Kevin Cole

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 Doug Martsch always wanted the band to be a collaborative project. “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

Upon this album's release, Sol shared on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of herself holding her baby, "I do this for the Younger me, that didn’t always speak what was on her heart & that made herself smaller to fit others ideals. "I’ve never felt as present as I do now. I’ve always tried to embrace where I am in life, but at certain points you just get lost, and don’t have the awareness to navigate yourself out and into the light. I guess life happens in waves, and thinking of that always gives me peace in the moment. "I became a mother this year, and it’s been the most transformative, uplifting, heart melting, strength giving experience thus far that led me to write this album. We had plans to take a break but Gods got jokes and was like, now you guys create and have fun, so we did 🙏🏽☺️🤝" bit.ly

New music from 070 Shake! Danielle Balbuena grew up in New Jersey, and became a poet, rapper, and singler-songwriter, and one of the leading front-women of the 070 collective of artists, named for the state's 070 ZIP codes. She told Pitchfork: "My music isn’t anger—it’s me transforming my anger into something beautiful. I don’t want any hate in my music" 070shake.bandcamp.com

Trip-hop from 1997 for KEXP's 50th! kexp.org The music video for this ominous classic enhances it haunting vibe -- with grainy black-and-white visuals inspired by a 1968 Italian music show and by the eerie TB series "The Outer Limits" -- with flickering, grainy images and a nightmare-inducing superimposed shot

'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

Released on this day in 2019 -- "Debris" by New Age Healers! This album is named after The Kessler Effect, a theory by NASA scientist Donald Kessler in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade where each collision generates space debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions. “Here’s to colliding with each other,” says frontman Owen Murphy. Kevin Cole selected "Satellites" as the KEXP Song of the Day back in 2019 -- www.kexp.org

NEW MUSIC from Seattle's Spanish for 100 -- their first release in nearly ten years. spanishfor100.bandcamp.com

Troy Nelson hosted Irish band Just Mustard Live in the KEXP Studio in May! Check out the whole set after Drive Time: youtu.be The band told the NME they want ‘Heart Under’ to feel like the experience of driving through a tunnel with the windows down -- David Noonan said that the band thrive when “finding ways of arranging songs with traditional rock band instrumentation, but trying to find ways of doing it that reflect other types of music that we are interested in, not just guitar-based music.” tinyurl.com

"Listening (as always) from frosty Christchurch New Zealand and thinking of my compatriots in the States, the divide growing larger than the ocean between us. Keep playing music that matters." -- Ken from New Zealand ""Capelton Hill" looks back on years spent touring, sneaking in a slyly self-referential line about the band's 2004 landmark album Set Yourself on Fire while wondering aloud what it's all been for. The heaviness that runs through From Capelton Hill is a thoughtful one, with lyrics offering honest assessment of how aging can feel when you've been a touring musician for more than half of your life." -- tinyurl.com

Glass Animals embraced retro vibes for this album -- from vaporwave-styled cover art, to limited edition collectable releases on floppy disc, to an "visual album" 'Dreamland: The Home Movies', shown as a one-time YouTube livestream on August 9 2020. The visual album was later offered by the band on handmade VHS tapes! The band's store doesn't appear to have the VHS anymore, but there are plenty of cassette editions -- shopus.glassanimals.com

NEW MUSIC from Ambar Lucid! Her latest was inspired by the Tower, a tarot card associated with destruction and liberation, and it helps tell the story of how Lucid has been transforming into her confident new alter ego Estrella -- which is also the name of her upcoming album and her current tour “‘La Torre’ was inspired by my chaotic childhood and becoming conscious of how cycles from the past manifest into the present,” she said, adding, “For me, ‘La Torre’ was the song I needed to write, the things I needed to process and come to terms with, so that I could then become Estrella.” -- tinyurl.com

1997 epic from Björk for KEXP's 50th Anniversary! kexp.org "Jóga" is dedicated to —and named after— Björk's best friend, Jóhanna "Jóga" Johannsdóttir (the wife of former Mayor of Reykjavík City Jón Gnarr), who is usually thanked in her album credits. Like the rest of the album, it was produced at El Cortijo in Málaga, Spain. She wrote the song while walking and admiring the landscape, a common way for her to write songs since childhood. bit.ly

New single from Nation of Language -- covering The Replacements' 1984 song of warmth and empathy. It's been covered by artists ranging from Joan Jett and The Crash Test Dummies to Miley Cyrus -- the single will be released on August 19 with the song "Again & Again" on the B-side

