Music For Your Weekend

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After the events of the last week, isn’t it great that cheap bounce house we have music to escape the madness? With that in mind, here are a few releases you should take some time to dive into this weekend.

Krystle WarrenThree the Hard Way

I absolutely LOVE Krystle Warren. To say she is a phenomenal talent would be an understatement and I’m not one to dabble in hyperbole. Warren produces, writes, plays guitar, has a captivating voice, plays drums…and sometimes plays drums while she sings. Like I said, a phenomenal talent. Warren has called Paris home for nearly a decade now but originally hails from Kansas City, MO. With her new album Three the Hard Way, she explores her American roots through gospel, folk and blues compositions. One of my favorite songs is “Red Clay,” which is about a terrorist attack that occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. It was an event in which a mob led by the Klan, attacked residents and patrons of the Greenwood neighborhood, which was coined the “Black Wall Street.” Sound familiar? In an interview with NPR when asked about observing events in the U.S. from a distance, Warren responded by saying, “Being far away, I guess, I can see things more clearly.” Three the Hard Way is out now and is a must have! Not because it’s topical but because it’s that good. I highly doubt it will leave my top 5 of best albums of 2017. Check out her video for the first single from the record, “Thanks and Praise.”

Sunni Colón – “Little Things”

After capturing our attention last year with his Thierry Disko EP, Sunni Colón has returned with the perfect song for a ride down Pacific Coast Highway. Colón said he dove “deep” into Alan Watts around the time he wrote the song. In fact, he says “the lyrics stem from mindfulness while living in this beautiful yet chaotic world.” By the way, “Little Things” was produced by KCRW favorite Kaytranada and it includes his signature drums and infectious groove. Take a listen!

Grizzly BearPainted Ruins

There is no introduction needed for Grizzly Bear. They have been gracing the KCRW airwaves for over 10 years now. The growth they’ve made over that time span has been nothing less than impressive. GB hasn’t completely abandoned the layered arrangements and folk harmonies they were known for with their earlier releases – they’ve built on them. Painted Ruins (which is out now) is an affirmation of this maturation. GB developed a fuller sound and have transformed themselves into one of the best indie rock bands of this era. The songs are well written and excellently produced. A great example of all of this is the song “Four Cypresses.”

Slum Sociable – Castle

Miller Upchurch & Edward Quinn are the Aussie duo known as Slum Sociable. If you like Portugal. The Man or Broken Bells then you’ll like the guys. I’ve been following and supporting Sociable for a couple of years now and I’m really excited that they just announced they’ll be releasing a full length! Their self titled debut is due Oct 13th on Liberation and along with that news, they’ve released “Castle,” the second single from the upcoming full length. Upchurch says, “it’s a song about the walls people put up around themselves, for whatever reasons, and trying to break through them with the intent to help.” Check out “Castle.”