Just as the NSA has no business intercepting our electronic communications, the federal government has no business running a "public" radio corporation.
Get the feds off our public airwaves!
p.s. NPR music sucks.
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Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing
Download songs by Neko Case, ADULTROCK, Valerie June and many more.
Download Valerie June's "Workin' Woman Blues" in this month's edition of Heavy Rotation.
Courtesy of the artist
Another month, another great mix of new music chosen by public
radio's top DJs. Download an explosive new track from Neko Case,
discover the Shabazz Palaces-approved Seattle rapper Porter Ray and get
to know Valerie June, one of public radio's frontrunners for Best New
Artist of 2013. Grab all 10 of our picks below, as chosen by the
following contributors:
- Chris Campbell, DJ at WDET's ALPHA channel in Detroit
- Lars Gotrich, producer and host of Viking's Choice at NPR Music
- Anne Litt, DJ at KCRW in Los Angeles
- Larry Mizell Jr., DJ at KEXP in Seattle
- Dave P., host of Making Time RADio at WXPN in Philadelphia
- Jewel Parker, host of Strictly Hip-Hop on WEAA in Baltimore
- Jeremy Petersen, DJ at opbmusic in Portland
- Fiona Ritchie, host of NPR's Thistle & Shamrock
- Kim Ruehl, writer for FolkAlley.com
- Gwen Thompkins, host of Music Inside Out at WWNO in New Orleans
Heavy Rotation: July 2013
- Album: The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
In a way, we were predisposed to love 's new song, "Man." Her upcoming
The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You was recorded, in part, in Portland with producer , and the song features
's guitar work. She's also headlining our city's Music Fest NW in
September. Local biases aside, we're just huge fans of the singer, who
comes out swinging in "Man" with a driving beat and a declaration — "I'm
a man / That's what you raised me to be" — that's especially
interesting after the "Man man man man man man-eater" refrain of her
last record's "People Got a Lotta Nerve." Lyrically provocative — wait
for that radio-unfriendly final verse — it's catchy enough to hook even
the manliest among us.
--Jeremy Petersen,
- Album: In a World of Mallets
There's an endearing sweetness to "Ballet Class," by the Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet. The song appears on the album
In a World of Mallets,
and its ethereal quality conjures bunheaded ballerinas crossing a
parquet floor. But midway through, the quartet really swings. I asked
Marsalis what makes "Ballet Class" so damned pleasing and he replied,
"The melody is based on a C major scale, the hardest to play on vibes,
and the rhythm comes from the bolero used in classical music. As for
when we solo, we can bring in whatever kind of music we want — samba,
rock, hip-hop, blues, flamenco, anything — and it will work." Marsalis
wrote the album's liner notes and dedicates "Ballet Class" to "all
genres of music." Now, that's on pointe.
--Gwen Thompkins,
- Album: Pushin' Against a Stone
When I heard "Workin' Woman Blues," I knew
Valerie June was completely different, and that's rare these days. The
first time I played her music on air, the positive response from
listeners was overwhelming — I haven't had that much response to an
artist or song in a long time. June's sound is influenced by R&B,
Appalachia, gospel and blues and anchored by excellent songwriting. A
Tennessee native, she makes music that oozes the Mississippi River as
much as it does and Stax records. June has help from a lot of special friends on the forthcoming
Pushin' Against a Stone: Kevin Augunas and Dan Auerbach from produced tracks, while
and Richard Swift make appearances. But my favorite song, "Workin'
Woman Blues," was produced by bassist Peter Sabak. I see little reason
for the blues in Valerie June's future, as she's already my leading
contender for Best New Artist of the year.
--Anne Litt,
- Album: In The Shade (Single)
(101.9 FM, an NPR affiliate in Detroit), in collaboration with , Studio Feed and Paxahau, recently launched ,
a 24/7 interactive music streaming service that plays electronic and
progressive soul music. The channel has been seen as a game-changer in
Detroit, due to its eclectic playlist and widescreen sensibilities,
perfectly exemplified by songs such as "In the Shade" by Irish DJ Gavin
Elstead — otherwise known as ADULTROCK. "In the Shade" features
chillwave and downtempo-style sounds as it hearkens back to some of the
lush, funky and orchestral influences of 1980s producers like Trevor
Horn, but with a laid-back, contemporary spin. The track is a groovy,
dreamy, soulful, head-notic experience that's cinematic in nature, but
is still performed with finger-popping elan. This joint deservedly gets
spun frequently on both the Progressive Underground and ALPHA channel.
--Chris Campbell,
was established as a force when his old band,
Drive-By Truckers, made a name for itself years ago. Unfortunately, his
rise accompanied a descent into addiction. He battled it for years
before carefully turning over a new leaf — a struggle and pursuit he
chronicles beautifully on his new solo album,
Southeastern.
There, Isbell sheds a few layers of clothing and skin in order to bare
an earnest, sober soul. Part repentance, part damn good songwriting, the
disc doesn't lack high points. But "Live Oak" is where the complexity
of surmounting addiction comes to a head. The opening lines alone are
enough to slay: "There's a man who walks beside me and he's who I used
to be / I wonder if she sees him and confuses him with me."
--Kim Ruehl,
A 25-year-old rapper, Porter Ray Sullivan was once described to me by '
Ishmael Butler as "the Golden Child." A son of Seattle's Central
District, Porter Ray namechecks Butler and revered Seattle MC Infinite
as influences. Appropriately, "5950's" is 206 from head to toe; named
for a model of New Era baseball cap, it's described as sporting Mariner
teal throughout Porter's stunning debut,
BLK GLD. Here, Porter reels off the minutiae of murder, betrayal and narcotic sales with a poetic eye that recalls vintage ,
tempered with a numb, gray-sky detachment (and aided by a sterling
verse from Nate Jack) all over shimmering piano keys, a subdued drum
shuffle and quiet-storm rain effects. In this city — built on, around,
and seemingly under water — it's even easier than you'd think to get
washed, depending on where you're standing.
--Larry Mizell Jr.,
While I'm not so sure I'd want to live in the
house that Quicksand built (you know, because it's made of... never
mind), at least the post-hardcore bands that band inspires would know
their way around a melody. Count the fellow New Yorkers in Drug Church
among its disciples; the band features the outspoken Self Defense
Family/End of a Year frontman Patrick Kindlon in a lighter but no less
intense role. "Reading YouTube Comments" comes from the band's
Fast and the Furious actor-referencing debut,
Paul Walker,
and sounds like a game of chicken with shopping carts. Feedback
punctuates a classic punk start-stop rhythm before the whirlwind chorus
wherein Kindlon yells, "DECLINE! DECLINE!" Start the pit; I'm getting
in.
--Lars Gotrich, NPR Music
Locksmith's "Stand It" drops jewels from start
to finish. Over a beat by producer 9th Wonder, the rapper proves his
ability to go toe-to-toe with hip-hop's heavy hitters. The song is
mellow and straight to the point; it reminds me of the classic New York
City hip-hop vibe from the 1990s. I recommend playing it at loud volumes
in the car, on repeat.
--Jewel Parker,
I've been spinning Gesaffelstein tracks on the
Making Time RADio
show since he released his first EP on Turbo Recordings in 2010.
Gesaffelstein is one of my most-played artists; all of his tracks are
massive, and when I say "massive," I mean they are
huge in
sound. But the French producer has just put out his biggest track yet,
"Pursuit." It's so big that's it difficult to figure out what to play
after it in a club, because nothing can hold up to its sonic density.
With "Pursuit," Gesaffelstein creates a genre of electronic music that
sounds as much like rock as it does dance. I'm going to spin this one
all summer long.
--Dave P.,
- Album: The Road To Hammer Junkie
I like my rootsy music to feature players with
sharp skills, singers with a bit of an edge and arrangements that
surprise. When it's irresistible, that's usually because there's also
some sort of subcutaneous anarchy. This is what threatens to erupt on
The Chair's second album,
The Road to Hammer Junkie. The octet
from Orkney, an archipelago off the north coast of Scotland, taps the
deep well of traditional fiddle music for which the islands are famous,
then drives it stomping into the 21st century. Five years in the making
on this outing, the sound is as rugged as an Orcadian coastline, with
palpable joy bubbling over in even the darker tracks. Anyone who can
inject this much heart, soul and spontaneity into a studio album must be
unstoppable live. No wonder the 'Chair men' are a hit on the festival
circuit. As for "Knees of Fire," just try to sit still.
--Fiona Ritchie,
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