Live on KEXP

The Paris-based Lebanese musician Yasmine Hamdan ties echoing sounds and slinky rhythms to create a danceable, ethereal haze that leaves in a trance. Joining Wo' Pop host Darek Mazzone in the KEXP Live Room, Hamdan performs four songs from her newest record, Al Jamilat. Recorded 11/14/2017 - 4 songs: Balad, Cafe, Al Jamilat, K2 Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While it's true that Jófríður Ákadóttir is one of the more prolific Icelandic musicians of recent memory - her projects have included Pascal Pinon, Samaris, GANGLY, and now her solo venture, JFDR - but to focus on the quantity of her output doesn't do its quality justice. Ákadóttir's solo work in this session touches on electronic, baroque, pop, and experimental tendencies, but it's easier to just listen to this session from KEX Hostel than it is to try and delineate its sounds. Recorded 11/2/2017 - 4 songs: Instant Patience, My Work, Anything Goes, White SunSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After leaving your rock band and abandoning your faith, you're bound to come back with some kind of statement or not come back at all. Mikko Joensuu chose the former path, creating an ambitious trilogy of albums with songs that often live in spiritual, transcendent moments. Performing with a full band and string section from KEX Hostel during Iceland Airwaves 2017, Joensuu performs one of the more stirring sessions in recent memory. Recorded 11/3/2017 - 4 songs: Warning Sign, Closer My God, Dream About A Miracle, Drop Me DownSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor McFerrin's music walks the line between jazz, electronic, and soul with a beautiful, aqueous flow that invites minds and feet alike to his songs. Joining John Gilbreath on Jazz Theatre, McFerrin plays an untitled, improvised set that twists and turns. Recorded 11/11/2017.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Antisocialites, the second album from Toronto's Alvvays, takes all of the charms of their stellar 2014 debut and sharpens them - the songs are catchier, the band's interplay is more sleek, and Molly Rankin's hooks are the kind of emotional echoes that cut deeper than their gauzy sweetness first implies. Joining DJ Kevin Cole in the KEXP Live Room, the band talk about the process of making Antisocialites and play four songs from the album. Recorded 10/27/2017 - 4 songs: Plimsoil Punks, Dreams Tonight, Not My Baby, In UndertowSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a seven year break, the members of Broken Social Scene felt compelled to reunite, not just for new music, but to underscore the personal bond that runs through the Toronto collective. Performing songs from their new album, Hug Of Thunder, and a BSS classic, the band join Stevie Zoom in the KEXP Live Room for a four-song performance and a remembrance of Gord Downie. Recorded 10/04/2017 - 4 songs: Stay Happy, Skyline, Protest Song, Sweetest KillSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between their first session at KEXP in March 2015 to their return trip three and a half years later, Wolf Alice toured the world two or three times over and became one of the biggest bands of their generation. Visions of a Life, their sophomore record, meets the hype - it's ambitious and grand and vivid - and three of those songs (along with a Wolf Alice classic) are performed in a stripped down session with DJ Cheryl Waters. Recorded 10/12/2017 - 4 songs: Sadboy, Space & Time, Bros, Don't Delete The KissesSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Baba (Arabic for “father”), Happy Orchestra producer Tarik Abouzied created a vibrant, joyous record that doubles as a tribute to his late father. Performing on Audioasis as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival, Abouzied and the rest of sextet work through four kinetic jazz tunes and talk about how the project came to be. Recorded 10/04/2017 - 4 songs: Room 358, 55, Step How You Like, BabaSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“You must set an example - to be a good person, you must be a good person.” The English translation of Ladilikan, Trio Da Kali's 2017 LP, has some weight to it, but the trio of musicians from the Mande culture of Southern Mali have so much life in their music. Joining Darek Mazzone on Wo' Pop, the Malian trio perform five songs and expand on their artistic vision in conversation. Recorded 10/4/2017 - 4 songs: Dissa, Ladilikan, Kanimba, Eh Ya Ye, GuedeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caitlin De Marrais, Kaia Fischer, and William Kuehn originally stepped away from the influential emo outlet Rainer Maria in 2006, but fate led to their return nearly a decade later, first as a performing band, then as a recording one. S/T, their first record in a decade, is full of the passionate turbulence that drove their best work, and three of its songs - along with a RM classic - appear in this session with DJ Cheryl Waters. Recorded 10/05/2017 - 4 songs: Suicides And Lazy Eyes, Lower Worlds, Artificial Light, Forest MattressSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the seminal shoe gaze group Ride reunited in 2015, a new record was just a matter of when, rather than if. Weather Diaries, the band's first record in over two decades, channels their textural tension with a mature, reflective set of songs that