Kevin Cole

Coming out in two weeks! The LP was recorded at studios in New Orleans, El Paso and Mount Desert Island in mid-2021 following a pandemic period that marked “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever,” Butler said in a statement. The album borrows its title from Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin’s 1921 sci-fi novel "We," which would later inspire the dystopian works of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. The seven-song LP is split across two sides, “I” and “WE,” respectively, with the first half exploring loneliness and isolation and the latter part celebrating reconnection following, say, a lengthy pandemic. bit.ly youtu.be

Celebrating music from 1973 for KEXP's 50th Anniversary -- kexp.org This album was recorded at Record Plant Studios during the summer of 1973 in New York while Lennon was having difficulties with US immigration, marking the beginning of his 18-month separation from Yoko Ono. "In that time, Lennon’s world had changed. John and Yoko split. Because of this major personal break-up, Lennon had to re-evaluate his personal and creative life. The first thing that happened was that Lennon left the Dakota and got an apartment in the West Village of New York with his new personal assistant May Pang. She encouraged him to express his emotions in songs and record the results in a new album. Pang was more like an inspirational and creative muse who helped spark a new creative mindset for Lennon in the studio. He dropped his overtly political slant and on song five of Mind Games, the sugarcoated sweetness that Lennon claimed to have found in Imagine was resurrected for 'Bring on the Lucie.'" bit.ly

NEW MUSIC from Portland's Laura Viers! 'While it’s technically the 12th studio LP from the esteemed Portland, OR-based artist, it also, in many ways, feels like her debut: Found Light is her very first record with co-production credits (alongside Shahzad Ismaily), and finds Veirs embracing a self-sovereignty and artistic independence she’d never known previously.' Laura Viers is on tour in Europe and the US this summer, no local dates yet -- pre-order the album and find out more: lauraveirs.bandcamp.com

BRAND-NEW Career Retrospective from Neko Case -- featuring one new song, "Oh, Shadowless". Neko Case will perform for ZooTunes at Woodland Park Zoo on June 16! www.zoo.org She's also got a streaming performance called "Wild Creatures: Live From The Lung" which will be recorded in her home studio in Vermont, and launched on Thursday, May 19th at 5:30 PM Pacific time; to watch, you need to be a subscriber to her Substack, "Entering the Lung". Learn more: nekocase.substack.com

Bellingham natives ODESZA will perform at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on July 29, July 30, and July 31! For tickets: tinyurl.com "Behind The Sun" samples a song recorded by Simin Ghanem, an Iranian classicial singer born in 1944. "While digging through old records we came across a song by the legendary Iranian singer, Simin Ghanem. It was such a beautifully haunting vocal that we couldn’t really get it out of our heads," ODESZA explained in a joint statement. Read more at EDM: tinyurl.com

This London-based band’s fourth album is an impressive blend of Afrobeat, funk, disco, electro-pop and other styles. Produced by Hot Chip, the album combines bright synths, punchy sax, fiery guitar riffs and propulsive rhythms with Eno Williams’ commanding vocals and bilingual lyrics of connection. kexp.org Ibibio Sound Machine performed live a Studio 9294 in Hackney Wick, London, during KEXP's 2019 International Clash Day broadcast. youtu.be ibibiosoundmachine.bandcamp.com

NEW MUSIC from Hot Chip (speaking of!) Hot Chip just played Coachella, and they're touring the US -- no Seattle shows, sadly. "Freakout/Release" is due out in August! Douglas Hart & Steve Mackey directed the stunning video -- WARNING: Flashing Lights -- youtu.be

BRAND NEW for Record Store Day 2022 -- two tracks from Johnny Marr on 12" colored vinyl, including a remix of "Spirit, Power & Soul" by Vince Clarke Johnny Marr Vince Clarke (Erasure, Depeche Mode, Yazoo) recordstoreday.com

The Shins were not truly a band when James Mercer composed the song, and the idea of making music his career seemed uncertain. The song's creation was partially a reaction to the music scene in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the band's hometown, which Mercer described as "macho, really heavy, and aggressive." Mercer sent a demo to Sub Pop Records and label co-founder Jonathan Poneman caught a concert in San Francisco while the band was on tour with Modest Mouse. He offered the band a one-off single deal, and the label included it in their Single-of-the-Month series, issuing a 7" single to fan club members in February 2001. bit.ly

A Record Store Day 2013 exclusive! 7" included this song + "A Wake for the Minotaur" Stevie Nicks will be playing The Gorge on May 14! tinyurl.com This cover of Stevie Nicks' 1981 collaboration with Tom Petty was performed by former tour mates Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater. (Fun fact: Van Etten formerly tour managed Shearwater, who opened her recent North American tour.) recordstoreday.com

