Showcasing tracks from his recently released MCIII on Merge Records, Californian singer-songwriter Mikal Cronin fills the KEXP live room with his most realized, beautifully arranged, and well-crafted works to date. With an ear for melody and and a knack for emotional resonance, tracks like the opener "Turn Around" or the immaculate "say" exhibit his trademark galloping scuzzy tempos and subtly complex yet heavily undermined rhythm parts. Watch the full set and embrace Cronin’s educated approach to songwriting.
When a band self-titles an album midway through their career, it's usually for one of two reasons: they've either run out of ideas or they've taken a significantly new tact. For Portland duo The Helio Sequence, the reason is obvious. Rather than mull over songs in their usual slow-going and contemp…
There were two generations of Polaris fans at KEXP this day. There were those of us who remember the band from the '90s Nickelodeon TV show The Adventures Of Pete And Pete: the band composed the soundtrack for the now cult-classic series and even appeared on the show's opening credits. And, then th…
