Today's Top Tune: Recent Episodes
KCRW
A free weekday download of standout songs, including advance releases, exclusive live tracks recorded at KCRW, remixes, and an introduction to new artists on our radar.
Labyrinthian electronics, organic live instrumentation and sublime vocals are the ingredients that make up Maribou State’s “Otherside” — a track which also features their long-time collaborator, singer Holly Walker. Their new/next long-player will come early in 2025, and will celebrate their influences from jungle, UK garage, IDM, and trance … to everything in between.
Share the joy of “Three Piece Suit” from the London-based, eight piece collective Kokoroko. The group comes to us with worldbuilding sonic capabilities, sublime talent, and a vision to unite the African continent and its diaspora with us today! P.S. This track features vocals from singer-songwriter (and Massive Attack collaborator) Azekel.
Jeremie Albino will release his debut album on Nov. 1 via Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound. He’s the latest artist to sign with the prestigious label. The album’s title track, “Our Time In The Sun,” showcases an emotionally nuanced narrator pouring his soul into his music. Albino’s story began on a farm in rural Ontario. After wrangling vegetables at farmers markets in Toronto, he began busking on the city’s sidewalks before sharing stages with artists like Orville Peck, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and JD McPherson (to name a few).
West London-based singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya has been receiving well-deserved praise for her new full-length, My Method Actor, an organic and intimate recording.
Singer Ella Raphael was weaned on Elvis, Edith Piaf, and (naturally) her namesake Ella Fitzgerald. On the hip-swaying “Tangled Love,” we hear her tempered vocals alongside a dab of nostalgic tropicália, Mediterranean riffs, and a sonic bed of vibraphone and lap-steel guitar.
Ascending Australian nobility Royel Otis released a fantastic debut album earlier this year — PRATTS & PAIN. This week will give us a deluxe vinyl release of that very record. One of the many tracks we’ve enjoyed sharing is “Velvet,” a powerful and potent 2 minute song. Memorize it now, you will want to shout the lyrics along with them when they make their Morning Becomes Eclectic debut live on Oct. 15.
Singer-songwriter Daniel Blake followed his heart, literally. As his girlfriend made a move to SoCal from Arizona, Blake came along and began working in construction… thinking he was leaving his musical pursuits behind. But he enjoyed the work, and the long drives provided ample time for melodies to develop and for songs to begin to write themselves. “Dreaming About It” is one of those songs and you’ll likely hear it as he and his full band kick-start School Night at Bardot for the very first show of the season(!).
On the album Tension, Ethiopian jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke settles in with Tel Aviv’s Afro-funk collective the Hoodna Orchestra for seven original compositions that pay tribute to the maestro’s sound. Majestic-yet-gritty, “Major” sounds like a timeless piece swinging out of your speakers.
Year of the Banana is art-pop duo Rubblebucket’s seventh studio album coming down the pike in mid-October. Today, we’re sharing the hip-moving, calorie-burning fun early single they call “Moving Without Touching.”
Afro-Appalachian folk artist Mon Rovîa wrote the song “crooked the road.” as a reminder to make a clear distinction between pain and his own identity. I was in love with my suffering, it became who I knew myself as,” explains Mon Rovîa. “Because of this I couldn’t see the hands that had been extended to lift me out. Ones that were longing to see me become who I was meant to be. For the listener I hope they find freedom, I hope they find strength to pull away from what brings [them] down. The song is for all of us who thought in our darkest moments, ‘this is who I am’.”
KCRW SoCal favorites Chicano Batman recently graced our studios with a career-spanning set at HQ. While they already released a new album this year, Notebook Fantasy, the band found the time to write and record a new song.
As summer festivals wind down, we turn to ever prolific Afro-funky Ibibio Sound Machine and frontwoman Emo Williams delivering a heart-pounding, foot stomping, floor burning EP, The Black Notes. That comes on the heels of their album Pull The Rope, released earlier this year. What better way to celebrate than dropping the needle on the title track.
Jana Mila pulls from a lot of different sources to write her songs, a poised and nuanced songwriter; it's the sound of Laurel Canyon folk or Nashville twang. A cross between Fleet Foxes and Kurt Vile, the Amsterdam-based singer steps into her own on her debut album Chameleon.
Channeling a fusion of ‘60s French pop, Brazilian tropicalia, and slinky reggae, Claude Fontaine’s new album La Mer echos a dreamy utopia-by-the-sea. Be prepared to sway to a samba beat on “Vaquiero.”
Beloved director, painter, furniture maker, music maker, and KCRW’s one-time weather reporter David Lynch teams up with his musical muse Chrystabell. Birthed from a vision during a late-night walk surrounded by forest, a bright light caught his eye above the treetops. That light recalled the mellifluous sound of Chrystabell’s voice and revealed a secret to him.
Cellophane Memories is a convergence of two otherworldly portals, the Texas-born singer’s throaty sound meets the eye of the Montana filmmaker’s flickering projector. Chrystabell says of their songs, “Many doors are left open to wonder, wander, and get turned around i
Known for his blazing affection for rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly and R&B, JD McPherson is set to release his new album Nite Owls in late September. A ten-song set promises to veer off in a new direction with “Sunshine Getaway” leading the fore, with a glam T. Rex beat.
London-based painter and tattoo master Or Kantor fatefully crossed paths with an A&R man during a tattoo session and revealed that he secretly writes music inspired by the Mediterranean Sea. In a leap of faith, Or Kantor was signed and now has a debut LP, Sarda Sarda. The trippy title track is an introspective fusion of surf music and deep desert blues.
Two-time Grammy-winning duo Gillian Welch & David Rawlings are stalwarts of American folk celebrating the 20th anniversary of their copious partnership with Woodland, an album recorded in their Nashville studio. The duo paint a pastoral setting on “Empty Trainload of Sky.”
Singer-songwriter and producer Rosie Lowe takes us along on her musical mantra with “Gratitudes.” “I’m a big believer in saying daily gratitudes to help shift my mindset,” shares Lowe. “This is my ode to my morning ritual, and a reminder to myself in times when I’m stuck in my head that there’s so much to be grateful for. The beat for this song came about in Berlin with D’Monk — we made it on his MPC in 15 minutes just before leaving the studio.”
We are ready to deliver a toasty swatch of percussive electronics for your mid-week groove. Producer Evan Shornstein, best known under his production moniker Photay, makes outdoor music under the spell of the elements. His new album Windswept (out Sept. 20) is meant to mimic the wind as a “powerful, deep, unpredictable, and at times overwhelming spirit” says Shornstein. But first, let’s check out “Derecho,” a term used for a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.
For their new LP, X’s Cigarettes After Sex are playing some of the world’s most iconic venues including Madison Square Garden, London’s O2, and the hallowed stage of the Kia Forum in Inglewood for two sold-0ut nights in LA.
X’s is a little different from previous CAS albums. While those have primarily centered around a composite of different relationships, for X’s bandleader Greg Gonzalez captured the emotional arc of one important love affair that lasted four years. “Baby Blue Movie” is a down-tempo banger whose title references softcore adult films while the lyrics and melody feel like a warm embrace.
As they ready their 10th full-length album Five Dice, All Threes for release on Sep. 20, Bright Eyes returns with their signature laser-focused lyrics on the early single “Bells and Whistles.” We’re looking forward to hearing the album’s guest performances from long-time friends Cat Power and The National’s Matt Berninger, but are happy to wait it out with this rollicking track which cruises from NY to LA, gnawing at Banksy, the Mets, music biz pitfalls, and arguably Kevin Costner’s greatest film. Do you dare to give it a whirl?
LA-based singer-songwriter Mondo Cozmo creates a lean indie-rocking wall of sound on “Wild Horses.” It’s a track that exudes the promise of inimitable confidence throughout his forthcoming fourth album It’s PRINCIPLE! (due Aug. 30 via Last Gang Records).
Parisian pop stylists L’Impératrice took a very French approach to making their album Pulsar: “We really take time to make things good” said the group's founder, Charles de Boisseguin, with a smile. Taking this time to make sure that every decision in this set of songs captured their spirit both onstage and off really shows. Pulsar is also their first to feature guest vocalists including Maggie Rogers, Erick the Architect, and on “Danza Marilù” — an anthem for women of all ages to move freely on the dancefloor — the voice of Neapolitan singer Fabiana Martone.
From the first notes of their golden brass, mambo ensemble Orquesta Akokán have you hooked! You don’t need to be a dancer to feel like you are in Havana, sipping a Cuba Libre, when “Con Licencia” is piped out of the soundsystem.
If you have a new crush you’d like to get a little closer to, think about putting on Brooklyn-based Zsela’s debut album, Big For You. Rooted in intimacy, her honey-toned voice will melt even the coldest of hearts when you hit play on “Not Your Angel.”
Today, Pearl & The Oysters announce their upcoming album, Planet Pearl, which promises to be a hypnotic vision quest conjuring moonlight, tropical waters, exotic botany, and buzzing things in flight, set for release on September 20.
Shapeshifting artist Toro Y Moi takes the plunge into rap-rock, Soundcloud rap, and Y2K emo on his eighth full length album, Hole Erth. But that’s not all: The album’s title comes from the counterculture publication Whole Earth Catalog, of the late ‘60s and early 70s,. The magazine carried the tagline “access to tools” and offered everything from how-to guides to cultural analysis and self-reliance tools. It spoke to everyone from hippies to technology-heads, which helped lay the groundwork for Silicon Valley’s ethos, and is attuned to TyM’s catalog.
You may remember the band Quivers from our Global Beat Australia segment in 2021. Now they are getting ready to share a new album in August. “Oyster Cuts” is their tight title track and our first glimpse. You can feel the tension of grief and gratitude in their singing, encased by a looping riff, swirling synths, and the drive of percussion.
Harmonics is the third collection of songs by Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, who opens the floor to an introspective approach to dance music on “Follow You.” But that’s not all you’ll find on the new album: There is a wide palette of sounds and collaborations, including a track with Eno Williams of Ibibio Sound Machine, Jungle’s Tom McFarland, UK Jazz artist Alabaster DePlume, to name a few.
Living legend and co-founder of the seminal band The Velvet Underground, John Cale is infuriated by the intentional, greedy destruction of our planet. Cale’s second album in just over a year, POPtical Illusion, features the irresistible track, “How We See The Light,” which touches on the end of a relationship, and a chance to learn and grow.
Pamplona, Spain’s indie pop quartet Melenas released their third album Ahora in 2023, and their sonic palette further expanded in 2024 with a remix EP featuring a Peanut Butter Wolf reworking of “Bang” — and it is just that!
2023 was a banner year for Ezra Collective, making them the first-ever jazz artist to land the coveted Mercury Music Prize, for their album Where I’m Meant To Be, AND they brought down the house when they made their debut on MBE. The prolific group isn’t wasting time and are set to release their third album Dance, No One’s Watching in late September.
Written while on tour in 2023, the album is an ode to the dance floors they experienced and ties in with some of the members’ roots in church. Drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso notes, “Myself, Ife, and TJ all grew up in church, and it played a massive role in how we view the purpose of dancing. Dancing is bigger than just the club space. Dancing is a community thing, dancing is a spiritual thing, and ‘God Gave Me Feet For Dancing’ is like a window into that element of Ezra Collective for the five of us.”
