Many singers don’t sing with an accent. I’m SO glad James Allan, frontman for Scottish rock band Glasvegas, does. Aside from the swirling, epic sounds of the music, I can recognize a Glasvegas song in under 10 seconds. And I mean that totally as a compliment.
James wrote the latest album, “Euphoric Heartbreak”, around the corner from KCRW, on the beach here in Santa Monica. I can’t help but listen for elements of California sunshine making their way into the anthemic tracks. Frankly, I’m not sure it cheered him up much, …

KCRW is streaming the new solo album by Dinosaur Jr’s  J Mascis as part of our Album Preview series and when we were looking for a DJ to do a write up, we knew it had to be Henry Rollins.
Weeks ago he premiered a song of the album that he himself had procured, so it was clear he was exciting about the impending release of “Several Shades of Why” on Sub Pop.
From Henry:
“When so many others with multiple releases behind them have resorted to merely stringing riffs together, making records …

Gang of Four’s latest album “Content” is streaming in its entirety as part of KCRW’s Album Preview series.
From KCRW DJ Gary Calamar:
“Back in the day (late 80′s) I used to manage an overly talented but highly underrated band called The Balancing Act. We had released a few albums on IRS Records. The band was doing pretty well back when college radio was king. When we started to think about the third album we decided we wanted to fine tune our sound and find a great producer. The plan was to …

With a name like “Delicacies,” it’s hard to resist Simian Mobile Disco’s new album. And after I read that DJ Dan Wilcox called it an “unrelenting techno tour-de-force,” I was hooked!
The band spent most of this year creating a series of 12” singles named after exotic delicacies James Ford and Jas Shaw discovered while touring around the world and this album is a compilation of all those tracks. But, like Dan says, “with the shortest jam clocking in at 7:09, these are less finger foods and more 7-course …

It’s looking to be a rainy weekend LA – a great time to catch up on new tunes (wherever you are, really!). I recommend spending some time on our Album Preview page. Our newest addition is from Brooklyn-based duo Home Video. You can stream their album, “Automatic Process,” and read about why Jason Bentley is a fan HERE. Here’s an excerpt:

“The new album’s cover, featuring still photographs of David and Collin submerged in water fully clothed, opposite gatefold panels of hypnotic spirals, suggests that by exploring this record …

Wow, a new album from The Greehornes. When they released their EP “East Grand Blues” I did not yet work at KCRW, though I was an avid listener and that is most definitely how I discovered the band. I remember nights driving around listening only to those 5 songs on repeat.
I would have been anxious for new material if the rhythm section hadn’t been a part of so many great releases over the past few years, including Loretta Lynn’s  Van Lear Rose album as well as albums by The Raconteurs …

Bryan Ferry’s new album is already get a lot of love on our airwaves – I heard Anne Litt singing its praises this weekend – and now you can hear it streaming in its entirety as part of our Album Preview series here!
Morning Becomes Eclectic host Jason Bentley tells us why you should go listen!
“For the better part of four decades, Bryan Ferry has been an arbiter of cool as a solo artist and founding member of Roxy Music. Occupying a space where music and fashion intermingle effortlessly, Ferry …

Gram Rabbit are on the bill for KCRW’s killer Halloween bash Masquerade and now you can hear their new album, “Miracles & Metaphors,” streaming in its entirety as part of KCRW’s Album Preview series.
More from DJ Eric J Lawrence:
Gram Rabbit “Miracles & Metaphors” (Cobraside)
Joshua Tree’s desert-fried cult-rockers Gram Rabbit should not be mistaken for the soft and furry variety of cottontails.  These musical hares have been perking the ears of KCRW listeners since their 2004 debut, Music to Start a Cult To.  Core members Jesika von Rabbit and Todd Rutherford, …

KCRW DJ Tom Schnabel tells us about Eric Whitacre’s new album “Light & Gold” streaming now as part of our Album Preview series.
Eric Whitacre “Light & Gold” (Decca)
I remember years ago, while living in my little rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica, listening to the lilting Duruflé Requiem, calmly dreaming away, awash in the lovely choral music.  A next door neighbor of mine roared into the underground parking structure in his muscle car and yelled up, “Hey Tom, who died?”
That’s the problem with choral music.  It reminds people of …

Hear Belle & Sebastian’s new CD “Write About Love” streaming now as part of KCRW’s Album Preview series.
From KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox:
Somewhere there is a purist Belle & Sebastian fan who is not happy (imagine that…), who longs for the gentle arrangements and careful whispers of “If You’re Feeling Sinister” in favor of the rich (even sometimes glossy) production and bold, spirited songs of recent Belle & Sebastian albums.  However, one might argue that the band has always been diverse.  Don’t forget the twee-techno of “Electronic Renaissance” from their 1996 …