REVIEW: Various, Rare On Air KCRW Volume 4 (Mammoth)
- Franklin Johnson
Eclectic Los Angeles radio station KCRW has been providing morning radio listeners with a diverse group of music for more than 20 years. Through the efforts of Mammoth Records, Rare On Air gives people the chance to hear acoustic and live performances from these artists - even if they don't reside near the City of Angels.
Volume 4 of this ongoing series captures more of the live show that is featured on the National Public Radio's flagship station in Southern California. There aren't a lot of bonafide hit songs here (only Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy" qualifies), but that adds to the collection's beauty. Who hasn't heard of Radiohead, Ani Difranco, Sarah McLachlan or Tom Waits? No one - and here, some of their morning performances can be heard. But at the same time, newer artists such as Ozomatli, Zap Mama and Cafe Tacuba deserve to be heard - and so they are, thanks to KCRW and Mammoth.
