Hey, it's Isabel Kailili, one of your hosts here on In Our Headphones, and this week we're going to play a conversation that first aired on KEXP's radio show, Sound & Vision, which is on every Saturday morning from 7.30 to 9 a.m. Pacific Time. It's hosted by Emily Fox. And this was a conversation with KEXP DJs Troy Nelson, Evie Stokes, and John Richards about the top played albums on KEXP in 2024. So please enjoy. Here is Emily Fox. Let's start with the fifth most played album of the year.
It's the album Poetry from the Chicago-based trio Dead. Dead consists of Emily Kempf on bass, guitar, and vocals, Jason Valla on guitar and vocals, and Eric McGrady on drums. KXP DJ Troy Nelson has played Dead the most out of any other DJ at the station. So Troy, what did you think about this album? Yeah, well, I've been a fan of Dead for a few years now, and I've loved their... craftsmanship with their songs, the way they put together songs, the vocals.
are just absolutely astounding. But I feel like they completely outdid themselves this time. I have to really give that to the song Mood Ring in particular. The song Mood Ring is... Not only Dead's greatest track they've ever recorded, but I want to nominate that for Song of the Year. It absolutely blew me away.
it sounds like a 50s song brought to life in modern times but yet keeping that garage rock aesthetic it sounds like the shangra laws but today and so mood ring alone uh one of the best songs of the year Easily one of Dead's best songs. But the whole record is great. No matter if Emily's singing or whoever's singing in the band, it's just melodic. I love both of their voices, and sometimes I'm not even sure who's singing. They're just both so phenomenal. They're just...
one of the catchiest, craftiest indie bands of our time. Mood Rings specifically was also the sixth most played song at KEXP in 2024. And you're right. There's some sort of throwback vibe. And I was driving in my car.
week, and I was listening, and I was like, you know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. Uptown Girl! Yes, yes. I thought the exact same thing, which Uptown Girl is a throwback to the you know 50s and 60s it totally is yeah because I thought that it was a 50s song and then I was like wait that was Billy Joel exactly I love that when artists take
a genre that they love and aren't shy from paying homage to it, but also it still sounds like them. You know, I mean, the Ramones were doing 50s bubblegum. pop music. They just were playing it really fast with distorted guitars. And if you listen to a lot of Ramones songs, they're like 50s songs. I love when artists do that and they sort of make it their own, but yet you can hear the tribute. Dead is on a...
an amazing trajectory and I was excited to talk about Mood Ring. I still think that's one of the best songs in years. That was dead with the song Mood Ring off their 2024 album Poetry. Poetry was the fifth most played album at KEXP this year. And then... Coming in at number four is Krung Bin with the album Allah Salah.
I'm joined by KXP Drive Time DJ Evie Stokes, who has played Krung Bin more than any other DJ at the station. I also love this album. It came out earlier in this year, and I feel like... You and I, we're both parents of young kids, and I feel like when you're trying to play music in the house, things can get a little hectic. And for me, with a swirling toddler, I just feel like I just want to put on something with no lyrics so I don't have the extra stimulation.
going on when I also have a toddler trying to sing and getting my attention. So this was a perfect album for me that I really loved, especially earlier this year. What did you love about this album? You know, I had a lot. of records like that early in the year this year and it was because i had this big news that i was going to be getting this new job as the drive time host and nobody else knew yet and i knew the announcement was coming out soon and i felt
I felt all this anxiety around it and worry, but also excitement. And there was a couple records that were like that for me. And this was one of them. So I feel like Krungben is... peaceful like inherently peaceful for me but they're also they've never made a bad record right they're always this like
beautiful, lush, psychedelic albums. And it's something that can fit so many moods. So it could be a dinner party. You could be cleaning your house. You could be taking a long drive. And Krugben's going to fit so many of those vibes. But it's also...
So, so peaceful, like you said, in the midst of a new job and caring for a four-year-old and taking care of my family and all those things. This is something that just can... can keep me a little bit rooted this type of music so you described that perfectly and i you know kevin cole said to me once that I like music that has a vibe. That's what he told me. And I think this sort of fits this record fits that description perfectly. It's just a vibe.
This is their fourth full-length. They've had some EPs. They worked with Yufarka Torre over the last couple of years. But this album... The last album that they did seemed a little bit more upbeat than this one. So this one is like more down-temple, chill, groovy. And I read that they kind of stockpiled ideas that they had from years past and used those as...
for this record. It was like off-the-cuff recordings, voice memos from live shows, and this is what they came up with. And I think it was really beautiful. And I also... read too that Laura Lee, one of the members, took some influence, I think, from her past growing up in Texas. And also, Emily, did you know that Laura Lee is a mother?
