The National were almost cut from the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, for reportedly "being too dark." Their contribution, which you can hear below, was originally titled "Dying Is Easy." As frontman Matt Berninger revealed to NME, "The song almost didn't make it because it was too…
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 Morn…
If surf rock is making a comeback with the rise of bands like Seattle’s La Luz, then Portland-based band The Shivas may well be ahead of the curve. Their head-bobbing rhythms and cute, airy background vocals envelope the ears like a warm tropical day. The band can rock, too, like on their song “Sta…
We're sad to report that local rising surf band La Luz were in a severe accident that totaled their van, destroyed their gear, and incurred injuries to the band members. For those who feel compelled to help the band get back on their feet, their label Hardly Art has set up a Paypal account for lal…
Finally. This week, that's probably the only thought that comes to mind as M.I.A. sees her fourth LP hit shelves. It's just shy of three years since we first heard a sample of "Bad Girls" on Maya's new year's eve Vicki Leekx mixtape. Now, the song has been an international hit for over a year and a…
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 Morn…
If you happen to break up with someone don’t go on a drinking binge and record emotional songs with the hopes of playing them for your ex. Right? Well, usually. This equation actually worked for Stuart McLamb, however, frontman for the North Carolina-based group The Love Language. McLamb originally…
Not ones to wait for official announcements, Arcade Fire let the citizens of Barcelona know that they'd be playing next year's Primavera Sound via a large format poster raised along the city's main shopping street, Portal de l'Àngel, on Monday. The festival just confirmed the resulting social medi…
In 2018, KEXP celebrated the 30th anniversary of local record label Sub Pop with a four-month retrospective, "counting up" every catalog number in their vast discography of over 1,200 releases. Dig into the archives of our catalog coverage, featuring in-depth coverage on the history of their releases.
