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Pure Akan - Yete Apor (feat. Efya) Apr 25, 2023

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Pure Akan - "Yete Apor (feat. Efya)" a 2023 single on A-Level Music.

Ghanaian highlife/hip-hop artist Pure Akan stays true to his roots by rapping in Twi, a dialect of the Akan language. "It created a connection between me and my people, the Akan people and also our culture," he told Pan African Music. "My fans relate better. They understand me now."

His new single sees him pairing up with another Ghana-based songwriter, neo-soul artist Efya, whosevoice elevates the beauty of today's Song of the Day.

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Alsarah - Farasha فراشة (feat. Sufyvn & Flippter) Apr 24, 2023

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Alsarah - "Farasha فراشة (feat. Sufyvn & Flippter)" a 2023 single on Alsarah Productions

On today's Song of the Day, Sudanese songstress Alsarah celebrates femininity. The song title "Farasha" translates to "butterfly" in Arabic, and in a press statement, she says the track honors the "spirit of resistance, resiliency, and perseverance" of Sudanese women. The featured song was co-produced with Sufyvn and features guest rapper, Flippter.

In the background, you'll hear field recordings Alsarah gathered in the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile in Sudan. The accompanying music video — directed by award-winning Sudanese multidisciplinary artist, Mai Elgizouli — is designed to "shine a light on neglected issues facing women in Sudan, which have ranged from societal pressure over beauty standards to women’s roles in the revolution.”

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Acid Tongue - Consumerism Apr 21, 2023

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Acid Tongue - Consumerism a 2023 self-released single.

It’s been two years since Seattle garage rockers Acid Tongue released their third full-length Arboretum, which came about as frontman Guy Keltner came to terms with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as his struggles with his bipolar diagnosis, during the pandemic. Keltner and co-frontman Ian Cunningham detailed the making of the record as well as their personal experiences on Sound & Vision in 2021.

Our Song of the Day is the latest release we’ve gotten from Acid Tongue since then, the anti-capitalist/nihilist anthem “Consumerism.” Over the thrumming guitar rhythm, the message relayed by Keltner is clear. No matter how or what you consume, we’re all consumers. Be it eating too much, drinking excessively, consuming cheap drugs, or “digital love” (I think we all know what means), they’re all easy forms of escape through consumption. “Every day I consume more,” softly cries Keltner. “Can you tell me what it’s all been for?/ Cheap drugs and digital love/ I never know when enough’s enough.”

Below, watch the video for “Consumerism,” directed & edited by James Kimberling, and read the full post at KEXP.org.

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Daníel Hjálmtýsson - No Reception (feat. Aðalbjörn Tryggvason) Apr 20, 2023

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Daníel Hjálmtýsson - No Reception (feat. Aðalbjörn Tryggvason) from the 2022 self-released album Labyrinthia.

While Daníel Hjálmtýsson’s recorded work only dates back to 2020, he’s made quite a splash in the past few years, perking the ears of his fellow Icelanders as well as a particular Seattleite - Kevin Cole. He recently caught their performance at Tremor Festival which is set at secret locations around São Miguel island in the Azores and has been said by some to be the “world’s weirdest music festival.” So stunned by their performance, he had to share their music with the world.

In November, Daníel Hjálmtýsson, which also includes Hálfdán Árnason and Skúli Gíslason, released their debut full-length Labyrinthia. The album leans into Nick Cave-esque gothic rock that Mark Lanegan, also a clear inspiration, cited as, “Neo-goth music that brings to mind the forbidding landscapes of his native Iceland. One can imagine him on a stage in a church-turned-dungeon somewhere in the Reykjavik underbelly.” I don’t think I could possibly describe it better than Lanegan so I’ll let him do the talking.

Our Song of the Day is the lead single off Labyrinthia, “No Reception,” which features guest vocals from fellow Icelandic rocker, Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, of the long-running post-metal band Sólstafir. It’s a slow-churner about the anxieties of loneliness and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Also, perhaps because I’ve recently binged the new Interview with a Vampire series, the words, “I’ll never see another /I’ll never see another /Day” seem like a song Louis might write. A melancholy ode to the plight of eternal darkness.

The official video for “No Reception” debuts today, alongside our Song of the Day, and was directed, edited, and produced by Jónatan Leó. Watch it and read the full post at KEXP.org.

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Tramhaus - Make It Happen Apr 19, 2023

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Tramhaus - "Make It Happen," a 2022 single on Subroutine Records.

Post-punk quintet Tramhaus provide a sneering statement on their hometown of Rotterdam, Netherlands on today's Song of the Day.

The phrase "make it happen" serves as the city's official slogan — "a phrase which coincidentally functions as the absurd and out-of-touch city-slogan of Rotterdam," they state on Facebook. The accompanying music video was filmed in the Wielewaal neighborhood, and the residents who are set to be evicted. “Drawing further on what we believe is a misleading Rotterdam city slogan – 'make it happen' – we came up with the idea to make a video with the Wielewalers,” the band commented to Beats Per Minute. “With the video, we hope to show their struggle to a wider audience.”

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Verde Prato - Niña Soñando Apr 18, 2023

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Verde Prato - "Niña Soñando" from the 2023 album Adoretua on Plan B Rec.

