Song of the Day: Shana Falana - Cool Kids

Song of the Day
11/21/2016
Jim Beckmann
photo by Sheri Giblin

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is "Cool Kids" by Shana Falana from her 2016 album, Here Comes the Wave, on Team Love Records.

Shana Falana - Cool Kids (MP3)It's easy to romanticize an artist following her muse, and though we hope the path leads toward a career of success and admiration, it's just as easy for that muse to run away, or, in Shana Falana's case, outright lie. The NY based singer-songwriter's story is one of fate, circumstance and determination, and on "Lie 2 Me", the first single from her recently released sophomore LP, Here Comes the Wave, she faults her muse for not following through. Originally from the Bay Area, Falana was part of San Francisco's D.I.Y. scene, a member of a handful of bands and even part of a Bulgarian women’s choir before she set out for New York City, where success was more elusive. Falana struggled with addiction and making ends meet, until she lost part of her index finger in a work-related incident. A resulting financial settlement motivated her to become sober and develop her craft, and now she's two LP's into her solo career and sounds better than ever.

Today's featured song is the second single and second track on Here Comes The Wave. A much lighter track than "Lie 2 Me", "Cool Kids" ties all of Falana's previous projects and influences together into one shoegazy and psychedelic mix. It's a dreamy pop song that rocks in all the right places, while showcasing her vocal range as it swoops between the ground and aether in her anthem to the real "cool kids", not the popular ones, but those who follow their hearts - they're the ones we truly remember.

Follow your own heart to the Black Lodge this Saturday, November 26, when Shana Falana returns to Seattle. Look for more tour dates and music on her website and Facebook page. For now, check out the video fro "Heavenstay", a song from her 2015 debut LP, Set Your Lightning Fire Free:

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