I get hundreds of emails a day. Many of them contain music people want me to listen to and various band “pitches”. I scan and delete most of them but every now and then something catches my eye.

I got an email from Jonathan Dagan, a Brooklyn-based producer behind the project j. viewz, with a link to a video for the song “Rivers and Homes”. It said “2000 photos, 300 fans, no computer fakery there”. Color me curious!

The video is incredible. A euphoric rush of music and images to match. Watch:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s that kind of life-affirming electronic music I love, combined with a concept that warmed my heart. A perfect three-minute musical moment to start the weekend.

More on the video:

Brooklyn-based producer with director Shelly Carmel  treated the video portion, which was shot mostly in upstate New-York, while photographer Eran Amir created the stop-motion part using 2000 printed frames during a j.viewz tour in Israel earlier this year.

RR

by Billy Kidd

Actress/designer/singer/model Milla Jovovich stopped by our studios this week to tape an edition of the Guest DJ Project, which will be airing in Fall around the release of the 5^th Resident Evil movie (“Resident Evil: Retribution”).

She shared her new single “Electric Sky” with us, just days before she will debut it at the Life Ball in Vienna, the biggest charity even in Europe supporting people with HIV. She dubbed it the “Burning Man of the fashion industry”.

Stream “Electric Sky” below and buy it here.

The track, which you can buy digitally, is a bit more electro-influenced than her previous work and she credited Randy Jackson (of American Idol fame) for freeing her from any genre barriers.  Take a listen to her chat with KCRW DJ Garth Trinidad.

You MUST tune in to hear her Guest DJ Project when it airs in a few months – she raps some hardcore Eazy Z. It is something to behold!

RR

p.s.: We asked what music her Resident Evil character Alice would listen to. Without a second of hesitation she said “Bad Brains“!

Milla and Garth

BADBADNOTGOOD are three young jazz enthusiasts based out of Toronto.

They bring to the table interesting jazz covers of Kanye West, Odd Future, James Blake, Gangstarr and Tribe Called Quest tracks.

Flashing Lights by BADBADNOTGOOD

What makes these guys really good at what they do is their ability to keep it simple — to set a mellow groove and then take into a whole new direction.

It’s really great to see artists like BBNG and Robert Glasper push their sound to a younger audience and keep the elements of jazz still intact, especially in an age where MPC’s and samplers seem to be the new tool of choice of young producers.

Vices by BADBADNOTGOOD

They’ve offered their second album as a free download on their website. Grab it!

 – Anthony Valadez

Click here to view the embedded video.

Most people know French musician Yann Tiersen as the composer behind the film “Amelie”. It was a quirky and heartwarming movie and the music, much of it from from Tiersen’s early albums, matched it perfectly.

We were treated to a bunch of songs from his latest album “Skyline” and his music has this transportive nature – it doesn’t take you anywhere specific, it just takes you away, particularly a longer song like “Till The End”.

Yann says he aims to make his music abstract, simple and beautiful, which is as good a description as I could ever come up with. The recording of “Skyline” was fueled by the energy of the tour before it and he recorded part of it on a small island off the coast of France with just 700 occupants (and lots of pubs). He seems to enjoy the process – starting with an initial idea, adding layers, and occasionally abandoning the original genesis of a song for something all together different, saying he likes to be “surprised” and “lost”.

This is a gorgeous set of music and I highly recommend you give it a listen!

RR

Yann Tiersen Live on KCRW

Monuments

Ashes

Till the End

The Gutter

The Trial

I’m Gonna Live Anyhow

Vanishing Point

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

This morning “Queen of Disco” Donna Summer passed away. Her iconic voice is and ever shall be the definitive voice of an era.

In a familiar narrative, Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines) was raised in a devout Christian family and sang in church as a teen until she got the theater bug and decided to move to New York City.

Where the narrative takes it’s legendary turn is that she performed in the Broadway production of Hair (which traveled to Germany,) sang back-up vocals on a Three Dog Night record, met young producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte and ended up playing a foundational role in a sound and scene that changed popular music forever.

Post-Flower-Power and punch-drunk from Vietnam and a brutal economy, the country was primed for a cultural explosion. There was a need for release and this so-called “Disco Music” was gonna give it to us.

Like Delacriox’s painting of “Liberty Leading the People“, Summer was raising the flag. The combination of Euro-synthesized syncopation and brazen sexuality of “Love to Love You” (particularly it’s definitive, epic 17 minute version) was a clarion call for liberation right in time for our country’s Bicentennial.

A year after “Love To Love You” hit the top of the charts, Saturday Night Fever was released and the whole world was for all intents and purposes a massive disco ball.

Summer’s gorgeous voice and Moroder’s icy production produced a steady stream of undeniable hits, “I Feel Love“, “Heaven Knows,” “Hot Stuff, “On the Radio”, “Bad Girls” to name a few.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Given the level of her immense talent, through the late 80s and 90s her popularity may have waned but it never, ever faltered as she contributed tracks to film soundtracks and continued recording and changing with the times, all the while being consistently rediscovered and lauded by every new generation of dancers. As to be expected with any world class diva, there were controversies and dramas, regrets and redemption…but she aged gracefully, fabulously and will forever be remembered for her “…Love.”

– Mario Cotto

UK electronic duo Simian Mobile Disco has captured the ears of our DJs since their debut “Attack Decay Sustain Release”. Their sophomore album “Temporary Pleasures” featured guest spots from members of Yeasayer and Hot Chip and was followed by 2010’s “Delicacies”, which compiled a series of 12” singles named after exotic delicacies James Ford and Jas Shaw discovered while touring around the world.

Now they are back with a new full length — “UnPatterns”.

Jason Bentley said the album “transported him to some after after after hours club without even leaving the house” and DJ Raul Campos is a huge fan of the track “Seraphim” in particular, saying “it’s a cool mid-tempo departure from their previous harder, edgier stuff”.

Stream it below and download it here.

They are known for their “creative restlessness” which helps them stay perpetually ahead of the curve. “Seraphim” is a playfully experimental spaced out anthem drenched in sun-kissed euphoria. You can experience the euphoria live when they hit LA on June 1 for a show at the Avalon.

From KCRW DJ Jason Kramer:

About a year ago, I was browsing the web and came across an amazing video called “Atlas Hands”. The singer had a soft and inviting voice and style of writing that grabbed my attention.

Fast forward to today – and a million hits later — UK singer Benjamin Francis Leftwich is packing houses on his new world tour. He signed a deal with Vagrant Records last year and released a record called “Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm”.

I got in touch with Ben shortly after hearing the song. We immediately started chatting through email and instant messenger about his life and goals in music, and also about what song writing meant to him. “Atlas Hands“, a song he wrote in college, is about setting out on a journey and reflecting about the importance of experiences.

Click here to view the embedded video.

DOWNLOAD “ATLAS HANDS” HERE

Benjamin is a very humble and an extremely giving artist. On his first trip to LA last year, he sent out a few emails to friends asking if anyone would like to have him play at their house party. A fan of his EP wrote back and I was lucky enough to be in attendance so we could finally meet in person.

Now on his second tour to the U.S., he describes how amazing people have been.

“At each gig, there have been people who’ve known my music and that feels great”, he says. Since being on his longest tour, he now has time to write new material. “I just want to keep coming back here and touring as much as possible and keep playing shows”.

He will be playing at Hotel Café on TONIGHT at 8pm. This is a show you do not want to miss.

– Jason Kramer

Editor’s Note: Check out this earlier write up on Benjamin by Mario Cotto.

KCRW’s Top 50 Most Played Albums for the Week of 05/14/2012

 1 BEACH HOUSE == Bloom >> [Sub Pop]

2 SANTIGOLD == Master Of My Make-believe >> [Atlantic]

3 WHITE, JACK == Blunderbuss >> [Third Man/columbia]

4 WATERHOUSE, NICK == Time’s All Gone >> [Innovative Leisure]

5 MIIKE SNOW == Happy To You >> [Universal Republic]

6 OM COMPILATION == Om Lounge 12 >> [Om]

7 KEANE == Strangeland >> [Island]

8 SHINS == Port Of Morrow >> [Columbia]

9 JONES, NORAH == Little Broken Hearts >> [Blue Note]

10 BENSON, BRENDAN == What Kind Of World >> [Thirty Tigers]

11 CLARK == Iradelphic >> [Warp Music]

12 WAINWRIGHT, RUFUS == Out Of The Game >> [Decca]

13 HERE WE GO MAGIC == Different Ship >> [Secretly Canadian]

14 ALLAH-LAS == Tell Me Ep >> [Innovative Leisure]

15 CFCF == Exercises >> [Paper Bag]

16 BROWNOUT == Oozy >> [Nat Geo]

17 SPAIN == Soul Of Spain >> [Self Release]

18 SHANKAR, ANOUSHKA == Traveller >> [Deutsche Grammophon]

19 HOOP, JESCA == House That Jack Built >> [Bella Union]

20 SOUL CLAP == Efunk >> [Wolf & Lamb]

21 HARRISON, GEORGE == Early Takes – Volume 1 >> [Universal]

22 FATHER JOHN MISTY == Fear Fun >> [Sub Pop]

23 SONNYMOON == Sonnymoon >> [Plug Research]

24 SUGARMAN THREE == What The World Needs Now >> [Daptone]

25 YUNA == Yuna >> [Fader]

26 ALABAMA SHAKES == Boys & Girls >> [Ato]

27 MEIKO == Bright Side >> [Concord]

28 HOT CHIP == In Our Heads – Sampler >> [Domino]

29 WOMACK, BOBBY == Bravest Man In The Universe – Sampler >> [Xl]

30 BRUN, ANE == It All Starts With One >> [Balloon Ranger]

31 SPEKTOR, REGINA == What We Saw From The Cheap Seats >> [Advance]

32 NNEKA == Soul Is Heavy >> [Decon]

33 LA HAVAS, LIANNE == Lost & Found Ep Plus >> [Labour Of Love]

34 DELTA SPIRIT == Delta Spirit >> [Rounder]

35 NITE JEWEL == One Second Of Love >> [Secretly Canadian]

36 PRINZHORN DANCE SCHOOL == Clay Class >> [Dfa]

37 SEPALCURE == Sepalcure >> [Hotflush]

38 BIG PINK == Future This >> [4ad]

39 DRUMS == Portamento >> [Frenchkiss]

40 METRONOMY == English Riviera – Remixes >> [Big Beat/because]

41 ST VINCENT == Radio Ep >> [4ad]

42 ALL GOOD FUNK ALLIANCE == Jacks Of All Trades >> [Fort Knox]

43 KINDNESS == World You Need A Change Of Mind >> [Casablanca]

44 DNTEL == Aimlessness >> [Pampa]

45 VALADEZ, ANTHONY == Under Water >> [Plug Research]

46 BLOCKHEAD == Interludes After Midnight >> [Ninja Tune]

47 REPTAR == Body Faucet >> [Vagrant]

48 BADBADNOTGOOD == Bbng2 >> [Self Release]

49 LIGHT ASYLUM == Light Asylum >> [Mexican Summer]

50 VACATIONER == Gone >> [Downtown]

A number of years back, Art Brut released a song whose catchy chorus went, “Modern Art. Makes Me. Want to ROCK OUT.” As a guy who religiously visits the Duchamps room at the Philadelphia Museum of Art whenever I go back East, this sentiment is not lost on me.

