Today's Top Tune

Ok, before we listen to Today’s Top Tune, I’d like you to relax your shoulders, take a deep breath, let it out, another deep breath, and out again. Now you are ready to take in the mystical, magical sound of South Asian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer ganavya doraiswamy , who has worked with a host of luminaries including Quincy Jones, Wayne Shorter, and Esperanza Spalding. With a studio album pending, let’s dig into her ethereal sound on “el kebda, let it go.”

Confessional songwriter Cordelia has a background in theater as well as music, handy skills which taught her how to create magic on stage. Little Life is written in a similar style as a journal entry. “This might not be something I would release but this just happened,” Cordelia explains. “Capturing these moments in time, sometimes they’re incredibly fleeting. Then you perform them and you’re put back in that headspace, going back in time. It’s like life flashing before your eyes.”

Shoegazers Slowdive stopped by KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio late in 2023 to perform a career-spanning set and had an insightful conversation with our own Andrea Domanick about life, death, technology, and going viral on TikTok . We are excited to share a live version of “Kisses” from their album everything is alive, a recording that ranked No. 3 on KCRW’s Best Albums of 2023 .

Faye Webster definitely has a signature sound and her ears are pretty big too, as she has enjoyed watching the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra . "Going to the symphony was almost like therapy for me," she says. "I was quite literally underdressed at the symphony because I would just decide at the last moment that that's what I wanted to do." Hence the title of her new album, Underdressed at the Symphony. Recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in Texas with her longtime band, “But Not Kiss” is simply stunning in scope.

Jeffrey Cain wears many hats: He’s a founding member of the iconic rock band Remy Zero , a writer and multi-instrumentalist for Australian psych legends The Church , and has his own debut solo project in the wings under the moniker Iris Doe. Backed by former bandmates, Cain digs into new but familiar territory and gives us a sneak preview of the work on the first song we hear from his new album,“Tears Ignite Again,” which Cain refers to as “a meditation on modern existence, its chaos and the eventual restoration of beauty.”

Citing her debut album, Goose, singer-songwriter Mol Sullivan perceives it as a “long exposure photograph” that spotlights the different songwriting styles she’s cultivated over the past 15 years. The Cincinnati-based musician also reflects on her own sobriety and wrestles with unlearning patterns of behavior that no longer serve her, sketched out on the title track “Goose.”

Inspired by their travels, the pulse of nightlife, and building a community, Cakes Da Killa ’s forthcoming (March 22) new album, Black Sheep, sees the underground powerhouse reuniting with longtime collaborator Sam Katz. Their labor of love is divided by Cakes writing every bar and Katz handling beats.“Cakewalk”packs a punch in a very short time.

Today is an auspicious day: It marks the 84th revolution around the sun for the Motown living legend, Rock & Roll and Songwriters Hall of Fame iconic singer-songwriter, the legendary Smokey Robinson , who wrote so many enduring hits (about 4,000). Robinson is back with his first solo album in five years, and his 26th full-length to date. Let’s celebrate his 60+ year storied career with his gift to us, the title track from GASMS. Long may you wave, Smokey Robinson!

Let’s tune in to an exciting new indie rock trio, Friko , who channel their raw energy into a frenzy on “Get Numb To It!” Garnering the distinction of being among Pitchfork’s 50 Most Anticipated Albums in 2024 , their debut full-length Where we’ve been, Where we go from here is out now, they are a welcome addition to Chicago’s long lineage of innovative sound.

Sunna Margrét first started making music when she collaborated with renowned composer Ólafur Arnalds, who was a guiding force on her electro-pop path. An Icelandic musician and visual artist now based in Switzerland, Margrét makes music to quench her love of dancing. “Come With Me” is drenched in synth-pop inspired by the likes of New Order and Depeche Mode.