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.
Television – Marquee Moon
“Marquee Moon” begins and ends with Tom Verlaine. I mean this both literally—his bright stabs of guitar open the track, and a throwaway power chord punctuates the final seconds—and figuratively: Verlaine was the driving genius behind Television’s debut album (also titled “Marquee Moon”), wrote the song, and his four-minute solo is the track’s centerpiece. It is one of the most indelible songs of the 1970s, the crescendo of the hyperspeed evolution of New York punk, and a summation of Television’s influence on generations of indie bands that simply wouldn’t exist without Verlaine and his bandmates’ complex yet crowd-pleasing melodies. Tom Verlaine died on Saturday at the age of 73. “Marquee Moon,” one of the greatest songs ever written, is a testament to how important he was to music—and to me. – Eli Bernstein, Deputy Director
Zach Bryan – Dawns (feat. Maggie Rogers)
Prolific singer-songwriter Zach Bryan had a meteoric rise through country music last year, and he now kicks off 2023 with a bang. The raw, gravely vocals and moments of sparse instrumentation in the beginning tell a story of a relationship measured in dawns. Pop genius Maggie Rogers helped pen this intense tune, and gently adds her powerful voice intermittently, only to finally take us home amid a swell of strings and drums in the second half as the two try to convince themselves they’re better off moving on. – Tyler Pratt, News Director
Pussy Riot – Putin’s Ashes
The Russian protest art collective Pussy Riot is at it again with a single titled “Putin’s Ashes.” It’s the soundtrack for a new weeklong exhibit that opened last Friday in Los Angeles by the same name. The exhibit displays bottled ashes from a portrait that had been burned by the all-female protest group last summer as part of a performance art piece. “Putin’s Ashes” is an ethereal and haunting piece—and, like most of what they produce, is something to pay attention to. – Emily Cohen, Executive Director
John Craigie – I Wrote Mr. Tambourine Man
In honor of John Craigie coming to Jackson this week, here’s one of my favorites of his. “I Wrote Mr. Tambourine Man” was the first song I heard of Craigie’s, and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s a throwback to his earlier more Americana-style music, as opposed to the more bluesy tunes he’s released in recent years. I recommend listening to the entire album, “Capricorn in Retrograde…Just Kidding…Live in Portland” — Craigie’s comedic transitions between songs are not to be missed. – Hanna Merzbach, News Reporter
Thes One – Mike and Chris Leave for Their First Tour
Thes One and Double K, collectively known as People Under the Stairs, were an independent force that burst onto the Los Angeles hip-hop scene in 1999 and closed it down on their own terms 20 years later with their final album “Sincerely, The P.” In those 20 years, they released 12 albums, performed hundreds of shows and collected fans all over the world. Tragically, Double K (aka Mike Turner) passed away in 2021 and left a giant hole in partner Thes One’s heart. After struggling with the grief and wrestling with how best to honor Mike’s legacy he set out to make “a tone poem of grief, loss and redemption.” In “Farewell, My Friend,” Thes One tells the story of People Under the Stairs using Double K’s favorite songs as inspiration to create a beautiful soundscape full of love and reflection. On “Mike and Chris Leave For Their First Tour” we’re transported to 1999 when PUTS performed in Japan for the first time. “That tour was monumental for us,” says Thes. “We were chasing that high for the rest of our lives.” The composition is an homage to one of the records they uncovered while record shopping on that trip, “It Ain’t No Big Thing,” a 1976 single produced by the legendary disco producer Patrick Adams. “Farewell, My Friend” is a unique and poignant musical elegy that serves as the perfect love letter to a lost friend. – Jack Catlin, Music Director
