This Song: Run the Jewels // Belcurve

Summary

This week we talk to two very different groups about partnerships and the inspirations that guide their voices. First we hear from El-P and Killer Mike from the hip hop collaboration known as Run the Jewels. The two rappers start out talking about early influences (Prince’s “Beautiful Ones” and Ice-T’s “6 In The Morning”) and end up expressing their love and respect for Southern Rock, The Clash, Outlaw Country and early hip hop and rap. Next, Sarah Castro and Matt Parmenter of the Austin-based Belcurve explain how their collaborations steer clear of the ordinary and how Kathleen Edwards, PJ Harvey and Tom Waits helped them create their shared musical vocabulary.

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Listen to Songs from Episode 60 of This Song

Check out Run the Jewels’ Tour Dates

Listen to “Talk to Me” from the Run the Jewel’s upcoming record “Run the Jewels 3.”

Listen to “2100” from Run the Jewels

Check out Belcurve’s Tour Dates

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April 30, 2020

This Song: Beth Ditto (Rerun)

In this rerun from 2018, Beth Ditto, former lead singer of the band Gossip, talks about how Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam” helped her grapple with complex feelings about her home state, Arkansas. She also talks about returning home after heartbreak and explores making her first record “Fake Sugar.”

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April 16, 2020

This Song: Liz Phair (Rerun)

In this rerun from 2018, Liz Phair talks about hearing The Soft Boys “I Wanna Destroy You,” revisiting her 1991 Girly-Sound Tapes and 1993 debut album, and parenting realities.

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April 2, 2020

This Song: John Prine (Rerun)

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March 26, 2020

This Song: Thao and The Get Down Stay Down

Thao Nguyen from Thao and the Get Down Stay Down talks to host Elizabeth McQueen about the inspiration behind her new song “Temple,” and about what it was like to release music during a pandemic. She also shares how making the new album helped prepare her to address her sexuality publicly and to create a safe space in her life where she could exist as her full self.

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March 19, 2020

This Song: Kathy Valentine

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March 2, 2020

This Song: St. Vincent (Rerun)

In this episode, St. Vincent explores how music from early Disney films helped her lay the foundation for beauty and wonder in her life and work. She also explains why she approached the songs on Masseduction with a Disney-esque lack of irony.

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March 2, 2020

This Song: Metric

Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw from Metric talk about hearing “Teardrop” by Massive Attack early in their musical partnership and how it inspired them, terrified them and helped them find a collaborative way of making music that still works for them today.

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March 2, 2020

This Song: Jackie Venson (Rerun)

In this episode of This Song, originally published last February, Jackie Venson talks about how “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from Evita changed the way she listened to music and thought about herself.

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