Jason McCue - When He Drinks

The Midnight Hour - "Jazz Is Dead (Georgia Anne Muldrow Geemix)" from the 2021 album Remixes JID010 on Jazz Is Dead. As The Midnight Hour, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge collaborate with a long list of incredible musicians to make a fusion of soul, jazz, and hip hop that’s inspired by the sophisticated sounds of yesteryears. Their acclaimed 2018 self-titled debut was star-studded featuring the likes of features from CeeLo Green, Raphael Saadiq, Marsha Ambrosius, Bilal, Eryn Allen Kane, Karolina, and more. In 2020, the duo expanded their reach by creating the imprint Jazz Is Dead, where “younger artists are elaborating upon conversations started decades ago; jazz icons are utilizing vintage equipment to create new masters with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad; the same equipment that recorded their coveted catalogs.” In the past two years, they’ve released 10 albums of recordings that take on the scores of composers past to bring into the present. As the final chapter in the initial run of Jazz Is Dead releases, Remixes JID010 continues the creative catharsis of an exhilarating new chapter in jazz music. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad tapped nine iconic creators to reimagine their personal favorites from Jazz Is Dead’s catalogue to-date, who created striking new versions of songs by Marcos Valle, Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz, Azymuth, João Donato, Doug Carn, Brian Jackson and The Midnight Hour. Holding the line taut like a bass string, Younge & Muhammad only invited those special musical alchemists who have previously participated in Jazz Is Dead happenings, or those who are slated to share that stage soon. Our Song of the Day sees the prolific songwriter, rapper, musician, singer, and producer Georgia Anne Muldrow take on the title track of the series and label, “Jazz Is Dead.” Muldrow’s version completely reinvents the jazzy and percussion-heavy original into a slinky trip-hop track with the lyrics stretched out and lingered on in serpentine fashion. Sparkling electronic glitches and synth keys replace the brass, drums, and piano of the original, for a smooth, contemporary imagining of the song. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Jan 20222min

Alina Pash - "Bosorkanya" from the 2019 album PINTEA:GORY on Bitanga LLC. Alina Pash will be performing at this year's virtual Eurosonic (ESNS) Music Festival and Conference January 19-22. Known for a great number of things in her home country of Ukraine, Alina Pash is a former X-Factor semi-finalist, style icon, and an innovative musician breaking boundaries with her bold use of Carpathian traditional sounds with electronic, hip-hop, and pop. Cited as “100% Bitanga” which translates from the Ruthenian dialect to “Hooligan,” Pash uses her distinctly unique creative vision to carve her path. Born in Transcarpathia (which doesn’t sound like a real place to me - like Genovia - but I assure you, it’s a very real geographical region in Western Ukraine with a fascinating history), Pash was inspired by the Transcarpathian legend Pintea the Great for her 2019 record PINTEA: GORY. A real life Robin Hood, the 17th century rebel is an ancestor of Pash’s and famous for his brave and merciful heart. Our Song of the Day “Bosorkanya,” which translates to “The Sorceress,” was an early single off the record and an excellent example of Pash’s use of mysterious folk legends within the framework of of a fun dance pop track. The song is coupled with a high-production video of dance choreographed witches and demons casting spells and squaring off against religious leaders. Watch the video ahead of her virtual performance for Eurosonic Music Festival and Conference on January 19-22 at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 Des 20212min

Дeva - "Unglitched," a 2020 single on Move Gently Records. Дeva will be performing at this year's virtual Eurosonic (ESNS) Music Festival and Conference January 19-22 and has also been nominated for a Music Moves Europe Award. Дeva/Deva is the solo project of Budapest-based musician Dorina Takács. Her use of blending traditional Hungarian folk music with pulsating electronic basslines and soaring polyphonic vocals has made her an artist on the rise in her home country. Recalling the layered instrumentation of Alt-J, the complex electronic compositions of Four Tet, and the haunting vocals of Bjork or Beth Gibbons, Deva is a compelling one to watch. Our Song of the Day, “Unglitched,” is one of a string of singles released since 2020. Led by her airy falsetto, the track quickly glides into a dark trip-hop beat. One of the few songs of hers to be sung in English, Deva repeats the refrain of, “Are you facing the right direction?” A palm slapped drum adds a worldly flair to the electronic instrumentation and layered vocals, for something that sounds both of the past and very much the future. Deva is nominated for a Music Moves Europe Award which celebrates emerging artists who represent the European sound of today and tomorrow. Every year, eight outstanding artists will receive a Music Moves Europe Award in recognition of their international success, as well as being rewarded with a performance at ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) and financial support for touring and promotion. ESNS will take place virtually January 19-22. Keep your eyes peeled for Deva’s debut LP Csillag, scheduled for release sometime in 2022. Until then, watch her live performance for Waves Vienna in 2020 at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Des 20215min

Denise Chaila - "CHAILA" from the 2020 album GO Bravely on narolane. Denise Chaila will be performing at this year's virtual Eurosonic (ESNS) Music Festival and Conference January 19-22 and has also been nominated for a Music Moves Europe Award. The past two years have been ones of extreme highs and lows for Zambian-Irish rapper Denise Chaila. On one hand, 2020 saw her release her debut full-length GO Bravely to rave reviews, prominent television performances, and a slew of nominations, leading her to become the highest ranking Irish woman in the country’s charts that year. She then followed that up with November’s five-song release It’s A Mixtape that saw her boldly exploring new sonic territories to acclaim. At the same time, the giant push into the spotlight has led to an egregious amount of racism being thrown at the rapper on the internet. When GO Boldly won Chaila an RTÉ Choice Music Prize (the first time a mixtape has ever won the crown), the vitriol being aimed at Chaila in the comment sections was so disturbingly cruel that she asked RTÉ to stop tagging her in posts so that she wouldn’t have to witness the abuse. “CHAILA,” our Song of the Day and the hit that made people start paying attention to the rapper, is a fun and clever jab at all the people that haven’t been able to pronounce her name. “My name’s not that hard to pronounce /Pre-K it’s not profound,” she deadpans with a roll of her eyes. Watch the video for “CHAILA,” directed by Mark Logan, at the link below and catch Denise Chaila’s virtual performance at Eurosonic (ESNS) Music Festival and Conference January 19-22. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 Des 20213min

Takeshi’s Cashew - "Sterndüne (Kosmodr∞m)" from the 2021 album Humans In A Pool on Laut & Luise. Takeshi’s Cashew will be performing at this year's virtual Eurosonic (ESNS) Music Festival and Conference January 19-22. Blending genres, cultures, and regions into their own sound that they’ve titled “cosmofunk,” Takeshi’s Cashew can be seen taking just as much influence from sunny ‘60s surf as they do flute-filled Scandinavian folk, German krautrock, and Latin cumbia. Formed in 2020, the young band - name after the iconic Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle - unveiled their debut album Humans In A Pool in June of 2021. Recorded in their tiny DIY studio in Vienna, the album weaves a magical tapestry of sounds for something unique and timeless. Our Song of the Day, “Sterndüne (Kosmodr∞m),” represents their lush sound impeccably. Spanning seven-and-a-half minutes of melodic synths, dancing flutes, and bright guitars - just to name a few of the many, many sounds introduced - the song goes on an epic quest in the name of the groove. Probably unsurprisingly, the song is only the second-longest track on the record, following the nearly eleven-minute closer “There Is No Harmony.” Ahead of their virtual performance for Eurosonic (ESNS) Music Festival and Conference on January 19-22, watch a video of them performing “Akihi” at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Des 20217min

Anna B Savage - "Corncrakes" from the 2021 album A Common Turn on City Slang. Anna B Savage will be performing at this year's virtual Eurosonic (ESNS) Music Festival and Conference January 19-22. In 2015, Anna B Savage released a straightforwardly titled EP titled just EP, with the four songs named after their tracklist placement. While it may have lacked appellative flair, the warmth and heart that radiated from her trembling vocals caught the ears of some big names like Father John Misty and Jenny Hval, who both brought her on tour. Turns out, it was all a bit too much too soon and the Dublin artist retreated. Thankfully, last year she returned with the debut full-length A Common Turn. Our Song of the Day is the incredible “Corncrake,” an early single off the record. Brooding and beautiful, the song expresses both Savage’s depth of emotion and breadth of range - jumping from deep, rich croons to glistening falsetto with operatic ease. While starting out forlornly whispered, the song cathartically builds near the end with the repeating refrain of “I don’t know if this is even real / I don’t feel things as keenly as I used to,” for a dynamically emotional and visceral experience. “At this moment in my life, I was entering a seismic shift,” Savage says of the song. “I felt like I was getting clues from the universe, and all I needed to do to ‘work it all out’ was piece them together. These clues came in the form of birds – in this instance a corncrake. I now see the corncrake as a layout for a theme: something tangible, but imperceptible, evident but not necessarily visible.” For those unfamiliar with the species of bird known as corncrakes (they’re not common in America), they’re known for being easy to hear but often difficult to spot - hence the metaphor of imperceptibility. She goes on further to explain what exactly she was experiencing within her relationship at the time that made her think of the corncrake. “It just appeared twice in a short space of time, not having known what it was, it being this thing you can hear but can’t certainly see, and it’s noticeable but not overwhelming or overbearing. When I was much younger, when I’d feel something for someone, I’d be ravenous to hang out around them all the time and wouldn’t be able to control myself in their presence. But with him, it felt calm, and because of that calmness, I was like, ‘Am I actually feeling proper sexy feelings, or do I just kind of love him?’ So that’s what that’s about, and the evolution of the way you feel things toward people when you get a little bit older.” The song comes along with a video by nature producer Chris Howard (Planet Earth Live, Springwatch, Autumnwatch) that’s meant to be a representation of “the happiness, confusion, longing, desire, sadness, and also a stoicism” that Anna had experienced in the last few years. Watch it at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Des 20213min

