Black Ends - My Own Dead

Ivy Sole - "Don't Hide (feat. Kingsley Ibeneche)" a 2023 single on Ivy Sole LLC / Venice Music Candid, the latest album from Philly-based Pan-Africanist artist Ivy Sole, is presented as triptych, inspired by her parents' love story and how it shaped her own views on relationships.  As she told Metal Magazine, "How the story unfolds in this album is not identical to how it transpired in the lives of my parents, or even in my life, but this much is true – Candid helped me love myself and love my family in ways I could never have imagined and confirmed that our enemy is not each other but the world we live in. How could I not talk about that when the world has only gotten more deadly for all of us?" Today's Song of the Day finds Sole reuniting with previous collaborator Kingsley Ibeneche, a singer/songwriter/dancer in his own right. Watch them perform in the music video below, directed by Sole and filmed by Wren Rene.  Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Feb 20233min

C.S. Armstrong - "MA EMILY (feat. Rapsody)" from the 2022 self-released album THE MAKINGS OF ME. During the three years of lockdown, Houston, Texas-based artist C.S. Armstrong didn't release any original music. But the period gave him time to reflect. "The pandemic allowed me to sit with myself" he continues. "God told me to began producing, with not much knowledge I started to learn how to produce. I used God and my ears, I followed both until I reached this project that I’m so happy to finally give you." THE MAKINGS OF ME was produced by Armstrong with additional production by Miles James. The eight-song EP ranges from hip-hop to blues and gospel. As Armstrong calls it, it's a "journey through the things that made me who I am today." Today's Song of the Day is one of the most personal songs on the new release, inspired by his great-great-grandmother, Ma Emily. (In fact, the album cover photo was taken at her home.) Armstrong talked to our own DJ Gabriel Teodros about the song's origins: The song came about through a conversation with my mom actually. I was just asking about the history of my family and she talked about Ma Emily and that was her great-grandmother. She was just telling me her experiences with her and I took that conversation and really, I wanted to dive into, you know, generational curses that we all trying to break. And it came out literally — I didn't write anything — everything really just came out natural. So, for you to be highlighting such a personal song, it truly means a lot to me. Also, I sent it to [guest vocalist] Rapsody and I've been working with Rapsody since about 2012, and you know, she's always been supportive. When she sent her verse back, I literally, you know, fell to tears, man, because it's amazing not to have to explain too much to people. We did that through text, you know, I texted her. We weren't in the same room. I sent it to her and she sent it back in a matter of days and it gave me chills, man. So, shout out to Rapsody for delivering such a phenomenal verse. I think one of my favorite verses of last year. Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Feb 20233min

Fight Milk - ICU from the 2022 self-released Fight Milk EP. Fight Milk is the project of Redmond, Washington-based project of Jackson Leavitt, who has been releasing singles and EPs since 2019 under the name. Influenced highly by campy ‘80’s new wave bands like Devo, Fight Milk’s shows are a multi-disciplinary audiovisual experience made to entertain. Our Song of the Day, “ICU,” comes off of 2022’s self-titled EP and is a high-energy bop led by tapping synth rhythms and a scorching guitar melody, with Leavitt fusing very real and vulnerable feelings of longing with silly voices and lines that brings to life the absurdity that is longing. “I wanna see you so bad, it hurts me all of the time /It's like when you cut your thumb, and then you heal it with lime,” sings Leavitt like a long-forgotten Hawthorne Heights track before following with a bridge of, “Romp around the rink, romp around the rink /Where do you think /Romp around the rink, romp around the rink /Star on the sink.” Fight Milk will be competing in this year’s Sound Off!, a showcase for young artists in the surrounding Seattle area that has helped prior artists like Falon Sierra, Jason McCue, Naked Giants, Manatee Commune, Maiah Manser, and more gain a platform and industry education to bring their music to the mainstream. Watch the video for other Fight Milk track “Grenge” and read the full post at KEXP.org.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Feb 20232min

Avalanche Kaito - Dabalomuni from the 2022 Dabalomuni EP on Glitterbeat Records. Avalanche Kaito is as their name suggests, an avalanche of disparate sounds, ideas, and ancestral odes. Made up of Burkinabe griot singer and multi-instrumentalist Kaito Winse and Brussels noise punk musicians Benjamin Chaval (drums, electronics) and Nico Glitter (guitar), the trio fuse West African oral traditions with pummeling post-punk for a sound so unique it defies categorization. Our Song of the Day, “Dabalomuni,” comes from the three-song EP of the same name, released in early 2022 and catapulting them into the European festival circuit, the international consciousness, and even the Grammys stage. The song is ferocious, with super-charged, sinewy post-punk rhythms backing a myriad of tribal instrumentation, glitchy electronic flourishes, and Winse’s powerful, bellowing recitations for a hypnotic experience that makes one ask, “What the hell just happened?” Watch a mesmerizing live performance of the song and read the full post at KEXP.org.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Feb 20234min

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8 Feb 20234min

Tautumeitas - "Spodrē Manu Augumiņu" from the 2022 self-released album Skrejceļš. Latvian ensemble Tautumeitas take traditional folk songs and folklore from their homeland and update them with modern beats and production. Their latest album, Skrejceļš, was crafted with their long-time producer Reini Sējanus, as well as Swedish producer Povel Olsson.  Today's Song of the Day is a celebration of the winter solstice, as captured in the accompanying video, directed by Dārta Apsīte. The clip was filmed in early November on the coast of Vidzeme, using light installations to convey how "in ancient traditions, through disguise and rituals, people became brighter and stronger." In the same press release, percussionist/vocalist Aurēlija Rancāne explains the masks worn: “Masks are made of various plants and cereals found in Latvian nature, as well as components of electrical appliances that no longer function in everyday life. This is a direct reference to tradition, because in the past, masks were used to integrate objects and clothes that are no longer used in everyday life." Watch below. Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Feb 20233min

Jembaa Groove - "Bassa Bassa" from the 2022 album Susuma on Agogo Records. The word “Jembaa” translates to “life,” and a "groove in life" is what Berlin-based Afro-Soul band Jembaa Groove aims to inspire with their music. Bassist/composer Yannick Nolting and vocalist/percussionist Eric Owusu happened to meet in late 2020 when they were each picking up their sons from kindergarten. Before too long, they'd assembled a seven-piece band to meld influences from traditional West African styles (like Highlife, Adowa, and Wassoulou) with ‘60s and ‘70s soul music.  In a press statement, the band explained they wrote today's Song of the Day "to motivate people." They continue, "It’s an energy and it’s for people who are looking to make a vibe, especially the new generation. It’s for those people who are fed up with the mess that is everywhere at the moment." Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Feb 20235min

Noah Coinflip - Journey (feat. Porsche) from the 2022 self-released album God Is Love. Seattle-via-Alabama producer Noah Coinflip released his latest album God Is Love back in November. According to Bandcamp, the album is “an exploration of themes related to finding a transformative higher power through compassion and community” as well as “an exploration of the mystery behind the higher power” and “a prayer of surrender.” That’s expressed most clearly in our Song of the Day “Journey.” One of the few tracks on the vibey instrumental record with vocals, Coinflip, who is also a member of the jazz fusion band Animal Face and engineer at South Seattle studio Mead St., lays down a swirling beat chock full of ripping electric guitars and glitchy flourishes, anchored by a smooth and sexy synth melody. Over it, Porsche articulates through spoken word the power of inner purpose, perseverance, and love. Watch Noah Coinflip wield magic in a live video and read the full post at KEXP.org.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Feb 20236min