In a manner of speaking, frontmen Tim Jenkins and Tom Crandles are master tightrope walkers. The duo behind Au.Ra balance shared singing duties, varying music styles, and even hometowns (shuttling often between Sydney and London) with striking ease and control. Take “You’re On My Mind”, the first song of their recent in-studio performance, for example. While Jenkins and Crandles let their guitars ring out with a nearly narcotic beauty, always building tension but never clashing, they still leave room for their excellent rhythm section to add head-bobbing grooves and a deceptive swagger to their exacting arrangements. Watching the band toe the line between bold experimentation and precise control is a treat for the senses. Check out Au.Ra performing more from their debut album, Jane’s Lament, live in the KEXP studio:
The phrase "music is a universal language" is sometimes overused, but is perfectly fitting when it comes to Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate. New York native Driscoll and Guinea-born Kouyate met at a music festival in Marseilles, France and instantly clicked. Despite the enormous language barrier -…
