You Said Strange - Brain

B-Band - "Kavire Del” from the 2013 self-released album Napichideh (Uncomplicated) B-band formed in Tehran, Iran in 2009, combining alt-rock with Persian folklore. Dr. Nasim Niknafs, Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Toronto, points out in an interview with Ethnotes that "when you transliterate this name into Farsi, it has another meaning, which translates roughly to 'without any boundaries.' In addition, B-Band is the name of a guitar pickup company. One name, many layers!" Today's featured track is a cover of the '70s-era single “Kavire Del” by Marjan, which itself was a cover of a French/Turkish song performed by Ajda Pekkan. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Mar 20204min

Liraz - “Zan Bezan” from the 2020 album Zan on Dead Sea Recordings Liraz Charhi's family emigrated to Israel during the '70s at the brink of the Iranian Revolution. Nearly 50 years later, it's still a major influence in the music she writes under the name Liraz. "Music in Iran in the ’70s was characterized by resistance to traditional music and a desire to find a universal sound," she explained to the Haaretz Newspaper. Today's Song of the Day translates to "Women, Sing" — it's a call to action for women to join her personal revolution. According to Liraz, "The fight for women’s freedom of expression is in my DNA." Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Mar 20204min

Bahram - “گوشت (Goosht)," a 2019 single on Peeleh Records The Huffington Post declared him one of the "50 people shaping the culture of the Middle East." Bahram Nouraei — who records simply as Bahram — uses hip-hop to call out the current political climate of Iran. His breakout single was titled "Nameyee Be Rayees Jomhour" (translating to "A Letter to the President"), which openly criticized the sixth president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Bahram has since relocated to Stockholm, Sweden. Earlier this year, he launched today's featured track, titled “گوشت (Goosht),” produced by Peymandegar and featuring album artwork by Setareh Malekzadeh. On March 20th, he released a new EP titled Gozaar (Transition), out now via Peeleh. Real the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25 Mar 20204min

Salome MC - “Odium” from the 2017 self-released album Excerpts from Unhappy Consciousness Salome MC is Iran's first female rapper, and her LP Excerpts from Unhappy Consciousness is the first full-length Persian hip-hop album produced by a woman. This is all the more impressive when you learn that in 2007, the Iranian government denounced rap, with the Ministry of Culture shutting down recording studios where these albums are made, raiding record stores where this music might be sold, blocking websites, and even arresting the artists themselves. Released in 2017, Excerpts from Unhappy Consciousness is the culmination of two years work, said to be an "autobiographical concept album that explores a woman's journey in the light of Hegel's Unhappy Consciousness, with each track correlating to a stage of dialectical life of spirit." Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

24 Mar 20204min

SarrSew - "Farewell, Warden.” from the 2018 album Girih: Iranian Sound Artists on Zabte Sote When Tehran-born, Paris-based artist Sara Bigdeli Shamloo isn’t recording as half of the duo 9T Antiope, she records solo under the name SarrSew. While previous SarrSew tracks were composed for theatre and film (Shamloo was studying Theatre Directing at Tehran University before she dropped out), today’s Song of the Day marks her solo debut single, a haunting, somber chant sung in English over an eerie, yet meditative lullaby until it culminates in an erratic blur of feedback. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Mar 20203min

Eyelids - "The Accidental Falls" from the 2020 album The Accidental Falls on Jealous Butcher Records When Larry Beckett offers up his lyrics to you, it's hard to say "no." Beckett was a long-time collaborator with legendary singer/songwriter Tim Buckley, and even wrote the lyrics to the now-iconic and heavily-covered 1969 single "Song to the Siren." He's also the father of the kid who's best friends with Chris Slusarenko's son, putting this creative connection into place. Slusarenko is a member of Portland supergroup Eyelids, which features members of The Decemberists, Guided by Voices, Elliott Smith, Quasi, and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Eyelids' latest album, The Accidental Falls, is a 13-song collection utilizing Beckett's lyrics, produced by fellow Portland resident, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. For the title track, Beckett drew from the works of 18th and 19th century German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for "probably the most rocking translation of Goethe's work to date." Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Mar 20203min

Cable Ties - "Sandcastles" from the 2020 album Far Enough on Merge Records. Melbourne punk trio Cable Ties return with the album Far Enough at the end of the month, their second album overall, but their first for Merge Records. The Australian group made their debut in April 2015, performing at Wetfest, an annual non-binary-inclusive music festival spotlighting bands emerging from Melbourne's D.I.Y. scene. Since then, they've emerged from the underground with their intense, cathartic anthems. On today's featured track, the call-and-response vocals of guitarist Jenny McKechnie and drummer Shauna Boyle may call to mind the interplay between Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, but Cable Ties bring a more '70s-post punk influence, channeling bands like X-Ray Spex and The Raincoats. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Mar 20204min

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - "Cars In Space," a 2020 single on Sub Pop. Melbourne, Australia's Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever return with the single "Cars In Space," which — along with last year's singles “In The Capital” and ‘“Read My Mind” — marks their first new music since their debut LP Hope Downs. Much like Hope Downs, "Cars In Space" is a jangly piece of pop, harkening back to the '80s Australian indie-pop heyday. The group's dueling vocals are in play, adding another level of tension to a song band member Fran Keaney says "follows the swirling words and thoughts before a break-up." Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Mar 20204min