New music from indie rock favorites TV on the Radio is always something to get excited about. This week they unveiled “Will Do,” a track off their forthcoming full-length “Nine Types of Light” (out April 12 on Interscope).
TV On The Radio – “Will Do” by Interscope Records
Since TVOTR’s last release, 2008’s “Dear Science”, founding member Dave Sitek has been busy with a bunch of side projects – from his very danceable release as Maximum Balloon (including my fave, “Groove Me” with Theophilus London) to his work as a producer …

**Update: Read a write up of the event here!**
KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley will be hosting the keynote discussion for the 2011 EMP Pop Conference, a gathering of music writers, scholars and fans, that comes to LA for the first time this year.
The panel will feature core KCRW artists Moby, Raphael Saadiq, and Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio/Maximum Balloon) talking about “How Musicians Make Do and Keep their Souls Alive in a Changing Pop World.”

It takes place on Saturday, February 26 from 8-9:30 pm at Lenart …

Underworld is one of Jason Bentley’s favorite bands. Let’s just put that out there right now.
Barking, their 8th studio album – and their 3 in three years – made his Top 10 Albums of 2010 list and today they played some of the standout tracks like “Scribble” and “Always Loved a Film.” Check out the live set in the archives here
This album marked their first time collaborating with a wide range of people and, judging by their interview with Jason, it won’t be their last.
”Working with different teams of …

KCRW’s first Morning Becomes Eclectic session of the year also marked the ONLY live performance LA band Ima Robot have planned at the moment, so it was extra special.  In fact, it was the first live radio performance of these songs – and the first time they’ve played them live AT ALL in years.
The band formed about 12 years ago, long before frontman Alex Ebert found success with his other musical venture Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. As Alex mentioned in the interview, the band has experimented with …

Yes, I know there is a lot of list-o-mania out there right now (Phoenix pun, pretty bad) but I wanted to add one more to the pile. Earlier this month, NPR Music asked Jason Bentley to share his Top 5 LA Albums of the Year.
I think everyone agrees it was an INCREDIBLE year for music in SoCal. KCRW plays music from all over the world, but our playlists were consistently topped by local artists all year. And, let’s be honest, there is a little bit of a pride thing too …

From KCRW DJ Anne Litt:

For me it’s always a good night when I get to see David Gray perform.  I have to hand it to former KCRW DJ Tricia Halloran for turning me on to him so many years ago.
Seeing him perform at Apogee’s Berkeley Street Sessions earlier this month (a session which is now up in our archives) really set me straight.  His songs simultaneously break my heart and then fix it again. Warning to those falling out of love:  DON’T GO!  It’s way too hard. Everyone else …

I’ve been nudging KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley to put together a list of his favorite live performances of the year on Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Drumroll please…
Jason Bentley’s Top 10 Live Morning Becomes Eclectic Performances of 2010

LCD Soundsystem (Nov 24, 2010)

The Secret Sisters (October 27, 2010)
Rufus Wainwright (August 19, 2010)
Laura Marling (July 29, 2010)
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings (June 28, 2010)
Flying Lotus (May 14, 2010)
Jose James (April 15, 2010)
Charlotte Gainsbourg + Beck (Jan 27, 2010)
The Black Keys (December 13, 2010)
Gary Numan (November 3, 2010)

It’s no easy task — I watched …

Earlier this year, Jason Bentley unknowingly played legendary filmmaker David Lynch’s first foray into electronic music on Morning Become Eclectic and announced it as an Underworld track, only to be corrected in a phone call a few moments later.
And, what started out as a simple mistake, became the beginning of Lynch’s career as an electronic artist. Jason put the song “Good Day Today” in the hands of folks at Sunday Best Recordings during the International Music Summit in Ibiza and they snapped up the release soon after, signing the track …

We have prepared a post-Thanksgiving treat for Daft Punk fans!
KCRW hosted an exclusive “TRON: Legacy” soundtrack preview event over the weekend that will be made available in its entirety on streaming on demand starting Monday, November 29 via KCRW.com, with a portion slated for airing on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 10 a.m. PST.
The show includes previews of FIVE never-before-heard tracks from the score by Daft Punk, as well as an exclusive conversation between “TRON: Legacy” Music Supervisor (and KCRW’s beloved Music Director) Jason Bentley and Director Joseph Kosinski.
Jason was …

It’s looking to be a rainy weekend LA – a great time to catch up on new tunes (wherever you are, really!). I recommend spending some time on our Album Preview page. Our newest addition is from Brooklyn-based duo Home Video. You can stream their album, “Automatic Process,” and read about why Jason Bentley is a fan HERE. Here’s an excerpt:

“The new album’s cover, featuring still photographs of David and Collin submerged in water fully clothed, opposite gatefold panels of hypnotic spirals, suggests that by exploring this record …