Later this week, like Eddie Argos and myself, you too can rock out to Modern Art by a legendary rocker, as starting May 18th (through June 16th, 2012) Will Sergeant, from the Liverpool post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen, will be showing his artwork for the first time ever in the U.S. at the Substrate Gallery in LA.

In a show that blurs the line between art and music cheekily titled, “My Own Worst Enemy,” Mr. Sergeant will be exhibiting his work here in Los Angeles directly from the Penny Lane Gallery in Liverpool.

In addition to the current and previous exhibition, he also participated in Mr. Brainwash‘s L.A. Art Show in 2011.

His work has been receiving a lot of praise from this venture into another side of the art world and his pieces are in collections from Australia to the States to Brazil to all over the UK and beyond. More photos of Will’s work can be seen here.

I recently contacted Mr. Sergeant to ask him a few questions about the show and his entry into the realm of visual art, and his responses were graceful and sincere. Enjoy…and see you at the Gallery.

—

1. Has painting long since been a passion of yours or has this been a recent exploration?

I have always dabbled with some form of art just for the joy of it. Mainly in the sound realm, but painting and drawing have always been something I have done and I will always want to do. I like to make things, but most things I have made over the years have just ended up in the trash.

I started taking the whole process a lot more seriously around 2002 when I was a visiting fellow at Liverpool art school. It was a way to ease my mind of the stress of being in the same band for 30 years.

2. Either way, can you recall what may have sparked your muse?

I have no idea why I bought my first proper canvas. It may have been self preservation but I’m not sure.

3. What does the medium offer you expression-wise that you couldn’t potentially express in a song?

The thing I like is the relationship between Freedom and Restriction. This is reflected in some of the art and also in the techniques I use. I like the freedom of expression of just getting paint on the canvas and seeing where it may lead, almost in an automatic writing kind of way. But as the painting develops, I lead it more and my subconscious mind is taken over by my conscious mind. This way I have my thoughts and ideas at the front of the picture and the original traces that have helped the piece on its journey as impressions in the background, adding depth to the work. This process is very similar to music. The first ideas come from improvisation and then it becomes more structured, so it’s all kind of the same really.

4. Your work interestingly blurs the line between different styles, with echoes of works by Rothko, Sigmar Polke, and Warhol but also aspects of street art…how would you “categorize” your work? Or are we potentially post-category and in new territory?

I don’t categorize myself.

I have come a long way in the short time that I have been taking the art side of my life more seriously. I have lots of ideas all the time so if something appears in my mind, I don’t think “wait a minute… I don’t do that”. I just do it and see if I like the results or not. I think everything is open to exploration.
I love screen printing and the magic of the instant imagery that you can achieve. I am not a very patient person, I like to see fast results.

I am obviously influenced by lots of things, not just art or artists. I like the artists you mention but I don’t obsess over them. I just try and keep it as natural as I can. I find the twentieth century a really interesting period in art. Things were changing fast. The abstract expressionists, the New York School and the Colour Field painters, the minimalists and the Soviet Russian painters Kazimir Malevich, Lissitzky and Rodchenko – those boys I like a lot.

This sort of Art is still held in derision with some people to this day. I find that very funny. I love the fact that people can get so upset by art. Never a week goes by in England without some artist getting ripped to bits in the media. If it upsets the squares, this makes me happy.

5. You’ve collaborated with street artist Mr. Brainwash. What’s your take on street art? Has its commodification “legitimized” it? Do you feel it should be considered “legit” or remain ubiquitous and anonymous?

I don’t really have an opinion on the legitimization of street art. It’s here, so some is good. Some of the comments on the world it makes are pretty valid. Other stuff like tagging, etc., not sure I get it. Your name is up on the walls of the city a million times…and?

Mr. Brainwash, he was kind enough to open his doors and let other artists show at his venue. Not many artists would let in rivals from all over the world. I think this says a lot about Mr. Brainwash and his heart and the genuine feeling he has for the art and artist in everyone.

6. How did that collaboration (w. MBW) come about and is it something you’d want to do again? If so, who would you want to work with, a “Dream Collaboration” (past or present)?

I’m not sure you could call it a collaboration. The Brainwash open house policy was brought to my attention by a friend in L.A., so with their help I grabbed the opportunity. I thought it was an amazing, surreal event with all the L.A. Street art filling his warehouse with some of my things on the walls, especially the screen print of my Dad on the last day of WW2. That made me smile.

I’m not really looking to collaborate with anyone but I would have liked to have been involved with the dada movement back in the very early twentieth century. I would have loved to have been at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. The dada movement and its ideas are still causing controversy today. People should realize they opened up the whole world of art. Without them, art would be pretty dull today. They were the original punks.

