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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 Three Shades by NOMO from the 2008 album Ghost Rock on Ubiquity.

The 3rd album from Ann Arbor’s NOMO is their greatest departure from the Fela Kuti and Tortoise tags that have followed them and it’s also their best. For starters, the band used to have somewhat of a rotating cast but now consists of a solid 8 members. Engineered by experimental musician/producer Warn Defever, Ghost Rock is bursting with adventurous funk and jazz that comes out with horns blazin’ and more than a hint of afrobeat and electronica. Led by Elliot Bergman, the band uses an insane mix of traditional instruments, Morton Subotnick-inspired looped synths and even a few crazy concocted instruments to get a really unique sound. Over the past couple years this band has made its name on the road and is apparently sticking with that formula, touring heavily throughout the summer. As they sport their tightest and most talented lineup yet, now is the time to jump on the bandwagon. Catch them in Seattle 8/9 when they play Nectar. Here, NOMO performs Hand & Mouth at last year’s Pitchfork Festival:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 6:58 am and is filed under KEXP, Song of the Day Podcast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.