Ani DiFranco will play a sold-out show at the Neptune Theatre on July 1! Check out the latest track "Disorders" from Stone Gossard and Ani DiFranco, which was produced by Josh Evans. All proceeds from this single will directly benefit the National Network of Abortion Funds, which aims to remove the financial and logistical barriers to abortion access. You can listen to the track and donate to the NNAF on the RIghteous Babe Records site: www.righteousbabe.com You can also pick it up on Bandcamp: anidifranco.bandcamp.com "With the imminent overturning of Roe v. Wade, women in every Republican stronghold in this country are left treading in a sea of unnecessary suffering, just trying to keep their heads above water. Poor women will be drowned by the score. That is why this track is a fundraiser for abortion access - to help women who don’t have resources but who desperately need abortions." Ani DiFranco

"I can't hate myself into a different shape." Those lyrics hit *hard*. Behind “Brimheim” is Copenhagen based musician and songwriter, Helena Heinesen Rebensdorff. Her stage name is an homage to her Faroese roots, translating to ‘home of the breaking waves’. brimheim.bandcamp.com

NEW MUSIC from Beyoncé's upcoming seventh studio album -- simpling New Orleans' Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia, and "Show Me Love" by Robin S. Google searches for the word "renaissance" increased by 50% after the official announcement of the album. Additionally, searches for "renaissance definition" more than doubled, according to Google.

RELEASED ON THIS DAY in 1988 -- Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" As Chuck D recalls, “Bring the Noise” was directed toward those who found rap noisy and obnoxious: “It was common to hear, ‘Cut that noise off, it’s irritating, it has no melody.’ We [Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad] were like, ‘If you’re calling that noise, we have some noise for your ass. This will throttle you to the edge.’ -- tinyurl.com

RELEASED ON THIS DAY in 2016! Kevin Cole selected this track for KEXP's "The Best of 2016" mix as part of our Music That Matters podcast series: www.kexp.org This song features vocals from Lorely Rodriguez (Empress Of). bloodorangenyc.bandcamp.com

NEW MUSIC from JOYCUT, a creative music outpost formed in Bologna, Italy_ -- the new album ships in mid-August, with the full name TheBluWave [TimesWhenSilenceIsAPoem - TheIceHasMelted - AndBleedingGlaciersFormOurTears​]​_ The band focus on the dichotomy between elemental/tribal drumming and synth/electronic work and through this disunion they paint imagery of the struggle between technology, nature and humankind_ “A means of expression which aims at encouraging people to think, as fairy tales often do, teaching us to look up and believe in impossible things”_ joycut.bandcamp.com

Brand new single from Dry Cleaning -- their new album comes out on October 21! The record label say: 'Stumpwork was inspired by a plethora of events, concepts, and political debacles, be they represented in the icy mess of ambient elements reflecting a certain existential despair, or the surprising warmth in celebrating the lives of loved ones lost through the previous year.' drycleaning.bandcamp.com

Wet Leg is playing the THING Festival August 26-28, 2022 at historic Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA. They'll also be at Climate Pledge Arena on October 6th (with Florence +the Machine). --- "I don't need no dating app to tell me if I look like crap To tell me if I'm thin or fat, to tell me should I shave my rat I don't need no radio, no MTV, no BBC I just need a bubble bath to set me on a higher path..." Here's the video for "Too Late Now": youtu.be

Influential classic from 1997! -- kexp.org After the commercial failure of their first album, Austin TX band Cotton Mather huddled up in a small house in Leander, Texas, recording the tracks that would become "Kontiki" on portable 4-track cassette and on a personal 8-track ADAT recorder. Despite receiving significant critical acclaim, the album struggled as very few CDs were pressed. The album was reissued in 2011 after a successful Kickstarter! Noel Gallagher became a huge fan of the band after hearing "Kontiki", asking them to tour with Oasis!

