From the Appalachian Mountains to the City of Angels. From the brownstones of Brooklyn to the suburbs of Mexico City. From Hamel, Minnesota, to Iowa City, Iowa. We have music from near and far in Fresh Picks this week.
For new albums, we have "The Rose of Appalachia," aka Angela Autumn, the marimba punk madness of Son Rompe Pera and delta blues from Iowa with the Cedar County Cobras.
Our standout tracks include Kiko Mizuhara's bouncy city pop, Brandy Clark's country roots, Menahan Street Band's Arthur Verocai collaboration and Meels with another bouncer, this time folk-style.
And in our look back at 1976, we return once again to a band from Minnesota: The Lamont Cranston Band's self-titled debut.
Check out this week's suggestions from Music Director Kari Hedlund, Asst. Music Director Malachy Koons and Volunteer Coordinator Dan Gannon.
Albums
Album of the Week: Angela Autumn - Believer
Every once in a while a piece of music just hits different.
Something about it strikes a chord in your brain, scratches an itch you didn't know you had, sounds like something completely new to you.
I had that feeling earlier this year, when I first heard "Electric Lizard" by Angela Autumn. It's a song I missed when it first arrived and went viral in 2023, only making its way to my ears when it reappeared as an early taste of Autumn's new second album Believer, out now on Gar Hole Records.
For longtime fans of Autumn, whose western Pennsylvania roots and clawhammer banjo skills lead to the nickname "The Rose of Appalachia," the fact that Believer is full of equally timeless songs will come as no surprise.
Autumn and co-producer Isaiah Beard have created a sound where the banjo is no longer front and center, a move away from the traditional sound of her early music to a hazy blend of psych, country, rock and folk that took countless hours in the studio to achieve.
The results are magic. Despite the increased complexity of the music and textures, there is even more room for Autumn to stretch her biggest weapon: her voice. Full of Appalachian twang, she stretches and compresses phrases and syllables as needed to best draw attention to her words.
On the chorus of the opener "Heavy Tobacco," her voice is haunted like the pedal steel that accompanies it. On "Millionaire Money," the way it jumps during every repetition of "dollar signs" keeps the phrase from growing old, as Autumn hammers home how money rules everything.
Her banjo makes an appearance on another early standout track, "Mountain Stream," an ode to the nature of Appalachia. Even though the song is built around a banjo riff, it is drowned out at times by shimmering synths and the folk-rock groove.
Believer is just as successful in its mellower moments as its most rocking. "Jesus Heist" is a breathtaking and mystical folk song that tricks you into thinking the drums will never come. When they do, they drag behind the beat in a way that perfectly adds to Autumn's lyrics, "Because I had to leave it all behind / I’m not so sure about your kind / For I come from outer space / I know no likes of human race."
The drums never do come on the final track, "My Alchemy," as Autumn paints a lonely picture of a 20-something navigating a world full of horrible headlines with the seemingly mundane yet meaningful task of cooking new dishes for yourself. A little bit of weed helps too.
Believer is a tremendous second album and likely a first taste of Autumn's music for many. Just in time for autumn, it's our Album of the Week at KAXE. -MK
Son Rompe Pera - Marimbazos De Oro
Throw young punks, traditional Mexican songs and a healthy dose of the marimba into a blender, and you get Son Rompe Pera. Based around the three Gama brothers, who grew up playing marimba with their father at weddings and street dances in Naucalpan, the band's latest album is produced by Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas. His eclectic tastes are the perfect fit for a band that is just as inspired by the Misfits as it is by traditional Mexican music. -MK
Cedar County Cobras - Sinners & Saints
This is the second album from Tom Spielbauer and April Dirks, a rootsy duo from Iowa City, Iowa, playing delta blues. Some songs, like "Bessie Smith's Last Ride" and "Mind My Own Business," draw from rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll and chug along like a freight train. Others like "St. James Infirmary" bring to mind Tom Waits singing in a graveyard. Altogether, it's high-quality and authentic-sounding blues music. -MK
Singles
Kiko Mizuhara - "Feelin' Wee"
This song has more bounce than flubber. Throw a few more E's on the end of "Wee," and that's how I'm feeling listening to it. The debut single from the LA singer, it was produced by John Carroll Kirby, and his slinky city pop beat is matched by the playful English and Japanese vocals of Mizuhara. -MK
Brandy Clark - "American Roots"
The country songwriter is back with the first new music since her critically and fan-acclaimed self-titled album in 2023. "American Roots" is our first peek at the new album, the bird, out in January 2027. Clark sings, "tell me about your family tree," followed by the reminder that (the collective) "we" have roots all over the world. Championing immigration as essential to the American story, the song is housed in a very country instrumental from her fantastic band. "We are all American roots." -KH
Menahan Street Band - "Palace of Illusions"
Nearly 20 years after forming, Menahan Street Band returns with a new single, the first cut from their upcoming fourth album, Illusions. Joining Thomas Brennack, Dave Guy, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon and Homer Steinweiss on this dreamy soul instrumental is legendary Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai. Combining his melodies with their instrumental talents was always going to be chef's kiss. -MK
Meels - "Lonely USA"
Meels lets the fiddle and banjo take you away on this bouncy cut, on a search for a lover, a community or someone to just kick it with. Meels is often whimsical and maybe a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the yearning, wistful emotions present on "Lonely USA" speak to the universal desire for connections. Meels continues to impress and beguile and leaves me wanting to hear more! -DG
Pick From '76
The Lamont Cranston Band - Lamont Cranston Band
Our next look back at 1976 features a Minnesota blues band that, until recently, you could still catch playing around the state, even at KAXE's 2015 Riverfest.
Brothers Pat and Larry Hayes founded the group in Hamel in 1969, taking their name not from their lead singer — as a young me thought for years — but from an alter ego of the fictional radio character, The Shadow.
The band would find its biggest successes in 1979 when The Blues Brothers recorded their song "Excuse Moi, Mon Cheri," and in 1981 with their hit "Upper Mississippi Shakedown." But for our Pick From '76, we're looking at their debut self-titled album.
Pairing covers of blues legends like Elmore James and Earl Hooker with originals from the Hayes brothers, The Lamont Cranston Band shows the band arriving with the talent that would make them live favorites for years to come in Minnesota.
"Stranger Blues" has a funky soul-blues groove, Louis Jordan's "(Ain't Nobody Here But Us) Chickens" introduces their love for jump blues, and "It Ain't You" shows they could play the rustic folk-blues too.
Recently, the band has been on hiatus since a late 2024 stroke left Pat Hayes unable to perform. An update from Dec. 27, 2025, on the band's website says, "All dates cancelled for 2026. Stay tuned." along with this message:
"Hi. Sorry it's been awhile, but people have been asking for an update on Pat. It's still been a slow process, but before winter hit, he was getting PT a couple times a week and they actually would get him outside and take a short walk down the street. Now, he's getting PT once a week indoors. He still has some balance and stability issues, but getting better. He's in good spirits. He's been painting and drawing, playing a little guitar and harmonica, and still writing some songs. He may even have more of his artwork for sale soon. The pieces he had at the benefit in April were a big hit and they all sold. Keep an eye open for more posts here and probably on Facebook. He says Hi to all and thanks everyone for their continued support and thoughts. Every little bit still always helps, so if you can donate at all, it's really appreciated. Thanks."
You can find the GoFundMe for Hayes here, and listen to his band's debut album all week long on KAXE.
