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Thursday, May 25 2023, 1PM
Jungle will be at WaMu Theater on Friday, September 15th. Their fourth album, "Volcano," is set for release on August 11.
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You will enjoy the video for "Dominoes": : www.youtube.com
Brooklyn trio Say She She named their group as a tribute to none other than Nile Rodgers ("C’est chi-chi!: It's Chic!,” they explain on their Bandcamp page). They also carry his torch with their self-described "discodelic soul."
"Reeling,," an incantation against the forces of capitalism, was recently selected as a KEXP Song of the Day: www.kexp.org
Watch the Brooklyn trio's smashing in-studio performance in the KEXP Live Room last November: bit.ly
Baltimore-born, DC-raised Maimouna Youssef (aka Mumu Fresh) is a critically acclaimed Afro-Indigenous singer, Emcee, songwriter, activist, workshop facilitator and audio engineer - a "quadruple threat" according to The Roots' Black Thought.
Visit her official website here: maimounayoussef.com
This song sampled Pure Essence's 1976 song, "Third Rock."
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"Since We Last Spoke was Ramble Jon Krohn (RJD2)'s second studio album.
This song was written by Cleo Sol and producer Inflo.
Join KEXP's Larry Mizell, Jr. and Gabriel Teodros as they discuss 'The Mystery SAULT' and the band's recent limited release, '9' on the Sound & Vision podcast: kexp.org
saultglobal.bandcamp.com
This album was produced by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews.: www.offbeat.com
"Made In New Orleans" salutes the Mardi Gras Indians on the album’s closer, “Won’t Bow Down” featuring the vocals of Spy Boy Nut.
Heavy Trash is an American rockabilly band based in New York City, formed by Jon Spencer of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Matt Verta-Ray.
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Here's a live version of "Good Man" from Sonic Boom Records in....Toronto: www.youtube.com
Seattle's own Spirit Award will play a record release show at Neumos on Saturday, June 10th. The band will also be performing at Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival (Seattle Center), Saturday/Sunday, September 2nd/3rd. bumbershoot.com
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The new album, "The Fear," was recorded in various places, houses, studios, basements and bedrooms by Daniel Lyon, then co-produced and mixed at Way Out in Woodinville, Washington by Trevor Spencer (Beach House, Father John Misty, Valley Maker). Spirit Award has chosen to donate a portion of proceeds to MusiCares, which provides a safety net of critical health and welfare services to the music community.: spiritaward.bandcamp.com
Here's a review of Yves Tumor's extraordinary new album: www.wunc.org
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In an interview, Tumor singled out "Ebony Eye" as their favorite track on the album: "That melody and the way the beat, the swing of the drums and the sample and the guitar all go together, I always loved it. I put it at the end because it’s like the coup de grace, the final blow."
"Fake Sugar' was the debut album of Beth Ditto, known for her work with Gossip.: pitchfork.com
Sea Lemon will be playing the Capitol Hill Block Party on Friday, July 21st.
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Sea Lemon is musician Natalie Lew. On this new track, Lew offers: “‘Cellar’ was inspired by my love of really classic horror and thriller films, like Blow Out and Misery, and how loving scary movies can sometimes feel like something is wrong with you. That idea of the ‘cellar’ in the song is based on the traditional horror trope where the protagonist can’t help but discover what’s lurking in the basement, and that what they find there often represents something really dark and horrifying. In the lyrics, I say ‘the cellar is where I belong’ which is me grappling with this idea that sometimes really terrifying imagery interests me the most.”: northerntransmissions.com
That familiar voice is David Byrne of Talking Heads. He co-wrote this song with Eric Hilton and Rob Garza (Thievery Corporation).
The title is based on the title of a book, which was also the namesake of the poem "The Lonely Hunter" by the Scottish poet William Sharp. The stanza reads "Deep in the heart of Summer, sweet is life to me still, But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill."
