KEXP DJ Kevin Sur on Martin Luke Brown’s therapeutic new track

Upper Wilds - "Short Centuries" from the 2023 album Jupiter on Thrill Jockey Brooklyn trio Upper Wilds continue their exploration of their solar system, following up 2018's Mars and 2020's Venus with their latest LP, Jupiter. Fronted by Dan Friel (formerly of Parts & Labor), the band celebrates the largest planet with a sound just as mighty.  Today's Song of the Day brings us back to Earth with a tribute to Ecuadorian couple Julio Mora and Waldramina Quinteros, declared the world's oldest married couple in 2020. The lyrics touch on "love’s ability to echo out through the eons," and the track features gorgeous guest vocals from Katie Eastburn (KATIEE) and Jeff Tobias (Sunwatchers). Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Aug 20233min

Film School - "Tape Rewind" from the 2023 album Field on felte Long-running west coast shoegazers Film School share a sneak peek at their forthcoming full-length, Field, out August 25th via felte Records.  Against their signature sonic waves of guitar, frontman Greg Bertens reflects on regret and internal struggles. The new LP takes its title from the Rumi poem, "A Great Wagon," which states: "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field / I’ll meet you there." Bertens tells us, "This is a poem I’ve returned to over the years, and I love the idea of this place, but getting there is life’s journey," adding, “I think the longing for and elusiveness of this field is a recurring theme in our music.” Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Aug 20234min

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Aug 20234min

The newest jam from the Vancouver-based multihyphenate comes with a light touch. Its slowly mutating beat starts with the melancholy peace of its ukelele lick and ends up floating through space carried by the vibrating low end of bass. Kimmortal's gently rapped lyrics about the wall between them and a person they love renders the sadness almost dreamlike on "Get Better," marking a new depth of vulnerability for the often-satirical artist, first explored on their single "K I'M MORTAL." - Martin DouglasSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Aug 20231min

By your powers combined, Captain Planet has ignited crowds across the world. The ever-world-traveling DJ has picked up steam touring constantly since shows opened up again in the wake of the pandemic. But Captain Planet never slows down. Right after finishing his 2022 tour, he jumped back into the studio to create his latest record Sounds Like Home. For Captain Planet, the goal was to make a record like the ones he reaches for while relaxing or entertaining at home. What results is the perfect house party album, brimming with positive vibes and endless grooves. “Moqueca” features Zuzuka Poderosa and Raphael Futura for an infectious track that sounds primed for a rooftop party and endless refreshments. Throw this one in your home and you’ll feel instantly transported to the soiree of your dreams. – Dusty HenrySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Aug 20234min

After spending the last four years finding new approaches to recording, NAVVI's first new music in four years displays the Seattle duo functioning in a new gear. The sleek aesthetic is still there, vocalist Kristin Henry still sounds like she's singing from a different spiritual realm. But the 2023 issue of NAVVI is even more atmospheric than they were when we last heard them. Henry and producer Brad Boettger give "Clemency" more room to breathe. "I wanted to lean into tenderness,” Henry recently told Jas Keimig of the South Seattle Emerald. This (comparatively) delicate approach to their work has made the next phase of NAVVI's body of work one to watch very closely. - Martin DouglasSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Aug 20235min

Jamaican singer Jah9 has built a remarkable career bridging dub music with jazz vocals. Taking inspiration from Nina Simone and Billie Holiday with the dancehall aesthetics of her native Kingston, Jah9 creates a sonic palette uniquely her own. “Open Heart” is a feel-good anthem, or rather an anthem in the pursuit of feeling good. Crossing over with her other career as a yoga teacher, she preaches mindfulness ideas of focusing your mind, embracing the beauty around you, and finding the moments of peace surrounding us. With the danceable rhythm and flourishing horns, Jah9 creates a vision of serenity that feels worth the pursuit. - Dusty HenrySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Aug 20233min

South London’s Yussef Dayes has made a name for himself as one of the most exciting jazz drummers and composers to emerge in recent years. Anticipation has been mounting for a full-length album from Dayes and we’ll finally see it come to fruition with his debut solo album, Black Classical Music, out Sept. 8. Alongside the album’s announcement, Dayes shared this statement:  “What is jazz? Where did the word derive from? Birthed in New Orleans, born in the belly of the Mississippi River, rooted in the gumbo pot of the Caribbean, South American culture & African rituals. Continuing a lineage of Miles Davis, Rahssan Roland kirk, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong ~ music that is forever evolving & limitless in its potential. The groove, it’s feeling, the compositions, the spontaneity, with a love for family, the discipline & dedication in maintaining the very high bar set by the pantheon of Black Classical Musicians. Chasing the rhythm of drums that imitated one’s heartbeat, the melodies for the mind and spirit, the bass for the core. A Regal sound for this body of music.” The single “Rust” finds Dayes teaming up with fellow English jazz wunderkind and frequent collaborator Tom Misch. The instrumental jam finds both musicians at the height of their powers, locking into that cosmic groove Daye speaks of with delectable percussion pastiche, ambient vocals, and a bass line that’ll rumble in your bones for days. - Dusty HenrySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 Jul 20233min