In Our Headphones

On our inaugural episode of In Our Headphones, host Janice Headley chats with Cheryl Waters about three new songs that are playing in her headphones lately, plus one song that stands the test of time for her. They also talk about how Cheryl got her start as a DJ and some stand-out memories from hosting Live on KEXP in-studio sessions. Plus, as always, we hear about one standout single recently added to KEXP’s rotation, straight from Music Director Chris Sanley. Songs featured: Listen to The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters every weekday at 10-1 PT, or anytime on the 2-week archive, at KEXP.org or the KEXP App. Hosted and produced by: Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili Mixed by: Emily Fox Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. Our theme music is “好吗 (Hao Ma)” by Chinese American Bear Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphones Contact us at headphones@kexp.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing KEXP’s newest music discovery podcast. In Our Headphones brings you five song recommendations every Monday, straight from KEXP’s DJs and Music Directors. We learn stories and insights about the artists, make connections between the music and the world around us, and get to know the diverse roster of DJs that make up the KEXP airwaves. Join hosts Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili on this never-ending journey of music discovery. Our first episode launches Monday April 15 with the legendary Cheryl Waters. Hosts: Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili Trailer mixed by: Roddy Nikpour Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. Our theme music is “好吗 (Hao Ma)” by Chinese American Bear Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphones Contact us at headphones@kexp.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before introducing you to 2024's most downloaded Song of the Day, Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili share an exciting update about what's to come on this feed on Monday, April 15. Song of the Day has brought listeners full song downloads every weekday for nearly 20 years – that's close to 5,000 songs! We appreciate you being along for the ride, and we hope you'll stick with us as we evolve the series to bring you more of what KEXP does best: music discovery with a human touch. Next week, this feed will become "In Our Headphones." Like Song of the Day, you'll still be getting 5 new songs each week, but now you'll hear about them straight from KEXP DJs. Stay tuned for our first episode featuring Cheryl Waters. Feedback, questions, suggestions? Email us at headphones@kexp.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Isabel Khalili brings us back to 2023 with ODESZA & Yellow House's "Heavier." Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Janice Headley brings us back to 2022 with Samora Pinderhughes' “Masculinity (feat. Immanuel Wilkins)”. Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Isabel Khalili brings us back to 2021 with Bizarrap, Duki & Nicki Nicole's "YaMeFui" chosen by Albina Cabrera and DJ Chilly. Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Janice Headley brings us back to 2020 with Chicano Batman's "I Know It," chosen by Kevin Cole. Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Isabel Khalili brings us back to 2019 with Hezza Fezza's "Like Prince," chosen by Kevin Cole. Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Janice Headley brings us back to 2018 with Among Author's "Lure," chosen by Kevin Cole. Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Isabel Khalili brings us back to 2017 with Nilüfer Yanya's "Baby Luv," selected by Kevin Cole. Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Janice Headley brings us back to 2016 with Morgan Delt's "Some Sunsick Day," chosen by John Richards. Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

