Wednesday MidDay Medley
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org

The 119 Best Recordings of 2019
(Part 2 of 4)

The 119 Best Recordings of 2019 are based on playlists of Wednesday MidDay Medley. We’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length and EP recordings of 2019 (and a few that came out late in 2018). We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, so we ask that you please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2019 we have broadcast nearly 800 musical recordings through our 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves, powered by our 100,000 watt transmitter. Over 400 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. We played tracks from 145 National Releases, and 183 MidCoastal Releases. 75 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. In 2019 we conducted 127 interviews, with 209 special guests. 43 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on WMM.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December for our 4-week series: The 119 Best Recordings of 2019, on December 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. We are packing 8-hours of radio with music that represent: The 119 of Best Recordings of 2019!

We count down #90 through #61 on our list with representative tracks from: Kemet The Phantom, Calvin Arsenia, The Nicole Springer Band, The Depth and The Whisper, The Wires, Approach, True Lions, The Butter Band, Sky Smeed, Miki P, Y god Y, Cuee, Chase The Horseman, Deco Auto, Lovergurl, Digital Leather, Blue False Indigo, Wonderfuzz, Billie Eilish, Rina Mushonga, Bill Callahan, Black Pumas, Better Oblivion Community Center, Ibibio Sound Machine, The National, Lambchop, Lee Fields and The Expressions, Amyl and The Sniffers, Lana Del Rey, and Jamila Woods.

10:00 AM

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / Universal / Dec. 20, 1979
[WMM’s theme]

2. (90.) Billie Eilish – “bad guy”
from: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? / Darkroom – Interscope / March 29, 2019
[17 year old singer songwriter Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell was born December 18, 2001, and is known professionally as Billie Eilish. She was raised in Highland Park, Los Angeles to actress-musician-screenwriter Maggie Baird & Patrick O’Connell. Billie joined the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus at 8. At age 11, she began writing and singing her own songs, following her brother Finneas O’Connell, known as Finneas, an actor, musician, & producer, known for his role as Alistair in the Fox TV series Glee. Finneas was already performing his own songs with his band. In October 2015, when she was 13, Billie recorded the song “Ocean Eyes”, initially written by Finneas for his band, and sent it to her dance teacher, who hoped to choreograph a dance to it. Billie Eilish released “Ocean Eyes” on SoundCloud in 2016. A music video was released on (4/24/16), and a video of Eilish performing a dance to the song was released (11/22/16). “Ocean Eyes”, racked up over 35 million streams on Spotify. It was rereleased worldwide through Darkroom-Interscope (11/18/16). She released the singles: “Six Feet Under” (2/3/17), “Bellyache” (5/5/17) followed by her debut EP, Don’t Smile at Me (8/11/17) followed by more singles and remixes: “Bored,” “Watch,” “Copycat,” “Idontwannabeyouanymore,” “My Boy,” and “Don’t Smile at Me” (8/12/17). Billie collaborated with American rapper Vince Staples for a remix of “Watch” titled “&Burn.” For 2018 Record Store Day, Billie will release a 7″ vinyl acoustic version of “Party Favor” & acoustic version of “Hotline Bling” by Drake.]

3. (89.) Rina Mushonga – “In a Galaxy”
from: In a Galaxy / Rina Mushonga / February 15, 2019
[Rina Mushonga was born in India and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe. She attended college in the Netherlands and eventually moved to Peckham, in London, where her music career ignited. As a child she learned to play guitar and piano and began writing her own songs. She names her influences as Paul Simon, Oliver Mtukudzi, Nina Simone, and Fleetwood Mac. She started out by playing at open-mike nights in Harare. Her 2014 debut, The Wild, The Wilderness, was recorded while she was living in the Netherlands and released on Sony Music. The album contained a folk/rock-influenced sound in the vein of her early influences, but Mushonga was unsatisfied, feeling she was unable to express her authentic self. It was only after she moved to Peckham, a multiculturally rich neighborhood of London, that she felt more at home and able to explore her African heritage in music. The resulting album took five years, as she juggled making music with working and caring for her young daughter. She made a demo with Frans Verburg in Rotterdam, recorded with Brett Shaw at his studio in Peckham, and eventually released “In a Galaxy” on PIAS in 2019. The album has a rich, kaleidoscopic sound incorporating elements of Afro-pop, indie, and electro into a catchy yet experimental whole. ~ John D. Buchanan, Rovi]

