Chona Kasinger

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. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Midday Show host Cheryl Waters is “Let Me Fall” by Final Spins available on their self-released debut This Is Then/That Was Now.

Today’s song of the day comes from group of musicians that are associated with some of the coolest bands to come out of Seattle. Final Spins is led by Joe Syverson (formerly of Throw Me The Statue), who is joined by Zach Tillman (yep, J. Tillman’s brother and frontman of his own band that Jay drums in, Pearly Gate Music), Colin English (the drummer from The Pica Beats), Chris Early (the former bassist from Band of Horses), and Colin Wolberg, who along with Tillman was in the short-lived project Siberian, which got quite a few spins on KEXP in its day. Aside from an impressive resume, Final Spins have been steadily promoting their record, This Is Then/That Was Now, since they released it earlier this year which included a set on KEXP. The album has already received quite a few spins from Cheryl and her fellow KEXP DJs and has been drawing favorable comparisons (including The Kinks, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket) from fans and writers alike. Today’s song, “Let Me Fall,” is one of the slower and moodier songs on the release and at least to me has a Shins-ian like hint to the melody.

Final Spins are supporting the Henry Clay People this Sunday 8/2 at The Croc and are gearing up for an EP release party at The Comet on August 27th. For more info about both shows, check out their MySpace page. Here’s a rough video of their recent performance in-studio at KEXP:

Along with The Stranger and Caffe Vita, KEXP 90.3 FM is proud to present The 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party, Seattle’s Premiere Celebration of Independent Music on July 24 & July 25th.

The first part of the lineup has just been announced:

Get daily updates, videos, special promotions and more on their new website

Tomorrow, Tuesday April 28th, 10:00am, through April 30, is a special pre-sale (promo code is BLOCKPARTY)

After that, early bird tickets are available from May 1 through May 15: 2 day passes - $40 / single day tickets - $22

Greg Descheemaeker

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. Every Friday, the Song of the Day podcast spotlights local musicians. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole is “Shrinking Violets” by The Pica Beats from their debut album Beating Back the Claws of the Cold on Hardly Art.

Hardly Art is brewing some serious magic these days as they seem to be gathering some of Seattle’s finest and most interesting bands (The Moondoggies, Arthur & Yu, and The Duchess & The Duke to name a few). Newly added to their roster is The Pica (pie-ka) Beats — a hyper-literate, mostly bespectacled, collective that started in 2005 with one man in Vermont and grew from there. Two years later, frontman (and guitarist/sitarist) Ryan Barrett met drummer Colin English shortly after releasing a solo album here in Seattle, and the two began to collaborate on what would eventually become Beating Back the Claws of the Cold.  With Barrett at the helm (he both produced and mixed), they brought to life an album with a lyrical narrative that follows a cast of characters that includes Egyptian sun gods, demons, and cultural oddities.  If you missed their CD release party yesterday with Cock and Swan and The Curious Mystery, you can catch them at Vera on October 24th.  For more information check out their myspace page or their website, which is visually pretty cool. Check out these photos from their recent in-studio session: