photo by Angel Ceballos
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of 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 song, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “No Destruction” by Foxygen from the 2013 album We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic on Jagjaguwar.
Los Angeles based friends, Sam France and Jonathan Rado, make up the entire roster for Foxygen, and duo really knows how to create a powerful and psychedelic sound that is undeniably unique. France is a 22-year-old native of Olympia, Washington, with a killer voice that sounds well beyond his years, and Rado definitely knows his way around a guitar and keyboard. But it’s their combined song writing abilities that really produce the magic. They’ve been writing and playing together since they were teenagers and self-releasing EPs since 2007. Their big break came when producer Richard Swift discovered them in 2011. Having Swift in their corner and the release of their first studio album, Let the Kids Off Broadway, has built a solid foundation for their blossoming career. Earlier this year they were even named by Fuse TV as one of the 30 must-see acts at SXSW.
Their entire debut album, We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, seems to go back in time to days where melodies were simpler but, at the same time, the music was so much more complex. “No Destruction” has a vintage 60′s vibe and carefully written narrative that is reminiscent of the Beatles. The track has a laid back sense of ease that makes lyrics like, “I’m talking to my Grandma who lost her arms in the war, the aliens and armory that bombed her cigar store,” seem almost ordinary. A feat like that proves the amazing versatility of Foxygen.
The coming months will have Foxygen performing all across the country at a wide variety of music festivals. These include the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Pickathon in Happy Valley, Oregon (August 2) and Woodsist Festival in Big Sur, California (September 23). You can check out their entire summer schedule here. And if you like today’s featured song, here’s the video for “Shuggie,” another song from We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic:
