Johnny Marr will release his first official solo album, The Messenger, tomorrow.  Today you can stream the entire album on Marr’s YouTube channel HERE.  For a scintillating song-sample check out the fantastic Upstarts below.  The wait was definitely worth it.  Marr will open for New Order on their upcoming tour, including at the Santa Barbara Bowl on April 18th in between the Coachella weekends.

The Walkmen placed high in our Best Albums of 2012 with their rapturous album Heaven.  Check out this ever-better band and lead singer Hamilton Leithauser recently in Seattle performing the title song (apparently not producer Phil Ek’s pick-of-the-litter–no wonder they made it the title track).  After, check out  Juveniles off of their fantastic 2010 album Lisbon.   Both are delivered with arresting aplomb on behalf of KEXP.

Cleotha Staples of The Staples Singers’ passed away this week at the age of 78.  In honor of Cleotha, and because it’s Sunday and there’s never a bad time to listen to this song, check out the group performing their sensational song I’ll Take You There.  RIP Cleotha Staples.

Lavender Diamond’s Becky Stark has a voice for the angels, as has been heard on prior Lavender Diamond records and most recently as part of John C. Reilly’s “friends” troupe (with the talented Tom Brosseau).  In late 2012 Lavender Diamond released their latest album, Incorruptible Heart (which can be streamed and bought HERE), and made their way to KEXP to perform four songs.  Watch below the highlight of the set, Everyone’s Heart’s Breaking Now, on which Stark’s crystalline voice is displayed in all its finery on this sad song (the title don’t lie).  You can go HERE to watch the other performances for KEXP.  After, check out the official video for the decidedly different Light My Way off the album, and in which Ms. Stark dances to the upbeat tune against a stark backdrop.  All good on the Western front.

We are fans of Cold Specks, but even more so now that we have had a chance to see their live assemblage as shown below.  Check out the band (including horns) deliver a simmering, smoky performance of When The City Lights Dim below.  The song is from their plentiful album I Predict a Graceful Expulsion.  Another reason to catch Jim James’ tour in April and May, when Cold Specks will open.

In case you missed it last night, until sometime tonight (“24 hours”) you can watch Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ show last night at the Henry Fonda Theater.  To kick things off, Cave, the Bad Seeds, children’s/women’s choir and assorted guest crew perform their entire new album Push The Sky Away in order.  Below is the setlist and song times (courtesy of TimeLikeAnOcean):

0:41 We No Who UR 5:32 Wide Lovely Eyes 9:54 Water’s Edge 15:17 Jubilee Street 22:48 Mermaids 26:46 We Real Cool 32:36 Finishing Jubilee Street 36:51 Higgs Boson Blues 46:15 Push the Sky Away 52:04 From Her To Eternity 58:19 Oh Children 1:05:23 The Ship Song 1:11:14 Jack the Ripper 1:15:33 Red Right Hand 1:21:02 Deanna 1:25:26 Love Letter 1:29:42 The Mercy Seat =encore= 1:36:55 Stagger Lee

Proof positive that the remix mania remains full throttle:  check out Kiing’s remix of Field Report’s Route 18.  In a Tweet, bandleader Chris Porterfield wrote:  “once they’re out there, songs belong to everyone. I love how @kiingsmusic injected joy and energy in a vacuum”.  We completely agree.  Check it out below, finger-snaps and all.

As a reminder: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are out on tour in support of their superb new album Push The Sky Away, and will play the Henry Fonda tonight. Cave and the band will webcast the show courtesy of RockFeedBack. Regular rave reviews of their shows continue to roll in, and we intend to be web-side when the webcast goes live. Check out the announcement below and go HERE tonight to watch the show. For those concerned: that’s Cave’s wife on the album’s cover. If it’s OK with Nick, it’s OK with you.

One of our favorite new female singers, the UK’s Emeli Sandé, cleaned up last night by winning the British Female Solo Artist and British Album of the Year at the annual BRIT Awards.  And today another artist new to us, Kendrick Lamar, joins Sandé in a remix of her mega-hit Next to Me.  Check it out below.  Lamar lends solid force to the mix.