“The Top 10 Songs Spinning at KCSU” is written by the KCSU music directors and describes the top artists that your local 90.5 FM DJs are playing this week. The article is updated weekly on Sundays and discussed on their show, “KCSU’s Weekly Gem Countdown,” which airs every Monday from 11 a.m.-noon. Here, you can learn more about each musician or band before tuning in to the top 10 countdown on Mondays, in which the music directors present to you the latest songs topping the charts and break down each song’s sound and feeling.
1. Egg Drop Soup — Punk Rock — (Eight spins on “Tow Jam” off 2020’s “Eat Snacks and Bleed.”) Egg Drop Soup describes itself as “an in-your-face, unapologetic, all-womxn punk trio” based in Los Angeles. Its fiery brand of thrash punk/surfy grunge makes for an unpredictable, intriguing and entrancing sound. Its most recent project, “Eat Snacks and Bleed,” came out in December of 2020. The band consists of Bailey Chapman on drums, Olivia Saperstein on vocals and guitar and Samantha Westervelt on lead vocals and bass.
2. Alex Little and the Suspicious Minds — Rock — (Seven spins on “Dead Cold Eyes” off 2021’s “Waiting To Get Paid.”) In their own words, “Blunt, emotional honesty is the driving force behind Vancouver’s Alex Little & the Suspicious Minds, whose scorching garage-pop songs squarely face drug addiction, mental health and heartbreak. And yet, despite the heavy subject matter, the group’s soaring choruses and loud guitars make the mood cathartic rather than heavy.” Alex Little started out by drumming for different bands, and in that time she picked up guitar and began to write her own music.
3. Alex Little and the Suspicious Minds — Rock — (Seven spins on “Grave” off 2021’s “Waiting To Get Paid.”)
4. Brentney — R&B/Soul — (Seven spins on “Go Ahead” off 2021’s “Blue Sky No. 9.”) Brentney is a Louisville-based singer/songwriter “hoping to spark inner dialogue through the medium of meaningful, pop-infused R&B- and jazz-influenced melodies.” She says she is inspired by disco, funk and “the sheer feeling of bliss when you’re roller skating on a sunny day and looking up at the fluffy clouds.” With her music she intends to inspire people to deal with the struggles they go through and eventually release them.
5. Doohickey Cubicle — Alt/Indie — (Seven spins on “Sign Here” off 2021’s “Don’t Fix Anything ;).”) Based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Alli Deleo and Francis Hooper are the members of alternative indie rock band Doohickey Cubicle. They have toured across North America and Europe under a few different band names, such as their previous name, BootyEP. “Don’t Fix Anything ;)” is their most recent release from March of 2021.
6. bathtub cig — Alt/Indie — (Six spins on “My Friend” off 2021’s bed.) In her own words, “Bathtub cig is the intimate depression pop project of Hilary James. Born in a Minneapolis bedroom the spring of 2017, (the project) is an honest attempt at coping with her long struggle with mental health. She is joined by Dave Power on drums, Jordan Bleau on guitar and Adelyn Strei on bass and harmony.” Their newest EP is called “bed,” released in 2021.
7.) Childe — Electronic — (Six spins on “Bad Ideas” off 2021’s “Childe” – EP.) This EP is Childe’s first and was described as “an immaculate coming-of-age collection of vulnerable electronic pop comforts,” according to Total Entertainment. The artist, from a small rural town in England, bases his music on experiences with addiction and difficult loved ones, despite the easy beats and groovy sound of his songs. Childe says that this EP is “full of conversations.”
8.) David Massey — Country/Bluegrass — (Six spins on “Don’t Know Where I’d Be” off 2020’s “Island Creek.”) It took David Massey fifteen years of playing guitar on and off before he ever attempted to write a song. Since then, he’s become a prolific songwriter, having released five independent albums — from 2004’s “Blissful State of Blue” to his most recent, 2021’s “Island Creek.” He only performs at shows local to him in DC, noting “I’m too old and lazy to travel long distances in a van,” as well as having two dogs who would never allow him to be absent for any extended period of time.
9.) King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard — Rock — (Six spins on “Blue Morpho” off 2021’s “Butterfly 3000.”) Formed in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is a rock band consisting of six members playing a variety of instruments, from your basic rock elements to things like flute, harmonica and sitar, which is a is a part of the lute family of stringed instruments and common in Hindustani classical music. They have an abundance of albums — 2021’s “Blue Morpho” is their most recent, their second album release of 2021 and their twentieth release overall.
10.) Valerie June — Jazz/Blues — (Six spins on “Stay” off 2021’s “The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers.”) Valerie June blends a mix of folk, soul, blues and Appalachian classical elements to create her timeless sound, originating in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a “critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist,” according to her Spotify page. She credits her influences to “passionate and socially minded songwriters” such as Bob Marley. Her most recent release is 2021’s “The Moon and Stars: Predictions for Dreamers.”
The music director can be reached at music@kcsufm.com.