea Diver. KEXP Audio Producer Julian Martlew dissects the sounds that make up the song "Impossible Weight" from the album 'Impossible Weight':
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thedeepseadiver.bandcamp.com
Jenny Lewis' "Red Bull & Hennessy" is on James' top songs list.
"Hi there, and thanks for doing this show. It's been rough being alone, not seeing friends and dealing with everything from horrid neighbors to economic instability, and of course the aftermath of the election. Being Black and gender fluid, the pandemic has been super rough, but I've always been able to tune into KEXP and hear something that lifted me and made me feel not so alone. Keep doing what you do and blessings to all the djs who keep me going on through these difficult times. much love and light, James"
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Jenny Lewis closed her set live in the KEXP studio with "Red Bull & Hennessy" in 2019. Watch the full performance here:
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"Great show today, Kevin! The one song (and album) I keep coming back to to keep me going through the loneliness of the pandemic is Another Space And Time from Laura Veirs latest album, My Echo. Thanks again for all the great tunes today. I needed it. 😊 ~ Ken"
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'My Echo' is Portland artist Laura Veirs' eleventh studio album and is full of heartbreakingly beautiful songs about love and loss.
lauraveirs.bandcamp.com
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Check out a few of Laura Veirs' performances live in the KEXP studio here:
www.youtube.com
Happy Birthday to Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes!
Robin Pecknold was born in Seattle in 1986. He is said to have written his first song at the age of 14, a song called "Sarah Jane" that tells the story of a runaway who turns to prostitution. Pecknold released the song along with six others as a demo CD called St. Vincent Street around his hometown as Robin Noel Vaas.
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"Maestranza" emerged from Pecknold wanting to make a Bill Withers-style track on the album. But it proved difficult to finish. "I made about three or four different versions of it because it kept turning out like roller-skating music or disco or something; it was weird," he says with a laugh. "But the version we ended up with, I don't feel that as much."
For the lyrics, he wanted to lean into a feeling of hope. "It’s trying to be an encouraging song, because the last few years, it’s been kind of a con man’s era," Pecknold says. "There’s been a lot of people trying to pull the wool over our eyes, not just in politics but also technology and media. Maybe we’re going to be entering this era where that’s no longer the case. That’s the optimistic hope of the song."
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fleetfoxes.bandcamp.com