Rapper and producer Oddisee set high goals for his new EP, And Yet Still, tackling the world’s armed conflicts and our shared problems. "Not a day goes by without some grave injustice in the world,” states Oddisee “In between our guilt and gratefulness, we become desensitized or mobilized. As we fight for our beliefs, our day-to-day lives demand attention. We cry, cheer, mourn, and love — sometimes knowing it may be in vain and yet still, we carry on." You can hear a little hint of Marvin Gaye’s sound and approach to hardship on “World On Fire.”
Multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer, and songwriter Jordan Rakei is well-loved by KCRW DJs, so you’ve probably heard some tracks from the new album, The Loop, on our airwaves.
A standout is “Trust,” about which Rakei says, “With this one, I was focused more on the feeling I wanted to convey, rather than a specific lyric. I’ve often felt like there’s an element of performance to my personality — I believe we’re only our true selves when we’re alone. So ‘Trust’ is about trying to embrace your true self more and performing less, trusting that being the ‘real you’ is the right thing.”
Ojai-based yoga aficionado and producer Earthtones — aka Serge Bandura — has deep love for cumbia and rhythms emanating from the African diaspora. “Limones” is a gifted folkloric-futuristic track nourished by a crunchy mix of electronic and house-style beats.
Multi-faceted LA-based artist Kate Bollinger recently announced her forthcoming album, Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind, written during a period of disquiet and transition. The album is meant to sound like a mixtape — carefully crafted for your ears only.
The breathy “Any Day Now” was the one of the first songs written for the LP, recorded live, without headphones or a click track, and inspired by favorite songs from the ‘60s.
This summer is filled with bouncy bangers, but if you’re looking for something a little mellower and sexier, pick up the latest from NxWorries, a project that melds Anderson.Paak’s bars and Kxwledge’s beats alongside A-List invitees H.E.R., Thundercat, and on “FromHere,” the inimitable Snoop Dogg and October London.
Invincible UK out-rock trio Beak>, which includes Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, have released their fourth album, >>>>, (that’s four beak symbols!), about which they say, "At its core, we always wanted it to be head music (music for the ‘heads’, not headphone music) – listened to as an album, not as individual songs. This is why we are releasing this album with no singles or promo tracks.” That said, we’ll introduce you to a track that gives heavy feels for its sinister-yet-cinematic hook, a touch of classic Nirvana and prog-rock, and durability as “Denim.”
Take a hypnotic trip with Korean-Canadian, LA-based artist Luna Li, who after a split from her long-time partner, decided to leave her family and friends in Toronto for a fresh start in LA, where her creative juices turned to songwriting. A new album, When a Thought Grows Wings, is set for August release and features “Confusion Song.”
You may have heard Lee Bob’s beautiful cover of Nina Simone’s 1968 classic “Peace of Mind,” but he’s also a singer who writes his own songs. You’ll find that cover on his new EP, Free, alongside an intimate collection of songs conceived on a rooftop in Bamako, Mali. We’re sharing the title track, on which you can hear a kaleidoscopic integration of different genres, from folk ballads to Malian polyrhythms.
Danish-Japanese artist IDA KUDO draws inspiration from her ethnic roots to whirl electronic beats into theatrical drama ripe for the stage. “Okina Nami” means “big wave” in Japanese and is culled from her new EP, Proud. Experience feminine power as she sings, “Rising to the top, Okina Nami, power of a million voices roar. Your strength is strong enough to carry you to shore.”
If Philip Glass or Steve Reich experimented with EDM, we would arguably find their Venn diagram convergence in Floating Points. In fact, Sam Shepherd (aka Floating Points) recently composed his first ballet for symphony orchestra and electronics, Mere Mortals, for the San Francisco Ballet. We’ll get you dancing to your own beat with the twinkly, vibrant track “Del Oro.”
Since the release of her landmark album I Am Shelby Lynne some 25 years ago, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician Shelby Lynne has released many beautiful and heartfelt albums featuring her powerful vocals and astute storytelling. Today, we’re sharing a brand new summer anthem with you called “Over and Over,” a soulful reflection on heartbreak and loss.
If you are a fan of the indie-folk Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist José González, you will love this next track from Welch flamenco guitarist Billy Sharp, whose masterful picking is elevated by Latin rhythms and indie pop on “Rose Tint.”
Some 20 years ago, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, M. Ward, and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis got together for a revue-style tour that made quick friends. Nicknamed Monsters of Folk by their then-tour manager, the supergroup reconvened five years later and set out to work on their self-titled album together. The eponymous record is being reissued for its 15th anniversary and features a handful of unreleased tracks, including the trippy Springsteen-tinged sound of “Disappeared.”
Manu Chao has been practicing more of a pared-down, uncluttered lifestyle that extends beyond material things into his emotional life, going forth with a pure heart and zero pretention.
“Viva Tu,” or “long may you live” in Spanish, was a rumba written for his neighbors. A collector of “little bits” that eventually piece together into song, this one looks us in the eye with its candid pace and beautiful refrain. Today, while Manu Chao celebrates others, we thank him for all the great music and his forthcoming album, on his 63rd birthday.
This year, indie darlings Nada Surf mark the 30th anniversary of their debut single “The Plan”/“Telescope” with a new LP, Moon Mirror, to be released in September.
On “In Front of Me Now,” a thoughtful take on being here now, frontman Matthew Caws asked himself why he hasn’t been present, and gifts us with what sounds like a diary entry.
Hailing from the coldest part of landlocked Canada, sister trio The Garrys named themselves after their father, Garry, and braid sibling harmonies into their signature “doom-wop,” garage-surf sound, which includes their brother on their latest track “Cakewalk.”
Lisbon-based Nathan Jenkins, the producer and songwriter working as Bullion, is an enduring cult fixture and has a new album called Affection. His brand of warm, shiny pop is as intoxicating as it gets on “World_train,” for which Bullion enlists a perfect collaborator, Charlotte Adigéry, to turn the track into a folky, meandering ditty.
We’d cross as many ponds as needed to get to the sound of Indonesian retro funk-soul outfit Thee Marloes. Killer vocals, silky keys, airy flute, and a strong beat attract us to a vibe that is both familiar and fresh. Check out the cascading intro on “I Know” as they unveil the cracks within a love affair.
The New York Times calls Carlos Niño “the spiritual force behind LA’s eclectic music scene,” and it’s true. A radiant being, he is also the co-producer and co-writer for André 3000’s New Blue Sun. But today, we’re focusing on his own new album, Placenta, a celebration of “the doulas, midwives, and birth workers who help bring life into this world.” The track was written around the birth of his second son, a whole 25 years after the birth of his first born Azul Niño and is also one of his regular artistic collaborators. Who knows, maybe 25 years from now, this little kid will work on dad’s music too. Let’s take a listen to “Love to All Doulas!.”
When Brooklyn’s Big Crown Records was a nascent label, one of the first artists that founder El Michels Affair signed was The Shacks, and in fact, Shannon Wise was only 17 at the time and they had to wait until her 18th birthday to sign the contract. Along with Max Shrager the duo made a lot of music together, toured the world, were placed on impactful, global ad campaigns and released their debut album but, alas, the band broke up in 2020 before finishing their sophomore album even though they were very prolific and wrote many good songs. Thanks to the label, the new compilation Big Crown Vaults Vol. 2 offers unreleased tracks, including the very beautiful “Gentle.”
Songwriter and storyteller Jensen McRae was born and raised in Los Angeles and thinks of herself as “one house down from the girl next door.” Her magic power is forging songs from the smallest overheard snippet or phrase that ignites a concept. Take the song “Massachusetts,” which began as a social post shared in real time before its completion. That in turn led to covers, interpretations, and even the track’s eventual title.
No one knows how many incarnations our spirits have, but we do know we’ve got one shot at this life, so it’s important to live as authentically as possible and to realize when to quit. Amsterdam singer-songwriter VanWyck takes a crack at the idea of leaving the past behind and moving into a brighter future on “Towards The Sun,” an ode recorded in one take with the drummer playing percussion on an old suitcase. It’s from the forthcoming LP Dust Chaser, out late September.
New York psych-pop quadrivium (a place where four4 things meet) Crumb have issued their third studio album, AMAMA, a sonic excursion riddled with frenetic drumwork and oodles of shape-shifting bits. Experimental by nature, “Side By Side” takes us on a wild ride.
Lido Pimienta’s “He Venido Al Mar,” or “I’ve Come Down to the Sea” in English, was written for the protagonist in the film Calladita aka The Quiet Maid, a story of a hard- working Colombian migrant working for a wealthy family. It’s a story that resonated with Lido Pimienta:
Mexican rock legends and social ambassadors Café Tacvba are back with their first track in seven years. “La Bas(e),” or “The Base” in English, is a song to foster unity, liberty, brotherhood, and human rights for immigrants. The song is inspired by a Mexican children’s game and aspires to a world where humanity looks out for one another.
Conor O’Brien is a poet who writes and records his musings into song as Villagers. This troubadour’s sixth album, That Golden Time, is chock full of dazzling melodies, pristine instrumentation, and inspiration from philosophers, poets, and playwrights. They all merge to become part of his fabric, abound on songs like “I Want What I Don’t Need.”
Spanish indie artist Pedro Balaña, aka The Boy From The South, left his work in London finance to dive into music making in the studio. While composing on his trusty guitar — the only instrument he owns — Balaña learned by doing and improvised on whatever other instruments were available as the clock ticked away on valuable studio time. Let’s launch “Space Party,” a track that conjures early Beck and Talking Heads.
Jakarta-born, LA-based singer-songwriter NIKI has a flirty new song to share, “Too Much Of A Good Thing.” It’s a perfect gift for your new crush and is our first peep into her forthcoming album, Buzz, to be delivered in August.
Jakarta-born, LA-based singer-songwriter NIKI has a flirty new song to share, “Too Much Of A Good Thing.” It’s a perfect gift for your new crush and is our first peep into her forthcoming album, Buzz, to be delivered in August.
Ok, we get it. LA has a lot of characters who are easy to poke fun at, and now they’ve got an anthem all their own. Written in our fair city by Australian electronic duo Flight Facilities, “Days of the Week” features cheeky lyrics by Aramis Johnson of Enumclaw.
“What started out as a joke during a three-hour studio session with Aramis of Enumclaw has turned into one of our guiltiest pleasures: A modern-day ode to Los Angeles and the people who make it shine,” the band tells KCRW.
You may know Cor.Ece as the LA-based, Grammy-winning co-writer on Beyonce’s mind-boggling Renaissance album, but here he intersects with Brooklyn-based DJ, songwriter, and producer Bad Colours for a heart-thumping, propulsive beat on their new project, Been Here Before. The mix is powerful, laden with soulful house and disco, as exemplified on the album’s opening banger “Say Yea.”
Cheo, a founding member of the Venezuelan trio Los Amigos Invisibles, has decided to revisit and re-record some of the songs he wrote for the group, now with his new band. “Suddenly, one morning I woke up and thought ‘I miss playing these songs, I don’t have to get on a plane to play it, they are my kids and I love them,’” Cheo confides. “So I started strumming the guitar remembering them; I thought it would be painful, but nope… Why would it be painful? They always made me smile.”
The gorgeous new album My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall captures the work of one most illustrious of the handful of Black Country songwriters (let alone a woman) in Nashville. Randall’s catalog includes work with legendary artists like Trisha Yearwood and Johnny Cash but draws inspiration from the work of Ray Charles, Charley Pride, Lil Hardin Armstrong, and DeFord Bailey, to name a few.
We’re excited to premiere a new song from heavy instrumental dream team Parlor Greens, who have the distinction of recording their debut album at Colemine Records’ brand new studio at Portage Lounge in Loveland, Ohio. This trio celebrates their members with brilliant solos, as you’ll hear on the title track “In Green We Dream.”
