Strange Currency

Monday, March 3: Blank Project is the latest release by Swedish-born singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry and her first album in 18 years. Cherry has said that the album is in part a mourning of her mother, who died in 2009. The singer is perhaps best known for her 1989 dance hit “Buffalo Stance.” We’ll hear from that record plus selections from featured artist Beck’s latest album, Morning Phase, his first album since 2008 and a record he has called a companion piece to his somber 2002 album Sea Change.

Monday, Feb. 24 2014: Lake Street Dive is comprised of musicians who met at the New England Conservatory in Boston a decade ago. The collective draws on elements of Stax, Motown, and jazz for its unique sound, which can be heard on the group’s latest release, Bad Self Portraits. We’ll hear from that as well as from Dark Night of the Soul, the latest from Jimbo Mathus and The Tri-State Coalition.

Monday, Feb. 17 2014: We team up with Global Village and Night Train for a Presidents’ Day special featuring selections from some politically active musicians, including Joe Walsh, Frank Zappa, Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys, and others, plus some quasi-political musings from Little Feat, Ian Hunter, and selections from Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs For 43 U.S. Presidencies.

All Week: Hear the new song from Drive-By Truckers, “Pauline Hawkins,” from the upcoming release English Oceans.

Music hosts Jedd Beaudoin, Chris Heim, Carla Eckels and Bill Pearce run down the best in music for 2013 - including selections for world, rock, local music, jazz, R&B, gospel, blues, rockumentaries and books about music.

Join KMUW's music hosts throughout January on Global Village, Strange Currency, Night Train, Crossroads, Soulsations and Straight No Chaser for a month-long feature of the Best of 2013. See individual show pages for more information on upcoming shows and to listen to past shows through the streaming archive.

Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter--Alyn Shipton: The first biography of this beloved and of late overlooked American singer-songwriter who was a favorite of The Beatles and whose musical range ran from show tunes to hard-driving rock. Nilsson died in 1994, more than a decade after issuing his last recordings. This book and a recent boxed set highlighting his long relationship with the RCA label offer all the reason you’ll need to discover or rediscover his work nearly 20 years after his early death.

1.      Sound City

2.      A Band Called Death

3.      20 Feet From Stardom

4.      Muscle Shoals

5.      Ain’t In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm

6.      Beware of Mr. Baker

7.      Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

8.      Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

9.      I’m Now: The Story of Mudhoney

10.  The Punk Singer

1.      Hatchetations—Carrie Nation and The Speakeasy

2.      7 Cities—Moreland and Arbuckle

3.      Just a Fool -- Shane Marler

4.      Tronan Vs. The Spidernauts -- Spirit of the Stairs

5.      Coming Together For A Cure Vol. 2 -- Various Artists

6.      Scandal, Scandal , Scandal, Down In The Wheat Field -- Paper Airplanes

7.      Wax Wings -- The New Imperialism

8.      Dust Bowl Demos Pt. 3 -- Tom Page Trio

9.      Live 2012-2013 -- The Travel Guide

10.  Live at The Donut Whole 7.27.13 -- Japanese Game Show