Archives for July 2018

KUTX listeners may already be familiar with Young Chicago Authors, the writing and poetry after-school organization that introduced the world to Chance the Rapper, Jamila Woods, and most recently Matt Muse. Like Chance, Matt Muse is all about education, critical investigation, self-love and redefining Black masculinity through hip-hop.

Muse first showed off his talents as an intellectual lyricist and determined producer on last year’s The Sikk Tape and this week he’s taking it up a notch with a brand new EP! Like a modern-day Samson, Muse cultivates strength, power and more by growing out his hair, a sentiment reflected in the album’s title, Nappy Talk. Nappy Talk exudes energy and confidence through its subversive lyrics, multiple features and naturally, Muse’s production and performance. Nappy Talk releases this Friday but you can get a free sample featuring fellow South-Sider Shawnee Dez – “Shea Butter Baby”.

Though you may not have known it, you’ve probably already heard Nashville singer-songwriter Amy Stroup in some capacity or another. She’s provided the soundtrack for shows like The Walking Dead and Grey’s Anatomy and national ad campaigns including that of Lexus and Calvin Klein. Of course, this Boston-born, Abilene-raised artist has her own impressive body of solo work that got her to this point, and she’s testing the waters with her upcoming full-length album.

The next step in Stroup’s career Helen of Memphis, coming out on August 10th. Helen of Memphis sees Stroup and her production team taking a new beat-heavy and electronic groove approach for a familiar but fresh sound. Stroup couldn’t help but share a couple singles in advance, so listen to her latest, forget your manners, and go ahead and “Stare”!

Three decades after he began experimenting with electronic sounds, (and eight years since his last full-length) Norwegian producer Bjørn Torske is re-defining his sound and returning to his stripped-down 20th century roots. This frequent Röyskopp collaborator has already pushed the boundaries of house, techno and trance in Scandinavia and beyond, and today he releases his fifth solo album, Byen.

Byen showcases Torske’s affinity for bouncing four-to-the-floor disco rhythms and warm, syncopated bass-synth grooves, and due to some carefully-crafted structural layering, only one of the album’s seven tracks runs under seven minutes. No complaints about that, though! Kick off your weekend dance party a bit early with the full download of one of Torske’s lengthy new tunes, “Clean Air”!

-Jack Anderson

Photo by Jenny VanDivier

It may seem strange that someone who has been composing music since childhood would wait so long into their career to release something under their own moniker, but Scott Danbom’s esteemed career has seen most of his talent channeled into working with artists like Sarah Jaffe and Drive-By Truckers, as well as being a member of Will Johnson’s yin and yang projects, the alt-country Centro-Matic and the much more subdued South San Gabriel. Danbom’s solo project Static Diary overwhelmingly leans towards the latter; more accurately, Scott Danbom creates moods. His ambient-centered sound uses traditional (and sometimes not-so-traditional) instruments to fill a space with a calculated atmosphere that also employs the blank space between to let each sound air out organically and unmarred. For his solo debut, Danbom brings out a toybox of sounds, taking each unique texture and conjuring it into a single cohesive metonymy of his being. “Phrase From Business” embodies all of this, recalls the vocal patterns of a Flaming Lips ballad, and throws in a little glockenspiel for ya too.

“Phrase From Business” appears on Static Diary, out July 27th via Goliad Media.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

“Simone is a High Priestess of Pop: the stage is her pulpit, and her message of love and acceptance is universal.” That is undeniably the boilerplate for the force of Frankie Simone. In the thick of a self-made mission to create music befitting every type of human being, the Puerto-Rico born musician’s quest for total music inclusivity in partly fueled by her and her wife’s move to the diversity-lite Portland and their time spent finding their niche of people, which they eventually found in the city’s vibrant arts culture. Simone’s music transcends typical songwriting; let’s not kid ourselves, she’s an anthem writer. Her 5-track LOVE//WARRIOR EP is pop with a purpose, a stalwart champion of love, acceptance, and not just carving out your own place, but thriving in it. Sonically following suit with the rest of the EP, “Queer” is a righteous anthem for the community (and a delicious choice for July 4th), and with a sound that could easily top the Billboard 200, her songs have the capacity to traverse every demographic, leaking a not-so-subtle message to the ears of those who may still need a bit of coaxing to the idea of LGBTQ acceptance.

“Queer” appears on LOVE//WARRIOR, out now via Infinite Compassion.

-Taylor Wallace// Host, Thursdays 8p-11p & Saturdays 2p-6p; Producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli

Based out of the Big Apple, BODEGA puts punk rock back in the context of its artsy seventies roots. When this five-piece performs together, you feel like you’re transported back to the glory days of CBGB or Max’s Kansas City, watching an act wedged in the middle of Devo and The Velvet Underground. The lyrics themselves are quirky and fun but not without their own set of quick-witted observations.

BODEGA’s been teasing fans with a set of singles and accompanying music videos, and this Friday they release their full-length Endless Scroll. Most of the album’s fourteen tracks clock in well under three minutes but altogether provide for a cohesive and intriguing tonal journey. BODEGA last joined us in March for SXSW and they’re returning on Saturday August 4th, so get a jump start with one of Endless Scroll’s more tame offerings, “Charlie”.

-Jack Anderson