From the final album of Malian legends Amadou & Mariam, Michelle Blades' unexpected and quirky pop, to the quick return of The Black Keys and rising Indigenous singer-songwriter Kalyn Fay from Oklahoma, Fresh Picks is here with something new for everyone.
Check out this week's suggestions from Music Director Kari Hedlund, Asst. Music Director Malachy Koons, Volunteer Coordinator Dan Gannon and Morning Show Host Andrew Dziengel.
Albums
Queen Esther - Blackbirding
In addition to her music, Queen Esther is an accomplished playwright, actor and essayist, and her skill for storytelling that ties history to the present day is on full display on her sixth solo album, Blackbirding. Seamlessly blending country, jazz and blues in a style she calls "Black country soul," Blackbirding explores the Civil War battle at Gettysburg to tell a story of the fight for freedom that continues to this day. It's our Album of the Week at KAXE. -MK
Ratboys - Singin' to an Empty Chair
Ratboys have been a very reliable band delivering good to excellent albums with their post-country indie rock sound. Their sixth album, Singin' to an Empty Chair might be their best yet. The band sounds more confident, which is immediately clear from the opening track "Open Up." Producer Chris Walla encouraged the band to emphasize emotional impact over music theory and it serves them well.
Singer Julia Steiner has a bit more oomph in her voice, the band has energy behind them, and Steiner's lyrics feel both catchy and poignant. The jam odyssey from "Just Want You to Know the Truth" to "Burn it Down" might be the band at their very best. It's exciting to have a new Ratboys album, and it being their best yet is even better. -AD
Michelle Blades - Where To?
Mexican-Panamanian musician Blades is clearly an artist on her own terms. Where To? is an album that stops you in your tracks to ask, what is exactly happening here? Delicate, layered vocals and unusual harmonies are all wrapped in songs that feel both familiar and like you’ve never heard before. Pop hooks in songs like “Show & Tell” and “Trouble” are next to tracks like “Dear Friend” that, partway through, cuts into a noise-filled journey before wrapping up nicely with a hooky, sweet, harmony-filled ending. Or there's the confusing and alien-like sounds in “I’m The Port Authority.” This album is filled with surprises at every corner. -KH
Amadou & Mariam - L'amour à la folie
The blind duo from Mali's ninth album — their final after Amadou’s death last year — showcases their funky gumbo of traditional Malian sounds, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Indian tablas and the unmistakable harmonizing vocals of Mariam Doumbia and Amadou Bagayoko. They crafted a sound that is diverse, consistent, amazing and undeniably theirs. The song "Nakan" opens with Mariam's voice floating over a thumping kick drum, beautiful acoustic accompaniment, and a repetitive call for Nakan to come home. I have never been to Mali, and I don't speak French, but the music of Amadou & Mariam feels familiar and relatable. -DG
Various - Music for Good: A Mixtape for MN Mutual Aid
Minnesota musicians continue to pitch in with this collection of 32 protest songs, raising money for Community Aid Network MN (CANMN). From Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum/Golden Smog/Scarlet Goodbye) and Liz Draper (Charlie Parr/Iris Dement) to musicians making their first-ever recordings, the Minnesota music scene captures the pain, anger, hope and community of the people of Minnesota. As The Real Chuck Norad sings on their Patti Smith cover, “People Have the Power.” -MK
Singles
Kalyn Fay - "Windsong"
"I prefer the sound of an old Windsong,” sings Cherokee and Mvskoke singer-songwriter Kalyn Fay on the first single from their upcoming ᎠᎾᏒᎤ (Garden) album. From the windchime clatter of the drum beat and the powwow vocables of the chorus to the sweeping lines of clarinet and cello and the shimmering of the cymbals, every aspect of “Windsong” is exactly that, the sounds and songs of an Oklahoma wind. I can’t wait for the rest of ᎠᎾᏒᎤ this April. -MK
The Black Keys - "You Got to Lose"
Marking a return to their classic blues rock, The Black Keys released a new song announcing a new album Peaches!. "You Got to Lose" arrived quickly on the heels of their more expansive 2025 release No Rain, No Flowers. Led by guitar, the song channels vintage Chicago blues — it's noisy with a driving beat, and a perfect invitation to the dance floor. -KH
Friko - "Seven Degrees"
Lead singer and songwriter Niko Kapetan spent most of his life thinking the saying was seven degrees of separation, instead of six. At first glance, an innocuous misunderstanding — but dig a little deeper and that’s a huge change in how connected we all are to each other. Kapetan and the rest of the Chicago indie rock quartet capture the enormity of that thought on the incredibly catchy (impossible to not belt at the top of your lungs) Fab Four-inspired chorus. -MK
Automatic - "Black Box"
This all-female trio from L.A. plays highly rhythmic and insistent dance music within the bounds of a drums/bass/synth set up. “Black Box” leads off their latest album, Is It Now?, and lets you know immediately that you are in for a treat. Catchy melodic vocals ride the rhythms and warm your fingers and toes better than a space heater. -DG