Celebrating 1997 for KEXP's 50th Anniversary! -- kexp.org Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill in 1989. THis was their sixth album, with influences by The Byrds and Badfinger inspiring Norman Blake in creating the album's vibe

Rock from 1997 for KEXP's 50th! -- kexp.org Following the dissolution of the group's "classic" lineup, band-leader Robert Pollard recruited Cleveland group Cobra Verde as his backing band for this 1997 release

Lovely jangle-pop from 1997 for KEXP's 50th Anniversary -- kexp.org In 1991, Andy Chase placed an ad that attracted fellow multi-instrumentalist Adam Schlesinger. In 1994 they met Dominique Durand, a native of Paris who had moved to New York City to study English, and with whom they shared admiration for The Go-Betweens, The House of Love, The Pastels, Prefab Sprout and The Smiths. Although Durand had never sung in a group, she was persuaded by Chase and Schlesinger to sing on some demos, and Ivy was formed. "Apartment Life" was originally released by Atlantic Records in 1997; the label soon dropped them, and 550 Music remastered and reissued the album one year later in 1998

Singer/songwriter Katie Gavin, guitarist/producer Naomi McPherson, and guitarist Josette Maskin make up the LA trio MUNA The openly queer band talked to Emily Fox about why they believe the conversation should go beyond "Representation" for KEXP's Sound & Vision -- just posted today on the KEXP web site, and available wherever you listen to podcasts www.kexp.org

NEW MUSIC from the forthcoming full-length album, Don't Look Now, out August 19, 2022. Song Sparrow Research originally formed in Seattle, and the members now live in Seattle, LA, and Brooklyn -- they've been crafting psych-pop, indie rock, and chamber folk for the last decade-and-a-half, per their Bandcamp -- songsparrowresearch.bandcamp.com Check out the video: youtu.be

1997 classic! -- kexp.org Spiritualized are an English space rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. NME Named 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space' the Album of the Year in 1997. Spiritualized performing "Electricity" live at T in the Park Festival 1998: youtu.be

BRAND NEW from Gorillaz with Thundercat! Gorillaz will be at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday, September 12 -- climatepledgearena.com The virtual band Gorillaz have enlisted Thundercat for their new single -- the fictional band has lately been asking fans to join something called “The Last Cult,” and cartoon bassist Murdoc Niccals is the cult’s “self-appointed Great Leader,” according to a press release. “It’s nice to be back, I’m well into our new tune, it brings back weird and scary memories of stuff that hasn’t happened yet,” singer 2-D said in a statement. Watch the video to learn more: youtu.be

Jungle is playing THING the weekend of August 26-28, 2022 at historic Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA. thingnw.org In an interview with NME last year Jungle spoke about the free attitude they applied to their latest album, which was celebrated for them “letting loose” more. “The older we get, the more we stop giving a fuck. The more you can release your fears of what you think you can be or what you can do, you’re just in this creative freedom. It’s why Jungle is reaching where it is and why, in our view, Jungle is reaching its creative pinnacle,” he said. bit.ly jungle.bandcamp.com

Röyksopp's "Profound Mysteries II" dropes on August 19! ‘Profound Mysteries II’ is being previewed by the singles ‘Sorry’ featuring Jamie Irrepressible, and ‘Unity’ featuring Karen Harding. ‘Part two’ is another guest-packed record, featuring collaborations with Pixx, Susanne Sundfør and Astrid S – who also featured on ‘part one’ alongside Alison Goldfrapp and Beki Mari. “We want to work with these people because they are talented and exciting artists,” said Berge. “Some of them we haven’t worked with before, which is nice for getting a new spin on how to write music. Alison Goldfrapp doesn’t need any introduction – she’s great, fun and a thrill to work with. She has a place in electronic music history.” -- tinyurl.com

Ajudha has shared, "Abortion is still illegal in many countries around the world and is shamed in even more. I wrote this song when a group of men tried to pass an anti abortion bill in the state of Alabama, America. I was angry at how in every corner of culture and society across every inch of the earth, men try to play God, again and again. But I am amazed at how humans are built with so much resistance and resilience for good when we know something is wrong and will always fight against it. This song is an act of resistance to those who try to control that which is not theirs to be in control of." bit.ly Catch her accompanying video here: bit.ly

While she was one of the 10 powerful vocalists in the West African supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique, you could be forgiven for not being familiar with the work of Malian singer Rokia Koné. Being in a group helmed by the legendary Angelique Kidjo can do that. But for anyone who heard her stellar showcases on that supergroup’s first two albums, it’s welcome news to learn that the “Rose of Bamako” had finally stepped out on her own with her debut album, BAMANAN. She teamed up with Irish-born, California-based rock producer Jacknife Lee for the album.: daily.bandcamp.com

Happy Birthday Chuck! We love you! Born on this day in 1963, Chuck Prophet is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and recorded in the 1980s. Chuck Prophet performed Live in the KEXP Studio back in 2014: youtu.be