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Wednesday, Jun 22 2022, 5AM
Elliott Smith's 1997 album 'Either/Or' took its name from the title of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard's first published work, 'Either/Or'. While still a member of Heatmiser, Smith recorded 'Either/Or' at various locations around Portland - Joanna Bolme's house; Smith's own house; Undercover, Inc.; Laundry Rules Recording; and the Heatmiser House - and released it after Heatmiser broke up.
The Indie band from Hoboken released their eighth studio album 'I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One' in 1997!
Yo La Tengo played in the KEXP studio in 2013 - check it out!
youtu.be
Jamaican reggae singer known for his lovers rock music, began his career in the 1970s, but reached his greatest success in the 1990s through releases including 1997's 'Getting Stronger' - an album of tracks recorded during the first half of the 90s produced by Richard Bell and featuring backing musicians -- Mafia & Fluxy, Sly & Robbie, the Firehouse Crew, and Computer Paul.
The 1997 debut studio album from Haitian artist Wyclef Jean features guest appearances from Celia Cruz, The Neville Brothers and Jean's former Fugees bandmates, Lauryn Hill and Pras.
In 1997, Busta Rhymes released his second studio album 'When Disaster Strikes...'.
On this track from the album, Rhymes - with Erykah Badu - is sampling "Love's in Need of Love Today" from Stevie Wonder's 1976 masterpiece, 'Songs in the Key of Life'.
Missy Elliott's 1997 debut 'Supa Dupa Fly' was produced by Timbaland.
According to author Mickey Hess, 'Supa Dupa Fly's" lyrical content "reveals Elliott's complex, creative, and challenging discussion about womanhood; her demand for respect, respect for her personal voice and her desire for fulfilling intimacy with lovers and friends"
The success of the 1997 release 'Buena Vista Social Club' - and the Wim Wenders-directed documentary film of the same name (released in 1999) sparked a revival of interest in traditional Cuban music and Latin American music in general.
Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the group after the members' club in the Buenavista quarter of Havana, a popular music venue in the 1940s. To showcase the popular styles of the time, such as son, bolero and danzón, they recruited a dozen veteran musicians, some of whom had been retired for many years.
Ben Harper released his third album, 'The Will to Live' in 1997 - songs that appear on the album were written during the band's nearly two-year world tour to support 'Fight for Your Mind'.
"You can really hear into them quite well as far as what was going on either in my life, in my head, or in my heart," he explains. "It really doesn't matter, when it comes down to it, if it was something I lived through or something that I saw someone live through or something I read about. That doesn't matter; it was just an emotion at the time that was musically inspirational to me." bit.ly
www.benharper.com
The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo composed of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, originating in Manchester in 1989. For this one, the duo sampled The Unfolding's "Electric Buddha" from their 1967 "How to Blow Your Mind and Have a Freak-Out Party."
Enjoy this retrospective of the 1997 sophomore release 'Dig Your Own Hole': bit.ly
www.thechemicalbrothers.com
1997's 'Life After Death' is the second and final studio album by The Notorious B.I.G., released in March, sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, The Lox, and Puff Daddy.
You're hearing a sample of "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. (Other samples include Herb Alpert's "Rise" and "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" by The Crystals.
Video!
youtu.be
Released in August 1997, ”Put Ya Hands Where My Eyes Can See” hit No. 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs and helped 'When Disaster Strikes…' go platinum in about a month. The music video earned four nominations including Best Male Video and Best Rap Video at the 1998 MTV VMAs. It lost both to Will Smith.
youtu.be
This song that sampled Joni Mitchell was also inspired by J Dilla's remix of the Brand New Heavies' song "Sometimes", released a few months prior in 1997.
Janet Jackson told why she felt compelled to combine the folk elements from Mitchell with Q-Tip's rap verse, saying "Him and Joni Mitchell have something in common: what they write is poetry".
Released on this day in 1971, Joni Mitchell's iconic 'Blue'!