You may recognize the sample from Madlib’s instrumental beat tape, "Beat Konducta vol.3 &4." It is an amalgamation of the tracks "Movie Finale" and "Get It Right," which are sampled from Indian artists Lata Mangeshkar and Minoo Purshottam. Mos Def and Slick Rick also sampled Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's "La Di Da Di."
Here's a tribute to "the most perfect rap song ever made": hiphopgoldenage.com
Captain Planet teamed up with the rising Brazilian indie soul maestro Tagua Tagua, creating a highly infectious song that mixes laid back funk with psychedelic Brazilian soul. "Destello" is a Spanish word that translates as a flash or sparkle, a bright light that is gone too soon, and the dreamy poetic lyrics on this love song, sung in Portugese, suggest that the bright light of love is difficult to capture and hold on to in much the same way.
Check out Captain Planet's Midnight In A Perfect World session: www.kexp.org
Learn about Damon Riddick, "the epitome of funk," at the Stones Throw Records website: www.stonesthrow.com
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He's sampling "More Bounce to the Ounce" here.
This song was written by Smokey Robinson. Sly [Dunbar] and Robbie [Shakespeare] are the rhythm section for this Grace Jones classic.
Little Dragon is a Swedish electronic outfit formed in 1996. The band consists of Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion), Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards).
This July, Little Dragon will drop their latest studio production, "Slugs Of Love." "Gold" is a new single from the album.
Little Dragon has performed Live in the KEXP Studio multiple times, including this set during Upstream Music Fest in 2018: youtu.be
Pakastani-British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes) cites Donnie Darko as one of her favorite films, whose influence can be seen in her suitably creepy, stunt-filled video for this fantastic song. As well, video director Dougal Wilson also explained how Khan "is really into that scene in ET when they’re cycling over the forest. It’s really beautiful. We were [also] sort of ripping that off."
Don't miss the bunnies doing bike tricks: vimeo.com
This was the first Ronettes song produced by Phil Spector and released on his label, Philles Records. It exemplified Spector's "Wall Of Sound" production technique, where he layered lots of instruments and used echo effects.
The Ronettes were Veronica (Ronnie) Bennett, her sister Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley. Veronica Bennett was the only Ronette to sing on this. Phil Spector rehearsed her for weeks and had her do 42 takes before he got the sound he wanted. Spector and Bennett got married in 1968, and they divorced in 1974.
This drum intro is quite famous; it was borrowed from "Be My Baby," a 1963 hit by The Ronettes.
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Read KEXP's Review Revue feature on the 12" single: www.kexp.org themarychain.com
Lead singer Joe Strummer, who wrote the lyrics to the song, noted in promotional interviews for the album that he had been reading the poetry of Sylvia Plath, and the darkness of her writing could well have been an influence on the dark lyrics of "The Card Cheat."
The lyrics continue the same themes of an outsider in society as other songs that proceeded it on the album, notably "Jimmy Jazz," "Rudie Can't Fail" and "Wrong 'Em Boyo." Contrasting to those other songs, however, "The Card Cheat" is incredibly downbeat, with the jaunty piano tunes contrasting with the lyrics about a lonely gambler finally running out of luck and being murdered in a card game.
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The song features a horn section written and performed by The Irish Horns, who recorded all of the horn instrument sections on the London Calling album.
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Due to the complexity of the backing track compared to the band's very spartan stage show, the song was never performed live by The Clash.
Here's the official video for "Phantom Limb": www.youtube.com
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Enjoy Live video from James Mercer's 2012 KEXP In-Studio:: bit.ly.
"I see Beach Boys next." --Michael in Chicago
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This was conceived as a followup to the Ronettes' #2 hit "Be My Baby." When he heard the Ronettes' song on the radio, Brian Wilson wondered aloud if he could match it. Wilson's wife Marilyn reassured him, saying, "Don't worry, baby." Wilson remembered it when it came time to write songs with his DJ friend Roger Christian.
