As you probably already know, KCRW is in the midst of our Winter Pledge Drive and on Day 2 we have some extra incentive for Radiohead fans.

Anyone who donates during Morning Becomes Eclectic THIS morning (January 27, between 9am and noon) is automatically entered in a sweepstakes to win a pair of tickets to the SOLD OUT Radiohead show at the Santa Barbara Bowl on April 12, PLUS a one-night stay at the Harbor House Inn in Santa Barbara.

A musical getaway just for supporting KCRW and public radio! You can join online here or by calling 800 600 5279

RR

Editor’s Note: Find sweepstakes rules here.

From KCRW DJ Eric J Lawrence:

Learning of the demise of the innovative experimental indie rock duo The Books today was disappointing.  Their 2010 album, “The Way Out”, was one of my favorite releases of that year and it is marked by such a distinctive style that I doubt if it will ever sound dated.

Combining sound collage assemblages with delicate songwriting touches gave The Books an ability to go just about anywhere with their music, from using snippets of children’s stories, to covering Nick Drake’s “Cello Song” (for the Red Hot benefit CD, Dark Was the Night), to composing music for an elevator in the French Ministry of Culture!

According to a Pitchfork interview with one half of the band, Nick Zammuto, it sounds like a bad break-up, which is always a bummer (if only because that suggests that any hope of a reunion seems a long, long way away).

But the good news is that Nick’s new project, Zammuto, will have a self-titled album out on April 3, and they will be playing their first ever live shows in New England next month, with an appearance at SXSW in March as well.

A few tracks have drifted out through the internets over the past few months (my favorite has the rousing song-title of “YAY”), and they betray some of the sonic tomfoolery that made the Books so special, with a new, possibly more traditional twist in the songwriting.

Zammuto – Yay by Zamjam

You can more info at their website here.

So perhaps out of the ashes, a new phoenix will arise!

- Eric J Lawrence

Editor’s Note: Check out a great live performance from The Books on KCRW.

Hugely popular DJ Kaskade has a video about the making of his album “Fire & Ice” up on his site and it includes a shoutout for KCRW!

He talks about discovering the band  Quadron on our airwaves and then asking singer Coco to add guest vocals to the album. Check out a preview of the track below.

Kaskade (feat. Quadron) – Waste Love [PREVIEW] by Kaskade

The album is out now on Ultra Records.

If you’re not familiar with Quadron, check out their excellent live set on KCRW – their U.S. radio debut!  Also, Coco’s sultry vocals are on full display on her downtempo cover of “Baby Me Mine”.

RR

All of our DJs receive hundreds of CDs a month to consider for airplay. In this regular feature, KCRW DJ Chuck P catalogues his musical bounty from the Post Office each week.

Loving the mixed bag weather we’ve been having over the past week and a half. Shorts weather! Raincoat weather! My head is spinning, but in a good way. Winter is better in small bits.

New crop of goodness from the ol’ pobox.

1) Vinyl! New limited LP edition of 777 the wonderfully disturbing Tonetta. Mix The Frogs “It’s Only Right & Natural” with half cup of post punk; then stir in 3 tablespoons of The Rolling Stones and add a dash of insanity and you’re close. Really, a singular performer. Check out the YouTube videos. Not a lot here I’m able to play on the radio, but worth your time. Also, a couple new 7″s. One from Guards and the other from Punks On Mars.

2) Smiths Tribute – A new double disc compilation tribute to The Smiths. Nice selection of artists including Doug Martsch from Built To Spill, Katy Goodman from La Sera & Vivian Girls, Girl In A Coma, Wedding Present, Greg Laswell and more. Only listened to it once so far, but lots of really nice versions here.

3) A couple new releases from Northern Spy Records showed up this week. Donovan Quinn, who has been in the band Skygreen Leopards since the early 2000′s, is back with a new solo album called Honkey Tonk Medusa. Expecting some sweet folk/psych strummings. Also in the package is the latest skronk from Charles Gayle‘s saxophone called, Streets. If you like Ayler, definitely check out Gayle. He’s at the forefront in exploring new free jazz sounds.

4) Fertanish Zero Zero Three – So when I picked up my mail this week, there was a package addressed to the “Avant Guard/Experimental” show that, for some reason, showed up in my po box. I ain’t complaining tho… real out there noise experiments from my quick cursory listen. I’ll enjoy sitting down with a scotch and my Charles Manson biography while listening to the rest of it later on. The macro photography of a mantis dining on a housefly is worth the price of admission alone. HEY!!! I’ve got mantis macros too!! Get in touch if you wanna use ‘em!

Honorable mentions go to new CDs from Plug, White Rabbits & Big Deal. Digital promo of the week goes to the Conduits track, Top Of The Hill, from the new self titled album due soon on Team Love Records. Wow. So solid. Looking forward to hearing more from them.

Thanks for checking in and listen to all this and more next week on the show!

Chuck P.

From KCRW DJ Anne Litt:

I may be home safe and sound from my first Alabama Shakes show, but I’m no longer safe, or possibly sound, for that matter.   My ultimate weakness as a music fan is an artist who leaves it all out there on the stage, who gives up all she has.  Brittany Howard is that artist.  She channels Janis Joplin and the generations of black women who went into making her.  Her band channels the Muscle Shoals sound and has the oxymoronic, primitive sophistication of The Band.

The Troubadour was as packed as I’ve ever seen it.  The Alabama Shakes brought it.  And It was real.

– Anne Litt

Editor’s Note: If you missed it, check out the band’s live Morning Becomes Eclectic session in the archives here and a couple video snippets.