Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a bit of a conundrum, at least when it comes to classifying them. Not really a "band," UMO is really the project of Ruban Nielson, who wrote and recorded songs in his bedroom and even posted the insanely catchy "Ffunny Ffrends" first online anonymously. Not really a loca…
Pike is out between Broadway and 12th, the whole block is in a frenzy, and the noise level has almost reached normal weekend levels - it must be time for Capitol Hill Block Party 2015! The layout has adjusted slightly - both Big Mario's Pizza and Vita Coffee sit outside the grounds, making it harde…
Moby has announced that he is releasing his 15th album and third in the past 14 months, Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt in March of next year. He's also shared the lead single for the album, "Like A Motherless Child" and comes with a black and white video. Moby released These Systems Are…
A quick glance at the stage set up for Sunday evening’s show might’ve tipped one off as to the type of music they’d hear for the night. With no drums, no amps, and mostly classical instruments surrounding chairs and music stands neatly arranged in a semi circle across the stage, a rock show was cle…
Listening to St. Vincent's new self-titled LP, I find it harder and harder to market Annie Clark's music to friends by method of comparison. On her past efforts, including 2011's excellent Strange Mercy and her breakthrough 2009 record Actor, Clark has stood out on the forefront of a brave, new wav…
Last year, we weren't shy about how much we lived the debut record by Divine Fits. The supergroup is led by Britt Daniel of Spoon and Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade, and also features Sam Brown of New Bomb Turks as well as Alex Fischel. Their 2012 LP A Thing Called Divine Fits was beginning to end an …
Florida band Surfer Blood couldn't wait until summer to release their anticipated sophomore album of poppy, surf-influenced indie rock, but that's just as well, as Pythons takes a relatively darker turn. Our Music Director, Don Yates, praises the new album for its "more polished and streamlined sou…
The Babies, Brooklyn indie rock collaboration between Kevin Morby of Woods and Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls, stopped by KEXP three weeks after the release of their new album Our House on the Hill to give us a taste of the live adaptation of the record. In case you haven't checked it out yet, Our H…
It's a clear, crisp afternoon in beautiful Reykjavík, Iceland and locals and visitors alike are gearing up for what is sure to be another great year at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival. Here at Kex Hostel, the KEXP road crew is putting the finishing touches on our preparations for this year's off-ve…
It's no surprise that British downtempo pop group London Grammar sold out their second Seattle show in six months Saturday night. Back when they played the Crocodile at the end of September, their excellent first full length If You Wait had just come out only weeks before in the states. Now that it…
Dee Dee Penny is a woman who cannot be held down. With pretty much every album she's crafted with Dum Dum Girls, she's pushed forward the cutting edge of the Brooklyn indie rock scene. That case was especially evident with 2011's Only In Dreams. Together with its phenomenal coda EP, End of Daze, De…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unrealeased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mo…
Only a year or two after establishing itself as the first NYC music festival to actually pull off an event with the caliber and scope fitting of the city, The Governors Ball Music Festival is at a crossroads. Stereogum's Michael Nelson does an excellent job explaining it in depth, but due to the em…
It's hard to believe that next month will be the one year anniverary of Scottish electronic band CHVRCHES releasing their first LP. At this point, it seems like the trio has been dominating indie and pop airwaves for ages. Every track on The Bones of What You Believe oozes with pristine pop majesty…
Baltimore synth-pop group Future Islands found a new home on 4AD for their fourth LP, Singles. Though their prior years at Thrill Jockey have given us some incredible music over the years, whoever it is over at 4AD that got the wonderful task of marketing this band and this record for a Future Isla…
At KEXP, we get excited about a lot of Icelandic bands, and we're thrilled to watch so many of them reach the wider audiences they deserve, but few seem as immediately poised for arena rock stardom as Mono Town. The trio's emotive and often explosive songs draw heavily from a shared love for Britp…
Justin Vernon had a pretty ridiculously awesome 2011. It was the year he dropped his self-titled second LP as Bon Iver, receiving widespread critical acclaim, a Grammy, and securing his place in the indie rock spotlight for as long as he wanted. Among plenty of others, his work as Bon Iver garnered…
“Hey Joe, sorry to hurt you, but they say love is a virtue, don’t they?” On The National’s new single “Sea of Love”, this quiet apology to a friend is a battle cry for affirmation of love. At this point, The National are indie rock legends, and themes of terrible love and trying relationship are no…
After showing off one of the most refreshing album rollouts in recent history (see: fake websites, conference calls, and blockbuster billboards), synth pop duo Tanlines don't seem to be running out of ways to up the ante on tour. Eric Emm and Jesse Cohen brought a rock-heavy four piece setup to Neu…
Determined and unwavering Brooklyn-based folk rock band WOODS have released over six albums since their inception in 2005, distinguishing them as some of the hardest-working indie rockers. Singer-guitarist and founder Jeremy Earl even runs the record label Woodsist, from which WOODS release their a…