Back in 2018, LA roots-punk pioneer Dave Alvin and cosmic country slayer Jimmie Dale Gilmore wrote their first album together to great fanfare and kindled their lifelong friendship. The duo have announced a new full-length recording, TexiCali, coming in June that promises to deliver 11 trippy tracks, culled from the hearts of these two storytellers and providing a sonic tapestry across their home states. “We’re Still Here” celebrates their bond.
Motherhood is a game-changer for any artist, but it can also open up a new sonic horizon. Monogem is a new mom to a son, and has spent the last year in her backyard under their lemon tree. Her new ballad “Lemon Tree” carries a lilting melody, coupled with organic production and soothing saxophone peeling back the layers of a heavy world. It reminds us of what Monogem already knows: to appreciate the little things (and little ones) in our daily lives.
This June we’ll celebrate the 5oth anniversary of the seminal recording by Little Feat with a new deluxe edition of Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, featuring rare and unreleased versions plus outtakes from album sessions as well as a 1975 concert in Paris. Formed in Los Angeles in 1969, this outfit made a tasty stew of blues, country, R&B, and good ole’ rock n’ roll. We’ll share a song you may recognize, which has been sampled and covered by many — it’s an alternate version of the funky classic “Spanish Moon.”
Now that Beyonce released her country album to rave reviews, we’re seeing the buoying effect of her limelight, allowing other women artists to rise with the genre. Canadian artist Kaia Kater shines her love of the banjo with a love letter to her instrument. “In Montreal” is replete with head-spinning experimental rhythms and lyrics about a poet who feels lost and aimless, plus the added bonus of Grenadian-Canadian and Montreal native Allison Russell on vocals.
KCRW host Chris Douridas was heard declaring some fighting words about Suave Bruta, the debut album by French-Colombian double-bassist and singer Ëda Diaz: “I expect to go several tracks deep with airplay on this. My favorite album of 2024 so far. No skips.” That’s a big deal for a DJ who listens to A LOT of music on a daily basis. And we couldn’t agree more. Driven by an expansive cultural spectrum that incorporates a mix of woozy Latin American rhythms and romanticism akin to the writings of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the album makes it hard to choose just one song, but we’ve settled on “Dulce de Mar.”
Composer, arranger, producer, and multi-instrumentalist are among the descriptors for the artist known as Sly5thAve, who declared that his new album, Liberation, “exploded out of me. I couldn’t write it fast enough.” The result is layered with lush orchestral arrangements, innovative improvisation, and blessed with hip-hop production. Let’s turn to the title track, through which you can hear the meaning of the word.
Brooklyn-based indie-popping Yot Club, the creation of Ryan Kaiser, has a new album, Rufus, filled with inner thoughts turned into melodies like “Human Nature,” a toe-tapping earworm fixated on the acceptance of someone you once knew who has now turned into a stranger.
Birthed in Mexico in 2017, Reyna Tropical explores “intuition, transition, connection, and continuation — a celebration of spiritual survival pulsing with the beat of all things tropical.”
Check out singer, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist Allison Russell’s “Stay Right Here,”a disco ball delight accompanied by her Rainbow Coalition ensemble and none other than Wendy & Lisa from Prince’s The Revolution. During the recording session, Wendy surveyed the scene and said, “Lisa and I have been doing this for over 30 years… Never once have we seen a studio full of dames — thank you Allison!” It’s a burner.
“All Through The Night” was originally written as a lullaby for the eldest child of Abigail of The Chapin Sisters but when you take a closer listen, you can hear why it has become an anthem. "We would make up the verses until some of them stuck," Abigail remembers of nights singing it to her daughter. "She would start mimicking me and singing along, which completely defeated the purpose of trying to get her to sleep." RIYL Aimee Mann.
Melodic power trio Trousdale met at the USC music program and started creating beautifully crafted songs together. Their latest track, from their forthcoming debut album Out Of My Mind, points to their skilled songwriting as they tell the story of a golden age movie star who is tired of her fame and moves to the state of rolling plains and cornfields on “Smart Iowa.”
Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Yussef Dayes has a new track out, and it’s a VERY special lullaby. Dayes says, “‘The Light’ celebrates the birth of my daughter Bahia. Born in February 2020, just before the whirlwind of COVID, a beautiful light came into my life. 2020 turned out to be one of the most special times in my life. Becoming a father to my beautiful princess Bahia, being able to take time from touring and nurture my family at home was something I’ll cherish forever.” You’ll be able to hear the rest of the album, Black Classical Music, when it drops tomorrow.
Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Yussef Dayes has a new track out, and it’s a VERY special lullaby. Dayes says, “‘The Light’ celebrates the birth of my daughter Bahia. Born in February 2020, just before the whirlwind of COVID, a beautiful light came into my life. 2020 turned out to be one of the most special times in my life. Becoming a father to my beautiful princess Bahia, being able to take time from touring and nurture my family at home was something I’ll cherish forever.” You’ll be able to hear the rest of the album, Black Classical Music, when it drops tomorrow.
Singer-songwriter and director of her own career, Luiza Lian, has created a place for herself in the music scene of São Paulo. On “Desabriga,” which takes poetic license from the Portuguese for “Don’t Leave Me, Don’t Abandon Me,” the song pulls us in close with its enticing drum beats.
Singer-songwriter and director of her own career, Luiza Lian, has created a place for herself in the music scene of São Paulo. On “Desabriga,” which takes poetic license from the Portuguese for “Don’t Leave Me, Don’t Abandon Me,” the song pulls us in close with its enticing drum beats.
Ready for your Tuesday banger? Let’s go with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs & Moullinex and the new wave synths, ‘80s New Beat drums, and delicate vocal line that is “So Alive.” Get your post-Labor Day week kick-started with this dynamic track.
Ready for your Tuesday banger? Let’s go with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs & Moullinex and the new wave synths, ‘80s New Beat drums, and delicate vocal line that is “So Alive.” Get your post-Labor Day week kick-started with this dynamic track.
LA LOM, an acronym for “The Los Angeles League Of Musicians,” offer an original take on classic cumbia, American roots, and Afro-Cuban jazz centered around percussionist Nicholas Baker, whose grandmother fed him a steady diet of Latin music and who grew up in a family of musicians from Durango, Mexico. Let’s discover their sound together on the cinematic “Angel’s Point.”
LA LOM, an acronym for “The Los Angeles League Of Musicians,” offer an original take on classic cumbia, American roots, and Afro-Cuban jazz centered around percussionist Nicholas Baker, whose grandmother fed him a steady diet of Latin music and who grew up in a family of musicians from Durango, Mexico. Let’s discover their sound together on the cinematic “Angel’s Point.”
DJ and producer TOKiMONSTA is back with an elevated sound that includes labelmate Rochelle Jordan. This bold combo tackles the fragility of now, providing somber lyrics masked by dance floor beats to create magic on “Eats The Tail” (Feat. Rochelle Jordan).
This year, Death Cab for Cutie celebrates the 20th anniversary of their album Transatlanticism, as well as Ben Gibbard’s supergroup The Postal Service’s Give Up, with a co-headlining US tour kicking off this fall. As a bonus, Death Cab floats out a new track, “An Arrow in the Wall,” that calls out society’s decay in their typical upbeat fashion.
Three-time Grammy winner, author, and powerhouse Lucinda Williams shows her grit on “Rock N Roll Heart.” In the last three years, Lucinda has lived through a tornado that damaged her home in Nashville, COVID lockdown, and a stroke that left her having to learn to walk again and that took away the ability to play guitar. But in 2023, Lucinda has turned 70, released her album Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, and revealed herself in her new memoir, Don’t Tell Anybody The Secrets I Told You. You can hear the strength and power Lucinda takes from making music on “Rock N Roll Heart.” Delight in The Boss a.k.a. Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on backing vocals.
While Clementine Creevy, a.k.a. Cherry Glazerr, puts on the finishing touches to her newest rock album, I Don’t Want You Anymore, out Sept. 29, we have a little ditty we think you’ll love.
You’ll need to close your eyes and revel in this one: Washington DC native Baby Rose steps up to the mic on Morning Becomes Eclectic and slays us with her live rendition of “Stop The Bleeding,” which is yours for the taking. Check out the full performance and interview out now at kcrw.com/music.
When heartbreak hits, we’re lucky if we have a close friend to help us mend. Chilean artist Francisca Valenzuela wrote “Nada Para Ti” — Spanish for “Nothing Left for You” — to chronicle the end of a romantic relationship. She invited Mexican singer Ximena Sariñana to collaborate because Sariñana was central during her personal separation process, and emotes a thoughtful connection with her voice, arrangements, and emotion.
We can’t wait to get our hands on Wilco’s new album, Cousin, at the end of September. Produced by Welsh artist Cate Le Bon, this recording marks the first time the band have handed the reins to a producer outside their inner circle. Le Bon expands their sound by opening up a cannon of new instruments to play, from cheap Japanese guitars to a New Wave-style drum machine. Let’s check out the first track, “Evicted” — the story of being locked out of someone’s heart.
Barely in her 20s, Laufey is Chinese-Icelandic singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in LA who sounds like a lost soul from the cool jazz era. An avid Ella Fitzgerald fan, who she discovered while thumbing through her father’s record collection, Laufey bridges the past into the present on her song “From The Start,” which will be released on her forthcoming album, Bewitched.
It’s August, it’s hot, it’s muggy, and we’re all melting. Thank goodness for Mayer Hawthorne’s carefree melody “The Pool,” a refreshing tonic to the heat written and entirely produced by the artist.
This cover comes to us from A Song For Leon: A Tribute to Leon Russell, the superstar tribute to the man known as “The Master of Space and Time,” for his storied 50 years of prolific songwriting — not to mention having produced albums for everyone from The Rolling Stones to Bob Marley. The record drops on September 8.
If it’s a sonic party you seek, look no further than Brooklyn party purveyor and producer Sammy Bananas — and the instrumental tone of “Boca Grande,” in which he unleashes a fervent unrelenting groove and sexy sax.
The one-time busker refined his saxophone chops on the streets of Mass Ave. in Cambridge, and named every song on his Massave EP for a business that once stood there. Open wide for “Boca Grande,” named after a burrito joint.
A live fan favorite, Big Thief has finally committed “Vampire Empire” to tape, and the song has become a viral summer anthem. Speaking to the complexity of gender identity and breaking negative cycles, the band’s Adrianne Lenker says, “For me, it’s about getting out of toxic internal patterns — leaving the empire of energy drains that obscure pure essence, learning about what healthy boundaries are, and finding the power to implement them for the possibility of giving and receiving (both inwardly and outwardly) unbroken and infinite Love.”
Today we’re sharing a track from London post-punk electro-crew MADMADMAD’s double A-side single “Do You,” recorded in the band’s experimental warehouse testing ground. MADMADMAD offer this insight: "It's about being yourself without asking permission. It's a hypnotic, dance floor-ready anthem that makes you want to let the goof out, in a playful invitation to dance your troubles away, like Archie Bell beaming from darker space. A deranged sonic ride with an irresistible feel-good factor."
Boundary-pushing artist Róisín Murphy teams up with virtuosic electronic music producer DJ Koze for a highly anticipated 13-track album that promises to be as genre-bending as it is melding. Get ready to get your snarl on with “Fader,” reminiscent of vintage Jackson 5 with a little Aretha mixed in.
