Former Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band frontman Benjamin Verdoes came out to the KEXP studio to perform some of the new songs off his latest, 11-track solo project, The Evil Eye. From the unhinged, experimental undertones of Where The Messengers Meet to the structured melancholy of his new-found collaboration, Verdoes' current music signifies an interesting maturation of his style. With The Evil Eye, Verdoes believes that "this record is very autobiographical. It doesn't make much sense to have anything that blocks that." In his attempts to connect with others through his music, Verdoes' self-reflective, self-conscious songs assuage the collective anxiety we share with regard to our own existences. On "Unknown Fears," the first track in today's live session, Verdoes sings, "Why do I try to do anything anymore / because we both know I fall apart in the end." In all his songs, the elaborate instrumentation teems with tragic lyricism. Verdoes' The Evil Eye is a product of stark contrasts, well-wrought juxtaposition, and creative interpretation. View more Verdoes here:
Full Performance:
Did somebody say Jack Endino? Here's one of those Endino-produced classics I was talking about last week. If Mudhoney needed no introduction by the time they released their self-titled debut LP in 1989, at this point they should be, I don't know, playing on top of the Space Needle or something? Oh,…
It's hard to believe that the album Dizzy Heights is only the third solo release from beloved singer/songwriter Neil Finn. From Split Enz to Crowded House to the Finn Brothers and his soundtrack work, the New Zealand icon hasn't stopped making music for the past 30 years. "It's confusing for the ge…
The sun is finally out in Seattle, and so are lots of great new albums for your springtime soundtrack. Avey Tare of Animal Collective has teamed up with former Dirty Projectors bassist Angel Deradoorian and former Ponytail drummer Jeremy Hyman for the project, Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks. KEXP Music…
If Fanfarlo's right, there'll be a definite beauty in our demise. Their third album, Let's Go Extinct, looks at both the big and small pictures of our lives -- who are we? what are we made of? what are we doing? where are we going? how will we end? And by the sound of it, there's a joy in singing a…
