We’re already halfway through the year, which means we’ve got half a year’s worth of music we’ve been discovering and loving. Take a look at the albums released in 2023 that your favorite KALW Music programmers have had on heavy rotation.
Kali Uchis – Red Moon in Venus
This album is the soulmate to palo santo, a great candle, and divine energy. It's an affirmation of Self Love, and a reminder we can release people from our life with love. It's a smooth genre-defying playlist all on its own, with many references to oldies, boleros, psicodelia, and that classic, quiet-storm ‘90s vibe, puro nostalgia. The journey from track to track wraps you in endless definitions of love while being guided by the Goddess herself. The album title has energy around it, but when played, you can immediately feel the energy take its course, hitting 432hz on a track, and hearing lyrics like “I wish you love/I wish you well.”
This album brought love, but not in an ordinary “I love you” way. More like erotic, amethyst, howl at the moon kinda of love. The soul is not only in the frequencies, but in the words and how they are said.
Eryka – Sundays, 2 – 4 p.m.
Pauline Oliveros – The Well & The Gentle
This album is a reissue from a 1985 release, but this is the first time it's widely available. Pauline Oliveros was a beloved presence in the Bay Area and beyond and her influence still resonates, especially her pioneering work with "Deep Listening" which she described as "a way of listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what you are doing. Such intense listening includes the sounds of daily life, of nature, of one's own thoughts as well as musical sounds." On “The Well & The Gentle,” she plays solo accordion, which she connected to the human breath, to healing, and to meditation practice. She also brings in other musicians (the ensemble Relache) in the spirit of collaboration and friendship with which she forged a profound global community – creating, as she put it, "an inclusive and interdependent and unfolding world of relationships." This is a beautiful album for calming the mind and inspiring the soul.
Walker and Dawson- Lyric for Strings, Negro Folk Symphony, etc. (Seattle Symphony)
This is a vibrant recording of great 20th century compositions by George Walker and William Dawson, two very different composers, but both only now getting the recognition they deserve. William Dawson ran away from home to study at the Tuskegee Institute with Booker T. Washington, and later became head of Tuskegee's music school. His 1934 Negro Folk Symphony is his masterpiece, emotionally riveting and full of gorgeous orchestral colors. George Walker composed prolifically but wasn't fully recognized until winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1996. Recorded live in concert, this album captures the electricity of an in-person performance. This is music you can listen to over and over again and still hear something new.
Sarah Cahill – Revolutions Per Minute, Sunday 6 – 8 p.m.
St. Francis Hotel and Liam Bailey – Enfant Terrible
After releasing one of my favorite albums of 2021,"Ekundayo Inversions," Liam Bailey returns with another collaborative project alongside a producer. Dark, honest, and introspective, the album was a vital companion during a long Bay Area winter.
Y La Bamba – Lucha
A perfect blend of indie sounds blended with Y La Bamba's Xicanx roots and identity. Dreamy sounds to help overcome lost love and generational trauma.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – V
An album that brings to mind old grainy photos taken at beaches and tropical locations. Vibes on vibes. A journey from start to finish.
Wonway Posibul – Weeknights 8 – 10 p.m.
Blues Lawyer – All in Good Time
My fav album of the year is "All in Good Time" by Oakland darlings, Blues Lawyer. This super group of rock 'n' roll noise makers have teamed up with SF label Dark Entries for their latest release. While Dark Entries is primarily known for shining a spotlight on the San Francisco gay disco world of yesteryear, along with re-issues of cold and dark wave classics, this album is anything but. Guitar solos shimmer and bop like the synth on a Car's album, yet under the toe tapping rhythms lie lyrics of lost love and disconnect in our current techno-reality nightmare. Listen, love 'em, and better yet, catch them live!
Maria Yates – Mondays, 10 p.m. – midnight
Jarreau Vandal - SABISOund
The latest effort from Amsterdam's Jarreau Vandal is an international mix of club and chill, blending rhythms from around the world with the club heavy beats that he's known for. Featuring club music that's energetic, sexy and has a global appeal, the mix of analog and digital vibes on this album are perfect for listening on the dancefloor or in the bedroom.
JBoogie – Fridays, 10 p.m. – midnight
Windborne - Of Hard Times And Harmony
Windborne is a group of singers from New England whose only instruments are their voices. They sing brilliant rebellious songs, but listening to them, you’d think you're in church. Wobbly hymns such as ‘You'll Get Pie In The Sky When You Die (That's A Lie!),’ and a rewrite of the protest of England's 1707 annexation of Scotland, ‘Such A Parcel of Rogues In A Nation,’ gives light and air to America's tainted past of Manifest Destiny against the original inhabitants.
Eric Kilburn - Reckonings
An old folkie who took on a day job of recording other folkies through the decades, Eric Kilburn’s first album in decades proves he still has an excellent voice and sharp humor. Highlights include a track about how animals just want to be left alone called ‘Making A Living,’ and a powerful indictment of one's own white privilege called ‘Lucky.’
Kevin Vance – A Patchwork Quilt, Saturday 5:30 – 7 p.m.
B. Cool-Aid - Leather Blvd.
Leather Boulevard is an album that's in a redefined lane of its own. The seamless amalgamation of neo-soul, rap, and jazz is illuminated through Pink Siifu's lyrical range and hushed vocals, enhanced by Ahwlee's impeccable production that exudes flawlessness, brims with personality, and radiates ease. The album exudes an unmistakable calmness, giving it an enchantingly otherworldly and enveloping aura. And with so many stellar features from artists that are definitive in their own right, this won't be leaving my playlist for a while.
Yuksek - Dance'O'Drome
Yuksek's fifth studio album, “Dance’O’Drome,” is a testament to his innovative spirit and love for global rhythms following his 2020 acclaimed “Nosso Ritmo” LP. His glorious fusion of Brazilian luminosity and enigmatic dance stylings, enriched by his love for punk-funk explosions, zealous Italo refrains, and classic filtered house shine bright through this release. This is definitely a sun-filled record that could brighten up any set of speakers for years to come.
Marcus Rosario – Saturday + Sunday 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.