Live on KEXP

If there’s one thing that hit shows like ’Sopranos’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ have taught us, it’s that we love an anti-hero. On American musician Caroline Rose’s latest album ’Superstar,’ she crafts a story centered around a brazenly confident anti-hero that plays out like a film with a beginning, middle, and an open ending. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson breaks down the thematic elements of the record, offering tidbits of background on the glamorous Chateau Marmont, the scene for which the album is initially set, as well as diving into Rose’s progression from folk/Americana to the poppier ’Superstar’ and how he ended up with a cardboard cutout of Rose in his basement. Recorded 10/08/2020. Do You Think We’ll Last Forever? Feel The Way I Want More of the Same To Die Today Soma Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The older they get, the cooler your parents are (or whoever plays that role in your life.) Mexico City-raised trio Son Rompe Pera know this well. The brothers may have initially shunned their parents’ push towards playing marimba as teenagers in favor of punk and cumbia, but eventually came back, putting their own unique and modern spin on the rich traditions of marimba. Troy Nelson delves into the brothers’ journey while also digging into some background education on the history of cumbia, rosewood’s unique status amongst other types of wood, what an idiophone is (spoiler alert: it’s not a phone that makes you do stupid stuff), and how all of these things play into the marimbas that Son Rompe Pera famously break. Recorded 10/09/2020. Proteus FOS Reina de Cumbias Ay David! El Palo Poste Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, way back when, in 2020, there were 262 “working days.” Whatever that means. Nevertheless, KEXP favorites IDLES spent one of those days joining Kevin Cole for a virtual live performance recorded at Abbey Road Studios. With cat meows censoring the FCC-unfriendly words, the British band barrels into four tracks off their latest album, ‘Ultra Mono.’ Ahead of the fiery performance, Troy Nelson dissects the diverse collaborators involved and the very deliberate four-part strategy behind making their acclaimed third studio album. Recorded 10/06/2020. Model Village Mr. Motivator War Grounds Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube  Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adia Victoria hails from Spartanburg, South Carolina, informally known as “The Upstate” just a few miles down Highway 9 from the trucks hurtling along Interstate 85 between Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia to the south. This geographical background heavily informs her music, which is often referred to as “gothic blues” and takes inspiration from Black blues artists like Robert Johnson, Skip James, John Lee Hooker, Junior Kimbrough, and RL Burnside.For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson maps her physical journey from South Carolina to New York to Atlanta as well as her musical journey from early loves The Strokes and The Black Keys to ending up working with founding member of another well-known “The” band, Aaron Dessner, on her latest full-length, 2019’s ‘Silences.' Telling Dessner she wanted the record to sound like, “Billie Holiday got lost in a Radiohead song,” the album is a dense and expansive expression of the blues in the hands of a creatively independent woman of color unafraid to explore. Recorded 03/12/2019. Different Kind of Love Heathen Dope Queen Blues Cry Wolf Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In summer 2019, when the world looked vastly different, Hot Chip dropped their seventh full-length, ‘A Bath Full of Ecstasy.’ One of their strongest releases in years, the album marks the first time in their 19 years together that Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard brought in outside producers to help round out their sound. With Philippe Zdar and Rodaidh McDonald by their side, the album is a blissfully cathartic release. Last September, Hot Chip dropped by KEXP to play three songs from ‘A Bath Full of Ecstasy’ as well as a throwback 2008 track. Join Troy Nelson to listen to them here on Live on KEXP. Recorded 09/19/2019 Hungry Child Bath Full of Ecstasy Spell Made in the Dark Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the very first Francophone band signed to Sub Pop, Corridor prove that they’re worth their salt with their third studio album, ‘Junior.' Released in fall 2019, the album expertly mingles woozy shoegaze and ethereal French vocals with tightly-wound angular guitars for a completely hypnotizing effect. Troy Nelson explores the history of the Montreal band and the swift making of Junior while the band plays a selection of songs off the record. Recorded 12/12/2019.  Agent Double Junior Grand Cheval Domino Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a long, community-driven career in music, Courtney Marie Andrews’ Grammy nomination for her latest album, ‘Old Flowers,’ feels more than well earned. The eighth studio album from the Nashville-based, Phoenix-born (and at one point Washington-dwelling) singer-songwriter is nominated for Best Americana Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards. A breakup record, through and through, the songs on the album convey the heartbreak and loneliness following the end of a relationship. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson dives deep into Andrews’ rich musical biography, which traces back to when she was just 15 years old and playing in coffee shops. While the stages may have eventually grown bigger from there, Andrews’ focus on collaboration and community has remained strong. It’s a great reminder that music builds community and community builds musicians. Recorded 10/06/2020. Break the Spell If I Told It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault One of These Days Ships in the Night Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“It is not enough to say that justice takes time but it’s coming soon. Justice that is not exercised when appropriate is not justice.” These words from Pierre Dubois exemplify the ethos Chilean artist Ana Tijoux embodies in her politically charged music. With a rich and unconventional history, it’s difficult to unpack her life story in just 10 minutes but Troy Nelson makes that attempt.  Everything from her unorthodox childhood with fiercely intelligent parents that instilled the radical passion that would carry her the rest of her life to her time topping the charts as an MC with the group Makiza to her successful solo career is covered in this week’s Live on KEXP followed by a vivaciously strummed set that Tijoux recorded for KEXP during the pandemic. Her latest album, ‘Antifa Dance,’ is available on Firebrand Records. Recorded 10/01/2020. Sacar La Voz Shock Antipatriarca Calaveritas Cacerolazo Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode is brought to you by the letter “B,” with the brooding brutalism and bashing bombardment of Bambara. Using the beloved writing technique known as alliteration, Troy Nelson burrows into the biography of the Brooklyn-based band while also bestowing beholders with a brief background on the letter itself before the bands break into a blazing set, recorded live at KEXP right at the very end of the “before-times.” Recorded 03/04/2020. Serafina Death Croons Heat Lightning Stay Cruel Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sooner you start, the greater chance you have of doing something for half your life. This is something Frances Quinlan understands, as she’s on the verge of reaching the half-mark milestone for playing music. Beginning with the solo project Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, when she was in high school, Quinlan went on to release three records with the renamed full band Hop Along as well as a 2020 solo record, 'Likewise,' under her own name. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson details Quinlan’s trajectory, her influences, and the people who helped her go from the basement to the studio. Recorded 03/05/2020. Detroit Lake Now That I’m Back Rare Thing Went to LA Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.