Today's Top Tune

Raised in Window Rock, Ariz. — the capital of the Navajo Nation — the artist known as Hataałii takes his moniker from the Navajo term “hatalii,” which translates to “singer.” His new album was influenced by the late author Cormac McCarthy, whom he credits for showing him, in his words, “that the desert was more than just a void, but rather it was filled with spirit and that the people who truly live in the desert see things differently.” Take a listen to the gritty sound of “Midnight Soldier,” a mix of garage rock and the psychedelic stylings of The Doors.

MacArthur Prize-winning singer, composer, and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens recently added a 2023 Pulitzer to her list of accolades for the opera Omar. Here, she struts her stuff on the Zydeco-funk jam “You Louisiana Man.” The new track is from her forthcoming album of original songs, You’re the One, out later this summer, featuring a dozen songs written over the course of Giddens’ career.

Check out the stylings of console king and multi-instrumentalist Simon Mavin as he unleashes his debut EP. You know him from his work as co-writer and co-producer for the acclaimed Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote; now Mavin stretches out on his own. A sultry mix that recalls the work of Stevie Wonder, “Good Hair Day” makes you feel like you’re indeed having a good one!

Longtime KCRW favorites Little Dragon just released their latest album Slugs Of Love, a testament to their consistent and glorious sound. Recorded in the hallowed ground of their Gothenburg studio, the studio they’ve worked in for almost 20 years, finds Yukimi Nagano front and center across a batch of upbeat soulful electronica like “Tumbling Dice.”

You may have heard the avant-garde music of The Penguin Cafe Orchestra lead by English guitarist Simon Jeffes back in the 80’s. Their sound lives on via Penguin Cafe thanks to Jeffes’ son, Arthur. You can hear the thread of optimism that binds the two on a new track that started with a little groove on piano and ukulele to birth the Caribbean/South American vibe of “Find Your Feet.”

Buzzy London five piece The Last Dinner Party have been hyped opening for The Rolling Stones and Nick Cave in recent months. Part musical theater, it sounds like these girls just wanna have fun on their debut single, the summer anthem “Nothing Matters.”

After eleven years, rap fiend Killer Mike has dropped his first solo full-length and most hard-hitting, autobiographical work to date. An integrated intro into the artist, the 14 tracks that make up MICHAEL feature a ton of friends including Young Thug, Ty Dolla $ign, and EL-P but on “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS” Killer Mike collaborates with former mentor André 3000 and features Future and Eryn Allen Kane.

Mexican-American musician, Nic Clark has no trouble expressing his hard-earned Gen Z life experience into song. Uplifting and honest, Clark’s sophomore album, Everybody’s Buddy is produced by guitar whiz Charlie Hunter and shines with deep grooves and flowing harmonica.

“Don’t Count Yourself Out” is a song of hope and inclusion. Clark notes, "My experience is very common in America. I work an Amazon warehouse job, and I'm really ashamed of it. As a working musician, I need to make ends meet. Take one shift at an Amazon warehouse and you'll understand how everyone has the same problems as you. People are in recovery, supporting multi-generational families, etc. I'm just so grateful I have my music to keep me out of trouble."

Beloved LA producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Jonathan Wilson will release his latest album in September, and we’ve got an early listen to “Charlie Parker” to share as a treat.

In the words of the maestro, “‘Charlie Parker’ is one of my favorite songs on Eat the Worm. It’s a fantastical and fictitious flight of fancy and fantasy,” says Wilson of the song, which draws from experiences in Boston in the 1980s, North Carolina in the early 1990s, and an early 2000s-era European jazz festival. “It also touches on the ups and downs of my life over the past decade as a touring musician, and more. It's filled with strings, horns, fuzzy guitars, tubular bells, and a few bebop elements as well, hence the name. In a way, ‘Charlie Parker’ encompasses what the new record is all about: adventure, fidelity, and fun. We’ve created another amazingly trippy AI video to accompany it, and I think it captures the mood of the tune perfectly.”

And if you want to hear more about the legendary saxophonist, Charlie “Bird” Parker , we’ve got you!

The late, Brooklyn-based jaimie branch didn’t have much time on the planet, but what she did with it was to beguile us with her talent and improvisational artistry. A gifted composer, trumpeter, and singer, jaimie branch had her breakthrough with the internationally acclaimed Fly Or Die Quartet. The third and final installment in her Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) series will be released August 25, just days after the first anniversary of her passing. “take over the world” is our first listen to the album and offers a robust, hardcore avalanche of percussion and heartfelt trumpet.