Psychemagik's dreamy remix! From a 12" single that includes this along with a remix of "Big Love" by Red Ken Info label states, "For emotional use only". Stevie Nicks will be playing The Gorge on May 14! tinyurl.com "The UK duo, known for their sensational edits, obscenely vast record collections, beautiful production work and transcendent mixtape journeys, are being heralded as a truly unique and positive presence in today's music scene." -- psychemagik.bandcamp.com

Happy Birthday Giorgio Moroder! Born on this day in 1940, the "Father of Disco" pioneered euro disco and EDM, and he founded Musicland Studios in Munich. He produced and co-wrote singles for Donna Summer, including this one. "I Feel Love" has been called one of the most influential records ever made! The only live drum sound on the record is the kick; every other drum part came from the Moog. Even the hi-hat sound was created by clipping white noise and processing it. Each drum sound was recorded separately, keeping the sound clean, clinical and in keeping with Moroder’s Kraftwerk-inspired vision. Donna Summer recorded her vocals for this smash in one take bit.ly

Legendary musician, DJ, and producer Giorgio Moroder was born on this day in 1940. He composed the soundtrack to the 1978 pirson drama "Midnight Express" -- and it went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1979 The film's director, Alan Parker, explicitly asked Moroder for a song in the style of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". The song's main melody was played on a Roland SH-2000 synthesizer, while the bass lines were played on a Minimoog synthesizer. The track was arranged by his protégé Harold Faltermeyer

BRAND NEW music from Working Men's Club! Their upcoming album was produced by Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys, M.I.A.) frontman Syd Minsky-Sargeant discussed its creation and themes in a statement, saying: “The first album was mostly a personal documentation lyrically, this is a blur between personal and a third-person perspective of what was going on. I like the contrast of it being happy, uplifting music and really dark lyrics" Kevin Cole hosted WMC Live on KEXP at Home in April 2021: youtu.be

Local heroes New Age Healers are back with their first new track in two years! This comes off a yet-to-be-named new album, due out this summer. bit.ly See them live at Seagaze Music Festival at LoFi on Friday, April 22nd and at Karate Church in Bellingham with Film School and somesurprises. newagehealers.bandcamp.com

NEW MUSIC from Philly's Church Girls! “We all get depressed,” vocalist Mariel Beaumont says of “Telepathic Mind” in a press release. “I still comically buck against it: waking up early every morning and standing in direct sunlight for 20 minutes because a podcast told me that might help. During this particular bout, I knew I was driving my live-in partner a bit crazy with my silent brooding. I’ve heard telepathic communication doesn’t work so well, but I’m a slow learner.” churchgirls.bandcamp.com

NEW MUSIC from Built to Spill! They'll perform LIVE in the KEXP Studio on Friday, July 22 at 12PM. They'll also be at Timber Music Festival that weekend in Carnation. summer.timbermusicfest.com Since its inception in 1992, Built to Spill founder Doug Martsch intended his beloved band to be a collaborative project, an ever-evolving group of incredible musicians making music and playing live together. “I wanted to switch the lineup for many reasons. Each time we finish a record I want the next one to sound totally different. It’s fun to play with people who bring in new styles and ideas,” says Martsch. “And it’s nice to be in a band with people who aren’t sick of me yet.” built-to-spill.bandcamp.com

"'About Damn Time' can lead into so many conversations," Lizzo shares. "It’s about damn time I feel better, it’s about damn time we get out this pandemic. It’s about damn time we to get the first Black female Supreme Court Justice. There’s so many things. It’s about damn time we popped the champagne. It’s about damn time the tequila got here." bit.ly www.lizzomusic.com

Music from 1973 for KEXP's 50th Anniversary! kexp.org 'Hi Kevin, 1973? You have to play something from Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions!' -- Tom in CA Three days after Innervisions was released, Wonder was asleep in the passenger seat of a car after a show in South Carolina, and was seriously injured in a car crash. He spent four days in a coma. Tour director Ira Tucker recalls, "I remember when I got to the hospital in Winston-Salem. Man, I couldn't even recognize him. His head was swollen up about five times normal size. And nobody could get through to him. I knew that he likes to listen to music really loud and I thought maybe if I shouted in his ear it might reach him. The doctor told me to go ahead and try, it couldn't hurt him. The first time I didn't get any response, but the next day I went back and I got right down in his ear and sang 'Higher Ground'. His hand was resting on my arm and after a while his fingers started going in time with the song. I said 'Yeah, yeah!!! This dude is going to make it!'" bit.ly

18-year-old Mikayla “Koffee” Simpson was born in Spanish Town, just outside of Kingston, Jamaica. She got her name after ordering coffee on a boiling hot day while everyone else opted for cold soda; her mother works for the Ministry of Health “With a lot of my music, it’s about entertaining people while highlighting problems in order to try and find a solution. I genuinely want to make the world a better place.” www.originalkoffee.com

New music! Joy Downer performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden with Beck on bass last year; she returns to the show TONIGHT to perform her latest song, again with support from Beck! The performance will be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson This song also features guitar work from Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, with percussion by Lauren Brown

