Yo La Tengo have premiered a new video for their song "I'll Be Around" (which, by the way, is their first new video in 16 years), and it features Mac McCaughn, founder of Superchunk and the Merge record label, singing the song and picking at a guitar in a woodsy field somewhere. The video is also …
Next on the broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves was Russian punk band Glintshake. Formed in 2012, much of their early music was in english, but they’ve since switched to making music in Russian, even re-recording some of their English songs in their native language and changing their…
Last year, The Shins released their fifth album called Heartworms. Next week, they're releasing a flipped version of the album entitled The Worm's Heart, featuring reworked versions of all the songs on the album. The basic premise is that all the songs keep the same lyrics and melodies but the slow…
On October 2nd, Nathan Williams will release V, his fifth full-length effort as Wavves. Five albums deep, Williams finds himself at a bit of a crossroads. His 2013 record, Afraid of Heights, found him on a major label for the first time ever, writing bigger hooks, better sing-a-longs, and cutting t…
If Brooklyn producer The Range and Atlanta rapper Rome Fortune have any one thing in common, it's an unfettered line of sight towards a marvelous horizon. Both artists make music that is wrought with present-tense turmoil, but the future always looks brighter - and not only that, it looks magnanimo…
Capitol Hill Block Party 2015 Sunday brought two things: rain and totally incredible music, and both in plentiful volume. But hey, this is Seattle right? Naturally, everyone has a jacket in their back seat/pocket and nothing about the festival seems to be missed under grey skies. The drop in temper…
In the seven years since Michael Angelakos shared the gooey valentine EP that was Chunk of Change, a lot has changed. Three albums later and the cute story backed by intriguing music has turned Passion Pit into the household name. Angelakos went from his bedroom to the frontman of a project that is…
When Beck announced Morning Phase back in October, it was a bit of a surprise. Since 2008's Modern Guilt, we've seen quite a few original works from Beck even without as much as an EP. "Let's Get Lost" with Bat for Lashes off the Twilight soundtrack, "Ramona" from Scott Pilgrim (and all the stuff h…
Janice Headley looks back at the 1983 kung-fu film Shaolin and Wu Tang, and its influence on the iconic New York hip-hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan.
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KEXP celebrates Indigenous Peoples' Day, commemorating the importance of Indigenous history, culture, and connection to the lands.
Bust out those seersuckers one last time and enjoy a mix of local, national and international artists as Midday Show host Cheryl Waters presents KEXP's annual preview of Bumbershoot, Seattle's longest running music and arts festival, this year featuring expansive roots twists from Valerie June, so…
Jimmy and the Mustangs might be lovely people without a bone of misogyny in their bodies (they did, according to their "I swear a member of the band didn't write this" Wikipedia page, make their live debut opening up for the Go-Go's), but there are a few things about their debut album, Hey Little G…
For many, 2016's sole light was music. As is always the case in times of cultural unrest, musical artists responded to widespread feelings of alienation, anger, and fear by producing vital, overflowing works in which a listener can find comfort, escape or understanding. However, as a result of this…
We've got new releases from a few music veterans this week. British rock legends The Rolling Stones return with their first album in 11 years. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it, "a shockingly potent set of Chicago blues. The band sounds raw and vital, and Mick Jagger tears into the set list of…
Barely a year away from the release of her sixth album Short Movie, UK singer/songwriter Laura Marling has announced a new album, Semper Femina, due out March 10th on her own label, More Alarming Records (via Kobalt Music Recordings). Via a press release, she elaborates: "I started out writing Sem…
For months now, we've been playing tracks from the new Temples album and just saying "out next year." Now, we have an actual date to share! The LP Volcano will be out March 3rd, 2017 via Fat Possum, their first new album since their 2014 debut, Sun Structures. Via a press release, frontman James B…
Phantogram have dropped the cinematic new video for the song "Funeral Pyre," off of last year's Three. Directed by Gianluca Minucci, the video takes place in a car slowly cruising through Los Angeles, documenting all the things seen out of the passenger window. Minucci describes the video as, "a ph…
This past week's Concert at the Mural proved to be a great kickoff to our weekly concerts at Seattle Center's Mural Amphitheater, featuring music from local acts The Helio Sequence, Summer Cannibals, and COSMOS. These bands were joined by a host of local food vendors, and an enthusiastic audience w…
