Dear friends in music,
Florence Welch (aka Florence + The Machine) = honesty personified and real goddess power. She’s been through profound challenges in the last few years. Her intensity may risk scaring off some people, but they are not her audience – we are. She is cheeky. She loves collaborating. And as I shared with you a few weeks ago in this very letter, she dislikes being on camera as much as I do!
Everybody Scream, Florence + The Machine’s sixth studio album, drops tomorrow, October 31st, and when she came by KCRW to talk to me (and you!) about it, she got deep. We discussed the destructiveness of self-criticism and the pressure and guilt women feel when trying to balance their success with a personal life in male-dominated industries.
I love the way she talks about her songs, like they are friends, and the prescient way they know her life before she does. We also talked about what it means to “bury a scream”… and how she came to a place where she felt she needed to do that.
She also shared that she tries to crack up her therapist (much to her therapist’s chagrin).
I don’t want to give our whole conversation away though. I’m so excited for you to hear it in the morning! Listen to Morning Becomes Eclectic tomorrow at 9:20 AM!
And by the way, Everybody Scream will be in my Top Ten Albums of 2025. It is rich, intense, and intentional — best listened to under headphones, front to back, and with a glass of red wine.
Be well and see you on the radio tomorrow.
Pachyman: KCRW Live From HQ
Puerto Rican-born, Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist Pachyman brings his dubwise universe to KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio for a “Live From KCRW” session of roots, rhythm, and intergalactic reggae flow. His latest LP Another Place (ATO Records) expands his sound into cosmic new territory, blending analog warmth with post-punk pulse and vaporwave shimmer. In conversation with Morning Becomes Eclectic host Novena Carmel, Pachy reflects on the city that fuels his creativity, the enduring influence of reggae’s golden age, and the endless pursuit of the perfect groove.
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Get To Know Nigerian Musician-Activist Fela Kuti
Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti is the subject of an immersive new audio documentary by Jad Abumrad (creator of Radiolab). The series delves into Kuti’s life as the originator of Afrobeat, his conviction that “music could topple a government,” and the many ways his art became a weapon of resistance. Tune in to the episode of Press Play with Madeleine Brand to hear how Kuti fused funk, jazz, and highlife into incendiary protest music that rattled Nigeria’s military regime.
Geese (feat. Max & Dom): KCRW Live on MBE
Max & Dom of New York’s Geese stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic with host Novena Carmel ahead of their SOLD OUT show at The Fonda. The duo joined for a lively conversation and shared a hand-picked selection of their favorite tunes, offering a glimpse into the sounds and inspirations fueling their kinetic, post-punk world.
