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KAXE celebrates 50 years of handpicked music during the 2026 summer member drive
To kick off the summer member drive, KAXE Membership Coordinator Heather Johnson shares this message that real music really matters.
Lorie Shaull
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KAXE
"We make hits!" sang Yard Act frontman James Smith on their song of the same name off 2024's Where's My Utopia?
The Leeds post-punk band is still at it on their latest release, but the tension and disillusionment with success is ratcheted up on You're Gonna Need A Little Music.
"New Beginnings," "You're Gonna Need A Little Music," "Talky Talky People" and "Over The Barrel" are all rock hits of the finest order, from the sing-song rhymes on the chorus of "Beginnings" and the stadium ready disco of the title track to the bright pop of "Talky Talky" and the twinkling piano rag that lifts the album's closer.
Much of the album, however, is focused on the pitfalls of success that the hits (their first two albums went top five on the UK Albums Chart) have brought, with lost friendships, jealousy, and the difficulties of constant touring on Smith's mind.
Just as rewarding as the catchiest moments are the palpable anger of opener "Empty Pledges," the punk rants of "Cherophobe Rock" and "Thrill of the Chase," and the hauntingly intimate story of catching up with a former fling that Smith recounts on "Janey," where the singer realizes his life in the band is all consuming and has made him harder to relate to.
Despite the dark themes, Yard Act are never afraid to be playful, absurd and a little sleazy. The contrast is what makes the music so good, and you can tell that beyond being their music making approach, it's the way they navigate a dark world getting darker. -MK
The Leeds post-punk band is still at it on their latest release, but the tension and disillusionment with success is ratcheted up on You're Gonna Need A Little Music.
"New Beginnings," "You're Gonna Need A Little Music," "Talky Talky People" and "Over The Barrel" are all rock hits of the finest order, from the sing-song rhymes on the chorus of "Beginnings" and the stadium ready disco of the title track to the bright pop of "Talky Talky" and the twinkling piano rag that lifts the album's closer.
Much of the album, however, is focused on the pitfalls of success that the hits (their first two albums went top five on the UK Albums Chart) have brought, with lost friendships, jealousy, and the difficulties of constant touring on Smith's mind.
Just as rewarding as the catchiest moments are the palpable anger of opener "Empty Pledges," the punk rants of "Cherophobe Rock" and "Thrill of the Chase," and the hauntingly intimate story of catching up with a former fling that Smith recounts on "Janey," where the singer realizes his life in the band is all consuming and has made him harder to relate to.
Despite the dark themes, Yard Act are never afraid to be playful, absurd and a little sleazy. The contrast is what makes the music so good, and you can tell that beyond being their music making approach, it's the way they navigate a dark world getting darker. -MK
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KAXE/KBXE is the oldest rural community radio station in the U.S. and an independent NPR affiliate.
KAXE/KBXE is the oldest rural community radio station in the U.S. and an independent NPR affiliate.
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