4. (88.) Bill Callahan – “747”
from: Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest / Drag City Records / June 14, 2019
[21st release as Bill Callahan or Smog. Bill Callahan (born June 3, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who has also recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders. Later he began releasing albums with the label Drag City, to which he remains signed today. Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, using substandard instruments and recording equipment. His early songs often nearly lacked melodic structure and were clumsily played on poorly tuned guitars, resulting in the dissonant sounds on his self-released cassettes and debut album Sewn to the Sky. Much of his early output was instrumental, a stark contrast to the lyrical focus of his later work. Apparently, he used lo-fi techniques not primarily because of an aesthetic preference but because he didn’t have any other possibility to make music. Once he signed a contract with Drag City, he started to use recording studios and a greater variety of instruments for his records. From 1993 to 2000, Callahan’s recordings grew more and more “professional” sounding, with more instruments, and a higher sound quality. In this period he recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O’Rourke and Tortoise’s John McEntire, and collaborated with Neil Hagerty. Callahan also worked closely with his then-girlfriend Cynthia Dall in his early career, and they contributed vocals to each other’s albums. After 2000’s Dongs of Sevotion, Callahan began moving back to a slightly simpler instrumentation and recording style, while retaining the more consistent songwriting style he had developed over the years. This shift is apparent in albums such as Rain on Lens, Supper, and A River Ain’t Too Much to Love. Smog’s songs are often based on simple, repetitive structures, consisting of a simple chord progression repeated for the duration of the entire song. His singing is characterized by his baritone voice. Melodically and lyrically he tends to eschew the verse-chorus approach favoured by many contemporary songwriters, preferring instead a more free-form approach relying less on melodic and lyrical repetition. Themes in Callahan’s lyrics include relationships, animals, relocation, nature, and more recently, politics. On the subject of voice in his albums, Callahan has said, “It’s usually one character per record. So, the character appears in all or most of the songs on one record and then is gone. Though it makes me feel weird to talk about. Because I don’t really think in clear terms of characters. My albums as a whole could be seen as one character with many voices.” His generally dispassionate delivery of lyrics and dark irony often obfuscate complex emotional and lyrical twists and turns. Critics have generally characterized his music as depressing and intensely introverted, with one critic describing it as “a peep-show view into an insular world of alienation.” Cat Power (Chan Marshall) recorded Callahan’s song “Bathysphere” on her 1996 album What Would the Community Think and also covered another Callahan song, “Red Apples”, on her Covers Record, released in 2000. In 2007, Callahan released Woke on a Whaleheart, his first solo album released under his own name, Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle followed in April, 2009. Both recordings were released through Drag City, worldwide. In 2009, Callahan contributed cover songs on four separate tribute albums to Judee Sill, Kath Bloom, Chris Knox, and Merge Records. In 2010, he released his first live album Rough Travel for a Rare Thing, which was recorded in 2007 at The Toff in Melbourne, Australia. Apocalypse, was released in April 2011 to favorable reviews. Critic Sasha Frere-Jones called it “my favorite of Callahan’s albums, not because it has better songs—those are scattered among at least five others — but because it does exactly what he wants it to do: it conveys an album’s coherence.” A tour film chronicling Callahan’s 2011 Apocalypse tour was released in 2012.][Bill Callahan plays the Lawrence Public Library Lawn, Friday, July 5, at 7:00 PM at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St, Lawrence, KS with special guest Heidi Lynne Gluck.]

5. (87.) Black Pumas – “Old Man”
from: Black Pumas / ATO / 2019
[Black Pumas are a funk and soul duo based in Austin, Texas, consisting of singer Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. Their work also has strong Latin music influences. The duo received their first Grammy nomination ever for Best New Artist at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The duo formed in 2017 and released their debut album, Black Pumas, on June 21, 2019. They performed at South by Southwest in 2019 and won a best new band trophy at the 2019 Austin Music Awards. On November 20, 2019, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Quesada was a member of Latin funk band Grupo Fantasma when it won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album for the 2010 album El Existential, and when it was previously nominated for the same award in 2008 for Sonidos Gold.]

6. (86.) Lovergurl – “The One About Moms”
from: Buzzkill – EP / Lovergurl / September 7, 2019
[Last release from Lovergurl who disbanded in September 2019 after the trio announced that their guitarist and vocalist, Heather Andrews was moving out of Kansas City to pursue her career in animation. KC based 4-piece band, Lovergurl caught our ear with their synth pop sound and lyrics reflecting social and political messages with hip hop and punk elements. The trio released their EP, The President is a Sex Offender on May 19, 2017. Keyboardist and vocalist, Stephanie Bankston was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. She is a graduate of The University of Missouri. She moved abroad in her 20s, and lived in Seoul, Korea, where she played in a mostly female band called BaekMa (“White Horse”). Stephanie returned to Kansas City in the Fall 2015. Brook Worlledge, is a Kansas City native. She is the band’s drummer and she sings and writes songs for the band. Brook is a defender of the proletariat. Brook’s influences range from The B-52s, The Velvet Underground, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Lovergurl guitarist and vocalist, Heather Andrews was born and raised in Rhode Island. The band released multiple singles and two EPs.]

7. (85.) Deco Auto – “Turnaround”
from: Another Great Decision / Deco Auto / April 5, 2019
[Newest EP from Kansas City based alternative pop-punk / power-pop trio. Guitar/vocals: Steven Garcia on guitar and lead vocals, Tracy Flowers on bass & vocals, and Pat Tomek on drums. Written by Steven Garcia, $tudent Loans For Life Music (ASCAP). Recorded, and mixed and by Pat Tomek at Largely Studios, Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Gabe Fry at Kimura Studios. Produced by Steven Garcia and Pat Tomek. “Deco Auto is the perpetual opener, the also-rans, the nice-guys-finish-last band in the KC rock scene. Songwriter Steve Garcia is to blame, and he knows it. His songs straddle the line between power pop and pop punk — never casual enough for the former, nor saccharine enough for the latter.” ~ Too Much Rock]

8. (84.) Blue False Indigo – “Don’t Dream It’s Over”
from: Around The Fire / Blue False Indigo / October 31, 2019
[This is the follw up recording to their September 7, 2018 release More Light. They call their music “Spooky-Folk.” Formed in October 2013, in Springfield, Missouri, by Makayla Scott on vocals & guitar; A.J. Valle on vocals & keys; and Kara LePage on vocals & bass. With Michael Schley on electric guitar. and McQuiston Bowes on drums. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” is a song by the Australian rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was written by band frontman Neil Finn, and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from the album.]

