A Deeper Listen

Langhorne Slim didn’t set out to write a record. He hadn’t written music in a year. At the end of 2019 he entered a program to tackle his issues with prescription drug abuse. Shortly after he came out of that program, a tornado struck his neighborhood in Nashville, then COVID-19 hit the nation. Trying to make sense of it all, Langhorne slim finally wrote a song. He was given the advice to write without any expectations and music started to flow again. The result is his latest album, 'Strawberry Mansion.'

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February 13 marks the 25th anniversary of the Fugees’ seminal album, 'The Score.' Fugees, short for refugees, was formed in New Jersey in the 90s and included Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. They were known for original hits like “Ready or Not" and covers such as “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” KEXP will be celebrating the album's anniversary all day on Friday, February 12 by playing album cuts, remixes, inspirations, and more.

KEXP’s Larry Mizell, Jr. and Gabriel Teodros catch up to talk about the legacy of the Fugees and 'The Score' and why it matters. "To see this group who's Black who also has an immigrant experience embracing it and standing strong in it, I know it changed my life. I can only imagine what it did for countless artists," Teodros said.

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Russian feminist protest band, activist and performance art group Pussy Riot has a new song out called "RAGE" that calls for the release of Russian political prisoners. Two of Pussy Riot’s members now face jail time after being involved in recent protests in Russia. The protests were in response to the recent arrest and jailing of Russian activist and opposition leader, Alexi Navalny.

Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova talks about the new song, the political situation in Russia, her two-year experience in a Russian prison, and what Pussy Riot stands for. 

Watch the video for "RAGE" here

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Music has become an investment opportunity. Last month, we heard the news that Bob Dylan sold his songwriting catalog to Universal for more than $300 million. Since then, artists such as Neil Young and Shakira have sold the rights to their songs to an investment company called Hipgnosis. To understand what this all might mean for the music industry is Marc Hogan. He’s a senior staff writer for Pitchfork who wrote an article titled “What To Know About Music’s Copyright Gold Rush.”

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After years of negotiations following the 2016 referendum for the UK to leave the EU, a deal over Brexit was finally hammered out just before the new year. We’re now one month into that deal and many questions remain. Isaac Kaplan-Woolner reports that with new borders, visas, work permits, and taxes, it looks like it will likely mean a lot of complications for UK bands trying to tour Europe.  

We also chat with the London-based band, Goat Girl, about the themes of climate change, mental health and gender issues that come up on their new record, 'On All Fours.'

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