Mr. Pauer, purveyor of his own brand of electropico, dazzles us with a new track featuring Barcelona’s clarinet master, Oriol Mares. “Viento y Marea” translates to English as “Wind and Tide,” and is a sweet instrumental piece on a bed of layered organic sounds.
Pop purveyors of playfulness CHAI are sprinkling the last bits of magic dust on their self-titled forthcoming album that highlights their Japanese cultural heritage and the music that inspired them. Let’s spin “PARA PARA,” which memorializes a popular two-step dance trend popular in Japan in the 1990s.
All the way from Perth, Australia, the sonic architect known as Ta-Ku delivers a riveting roll on “WAY OUT,” a song that marks his return to music after a seven-year hiatus, and extracts the journey that lead him to the upcoming album, Songs To Come Home To. The new collection of songs will bring together an array of artists, including Questlove, Milan King, and Matt McWaters, featured here on “WAY OUT.”
Back in 1977, Wreckless Eric had a mega-hit with “Whole Wide World,” a love song of epic proportion that has been covered by a wide range of countless artists who have also benefited from the recording — from The Monkees to Cage The Elephant — and was even featured in an ad during the 2022 Super Bowl.
NYC-based artist Kendra Morris lets the music flow when it comes to her new album, I Am What I’m Waiting For, produced by Little Shalimar of Run The Jewels,who dusts the music with magic. A mix of summer soul and ‘70s funk imbues the track “What Are You Waiting For.”
Ambassador of her family’s Mexican culture, Estevie is on the front lines when it comes to merging cumbia with Mexican regional music. A first-generation American raised in Beaumont, CA, Estevie brings the head on the sound of ‘miami,’ the latest output from Ricky Reed’s label Nice Life Recording Company.
Afro-Peruvian soundsystem Novalima celebrate their 20th anniversary with a tour that kicks off in Los Angeles this Thursday, and they have released a brand new track that will get your hips swaying and feet dancing. “El Tiempo,” which translates from Spanish to “time” or “the weather,” features the voice of Brazilian cellist and singer/songwriter Dom La Nena, who sings in Spanish.
West Coast rockers Sonny and the Sunsets display their garage vintage-style through a forthcoming album, Self Awareness Through Macrame, named after a course his mother developed to teach at Bolinas Community Center back in the ‘70s that no one signed up for. The new album drops in late August and the band is slated to support WITCH (We Intend To Create Havoc) on the West Coast leg of their tour. So if you are going to that show, be sure to get there early to catch “Pink Cake” live.
Have you met Brazilian artist dadá Joãozinho yet? Paying homage to samba and bossa styles, Joãozinho sets modern production elements to his work by sampling the band he assembled, tearing it up, then chopping and flipping the arrangements. It’s heaven. And so is the song “Ô Lulu.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Chris Pierce is a gentle giant who makes powerful music that lifts the unsung to rise together — much like his hero, Neil Young, who handpicked Pierce to open on his July tour. Showcasing Pierce’s thoughtful songwriting, “Meet Me at the Bottom” helps heal divisiveness to a place of common ground.
It’s the middle of the week, and you may find yourself needing a soothing balm like “A day in the water’ by Christine and the Queens. When asked about the song, Chris shares: “The song is about that feeling of being deep in the water when you feel the world cannot touch you anymore. It’s behind the glass of your own melancholia, but in that deep dive of vulnerability hopefully the light arrives. The light of honesty.”
KCRW DJs are hyped on Silver, the forthcoming sophomore studio album from Say She She dropping late September. Their stellar harmonies always have us swooning, and that’s certainly the case for Silver’s gorgeous “Astral Plane,” out today.
Los Angeles native Joey Dosik considers himself The Nostalgiac, a realization he had on the way to the studio one day while wearing a Magic Johnson shirt he’s had since 1990, and it’s a fitting title for his new album. Dosik took that spirit and dotted his recording with found sounds, voice memos, and childhood VHS audio. Featuring a gamut of LA’s stellar session musicians, “Beat The Same” is an uplifting R&B powerhouse.
Trippy electronic LA trio Supreme Beings of Leisure are ready to light up your summer with a Madonna-esque earworm called “My Ibiza,” remixed by Dave Aude.
An electronic pioneer and master of playful fantasy, Mort Garson is best known for his 1976 cult classic Mother Earth's Plantasia, which lay dormant for years until its 2019 reissue. Pushing the boundaries of whimsy, Garson created an album to play to plants. And now, a recently unearthed single from a 1970 National Geographic Special “Zoos of the World” has risen. Stunningly cinematic, take a sonic trip into the mind of Mort Garson on what would have been his 99th birthday.
Raised in Window Rock, Ariz. — the capital of the Navajo Nation — the artist known as Hataałii takes his moniker from the Navajo term “hatalii,” which translates to “singer.” His new album was influenced by the late author Cormac McCarthy, whom he credits for showing him, in his words, “that the desert was more than just a void, but rather it was filled with spirit and that the people who truly live in the desert see things differently.” Take a listen to the gritty sound of “Midnight Soldier,” a mix of garage rock and the psychedelic stylings of The Doors.
MacArthur Prize-winning singer, composer, and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens recently added a 2023 Pulitzer to her list of accolades for the opera Omar. Here, she struts her stuff on the Zydeco-funk jam “You Louisiana Man.” The new track is from her forthcoming album of original songs, You’re the One, out later this summer, featuring a dozen songs written over the course of Giddens’ career.
Check out the stylings of console king and multi-instrumentalist Simon Mavin as he unleashes his debut EP. You know him from his work as co-writer and co-producer for the acclaimed Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote; now Mavin stretches out on his own. A sultry mix that recalls the work of Stevie Wonder, “Good Hair Day” makes you feel like you’re indeed having a good one!
Longtime KCRW favorites Little Dragon just released their latest album Slugs Of Love, a testament to their consistent and glorious sound. Recorded in the hallowed ground of their Gothenburg studio, the studio they’ve worked in for almost 20 years, finds Yukimi Nagano front and center across a batch of upbeat soulful electronica like “Tumbling Dice.”
You may have heard the avant-garde music of The Penguin Cafe Orchestra lead by English guitarist Simon Jeffes back in the 80’s. Their sound lives on via Penguin Cafe thanks to Jeffes’ son, Arthur. You can hear the thread of optimism that binds the two on a new track that started with a little groove on piano and ukulele to birth the Caribbean/South American vibe of “Find Your Feet.”
Buzzy London five piece The Last Dinner Party have been hyped opening for The Rolling Stones and Nick Cave in recent months. Part musical theater, it sounds like these girls just wanna have fun on their debut single, the summer anthem “Nothing Matters.”
After eleven years, rap fiend Killer Mike has dropped his first solo full-length and most hard-hitting, autobiographical work to date. An integrated intro into the artist, the 14 tracks that make up MICHAEL feature a ton of friends including Young Thug, Ty Dolla $ign, and EL-P but on “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS” Killer Mike collaborates with former mentor André 3000 and features Future and Eryn Allen Kane.
Mexican-American musician, Nic Clark has no trouble expressing his hard-earned Gen Z life experience into song. Uplifting and honest, Clark’s sophomore album, Everybody’s Buddy is produced by guitar whiz Charlie Hunter and shines with deep grooves and flowing harmonica.
“Don’t Count Yourself Out” is a song of hope and inclusion. Clark notes, "My experience is very common in America. I work an Amazon warehouse job, and I'm really ashamed of it. As a working musician, I need to make ends meet. Take one shift at an Amazon warehouse and you'll understand how everyone has the same problems as you. People are in recovery, supporting multi-generational families, etc. I'm just so grateful I have my music to keep me out of trouble."
The late, Brooklyn-based jaimie branch didn’t have much time on the planet, but what she did with it was to beguile us with her talent and improvisational artistry. A gifted composer, trumpeter, and singer, jaimie branch had her breakthrough with the internationally acclaimed Fly Or Die Quartet. The third and final installment in her Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) series will be released August 25, just days after the first anniversary of her passing. “take over the world” is our first listen to the album and offers a robust, hardcore avalanche of percussion and heartfelt trumpet.
A self-proclaimed music maker, photo taker, and part-time explorer, Gothenburg-based Amparo translates her feelings and stories into sounds. Minimal vocals act as a hybrid instrument floating over ambient dance beats. Light a candle and get comfy as we get into the club edit of “Transient State.”
A self-taught musician, Julie Byrne emerges from solitude with her first new track in six years. Luminous and vibrant, “Summer Glass” radiates with floating vocals, an arpeggiated synth, and fluid harp strings.
If you are into jazz vocalese and Steely Dan, take a sonic pivot to this collaboration between multi-Grammy Award-winning virtuosic vocalist Kurt Elling and innovative guitarist/producer Charlie Hunter as they knit the past and present on “Freeman Square.” 2021’s SuperBlue, the first album from their series together, earned both artists a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. With any luck, their September release, SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree, will see them win!
Texas-raised, LA-based dani mack knows the perils and unfulfilled promises of signing the wrong record deals. Luckily, the story doesn’t end there. Now fully autonomous and doing what she loves — writing and recording her work — dani mack continues honing her craft on the soul-searching anthemic single “Everybody’s Watching,” about the pressures of youth and living in chase of the “next big thing.”
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sunny War says there are two siders to her: One is self-destructive, and the other tries to work to keep things in balance. That’s the insight into War’s fourth album, Anarchist Gospel. A resilient artist, innovative guitarist, and hawkish writer, Sunny War battles her demons on “Whole.”
Trained as a classical guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Bruno Major returns with a dozen new narrative songs on his forthcoming album due July 21. Its title track, “Columbo,” tells the story of the day Major took his vintage ivory white 1978 Mercedes 380SL out for a ride on PCH during LA’s golden hour, only to plow into another car. Thankfully everyone survived, and the car now lives on — on your car stereo.
LA-based artist Ceci Bastida sets her sights on what we all worry about, hope to have more of, and constantly work towards — that is: moola, scratch, or cabbage, no matter what you call it, it all comes down to “Dinero” (Feat. Quetzal Flores and Martha Gonzalez).
When New Delhi five-piece Peter Cat Recording Co. visited MBE for their guest DJ set, Los Angeles hadn’t yet been graced with their live show. A carnival of psychedelic cabaret awaited, offering anything but what you’d expect to hear. In fact, their aim is “to be that band from India that will challenge just what music from the region can be.” Let’s give “Portrait of a Time” a whirl.
You may hear traces of Abba or Toto while listening to “Run Run Run,” the latest offering from Swiss five-piece Sirens of Lesbos, who channel classic rock from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Nostalgic yet modern, put this one on and feel free to let the warmth and optimism in.
Looking to name his band, Chilean-American singer-songwriter Chris Bowers Castillo wanted to mirror the musical concepts swirling around in his head. He came up with Kiltro, the word that Chileans use for mutts or stray dogs. A mish-mash of sound and style, “Guanaco” is a Spanglish treat from the Denver-based band’s sophomore LP Underbelly.
LA’s pride and joy Neil Frances have teamed up with another LA artist we love, hip-hop bruiser St. Panther, who mixes up their flow in collaboration with the disco duo. “Head Straight'' was written during their first session together, and is the first gem from their soon-to-be-announced sophomore album.
Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears has an obsession with dance floor hedonism and making tasty queer pop art, whether by providing lyrics for the musical “Tammy Faye,” writing his memoir, or shaking down bangers. Let your hair down to the vivid sound of “Radio Eyes.”
Let’s flow in the new direction of Afrobeat brought to us by Nigerian-born and London-based artist Obongjayar, who thinks everyone is on edge all the time and offers a little respite from it all on “Just Cool.”