7. How have Echo & the Bunnymen fans responded to your work and “My Own Worst Enemy”?

The response from Bunnymen fans has been amazing. I have had nothing but good vibes. Lots of fans turned up in Liverpool at my first exhibition at Penny Lane Gallery. We had a great time.

8. Do you listen to music while you’re in the studio? What do you listen to when you work?

I do listen to music. I had my iTunes on random today and it came up with some gems including Van der graaf Generator Killer, Erik Satie. Gnossienne no 3 followed by Mouldy Old Dough by ‘Lieutenant Pigeon.’ I see this as a dada experiment by my Macbook Pro.

9. Is there anything you’d want people to know about this show that perhaps hasn’t been covered in the press?

All I say is maybe come and have a look. On the busy opening night it may be a bit crazy to take the art in fully, so please come back to have a proper look on a quiet day. And I hope you enjoy it.

—

“My Own Worst Enemy” is showing at the Substrate Gallery, beginning May 18th through the 16th of June.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Soaring choruses are The Big Pink’s specialty and “Stay Gold”, complete with fuzzy guitar licks, is a perfect example.  I was addicted to the song “Dominos” off the UK band’s previous album and they treated us to that track, as well as “Velvet” (which Lykke Li covered in our studios last year) and “Superman” (inspired by Laurie Anderson’s  “O Superman”) in this live session recorded while the band was on the West Coast for Coachella.

Enjoy it in the archives here.

RR

The Big Pink Live on KCRW

Stay Gold

Velvet

Superman

Dominos

For a short while, I’ve been singing the praises of Kindness.

Earlier this year, they released their first video, “Cyan,” which featured Kindness’ main man, Adam Bainbridge walking around New York City in time to the lyrics.

That track set the bar pretty high for the full-length and thankfully, they’ve delivered one of the year’s most stunning releases “World, You Need a Change of Mind.”

On a fantastic record with a number of really fantastic singles, one track stood out to me not only as THE track on the album but as my absolute favorite track of the year so far, “House.”

This morning Kindness released a charmingly odd video for “House“.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As I’ve mentioned, the song is amazing, but I love the fact that Bainbridge took a completely different tack and didn’t make a video that features the song prominently, but rather has him talking about pop music and teaching a little kid named Ramon how to play “House“.

I absolutely love it.

–Mario Cotto

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ane Brun is a fascinating woman to watch. Her singing – in gorgeous dulcet tones — is a full body experience as she seemingly conducts her own songs with her hands, and, occasionally, some hip swaying.

Peter Gabriel is a huge fan and she opened for him at the Hollywood Bowl just last year. She returned to LA with a set of new songs that got KCRW’s front desk phones ringing with admirers!

On her latest album, Ane says she really went for it, claiming that after a few releases, she was finally experienced and comfortable enough to let go of control, which made it “bigger, better and more me than ever”. It bears the title “It All Starts With One”.

Born in Norway and based in Sweden, the artist writes in English (she speaks Spanish as well, claiming she’s been obsessed with languages since a young age and poured over dictionaries).

I asked her if it’s more difficult writing in English than her native tongue and she said it’s actually easier because it’s hard to hear words objectively in her own language and, when she’s crafting lyrics, she’s searching as much for the sound of the words as their meaning.

She played an incredible acoustic cover of Arcade Fire’s “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” in addition to highlights like “Do You Remember” and “Worship”.

Check it out in the archives here.

RR

Ane Brun Live on KCRW

Do You Remember

Words

What’s Happening With You and Him

Worship

One

Undertow

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

Mariachi El Bronx at the Natural History Museum by Jeremiah Garcia

LA-based band Mariachi El Bronx reached out to Venezuelan producer Algodon Egipcio, up and comers Monareta from Colombia and Los Macuanos coming out of Tijuana, Mexico to be the crew of remixers to re-imagine and re-flavor their hit single “Revolution Girls”.

The package is a very cool cross section of the Latin Alternative vibe thriving on the scene today.

The original got quite a few spins on KCRW when the album dropped last summer, and you can be sure these remixes will pop it back into the charts in the foreseeable future.

Personally, I dig them all. But if I had to choose one that stands out, it has to be the Algodon Egipcio Remix, which means Egyptian Cotton.

Stream “Revolution Girls (Algodon Egipcio Remix)” below and download it here:

I love how left-field it is with its infectious groove.   Even when I’m sitting down, this remix forces my head to just start bobbing and soon I’m grooving in my seat.  Imagine what it can do on the dance floor?

Check out their upcoming tour dates here.

– Raul Campos

About a year ago, I decided to do a little investigating into the genesis of RAC, a remix collective behind a series of excellent remixes.

Portugal native André Allen Anjos (now based in Portland, OR) was leading the charge and now, a year later, has released his first original music – the buoyantly catchy dance track “Hollywood (featuring Penguin Prison)”.

Jason has been spinning it pretty much since the second he got his hands on it and we were talking in the studio about how it’s an impressive debut for the clearly talented musician, who has remixed The Shins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, U2, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and more. (REMIX!)

 Check out the track and download it here.

RAC – Hollywood (featuring Penguin Prison) by Green Label Sound

A perfect pop song to start your week.

RR

Upcoming Live Performances on MORNING BECOMES ECLECTIC with host JASON BENTLEY

Monday, May 14, Norwegian born and Swedish based singer-songwriter Ane Brun crafts delicately haunting melodies and counts Peter Gabriel and Ani DiFranco among her fans. Morning Becomes Eclectic will welcome her into our studios at 11:15am.