Recording under the name Verde Prato, Colombian artist Ana Arsuaga sings in Basque, honoring the traditions of the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Her haunting neo-folk synth-pop songs call to mind artists like Kate Bush or Tirzah.

Via her Bandcamp page, she explains today's Song of the Day reflects on "the questions that arise for a girl, questions that a girl asks of the world, of life, of otherness, of love, to innocence." The accompanying video features students at the Berrobi School in Tolosa, Spain, and the clip was directed by Maria Muriedas and Arsuaga's mother, Elena Arambarri (the theater teacher at the Berrobi).

"I find it a song that moves me," she tells Mondo Sonoro, "because it talks about some questions and a general state in which I could be a lot when I was a child, and I'm not only referring to the lyrics but also to the tone of the song, to the cadence, to the atmosphere. For me, it's like a sad and happy song at the same time, dreamy, and the rhythms also lead me to such a dance."

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Lucrecia Dalt - Contenida Apr 17, 2023

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Lucrecia Dalt - "Contenida" from the 2022 album ¡Ay! on RVNG Intl.

On her eighth and latest LP ¡Ay!, Colombian-born, Berlin-based artist Lucrecia Dalt celebrates both her homeland and outer space. Infusing childhood influences of bolero, mambo, merengue, and salsa into her synth-heavy soundscapes, she tells the story of Preta, an extraterrestrial being who lands on Earth. The ten-track album examines themes of love, time, and on today's Song of the Day, existence.

"A falling progression, vocals harmonizing, a jazzy something… Why not?," she describes to The Fader in a track-by-track. "Playing this piece live, it’s become one of my favorites from the album. Fun to perform, fun to dance to. Can you imagine being bodiless and suddenly feeling trapped, like theatrical containment? Irreversible…"

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Jarv Dee & Bad Colours - Beat Drop Apr 14, 2023

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Jarv Dee & Bad Colours - Beat Drop a 2023 single on MOOR LIFE.

Jarv Dee has been one of the leading rap luminaries of the Seattle scene for the past decade, churning out numerous bops and anthems. Since the beginning, one of his secret weapons has been production from London-born, Maryland-raised, Brooklyn-based DJ, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Ibe Solima, aka Bad Colours. Solima has worked with some big names including Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Keyshia Cole, and Faith Evans but it wasn’t until 2021 that he finally dropped his debut Bad Colours full-length PINK, which featured Jarv Dee.

Since then, the duo has been consistently dropping collaborative singles and our Song of the Day is their most recent. Described by Dee as “If ‘F**k around and found out’ was a person,” the song is an absolute banger. The house track bounces and bumps while Dee encourages listeners to dance the pain away “When the beat drop.”

Watch the Tim Slew-directed video for “Beat Drop” and read the full post at KEXP.org.

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Es - Swallowed Whole Apr 13, 2023

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Es - Swallowed Whole from the 2023 Fantasy EP on Upset The Rhythm.

London-based quartet Es burst onto the scene back in 2020 with their debut LP Less of Everything, made up of nine tracks of ominous and icy post-punk exploring the tension between intent and interpretation. Three years later, they’re back with the Fantasy EP. For their new release, they’ve bumped the tempo up but haven’t lost an ounce of sneer.

Our Song of the Day “Swallowed Whole” is frantic and twitchy, with taut syncopated rhythms and pinched synths while frontperson Maria Cecilia Tedemalm sings of building anxiety that completely overwhelms. Tedemalm had this to say about the song:

"Musically the writing process behind ‘Swallowed Whole’ is a bit hazy for me, but I very vividly remember getting super excited when listening to the first rough demo over and over again and writing almost all the lyrics while walking to the bus stop 7 minutes from my house. Once I had the first line down the rest just came flowing. I think I had a lot of pent up frustration just itching to get out as thematically the song taps into some quite frantic and raw emotions. It’s about teetering on a knife's edge and wanting to escape yourself and your current circumstances before they completely devour you. We shot the video for it at our friend's recording studio called Head Cold in Bermondsey. The idea originally was to be "Swallowed Whole" in smoke but sadly the smoke machine we borrowed wouldn't work so it came out a bit more like maybe we're playing at your highschool under the sea themed prom."

Watch the video for "Swallowed Whole," directed by Tedemalm, and read the full post at KEXP.org.

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System Olympia - Falling In Love Apr 12, 2023

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System Olympia - "Falling in Love" from the 2023 album New Erotica Collection on Okay Nature

Over the past few years, London-based producer, DJ, and vocalist System Olympia (real name: Francesca Macri) has been releasing a series of sultry stand-along singles, including today's Song of the Day, featuring guest vocals from South London artist P Nut. Earlier this year, she compiled nine of these tracks into the LP New Erotica Collection,

With an album title like that, you won't be surprised that System Olympia finds inspiration in Tinto Brass films and Anaïs Nin's Delta of Venus short story collection. (In fact, Macri's 2020 LP of the same title is an ode to those literary works.) On her Bandcamp page, she cites "night rides in my Mercedes Benz." Check out the video for today's Song of the Day, and climb into the passenger seat.

Read the full story at KEXP.org

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate

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