shows few, if any, signs of rust. The band that closed out KEXP's old studio returns to the New Home in this heavily anticipated session with DJ Cheryl Waters. Recorded 9/24/2017 - 4 songs: Lannoy Point, Vapour Trail, Cali, Weather Diaries, All I Want, Leave Them All BehindSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To name her newest record, Halo, Argentina's Juana Molina sorted through her lyrics word by word before deciding “halo” was the correct way to describe this collection of rhythmic, kinetic electronic music. Joining Darek Mazzone on Wo' Pop, Molina and her band return to KEXP to perform four songs from Halo and discuss the difficulty of naming the record and being one of a kind. Recorded 9/26/2017 - 4 songs: Cosoco, Estalacticas, Paraguaya, Sin DonesSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Influenced by the year he spent on the road while writing the record, Simon Green's latest record, Migration, is Bonobo's most progressive album to date, with a wider spectrum of sounds bursting into his electronic compositions. Joined by a full band in his return to KEXP's Live Room, Green joins DJ Kevin Cole to play four Migration tracks and discuss how perpetually traveling impacted the record. Recorded 9/19/2017 - 4 songs: Migration, Break Apart, No Reason, SamuraiSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Benjamin Booker's second album, Witness, finds the musician rallying his blues rock sound to call for respect and justice in troubling times while retaining the sharp musicianship that made his debut stand out. On his return to the KEXP Live Room, Booker joins Troy Nelson for four Witness songs and a conversation about writing songs in Mexico and visiting Third Man Records' headquarters. Recorded 9/11/2017 - 4 songs: The Slow Drag Under, Carry, Believe, Right On YouSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The North Carolina musician Sarah Shook had been buzzy for the past few years, but with Sidelong, her 2017 album, her profile appropriately raised with the collection of twangy, burning country songs. In fiery form, Shook and her band the Disarmers join Don Slack on Swingin' Doors to play four songs and discuss the origins of the group, . Recorded 9/27/2017 - 4 songs: Keep the Home Fires Burnin', Dwight Yoakum, Heal Me, The Bottle Never Lets Me DownSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In between playing seemingly countless shows and becoming one of Seattle's worst-kept-secrets, DoNormaal found time to craft Third Daughter, her second full-length and a stunning addition to her catalog. On her return to the KEXP Live Room, DoNormaal performs four tracks from Third Daughter and discusses the last year and her favorite poets with Stas THEE Boss. Recorded 9/21/2017 - 4 songs: Buckle, Magic Donormarl, Emotional, Plugged InSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He's one of America's most consistent journeyman songwriters, but Conor Oberst's 2016/17 companion albums Ruminations and Salutations are some of his best and most harrowing work yet. Performing four songs from those albums with a band, Oberst's songwriting is placed front and center in this session with Troy Nelson. Recorded 9/2/2017 - 4 songs: Barbary Coast, Afterthought, Mamah Borthwick (A Sketch), Till St. Dymphna Kicks Us Out Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cigarettes After Sex is an evocative moniker, and it's brilliant that the El Paso, Texas group's sound is as vaporous, alluring, and nocturnal as they suggest. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Live Room, Greg Gonzalez and co. perform four tracks from their self-titled debut. Recorded 9/8/2017 - 4 songs: K., Sunsetz, Sweet, ApocalypseSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Considering the members' other projects, Filthy Friends' collective resume is completely stacked - having Corin Tucker, Peter Buck, and Scott McCaughey in your ranks will do that - but it's remarkable how loose and low-stakes this performance of ripping guitars and pounding drums sounds. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Live Room, the Portland, Oregon group show off their chemistry as friends and musicians with four songs from their 2017 self-titled debut. Recorded 9/8/2017 - 4 songs: The Arrival, Despierta, Ides October, BrotherSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pieces of Sky, Tomo Nakayama's latest record, is one of the Seattle veteran's most delicate and powerful works, reflecting on the nature of traveling and going through life during chaotic times. Backed by a full band in this session on the Morning Show with John Richards, Nakayama and his group play four songs and discuss the nature of playing gigs in airports and using music to stay positive in tough times. Recorded 9/7/2017 - 4 songs: Bright and Blue, Fourth of Julivar's, Undying Light, Pieces of SkySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Named after the informal moniker of the musicians who helped him make the record, Floating Harmonies is one of Júnrus Meyvant's finest records, living up to its title's description of aqueous, serene melodies. Performing a stripped down set in the KEXP Live Room, Meyvant and his band play three tracks from the record (and an unreleased tune) and tell DJ Morgan about their year after the record's release. Recorded 9/2/2017 - 4 songs: