Song of the Day: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Jackson

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Morning Show with DJ John Richards, is “Jackson” by Cymbals Eats Guitars from the 2014 album LOSE on Barsuk Records.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Jackson (MP3)

As we mentioned back in May, Cymbals Eat Guitars frontman Joseph D’Agostino wrote nine cathartic songs for the band's forthcoming album while grieving the loss of his friend and collaborator Benjamin High. While the new LP, aptly named LOSE, cherishes Ben's memory, it's about loss of other kinds as well. As D’Agostino himself says, it's also "about a sort of nostalgia, a longing for a time when music meant everything to you and your friends". The songs, he hopes, will break through your current disillusion and make "you and everyone else 'wake up wanting to listen to records'".

Certainly, you'll want to listen to today's featured song, "Jackson", the first track and first single from LOSE. Only the song's intro at first seems mournful, with its sort of drowsy, after-hours piano line, before it quickly soars into 90's rock bombast and then continues to fall and build through a nostalgic array of rock tropes. Since their debut, Cymbals Eat Guitars have been praised for their mastery of dynamism and variation, as on their previous album, Lenses Alien, but "Jackson" finds the band revitalized with new purpose and you can't help but get caught up in the song's sweeping chorus.

You'll be able to hear more of LOSE when it's released on August 26 and as the band embarks on a US tour starting that month. They'll be joining Bob Mould on the road throughout September and opening for him during their stop in Seattle on September 23 at the Neptune Theatre. Right now, you can find out more about the band's upcoming dates on their website, Facebook page, and Twitter. And here's a reminder of this band that's performed many times for KEXP, including in-studio and at the 2009 KEXP BBQ: