This week's Fresh Picks dials into songs you should consider for your playlist! What songs or albums are you listening to? Let us know!
The suggestions this week were put together with Music Director Kari Hedlund and Host/Volunteer Coordinator Dan Gannon (DJ Dang), with help from producer Jennifer Barr.
Albums
Album of the Week: Orquestra Pacífico Tropical - El Poder
The album of the week is America in a nutshell — it's cumbia from Portland, Oregon!
Led by veteran musicians David "Papi" Fimbres and Carlos Segovia, the 11-piece collective is on its way to proving that cumbia knows no borders on its third album, El Poder.
The lead and title track immediately gives the listener the direction of what is to come, and "Fantasma" has an Arabic lick leading the way while leaning into the psychedelia with deep grooves. "Desierto," "Chipi Chipi," "Escalofriante" and "Diablada" all demand a listen.
El Poder sees the band carving out its own distinctive sound, blending the infectious rhythms of traditional cumbia through the lens of the psychedelic Pacific Northwest. The result? A vibrant, groove-filled album that celebrates both cultural roots and musical exploration. -KH
Singles
Pokey LaFarge - "The Thing"
Pokey LaFarge sings, "The thing that I got ain't the thing that I thought that I wanted," in this playful song about the perils of fame and fortune. Whether or not you're rich, you've probably felt that way about something in your life. LaFarge's signature funky blues sound feels both timeless and fresh at the same time, and lessons are learned along the way. -JB
Robyn Hitchcock - "My Dead Astronaut"
This man has been exploring the outer galaxies of indie-pop and rock 'n' roll since the mid-'70s with The Soft Boys and then via his ongoing solo career. Hitchcock knocks it out of the solar system with this groovy-as-all-get-out ode to space travel. You would never guess this is a 73-year-old musician as a heavy beat with wonderfully crooned vocals propel the song into the solar system! -DG
Alewya - "Cairo FM"
You want a bop for the summer? This is it! London-based Ethiopian-Egyptian Alewya is out with her debut album, Zero, where she fuses sounds from her heritage along with the diverse music she grew up with in London. "Cairo FM" starts out strong on the runway up to a disco-inspired funky beat that includes a sample of "Lw Kan" by El Shab Arrab. The whole song is a VIBE and will be accompanying me when I need a boost. -KH
Elizabeth & the Catapult - "Responsible Friend"
This is the title track off Elizabeth Ziman's newest record, and it is as catchy as dragonflies gobbling up mosquitoes. For me, the bass lines are what make this song, along with some clever breaks that transition you from chorus to verse and back again. This is indie pop-rock at its finest. Ziman sings about wanting a responsible friend while also looking into the mirror and asking the same of herself. What a nice, lovely little ditty. -DG
Wild Horses - "Sunrise on the Absaroke"
One of the less exciting parts of being a musician today is the fact that you are often on the road. A lot. Wild Horses has been hitting the road hard the past five years, and this song comes from Jed LaPlant’s perspective of exhaustion, gratitude and of falling even deeper in love with his wife and bandmate, Ariana. The three-part harmonies are woven beautifully throughout the song, giving us a glimpse into what kind of new music will be coming from the trio. -KH
Pick From '76
The Lijadu Sisters - Danger
As we continue to celebrate our 50th birthday, KAXE’s Picks from ‘76 continues with Danger, the international debut from Nigerian identical twins, The Lijadu Sisters.
One of the few female acts to break through the Nigerian music scene of the 1970s, Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu blended Afrofunk, reggae, waka and soul through blood harmonies.
In a short six-song album, Danger delivered sharp social and political commentary and also marked the beginning of their collaboration with funk pioneer Biddy Wright, a key figure in the evolution of Afro-funk during the decade.
The album's opening track, "Danger,” is a funk-filled number with a scathing follow-up in “Amebo," that challenges those in control, asking, "What have you done with your office of power, brother?"
“Life’s Gone Down Low” brings it down with a hypnotic groove and harmonies in a minor key, while the politically charged "Cashing In" stands as the album's centerpiece, pairing funky rhythms with biting observations about corruption and exploitation: "We're cashing in, prostitution, yeah! We're cashing in, revolution, yah...poverty is a common sight."
Reggae is firmly present in “Bobby,” then moves into a deeply sad last track, "Lord Have Mercy," with death a central theme. It's a sorrowful finale to the album.
Combining funky grooves and danceable music with lyrics that packed a punch and had incredible depth and meaning, The Lijadu Sisters helped pave the way for future generations of African musicians. Fifty years later, Danger continues to be widely regarded as one of the greatest Nigerian albums ever recorded. -KH