[Blue False Indigo play Cover Me, Kansas City, Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 6:00 PM at recordBar, 1520 Grand, KCMO. This is a benefit for Midwest Music Foundation.]

10:29 – Underwriting

9. (83.) Better Oblivion Community Center – “Dylan Thomas”
from: Better Oblivion Community Center / Dead Oceans / January 23, 2019
[Better Oblivion Community Center is an American indie rock duo composed of musicians Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. Oberst and Bridgers first met in 2016 when Bridgers performed at a secret showcase Oberst hosted at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. They collaborated on the duet “Would You Rather” from Bridgers’ 2017 debut album Stranger in the Alps. The duo’s album received critical acclaim upon release.They performed “Dylan Thomas” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert the day before it’s release. On January 29, 2019, the band announced their initial concert tour of the United States and Europe along with releasing a music video for their initial single, “Dylan Thomas”, directed by Michelle Zauner a.k.a. Japanese Breakfast.]

10. (82.) Lana Del Rey – “Doin’ Time”
from: Norman Fucking Rockwell! / Polydor Records – Interscope Records / August 30, 2019
[Elizabeth Woolridge Grant was born June 21, 1985, and she is known professionally as Lana Del Rey, an American singer and songwriter. Her music has been noted by critics for its stylized cinematic quality; its themes of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia; and it’s references to pop culture, particularly 1950s and 1960s Americana. Born in New York City and raised in Upstate New York, Del Rey returned to New York City in 2005 to begin her music career. Following numerous projects including her debut studio album and the unreleased Sirens, Del Rey’s breakthrough came after the viral success of her debut single “Video Games” in 2011. She signed with Interscope and Polydor later that year. Her major label debut Born to Die (2012) proved an international success and spawned her only top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 with the Cedric Gervais remix of “Summertime Sadness”, as well as the internationally successful singles “Blue Jeans”, “Born to Die”, and “National Anthem”. Del Rey released the Grammy-nominated EP, Paradise in 2012. The next year, Del Rey ventured into film as she wrote, directed and starred in the short music film, Tropico, and released “Young and Beautiful” for the film The Great Gatsby (2013). Del Rey subsequently issued her sophomore major label effort, Ultra violence (2014), to critical success, topping the charts and spawning the single, “West Coast”. That same year, Del Rey recorded the eponymous theme for Big Eyes, which garnered her both Grammy and Golden Globe nominations. Shortly afterwards, Del Rey released the critically acclaimed Honeymoon (2015) and Lust for Life (2017), the latter of which topped the charts in the U.S. and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Del Rey’s sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell, was released on August 30, 2019, to widespread acclaim. In 2019, Del Rey also released the commercially successful singles “Doin’ Time” and “Don’t Call Me Angel”, the latter being a trio with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus. As of 2019, Del Rey has sold over 5 million singles in the UK and has sold 5.5 million units in the US. Her YouTube and Vevo pages have combined lifetime views of 3.5 billion.]

11. (81.) Digital Leather – “White Man”
from: FEEET / Digital Leather / January 13, 2018
[“Feeet” is an eclectic compilation of mainly tape-only released songs written and recorded between 2008 and 2018. Ranging from catchy synth-pop to colder dark-wave tunes, these tracks represent a dark journey, where sometimes, despair reigns freely. Sometimes hatred is the only food there is. Sometimes love is an extended nightmare. But it goes further than that. This is the 15th album release from Omaha, Nebraska based Synth punk, New Wave, pop, lo-fi, and psychedelic musical project led by multi-instrumentalist Shawn Foree. Originally from Yuma, Arizona, Foree began calling his project Digital Leather when he moved to Tucson, where he studied American Literature at University of Arizona. He used student loan money to buy equipment. He managed to release his first three albums after recording them in his bedroom on labels such as Tic Tac Totally, Jay Reatard’s Shattered Records imprint, and FDH Records. He supported this “bedroom project” with several nationwide and European tours. Sorcerer, released on Goner Records in 2008, is a half-live, half-studio record. In 2009, Foree began working on a collection of songs in a fully operational studio. Released in September 2009 by Fat Possum Records, Warm Brother garnered positive reviews. After relocating to Omaha, Nebraska, a 5-piece band formed. They toured around and as a band with synth-leads courtesy of The Faint’s Todd Fink. Digital Leather writes: “We design our shifting realities. One minute, things make sense. The next minute, we are unraveled. We must fight to create ourselves or die.” Fueled on desert energy, cheap synthesizers, and 4-track home recorders, Digital Leather began as Shawn Foree’s one-man bedroom project in Tucson, Arizona. The music was intended to be shared with a small circle of friends only. Without warning, that circle grew. Digital Leather has since moved in several stylistic directions, but has always adhered to one law: nothing lasts. Shawn Foree writes: “I just keep writing. Usually I feel like my life is passing me by while I’m holed up in my apartment hunched over a synthesizer. It’s hard to maintain relationships when you live in your head all the time. Some people will treat you like you’re crazy for having an imagination. That’s bullshit on their part, but it still sucks to be chastised for having a brain, especially when it’s from someone you care about. The payoff is worth it, though, even if you lose that someone in the process. The raw energy of honest art, to express yourself in a real way, connects you to something higher than love. Creation is a unique high and I’m addicted to it. This album spans a long period of time and represents these kind of lows and highs well. The tracks have appeared on various small run releases, but now I understand that they belong together. It feels worth it.” The band writes: “We sincerely hope this exceptional collection of dark, outsider pop music feels fresh and alive to you. At least for the time being, before the world blows up.” All music invented by Shawn Foree. Human drum sounds provided by Jeff Lambelet, Sean Ruse, and Gregory Elsasser.