Tuesday, May 15, We visited Miike Snow backstage before their recent sold out show in LA. We’ll share our conversation and a batch of new songs recorded in rehearsal just for Morning Becomes Eclectic listeners at 11:15am.

Wednesday, May 16, Yann Tiersen scored the hit film “Amelie” and the distinguished composer marries whimsy with minimalism in his work. We’ll hear it live on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

Wednesday, May 23, The story behind husband and wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley – better known as Tennis - has been compelling from the start. Their debut was fueled by an epic sailing trip and their second release is produced by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney. We’ll catch up with this intrepid duo when they bring their band to Morning Becomes Eclectic in the 11 o’clock hour.

Thursday, May 24, We fell in love with New Zealand singer Kimbra when she joined Gotye on Morning Becomes Eclectic last year and we’re thrilled to bring her back to share songs off her solo album at 11:15am.

Tuesday, May 29, We’ll broadcast a live session with LA’s own Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros recorded in front of a live audience at Apogee’s Berkeley Street Studios. Hosted by Liza Richardson, we’ll literally get down with the gang as we hear a batch of new songs on the day of their album release. Join Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

KCRW.com PRESENTS

Thurs, May 24, The Clift Sessions featuring Shlohmo at The Redwood Room and Velvet Room in San Francisco

KCRW PRESENTS

Sat, May 12, Brendan Benson at the Troubadour
Sat, May 12, Rufus Wainwright at the Orpheum Theatre
Wed, May 16, Portugal.The Man at Royce Hall
Fri, May 18, Mondrian Sessions with Dam Funk at Skybar
Fri, May 18, Shelby Lynne at McCabe’s Guitar Shop
Sat May 19, Shelby Lynne at McCabe’s Guitar Shop
Tues, May 22, Mark Lanegan Band at The Autry Museum
Tues, May 22, Lianne La Havas at the Bootleg
Sat, May 26 and Sun, May 27, The Silverlake Jubilee featuring Kinky, Aloe Blacc, Princeton, Autolux and more in Silverlake
Thurs, May 31, Santigold at The House of Blues in Anaheim
Thurs, May 31, Diego Garcia at First Unitarian Church
Fri, June 1, Santigold at Club Nokia
Fri, June 1, Tycho at the Troubadour
Thurs, June 14, John Doe at the Echo
Fri, June 15, Mayer Hawthorne and the County at the Wiltern
Sat, June 16, Make Music Pasadena with Grouplove, Cults, Grimes, The Peach Kings, Y La Bamba, Electric Guest and Jason Bentley in Downtown Pasadena
Sun, June 24, KCRW’s World Festival with Glen Campbell and special guests Jackson Browne, Jenny Lewis, Kris Kristofferson, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Lucinda Williams and Dawes at the Hollywood Bowl
Thurs, June 28, Mondrian Sessions with Father John Misty at Skybar at the Mondrian
Fri June 29, Keane at the Orpheum Theatre
Sun, July 1, KCRW’s World Festival with Ben Harper, Vieux Farke Toure and Fitz and the Tantrums at the Hollywood Bowl
Sat, July 7, Blind Pilot at the Fonda
Sun, July 8, KCRW’s World Festival with Black Eyed Peas rapper and DJ Apl.de.ap as he Takes You To The Philippines with A Celebration of Global Music. Apl.de.ap will be joined by his Black Eyed Peas bandmates Will.i.am and Taboo,  Jeremy Passion; The Harana Kings – featuring Florante Aguilar, Ogie Alcasid, Dessa, Kayamanan Ng Lahi, Legaci, Martin Nievera, Philippine Chamber Singers, Poreotics, Rondalla Club of Los Angeles, Sandwich, Nicole Scherzinger, and Lou Diamond Phillips, Jo Kay and Vanessa Hudgens will co host at the Hollywood Bowl
Sun, July 15, KCRW’s World Festival when Tuff Gong Worldwide Salutes Legends of Reggae with Ziggy Marley,  Toots and the Maytals, Maxi Priest , Freddie McGregor and Bob Andy at the Hollywood Bowl
Sat, July 28, Dirty Projectors at the Wiltern
Fri, August 3, Real Estate at the Fonda
Sun, August 12, Andrew Bird with special guest Sharon Van Etten at The Greek Theatre.
Tues, August 14, Regina Spektor at The Greek Theater.
Tues, August 14, Alabama Shakes with Michael Kiwanuka at the Fonda
Sun, September 9, Pink Martini at the Greek
Sun, September 9, KCRW’s World Festival Hot Chip, Passion Pit and Omar Souleyman at the Hollywood Bowl
Sun, September 23, KCRW’s World Festival with Animal Collective and Tuvan throat singers Huun Huur Tu and Flying Lotus at the Hollywood Bowl
Sun, September 30, KCRW’s World Festival ends with Wilco at the Hollywood Bowl

KCRW is bringing the music of Bahamas and Delta Rae to One Colorado in Old Pasadena to kick off a season of free summer concerts. The shows, on Saturday, June 9 and Saturday, June 23, are free and open to the public.