Happy birthday to Tionne Watkins -- TLC's T-Boz! Born on this day in Des Moines, Iowa in 1970 “Creep” is the first single from TLC’s iconic sophomore album CrazySexyCool. The lyrics are from the perspective of a woman who is aware of her boyfriend’s infidelity, and in turn, cheats on him in an effort to appease her need for affection. It was the group’s first #1 hit and got them a Grammy in 1996! Watch the music video: youtu.be

This album was nominated for three Grammys, including Best Country Collab for this duet with Dolly Parton; it won a Grammy for the lead single "Sunrise" If you missed "Six Degrees of Dolly Parton" last week, never fret -- you can check out the entire day's shows in our streaming archive for two weeks! kexp.org

Happy birthday to Chris Mars, singer-songwriter, musician, and producer of The Replacements and Golden Smog, born on this day in 1961! This was Mars' first solo album; he wrote every track, handled all vocals, and played every instrument other than bass guitar

Fontaines DC will perform Live on in the KEXP Studio on Saturday, May 14 at 12:30 PM! They'll also perform that night at the Showbox SoDo -- find tickets: tinyurl.com 'A Coventry woman who won a legal battle to erect a gravestone with an inscription in Irish, to honour her late mother, has described Fontaines DC's new song inspired by the case as "a fitting end to the journey that we went on as a family". Bernadette Martin, daughter of Margaret Keane, and her family, last year successfully fought for the right to have a Celtic cross bearing the words "In ár gCroíthe go deo" - which translates into English as "In our hearts forever" - on her grave at St Giles Church in Exhall.' -- tinyurl.com fontainesdc.bandcamp.com

Featuring Grian Chatten of Fontaines DC! Tempest told the NME: “I feel like I learned what this album was about as I started to make it. For me, the album is about increasing resilience and raising your threshold for tolerance and acceptance. And it’s a very beautiful album, because so many people involved in making it are people that I’ve known and loved for a very long time... I think that some of my other albums were coming from a place of real isolation and often despair. This album hopefully comes from a place where I’ve made some changes in my life. I’m trying to let go of some of that stuff. So maybe it’s a less lonely listen.” bit.ly Kae Tempest performed Live in the KEXP Studio back in September 2019: youtu.be

Released on this day in 1993: the single "Walking in My Shoes" from Depeche Mode! "Songs of Faith and Devotion" features Depeche Mode's pivot to a darker, rock-oriented tone. It was the band's final album with Alan Wilder; tensions during recording and touring led him to depart U2 lead singer Bono listed this song on his "60 Songs That Saved My Life" playlist -- bit.ly

“This album is literally about the journey; the moments where you feel completely yourself and high-energy; the moments where you feel down and question yourself. It’s like reading [Paulo Coelho’s] The Alchemist – once you find a bit that connects to you, it becomes the best book you’ve ever read.” He grins, half-laughing at the audacity of his ambition. “I like to think that Reason to Smile is that.” - read the rest of The Guardian interview with London's Kojey Radical: www.theguardian.com kojeyradical.online IG: @kojeyradical

SPOT Festival Song of the Day! This week's Songs of the Day were curated by Kevin Cole, spotlighting artists playing the SPOT Festival in Aarhus, Denmark, May 6-7th -- spotfestival.dk Hailing from the secluded commune of Illighadad, located in central Niger, Les Filles de Illighadad tap into their "desert blues" heritage on their most recent album, Eghass Malan. The band breaks the mold of the typical male Tuareg guitarist with lead vocalist/musician Fatou Seidi Ghali, the first professional female Tuareg guitarist, and still one of a very few in general. The group consists of mostly women (Alamnou Akirwini and Fitimata Ahmadelher) and Ghali's brother Abdoulaye Madassane as the sole male. In defying gender norms, they continue to break new ground in the long tradition of rural folk music from the Sahara. Learn more and download a copy: www.kexp.org

NEW MUSIC from Interpol! Get tickets for their show with Spoon at The Paramount in Seattle on September 16: www.stgpresents.org 'The Other Side of Make-Believe' started out with the band writing and recording remotely due to COVID during 2020 – before meeting up to flesh out the new songs at a rented home in the Catskills, then completing the songs in North London with co-producers Flood and Alan Moulder "Working alone was raw at first, but has opened up a vivid new chapter for us," revealed guitarist Daniel Kessler, with Bank recalling how he took to writing while the global pandemic saw him living in Edinburgh for nearly nine months. "We usually write live, but for the first time I’m not shouting over a drumkit," said Banks. "Daniel and I have a strong enough chemistry that I could picture how my voice would complement the scratch demos he emailed over. Then I could turn the guys down on my laptop, locate these colourful melodies and generally get the message across in an understated fashion." bit.ly

Sydney-born, Oakland-based musician Hazel English! youtu.be