If there was one Prince tribute to catch at Coachella last weekend, it was "Purple Rain" as done by indie rock god Sufjan Stevens, featuring lead vocals from a mysterious and absolutely wondrous new voice, Gallant. This isn't the first time Sufjan has teamed up with Gallant. At the turn of the new …
XL Records is entering a very fun new chapter - chapter six to be exact. Last fall (and this spring with the physical edition), the label released Chapter VI, the first entry in their ongoing electronic compilation series since Chapter V back in 1995. The label has seen a ridiculous amount of growt…
A warm April Thursday night brought an all-star lineup to the sold-out Moore Theatre in the form of Courtney Barnett and Alvvays. The two groups differ dramatically stylistically, but they are two of the best acts in terms of captivating and connecting with audiences both lyrically and sonically. A…
Barboza, the intimate venue underneath Neumos, feels cut off from the rest of the world, with no sight or sound of the rest of the world. In some ways, it's the perfect venue for a band like Hælos, whose particular brand of UK club R&B feels wholly detached from the rest of the world, cinematic…
As we waited at the Paramount Theatre for the Father John Misty show to begin, a fellow show-goer said to me, "Sometimes he walks around the crowd during the opener. He followed me on Twitter today and I literally died, so I'm gonna say hi to him if I can find him." I wondered in my head how this g…
KEXP has a special love for Operators in the live setting. Sure, synth-heavy brainchild of Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits) would fit on KEXP's airwaves regardless, but we have history together. Three days after the band announced it existed, they played on KEXP and later in t…
Brooklyn synth-pop duo Prince Rama ask their audience a simple question halfway through their new LP, Xtreme Now. "When was the last time you had fun?" On the record, it's supposed to be a question about belief, about conviction, and about our response to that in a positive and nourishing manner. I…
Folk - like rock, hip-hop, or jazz - is one of those elevated sub-genres on the music tree of life that’s just specific enough to conjure an immediate sound in one’s imagination while being just broad enough to have an endless array of tendrils splintering off of its hefty branch. Joanna Newsom and…
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.
