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For albums: Deer Tick puts on for Providence and Brian Jackson reimagines his Gil-Scott Heron classic collaborations.
Then we have SIX fresh tracks for you this week: Bebe Stockwell's lovely "When You Know," controlled chaos on "Turn It Up" from MADMADMAD, Orquesta Akokán and Carolina Oliveros teaming up for "No Me Voy," Wild Pink channels Neil Young on "Round of Applause at the End of the World," Humbird's latest "Daughter of Empire" and Kiwi Jr. with a turn-it-up-to-eleven banger on "Blowin' Up."
And the cherry on top, Andrew Dziengel talks Jailbreak, Thin Lizzy's opus from 1976.
Check out this week's suggestions from Music Director Kari Hedlund, Assistant Music Director Malachy Koons, Volunteer Coordinator Dan Gannon and Morning Show Host Andrew Dziengel.
Albums
Album of the Week: Deer Tick - Coin-O-Matic
Deer Tick returns with Coin-O-Matic, the Rhode Island band's ninth studio album. Recorded in the band's home studio and self-produced for the first time in 20 years, the album digs into the hidden histories of Providence, where working-class neighborhoods and the mafia underworld long existed side by side. The result is a gritty, heartfelt celebration of the city’s character and the stories that often go untold.
“Mary Singletary” is an instantly familiar tune. “ACI” captures the record’s working-class perspective while carrying some Bruce Springsteen DNA. “507 Smith” is a slinky rocker and my personal favorite, while "Exit Door" is classic Deer Tick. Coin-O-Matic is out Friday, June 5. -KH
Brian Jackson - Now More Than Ever
Although his name didn't appear on their albums until 1974's Winter in America, Jackson's keyboard, flute and songwriting were key parts of Gil-Scott Heron's groundbreaking sound from the get-go. Alongside cult garage house duo Masters at Work and a myriad of features from artists like Black Thought and Moodyman, Jackson revisits and reimagines his classic collaborations with Heron in a modern jazz-house style. -MK
Singles
Bebe Stockwell - "When You Know"
Expect this song to be a big one at KAXE. Boston-based singer-songwriter Stockwell has a wonderful voice that is simultaneously tinged with a world-weary ache and a beautiful hopefulness. With an upbeat acoustic guitar, "When You Know" simmers, rises and simmers again as she tells us about how we know love is nearby. So lovely! -DG
MADMADMAD - "Turn It Up"
New controlled chaos in "Turn It Up" from the London electronic post-punk trio. From the new Overload EP, this playful song instantly hooks you in with bouncing beats before moving into fuzzier distorted sounds over the next two and a half minutes. Let's kick off the summer with more weird and inviting vibes like this! -KH
Orquesta Akokán - "No Me Voy (ft. Carolina Oliveros)"
The first taste of the Cuban Latin jazz group's upcoming fourth album, AMÉRICA!, is a simmering collaboration with Carolina Oliveros of Combo Chimbita. The pairing is perfect, with Oliveros' huge voice rising in intensity with each verse, while the band's voices join together in the emphatic chorus of "yo no me voy aquí," meaning "I'm not going to leave here." In the final minute, saxophonist Roman Filiu takes the song into the stratosphere. -MK
Wild Pink - "Round of Applause at the End of the World"
Wild Pink has amassed quite the discography in its short career of blending alt-country and rock. The group announced its sixth studio album, Still Coming Down, and released its first single, “Round of Applause at the End of the World.” It’s one of Wild Pink's most rocking songs and reminds me of Neil Young at his most rock-centric sound. The song is about Kennedy assassinations with hints of country rock sprinkled in. It’s road trip season, and I think we found our first track for hitting the road. -AD
Humbird - "Daughter of Empire"
Siri Undlin's Humbird project moved into a fuller and electric sound in the 2024 album Right On, and it looks like she'll be continuing down that path on her follow-up, Morning When It Comes, due out Sept. 25, 2026. The second single, written during a period of mental and physical illness, is a powerful expression of navigating difficult times in a difficult world. Despite the images of food going bad and bills piling up, there's hope in Undlin's voice when she sings, "Some day soon I will be a better man." -MK
Kiwi Jr. - "Blowin' Up"
Think Lou Reed with a carnival organ on this infectious rocker from the Toronto-based group. Kiwi Jr. uses repetition, dynamic shifts and speak-singing to hook you in and make you feel like you, too, are "Blowin' Up." For me, this song will be turned up to 11 when in my car, windows down and stuck on repeat. -DG
Picks from '76
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak probably has my favorite start to any album. All four members hit one note on their instruments as if to ask their audience to stand for attention. Then the nastiest guitar riff you’ve ever heard starts playing. That’s rock and roll, baby!
Thin Lizzy hails from Dublin, Ireland, and got its start in 1969. Jailbreak is the band's sixth studio album, and it’s widely regarded as its best, and for good reason. The guitars are crunchy, the drums are propelling, and lead singer Phil Lynott will have you believe that everything he’s saying is the most important thing in the world.
The title track clearly sends the message that the next 35 minutes will be dedicated to the almighty rock and roll. If you aren’t all in by the first ten seconds of this song, this ain’t the album for you. 'Cuz tonight there’s going to be a Jailbreak, so don’t you be around.
There are so many amazing songs on such a short album. Songs about fighting, gambling and even Irish history. “Cowboy Song” could soundtrack riding off into the sunset. “Emerald” feels like you’re about to be part of the biggest battle in history. “Romeo and the Lonely Girl” is so good you can look past the audacity of rhyming “Oh poor Romeo” with “Sittin' all on his own-eo." Thin Lizzy is the only band that can get away with that.
And how can you talk about Jailbreak without talking about “The Boys are Back in Town?” I think even Thin Lizzy would agree this song isn’t just for the boys. It’s all-inclusive. “Boys” could be any group of friends who love to party and maybe find themselves in a bit of trouble. If aliens ever came to visit and we had to teach them about rock and roll, I’d show them “The Boys are Back in Town.”
It’s safe to say that while Jailbreak could have only been made in 1976, it still has a timeless quality. As long as there are fast cars, good friends, and rock and roll, there will always be a need for Thin Lizzy.