Listen to the heat sparked by the burning love Arlo Parks emotes on “Devotion,” from the ‘90s alt-tinged new album My Soft Machine. Sharing the idea behind her song, Parks says that, “‘Devotion’ to me is a song about feeling so in love it’s almost like being ripped apart — there’s an intensity, a wildness, and a tenderness. This is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever made. It draws from the bands that made me fall in love with music, from Deftones to Yo La Tengo to Smashing Pumpkins to My Bloody Valentine."
Durand Jones devotes his debut solo album Wait Til I Get Over to dissecting/unpacking his Southern and Black roots alongside his hometown of Hillaryville, Louisiana (a place established as part of reparations to formerly enslaved Black Americans). A departure from his work with band The Indications, Jones’ record leans into every aspect of his life — from his barefoot childhood on the blooming Gulf South to his relationship with his elders and his queerness. “See It Through” sheds light and optimism on persistence.
Delivering the first song after her Best New Artist win at the 2022 Latin Grammys, Mexican singer Silvana Estrada shares an ethereal ballad.
Mark your calendars for July 7, when PJ Harvey delivers her tenth studio album, I Inside the Old Year Dying. A commanding poet, visual artist, musician, and songwriter, Harvey’s work is utterly striking in scope and imagination. According to Harvey, the new songs offer “a resting space, a solace, a comfort, a balm — which feels timely for the times we’re in.” It’s a natural lead-in to her song “A Child’s Question, August.”
John Tejada and March Adstrum, the duo behind Optometry, follow-up on their debut album with an EP of star-studded remixes by the likes of artists like Dntel and Plaid. It’s slated for a mid-summer release, plus a couple of new singles, including the banger “Television Screen.”
Seattle-based soul innovator and multi-instrumentalist Brittany Davis is a non-binary, blind artist we’ve recently become acquainted with. “So Fly,” explains Davis, “is a playful but potent perspective on how I’ve learned to see myself through sound. You could say it’s my sonic reflection. This song, with its disco throwback vibes, fills up the empty places within my soul. And reminds me to remember the full-body beauty and vitality that I possess.”
In these uncertain times, turning to artists we love is a great way to cope. An optimistic voice for almost six decades, Yusuf — you may also know him as Cat Stevens — is back to warm our hearts and bring joy.
The award-winning director of the 1992 period drama “Orlando,” Sally Potter, has created her first studio album, Pink Bikini. A semi-autobiographical batch of songs reminiscing on her youth in ‘60s London, Potter narrates a striking scene as a teenager on the title track.
Roger Sellers, the multi-hyphenate experimental artist known as Bayonne, wrestled his grief into catharsis on his album Temporary Time while going through his father’s declining health. A standout from the album is “Right Thing,” which features haunting samples from his family’s old VHS home movies.
For a sense of deeply lush and atmospheric electronic sound, look no further than Oregon-based duo Rocket Empire. Their newly-minted album Todas Partes translates to “Everywhere” in Spanish, and given the titles of the songs, they really mean it. “Lima,” the opening track named for the capital of Peru, sets the stage for your exploration. RIYL: William Orbit.
For a sense of deeply lush and atmospheric electronic sound, look no further than Oregon-based duo Rocket Empire. Their newly-minted album Todas Partes translates to “Everywhere” in Spanish, and given the titles of the songs, they really mean it. “Lima,” the opening track named for the capital of Peru, sets the stage for your exploration. RIYL: William Orbit.
Kara Jackson has an intimate, distinctive sound. Nourished by country folk, Black feminist poets, and a Southern sensibility, their talent was unlocked by a sharpened musicality on piano and guitar, and earned the prestigious National Youth Poet Laureate in 2019. ‘pawnshop’ showcases the work of an astute Chicago-based Black queer polymath. RIYL Joan Armatrading.
Best Coast founder Bethan Cosentino has a debut solo album, Natural Disaster, coming just in time to soundtrack your summer on July 28. Look forward to her trademark lyrical reflections and pop-rock optimism from her previous recordings that resonated with so many of us, this time with more maturity and self understanding on tracks like “It’s Fine,” on which you can hear the influence of some of heroes like Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt.
When it comes to R&B, Kool & The Gang, is the longest running group in history and most sampled in their genre. “Celebration” is a No. 1 hit immortalized in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. Questlove calls them “America’s First Hip Hop Band.” Led by founding members Robert "Kool" Bell and George "Funky" Brown, the group is celebrating their 60th anniversary next year and is set to release a new album — their 34th — on July 14. You can hear their signature sound on their latest, “Let’s Party.”
Emerson once wrote that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; case in point with Stella Rose, the daughter of Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, who recently released her debut album, Eyes Of Glass. On “Jane,” Stella Rose gets creative cueing up a nostalgia about the past, as she grew up in the West Village of Manhattan and learned to ride her bike on Jane Street.
Take an imaginary cosmic journey into deep space with Canadian instrumental band Astrocolor. Their new album, Moonlighting, was executive produced by Khruangbin’s long-time collaborator, Steve Christensen, giving this instrumental band their certification of approval. A dizzying blend of jazz, psychedelia, and electronics explode on “Star Swing.”
Los Bitchos turn up the heat on the 1958 Latin-inspired classic surf song by The Champs, “Tequila.” A favorite during their live sets, the London-based, internationally assembled, woman-powered instrumental band share their outstanding version on Cinco de Mayo. Salud!
A constant in the Om Records repertoire, Charlie Tate expands his legacy with new work from his project The Jazzual Suspects. Tate began his musical journey in the ‘90s working with breakbeat pioneers, and has released more than 13 full length recordings under different monikers and countless remixes for the likes of Bob Marley, Kaskade, and many more. Get acquainted with The Jazzual Suspects electro-jazzy mix on “Blue Vaka.” And may the fourth be with you, today and every day!
Balance is the centerpiece of Steady Holiday’s fourth album, Newfound Oxygen — finding it, noticing its changes, and jostling to find it again. Dre Babinski, the force behind Steady Holiday, knows that “balance has to be monitored and maintained.” “Newfound Oxygen” is the reward taken from hard lessons.
Ethereal artist vōx and Japanese experimentalist Salyu intertwine their voices, each in their native tongues, connecting East and West to dabble in ideas of distance and longing on “I Would.”
Zamrock pioneers WITCH return June 2 with Zango, their first new album in 39 years. Yes, pals, that is a LIFETIME! An international and inter-generational collaboration, “Avalanche of Love” (featuring Sampa The Great), connects their legacy to fresh Zambian talent.
Today sees Avalon Emerson & The Charm dropping their self-titled debut album. “Karaoke Song” muses on the fluid nature of intimacy.
Naming themselves Psyché, after both the ancient Greek for ‘soul’ or ‘mind’ and their love for psychedelic funk, this extraordinary Neopolitan band serves up a burner of a debut single. “Cumbia Mahàre” is an instrumental romp that dives deep into their Mediterranean roots and beyond. (Fun fact: the term “mahàre” was used in Southern Italian dialects to indicate witches.)
Five-time Grammy Award winner, Country Music Hall of Famer, and all around good guy Marty Stuart is back with his first album in six years, Altitude. Stuart may be “Sitting Alone” on this track, but he’ll be busy this summer hitting the road with Chris Stapleton and making a pit stop at Stagecoach this coming weekend.
79.5 is so dedicated to their sound that they named their band after an imaginary eclectic radio station that you might have heard growing up in NYC, blending everything from 70’s underground disco to acid jazz. If you’re looking for something sweet with a beat, turn to “Our Hearts Didn’t Go That Way” (Feat. Durand Jones).
June McDoom takes a unique approach to her style of dreamy folk music. Featuring vintage analog experimentation, “On My Way” has an overall tender yet supernatural, cinematic quality from an emerging singer-songwriter.
An icon of the ‘80s world music boom, Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal plunges into stiff electronic production combined with a modern African sound on “Freak Out,” featuring The Very Best.
“It became a song about being careful what you put on the internet,” Baaba Maal tells us. “It might seem funny or popular when you do it, but it might have consequences, and you will have to live with those all your life.”
Mesmerizing and hypnotic, Chula Vista/Tijuana queer artist Jackie Mendoza found her voice when she began playing the ukulele and singing in school musicals. “Pedacitos,” or “little pieces/bits” in Spanish, pays tribute to loss.
Written and recorded in Greece during the pandemic, Hydranism is the title of the debut album by Paris-based trio Oracle Sisters. Tapping into the timeless space we were once suspended in, “RBH” or "Right Beside Her" came together quickly while the group was jamming and borrows a verse from James Joyce’s “Ulysses.”
A godfather of improvisational creativity, Lonnie Holley transcends struggle and hardship by making art and music. Holley takes a thoughtful approach to music making, building his songs like sculptures. He flows through stream-of-consciousness lyrics on “Kindness Will Follow Your Tears,” featuring none other than Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver.
Influenced by Western Noir, the sibling duo Ruen Brothers create a brooding cinematic vibe replete with ricochet effect on “Slow Draw,” a sonic reference to the triggers at the brink of a relationship’s end.
Gifted Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith has released 16 albums to date, and shares songwriting credits on albums by Rod Stewart, k.d. lang, and Emmylou Harris, to name a few.
Brooklyn-based soul funkstress and bassist Adi Oasis slips in a little French at the top of “Adonis,” from her debut album Lotus Glow, which pays homage to her French grandmother and her father’s native island of Martinique. The album is buoyed by collaborations with Jamila Wood, Aaron Taylor, and, on “Adonis,” Rihanna and Ariana Grande songwriter KIRBY.
Blurring the lines of jazz, hip hop, and experimental rock, the artist known as Rarelyalways delivers a dazzling debut album titled WORK. Erupting out of the London jazz scene, there is mystery in the poetry of “MSG.”
Aptly named BAILEN, Spanish for “dancing,” the rising sibling band shares another banger with “Call It Like It Is.” Daniel, David, and Julia Bailen punctuate their songs with dazzling vocals and razor-sharp songwriting.
Bogotá-based band and Latin Grammy-winners Diamante Eléctrico are hitting their stride with a new album, Leche De Tigre, Spanish for “Tigermilk,” recorded in Mexico City where the band reunited to work on new songs. We share “Persona Favorita,” a standout track from their seventh album Mira Lo Que Me Hiciste Hacer (Deluxe Edition) released last year, featuring Argentine artist Conociendo Rusia. It might become your new favorite song.
Iris DeMent wants us to love each other despite our opposing views, and her songs are her way of helping us heal. A John Prine collaborator/contributor whose sounds are rooted in gospel and old country, DeMent’s seventh album was spurred by the 2016 election, yet is still relevant today. “Nothin’ For The Dead” has a timeless feel.
Meditating on the shifting inconsistencies of life, Anna B Savage’s new album, in/FLUX, proves an apt title for explorations on lyrical themes and musical tones of duality. “Hungry” is a powerful, quiet, and intimate piece, reminiscent of Nick Drake.
Five-piece rootsy rockers The Heavy Heavy released an expanded edition of their debut album Life and Life Only, featuring new arrangements and takes on Crosby, Stills & Nash, Father John Misty, Jonathan Wilson, plus this acoustic rendition of their song “Go Down River.”
Check out this snazzy new post-bossa nova track by São Paulo-born Sessa. “Vento a Favor,” or “Tailwind” in Portuguese, features a playful melody that sets sail with razor-sharp precision backed by Sessa’s women’s backing choir.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1979, the familyhood known as Fishbone shares “All We Have Is Now,” a sentiment with which we’re familiar but can be hard to grasp in our everyday lives.