You’ve heard Bahamas’ track “Caught Me Thinking” all over KCRW’s airwaves for months. I know it sounds like it would be “island fare” but it’s actually simple, sublime, melodic pop. Bahamas is the musical pseudonym of former Feist touring guitarist Afie Jurvanen and his music is perfect for this outdoor setting – it’s like a European-style town square! DJ Valida wrote a fantastic review of his most recent album. (June 9)

Caught Me Thinkin’ by bahamasmusic

At SXSW earlier this year, word on the street was that you HAD to catch this 6-piece band from the deep woods of North Carolina, Delta Rae. We’ve been all over their track “Bottom of the River” and the sibling-led band will bring their fusion of gospel, country, folk and rock to the West Coast for this special show just days after the release of their new album. (June 23)

Stream “Bottom of the River”:

Both shows begin at 7:30pm in the One Colorado Courtyard, amidst 17 historic buildings with numerous bars and restaurants nearby. One Colorado spans one city block in Old Pasadena, between Colorado Boulevard, Union, Delacey and Fair Oaks.

RR

All of our DJs receive hundreds of CDs a month to consider for airplay. In this regular feature, KCRW DJ Chuck P catalogues his musical bounty from the Post Office each week.

It’s heatin’ up! Well, at least in the valley it is. 100 degrees yesterday and the forecast is in the 90s for the foreseeable future. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be… yet. The post office has yielded some goodies this week. New music from some faves and killer new vinyl. Let’s start there, shall we?

1) 7″ vinyl onslaught – I mean that in the nicest way possible. Norah Jones wax and the new 7″ series from Suicide Squeeze Records. The Coathangers split with Davila 666, Wax Idols, King Tuff, White Woods & Nobunny. Looks like we’ll be spoiled for choice for the 7″ of the week feature. Excellence!

2) Greg Laswell “Landline” – Big fan of Mr. Laswell. He has such a beautiful voice. The new album has all the signature Greg Laswell-ness that made you love him in the first place. I dig the pic there on the cover too.

3) Xander Smith “Hey San Pedro” – Been following  Run Run Run‘s Xander Smith for quite some time now. The first time I met him in 2005, he was surprised when I brought up Chalk Circle, his first band from the early 90s. Oh yeah buddy… I was there! Their insane light show definitely made an impression. The LA music vet is releasing his first solo record called Hey San Pedro, and it also has a top notch cover photo.

4) The Royalty “Lovers” – Now this is interesting… the cd came along with a folder that includes bio, photos, etc… and a small bottle of amber liquid. The bottle is shaped like a familiar brand of whiskey, but with a new label. Hmmm… mail booze. Should I?

Honorable mentions include new music from Marriages, The Bombay Royale & OFF! Digital promo of the week goes to the new single from Animal Collective called Honeycomb. A bit of a nod to their earlier work, which makes me very interested to hear what the new album sounds like. It’s due sometime later this year.

All done. Thanks for reading. As always, if you want to be included on this here blog entry, feel free to pass along tunes to the address below.

Cheers,
Chuck P.

Chuck P./Music Please
PO Box 1870
Hollywood, CA 90078

From KCRW Communications Director Alyssa King:

Photo by Emma Gault

A respectful crowd in awe of sharing an intimate space with a music legend celebrated the debut of Sonos Studios last night, with a set of music from Jimmy Cliff. Built with sound quality in mind, the 4,000-square-foot studio/gallery hybrid boasts slanted walls and foam tiles and will host a variety of artists.

Photo by Hadas

“I’m inspired all the time, from just living my life,” declares Cliff. Music journalist Eric Ducker asked Jimmy a series of questions as they played through some of his new tracks from his forthcoming album “REBIRTH”.

Photo by Hadas

How does a reggae legend end up working with punk rock icon and producer Tim Armstrong? Mutual friend Joe Strummer of The Clash. But, according to Jimmy, the relationship between reggae and punk music isn’t actually that different. He believes the socio political expression is the same between punk rock and reggae – both have roots stemming from being “anti-establishment”.

It also helps that Tim had the qualities that Jimmy looks for in a producer.  And what would that be? “Sensitivity to me [and] what I like to do. Someone who wants to bring out what is in me, who can see what is in me and brings out something I might not see,” said Jimmy.

Photo by Hadas

Jimmy finished out the evening with an acoustic set, belting out a mix of familiar and unheard songs. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s voice is as strong as ever, evidenced when he belted out an a capella version of “Cry No More” a new ballad on “REBIRTH” that recreates a vintage, reggae sound.

What keeps Jimmy’s voice sounding so good? Positivity. “[I] try to be as positive as I can as a person.” And at 64-years-old, it looks like positivity might be the golden ticket.

– Alyssa King

Brazilian party rockers Bonde Do Role are back!

Their follow-up to With Lazers is in the can, so to speak…and it’s an industrial size can of trippy FRUIT COCKTAIL!

“Tropicalbacanal”, which is due in late June is produced by longtime collaborator Diplo and LA’s daytime disco Poolside prince, Filip Nikolic. It also features tracks with Das Racist, The Death Set, and…wait for it, Caetano Veloso. (FYI, IMHO: That’s unbelievably freaking amazing.)

The first single, “Kilo“, has a total 60s Thai Psych vibe and sounds like it could be about drugs, but it’s actually about food (as a metaphor for sex) and it’s all in Portuguese.

The video takes that totally bonkers aspect and goes one further by casting the band as a bar-band in a bar shaped like a pineapple in a superfruity desert landscape where a cowboy (played by the ridiculously handsome Blackberry salesman Diplo) plays a real life video game handed to him by a fake Willie Nelson. The object of the game is to win points by blasting scantily clad women (riding a mechanical sumo wrestler) with fruit and hot dogs. Also, Pedro is DJing on pineapple slices and Gorky plays a drum set made out of watermelon. NBD.

Warning this is slightly NSFW!

It’s like a warped pervvy cowboy version of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse if it was set in the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World universe directed by Quentin Tarantino, doing his version of Russ Meyer’s version of a video for Love Shack.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A set from Brendan Benson is a lesson in perfect pop songcraft. He kicked off the set with the epic “Bad For Me”, which is a clear favorite off the new album “What Kind of World”.

He put out the CD on his own Readymade label and brought a few other artists on the roster into the studio with him. Or, as Jason put it, the “Readymade wrecking crew” – including, Young Hines, Cory Chisel And The Wandering Sons, and Howling Brothers.

I also have to give a shout out to his roadie who was wearing a big cowboy hat and I could tell it wasn’t “ironic” or just for style. Ends up he’s from Tennessee and being that Benson (originally from Michigan, though he’s lived in LA as well) has now settled in Nashville with his wife and a son, it all made sense.

Outside the studio after the set, Young Hines just seemed like he was on a high from performing with Benson – their voices made for some nice harmonies — and exclaimed how much he loved those songs.

Benson worked in some older favorites too – “Cold Hands (Warm Heart)” and “Tiny Spark”, which was actually a request from me and I even got a dedication!

One of the perks of working at KCRW – occasionally hearing your favorite musicians mutter your name.

Check out the set in the archives here.

RR

Brendan Benson Live on KCRW

Bad for Me

Pretty Baby

Cold Hands (Warm Heart)

The Light of Day

Keep Me

What Kind of World

Tiny Spark

When the emails starting circulating about the loss of Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch last week, it wasn’t long before we knew we’d have a collection of tributes to share. But Anthony Valadez took it to another level with his personally mixed session. He says:

Last night I did a mix in tribute to MCA. I took clips of his speech at the MTV awards and did this collage all via Serato and Pro tools. You can listen via my show at the 12:20 mark. In the spirit of the Beasties, its mixed and well, just take a listen. I encourage you to listen to it if you have a second.

So, here it is. We’ve pulled it out to live in the archives. Thanks for sharing Anthony!

In a little under two years and essentially on the strength of 2 tracks and a B-side, Halifax/Montreal-based duo Purity Ring (Corin Roddick and Megan James) have built up enough kinetic energy that they could potentially be the catalyst for the discovery of dark matter before the Hadron Collider.

Steadily working on their debut album, Shrines, while perfecting their live show (which my Production Assistant Tahl caught at SXSW and claims was “one of the coolest things he’s EVER seen”) Roddick and James, both still shy of 25, have very smartly taken their time to create something that is perfectly of the moment while simultaneously being it’s own unique creation.

Sitting somewhere between the dark syrup-drenched “witch house” of Salem and the electro-pixie vibes of Grimes as re-imagined by the Cocteau Twins, (if the Cocteau Twins were into Dirty South R & B) Purity Ring’s first single off the record, “Obedear” has more in common with a bootleg chopped and screwed version of Cassie’s “Me & U” than anything else.

Like the Hadron Collider, Shrines is a product of the Information Age, a distillation of discovery and a leap forward in the search for truth amidst the chaos. Unlike the Collider however, Shrines works pretty consistently.

Purity Ring – Obedear by Last Gang Entertainment

1 MIIKE SNOW == Happy To You >> [Universal Republic]
2 SHINS == Port Of Morrow >> [Columbia]
3 WHITE, JACK == Blunderbuss >> [Third Man/columbia]
4 FATHER JOHN MISTY == Fear Fun >> [Sub Pop]
5 SANTIGOLD == Master Of My Make-believe >> [Atlantic]
6 BEST COAST == Only Place >> [Mexican Summer]
7 BEACH HOUSE == Bloom >> [Sub Pop]
8 JONES, NORAH == Little Broken Hearts >> [Blue Note]
9 BEAR IN HEAVEN == I Love You It’s Cool >> [Dead Oceans]
10 HERE WE GO MAGIC == Different Ship >> [Secretly Canadian]
11 CFCF == Exercises >> [Paper Bag]
12 ALABAMA SHAKES == Boys & Girls >> [Ato]
13 LA HAVAS, LIANNE == Lost & Found Ep Plus >> [Labour Of Love]
14 EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS == Here – Sampler >> [Vagrant]
15 VACATIONER == Gone >> [Downtown]
16 TING TINGS == Sounds From Nowheresville >> [Columbia]
17 SOUL CLAP == Efunk >> [Wolf & Lamb]
18 OM COMPILATION == Om Lounge 12 >> [Om]
19 BADBADNOTGOOD == Bbng2 >> [Self Release]
20 SPIRITUALIZED == Sweet Heart Sweet Light >> [Fat Possum]
21 BROWNOUT == Oozy >> [Nat Geo]
22 AFROLICIOUS == Pleasuretime >> [Esl]
23 CLARK == Iradelphic >> [Warp Music]
24 BIRD, ANDREW == Break It Yourself >> [Mom+pop]
25 KIWANUKA, MICHAEL == Home Again >> [Interscope]
26 DNTEL == Aimlessness >> [Pampa]
27 AMADOU & MARIAM == Folila >> [Nonesuch]
28 DR JOHN == Locked Down >> [Nonesuch]
29 HOT CHIP == In Our Heads – Sampler >> [Domino]
30 TIERSEN, YANN == Skyline >> [Anti]
31 BRUN, ANE == It All Starts With One >> [Balloon Ranger]
32 VCMG == Ssss >> [Mute]
33 TORO Y MOI == June 2009 >> [Carpark]
34 NNEKA == Soul Is Heavy >> [Decon]
35 NITE JEWEL == One Second Of Love >> [Secretly Canadian]
36 FIRST AID KIT == Lion’s Roar >> [Wichita]
37 HARRISON, GEORGE == Early Takes – Volume 1 >> [Universal]
38 WAINWRIGHT, RUFUS == Out Of The Game >> [Decca]
39 SUGARMAN THREE == What The World Needs Now >> [Daptone]
40 YUNA == Yuna >> [Fader]
41 DANTE VS ZOMBIES == Buh >> [Neurotic Yell]
42 WATERHOUSE, NICK == Time’s All Gone >> [Innovative Leisure]
43 KEANE == Strangeland >> [Island]
44 WARD, M == Wasteland Companion >> [Merge]
45 SHANKAR, ANOUSHKA == Traveller >> [Deutsche Grammophon]
46 TANLINES == Mixed Emotions >> [True Panther]
47 MO KOLOURS == Ep2 – Banana Wine >> [One-handed Music]
48 SHIGETO == Lineage >> [Ghostly Int'l]
49 Y LA BAMBA == Court The Storm >> [Tender Loving Empire]
50 LITTLE BARRIE == King Of The Waves >> [Tummy Touch]

