Yesterday, we lost the iconic New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint. The legendary composer, performer and producer passed away at 77 years-old from cardiac arrest in Madrid while on tour. In his life, Toussaint carried the New Orleans R&B traditions of Professor Longhair and others through to …
There's not a ton to say about the last year of CHVRCHES' career that hasn't already been said. Anyone who's even occasionally read Stereogum or Pitchfork in the last six months probably knows the story by now: the Scottish trio of singer Lauren Mayberry and multi-instrumentalist Iain Cook, and Ma…
Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers dropped by KEXP mere weeks before the world shut down to play songs off their latest album, In the Morse Code of Brake Lights.
The New Year has its own special meaning in the world of music. While most of the world is looking forward, it's a time for many audiophiles to luxuriously look back as they compile lists of their favorite records, concerts and memorable moments from the year past. In this sense, Shabazz Palaces ma…
At this pace, 2014 is well on its way to outdoing 2013 in new releases. The streak continues this week, topped by a terrific new album by Future Islands, which our Music Director, Don Yates, calls "a masterful set of impassioned, ‘80s-steeped electro-pop with glittering synths, streamlined guitars …
New York duo Phantogram release their sophomore album, Voices, today, which KEXP Music Director Don Yates claims is a, "sleek set of moody electro-pop with a dark, atmospheric sound featuring buzzing synths, spiky guitars, hip hop-influenced beats, breathy vocals and catchy pop hooks." Another high…
When we saw Pixies return to the scene last summer, everything moved in a bit of a blur. With the departure of Kim Deal came the immediate release of "Bagboy", the first new Pixies offering since the Kim-led "Bam Thwok" single of 2004 (which was the only original release from Pixies since they brok…
Is March too early to get your festival season started? We don’t think so and, frankly, we don't care. Treefort Music Fest, running now until Sunday, March 26 in downtown Boise, Idaho, is too good to miss. Looking at headliners alone, the festival boasts two of the biggest names in independent musi…
"I brought tissues." That's what the girl next to me told her friends as she reached into her bag and started dishing out Kleenex. At any other show, the action might have been silly, but not tonight. Tonight, Volcano Choir, the spectacular collaboration between Bon Iver and Collections of Colonies…
George Mocharko reports on how smaller independent labels and venues feel about NFTs.
The indie-pop trio MUNA talks about being an openly queer band since they started in 2014, and why they believe the conversation should go beyond “Representation.”
Popular YouTube and Spotify playlister "Alex Rainbird Music" talks about helping break indie artists, music discovery, and monetization in the streaming era.
Thursday night before 4th of July at Neumos, you could tell who watched the show from the safety of the balcony from those on the floor strictly based on the quantity of sweat dripping from their clothes upon leaving the premises. I can't speak much for the casual observers above, but between the h…
Adam Granduciel has never been one to let success and fame get to his head. “It’s Friday night!” he exclaimed to the Neptune crowd at the The War on Drugs' sold out performance that night,.“Does anyone have any big plans for the weekend?” The innate irony of the question is lost on no one but Gradu…
We hear from indie labels Asian Man Records, Help Yourself Records, and the band, Deep Sea Diver about their reliance on the USPS and what changes to the service could mean for them.
It's been an interesting couple years for Henry Laufer, a.k.a. Shlohmo. Just about this time last year, we were all waiting on pins and needles for a collaborative EP to drop between Shlohmo and R&B singer Jeremih, spinning the new single "No More" to death and begging for a set in stone releas…
Tableau teams up with KEXP to look at the data and trends behind the music our DJs play on the air 24/7.
There's a great scene in Richard Linklater's film Boyhood where Mason Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) is about 10 or 11 years old and is in Houston sleeping over at his dad's place when he asks him this great question. "Dad, there's no, like, real magic in the world is there?" Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) asks him…
When you wish upon some stars... I guess that's really the only way to start any write up of Polaris being active again 20 years after the recording of their only record. In the recent trend of album anniversary tours, there's one record that I and many, many other listeners never could have imagin…