Dwelling Side By Side, Mr. Minister Great, Floating Harmonies, Neon ExperienceSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to think of a local band that's emerged as explosively this year on KEXP as Great Grandpa, but it's not hard to see why. The quintet write crunchy, catchy, and thoughtful songs, of which there are 10 on their stellar debut Plastic Cough. Four of those air during this session with on the Morning Show with John Richards which also features a story about how a band member eating pumpkin seeds led to the lyrics of “Teen Challenge”. Recorded 8/23/2017 - 4 songs: Expert Eraser, Fade, Teen Challenge, Favorite ShowSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I'm just writing to write and to let that be heard.” Luz Elena Mendoza says she processes events and experiences pretty quickly, and it shows in her songs, full of musical ideas with vibrant energy. The Y La Bamba leader clearly has a lot to say, and in this session with DJ Sharlese on Audioasis, she and her band play four new songs and discuss living through the darkness and the light, articulating your experiences, and striving to being nice to everyone. Recorded 8/17/2017 - 4 songs: My Death, Mujeres, 4-Loca, SoñadoraSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Morby has been a KEXP favorite for a few years now, but he's never sounded quite as vibrant and expansive as he does on his latest LP, City Music. Performing a set full of City Music tracks (along with some old favorites) at the Triple Door, Morby and his bandmates run through a sublime 50 minute set. Recorded 8/21/2017 - 4 songs: City Music, Crybaby, 1234, Aboard My Train, Destroyer, I Have Been To The Mountain, Parade, Downtown's Lights, Beautiful StrangersSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“In order to be big, we need a lot of players.” Jungle Fire guitarist bassist Joseph Reina lays it out pretty clear: to be able to create muscular afro funk workouts, the Los Angeles outfit need at least ten musicians. But even with a guitarist missing, the nonet sound bold and kinetic when they joined DJ Chilly on El Sonido for four songs and a breakdown of their story as a band. Recorded 6/23/2017 - 4 songs: Jambú, Cumbia de Sal, Lamento Momposino, FirewalkerSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Popular Manipulations, The Districts' followup to 2015's breakout A Flourish and a Spoil, is a massive leap forward for the mature-beyond-their-years quartet. Ragged and emotional but with plenty of songwriting sharpness, the band's newest batch of songs goes forth boldly into the KEXP Live Room in this session with Troy Nelson. Recorded 7/7/2017 - 4 songs: If Before I Wake, Violet, Fat Kiddo, Ordinary DaySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nothing Feels Natural, Priests' stunning 2017 LP, pulls no punches with its shapeshifting punk-damaged songs about fighting against the oppressive forces around you. It's the kind of record that makes the most sense in a sweaty small venue, but a small radio station studio comes pretty close to recreating that experience. The D.C. quartet join Troy Nelson in the KEXP Live Room for four songs and a discussion about running your own label and having Ian Mackaye as a “band dad." Recorded 8/17/2017 - 4 songs: JJ, Pink White House. Nothing Feels Natural, SuckSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doom Wop, the title of Prom Queen's latest album, is just as much of a title as it is a statement of aesthetic. Dressed to the nines and stocked with a wave of girl-group melodies, Leeni and co. joins DJ Sean on Audioasis for a set of smooth, beehive-haired Doom Wop tracks and a discussion of the best prom movies. Recorded 7/22/2017 - 4 songs: Vengeance (Will Be Mine), I Need You, Can't Seem To Cry, BlondeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Underneath shimmering textures and spiky rhythms, The Drums have always kept their heart on their musical sleeves, with Jonathan Pierce effortlessly dropping sentimental expressions alongside darkly-tinted humor alongside each other. That's no different on the band's latest album “Abysmal Thoughts”, and which gets highlighted (along with some older material) in this VIP Concert at the Triple Door in Seattle. Recorded 7/17/2017 - 7 songs: Heart Basel, Days, Book of Stories, Blood Under My Belt, Money, I Need a Doctor, Head of the HorseSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Considering her earliest DIY recordings and her days in P.S. Eliot, Katie Crutchfield is practically a veteran at this point, so it's no surprise that her fourth and most recent album as Waxahatchee, Out in the Storm, is her most confident yet. In session with Stevie Zoom, the Birmingham-born songwriter and her bandmates perform four Out of the Storm tunes. Recorded 7/24/2017 - 4 songs: Recite Remorse, Silver, Hear You, Never Been WrongSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although the musicians surrounding them aren't always the same, the couple of Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia's impeccable chemistry has kept their Malian rhythms dazzling for more than 30 years. Their first record in five years, La Confusion, is as vibrant as any of their previous work and in this session on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, their danceable songs cut straight to the point. Recorded 