photo by Amanda Allen
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 Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole, is In The Summertime
by Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter from the 2008 limited EP Gentleness of Nothing on Fargo Records.
If last year’s insanely sensory Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul isn’t yet haunting you, Seattle’s Jesse Sykes is back, The Sweet Hereafter in tow, with four unreleased tracks (and 1 video). While the staple of the group’s past work, Sykes’ voice, is consistent on these songs, the recent EP reveals brighter melodies, particularly on In The Summertime.
Halfway through the track, the power and relevancy of The Sweet Hereafter is made undeniable, especially the guitar work of ex-Whiskeytowner Phil Wandscher. Together with Bill Herzog (bass) and Eric Eagle (drums), this band has quickly become a gritty and classy affair. According to the band’s MySpace page, The Dreaming Dead,
off of 2004s Oh, My Girl album was recently chosen to be featured on a new HBO series about vampires, giving listeners one more thing to sink their teeth into. And while Sykes would rather you connected with her music at a live show, check out this latest EP, along with last year’s stunning Like, Love, Lust…, made available once again on vinyl. In the following video, the band performs Station Grey
from their recent tour stop in Amsterdam:
