We’re all about music discovery here at KHOL and love sharing what we’re listening to at any given moment. Each Monday, in our new series “Music We Like,” we’ll explore the tracks we’re currently obsessed with to get you through the week ahead. Follow us on Spotify to keep up with our recent favorites, including Top 5 Tracks of the Week, Top Tracks of 2022, Sounds of Now and Local Favorites.
M83 – Oceans Niagara
Anthony Gonzalez found his breakthrough with the neon-drenched synths of 2011’s “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming,” but ranking just as highly (at least to me) in the M83 discography are his second and third albums, “Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts” and “Before the Dawn Heals Us.” The bombastic, churning guitars and see-forever production on those albums imbue them with a sense of both import and weightlessness, and those feelings are what M83 returns to on this new single. With burbling arpeggios and bright synth stabs behind all the noise, this track brushes up against post-rock, minus all the dour connotations. It’s a joyous return to M83’s early-2000s output, and I can’t wait to hear what his upcoming album, “Fantasy,” has in store. – Eli Bernstein, Deputy Director
Everything But The Girl – Nothing Left To Lose
“Nothing Left To Lose” is the lead single from Everything But The Girl’s forthcoming “Fuse,” the veteran husband-and-wife duo’s first album in 24 years. The track finds them holding firm to their trip-hop / folktronica roots while pushing things forward with Ben Watt’s hard-hitting, garage-y beats and Tracey Thorn’s melancholic vocals yearning for the unflinching love of her partner as the world falls apart around them. With its warm and friendly punch to the gut from the very first note, the emotional fusion between the two is palpable and obvious. What a great way to come back. – Jack Catlin, Music Director
Evelyn “Champagne” King – Stop That
As I was preparing to move to Wyoming, my departure from the East Coast at the end of 2022 was filled with dance parties: The Carry Nation in New York, Honcho in Pittsburgh and tea dances in Easton, Pa. I love to get down on the dance floor and this track from Evelyn “Champagne” King reminds me of joyful sweaty times under the disco ball with good friends. Give me a funky guitar, piano and a diva vocal any day! I can’t wait to shake it with all y’all on weekends here in Jackson. – Tyler Pratt, News Director
Handmade Moments, Shook Twins – High Class Woman
It’s hard to describe the musical duo Handmade Moments. Anna Moss and Joel Ludford’s songs traverse the rock, hip-hop, blues and folk genres. This song, “High Class Woman,” is bluesy and nothing but smooth. Add in a little Oregon representation from the Portland-based band Shook Twins, and you’ve got the perfect anthem to get you through the cold winter months. – Hanna Merzbach, News Reporter
Tom T. Hall – Faster Horses (The Cowboy And The Poet)
I was just introduced to the music of old-time country star Tom T. Hall. My gateway song “Faster Horses (The Cowboy And The Poet) ” runs through all the cliches about cowboys and country music, but it’s pretty darn catchy. I love the storytelling and easy melody. Country isn’t a genre that I listen to much, and somewhat surprisingly isn’t part of the zeitgeist in Jackson, but there is now some old-school country at the Stagecoach every Wednesday this winter. It’s with our former mayor’s new band: Pete Muldoon and the Pilgrims play great music for some toe-tapping and two-stepping. – Emily Cohen, Executive Director
