Life Elsewhere

Fräulein -  Pet This Northern Irish/Dutch duo have created a deliciously rambunctious EP with  Pedestal . As you listen to  Pet  I’m sure you will find yourself asking who comes to mind with that  “Heyyyy!”  Yet,  Fräulein  have their distinctive own sound. This one is available courtesy of Submarine Cat Records. ⁠ A.S.O. -  Rain Down ⁠ Singer-songwriter  Alia Seror-O'Neill , and producer  Lew...

When America became a nation, a woman had no legal existence beyond her husband. If he abused her, she couldn’t leave without abandoning her children. Abigail Adams tried to change this, reminding her husband John to “remember the ladies” when he wrote the Constitution. He simply laughed―and women have been fighting for their rights ever since.  Fearless Women  tells the story of women who dared t...

King Isis -  I’m Fine, Thx 4 Asking This sixty minutes of carefully curated new music begins with  King Isis  from Oakland, California who says they are,  “The queer, Black genre-bending afrofuture.”  I’m Fine, Thx 4 Asking  from the album,  Scales  should prompt you to want to hear more. Plus,  King Isis  explains,  “Scales is the beginning of an eternal journey of introspection. It’s an attempt...

A bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army exploded at 2:54 a.m. on October 12, 1984. It was the last day of the Conservative Party Conference at the Grand Hotel in the coastal town of Brighton, England. Rooms were obliterated, dozens of people wounded, five killed. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was in her suite when the explosion occurred; had she been just a few feet in another direction, fl...

We begin with a cut from a very fine compilation of electronic dub from Cosmic Sands Records based in Lyon, France, Cortex Of Light who tell us about Future Curvature. The album is titled, Pro Unlimited, definitely worth searching for.  From Marseille, in the south of France, Michèle des Belladonna performs as Miss Bella. Featuring Miss Bella on accordion, the quirky retro-sounding LP, Eternel Ret...

Why are so many humans religious? Why do we daydream, imagine, and hope? Philosophers, theologians, social scientists, and historians have offered explanations for centuries, but their accounts often ignore or even avoid human evolution. Evolutionary scientists answer with proposals for why ritual, religion, and faith make sense as adaptations to past challenges or as by-products of our hyper-comp...

After Jason’s world falls apart in LA, he moves to Berkeley for a fresh start with his kid brother. Just one problem: his long-closeted Adderall addiction has exploded into an out-of-control crystal meth binge. Within weeks, Jason plunges into the sprawling ParTy n’ ’Play (PnP) subculture of the Bay Area’s gay community. It is a wildly decadent scene of drugs, group sex, and criminals, and yet it...

“How would you describe myself,” Penelope Trappes says with a hint of irony as we begin a lengthy conversation. That modicum of irony is ever-present in Trappes work, from the visual imagery to the soundscapes she creates, consistently selecting a serious noir color palette. Yet, Penelope refuses to stay hidden behind a gloom and doom visage, often allowing herself to chuckle or make an irreverent...

Here we go, another 60 minutes of new releases for your listening pleasure. While the headline news insists our loathsome enemy, China is filling the skies with ginormous spy balloons, over in the capital city of Beijing, there is a vibrant new music scene.  Mimik Banka - The People, The People, And The Dogs With The People, The People, And The Dogs , Mimik Banka takes us on a musical journey...

In her epilogue to Madame Restell , author Jennifer Wright says, “Around the world, women are gaining greater control over their bodies. Though not in America. So, tell the next generation that there was a time when we owned our bodies. Tell them they still deserve to, and that, whatever the age, it is not the state’s right to tell anyone otherwise. Tell them the history of people like Madame Rest...

For this volume we veer off into a more rockist direction, no substantive reason, it just happened that for the most part, the music files we received rang the “alternative rock” bell. And, that’s not a bad thing.  Eternal Dust - Candy We begin this volume with an album I highly recommend, Spiritual Healers, Defence Lawyers by Eternal Dust . I admit to knowing absolutely nothing about this ba...

Continue reading here Jared Yates Sexton - The Midnight Kingdom - A History Of Power, Paranoia, And The Coming Crisis “I realize people think of me as a doom-sayer” announces Jared Yates Sexton at the beginning of our conversation, Then, he admits, “After writing this book, I’m optimistic!” That’s quite a statement from a writer who is known for unsettling commentaries. The title of his latest boo...

