Last month, Street Sounds went old school, featuring veterans of hip-hop Mobb Deep, who've been keeping it real since the early 90's, when New York MC's Havoc and Prodigy first made a name for themselves depicting hardcore street life and became key players in the East Coast rivalry with West Coast…
Amazingly, Bear Hands have been around since 2006, but haven't gained the recognition they deserve until relatively recently. Before re-locating to Brooklyn's lush music scene, the band suffered through a falling-out and the loss of their first manager. But, despite their ups and downs, their singl…
If, after hearing Juana Molina's surreal yet powerful music, we were to tell you that that the Latin American legend has also voice-acted as Elastagirl for the Argentine dub of The Incredibles, would you believe us? Would you trust us if we told you that she began her career in show business in ord…
It's not so bright Underneath the Rainbow — at least not the way Black Lips tell it — but their seventh LP still has its share of sonic gold. The Atlanta garage-punks continue to sharpen their songwriting with a bluesier take on their sound while losing none of their attitude or swagger. During a r…
atTentIoN, huManS of eArtH. Hightek Lowlives bring greetings and great sounds from the distant future. The Seattle duo of Otieno Terry and Kjell Nelson toss everything you know about R&B, beat-making, hip-hop and rap, throw it into a time-machine, and send it careening like a bizarre blast from…
NO? Why,"yes!". Serendipity gave rise to the band NO; the founding members met each other, by chance, in a Los Angeles diner and began sharing stories of their favorite musicians and disastrous relationships. Like all greats, their music has a melancholy tinge without being too sentimental. NO fron…
For as good natured a duo as you're like to find, Cary Ann Heart and Michael Trent can get darker and more dangerous than you can imagine. As Shovels & Rope, they play gritty boot-stompin' roots-rock that spans between rousing sing-alongs, heartwarming ballads and harrowing tales of vengeance. …
Their latest LP may be Most Messed Up, but Old 97's are sounding their most fired up yet. Over 20 years in and now on their 10th studio album, the veteran Dallas band continues to fuel their raucous country rock sound with elements of twang-punk, power pop, and psych-tinged folk-rock while featurin…
Before Black Pistol Fire even began performing, drummer Eric Owen stripped himself down to his skivvies, preparing himself for a loaded live session. And, yes, he is donning golf gloves. Coupled with the high energy guitarist and life-long friend Kevin McKeown supplied, the incredible duo flooded t…

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.