12. (80.) Y god Y – “Say”
from: Y god Y – EP / High Dive Records / April 5, 2019
[Y god Y is an electronic duo from Lawrence Kansas that formed in the summer of 2017. The project consists of producer Joel Martin and singer / multi-instrumentalist, Garrett Marsh. The two write, record and produce their music entirely on their own. With only a handful of singles released, they have quickly garnered attention in the Midwest by performing with the likes of Phoenix, and at several Midwest Festivals alongside Grizzly Bear, Spoon, Lion Babe, and Leikeli47. This was also their 4th single and part of their debut 5-song EP released on High Dive Records. Garrett Marsh on vocals & Joel Martin on music, making “experimental R & B” with influences of 80’s electro-pop.]

13. (79.) Calvin Arsenia – “Oh Marie [feat. J. Ashley Miller]”
from: Honeydew / Center Cut Records / June 28, 2019
[On September 15, 2018 Calvin released Cantaloupe on Center Cut Records. This new EP is a remix of three of the songs from Cantaloupe, plus a Talking Heads cover that was performed live in this style at a New Year’s Eve show at The Truman opening for Making Movies who performed the entire Talking Heads album, Remain in Light. The last three songs on Honeydew were from performed in this style at The Nelson Atkins 2019 event “Party Arty.” Honeydew was produced by Jametatone, Simon Huntley, and Calvin Arsenia. Calvin Arsenia who came home to KC in 2014 after living in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has released the EPs, Moments, Prose, Caviar, and the full length debut, Catastrophe. Standing at 6 foot 6 inches, Arsenia’s powerful vocals span a 3.5 octave range, playing piano, banjo, guitar & harp. Calvin has played Folk Alliance Int., KC Fringe Fest, Apocalypse Meow, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts, Middle of the Map Fest., The Folly Theatre. Last year he undertook a three month US/European Outlyre Tour playing San Francisco,Vancouver, NYC, Boston, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland and Paris.]

[Calvin Arsenia plays Home for the Holidays with Calvin Arsenia & Friends Friday, December 13, at 7:00 PM, at Second Presbyterian, 318 E 55th St]

[Calvin Arsenia plays Center Cut Records Holiday Party, Wednesday, December 18, at 7:00 recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd, KCMO with Fritz Hutchison, and The Black Creatures.]

14. (78.) Ibibio Sound Machine – “I Will Run”
from: Doko Mien / Merge Records / March 22, 2019
[Ibibio Sound Machine is an English electronic afro-funk band from London. Formed in 2013, the band currently consists of vocalist Eno Williams, guitarist Alfred Kari Bannerman, percussionist Anselmo Netto, drummer Jose Joyette, bassist John McKenzie, trombonist/keyboardist Tony Hayden, trumpeter/keyboardist Scott Baylis and saxophonist/keyboardist Max Grunhard. The band was formed in London 2010 by producers Max Grunhard, Leon Brichard, and Benji Bouton. The trio were interested in producing music fusing elements from 1980s afrobeat and 90s drum-and-bass. They approached singer Eno Williams to create vocals for the project. After the first sessions had been successfully finished, live musicians were added to create a full band. These included the Ghanaian guitarist Alfred Bannerman from the band KonKoma and Afro-rock band Osibisa, Brazilian percussionist Anselmo Netto, and multi-instrumentalists Tony Hayden and Scott Baylis. The band released their first single in January 2014 on Soundway, entitled Let’s Dance. Their self-titled debut album followed in March the same year. In 2016, the band signed to Merge Records to create their follow-up record. Their second album, Uyai, was released in 2017. Ibibio Sound Machine is a clash of African and electronic elements. The band claims their sound is inspired in equal measure by the golden era of West African funk and disco, modern post-punk, and electro. The name of the band itself finds influence from Eno Williams’ mother, whose native tongue was Ibibio. While Williams was born in London, she spent most of her childhood in Nigeria with the rest of her family. Her mother often recounted numerous folk and children’s stories from her own heritage and passed them on to her daughter. Williams took this inspiration and crafted lyrics from these sources and married them to modern themes.]

15. (77.) Sky Smeed – “If You’re Taught You Learn to Be Mean”
from: Leaving Again / Sky Smeed / February 9, 2019
[Sky Smeed told us that he wrote this song while watching the horrible things that happened in Charlottesville, WV a few weeks ago. It’s influenced by a bunch of things for certain. Sky Smeed was born and raised outside of Chanute, Kansas, in an old, one-room schoolhouse his parents bought and turned into a home in the early 1970s. Last year, he sold the country home he built by hand and migrated to Lawrence, Kansas, a place that has provided a non-stop supply of creativity, community and culture, and began settling in to an old fixer-upper on the north side of the Kaw River. To date, Smeed has self-released five full-length albums: Flying High (2002), The Front Steps (2004), Mill River (2006), Sky Smeed (2012) and Drive All Night (2015). His sixth album, Lunker Bass (released February 1, 2017), was recorded and produced at The Ninth Ward Pickin’ Parlor in Lawrence by none other than award-winning folk duo Truckstop Honeymoon (Mike & Katie West).]

[Sky Smeed plays The Bottleneck in Lawrence, Friday, December 13 with Opal Agafia.]