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Philip Lambert, author of Inside The Music of Brian Wilson, said of the similarities between this song and "Be My Baby": "They're in the same key - E Major - and they start the same. The phrase structure is the same, the chord progressions are almost the same, the melodies are almost the same." Lambert points out that the key change in this song is an unexpected touch that helps make the song memorable. The drums at the beginning are the same rhythm as "Be My Baby."
Japanese Breakfast is playing Woodland Park Zoo on Aug. 20 with Built to Spill!
Here's a guide to 30 songs that sampled Hal Blaine's drumming in "Be My Baby": www.grammy.com
King Krule will perform at The Paramount Theatre on Wednesday, September 20th.
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Archy Marshall’s (KIng Krule) follow-up to 2020’s Man Alive! is called Space Heavy, and it arrives June 9 via Matador. He’s shared the new single “Seaforth,” which arrives with a new music video directed by Jocelyn Anquetil. The video features some very cute dogs, which you should watch here: www.youtube.com
Aria Wells, known professionally as Greentea Peng, is a neo-soul and self-described 'psychedelic R'n'B' singer and songwriter from south east London, UK. This song is produced by Earbuds, who is known for work with UK-based rapper slowthai.
Evie discussed Greentea Peng as one of the artists she's listening to for the Living Singles segment with Rachel Stevens for KEXP's Sound and Vision.:
www.kexp.org
www.greenteapeng.net
Phase is the debut studio album by Melbourne psychedelic jazz fusion group, Mildlife. At the 2018 Worldwide FM Awards, the album won Best Album. The Guardian calls it "virtuoso space-jazz magic": www.theguardian.com
www.mildlife.com.au
The dreamy song — the first taste of the band’s upcoming album, Chris Black Changed My Life (June 23) — appears in a new spot advertising Taco Bell's $5 Cravings Trio.
In addition to the music placement, PTM singer John Gourley and drummer Jason Sechrist appear in a separate 3-minute clip in which they reminisce about finding variety eating on the road, how Taco Bell helped feed them during the lean years and writing “Dummy.”: www.youtube.com
Fontaines D.C. will be at Climate Pledge Arena with Arctic Monkeys on Friday, September 22nd.
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In November 2020, Fontaines D.C. performed from London for a Live on KEXP from Home session that included "Televised Mind": youtu.be
This song from Maltese/UK ensemble ĠENN features backing vocals from John Newton of JOHN. It was recently selected as a free KEXP Song of the Day. Download it for yourself here: www.kexp.org
The New Pornographers will be at The Showbox on thursday, November 16th.
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This new song was written by A.C. Newman and Sadie Dupuis. See a live performance of "Firework in the Falling Snow"; www.youtube.com
The song was inspired by an extremely negative review of Radiohead's july 7th 2001 gig in their hometown Oxford. That review upset Thom especially, because that show had been one of the truly great moments for the band, the memory of which was now ruined permanently, hence lines like "you had to piss on our parade/you had to shred our big day".
Here are the lyrics; genius.com
A notable Afro-futurist, Kool Keith donned his Dr. Octagon alter-ego for "Dr. Octagonecologyst," a surreal look at authoritarianism, self-delusion, and future technologies within a clinical environment.
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Read this glowing review of the album's re-release in 2017: pitchfork.com
The Budos Band will perform at the THING Fest in Port Townsend, WA on Friday, August 25th.
The band's new EP, "Frontier's Edge," will be released on July 28th.: www.jambase.com
thebudos.com
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings performed Live at KEXP during the Grand Opening of our new studio and gathering space in 2016. Watch the extraordinary Miss Jones steal the show! youtu.be
Their Bandcamp page says: "Five Fingers Of Funk is a ten-piece live Hip Hop band from Portland OR. Founded in 1992, the Fingers destroyed stages (in some cases literally) from Portland ME to Portland, OR. The band was fronted by rapper Pete Miser and DJ Chillest Illest and featured a three-piece horn section. "
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This is the Portland group's first new album with the original line up since 1998: fivefingersoffunk.bandcamp.com
The dreamy, danceable “Deadly Valentine” was produced by SebastiAn, the album’s primary producer. Gainsbourg directed and co-stars alongside Dev Hynes of Blood Orange in the song’s video, which traces a relationship through the stages of life.