A founding member of Brooklyn garage-rock band Habibi, Rahill has a reputation for distilling an eclectic range of melodies that lean into her Iranian-American upbringing. Her deeply personal solo project features the captivating and languid song “I Smile for E,” about losing and grieving family while honoring our love for them.
Growing up under the constrictions facing South Africa’s Christian gay population, Nakhane ignites their new album Bastard Jargon with potent dancefloor numbers that suggest sex. “Tell Me Your Politik” features Moonchild and the inimitable Nile Rogers, who also executive produced the album.
The force behind Mexican band Control Machete, Tuzeint steps into the spotlight with his first release sung entirely in his mother tongue. Known for his remixes for artists like M.I.A., Run The Jewels, and Vampire Weekend, this time his explorations lean on native instruments like the jarocho and leona. We are welcomed into his realm on the song “Tenebrax.”
Def Sound grew up listening to KCRW on the way to school every morning, so they know what they're talking about. “Welcome To LA” (Feat. Annabelle Freedman & Dr. John Murillo lll) is an anthem and a love letter from their soul to their soil.
Ambassadors of Brazilectro, Zuco 103, are back to push the boundaries of samba on a fresh new track from their forthcoming album, Telenova. “Nao Tem Jeito” drops tomorrow, chopping up beats and teasing out funky elements. Let’s hit play on this world premiere!
Toronto is known to many as a jazz city. To honor that tradition, the 18-member strong Composers Collective Big Band has put together an album’s worth of compositions based on aspects of their neighborhoods that inspire them. Liberty Village’s most infamous building is the setting that sparks “Inside The Toy Factory,” and what it would be like to spend a night there.
Art school daredevil and post-punk legend Gina Birch, co-founder of The Raincoats, takes the limelight with her first-ever solo album. One of our favorites on the record is “I Play My Bass Loud,” a piece that distills Birch’s years of musical, political, and artistic life into a title track banger.
Ever feel closer to your partner in the midst of a breakup? There is a song for that. “Never Let You Go” is the graceful, bouncy beat with lush harmonies from NY duo Overcoats that you’ve been waiting to sing along to.
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is The Flaming Lips’ masterpiece recording, and you’ll be able to hear it in its entirety when the band comes to play the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles in August. Released in 2002, a massive 20th anniversary deluxe edition of the album is forthcoming, featuring over 100 tracks, B-sides, and demos, plus a very special version of “In The Morning of the Magicians,” recorded live on KCRW from our 2002 MBE session, which you can listen to in its entirety here.
Belgian duo The Colorist Orchestra and Icelandic-Italian singer-songwriter Emiliana Torrini recorded their album between many brewing storms deep in the Icelandic countryside. It was such an emblematic prelude of life-affirming chaos that they named their album Racing The Storm. While we wait for the album to drop tomorrow, let’s check out “Hilton.”
Ten years ago, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds released a subtle and beautiful studio album, 2013’s Push The Sky Away, that opened up a new and different approach to making their music in a controlled yet improvisational way. To mark the occasion, we share the original recording of “Mermaids.”
No one can say it better than Yaya Bey when it comes to her work: "‘exodus the north star’ is my most vulnerable work to date. This is how I see joy and love in the world and what I aspire to feel and be. I have become an expert at turning my pain and grief as a Black woman into music. Black people have a masterful way of telling our stories and sharing pain, but we're also masters of joy and imagination.”
We are excited to get our teeth into the dreamy sound of Devon Gilillian’s sophomore album in early April. If “All I Really Wanna Do” is any indication, we’ll be swaying and singing along to this songwriter's groove as he shares his musical stories.
You might know trombonist and composer Kalia Vandever from her work with Lizzo, Harry Styles, or Japanese Breakfast. Opening our ears to a new signature sound, Kalia sculpts a golden tone on “Temper The Wound.” Let melody and meditation be your muse for the next four minutes.
You might know singer Acantha Lang via her YouTube and TikTok soul series “Standing On The Shoulders Of,” in which she honors soul singers of the past. But if you don’t, we’ll introduce you: Lang is a Robert Randolph collaborator and winner of Soul Tracks Readers’ Choice Award for New Artist of the Year, whose track “Ride This Train” is the next stop on this singer’s move from New Orleans to Harlem, and speaks to her rising stardom.
On their fourth studio album, brother band The Lemon Twigs reveal their ‘60s-tinged love song, “Corner Of My Eye,” an ode to a new love interest. Written during winter on vibraphone, drums, and upright bass, the duo laid down their vocals late at night once the din of Manhattan’s traffic had died down.
Serving up a soul-swaggering vintage sound, Bristol-based DJ and production duo The Allergies are back firing off “Sometimes I Wonder,” replete with bluesy vocals and brassy beats.
With a new EP, BAD PREMONITION, dropping this month, LA-based Colombian-Canadian artist Tei Shi shares her bi-lingual single "¿QUIÉN TE MANDA?," which translates to “Who Sent You?” Written to channel her frustration with toxic aspects of the music industry and parting with her former label, Tei Shi takes back her power.
Back in 2012, The Stones celebrated their golden anniversary by playing 30 live dates across North America and Europe. To our delight, some of those shows were captured as audio gold, with their New Jersey show a particular stand-out. The line-up was incredible, with The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., Lady Gaga, and even The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, joining them on stage. We’re thrilled to share a live version of “Miss You” from that special night, a real treat from their latest album, Grrr Live.
In the tradition of weirdo Britpop, enter trio Pozi, whose restless and playful sound lands somewhere between Television and Wire. Check out “Failing.”
Fresh off their tour with Odesza, Brooklyn dance-electronic duo Gilligan Moss are ready to share their first track of 2023 with "Love Song.”
“We wrote this one as an ode to a feeling we hope everyone knows — the absolute rush of falling in love without hesitation,” the pair shares. “We were searching for something that sounds like the reflection of your smile in your crush’s eyes on a beautiful day, the feeling of endless momentum with nowhere to go.”
Yves Tumor is kicking off their world tour at Coachella this year, so it’s time to get prepared. If you’re up for a boundless sound that’s both experimental and electronic, you’ll find it in “Echolalia,” out ahead of their new album, Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), which drops in March.
Carmen Rizzo and Meriem Ben Amor are the Tunisian-American electro duo behind Didon. Move your hips to the trance-inducing sound of “A Faraway Land” with its Arabic and North African undulations.
Folk-rock quartet Villages may be Canadian, but they have a feel for Celtic music. Inspired by a traditional poem, they create a tribute to their native Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, capturing rolling fields and thunder, cold, hard rain, and the dew on clover within the essence of “Play The Fiddle All Night.”
In an effort to connect the dots between Latin America and the alternative international scene, Chilean duo Mecánico turned to the frontman of the Argentine band Bandalos Chinos, Goyo Degano. Check out the chill on “Ultimo Adios,” or “Last Goodbye” in Spanish, a mix of nostalgic ‘90s vibes indie-pop.
Slinky, sexy, and seductive, “Theirs13” is the latest from South London’s JGrrey. An ode to queerness, the artist says the song is about “struggling with identity but finding out more about yourself in the process.”
“Try Again” is the latest positive anthem from self-made rapper and producer Oddisee. Offering fuel to turn around adversity, Oddisee says, “Took a hit but I prevailed / Now I got the gist on how to flip it when I fail.” Listen to the man and give yourself another chance.
Last week, guitarist Jared Mattson (of The Mattson 2) announced his upcoming solo album dropping at the end of March. Having gained prestige working with Chaz Bundick (Toro y Moi), Mattson’s new work “Please Come Here” is sung in Japanese and showcases his tasty, jazzy guitar chops.
Two-time Grammy award-winning artist Kimbra explores the circular thinking behind her new song “replay!,” saying: “This song is about the experience of being on loop. There’s this movie going around in my head replaying both the beautiful and the terrifying times during a relationship. But there’s also an inability to let go,” she explains.
To celebrate our visit with Compton innovator Channel Tres today on MBE, we share his new single “6am,” a driving, high-energy bounce intended to simulate a night out in his hometown that doesn’t let up until dawn.
Propelled by her electro-pop ukulele, the queer, first-generation Mexican-American artist Jackie Mendoza pays tribute to those she has lost with “Pedacitos,” or “Little Bits” in English, as a way to communicate some of the things she wishes she had shared with them.
Optometry is a brand spanking new LA-based duo composed of electro genius John Tejada and stunning singer March Adstrum. Adstrum’s hypnotic voice and guitar spark Tejada’s machinations on their debut track “Chameleon,” with a full-length album coming in March.
Giving a nostalgic twist to the season,“Holiday” is Monogem’s reminder to take this time and take a break to enjoy some much needed time off, no matter what you celebrate! Happy holidays to you and your tribe.
We are partial to punky rock girl groups like Automatic, Wet Leg, and the kids in our own backyard, Madam Bombs. We’re adding Brooklyn pop-punk trio Thick to that list after hearing their power-punch of aural candy, “Happiness.”
Over the past few years, singer, songwriter, and producer Cé Cicada has been fine-tuning music inspired by his love of the bass and Caribbean melodies. Based both in Los Angeles and Puerto Rico, Cicada’s “Mestiza” is a flirty, lo-fi ballad basking on a bed of beats.
Hot off the press, Brighton producer Flevans is back with moody instrumental music peppered with luxurious vocal samples on the album “A Short Distance to Fall.” Sit back and get into “Heartaches,” served up on a bed of house and trip-hop.
Presenting their struggle with love, or better yet, the myth of love, Fever Ray’s Karen Dreijer transmits from the head and the heart on the new album “Radical Romantics.” And, much like love, “Carbon Dioxide” is one of life’s essentials on this planet.
“Bloodline Maintenance,” the 17th album by SoCal favorite Ben Harper, was inspired by the influence and loss of his father. Harper’s first non-instrumental album since 2016 is fueled by his signature lap steel guitar sound, alongside a massive percussion section, guitar, bass, and drums, most of which he plays himself. “Where Did We Go Wrong” is part of this artist’s commitment as an activist and reconfiguration of new Black Americana.
“Pigments” is the debut album collaboration between Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn, and is the story of finding your inner voice through self-expression and community via the New Orleans’ arts scene. Dreamy and free, and guided by clarinet, saxophone, guitar, and strings, “Vantablack” expands Richard’s sound palette into the neoclassical.
Tom Skinner, drummer for Sons of Kemet and The Smile has music of his own, a full album under his own name. “Voices of Bishara” was born when Skinner gathered a group of musician friends for a session where a classic album is played through speakers in its entirety followed by a free form improvisation based on the original. This time, it was Tony Williams’ 1964 Blue Note solo album “Life Time” that provided the fodder. Let yourself be open to the title track “Bishara,” the Arabic intention for “the bringer of good news.” Happy Thanksgiving!
We first encountered Genesis Owusu via Global Beat Australia early last year, and by the end his debut album was sprinkled throughout our Best of 2021. Now, he’s an international star whose poetic punk is indefatigable, showcased both in Anne Litt’s living room earlier this year, and as you’ll hear here on “Get Inspired.”
We first encountered Genesis Owusu via Global Beat Australia early last year, and by the end his debut album was sprinkled throughout our Best of 2021. Now, he’s an international star whose poetic punk is indefatigable, showcased both in Anne Litt’s living room earlier this year, and as you’ll hear here on “Get Inspired.”