8/9/2017 - 4 songs: Bofou Safou, Filaou Bessame, Beaux Dimanches, La RéalitéSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's an understatement to say The War On Drugs' return to KEXP was highly anticipated, but it's the best that words can do for this sublime session from Adam Granduciel and company. Featuring four songs off the band's beautiful new album A Deeper Understanding, the Philadelphia outfit join DJ Troy Nelson for a quick catch-up on the last three years, the making of their new album, and cold calling engineers through their Geocities site to come work on a record. Recorded 8/1/2017 - 4 songs: Pain, Holding On, Strangest Thing, You Don't Have To GoSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Joint isn't a curse, right?” El-P always asks the important questions, both on his records and in his sessions. This was only moments before he, Killer Mike, and Trackstar the DJ rock the KEXP Live Room with an incendiary (and, impressively, profanity free) session. A quartet of Run The Jewels tunes rocks DJ Kevin Cole and the Jewel Runners in the Live Room audience (“we can't hear you but make some noise”) before a conversation on music, life, and being too high to remember your cameo in Baby Driver. Recorded 7/21/2017 - 4 songs: Legend Has It, Don't Get Captured, Early, DownSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bringing your backup dancers to a radio session is a surefire way to know someone isn't messing around, so it shouldn't be a surprise that Lizzo's visit to the KEXP Live Room is an immensely fun twenty minutes. Performing a quartet of new cuts and discussing the role of music in activism, Lizzo joins DJ Morgan for a set of charismatic and kinetic hip-hop. Recorded 7/22/2017 - 4 songs: Good As Hell, Phone, Scuse Me, Coconut OilSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kentucky songwriter Joan Shelley's latest album contains some of her richest songs, highlighting Shelley's rich voice and mellifluous guitar playing. Performing four songs from the self-titled record, Shelley and guitarist Nathan Salsburg join Greg Vandy on the Roadhouse for a crisp, beautiful performance. Recorded 7/19/2017 - 4 songs: If The Storms Never Come, The Push and Pull, Where I'll Find You, Over and EvenSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a few years off, Beach Fossils returned earlier this year with Somersault, the band's finest set of songs to date and also the first to be written and recorded as a band. Dustin Payseur and co. bring four new tracks to the KEXP Live Room with Kevin Cole and talk about Somersault, people actually liking authority figures, and being nervous about asking Slowdive's Rachel Goswell to sing on your song. Recorded 7/11/2017 - 4 songs: Saint Ivy, Be Nothing, Sugar. Closer EverywhereSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten years into her career, Javiera Mena's music continues to get more colorful and vibrant while remaining introspective. The Chilean musician's latest album Otra Era is full percolating and percussive electronic sounds that are highly danceable, not least by the dancers that join her in this session on El Sonido with DJ Chilly. Recorded 7/18/2017 - 4 songs: Hasta La Verdad, Sincronía, Pegaso, Cámara Lenta, Otra EraSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He wasn't a goth - although he had goth sensibilities, by his own account - but John Darnielle and the Mountain Goats' new album Goths is a vivid, humorous account of the lives of the black-clad subculture. Joining Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room, Darnielle discusses growing up all over the United States, the differences between writing songs on piano and guitar, and losing your leather jacket on your first European tour. Recorded 6/6/2017 - 4 songs: Blood Capsules, Andrew Eldrich Is Moving Back To Leeds, Shelved, San BernardinoSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dropping a pair of albums on one day is an ambitious move, but convention has never been for the inimitable Shabazz Palaces. Those records - Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines and Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star - are filled with some of the duo's most engaging work yet, and those records shine through in this session with Stas Thee Boss in the KEXP Live Room. Recorded 7/14/2017 - 4 songs: Since C.A.Y.A., Welcome to Quazarz, When Cats Claw, Shine a LightSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The warm, golden Finnish-style Americana of Tuomo & Markus flows with the aqueousness of jazz and bursts of a post-rock glow. Backed with a crack band, the Helsinki duo join Kevin Cole in the KEXP Live Room to play songs from their latest releases, tell the story of how they became a band, and the importance of libraries in discovering new music. Recorded 6/20/2017 - 5 songs: Over The Rooftops, Life Leaving Your Body, Land of Real Men, Don't Shut Down Your Radio, Jack StrawSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven years is a long time between albums, but Land of Talk's Liz Powell took that time to walk away from music and recharge, returning with some of her most affecting songs yet on this year's Life After Youth. Joining John Richards in the KEXP Live Room, Powell plays four new songs and talks about leaving music behind, returning to it, and the unforgettable