Today's Top Tune

It’s crazy to think that the postmodern, post-punk, post-human collective known as The Mekons are celebrating roughly 50 years together. These rebellious souls are still doing their thing, challenging and entertaining us at the same time. “You’re Not Singing Anymore” will find you ruminating on their acidic wit and most likely singing along to the chorus. 

Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses buckled down in a studio in Rhode Island to write the track “Drugstore Drastic.” This rousing, guitar-strumming extravaganza originates from a dialogue overheard on a sidewalk between a sober and not-so-sober duo in New Orleans. 

Columbian artist Ela Minus will soon unveil her sophomore album DIA (translating to “day” in English). It will arrive almost five years after the release of her debut album acts of rebellion. Cast as an electronic venture intertwining the singer-songwriter’s personal reflections and written in numerous inspirational locations, we catch a glimpse of the future with the song “Broken.”

We all know Tunde Adebimpe as the frontman for TV on the Radio and some of you may even know him as an actor… But did you know he was once a graphic artist and animator who listened to KCRW as he toiled away ? It’s true! Though that was a long time ago. 

For “Silver Bullet,” The South Hill Experiment employed pitched seismometer waves and twelve-story-stairwell tracked vocals alongside their guitars to provide a sense of scale. You may not be aware of the layering you are hearing because the lyrics provide a mantra you might find yourself repeating: “I think I’m getting older/I think I’m getting over it.” And that seems to be their intention. 

Earlier this year, KCRW’s Young Creators Project invited undiscovered musical talent in the greater Los Angeles area to share their work. We got a couple hundred submissions and then had the hard task of narrowing it down to five finalists. One of those finalists was/is the talented jazz pianist and Crenshaw-native Veritus Miller. And now we get to share Miller’s latest composition “The In Between.” It’s a languid, meditative piece equally alluring to the jazz novice and the jazz cat. 

As we await the arrival of Franz Ferdinand’s new studio recording The Human Fear – slated for release in early 2025 – we wind back the clock to 2004. At that time the Scottish band was just breaking through in the U.S. and they chose to make their radio debut on Morning Becomes Eclectic.  

SoCal musical polymath Cameron Lew has an alluring way of pulling you inside his work as Ginger Root. His homespun sound, informed by his Asian-American roots, also leans into his love of music from the ‘70s and ‘80s: from Japanese and French pop, to Philly soul. 

The title of his third album SHINBANGUMI translates from Japanese to ‘a new season of a show,’ and it features a very appropriate track for today — “Better Than Monday.” 

Feeling restless? Austin-based duo Warm Sound are back with a new song today — just in time for the full moon(!). This new phase sees them emerging from their downtempo, electronic psychedelia into a more optimistic register. Warm Sound offers a message of resilience, self-love, and emotional buoyancy on “Moons.”

Labyrinthian electronics, organic live instrumentation and sublime vocals are the ingredients that make up Maribou State’s “Otherside” — a track which also features their long-time collaborator, singer Holly Walker.  Their new/next long-player will come early in 2025, and will celebrate their influences from jungle, UK garage, IDM, and trance … to everything in between.