Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part 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 featured selection, chosen by Midday Show host Cheryl Waters, is On Your Knees
by The Herbaliser from the 2008 album Same As It Never Was on !K7.
After spending more than a decade with the folks at Ninja Tune, Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba have taken The Herbaliser to !K7 Records. To change it up further, the core duo, which has always utilized guest performances on their albums, has now expanded to include new members Ralph Lamb, Andy Ross, and 22-year old soul singer Jessica Darling. Lamb and Ross are members of the Easy Access Orchestra and long-time collaborators with the Herbaliser crew. This is not to say the new album is without guest musicians. UK rapper Yungun (aka Essa) appears on Just Won’t Stop
and Jean Grae, with whom the band has quite a history, makes a cameo as well. Same As It Never Was captures the best of the band’s long history of melding jazz and hip-hop while capitulating on Darling’s vocals to conjure some serious soul vibes. That these guys continue not just to grow but to astound after more than a half-dozen albums is testament to their dedication and musicianship. Catch them this summer on one of the sporadic dates they’ve scheduled across Western Europe. For those of you on a budget, here’s a video for Something Wicked This Way Comes
off their 2002 record of the same name and featuring singer Seaming To:
