Live At KEXP Volume 5

Live at KEXP Volume 5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Live album by Various Artists
Released August 25,2009

Label KEXP
Producer Kevin Cole

Live at KEXP Vol. 5 is the 5th installment in the Live at KEXP cd series. Live @ KEXP Volume 5 was lovingly compiled from the best of our more than 440 live, in-studio performances hosted by KEXP in 2009, this CD is more than just a record‚ it’s an archive of one-of-a-kind, exclusive live tracks from some of this year’s greatest artists, some well known, others just being discovered. Artists include DeVotchka, The Hold Steady, Andrew Bird, MGMT, Of Montreal, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Vivian Girls and many more. All the bands on this compilation have donated their performances to support KEXP a listener-powered, non-profit, listener-supported public radio station based in Seattle, Washington.

KEXP’s mission is to enrich the lives of our listeners by championing music and discovery. We play a wildly eclectic mix of music, spanning most genres, including indie rock, electronic, world, roots, jazz, and hip hop. Listeners enjoy this non-commercial service at 90.3 FM in Seattle, at 91.5 FM Radio New York and throughout the world at KEXP.ORG. We are committed to facilitating the creative process between artists and listeners by hosting hundreds of bands live on KEXP every year.

TRACKLIST

The Moondoggies – Save My Soul/Changing
This young Seattle foursome’s debut release, Don’t Be a Stranger is an excellent album of ‘70s-influenced rootsy rock reminiscent of the Band, Neil Young and the Byrds, highlighted by soulful three-part harmonies and catchy, well-crafted songs that stretch out at times without engaging in self-indulgent noodling. They fit right in to the new rootsy Seattle scene between the sublime folk-pop of Fleet Foxes and the more earthy country-rock of the Maldives.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Midnight Man
By age 50, most rock artists are long past their prime. But not Nick Cave. Incredibly, he’s been on one of his great creative streaks over the past few years, following up 2004’s magnificent 2-CD set Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus with last year’s brutal garage-rock side-project Grinderman, and his most recent release, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is an album that’ll surely rank as one of the finest of his lengthy career. Always a remarkable lyricist, he’s in peak form here with songs that are literate, sexual, hilarious, chilling and profound, sometimes all at once.

The Whore Moans – Holy F #? king Moment
This Seattle band’s most recent release, Hello From the Radio Wasteland, stretches out on their 2nd album with a more varied sound, more complex, multi-part songwriting and brighter melodies, injecting some anthemic Clash/Replacements punk and bits of prog, pop and metal into their fierce garage-punk sound.This is rock ‘n’ roll with teeth, and was one of the highlights of Northwest rock in 2008.

The Hold Steady – Both Crosses
The Hold Steady returned to KEXP to play an exclusive live acoustic set of their gritty signature storytelling songs detailing the dangers of making a religion out of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, The Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis band continues to brings new instrumentation (harpsichord, strings, banjo) to their Springsteen/Thin Lizzy bar-band sound.

The Avett Brothers – The Weight Of Lies
This North Carolina band crafts unique Americana with the instrumentation of bluegrass and the fire of rock and roll.

Andrew Bird – Oh No
Chicago singer-songwriter-violinist Andrew Bird offered up a track of atmospheric pop replete with his trademark soft vocals and rich string textures. He performed a mostly low-key set of spacious, acoustic-oriented songs gently propelled by light rhythms (sometimes hinting at bossa nova), with his hushed vocals and uber-literate lyrics occasionally punctuated by his trademark whistling, handclaps and wordless harmonies.

The Kills – Kissy Kissy
This London-based duo shared a powerhouse set of bristling blues-punk. Their second album Midnight Boom is even rawer and more minimalist, combining dirty guitar stabs and a primitive drum machine with Florida-raised singer Alison Mosshart’s heated vocals. Overall, the brutal, spartan sound is similar to PJ Harvey’s last album Uh Huh Her, but packs a more powerful punch.

Curumin – Compacto
This Sao Paolo multi-instrumentalist/producer blends Samba and other Brazilian flavors with a creative mix of reggae, funk, rock and hip-hop. He warms up the KEXP studios with this exclusive live track.

Of Montreal – An Eluardian Instance
Hailing from Athens, Georgia, Kevin Barnes & company treat the KEXP airwaves to an acoustic version of a track from their most recent work, Skeletal Lamping; one of their boldest, most adventurous works to date, featuring rapidly shifting, multi-part songs that frankly explore sexuality from a variety of perspectives while continuing the musical evolution of recent recordings by combining quirky psych-pop with catchy pop-funk.

Zion I – Antenna
Oakland hip-hop duo Zion I (joined here by singer Courtney Holiday) performed a great live set on KEXP. DJ AmpLive and MC Baba Zumbi mix futuristic, electronic beats with positive, socially conscious rhymes.

DeVotchKa – How It Ends
Denver globalistas DeVotchKa, best known for being featured on many film soundtracks including Little Miss Sunshine, cook up a cinematic melting pot stew from a base of gypsy inspired folk-rock, burlesque seasoned with sonic spices extending from Romani to Mariachi and beyond. Somehow it all blends together like grandma’s goulash, and certainly satisfied the Triple Door audience in this exclusive live performance for KEXP.

Hey Marseilles – From A Terrace
Local up and coming indie folk band Hey Marseilles played a beautiful live set in the KEXP studios, featuring delicately balanced and masterfully arranged instrumentation and novelesque lyrics. We’re looking forward to hearing more from singer Matt Bishop and his band mates in the near future!

James Hunter – Don’t Do Me No Favours
The British soul singer/guitarist graced the KEXP studios with a first-rate set of ‘50s and ‘60s-style soul and R&B – while many who go the old-school route rely to some degree on covers, Hunter wrote every song on his most recent release, The Hard Way, and they range from high-energy dance numbers to some sweet Sam Cooke-influenced ballads. The album’s clean production puts emphasis on Hunter’s soulful croon with a touch of gravel and his biting, economical guitar leads.

Firewater – Electric City
Recently split from his wife and disgusted with the re-election of George W. Bush, Firewater frontman Tod A. took a 3-year sabbatical through the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, recording a variety of performances from musicians in India and Pakistan (and later Turkey and Israel) that would be used as the main accompaniment to songs he had written along the way. Firewater has always incorporated different musical styles from around the world, and this time Bhangra and Sufi elements are prominent, along with klezmer and other styles in bracingly honest songs using dark humor, sarcasm and outrage to depict a world gone wrong.

Wild Orchid Children – Frontier Justice In An Online World
Local band featuring members of Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground, Wild Orchid Children offered KEXP Audioasis listeners an energetic mix of blues, jungle, breakbeat and yes, rock music into a swirling psychedelic aural party.

Vivian Girls – I Can’t Stay
All-girl Brooklyn trio Vivian Girls throw down a charming sonic barrage that’s equal parts rock, surf, 60s girl group and punk during their performance from Gibson Showroom during KEXP’s broadcast from CMJ.

MGMT – Pieces Of What
Begun as a joke by college pals Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, MGMT has developed into a serious creative force by melding electroclash, glam, prog, psychedelia, and pop while writing memorable, though often still quite tongue-in-cheek songs.

Phosphorescent – Wolves
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Matthew Houck aka Phosphorescent plays his dark, drowsy indie-folk live for KEXP listeners. It’s a great acoustic set featuring a couple Willie Nelson covers.