For his tenth studio release, Bibio was adamant about adding more synths, drum machines, and electric guitars for a slicker polish. Rich in texture, we share “Off Goes The Light.”
We The Lion may sound like they are channeling a cool SoCal vibe, but they hail from Lima, Peru! “TTT” showcases the band’s pop-savvy soundscape with a playful lilt on our very own shores.
2022 has been good to Caroline Polacheck as she supported Dua Lipa and Harry Styles and performed both at Coachella and Glastonbury. And now with her second album on the horizon in 2023, the future continues to look bright. “Sunset” is a track from the forthcoming album that nods to the folkloric sound of Ennio Morricone’s Spaghetti Western soundtracks.
2022 has been good to Caroline Polacheck as she supported Dua Lipa and Harry Styles and performed both at Coachella and Glastonbury. And now with her second album on the horizon in 2023, the future continues to look bright. “Sunset” is a track from the forthcoming album that nods to the folkloric sound of Ennio Morricone’s Spaghetti Western soundtracks.
Get ready, sit back, and take in “Love On The Run,” off the latest Broken Bells album, “Into The Blue.” It’s an epic aural journey transporting you back in time to the days of ‘70s AM gold radio as it morphs into psychedelia.
Get ready, sit back, and take in “Love On The Run,” off the latest Broken Bells album, “Into The Blue.” It’s an epic aural journey transporting you back in time to the days of ‘70s AM gold radio as it morphs into psychedelia.
Who are the Umlauts, you ask? According to them, “We’re just your average trans-European, multi-lingual, art-school, post-punk, techno-inspired, über-group/circus-troop/diaeresis.”
A recent Novena discovery from her trawling of the internets, we are partial to the Italian/English lyrics on “Sweat.”
Who are the Umlauts, you ask? According to them, “We’re just your average trans-European, multi-lingual, art-school, post-punk, techno-inspired, über-group/circus-troop/diaeresis.”
A recent Novena discovery from her trawling of the internets, we are partial to the Italian/English lyrics on “Sweat.”
Inspired by his village of Kela just 30 kilometers south of Bamako, modern Malian griot Habib Koite shares an ode to international audiences in “Forever,” featuring the gifted kora player Toumani Diabate.
The long lost follow-up to Melody’s Echo Chamber’s debut album release is finally here! Co-produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, the album is full of treats, including seven rare and unreleased tracks, including the gorgeous title number ‘Unfold.”
Blending jazzy soul with beats, seductive songsmith Madison McFerrin shares “Stay Away (From Me).” Showcasing her newly-acquired production chops, the song encapsulates our feelings during lockdown while alleviating some of the anxiety.
Blending jazzy soul with beats, seductive songsmith Madison McFerrin shares “Stay Away (From Me).” Showcasing her newly-acquired production chops, the song encapsulates our feelings during lockdown while alleviating some of the anxiety.
Freaks Only host Travis Holcombe recently hosted an intriguing session with Nation of Language: Live from The Village Studios, not to be missed.
Puerto Rican powerhouse iLe enlists Chilean icon Mon LaFerte to tackle the long arm of the patriarchy on a modern day bolero called “Traguito,” or “Little Sip,” one of the songs from iLe’s third solo album, out later this month.
Puerto Rican powerhouse iLe enlists Chilean icon Mon LaFerte to tackle the long arm of the patriarchy on a modern day bolero called “Traguito,” or “Little Sip,” one of the songs from iLe’s third solo album, out later this month.
A contender/titan on KCRW’s Top 30 for several weeks is none other than Icelandic diva Björk, capable of melting snowcaps with her otherworldly, mellifluous songs, winding lyrics, and imaginative costumes. This creative force unleashes a symphony on “ovule,” from her forthcoming tenth album ‘fossora.’ “‘ovule’ for me is my definition of love,” she says. “It is a meditation about us as lovers walking around this world.”
Hiroshima-born, and Montreal-based singer-songwriter Jonah Yano enlisted BADBADNOTGOOD to produce his forthcoming LP. The beautifully langid, slowburning “always” is a jazzy offering written for his younger brother Azusa who was in the throes of heartbreak.
Hiroshima-born, and Montreal-based singer-songwriter Jonah Yano enlisted BADBADNOTGOOD to produce his forthcoming LP. The beautifully langid, slowburning “always” is a jazzy offering written for his younger brother Azusa who was in the throes of heartbreak.
It’s been a while since Jessie Baylin shared a new album. “I had to write myself back into existence,” says Baylin. “I’d been feeling lost, empty, unsure if I’d ever make music again, and I think this album came along to remind me of who I really am, of who I could still become.” Makes sense when you join the chorus on “Time Is A Healer.”
It’s been a while since Jessie Baylin shared a new album. “I had to write myself back into existence,” says Baylin. “I’d been feeling lost, empty, unsure if I’d ever make music again, and I think this album came along to remind me of who I really am, of who I could still become.” Makes sense when you join the chorus on “Time Is A Healer.”
While on tour in the early 70s, guitarist Hank Swarn had been writing and collecting songs. There he started a collaboration with Portland soulstress Shirley Nanette that led to a full album “Never Coming Back” in 1973. The album saw little exposure until now, when Big Crown Records decided to breathe it new life. “People Are Thinking” is a timeless track from the lost treasure.
While on tour in the early 70s, guitarist Hank Swarn had been writing and collecting songs. There he started a collaboration with Portland soulstress Shirley Nanette that led to a full album “Never Coming Back” in 1973. The album saw little exposure until now, when Big Crown Records decided to breathe it new life. “People Are Thinking” is a timeless track from the lost treasure.
Based in Sydney, 20-year-old indie pop player grentperez grew up listening to all sorts of music from The Beatles to Queen, which helped him fortify his falsetto. His genre-bending compilation “Trail Mix Tape” is out at the end of the week and features a little gem called “Ego.”
Based in Sydney, 20-year-old indie pop player grentperez grew up listening to all sorts of music from The Beatles to Queen, which helped him fortify his falsetto. His genre-bending compilation “Trail Mix Tape” is out at the end of the week and features a little gem called “Ego.”
A first generation child of Mexican immigrants based in the Bay Area, San Cha took a break and stayed at her aunt’s farm back home to reimagine herself, and sees herself as a subversive queer ranchera singer. Now based in Los Angeles, her forceful voice and emotive style are the centerpiece of “Enfrente De Ti” or “in front of you.”
Get acquainted with San Cha and check out her Private Playlist.
Named after NASA’s 1973 robotic space probe, LA’s psychedelic dance trio Pioneer 11 make music for a shapeshifting cosmos. With a new album “Humanoid” dropping in November, we can experience the celestial dreamscape known as “Destiny.”
Nation of Language co-founder Aidan Noell may be applying her master’s degree in history to her solo work. On “Sharevari,” Aidan colludes with LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang to pay homage to and remake 1981’s archetypal Detroit techno track of the same name by A Number of Names, which helped launch the genre.
Singer/songwriter and producer Anna Wise won a Grammy Award right out of the gate with her debut album “As If It Were Forever” in 2019. But Anna’s music-centered life changed after the birth of her first child, and she found she had less space and energy to dedicate to her craft. “Time” introduces a new and evolving sound in less than two minutes.
KCRW’s Global Beat: Mexico recently highlighted emerging artists from the Gulf state of Veracruz, which included music from Vico Diaz, a master of the leona, the guitar-shaped, four-stringed fretted instrument that acts like a bass, played in that region. A composer and explorer of traditional Mexican music who seeks out elusive new sounds, Diaz brings us a tropical, jazzy “Sapo,” or “frog,” replete with the instrument of Chiapas, the marimba.
The convergence of legendary Grammy- and Oscar-winning producer/artist T Bone Burnett, master drummer Jay Bellerose, and composer/keyboardist Keffus Ciancia brings together a holy musical trinity. From the booming opening notes, you can feel the tribal trance that speaks to a larger truth on “I’m Starting A New Life Today.”
A shapeshifting free spirit with an old soul, Dora Jar, pollinates the airwaves from the point of view of a “Bumble Bee.” Check out a perky pop song from this LA based singer.
Hailing from New Zealand, singer Marlon Williams infuses his pop-inflected song “My Boy” with Maori strums and a new backing band.
“The urge to turn every song on the planet into a Māori strummer descended on me like a fever sometime during the long and winding tour cycle of ‘Make Way for Love,’” Williams says. “So writing it into my artistic life became the only way to get the fever to lift.”
R&B singer and record producer Steve Lacy wrote, produced, and played just about all of the instruments you hear on his album “Gemini Rights.” Known for his guitar prowess with The Internet and his work with music legends Kendrick Lamar and The Weekend, this Compton native delivers a sonic love journey on “Amber.”
North London best friends and co-conspirators Sorry are anything but as they get ready to debut new songs, including “Let The Lights On” from their forthcoming album “Anywhere From Here,” on their first-ever North American headlining tour with a stop at Zebulon on Dec. 2.
Abby Hwong is an LA-based non-binary artist who goes by the moniker NoSo, a nod to their Korean heritage. Using music as a palatable and poetic tool to express difficult feelings is at the heart of their fittingly-titled debut album “Stay Proud of Me,” which features the vibey track “Honey Understand.”
Tomorrow night, KCRW’s Summer Nights continues at Grand Performances, where New Orleans-based African American producer and percussionist ÌFÉ will hit the stage. ÌFÉ sees his live electronic musical project as an extension of his spiritual life and works in tandem with his lifelong dedication to African diaspora percussion. We hope to experience “Heart Full of Love” al fresco on Saturday night.
NY-born, LA-based producer Gianluca Buccellati is the wizard behind work by a bounty of today’s most dynamic artists, including Arlo Parks’ 2021 standout “Collapsed In Sunbeams.” Under the moniker Bien et Toi, the Grammy nominee steps into the limelight for his debut solo project. On “Rainbow Tables,” Bien et Toi taps collaborator Biig Piig for stunning vocals.
Come Sept. 9, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs fans will be able to get their hands and ears on the British electronic producer’s hotly-anticipated new album “When the Lights Go.” Effortlessly binding indie sensibilities and organic dance beats, “Never Seen You Dance” rides on a wave of romantic infatuation.
A compelling voice in global hip-hop, Sampa The Great lived up to her moniker on MBE recently. In the last couple of years, the Zambian-born, Botswana-raised poet returned to Zambia where she dug deep to find the strength she needed from her upbringing to pour into her work. “Never Forget” is an ode to the socially prolific genre of Zamrock.
Have you settled on your summer anthem yet? C’mon, it’s the end of August! But fear not — we’ve got you covered with this playful Moon Boots track, recalling a nostalgic lover wooing back their crush on “Come Back Around,'' featuring Cherry Glazerr on vocals.
Kansas City-based band Making Movies is said to make “American music with an exclamation point,” because their sound embodies both North and South America. That’s particularly exemplified on the title track of their fourth album, where wisps of zydeco, cumbia, and the polyrhythms of the Americas converge on “XOPA.”
Have you checked out the mix French house legends Braxe + Falcon recently delivered on FREAKS ONLY? According to host Travis Holcombe, they are proper dance music royalty, a moniker he does not dispense lightly. After laying down a beat on “Step By Step,” the duo reached out to Animal Collective’s Panda Bear to provide vocals, who in turn wrote and performed in the track, transforming the instrumental into a beautiful song. In its final form, the tune could be defined as a power ballad with French house DNA.