On the album's 50th anniversary last year, Joni Mitchell talked to Cameron Crowe in a 2021 interview about this album's enduring legacy:
lat.ms
Honoring Octavia Butler - born on this day in 1947!
Jamila Woods recognizes generations of strong Black women and Black artists on 'LEGACY! LEGACY!' - this track honoring Octavia Butler.
Jamila Woods played other song honoring Black women in her beautiful 2020 KEXP Live session:
youtu.be
The Deluxe Edition of Sa-Roc's 'The Sharecropper's Daughter' included six new tracks including "The Rebirth" with a guest verse from the late MF DOOM.
sa-roc.bandcamp.com
Watch Sa-Roc's Live on KEXP at Home performance and conversation with Gabriel:
youtu.be
"I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE" sampled Krautrock band Cluster's "Caramel."
See a live version of this painful song: youtu.be
With "Swim", Dan Snaith (Caribou) said that he wanted to create "dance music that sounds like it's made out of water" after he took up swimming. He teamed with heavyweights like Four Tet's Kieran Hebden, Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan, and Born Ruffians' Luka Lalonde for the album.
Read more from the Pitchfork review by Larry Fitzmaurice: tinyurl.com
caribouband.bandcamp.com
Happy Birthday to Bronski Beat lead singer Jimmy Somerville!
From 80s London synthpop trio Bronski Beat's debut album, 'The Age of Consent', "Smalltown Boy" tells the tale of a young gay man who packs up and heads for London in response to homophobic violence in his (un-named) home town. It’s supposedly based on the experiences of lead singer Jimmy Somerville, who quit the Scottish city of Glasgow in search of a better (and safer) life down South.
bit.ly
Original song video from the 80s - it was thought quite radical for its time, given its unambiguous and unapologetic portrayal of boys lusting after other boys.
youtu.be
More music from 1997! The lead track from English post-rockers Stereolab and their 1997 album 'Miss Modular'!
Features Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Ruban Nielson on lead guitar. NME calls 'MAHAL' - the artist's seventh studio album, which took over five years to make - a "divine demonstration of genre-blending, psychedelic electronic music":
bit.ly
Toro Y Moi will perform at the Capitol Hill Block Party on July 23. More tour dates and music:
toroymoi.com
Check out the Capitol Hill Block Party lineup:
www.capitolhillblockparty.com
toroymoi.bandcamp.com
Released in 1997, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" is the debut solo single by rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott.
It contains a sample of Ann Peebles' 1973 single "I Can't Stand the Rain", whose lyrics serve as the chorus.
www.missy-elliott.com
De La Soul's first album produced without Prince Paul, 'Stakes Is High' was mainly produced by the group themselves with additional tracks provided by Jay Dee, DJ Ogee, Spearhead X and Skeff Anslem.
Maseo of De La Soul on 'Stakes Is High':
"That record [Stakes Is High] was a milestone, that record was do or die… I mean the whole energy around developing that record, it was a crucial place of not knowing if we was going to continue or we going to be forced to go get regular jobs and become common folk. Get back into the regular lifestyle of 9 to 5 and trying to make it, because we came off of Buhloone Mindstate which didn’t have much success at all. One of my favorite records but didn’t have much success at all."
bit.ly
NEW MUSIC!! Beautiful (and sobering) song from Tank and the Bangas - the critical, ongoing tension of gentrification in New Orleans. Tank's message:
“‘There Goes The Neighborhood’ is a poetic and clear cut way we look at the ripping of historical neighborhoods of Black and Brown people of New Orleans and around the world. We hope to shed light not only on the conditions they endure because they are there, but the changes that happen when they leave.”
www.tankandthebangas.com
Guitarist and primary songwriter for legendary New Orleans funk band The Meters, Leo Nocentelli recorded this remarkable solo album in the early 1970s, but it hasn’t been released until now. It's notably different from his work with The Meters, leaning toward folk-rock.
leo-nocentelli.bandcamp.com
"Exit Music (For a Film)" was originally written for Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 Romeo + Juliet. It plays over the end credits, but didn’t make the official soundtrack.