The latest album from Malian songwriter and guitarist Sidi Touré, released in the US by Thrill Jockey, is called Koïma, named for a dune near his home city of Gao. "Koïma" can be translated to mean "go hear", and the dune, which sits at the edge of the Niger River, is said to be a sacred meeting place for the most powerful wizards of the world. As a songwriter, Sidi blends the traditional Songhaï music of his country with Western Blues and rock and roll. The themes he touches upon in his songs are also a kind of hybrid between two different worlds: one where wizards of the world meet on Koïma, and one of a post-colonial African life in an urban landscape. With the recent reentry of France into Mali, this inherent tension and harmony is even more affecting. Check out this special performance by the premiere bandleader and songwriter of Mali, recorded live in our studio:
Get ready for a très chic celebration this Thursday, October 10th!
Deep Sea Diver have been kicking around in one form or another since 2007, but last year, the Jessica Dobson-led group spent a fair amount of time outside of the studio, taking the kinetic pop songs from their album History Speaks on the road while Dobson wasn't playing with another guitar-centric …
Dee Dee, songwriter and main force behind the Dum Dum Girls, stopped by the KEXP studio to chat with Stevie Zoom and perform alone with just her heavy-tremolo-ed guitar. Her Girls-less performance is a throwback to the early 2008 to 2010 years, which saw Dee Dee's first CDR release on her own label…
For the rest of the year, we'll be spotlighting our KEXP DJs Top Albums of 2012, leading up to our 2012 Top Album Countdown, as voted on by our listeners! Voting ends on Friday, December 21st, so let us know your favorites now, and tune in on Friday, December 28th to hear if your picks made the lis…
