My name is Brett Koehn (pronounced Kern) and I am the new Music Director at KXLU. The responsibilities of this position entail receiving about a hundred new releases every week to listen to and consider for airplay at the station. It is also my job to examine what new releases rock DJs at the station are playing and use that data to inform our national top charts through the NACC. Most of these albums are sent by a handful of promoters who are paid by labels or independent artists to develop relations with music directors across the country and get their releases more attention.
As I write this at 11pm on a Friday night, I have eighteen tabs open in Google Chrome with releases I feel obligated to experience before doing anything else. I have added many albums to KXLU’s legendary collection and thrown out many more. There are any number of bitter quips I could make about the cliché redundant ways in which young self-releasing artists describe their pop songs, but if you catch me alone in the station, you will find me muttering to myself about the inherent value of so many releases that simply aren’t a good fit for the station as I make sure to listen to and deliberate on every single one. Anyway, in this blog post I aim to celebrate a non-exhaustive list of some of my favorite releases I had the joy of being sent last month.
Photography by Teia Ciornei
KXLU’s September Adds:
System Exclusive – Click
This was the first really good album I received as a music director that sort of helped me
establish a standard and flow for what I wanted in that first frustrating week of catching up from
the sort of lame duck / inaugural period between summer break and the school year. A record full
of danceable synths, deadpan deliveries, and tongue-in-cheek eroticism. I am getting really tired
all of a sudden but I will push through. As someone who never considered himself a fan of the hairspray repetition of popular New Wave music, I seem to often enjoy these modern revival bands. I don’t know if the appeal comes from a sarcastic humor that refrains from the indulgence of many individualist empowered artists of the digitally supercharged postmodern age, or the mature-presenting personalities of the crafty bands, like the paternal comfort (or authority) of bronze skin taut across the face from smoking. Anyway I liked this album, and we received their vinyl which I appreciated (even though I learned later that the previous music director received a CD copy just a week or two before and also liked it).
Since they have relatively similar sounds, I will also recommend here Molchat Doma’s new album Belaya Polosa which was an unexpected great release.
New Strangers – New Strangers
A passionate post-punk album full of energy by a new band from my home state of Texas. They still seem to have very few streams on digital platforms, but is what a great joy to be part of “discovering” these guys and their grooves. Indie post-punk ought to have a reputation for all sounding the same but when I heard the first track on this album they presented that sound in Michelin star form and then diversified throughout the release.
Gunter Schlienz – Kurpark, Alex Henry Foster – A Measure of Shapes and Sounds
Ambient releases. Thank you for the relaxation o holy artisans. Brian Eno is my favorite person in rock history, a good deal in part because the eclectic imagination in Here Comes the Warm Jets resonated with my experience such that it remains atop the polar angst catharses of Ging Nang Boyz’ Kimi To Boku No Daisanji Sekaitaisen Teki Renai Kakumei, Jeff Rosenstock’s Thanks, Sorry, and John Coltrane’s The Last Live Recording – The Olatunji Concert for ranking as my favorite album of all time. His countless inspirations and collaborations aside, I cannot ignore his ambient works and “1/1” might sneak highly on a pompous song ranking. Of course, Stars of the Lid have moved me to tears, Natural Snow Buildings have transformed my environment, GAS has blissfully connected me to nature within a smoke stack, Roach given me flight, and Hecker and Grouper enamored me with light passing through magenta crystals. All
this to say, I really liked these two releases and experiencing a chance forefront of current ambient, why not acknowledge the tumult of routine and give these a listen?
HYPER GAL – After Image
As much as I would like to be an ambient head, I have my roots in noise heavy experimental rock. Before an album further down the list, 3+5 by Melt Banana was easily my AOTY. Japanese artist, HYPER GAL offers a stripped back independent approach to the wisened expertise of the former. Don’t expect the realm shattering contemplative contrition of Xinlusupreme, but do listen for the emotions lathered into the gears of her metal machine.
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE – YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING, The Voidz- Like All
Before You
I love when I touch-base with a college freshman or an old friend of mine still in high
school, because every teenager in this age group goes through the same process of contrarian
adjustment to the world and culture. It’s annoying when digital spaces immensely profit by
pitting those processes in ever-present gladiator matches in their coliseums, where otherwise the
space nurtured mutual relationships between populace, critic, and artist. Anyway, I appreciate
now when I can enjoy without restraint that which is good, as well as defend the deceptive unentertaining piece of art. Both of the albums above I found to be solid and refreshing amidst everything else I was listening to for my position. Do they often lack hooks and energy? Sure, but that was never a requirement of music, and college radio is full of meandering dream pop anyway. Both of these pieces display a willingness to experiment with song structure and give their formerly forward thinking sounds the trust and space to evoke a unified aesthetic loaded with feelings. It is no wonder that these two albums also have the best covers of the month lol.
Xiu Xiu – 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips
It’s midnight so I got to wrap this up. Album of the year baby! Technically not a September
release, but I don’t care. Incredible contemporary album, and by putting it in this blog post, I won’t
have to compete it with the new Geordie Greep and The Smile releases. It has an insane amount of
textures and crunchy guitars in tandem with their best synth programming to date, while keeping
the same vulnerable songwriting despite the power and noise. You can talk about the hooks all
you want, but that finale is all of the suffering of Xiu Xiu’s thirty-some depressing works caught
in a voice crack at the end of pure spectral inertia. I like it :p, thanks for reading!
Photography by Teia Ciornei
Do you want a chance to have your music played on the radio? Send Brett your music submissions!
Physical submissions (vinyl, CD, cassette):
KXLU
Attn: Brett Koehn / Music Director
One LMU Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Digital submissions:
Email: brettkxlu@gmail.com
Brett also co-hosts A Fistful of Vinyl every Thursday from 9-10pm PST on KXLU 88.9FM.