Kevin Cole

Gathering inspiration from Maltese folk and ’70s psych-rock, the UK-based band makes complex, ambitious post-punk with the chaotic energy of an informal jam. The sound of art-punk quartet ĠENN reflects their collective experience: tenacious drum lines from UK post-punk, sinuous vocal melodies inspired by Maltese folk music, and the heavy guitars of modern psych-rock or even nu-metal. Formed in Malta before moving to Brighton, the quartet has played together for a decade, releasing an album titled Titty Monster under the name Cryptic Street in 2018. On Unum, their debut as ĠENN, the group balances their uneasy search for identity with a confident presentation. It’s an ambitious record that still leaves room for mischief. Read the full Pitchfork review here: tinyurl.com

"A good Slowdive song has always felt like two lovers huddling together for warmth. But on everything is alive, the forces conspiring against the star-crossed lovers feel more menacing and specific." tinyurl.com

Happy Birthday to Debbie Googe, born on this day in 1962. Googe best known as bassist for the band My Bloody Valentine. She has also worked with Snowpony, Primal Scream and Thurston Moore.

Singapore's Subsonic Eye first formed in 2015, when lead vocalist Nur Wahidah and guitarist Daniel Castro Borces met at school. The pair bonded over their shared love of music, and while they initially started writing songs for fun, the pastime quickly turned into a full on passion. They would eventually go on to add Jared Lim (guitar), Lucas Tee (drums), and Sam Venditti (bass), but the DIY spirit of that initial encounter between Wahidah and Borces remains a driving force behind their music. "We also love that it really just feels like five friends hanging out and jamming some tunes. We have a very loose approach to things and no one is really the main ‘leader’ so everyone’s opinion equally matters. It’s a very collaborative effort." That egalitarian approach is a driving force behind All Around You. "Performative," the explosive album-opener, vents the frustrations of a generation forced to bear witness to societal and ecological deterioration and the unwillingness of power establishments to do anything about it. Wahidah notes how "Fake activism, timid skeptics unable to connect mankind/scared of middlemen walk off guilt-free, leave it for the next century" creating a sense of hopelessness and nihilism in the general populace ("Hands outstretched, now I don’t even know if I’m working, dying, for who and what"). tinyurl.com

The band’s latest offering takes “corporeal form” as a loving middle finger directed at their record label. The single was spawned by asking the band to “write another track like the song that did well,” with the resulting tongue-in-cheek, punk-rock melee proving to be decidedly catchy. Recorded and produced by the infamous ROSS ORTON (Arctic Monkeys, Amyl and the Sniffers, Drenge, Gang of Four,) the track is packed with off-kilter guitars, fuzzed-out driving basslines and hip-shaking, blown out drums that paint pictures of a violent disco. Speaking on their new single, vocalist Genevieve Glynn-Reeves comments: “If you want the highbrow answer, then BIG HIT SINGLE is about the experience of creating art under late capitalism. If you want the lowbrow –and slightly more honest– answer, then BIG HIT SINGLE is me trying to wind up our label.” tinyurl.com

'Entertainment!' was the debut album by English post-punk band Gang of Four. It was released in September 1979. The title track starts with syncopated bass and guitar, which are later accompanied with the drums. The song also features vocals by Jon King, which take the role of "a lonesome, longing lament" and a "nearly spoken-word" section sung by the band's guitarist Andy Gill.

This was a recent KEXP Song of the Day. Check it out and download it here: www.kexp.org Korean quartet Dabda / 다브다 call their unique brand of math-rock "Pastel Psychedelic," which you can hear in the soft, dreamy sonic waves they weave on their latest EP Yonder. Though based in Seoul, the band found inspiration in a recent trip to Thailand, describing it as "an intense experience."