Playing on Prefix is a feature on KCRW’s Music Blog in which writers from the eclectic music site Prefix hip you to what’s coming out of their computer speakers each week.

Bleached emerged in 2011 as a tighter version of their scattered and frantic previous band, Mika Miko. They swapped punk dissonance and disorder for a closer-knit garage pop sound with vocal harmonies only achievable with the cosmic connection of siblings in a band.

Sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin write almost exclusively about love. But it’s not sappy love or platonic love — it’s referential love and the reference point is every love song radio hit from 1951-1962. Especially the darker ones. Bleached‘s sound is simple but not amateur. The sisters aren’t afraid to linger on a single guitar note or vocal pitch to make the eventual change that much more compelling. It’s still garage rock, but don’t expect blisteringly fast noodling or 1000 BPM drums.

The band hit their stride on their third and most recent 7″, “Searching Through the Past“, for Suicide Squeeze.

The title track is their most cohesive composition to date, complete with their signature vocal harmonies, desperately romantic lyrics, and even a touch of piano. The highlight of the song is the guitar solo that stays on the same note for over ten seconds before wavering into a melody. It’s bold and the solo is a good descriptor of the rest of Bleached‘s tracks: they’re not racing towards instant gratification, and the hooks are better off for it.

Searching Through The Past by Bleached by Suicide Squeeze Records

The band also isn’t rushing into a full length yet. In a music world where it’s not uncommon to give away full albums for free, Bleached have been surprisingly stingy with releases, only putting out three singles and maintaining a Tumblr account with an occasional live video and tons of photos.

Sometimes Bleached sound like an old picture you found of your Grandma at a party. At first glance the party looks like something you might have attended: there’s some beer cans on a table and maybe some sloppy dancing, but when you look closer the picture is irreparably dated. Tracks like “You Take Time” seem straight out of the 1960s pop lexicon on paper, but after a closer listen, the garage and punk influence of later decades is unmistakable.

The band is heading out on a European tour next month that includes French dates with Black Lips and an appearance at Primavera Sound in Barcelona.

- By Matt Putrino

Editor’s Note: KCRW’s Mario Cotto also tells us why this LA band is one to watch!

When something makes an impression…the moment is marked with a clarity of focus that feels like an odd dream.

First time I heard Mikal Cronin, I had just had a couple of Ray’s Mistakes at the Tiki Ti for a friend’s birthday party and the bartenders had just wound up the tiny mechanical bull that walks the length of the bar. Pretty much everyone in that little shack started hooting and hollering and cheering the rough beast on it’s journey from one end the other.

Struck by an uncomfortable overwhelming dread, I hastily walked a friend out unto the sidewalk. As we spilled out unto the sidewalk, his brightly colored floral pattern shirt kept doing this weird melty light show (like you get on iTunes) beneath his pretty awesome Letterman jacket.

As we gathered ourselves, we spoke momentarily about Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, and the amazing garage-psych-power-pop stuff happening all up and down the California Coast, at which point he says, “Have you heard Mikal Cronin?”

“Nah dude.”

“Alright stand back,” he says as he whips out his phone. He pulled up a YouTube of Cronin’s “Apathy” and despite being a YouTube video, playing through the speakers on tiny computer some 3 and half inches long…the unbelievably tight, garage pop magically drowned out all ambient noise, the Rum punched wooze lifted, and technicolor light shirt toned down and all there was was the sinewy verse-chorus-verse…topped off with a skronky sax solo that made me forget anything else was happening anywhere in the world. As soon as it was over, we listened to it again, and the second time around I crossed my fingers in hopes that Brian’s shirt would start glowing again.

The formerly from the OC but now living in SF but spending plenty of time in LA Cronin is currently out and about playing music with Ty Segall and White Fence. So good. Sooo good.

Click here to view the embedded video.