16. (76.) Lee Fields & The Expressions – “A Promise is a Promise”
from: It Rains Love / Big Crown Records / April 5, 2019
[With a career spanning 43 years, releases on twelve different record labels, and having toured the world over with his raucous-yet- tender voice, itʼs mind-blowing that the music heʼs making today. Elmer Lee Fields was born in 1951 in Wilson, North Carolina, the son of Emma Jean Fields and John Fields. He was the second child of six children. Fields had an interest in music from an early age. He decided to go to New York, at the age of 17 to pursue a music career. Although his mother (whom he later named an album in honor of) tried to convince him not to go, she ended up giving him her last 20 dollars. With moves and style inspired by James Brown, Fields soon had the nickname “Little JB” because of his physical and vocal resemblance with James Brown. He has worked with Kool and the Gang, Hip Huggers, O.V. Wright, Darrell Banks, and Little Royal. Fields has also worked with such legends such as B.B. King, Clarence Carter, Dr. John, Tyrone Davis, Johnny Taylor, Denise LaSalle, Bobby Blue Bland, Betty Wright, The Manhattans, Little Milton and Bobby Womack. He recorded his first single in 1969 on the Bedford label, “Bewildered” b/w “Tell Her I Love Her.” He recorded “Gonna Make Love” on London Records in 1973. That same year, Fields released the popular 45, “Let’s Talk It Over” b/w “She’s a Love Maker”. Fields dropped “Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away to Somebody (Sometime)” b/w “East Coast Rapper,” on SoundPlus in 1975. Most of the second half of the 70’s Fields spent cutting singles for Angle 3 Records, including “The Bull Is Coming” b/w “Funky Screw”. In 1980 he released a full-length album with Angle 3 called Let’s Talk It Over. In the 1980s, disco became increasingly popular, at the expense of soul. Venues that had previously booked Fields now booked DJs. Fields moved into real estate in Newark, New Jersey, in order to provide for his family. In the 1990s, Fields returned singing soul-blues on the Southern circuit. He signed with Mississippi-based Ace Records and debuted Enough Is Enough. On Ace, Fields released Coming to Tear the Roof Down in 1995 and Dreaming Big Time in 1996 in which he played keyboards and synthesizers. Later that year Fields signed to Desco Records founded by Gabriel Roth and Phillip Lehman. Sharon Jones, who was signed to Desco also at that time, sang backup for Fields on an early 45. Fields was featured on the debut album Gimmie the Paw by the label’s band The Soul Providers in 1997. He released several singles with in Desco and in 1999, dropped a full-length album Let’s Get a Groove On. Desco later split into, Daptone Records and Soul Fire, and Fields eventually recorded for them both. “Give Me a Chance” and “Shot Down” were two 7″ singles he released on Daptone over 2001-2002 and in late 2002, the album Problems, on Soul Fire. In early 2005 he performed on “Stranded In Your Love” included on Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings’ Naturally LP. In 2006 French House DJ Martin Solveig approached him to do a dance track. They toured in France and recorded the songs “Jealousy”, “Everybody”, “I’m a Good Man”, and “I Want You”. Truth and Soul Records recorded a single with Fields that later became “Honey Dove”. Lee Fields & The Expressions released “My World” for Truth and Soul in 2009. In 2011 he followed up with the album titled Treacherous. After releasing Faithful Man in 2012 with Truth and Soul, the singer toured globally. He then released two albums Emma Jean in 2014 and Special Night in 2017 (on Big Crown Records by former Truth and Soul co founder Leon Michels).][Lee Fields & The Expressions play Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester KCMO, Friday, September 20, at 7:00 PM, with Neal Francis.]

11:00 – Station ID

17. (75.) Amyl and The Sniffers – “Got You”
from: Amyl and The Sniffers / ATO Records / May 24, 2019
[Debut album from Melbourne, Australia based, 4-piece punk band fronted by singer Amy Taylor who explains of the song, “‘Got You’ is about that feeling you get when you first start seeing someone and you’re excited to see them, no matter what shit they got. You just see them at the pub and it feels like the most exciting thing in the world, like you’re so lucky they’re even there. It’s definitely one of the “sweetest” songs on the album, and less punky. It was kind of inspired by Split Enz.”]

18. (74.) Lambchop – “Everything for You”
from: This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You) / Merge Records / March 22, 2019
[Lambchop, originally from Nashville, was ever a band with a “core” lineup, Lambchop has consisted of a large and fluid collective of musicians focused around its creative centre, frontman Kurt Wagner. AllMusic referred to Lambchop as “arguably the most consistently brilliant and unique American group to emerge during the 1990s”. Initially indebted to traditional country, the music has subsequently moved through a range of influences including post-rock, soul and lounge music. Whatever the style, the characteristic mood of Lambchop’s music is evoked by Wagner’s distinctive songwriting: lyrically subtle and ambiguous, the vocals melodic but understated. Not so long ago, Lambchop had a famously sprawling line-up, toting a dozen or so members around the world and into the studio to document elliptical country-soul mutations. But in recent years, the band has become a more personal vehicle for Kurt Wagner. Anchored by him and framed by bassist Matt Swanson and Wagner’s incorrigibly grinning foil, the pianist Tony Crow, the Lambchop of this decade has become more pliant and adaptable, opening itself to unexpected collaborators that give Wagner’s thoughts and feelings the shape they need for each new album.]