"Presently residing in the UK, Jalen grew up just outside of Washington D.C., At the tender age of 11 his father introduced him to the joys of soul music, most notably Motown's robust catalog, which he soaked up like a thirsty sponge, guiding him on the path to become the remarkable artist that he is today." jalenngonda.bandcamp.com

Live on KEXP from our Gathering Space, May 23, 2016. The Screaming Eagle of Soul left us too early, but left his mark on the hearts of all who met and heard him. Known for his huge, heartfelt hugs, sincere and open heart, Charles Bradley performed live several times for KEXP listeners, including this one in our new Gathering Space. Relive that glorious, sweet magic here: www.kexp.org

The Shins are reissuing their sophomore album for its 20th anniversary. The new edition of Chutes Too Narrow was remastered by Adam Ayan (under the supervision of Shins frontman James Mercer). It’s out October 20 via Sub Pop. In a press statement, James Mercer discussed Chutes Too Narrow and his feelings ahead of the album’s recording. “I was very aware at the time that I had struck gold with the first record, and it was unlikely to happen again. ‘Sophomore slump’ and all that,” he said. “The pressure to prove myself as a viable writer had never been so pronounced. Midway through the mixing process, I realized one of the songs would not work, so I stayed up after everyone went to bed and wrote ‘Young Pilgrims.’ And with [producer Phil] Ek’s help, it worked! Such a stressful but beautiful experience!” tinyurl.com

Blondshell will be at The Moore Theatre on Tuesday, November 14, opening for Liz Phair. tinyurl.com Before that, Blondshell will be at Iceland Airwaves music festival, November 2-4 2023. icelandairwaves.is blondshell.bandcamp.com

Samia performed live in the KEXP studio in February 2023 and chatted with Kevin Cole. Check out the full session here: youtu.be samia.bandcamp.com

Torres will be performing at Neumos on Tuesday, March 26th, 2024. tinyurl.com Mackenzie Scott (Torres) calls "Collect," this song from her new album, out in January 2024, “the rage song I’ve been trying to write for years.” tinyurl.com Watch the video here: youtu.be torrestorrestorres.bandcamp.com

Rochdale UK-born singer-songwriter Morgan Harper-Jones announces the February 23rd release of her debut album 'Up To The Glass' and shares its ace lead single "Boombox". "Boombox" in a rush of country tinged pop melodies with scampering percussion, Morgan’s voice is steeped in a knowing that belies her years, it’s both vulnerable and defiant as she implores a love interest to “let me in or let me go.” It’s a song which started as a sombre empty threat, but one that braves rejection, celebrates youth and commits wholeheartedly to discovering what the future holds. It’s another impressive installment from this songwriter who has proved the depth of her writing. She adds, “‘Boombox’ is an ultimatum. I was terrified of giving ultimatums because I thought that if I was honest and told someone what I needed they might say ‘No I can’t give you that’ and there’d be no going back. So I found myself in situationships a lot, trying to prove my worth and patiently waiting for them to notice me and choose me. But eventually you realise that life is too short to wait for someone like that.” Read more about "Boombox" here: tinyurl.com

Get in, loser! We’re going to the SMASH Benefit: A Tribute to Sub Pop! Hailed as “one of Seattle’s best new concert traditions” by the Seattle Times, A SMASH Benefit is an incredibly special sell-out event held at the Moore Theatre every fall. The Benefit concert raises money to help SMASH provide access to healthcare for Puget Sound musicians. This year SMASH is proud to pay tribute to the local iconic record label Sub Pop on November 19, 2023 at The Moore Theatre. Sea Lemon is one of many great bands playing the SMASH Benefit this year. tinyurl.com www.smashseattle.org

Floating Points returns with “Birth4000”. Sam Shepherd drops his first new music of 2023 and it’s a big one! The track is out via Ninja Tune and has featured in DJ sets from Four Tet, Peggy Gou, and Ben UFO among others over the summer. The heavy-hitting techno track is a world away from Promises, the cosmic 2021 album Floating Points recorded alongside the late saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra. Last month Sam Shepherd recruited an all-star team of artists, including Shabaka Hutchings, Dan Snaith (Caribou) Kara-Lis Coverdale, John Escreet, Jeffrey Makinson, and Hinako Omori, to perform the album live at the Hollywood Bowl. tinyurl.com floatingpoints.bandcamp.com www.instagram.com

Here’s a fun fact about the song “Tribulations” by LCD Soundsystem. The last minute of the song fits perfectly over the intro to “Blue Monday” by New Order. Knowing James Murphy’s music history fetish, it’s difficult to believe the overlay is coincidence. tinyurl.com

The highly anticipated debut solo album from The xx vocalist, Romy Madley-Croft, is a triumph. Throughout Mid Air, she delivers a tantalizing collection of instant queer club anthems, with hypnotic beats, sparkling production and a flawless vocal delivery. www.kexp.org romyromyromy.bandcamp.com

