Whether it's their surroundings, the air, the water, the isolation or a communal appreciation of the arts, something has given Icelanders a lock on creating otherworldly sonic landscapes. Sigur Rós and Björk are of course the most famous of them, but if you've been listening to KEXP's broadcasts from Iceland Airwaves over the past six years, you've not doubt encountered many other aural adventurers. Among them, Samaris stands out with their rich blend of organic and electronic textures, breathy vocals and glitchy beats. The young trio has been astounding listeners since their first performance on KEXP back in 2011, and last year's full-length debut, Silkidrangar, or the “silk cliffs”, which I described as setting "an atmosphere that’s not fully dark but is certainly at least twilight on an ancient world". Recently, Samaris stepped onto our own terrain as they entered the KEXP live room for their first radio performance in the U.S. Join them for this alluring in-studio session now:
Good music may be one of the few things Iceland and Austin, Texas, have in common. Kaleo is a perfect example of that bond. The Austin-based Icelandic four-piece dance around their influences while delivering songs with such diverse sound you wonder if their songs all come from the same band. But u…
White Men Are Black Men Too - Young Fathers' inclusiveness extends beyond the title of their latest LP. The adventurous followup to their Mercury Prize winning debut expands upon their already unconventional hip-hop-infused art pop toward an even wider spanning blend of gospel, soul, psych, prog an…
The Twilight Sad have always specialized in making the darker side of humanity seem so grandiose and alluring, but they've never made gloom quite so emotive and magnetic as they do on their fourth album, Nobody Wants To Be Here and Nobody Wants To Leave. When the Scottish band brought six cuts from…
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, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midd…
