There was a powerful magnetism in Bombino’s performance on Morning Becomes Eclectic today — a group of musicians sitting in the circle and creating this energy that you could literally feel on the other side of the glass.
Watching Bombino’s fingers, coupled with his hypnotic vocals, it was hard not to be drawn in.  The interview gave us some insight into where he comes from in Western Africa and a bit of a history lesson about the region.
He’s been compared to Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Jerry Garcia and I …

 
Playing on Prefix is a feature on KCRW’s Music Blog in which writers from the eclectic music site Prefix hip you to what’s coming out of their computer speakers each week.
Space and silence are important elements in music that, in the land of the Loudness War, are often eschewed in favor of lush orchestrations or walls of sound or just plain fear. On his self-titled debut this year, James Blake reopened the door for major indie releases that explored the beautifully cavernous spaces that can be found …

Yesterday was a special day at KCRW.
Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore was in studio playing songs from his excellent solo album “Demolished Thoughts” (with a harpist, violinist and more) on Morning Becomes Eclectic and author Dana Spiotta was down the hall waiting to do an interview with our resident Bookworm Michael Silverblatt.
Thurston had actually written a blurb praising her new book, “Stone Arabia”, but this was the first time they had ever met! He recognized her and they went on to have a lovely conversation – two artists sharing a …

 
Metronomy was recently nominated for the UK Mercury Prize for their third full length release “The English Riviera”, which has been a big favorite at the station this year.
The Brighton 4-piece is beloved in the music blog world, not only for their own recordings but for founder Joseph Mount’s remixes of artists like  Gorillaz, Lykke Li, Air, Charlotte Gainsbourg and N.E.R.D. They’ll be reaching our shores at the end of this month for show at the Echoplex on July 30 followed by an appearance on Morning Becomes Eclectic on August …

UK record label On-U Sound Records has been releasing dub music since the 1980s. In celebration of their 30th anniversary, they are releasing a new album from African Head Charge called “Voodoo of the Godsent”. On-U head honcho Adrian Sherwood formed the band in the early ‘80s with percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah and since then they have produced “exceptionally beautiful and deeply strange music” (according to their own bio).
As they climb up the KCRW airplay charts with their first release since 2005, I wanted to shine a spotlight on some …

KCRW’s Top 50 Most Played Albums for the Week of 07/25/2011
1 LITTLE DRAGON == Ritual Union >> [Peacefrog]
2 PORTUGAL THE MAN == In The Mountain In The Cloud >> [Atlantic]
3 IVY == All Hours >> [Nettwerk]
4 METRONOMY == English Riviera >> [Big Beat/because]
5 HUNT, VAN == What Were You Hoping For >> [Self Release]
6 MY MORNING JACKET == Circuital >> [Ato]
7 FANIA COMPILATION == Hammock House – Africa Caribe >> [Fania]
8 TEJADA, JOHN == Paraboles >> [Kompakt]
9 GROUPLOVE == Grouplove Ep >> [Canvasback]
10 AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE == Voodoo Of The …

Lady Danville will be playing the final night of Also I Like to Rock 2011 at the Hammer Museum this Thursday night (alongside the Henry Clay People) so I thought it was time to give them a little introduction.
The band emerged out of the Awaken A Capella ensemble at UCLA – like Sonos and Sara Bareilles before them – so you could call this a homecoming show. Band members Michael Garner, Dan Chang and Matt Frankel met each other at a tryout for the ensemble in 2007 and have been …

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.
You know the nightmare where you find yourself out in the middle of the ocean treading water with no land in site? How about the one where you’re speaking in public, and you suddenly realize you’re completely naked?
Combine the two and that’s how I felt last night while doing my show. My computer just wasn’t in the mood to …

Ziggy Marley will be featured at this Sunday’s Reggae Night at the Hollywood Bowl, part of KCRW’s World Festival. And while EVERY Reggae Night I’ve ever been to has been a blast, I’m especially looking forward to this one.  I have a special connection to Ziggy Marley that goes back a few years. Like many people, his dad Bob Marley was a huge part of my musical upbringing, especially in my teenage years. Ziggy was in the studio with his dad starting at a young age and eventually released 8 …

By KCRW’s Monika Scott
Savvy fans filed in early at the Hammer Museum for last night’s Also I Like to Rock show. I’m pretty sure we all knew the secret, that this show was going to be something really special.
While you couldn’t see endless hordes of  girls donning “Slave Leia” costumes in the crowd like at certain other events happening in SoCal last weekend (I’m looking at you, Comic Con) we were treated to something even more significant: a night of free, live, uniquely Californian music.
KCRW’s Eric J Lawrence started the …