The Mynabirds took over a year to record Lovers Know, and while that’s far from unheard of for a band of their stature and import, it’s a figurative lifetime compared to the mere weeks the Omaha pop masters had spent on their previous two albums. Of course, all those additional hours make sense given the vast physical and emotional landscapes frontwoman Laura Burhenn traversed during the album’s recording - from L.A. to New Zealand, and romance to heartbreak. As a result, the tracks from Lovers Know encompass the wide expanse of places from which their creation sprung. Live in the KEXP studio, The Mynabirds brilliantly boil down those layers from songs such as “All My Heart” and “Wildfire” in a performance that is as moving as it is precise. Singing over a stirring mix of downtempo grooves and uplifting progressions, Burhenn exudes solemn resilience in refrains such as “If they say love is all I did / No, I won’t regret it.” Don’t be surprised to find yourself falling in regretless love as you watch her session here:
Each Tuesday for the next two months, KEXP will present recordings we captured during the OFF Festival in Katowice, Poland. Our excursion there in the hot days of August - made possible by the festival and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute's Don’t Panic! We’re from Poland! initiative - introduced us to…
Unlike a lot of teenagers out there, 19-year-old Bridie Monds-Watson, a.k.a. SOAK, seems to handle success with a modest and casual confidence. Her career has taken off rather quickly, from writing songs in the basement of her home in Derry, Northern Ireland, to flying from country to country perfo…