The Canadian electronic duo Bob Moses has shared a new single titled “Round & Round.” This new single comes after the success of their remixed version of their album “The Silence in Between,” which was released earlier this year. Their new single shares the same feeling as the rest of the duo’s discography. They use their music to tell stories their loyal and new fans will admire. According to a press release, Bob Moses says, “This one is about those moments where you’re having the time of your life on the dance floor, and you never want the night to end. Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.” It’s safe to say that this new single is an act of love from the successful duo to their faithful fans. tinyurl.com

New music from Cardiff-based cinematic pop outfit Siula. They share their new Double A-Side single release which is out via Libertino. Siula consists of Llion Robertson (Cotton Wolf) and Iqra Malik (Artshawty). Their new outfit is described as a vivid sound pallet evokes a nostalgic yet futuristic dive into a world of poetic optimism and romantic vulnerability. Siula’s songs are dream-like soundtracks to modern film noir. tinyurl.com

The four members were originally housemates in Brisbane when Confidence Man started, born out of a long-running joke to form a band, that no one seemed to want to stop. Before they knew it, the running gag had become a full-time job. "We just sort of started music as a joke," frontwoman Janet Planet confirms. "Then we all thought, 'Hang on, maybe this is good?'" After questioning the power of their sound, it didn’t take Confidence Man long to obtain a spot in the A-team of Australian pop. Since, Planet’s life has taken an unexpected turn. "I wasn’t meant to be a musician, I was supposed to be a marketing person," she says. "I am a classically-trained pianist and violinist. Which again, is odd that I ended up being in this band." bit.ly www.confidenceman.com.au www.instagram.com

“Lost Luggage” is a result of Anushka moving from home to another place, feeling nostalgic about people and places she loves. The EP is compiled of 4 track, all written is Utrecht. Link to artist's Bandcamp as well as their mesmerizing video: chkheidzeanushka.bandcamp.com

Roxy Music released 'Siren' on this day in 1975. The album title was inspired by Greek mythology, as Ferry explained: "The sirens were mythical creatures who lured sailors to their doom with their singing. I thought that was a good title for a Roxy album because our music is sort of seductive and dangerous at the same time."

RIP Richard Roundtree. Richard Roundtree, who broke ground with his signature role in the Shaft movie franchise, passed away this afternoon, Oct. 24, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer with his family at his bedside. He was 81. Roundtree, who was born in 1942 in New Rochelle, NY, starred in blaxploitation films in the early 1970s, including Shaft. He is best known for playing detective John Shaft in the 1971 action thriller and its sequels, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973) as well as the short-lived 1973 Shaft TV series. For his performance in the original film, Roundtree was nominated for a New Star of the Year Golden Globe and hailed as the first Black action hero. Roundtree’s death was confirmed to Deadline by his agency, Artists & Representatives, and his longtime manager, Patrick McMinn. “Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree,” the agency said in a statement. “His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.” tinyurl.com

New from IDLES! This track features James Murphy and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem. "TANGK. I needed love. So I made it. I gave love out to the world and it feels like magic. This is our album of gratitude and power. All love songs. All is love. The new album out 16th February 2024. Pre-order now via the lingk in bio. Dancer is the violence that comes from the pounding heart of the dancefloor and rushes through your body and gives you life from music, from love and from you" tinyurl.com idlesband.bandcamp.com www.idlesband.com

Debut album out by Cardiff, Wales band, just over a year since James and the Cold Gun released their EP 'False Start'. Their debut, self-titled album now arrives amidst a wave of good feeling around the band, and while there’s certainly no reinventing of the wheel going on here, James And The Cold Gun’s first full-length delivers riffs and vintage rock and roll vibes aplenty. tinyurl.com jamesandthecoldgun.bandcamp.com jamesandthecoldgun.com

PJ Harvey’s song “Wang Dang Doodle” is a cover of the blues classic by Howlin’ Wolf. The song is included in PJ Harvey’s album 'Rid of Me'. The song was included in PJ Harvey's Peel Session recorded on March 2, 1993, for the John Peel show on BBC Radio 1. The Peel Session version of the song: youtu.be The Peel Sessions – PJ Harvey. pjharvey.net.