19. (73.) Approach / “Rapper’s Delight”
from: Merely Minutes, In A Day / Datura Records / February 4, 2019
[Produced, Sequenced, Recorded, Photography, Mixed & Mastered By: Aikido Bray. Artwork & Design By: The Art My Life Imitates. Sean Hunt aka Approach is a Kansas emcee/producer who’s been in the game for almost 20 years. He’s released almost a dozen records and traveled the world over the span of his career. He’s also the cofounder of Datura Records, a hip hop label started in 2000 that he helps curate the roster for. ]

[Lincoln Marshall play The Riot Room, 4048 Broadway, KCMO, Thursday, January 2, at 10:00 PM with Domineko, NuBlvckCity, and Black Radio.]

20. (72.) Cuee – “Broken Memories”
from: Shameless / Cuee / November 23, 2018
[Originating from Chicago, Illinois, Cuee is a 27 year old Lawrence based hip-hop artist emcee, and educator. Cuee who has gained fans over the last three years in Lawrence and Kansas City for their critically acclaimed musical releases and live performances. Cuee recently received their Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas where Cuee also worked as a graduate assistant. Cuee is also a recently graduate of Artist Inc. and has a passionate drive for everything hip-hop. Drawing major influence from hip-hop artists such as Missy Elliot, J. Cole, and Chance The Rapper.]

21. (71.) The Depth and The Whisper – “Break Me”
from: The Waiting is the Hardest Part / The Depth and The Whisper / January 18, 2019
[Dave Tanner on bass, guitar & vocals; Albert Bickley on guitar & vocals. Albert Bickley, a Kansas City native, who now lives in New York has been writing, recording and performing original music for years. Everything, including other bands he’s been in, have led to this moment and this project. Dave Tanner, a Canadian who calls Parkville, MO, home, has played bass in numerous bands through the years from rock and heavy metal to folk and punk. Albert Bickley and Dave Tanner do not believe the world owes them anything, but they know that they have something to give her. The two songwriters and musicians met in 2010 in the music scene of Kansas City, where they both had been active for several years. “When my last band broke up and I wrote new songs again, I immediately thought of Dave,” Albert remembers “I wanted his bass. I just told him to come over when you have time. He played the demos, we listened to it and just said, ‘That’s it! Perfect! ‘”This feeling is very rare.” Dave confirms:” We immediately had great respect and reverence for each other. We are both at the moment. And our music satisfies a deep need in us. We complement each other, we get better. And by that I do not just mean the music. “Because since then an extraordinary friendship has grown between them. “Albert and I started a conversation back then,” Dave explains, “and it never ended.”]

22. (70.) The Wires – “Uncaged”
from: Wilder / The Wires / May 11, 2019
[2nd album from KC based duo, The Wires who compose and perform original music for violin and cello. Inspired by a myriad of genres and eclectic sounds, The Wires are not your typical strings group. The project encompasses a blend of wide-ranging styles, from tango to gypsy, jazz to rock and infused with the precision of classical form. Created, composed & performed by Laurel Morgan (violin) and Sascha Groschang (cello). Laurel Morgan grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. A classically trained musician, she has been playing the violin for 30 years. Laurel graduated from the UMKC Conservatory of Music in 2005. She has also performed with the Des Moines Symphony, Quixotic Fusion, Musical Theatre Heritage at the Off-Center Theatre, the folk-rock band, ‘In the Pines” that won several Pitch Music Awards. And with her husband artist Ben Parks she is ia founder of the band Of Tree As a composer, arranger, and musician Laurel Morgan has traveled to Germany, Austria, and throughout the United States, but is based here in Kansas City. Sascha Groschang graduated from Paseo Academy of Performing Arts in 2000, UMKC Conservatory of Music in 2004, and Mannes College – The New School For Music in 2008. She had her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s recital hall, Weill Hall in February 2009. Sascha has recorded or performed with Peter Gabriel, Joanna Newsom, Ashanti, Adina Menzel, Clay Walker, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She has also worked for NBC, Rhino Records, Juniper String Ensemble, Saint Joesph Symphony, and is part of the faculty at Missouri Western State University. She also teaches out of her Midtown KC home studio. You can learn more at: cellolady.com The Wires joined us live on WMM on May 8, 2019.]

[The Wires are playing a series of Solstice concerts at various Mid-Continent Libraries around KC starting Monday, Dec. 16, at 6:30 PM at Mid-Continent Public Library (Riverside Branch), 2700 N.W. Vivion Rd, Riverside, MO. And continuing Thursday, Dec. 19, at 2:00 PM at Mid-Continent Public Library (Boardwalk Branch), 8656 N. Ambassador Drive, KCMO. and Friday, Dec. 20, at 3:30 PM at Mid-Continent Public Library (Parkville Branch), 8815 Tom Watson Pkwy, Parkville, MO.]

23. (69.) Jamila Woods – “FRIDA”
from: LEGACY! LEGACY! / Jagjaguwar / May 10, 2019
[Second album from Jamila Woods who was born October 6, 1989, and is a Chicago-based American singer, songwriter and poet. Woods is a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and Brown University, where she received a BA in Africana Studies and Theater & Performance Studies. Her work focuses on themes of Black ancestry, Black feminism, and Black identity, with recurring emphases on self-love and the City of Chicago. In 2012, Jamila Woods published her first chapbook, entitled The Truth About Dolls. Her work can be found in the anthologies The Breakbeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop (2015), Courage: Daring Poems for Gutsy Girls (2014), and The UnCommon Core: Contemporary Poems for Learning & Living (2013). Her influences include Lucille Clifton, Gwendolyn Brooks, Toni Morrison, and Frida Kahlo. Woods was also one of three editors of The Breakbeat Poets Volume II, entitled Black Girl Magic. The 2018 publication is an anthology of poetry by contemporary Black women, “exploring themes of beauty, unapologetic blackness, intersectionality, self-definition, and more.” Woods is the Associate Artistic Director of Young Chicago Authors (YCA), an organization in the Chicago dedicated to uplifting youth voices through arts education and mentorship. Through YCA, Woods helps to organize Louder Than a Bomb, the world’s largest youth poetry slam festival. She also facilitates poetry workshops and creates curriculum for Chicago Public Schools. She is widely known for her collaborative works with Chance the Rapper on the hit song “Sunday Candy” from the album Surf as well as “Blessings” from Coloring Book. Woods is also featured on the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song “White Privilege II”. In January 2016, Woods signed to Chicago’s independent hip-hop label, Closed Sessions. Jamila released her debut album HEAVN on her SoundCloud page on July 11, 2016 to critical acclaim. The album features collaborations with Chance the Rapper, Noname, Saba, Lorine Chia, Kweku Collins and Donnie Trumpet.]