time she saw Fugazi in Dublin. Recorded 6/28/2017 - 4 songs: Yes You Were, Loving, Inner Lover, This TimeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eyelids' jangling guitar rock channels elements of American lo-fi and the Dunedin sound, chiming through the indie rock tradition with a DIY scrappiness that certainly comes from the band members' experiences in numerous rock groups (not least, The Decembrists and The Jicks.) Joining John Richards on the Morning Show, the Portland quintet play four songs from their latest record, Or, (and an older tune) and discuss crocheted album covers, band nicknames, and the Sounders/Timbers rivalry. Recorded 6/23/2017 - 5 songs: Falling Eyes, Camelot, My Caved In Mind, Bound To Let You Down, So It GoesSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They'd previously ripped up Kex Hostel as part of the Iceland Airwaves broadcast, so it should be no surprise that the Reykjavik trio Moji & The Midnight Sons torch the KEXP Live Room in Seattle with the same potent soulful hand grenade of a sound. On the heels of their debut album, What I Saw On The Way To Myself, the trio join Stevie Zoom in the studio to play a quartet of bluesy songs from that record and tell the tale of how the cross-continental collaboration first began. Recorded 6/12/2017 - 4 songs: Keep My Memory, Ocean Hymn, If It Fits, Heat WaveSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crawlspace, the debut album from Tei Shi, is named for the space where the Buenos Aires-born singer would go as a child to confront her fear of the dark, and that bold approach carries through to her skittering, electronic compositions. Joining DJ Chilly in the KEXP Live Room, Tei Shi runs through four tracks from Crawlspace and discusses the origins of her music. Recorded 6/16/2017 - 4 songs: How Far, Year 3k, Justify, Say You DoSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Alynda Lee Segarra first thought of making a record with a concept storyline, she heard a voice in her head telling her she was too lazy to do it. Fast forward and Hurray For The Riff Raff's striking album The Navigator features a collection of vivid songs featuring a young female Puerto Rican protagonist. Performing a quartet of Navigator songs and in conversation with John Richards about growing up in New York City and traveling around the country as a musician, Segarra fills the KEXP Live Room with a raucous, inimitable energy in this session. Recorded 6/15/2017 - 4 songs: Hungry Ghost, Rican Beach, Living In The City, Pa'LanteSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“If the book you want to read doesn't exist, write it.” Quoting the inimitable Toni Morrison, Jamila Woods crafts a story worth diving into on her debut album HEAVN. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Live Room, the Chicago poet and songwriter tells the tale of how she went from singing in her church choir as a child to releasing her solo debut project alongside four HEAVN tracks. Recorded 6/6/2017 - 4 songs: Heavn, LSD, Way Up, Blk Girl SoldierSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The dusty desert-damaged rock of All Them Witches made its debut in the KEXP studios earlier this year, and it only underscores how the wait was too long. The long-evolving Nashville outfit's latest album. Sleeping Through The War, is a fiery, gritty LP that's highlighted in this session with Cheryl Waters, where the band discuss the roots of the project, the benefits of all the band's members not living in the same town, and playing a Rhodes strictly because they'd already paid for it. Recorded 5/5/2017 - 5 songs: Am I Going Up?, 3-5-7, Alabaster, Talisman, The Death Of Coyote WomanSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Close Eyes to Exit is the title of the Klangstof's debut album, and listening to their debut session in KEXP's Live Room, it's easy to be inclined to close your eyes and dive into the Amsterdam group's expansive sound. Alternating between echoing post-punk and crashing guitars, the quartet join Larry Rose in the studio to tell their origin story and perform four Close Eyes tracks. Recorded 5/16/2017 - 4 songs: Hostage, Sleaze, Ignore Me, IslandSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are moments during Valerie June's return to KEXP where she steps away from the mic and simply begins dancing to the rhythm, regardless if the song in question is a blues rocker or a sparse, country crawl. Performing four varied tracks from The Order of Time, the Tennessee songwriter and her band bring her astral Americana into the KEXP Live Room with Cheryl Waters and discuss the process of unlocking her “bubble” to get the songs out into the universe. Recorded 6/2/2017 - 4 songs: Astral Plane, Two Hearts, Shakedown, Got SoulSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The jazz-inflicted, inspirational dub of Jah9 fills the KEXP Live Room with positive energy in this session. The Jamaican singer leads her band, The Dub Treatment, through songs on her new album, 9, and discusses doing improvisational dub soundtracks to yoga class and linking up with Mad Professor to do a dub version of the record in this session with DJ Miss Ashley. Recorded 6/12/2017 - 4 songs: In The Midst, Greatest Threat to the Status Quo, Unafraid, Steamers A BubbleSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.