bar italia will be playing Neumos on April 10! tinyurl.com ‘The Twits’ was recorded by the trio over eight weeks from February 2023 in a makeshift home studio in Mallorca, and was mixed by Marta Salogni. It finds bar italia’s economical yet evocative songcraft taking raucous, mystic, unkempt, occasionally sinister, and wholly committed turns. baritalia.bandcamp.com baritaliaa.com

This deluxe reissue is the holy grail that fans of Tim have dreamt of: a new mix that instantly becomes the best and most definitive album in the Replacements’ catalog. The toast of this box set—which, like Let It Be, also cribs its name from a far more successful album—is an unbelievable new remix of Tim that doesn’t just challenge the notion that Let It Be was the Replacements at their peak, but usurps it to become the best and most definitive album in their catalog. Helmed by famed Ramones engineer Ed Stasium, the remix is jaw-dropping: Gone is Tim’s muddy sound, the tinny reverb on Chris Mars’ drums, and the thin low-end that masked Tommy Stinson’s bass. Every instrument is louder and closer, the mix is much more spread out, Westerberg’s sneakily complicated rhythm playing and chord voicing comes into sharp focus, and there are even a few extra Bob solos. Read the full perfect 10 Pitchfork review here: pitchfork.com

Kevin chose this as a KEXP Song of the Day last week. Subscribe and download this track here: www.kexp.org Local DJ/producer/vocalist Denni Kindred — aka Longstocking — honors the roots of BIPOC/ Queer/ Gender Queer artists in house music with both her own music and the like-minded artists she releases via her label Feral One Records. Her latest LP, Creating Space, takes inspiration from Seattle itself, as she explains in an interview with Inflyte+: "With Creating Space, I was crawling through a long and rough bout of depression. I have Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) which internally quite often matches our Seattle skyscape. I feel at home in the greyscape of marine layers that is Seattle. It lends itself to artists who lean toward an introspective sound. This album was more self therapy and discovery than my previous works, in that I was trying to survive while producing. I end up making shamelessly happy flirty sounds trying to remind myself why life is magical. But, there are songs where I let the darkness work through and in the process hopefully offload some of that." www.longstockingmusic.com

George Riley is under a spell on her new house tune “Elixir”. The first song from the London-based artist’s new EP 'Un/Limited Love'. "Elixir" is a song built to excite and will appear on her upcoming EP, Un/limited Love. It's Riley's first release on her new label, Ninja Tune, and is due out on November 10. Exciting in its own right is her list of collaborators for the project, which includes Hudson Mohawke, John FM, Loraine James, and Actress. tinyurl.com See the official video for this first solo single from the album: youtu.be georgeriley.bandcamp.com

Madlib was born on October 24, 1973, in Oxnard, California. Madlib has described himself as a "DJ first, producer second, and MC last." Madlib is widely known for his collaborations with MF Doom (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), and Freddie Gibbs (as MadGibbs). madlib.bandcamp.com

Say She She, the soulful female-led trio, stand rock solid on their discodelic duty with their boundary breaking sophomore album 'Silver'. The three strong voices of Piya Malik (El Michels Affair staple feature, and former backing singer for Chicano Batman), Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown front the band. Following the NYC siren song, the trio was pulled from their respective cities — Piya from London, Nya from DC, and Sabrina from NYC — to Manhattan’s downtown dance floors, through the Lower East Side floorboards, and up to the rooftops of Harlem, where their friendship was formed on one momentous, kismet eve. 'Silver' was entirely written and recorded live to tape at Killion Sound studio in North Hollywood earlier this year and produced by Sergio Rios (of Orgone). saysheshe.bandcamp.com

No less than two weeks after the release of her fourth solo album, Heaven, Cleo Sol released Gold. In an announcement on twitter, she posted an image of a handwritten note, saying “this album was made for God.” Gold is undoubtedly a work of thanksgiving, exemplifying subversive optimism and spirituality arising from hardship. tinyurl.com cleosol.bandcamp.com

Kamaal Williams has detailed his third studio LP. The UK artist and producer born Henry Wu has shared his new album 'Stings' on September 27 via Black Focus Records. Wu, who records and releases electronic music under his given name, came to greater prominence as one half of Yussef Kamaal, the two-piece jazz outfit with drummer Yussef Dayes. The now-dormant duo released their acclaimed debut album Black Focus in 2016. tinyurl.com kamaalwilliams.bandcamp.com