24. (68.) Wonderfuzz – “Get There”
from: Get There / MASKT / April 19, 2019
[Wonderfuzz is a Kansas City based band formed on May 11, 2012 with Natalie Norman on vocals, Jordan Smith on bass & vocals, Sam Hoskins on drums & vocals, Josh Johnson on guitar & vocals, and EvanJohn McIntosh on guitar. The 5-piece band started out working for several years as a cover band, studying multiple styles of rock & roll and rhythm & blues. In 2018 Wonderfuzz began to write and record original material releasing a few singles in 2018. In April of 2019 the band released their debut full length album “Get There” and their first music video, for the title track. On November 7, 2019, Wonderfuzz releases their second full length album this year. Wonderfuzz released a second full length live album “Live With It” Nov. 8, 2019]

11:30 – Underwriting

25. (67.) Scott Stanton & The Butter Band – “Bicycle”
from: Crag-o-lea / Scott Stanton / February 25, 2019
[Three years in the making, the newest album from Scott Stanton & The Butter Band features the songs of Scott Stanton one of KC’s finest songwriters of original, down-to-earth songs weaved with inspiration from songwriters Bob Dylan & John Prine. Recorded at Rob Nold Studio. Mixed & mastered by James Albright. Scott Stanton (songwriter) on vocals & acoustic guitar; Chad Brothers on acoustic guitar & harmonies; Kasey Rausch on upright bass & harmonies & fiddle; Marco Pascolini on pedal steel guitar; Grady Keller on banjo. Scott Stanton is also a host & Producer for River Trade Radio airing Sundays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.]

[Scott Stanton & The Butter Band play Cover Me, Kansas City, Tuesday, December 17, at 6:00 PM at recordBar, 1520 Grand, KCMO. This is a benefit for Midwest Music Foundation.]

26. (66.) Chase The Horseman – “Disinformation Blues (Radio Edit)”
from: Disinformation Blues EP / Chase The Horseman / July 12, 2019
[Music & lyrics by Chase Horseman. Recorded & Mixed by Joel Nanos & Chase Horseman at Element Recording. Mastered by Joel Nanos. Drums by Ian Dobyns, bass by Skylar Cowdry, guitar/vocals/synthesizers by Chase Horseman. Chase the Horseman is a band, film composer, multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, & producer. He has composed music for over 36 films and as musician has collaborated with Clairaudients, Teri Quinn, Heidi Lynne Gluck, and more. Chase The Horseman released the single “U Martyr U” June 19, 2018, and the single “Modern Ruins” on Oct 4, 2018.]

[Chase the Horseman plays Stockyard Sounds at Stockyards Brewing Co.. 1600 Genessee, KCMO, on Monday, December 16, at 7:00 PM with Lava Dreams.]

[Chase the Horseman plays Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS. Saturday, January 4, 2020 at 10:00 PM with True Lions and Pala Zolo.]

27. (65.) The Nicole Springer Band – “Willing”
from: Willing / Nicole Springer / November 10, 2019
[Nicole Springer is a singer-songwriter + multi-instrumentalist out of the Kansas City Metro. She was the founder of critically acclaimed + award wining local groups, The Clementines, and The Good Hearts. She’s written original music for her bands The Good Hearts, Heart Machine, and her solo projects. Nicole Springer is a 2019 Pitch KC nominee for Best Vocalist, multi-award winning and critically acclaimed singer-songwriter. Nicole has performed at numerous festivals and venues. In 2014 she was the recipient of both a Pitch Music Award and Project Backstage Award. More info at http://www.nicolespringersings.com]

[Nicole Springer plays The Brick, on Saturday, December 14 with True Lions and Teri Quinn.]

28. (64.) Kemet the Phantom – “Electric (feat. Kadesh Flow)”
from: Electric Park / Kemet Creative / August 16, 2019
[Through the lens of the 32-year-old rap artists’ upbringing from birth to present day in Kansas City, each song represents eight topics: SEDUCTION, POWER, VICE, DEATH, EUPHORIA, LUST, PRIDE, CHANGE. With songs like “Rollin’ Down Paseo”, Kemet explores the nostalgia and confusion of emotions that fester as the future of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, formally known as The Paseo, is determined by a vote. Electric Park was co-produced by Kemet and the legendary producer and sound designer, Leonard Dstroy.
Executive Produced by Kyle Dykes. Written by Kemet Coleman. Artwork by Kemet Coleman, Michael Picman and Jon Conway. Kemet Coleman is Kemet the Phantom, a Kansas City based musicians who calls himself a rap Artist, actor, and Urbanist. Kemet is a member of the Hip-Hop duo COA (Center of Attention) and is the lead singer of the 8-member Funk/Rap/Soul band The Phantastics. Kemet, shines as a complete showman embracing a James Brown-esque persona via syncopated vocals, rhythmic dance moves and dapper costume style. Kemet the Phantom is a two time Pitch Music Award nominee for “Best Hip-Hop Act.” Kemet created the first ever Kansas City mayoral candidate rap song for the Sly James for Mayor campaign in 2010. A University of Missouri – Kansas City alumnus, Kemet, created “Gold and Blue” for UMKC’s sports teams, which has garnered thousands of plays on YouTube and has been featured on prime-time television commercials for the university. More info at: http://www.kemetthephantom.com.] [Kemet The Phantom plays with Marcus Lewis Big Band presenting his hip hop poetry with, 18-piece jazz ensemble called Brass and Bougee.]