Oh, I did not know that. Yeah, she's a mother and she toured the entire time she was pregnant. I think she did like 30 plus shows in heels while pregnant. That's a lot of standing too. I don't know how late into her pregnancy she did it, but that'd be impressive. Yeah.
and she so she toured while pregnant and then also went on tour again with a baby and you know like less than one year old so who knows maybe she also used this record for these sort of the sort of vibe that she needed in her household speaking of young children and being a mom i love that i i love that that tidbit information and
And was there a certain track on this album that really stood out to you that you just played over and over again? Yeah, let me think here. Which one? Let me look at the album so I can remind myself. You know, I should say two.
Krugman works really well when you're on air as sort of a great way of transitioning from one genre to the next. And I've said this before about other things, about other instrumental artists, because... lots of their music can be instrumental but it's sort of like a palette cleanser a way that you recalibrate and go easily from one genre to the next and so i think that's that's why they get
a ton of airplay on KEXP because they're so talented, because they have such solid, incredible records, but also it's a great way for the on-air DJs to transition from one genre to another. And be used as a music bed. You can play it and talk over it. I hate to say that because I don't want them to think that I'm not playing their music fully, but it is a good way for me to use it. It's a good way for me to get.
rotation in as a music bed. So A Love International was the lead single, I believe, from this album. I played that one a ton. I also love Ada Jean. the song Hold Me Up. Thank you. And this is Krung Bin. The fourth most played album of the year is their album, Ala Salah. All right, Evie, I'm keeping you here to talk about another album, and that is the third most played album on KEXP in 2024. It was Angelica Garcia with her record, Camela.
Evie, you played this album, I think, more than any other DJ at the station. What do you love about this album and this artist? A few things. I loved Hamelo. I think it's really... It's a no-skips record to me. It perfectly blends some cumbia beats, Latin sounds with synthesizers.
uh and trip-hop it's basically a blend of many things that i love and angelica's voice is so expressive and interesting yeah like i said it's beautiful i think from start to finish there's no songs that i would have skipped past at any point on this album um were there any like standout tracks like tracks that you just like really listen to on repeat yeah there was so i would say for me my favorites are color de dolor And Gemini. And LK. And what do you love about those tracks?
LK was the first single that came out and it's kind of angry and has this like heavy beat and you can really feel the passion while she's singing through the music. And also what I learned about her is, you know, she lives in Los Angeles and she was... raised in California by Mexican and El Salvadorian parents. And was this, I think I might have read also somewhere, this was her first album where she incorporated songs sung in Spanish? Yeah, that's what I heard too. And I...
I heard she did an interview with Albina, a live on KEXP with Albina, was kind of talking about how... it felt healing to sing bilingually and um and someone asked her in an interview if she thought it was a risky move to sing in both languages on a record and she was like i don't really give a
Like this is, I'm doing what feels best for my true self and what felt best, like exploring my roots and exploring, you know, kind of like the process of grieving and acknowledging light and shadow between. her two selves so i think that was done really perfectly in this record and she was exploring those roots she also talked about there's a song on the album on the album called juanita and she she said she was sitting in her room one day
and kind of thinking, writing and thinking of lyrics. And the song Juanita came to her and then she was, a couple days later, was talking to her parents and they said, yeah you remember your great-grandma was um her nickname was juanita and it those lyrics just came to her so it was just it's a cool exploration of her past and who she is and this duality within her so she sings in both languages
So with that, let's take a listen to a track off of this album, Hemelo by Angelica Garcia. It was the third most played album on KXP in 2024. Thank you. And now, KEXP DJ Troy joins me again to talk about the second most played album in 2024 on KEXP. It was a Bibio sound machine with their album, Pull the Rope. And Troy, you played this album the most out of any other DJ at the station. What's your take on this album?
Yet another group that just keeps getting better and better. And they just had an album in 2022. So when they already had another album in 2024, I was like, wow, a Bibio sound machine is very productive. And I thought, well, was it rushed? I'm always worried about that when an artist releases an album pretty close to the other one. And not at all.
They just have so many elements going on with their music, and that's what keeps... my interest and they do it well they have all these creative bass lines they have afrobeat style horn stabs and they have chanted vocals and there's an even an element of early 80s UK post-punk, and there's electronic going on. They have all these elements, but yet they make it sound like an original. It's amazing what they can do. And yeah, Pull the Rope is just a fantastic album.
And there's so many songs to choose from. It's kind of like last year with the Say She She record. There's not a bad song. And the same with the Bibio sound machine. You can grab any song. And as a radio DJ, that's awesome because you're not sifting through. You just know you can grab any song and listen to the first 30 seconds and go, I knew it. It's just all good. Yeah, and I got to talk to this band earlier this year, right?
right around the time that they released this album. And their backstory is kind of interesting. You know, Eno Williams, who is the main singer, she grew up in London, but her family's from Nigeria. She spent a lot of time there. And so the word... Bibio is the language that her family spoke growing up. I think her mom was also kind of involved in some of the tracks on this record too. And a lot of this record is about like family peace and harmony and kind of bringing together.
people together through music just a lot of positive stuff and it was nice um catching up with them really this year i mean like the title track pull the rope it's kind of inviting us all to come together and try and have dialogue rather than be at war and just try and get everyone together for us to all be on the same page and still the message of hope and still the message of being inclusive and bringing everyone together in the world. Yeah, there's a feel good.
to their music. And another perfect blend of music that I love is when it's feel good, but yet it also sounds... Like there's an element of an edginess. There's an element of cool, whatever cool means these days. But I know what it means to me. And a Bibio sound machine has that uplifting element and they just sound so good. And each album does.
have a standout track like that dead album has mood ring to me on this new a bibio sound machine it's the song got to be who you are another positive message Bye. That was a Bibio sound machine. Their album Pull the Rope was the second most played album on KEXP in 2024. And coming in at number one. The top flight album on the station this year was Fontaine's DC with their album Romance. Fontaine's DC also claimed the top played song at the station this year with their song Starburster.
And their track favorite was the fourth most played song of the year. I'm joined by KXP Morning Show DJ John Richards because he has played. Fontaine's DC more than any other DJ at KEXP. So John, what do you love about Fontaine's DC and their record they released this year? Well, it's such a good story with KEXP as well. I should mention that. Just that we were the first to play this band in the U.S. and they were able to get over here to Seattle many years ago and play kind of a secret show.
And we've just been championing him from the go. And so I think there's a little built-in love for a band that you've listened to over the years. And then you get this record, and it feels like they have hit their stride. Like they have...
This was a stunning album for me. It just jumped out right away. And Starburster, again, you mentioned that. It was... played so much it is such a unique such an interesting song and i don't know about you but i hear constantly about how rock music and bands aren't a thing anymore and and yet there they are with you know bands like idols em on the sniffers and you know all these other bands middle kids was my one of my top records of the year all these bands
out there are actually making amazing music. And I thought Fontaine's DC was the best of the bunch. It was just a hell of a rock record and a very unique record at that. Well, let's talk about some of the songs that were played the most at KXP. So Starburster was was number one played song of the year. And I understand that this song was about frontman Green Chatton suffering a panic attack at one point. And that's what this song is about. Did you hear that?
backstory? I did. And I know they've had to cancel shows in the past. And I know he has struggled with that. And I think if you know that or not, when you hear the song, the, I don't know, the emotional weight. of that song jumps out right away and and it it's just weird it's just this cool weird song it's got i've realized while i was playing it and i tend to like songs with just I don't know, like these random noises and unique sounds in them. And this one sounded like no other song this year.
Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. So the fourth most played song on KXP this year is Favorite by Fontaine's DC. What do you love about this track? I don't know. It's different than the others. It has a different emotional take than the other songs.
I think they all do I think they all have this unique emotional connection in each of the songs and favorite jumped out right away for me when i got the actual record right like i got starburst or like oh what's this record gonna be about and then you have favorite i i think is the last track on the album that's very telling
for kxp as i'm learning from you right now in real time which songs we played the most and favorite makes sense because it just has uh i mean it just has this cool vibe that that is unique even on this record full of unique vibes Did you know I can claim a dreamer from a dream? Make it feel...
Well, John, is there anything else that you want to say about any other tracks that really stood out to you on this album or anything else about Fontaine's DC, this record, etc.? Yeah, here's the thing that jumps out at me, and I think it does because I feel like...
I feel like that could be a song almost any decade. It jumps out at me like kind of a 90s kind of rock song. But then I realized the odds you could release it then. And I think, well, last 10 years, you probably could have released it. And it's one of those songs that... it's hard to believe that the song didn't exist before they created it it just feels like
i don't know if i had to pick a decade it came from i'd probably pick the 90s and their own kind of modern take on a 90s song would be how i hear this song and it again is another one that just jumped right out as one of the songs I've been talking with KEXP DJs John Richards, Troy Nelson, and Evie Stokes about the top played albums on KEXP this year. Those albums came from Fontaine's DC. Ibibio Sound Machine, Angelica Garcia, Krungbin, and Dead.
Here's more of the Fontaine's DC song Starburster, which was the top played song on KEXP this year from the top played album on KEXP in 2024. I'm going to hit your business if it's momentary business. If it's a problem That was Starburster by Fontaine's DC. Thanks to Emily Fox, host of KEXP's radio show Sound & Vision, for letting us play this interview on the podcast today. Sound and Vision airs Saturday mornings from 7.30 to 9 a.m. Pacific Time on KEXP.
We broadcast from 90.3 FM in Seattle, 92.7 in the Bay Area, and worldwide at kexp.org or the KEXP apps. You can also check out Emily's KEXP podcast, which features in-depth interviews with musicians that podcast is called a deeper listen and you can subscribe now thanks for listening and see you next week