KEXP's Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili make an appearance on Song of the Day for a special announcement. Change is coming to this feed on April 15. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, we revisit Mike Gervais' "Lost (Sone Remix)" from 2015, selected by Sharlese. Read more about the track on KEXP.org. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chalk - "Asking" from the 2023 Conditions EP on Dutch Tilt Belfast-based post-punk trio Chalk reflect on past relationships on today's Song of the Day. As vocalist Ross Cullen explains in a press release, “It’s a reaction to feelings of ours that look at the past and a longing for others who aren’t in your life anymore. How we grow as people and those we leave behind as a result. We wanted 'Asking' to follow the recollection of someone whose memories are fading when trying to remember about someone in the past." The track appears on Conditions, their debut EP which was released last year. Their follow-up EP, titled Conditions II, was released earlier this month. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bantu Spaceship - "Bantu Cakes" from the 2023 album Bantu Spaceship on Nyami Nyami Harare, Zimbabwe-based duo Bantu Spaceship celebrates the music of their homeland with their Afro-futuristic self-titled debut album, out now via Nyami Nyami. Vocalist Ulenni Okandlovu incorporates Ndebele chants to the laid-back production work of his partner Joshua Madalitso Chiundiza. As they explain in an interview with 15questions.net, "The both of us were in search of unique alternative Zimbabwean sound, having grown up listening to Mbaqanga, Mbube, Zamrock, Sungura, Jit, and Chimurenga. We wanted to create something that borrowed from these influences, but merging those styles with synth-wave, electro, and hip-hop elements." Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ana Lua Caiano - "Deixem O Morto Morrer" from the 2024 album Vou Ficar Neste Quadrado on Glitterbeat Records Based out of Lisbon, Ana Lua Caiano combines traditional Portuguese music with modern electronica on her debut album Vou Ficar Neste Quadrado, out April 5th via Glitterbeat. Ana studied classical music for eight years, and then studied jazz for four years — a pedigree that can be heard in her complex compositions. Today's Song of the Day examines a man's death, and in a Google-translated press statement, she states, "as the song progresses, sadness becomes joy and the tragedy of a death is seen in a more positive perspective. The song, despite having this strong and apparently sad theme, undergoes an inversion and is sung, from a certain point onwards, with enthusiasm, revealing itself to be an energetic, rhythmic and vibrant song.” Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Championne - "Bilboquet" a 2024 self-released single Vocalist/musician Mathilde Lejas has been active in the Rennes music scene for a while now, but has finally branched out on a solo project titled Championne. Her self-titled debut EP is a coldwave-tinged collection of dark dreampop, with Lejas's poetic lyrics spinning a web over it all. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flore Laurentienne - "Voiles" from the 2022 album Volume II on RVNG Intl. Recording under the name Flore Laurentienne, composer, orchestrator, and musician Mathieu David Gagnon captures rich, romantic instrumentals, inspired by the wilderness in his hometown of Montreal, Québec. In fact, his latest album — titled Volume II — was inspired by Canada’s St. Lawrence River, with the instrumentation designed to "illustrate and illuminate the river’s flow." Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

mega cat - “Rat Fight” from the 2024 album mega cat on Share It Music Sure, we've all been witness to a rat fight, but leave it to Seattle's own mega cat to capture the energy in today's Song of the Day. After co-founders Kim West (piano and synthesizer) and Ryan Devlin (bass and guitar) watched the melee in a neighbor's yard (the press release reveals "one rat picked the other up and threw him down with such force that the couple heard an audible thud"), the couple knew the song they'd been working on that afternoon with drummer Aaron Benson finally had its title. The cinematic single is accompanied by a music video featuring Molly Sides (of Thunderpussy), dancing in a boiler room. The clip perfectly captures the James Bond-esque quality of the dramatic, instrumental track. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Les Amazones d'Afrique - “Flaws” from the 2024 album Musow Danse on Real World Records On today's Song of the Day, all-female African supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique — which translates to "The Amazons of Africa" — celebrate the so-called imperfections that make each of us unique. “The song has a simple message,” Malian singer Mamani Keïta explained in a press release. “The perfect person does not exist. We all have our flaws and imperfections which we carry with us through life. But there is beauty in imperfection, and that’s what we want people to realise.” The group worked with acclaimed producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Modest Mouse, Taylor Swift) on their third album Musow Danse, released last month via Real World Records. “Jacknife Lee took time to listen to each of our voices,” says vocalist Fafa Ruffino, from Benin. “He doesn’t understand the language but you can tell that he feels the emotion, understands that our souls are deeply invested in our words. I feel like he entered our minds. What he did is more than musical. It is spiritual.” Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nusantara Beat - “Kota Bandung” a 2023 single on Bongo Joe Amsterdam-based sextet Nusantara Beat is comprised of members of EUT, Altın Gün, Jungle By Night, POM, and Surf Aid-Kit. Together, they celebrate Indonesian classics, like on today's Song of the Day, which is a cover of a traditional '70s single. Their interpretation of "Kota Bandung" brings a modern vibe to its garage-surf-rock style, with psychedelic guitars and Megan De Klerk's alluring vocals. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.