29. (63.) The National – “You Had Your Soul with You [feat. Gail Ann Dorsey]”
from: I Am Easy to Find / 4AD / May 17, 2019
[The National is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), Aaron Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). Founded by Berninger, Aaron Dessner, and Scott and Bryan Devendorf, The National released their self-titled debut album, The National (2001), on Brassland Records, an independent record label founded by Dessner and his twin brother, Bryce Dessner. Bryce, who had assisted in recording the album, soon joined the band, participating as a full member in the recording of its follow-up, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003). Leaving behind their day jobs, the National signed with Beggars Banquet Records and released their third studio album, Alligator (2005), to widespread critical acclaim. The band’s fourth and fifth studio albums, Boxer (2007) and High Violet (2010), increased their exposure significantly. In 2013, the band released its sixth studio album, Trouble Will Find Me, which was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2017 the band released the album Sleep Well Beast, which won the Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Their eighth studio album, I Am Easy to Find, was released on May 17, 2019. Four of the band’s albums were included on NME’s 2013 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Pitchfork writes: “On nearly every song Berninger is accompanied and sometimes silenced by a rotation of featured female vocalists who step in to offer perspective, commentary, and dissent. The National have recruited some of the best singers out, among them Lisa Hannigan, Mina Tindle, Kate Stables, Sharon Van Etten, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, whose spotlight “Dust Swirls in Strange Light” benches Berninger all together. Most revelatory of all is Gail Ann Dorsey, David Bowie’s longtime bassist and backing singer, who heralds the album’s new direction midway through opener “You Had Your Soul With You.” Her extraordinary voice of saffron arrives like a divine intervention, instantly parting a track that had previously been National-by-numbers.]

30. (62.) Miki P – “I Get Lost [Feat. The Swallowtails]”
from: Swallowtail – EP / Miki P/ September 1, 2018
[1st single of new EP from Miki P, with The swallowtails, a follow up to her debut full length album Dome of Swallows from last year. Labeled: “Introspective pop music with lyric-driven folk influences, mixed with collaborative energy & an odd pairing of instruments, Miki P locked in with the Swallowtails create a moment with music written and arranged from the heart.” Miki P started playing guitar in middle school. She taught herself to play the drums, while listening to Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. As a teen she played drums for various groups including the band American Slim. She wrote songs for their full-length album Irreplaceable released in 2017, followed by a single “Queen of Hearts” released April 11, 2018. She also plays ukulele & piano, teaching herself how to play both the instruments and using them frequently in all projects she is involved in. She was a featured vocalist with The Band That Fel to Earth – Bowie Tribute in January. She has played Boulevardia, Middle of the Map Fest, Royal’s Kaufman Stadium, recordBar, Uptown Theater, Arrowhead Stadium, Nelson Atkins Museum, the Crossroads Music Festival and the SXSW Music Fest.]

31. (61.) True Lions – “Birthday Party”
from: You’re Not Invited / True Lions / November 9, 2019
[This is the band’s second EP release of this year. They released their EP debut, “Cute at Best,” on February 5, 2019. True Lions is: Alison Hawkins on guitar, synth, and vocals; Elizabeth Kosko on percussion, vocals; Mikala Petillo on bass, vocals; Claire Adams on guitar, vocals; Leslie Butsch on saxophone, Ezgi Karakus on cello; and Teri Quinn on vocals. All songs written by True Lions and produced by Claire Adams and Alison Hawkins. Tracking Engineering by Claire Adams. Mixing and Mastering by Ian Dobyns and Chase Horseman. Album Artwork by Genevieve Sloan. Special thanks to Calvin Arsenia and Fritz Hutchison.]

[True Lions plays The Brick, on Sat., Dec. 14 with Nicole Springer and Teri Quinn.]

[True Lions play Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS. Sat., Jan. 4, 2020 at 10:00 PM with Chase The Horseman and Pala Zolo]

32. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003
[orig. 1957]

Next week on December 18, we bring you part 3 of our 4-week special, the 119 Best Recordings of 2019. We will count down #60 to #31 with representative tracks from: The Sextet, Violet and the Undercurrents, Other Americans, Yes You Are, Fathers, Akkilles, Volker Brothers, Ensemble Iberica, Simon Fink & The Wires, The Greeting Committee, The UK’s, Radar State, Headlight Rivals, OLIVIA FOX, Berwanger, Radkey, Hipshot Killer, Nan Turner, LK Ultra!, Florist, Hadiza., Our Native Daughters (feat. Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, Amythyst Kiah & Allison Russell), Brittany Howard, Durand Jones & The Indications, Big Thief, Hand Habits, Cass McCombs, Michael Kiwanuka, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and Yola.

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:
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Show #815