Chronicles of a Diamond by Black Pumas

It’s a rare phenomenon when a sophomore album is better than a debut. Debut albums often have years of creativity built into them – the band members often having brought the songs along with them through the high school / college years, having noodled on them for ages before finally putting them to tape. Then the band is asked to produce a 2nd record in a fraction of that time, hence “the sophomore slump.”

Not so with Black Pumas’ 2nd album, Chronicles of a Diamond. The Pumas are a duo out of Austin, Texas. Their self-titled debut album from 2019 did hit my radar at the time, but was a bit too over-produced for my liking. It did not make the Top 31 that year. I think I was the only one to not connect with the album, as they received numerous nominations from the Grammys: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year.

Fast-forward four years, and singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada have produced an even better follow-up. A lot of bands would have crumbled at the pressure of producing something that could match, let alone exceed their critically-acclaimed debut. But Chronicles does just that.

Black Pumas are put into the psychedelic soul genre, pioneered by the likes to Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone. Hard-hitting drums and keyboards back up the fuzzed out sounds of Quesada’s guitar and Burton’s vocals. Burton’s voice is placed forward of the band, his lyrics easily heard over the music. Their sound reminds me of the Dirtbombs, or Algiers (#18 in 2017), and even a little of Benjamin Clementine, but with more fuzz (you know Clementine – his song “Nemesis” is the theme song for AppleTV+’s The Morning Show). A neither Clementine nor Burton would be anywhere without Seal having led the way with his gorgeous voice 30 years ago.

Watch the video above, for their great lead single “More Than a Love Song.” You can also see videos for “Mrs. Postman,” “Angel,” and “Ice Cream (Pay Phone).” Even better, just check out Chronicles of a Diamond – it’s one hell of an album.

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Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists

In 2022, KEXP — the radio station that broadcasts at 90.3 on the FM dial in the Seattle area and worldwide at kexp.org — turned 50. The station has recorded countless “Live at KEXP” sessions that they then post on their YouTube channel. From those sessions, they’ve produced ten “Live at KEXP” collections over the years. These are wildly varying mixes that lovingly reflect the eclectic nature of the station and all its DJs loves and influences. And that finally brings us to why we’re here: Live at KEXP, vol. 10, my #28 album of the year.

First, a bit about the history of this much-loved radio station: it started as “KCMU” when four UW students in 1972 wanted an outlet and learning environment for journalism and on-air music to students beyond what had been previously available via KUOW, the original UW station (which had been severely reduced due to university budget cuts in the early 70s). It has been through a variety of changes over the last five decades: shifting from KCMU to KEXP thanks to an agreement with Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project in the early 2000s; a formalization of format from a mix of news and DJ-led music to only music in the 90s; and a successful transformation from solvency being provided by university or investor backing to being fully listener supported.

The mission of the station has never wavered: “to enrich [listeners’ lives] by championing music and discovery. [The station’s] vision is a connected and compassionate world embracing curiosity and a shared love of music.” They mean it when they say “KEXP: Where the music matters.” While I can’t pinpoint the connection exactly, it’s safe to say that I wouldn’t have the love of music that I do without KEXP in my life. And KEXP has truly been “in my life”:

While my wife and I were in the hospital for the birth of our daughter, we made a request to the station during a quiet moment in the delivery room that was played on air by John in the Morning, along with a sharing of our story, and heard live on our personal speaker in the room
It is KEXP I think of when I think back to my personal experience around 9/11 – with my alarm going off early in the morning to the sounds of KCMU in 2001, John’s telling of the first plane hitting the Towers is as clear in my head now as it was that morning
At the start of the pandemic, the station adapted quickly to the new rules of society, figuring out how to broadcast from DJ’s homes, and the station’s secondary motto “You are not alone” became a powerful mantra to listeners worldwide, including me and my family. The support the station provided then continues today as the station digs deeper into the support that the station brings to our lives through the music and stories they share.

Having been a Gold Club member multiple times over the years, and privy to the secret stage shows the station held in the tiny Children’s Theater at the Seattle Center during Bumbershoot, I’ve been witness to many intimate and monumental musical performances thanks to the station. It’s those types of performances that fill out the Live at KEXP releases, and Volume 10 is no exception. There’s “En La Front” from a 2022 performance by Argentinian singer/songwriter Barbi Recanati next to “Lump” from a 1995 performance by The Presidents of the United States of America, a 1997 Modest Mouse performance of “Dramamine” (that will simply bring you to tears due to the recent untimely passing of MM drummer Jeremiah Green due to cancer) next to “Legend Has It” from the 2017 Run the Jewels set linked in the video above. My personal favorite from the album is “Süpürgest Yoncadan” from the 2019 performance by (new to me and the Bacon Review) Turkish psych-rock band Altin Gün shown at the top of this post.

I am (we are) so lucky to have an outlet as consistently strong as KEXP to introduce me (and you) to new music from around the world that I (we) would never hear otherwise. I mentioned earlier that the station is listener supported, and consequently the album is not available to hear on the streaming services. You’ll need to go to your local (Seattle) record store to pick up the vinyl, or you can pay (minimum $10) to download the album from Bandcamp. Or of course you can just peruse the full library of performances on KEXP’s Youtube channel. All proceeds from the vinyl and from the album go directly back to the artists featured. And then when you’re done buying the album, why don’t you head over to kexp.org and throw the station a few bucks as well — without them we would not be talking here, today.

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29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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#19 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Black Pumas

#28 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Various Artists via KEXP