Mike Farris - "Havana Santa," a 2021 single on Compass Records. This week, we are continuing a long-held tradition of featuring Christmas-themed songs selected by Brian Foss, host of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. Brian has been doing a punk rock Christmas special every year since 2004 and has been a Christmas Day on-air DJ since 2012. He will be hosting his non-traditional Christmas broadcast from noon to 6pm on Saturday, December 25th and then will be back on air later that night for Punk Rock Xmess 2021 at 9pm. No standards are played, only original X-Mess songs, most with a humorous bent. Let’s be honest, there’s not a whole lot that’s sexy about Santa Claus. But have you met his brother? Ow ow! Grammy Award winning gospel, blues, and roots artist Mike Farris introduces a new character to the holidays with “Havana Santa.” The heated Latin track swaps the snow for the sea, where we meet the rum-drinking, mambo-dancing, red Camino-driving brother of St. Nick that’s living a very sultry life south of the border. Apparently, the inspiration to make a Latin-style Christmas song came after Farris and his 13-piece holiday band covered a Marc Anthony song during their annual “Soul of Christmas” show in Nashville one year and it was an absolute crowd-pleaser. Farris had this to say about the song: “The whole approach to writing “Havana Santa” was the same approach to the Soul of Christmas shows, and that is to bring maximum amounts of fun to the holiday season and to just fill the season with great memories and cheek numbing joy!” The track features a long list of long-time collaborators and includes six Grammy award winners among them: Derrek Phillips (drums), Dave Roe (bass), Kenny Greenberg (guitars), Kevin Mckendree (piano/hammond organ), Giovanni Rodriguez (percussion), Jim Hoke (tenor and baritone sax/accordion), Steve Hermann (trumpet), Yates Mckendree (bass), Saunya Clayborn (singer), Samson White (singer), additional singers are Dave Roe, Giovanni Rodriguez, Jamie-Sue Seal, Cassidy Zuver, Derrek Phillips and Kenny Greenberg. Get a taste of the fun that Farris and his collaborators bring to their Soul of Christmas events by watching a snippet of their performance of “Havana Santa” at this year’s show at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

24 Des 20214min

India Ramey - "Cocktail for Christmas" from the 2021 album Christmas Times A'Comin' 2021 on Medicine Show Records. This week, we are continuing a long-held tradition of featuring Christmas-themed songs selected by Brian Foss, host of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. Brian has been doing a punk rock Christmas special every year since 2004 and has been a Christmas Day on-air DJ since 2012. He will be hosting his non-traditional Christmas broadcast from noon to 6pm on Saturday, December 25th and then will be back on air later that night for Punk Rock Xmess 2021 at 9pm. No standards are played, only original X-Mess songs, most with a humorous bent. We’re getting a little more Southern for today’s Song of the Day. “Cocktail for Christmas” is a bluegrass country tune about dealing with family during the holidays by getting completely and utterly wasted. With a delightful twang, India Ramey spells out her plan for coping, “Well Uncle Ren is drunk and talking politics again /I try to keep the peace but the room is starting to spin /But that’s fine with me /I’m where I need to be /To put up with my loved ones /I'll be lit up like a Christmas tree by the time the turkey's done.” Certainly one way to handle it! Ramey is an Alabama-based lawyer-turned-musician who’s released who’s released four albums in the past decade, her most recent being 2020’s Shallow Graves. “Cocktail for Christmas” is included on Christmas Times A’ Comin’ 2021, the 6th compilation of holiday songs from The Medicine Show, a Scottish booking, promotion, and broadcast company run by Rob Ellen. Watch the kitschy video for “Cocktail for Christmas” directed by Stacie Huckeba at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Des 20213min