First up, a couple of very big names in this volume. We usually stay away from the more obvious names but there are always exceptions. Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt also known together as Everything But the Girl are back with their first recording in 24 years. And, a gentleman who never fails to add a little more debate about his intentions has a new single, yes, it's Mr. John Lydon in his guise as Pub...

Stop by Bradley Onishi’s website and you’ll notice he’s not shy about proclaiming his abilities, “Scholar, Speaker, Thought Leader” shouts the headline. Then, in the first sentence of the first paragraph, Bradley adds he is "a social commentator, scholar, writer, teacher, coach, and podcast co-host" . All perfectly valid descriptors, of course, yet he doesn’t get across how perfectly charming and...

All of the music we curate for LEM is the best! So, we bring you The Best Of The Best 2022. Including Maram & Con, Barzin, Cathal Coughlan, Telefis, Tess Parks, Elizabeth Crompton, Pictoria Vark, Joshua Idehen, Blackjack Illuminist Records, Pearla, Shoredive Records, Srirajah Sound System (ft. Molam Inteng Keawbuala), Chris Connelly, Olivia Barton, and Ollie Cook. And, a special mention for Pe...

In December of 1977, Robert Forster co-founded The Go-Betweens, with fellow musician Grant McLennan in Brisbane, Australia. Since then until today, Robert has been actively involved in the business of performing and releasing records, either as a member of The Go-Betweens or with his illustrious solo career. Along the way Forster has accumulated worldwide acclaim, his songwriting often cited as be...

We invited Phil Allen Jr. onto the show to talk about his new book, The Prophetic Lens - The Camera And Black Moral Agency From MLK To Darnella Frazier . Very quickly it was clear we were running out of time, yet there was much more to discuss with Phil . A second Zoom conversation was scheduled to delve into two issues he is passionate about, Education and Religion. Phil Allen Jr. explains how an...

Michael Shermer - Conspiracy: Why the Rational  Believe the Irrational Nothing happens by accident, everything is connected, and there are no coincidences: that is the essence of conspiratorial thinking. Long a fringe part of the American political landscape, conspiracy theories are now mainstream: 147 members of Congress voted in favor of objections to the 2020 presidential election based on...

It's a very special occasion when I have the opportunity to spend time in conversation with Chris Connelly . With every new project, he eagerly shares his passion and inspiration for his exceptional music. He was just fifteen when saw her perform live in Edinburgh, he connived his way backstage to say hello and unbelievably, the goddess reached out and touched his face. From that wondrous moment,...

In the introduction to his new book, The Prophetic Lens , Phil Allen Jr. quotes a performer who has had his share of notoriety in front of the camera, not least of all his extraordinary behavior live on TV at the Oscars, that performer is, of course, Will Smith, who when asked on a late-night talk show if racism is getting worse, Smith responds astutely with, “Racism is not getting worse, it's get...

Sean Carroll - The Biggest Ideas in the Universe The most trusted explainer of the most mind-boggling concepts pulls back the veil of mystery that has too long cloaked the most valuable building blocks of modern science. Sean Carroll , with his genius for making complex notions entertaining, presents in his uniquely lucid voice the fundamental ideas informing the modern physics of reality. Physics...

The unstoppable cacophony of Manhattan’s ambient soundtrack - police sirens, a building’s gurgling water pipes, the banging and crashing of who-knows-what fail to stymie Steve Brodner’s gentle, yet acerbic comments. We are recording via Zoom, it’s around 8.30 pm, the famed political cartoonist appears to have the windows open, with no intention of allowing the outside racket to interfere with our...

Carolyn Hays - A Girlhood: Letter To My Transgender Daughter One ordinary day, a caseworker from the Department of Children and Families knocked on the Hays family's door to investigate an anonymous complaint about the upbringing of their transgender child. It was this knock, this threat, that began the family's journey out of the Bible Belt but never far from the hate and fear resting at the nati...

“I love Wobble!” Bellowed Martin Atkins , (renowned drummer for Ministry , Pigfac e , Killing Joke and more) when he heard I was about to do an ongoing series of conversations with the legendary bass man. Martin’s sentiment has to be universal, because the mere mention of the name Jah Wobble and every music aficionado’s faced lights up. Wobble’s career stretches back to the musical Middle Ages&nbs...

Barack Obama and his family have been the objects of rumors, legends, and conspiracy theories unprecedented in US politics. Outbreaks of anti-Obama lore have occurred in every national election cycle since 2004 and continue to the present day—two elections after his presidency ended. In  Trash Talk , folklorist Patricia A. Turner examines how these thought patterns have grown ever more vitrio...