London-based artist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Oscar Lang reached out to the Gen-Z, LA based indie-pop polymath Wallice when he penned a track about a place he’d always heard about but never visited. What feels like a precursor to Randy Newman’s “I Love LA,” “I’ve Never Been To LA” is an anthem for all of those who have only ever heard about our fair city, but only experienced it through movies and TV shows.
New York-based DJ and producer DJ Python, maker of mesmerizing instrumentals, teams up with Colombian electronic artist Ela Minus on a collaborative EP, “♡” (referred to as “corazón”), dropping in mid-September. The duo share “‘Pájaros en Verano,” or “Birds in Summer,” a song written in response to pandemic isolation.
Rounding out a week of artists playing This Ain’t No Picnic, going down Aug. 27 and 28 Brookside at the Rose Bowl, we saved New York-based collective Michelle to close out the run. Michelle’s album “After Dinner We Talk Dreams” was named by Billboard as one of the “10 Best Pride Albums of 2o22,” and their layered vocal harmonies and hooky vibes abound on the pensive “Sea Shanty.”
We can’t wait to hit the dance floor at This Ain’t No Picnic, going down Aug. 27 and 28 Brookside at the Rose Bowl, for British songwriting and production team Jungle, who bring joy with their soul anthem “Good Times” — something we’re sure to count on for their set.
We’re so excited for our upcoming “regional holiday,” ahem, festival This Ain’t No Picnic (going down Aug. 27 and 28 Brookside at the Rose Bowl) that we’re devoting this week’s TTT to exploring work from some of the artists slated. And whom better to turn to than the hipster mavens of double-entendre, irreverent post-punk duo Wet Leg? Get in on the infectious diatribe that is “Wet Dream.”
This week, Today’s Top Tune hand-picks some of the artists playing This Ain’t No Picnic, going down Aug. 27 and 28 Brookside at the Rose Bowl. Today, we set our sights on up-and-coming LA based musician Hana Vu who draws us in via bedroom pop and garage rock on “Parking Lot.”
This week, Today’s Top Tune hand-picks some of the artists playing This Ain’t No Picnic, going down Aug. 27 and 28 Brookside at the Rose Bowl. To kick off the festivities, we turn to Puerto Rican, LA-based artist Pachy Garcia, best known as Pachyman to fans. A lifelong student and lover of dub/reggae, Pachyman packs a punch as both a one-man band and accompanied by his group, as we witnessed at the Hammer Museum for KCRW’s Summer Nights and on his 3 Song Story on FREAKS ONLY. Take a taste with “All Night Long” featuring Brazilian shoegaze artist Winter.
When Leeds outfit Yard Act released their debut album earlier this year, little did they know they would make a massive fan out of the legendary icon Sir Elton John, but he began telling the press about them. With nothing to lose, Yard Act reached out and asked if Sir Elton would like to join them on piano, which turned out to be just who you hear on the newly-recorded version of “100% Endurance.”
UK producer Lil Silva shares the spotlight with BADBADNOTGOOD on “To The Floor,” creating a seismic shift in dance music for your Thursday morning.
KCRW recently premiered Little Dragon’s blissed out remix of OLAN’s “Wake and Return” on Morning Becomes Eclectic. The Swedish outfit sprinkle their trademark synth lines and melodies to sooth OLAN’s textural soundscape.
Superorganism released their debut album back in 2017, stocking up fans around the globe. Now they are back with their long-awaited creative online convergence, a sophomore album of 13 tracks, including the arty electronic title track “World Wide Pop.”
Once again it’s Friday, and what better way to celebrate than with LA’s own dancemakers De Lux?
“‘New Summers’ refers to a life change,” the band says. “The post effects of a childhood home being sold. There was a distinct nostalgic feeling with this home in the summer. Swimming, family gatherings, ice cream trucks, hot concrete and skating. With the house gone, ‘New Summers’ music paints the picture of the vibrant summers that once were, but the lyrics highlight the darker and sadder tones of having to accept the loss and fading of old times,” all in an upbeat happy way.
Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath and Daughter of the Swords’ Alexandra Sauser-Monnig make their debut as The A’s with a beautiful new album titled “Fruit.” Their ten tracks are a joyful mix of yodeling folk songs, interpretations of lullabies, and traditional ballads, plus an original whimsical treat called “When I Die.”
In a small village in southern Nigeria where Muslims and Christians live and dance together, the pious, devout Muslim Alhaji Waziri Oshomah infuses his love of highlife with the teachings of Islam in the song “Jealousy.” The track is featured on the third volume of record label Luaka Bop’s “World Spirituality Classics” series, dedicated to spreading positivity.
After four years, “Geronimo” is the first track we hear from Young Fathers, who cut loose in the studio for one of their most unabashed, soulful tracks to date with “Geronimo.”
The UK isn’t known for its blue skies and golden sunshine, but Brighton-based The Heavy Heavy turn up the sound of sunshine pop on their song “Miles and Miles.”
Catch The Heavy Heavy at the Troubadour Oct. 24
What happens when Damon Albarn, artist Jamie Hewlett, Murdoc, Noodle, Russel, and 2D — the music minds behind Gorillaz — plus eight-time Grammy Award winner Greg Kurstin team up with shamanistic bassist Thundercat? You get “Cracker Island.” ’Nuff said.
Don’t miss out when they come to the Forum on Sept. 23 and Sept. 25.
With two Latin Grammy nominations (Best New Artist and Best Pop/Rock Song) last year and and an LAMC Discovery Award this one, Zoe Gotusso is an emerging artist to keep an ear on. The Argentine singer-songwriter delivers a Spanish bossa nova that keeps on giving with “Un Bossa +” or “mas.”
Public defender-turned-powerhouse singer Danielle Ponder has raised the bar by delivering social messages via song. A tireless advocate for justice, Ponder asks us to consider the red flags we detect upon entering into a relationship (and tend to ignore in hopes of true love) on “The Only Way Out.”
Music is meant to build community — which is just the intention and truth behind 21-year-old Bay Area newcomer Satya’s latest single, “Oakland,” a love letter to her hometown and chosen family.
Welcome to the debut work of LA’s own PJ Western and their kaleidoscopic pop-rock psychedelia on “Human Machines,”produced by Gus Seyffert (Beck, Michael Kiwanuka).
PJ Western Live:
July 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Silverlake Lounge
July 19 - Los Angeles, CA - Silverlake Lounge
July 26 - Los Angeles, CA - Silverlake Lounge
With her fourth album “Denim & Diamonds” on the horizon, we find Nikki Lane in top form.
Produced by Josh Homme, the alt-country star gets rockin’ with the help of Queens of the Stone Age and Autolux members on the album’s lead song, “First High.”
Catch Nikki Lane with Midland at The Greek on Oct. 15.
As a bassist to the stars, you won’t find many solos on Saya Gray’s debut album “19 Masters.” The Japanese-Canadian songstress hardly recalls writing songs, as her process has her nearly blacking out or going into “a flow state,” knocking out songs in about an hour. Check the beautiful flow of “Saving Grace.”
You don’t have to be born in the US to sing soul, but you do have to be able to convey the right feeling. Helsinki-born Bobby Oroza has that in his soul. “Through These Tears” lights a slow-burning flame on the crossroads of lost love.
Skye Edwards and Ross Godfrey, best known as one of the UK’s leading trip-hop pioneers Morcheeba, help us chill out with new music on their tenth album “Blackest Blue.”
A true electro-organic mix, “Killed Our Love” is a standout.
Since 1971, Sounds of Blackness has lifted the voices of African-American sound through gospel, worldbeat, jazz, and soul. It’s no wonder that these three-time Grammy Award-winning artists have racked up numerous accolades and a devoted international fanbase when you hear their latest, “Juneteenth Celebration.”
Thanks to a lot of hard work the legendary Ansonia Records will release its first full length recording in 30 years. Colombian artists Meridian Brothers announce their new album “El Grupo Renacimiento” as they dig out the lost sound of ‘70s “salsa dura,” or “hard salsa,” out August 5. For now, you can enjoy “Triste son.”
Somewhere between MC 900 Ft. Jesus, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix lies Eamon’s “Come On Through.” Go ahead, give it a whirl.
Based in Barcelona, The Boy From The South once lived in San Diego, where he became a fan of KCRW’s music programming. A fledgling artist himself, he decided to send over his new single “Stereotypes,” a good vibes track which we’re delighted tol share as Today’s Top Tune.
Get ready to groove with Canadian fusionists Eccodek, who blend a fiery mix of dub, funk, jazz, and electronics. Recalling Cameroonian luminary Manu Dibango, “I Wanna Talk To You” taps into an international lineage of collaborators that stretches from Nigeria to the Balkans.
Kate Bollinger got a big push when Kanye West sampled her song “Candy” on his album “Donda.” Bollinger writes her songs at home in Richmond, Va. in a pensive state that lets whatever is brewing underneath her conscious mind rise to the surface. Inspired by tracks from the ‘60s and ‘70s “Look at it in the Light” is the title track off her new album. Delve further into her process and inspiration with Bollinger’s episode of Three Song Story on FREAKS ONLY.
Naming themselves after their idols, Staples Jr. Singers were a family band back in 1971, performing in school talent shows and churches and selling hand-pressed vinyl records on their front lawn. They recorded one album, “When Do We Get Paid,” in 1975, with only a handful of albums surviving the last 40 odd years. Standout cut “I Know You’re Going To Miss Me” still feels fresh today.
Sunny Ozuna became a star straight out of high school back in the ‘50s, and has been a shining light in the Chicano/Lowrider Soul pantheon ever since. Thanks to Big Crown Records, Ozuna’s San Antonio-based Sunny & The Sunliners’ music has been enjoying reissues, including the 7-inch A-side of “I Can Remember,” a cult classic for fanatic fans.
Try to stand still as you check out the debut song by Cincinnati and LA duo JJ & The Mood with their disco-inspired ode to libidinous youth, “How Many Times.” Prepare to put your hands in the air!
R&B artist Yuna is a familiar voice to KCRW music lovers. Smooth and sexy, this prolific creator shares a new song about approaching a crush on “Make A Move.”
Hailing from Sudan, Noori and his Dorpa Band capture the sound of Beja (pronounced Bee-Jah) music. A gifted musician who welded and tuned a ‘70s-era four-stringed instrument called the tambour to the neck of an electric guitar, Noori wields the tambo-guitar, a new instrument that he invented. “Al Amal” explores its sound and the band’s brand of Sudanese electric soul.
Canadian avant-pop singer-songwriter, Dan Bejar, lets his curly locks down for once. “LABYRINTHS,” the latest album under his Destroyer moniker provides the perfect vessel for delivering this optimistic romp of a track, “Eat The Wine, Drink The Bread.”
Glasgow’s finest, Belle & Sebastian, are back with their first full length album since 1999. “A Bit Of Previous” was produced and recorded by the seven-piece band during the pandemic, clocking in every morning, writing together, and trying new things. One of the songs they came up with is “Unnecessary Drama.”
When asked about his song “Say Nothing” featuring MAY-A, Grammy Award-winning Australian artist Flume told us: “This song is about feelings of post-relationship clarity. We wrote the song midway through 2020 while the pandemic was still pretty new. I was really excited about the initial idea, but it was only once I got back to Australia in early 2021 and linked up in the studio with MAY-A that the song really came to life.”
Grammy-nominated producers Zach Cooper and Vic Dimotsis, best known as King Garbage, have been quietly affecting different genres working with artists like The Weeknd, SZA, and Billy Porter. The duo offer classic jazz stylings on “Busy On A Saturday Night,” a smooth and smoky approach doesn’t mean that it’s predictable. Check it out.