“This song mixes wedding vows with an offbeat tone,” Gainsbourg said in a statement. “I wanted to express the idea of a lifetime engagement; a couple running to church, from childhood to old age, a lifetime path. I asked my friend Dev Hynes if he would play my partner, and he very graciously agreed.” Alas, it seems Gainsbourg chickened out on asking mom Jane Birkin to play her older self: “I nearly asked my mother, but in the end, didn’t dare…”
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Watch the terrific video: www.youtube.com
This song uses recordings of birds and children in a playground.
"It’s one of those songs that, from its celestial opening, feels like it was custom-built for a dramatic finale right before the credits roll. And from that quiet beginning of organ sounds and that skipping beat and Goddard’s meditative vocal, the song lifts you into a gigantic chorus that is completely unlike anything else Hot Chip ever wrote. Sometimes, you’ve gotta earn your way to writing something as unabashed and yearning as that chorus, a cavernous “Oh-oh” backdrop that lodges itself in your head forever the first time you hear it. It’s a song of yearning, but when it gets to that chorus, it erupts into pure euphoria." This song was called one of Hot Chip's 10 best:
bit.ly
Hot Chip visited KEXP late in 2019. Watch the performance here:
youtu.be
Her fifth album, following the success of "What's Your Pleasure?," is "horny and accomplished": www.popmatters.com
Here's the official video for this song from Ron and Russell Mael: www.youtube.com
Marvin Gaye sang both lead and background on this and also played the keyboards. Frank Beverly of Maze supplied the percussion and on backing vocals were Marvin's future second wife Janis Hunter and his brother Frankie Gaye. His little sister, Zeola Gaye, can also be heard on the track.
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Gaye went for a loose and casual party atmosphere on this track, and included the sounds of people talking in the studio in the mix. Some of the unusual sounds on the recording include Gaye (an accomplished drummer) banging on a half-filled grapefruit juice bottle, and percussionist Jack Ashford playing a homemade instrument he called a "Hotel Sheet," which was a piece of polystyrene he would shake to produce the wobbly sound.
Killer Mike is going on the High and Holy Tour with his choir, the Midnight Revival. Catch them at the Showbox in Seattle on Thursday, July 27th.
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Killer Mike's first solo album in more than a decade, "Michael," will be out on June 16th. The lead single “Don’t Let The Devil” features his RTJ partner EL-P and thankugoodsir, plus production by El-P, No I.D., and Little Shalimar.
Jockstrap is vocalist, violinist, and songwriter Georgia Ellery in collaboration with producer Taylor Skye.
Jockstrap have shared a fun new video for their song "Greatest Hits." In the video, a celebrity trial between two pop stars plays out in full, from being caught by paparazzi as they enter to the drama unfolding inside the court. Cameos in the video include Jamie xx, Don Letts, John Foley, and Princess Julia.: www.youtube.com
Go right here to purchase this single from Jeanines: jeanines.bandcamp.com
The masterful, magisterial “Migration” is Green’s sixth album and it’s a record which cements his place in the very highest echelons of electronic music and beyond.
In particular, there is a theme on the upcoming album of migration, eruditely put by Green as “The study of people and spaces,” he expands, “It’s interesting how one person will take an influence from one part of the world and move with that influence and affect another part of the world. Over time, the identities of places evolve.”
Indeed there is a "transitory nature" to the album, not only through its themes, but also through its guests and found sounds. Michael Milosh, from the LA group Rhye, for instance, is originally from Canada, and recorded his affecting vocal on "Break Apart" in a hotel room in Berlin. tinyurl.com