Various Artists

Live at KEXP, Volume Three

(KEXP)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Seattle’s KEXP (90.3 on your FM dial) isn’t content with simply spinning all the right players from the indie music and helping shine attention on worthy upstarts.  They also love to play party host, bringing over 400 bands through their studio in the last year.  (Really quick:  if you had a radio station and were going to bring 400 bands through your studio, who would you pick?)

For their third CD compilation, they smartly focus on friends of the blogosphere:  The Long Winters, The Shins, Grizzly Bear, Hot Chip, et cetera, et cetera.  Doing an in-studio presents a challenge to bands that rely heavily on studio trickery or high production value; it’s no surprise to hear The Gossip’s Beth Ditto sound raw and powerful and “Yr Mangled Heart.”  On the briskly strummed and reliably strange “(Do What You Want) Gyaneshwar,” Frank Black sounds about the same as he always does, whether live or Memorex.  The comfortable ska sounds of The English Beat (“Hands Off She’s Mine”) and the wry politics of Billy Bragg (“Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards”) provide a welcome entrance point for blog-phobics who have never heard of Beirut or Grizzly Bear.

Grizzly Bear are well worth knowing, though, and their soulfully atmospheric “Knife” provides one of the highlights of the strong collection.  The Long Winters nail “Pushover” as the opener; other bands turn in likable performances, but don’t do much to distinguish their tracks from their studio parallels, such as the reliably jaunty Shins on “Australia.”  Peter Bjorn & John trip on their formerly ubiquitous “Young Folks,” phoning in a somewhat listless performance.

On paper, Lady Sovereign faced down the biggest challenge with the rapid-fire spit of “Public Warning,” and despite the somewhat grating nature of the song’s chorus, she pulls it off with practiced aplomb.  Cynics tend to give the “I could do that” sneer to hip-hop, particularly during the sloppy genre performances that tend to dominate the stages of late night TV.

As always, KEXP gives listeners ample reason to tune in; Volume Three cherry-picks some of the highlights and luminaries from another year well spent on the airwaves.