Despite the recent years of turmoil that almost resulted in a break-up, the beat goes on for Brooklyn band The Drums. Now stripped down to founding members Jonny Pierce and Jacob Graham, it's been a three-year wait for their latest album, Encyclopedia, out now on Minor Records. As Pierce notes hims…
Swedish singer-songwriter Alice Boman's subtle vocals and delicate instrumentals could get a response from even the chilliest of hearts. The minimalist musician, who released her second EP, EP II, this year, creates such an uncluttered sound that it disguises the fact that she is accompanied by thr…
What's the best thing about the Seattle band Country Lips? Is it their name? Maybe. Is it their traditional Americana music? Getting close... Is it that they get people to dance and dance often? Yes! In a city not known for it's folk music, accordion playing and hip shaking, Country Lips bring the …
Saturday's Bumbershoot festivities got the 2013 season off to a great start. With the turnout highlight of the day going to rising Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar, and with a three way tie for most dancing going to !!!, Charles Bradley, and Crystal Castles, the day was an eclectic bunch of gems. Bein…
It seems like forever ago that Toro Y Moi were lumped in with the chillwave movement, but across the last four years and three albums, Chaz Bundick’s music and (and it’s four person live incarnation) have gradually evolved into something bigger than a blogosphere-darling bedroom project: a fully-fl…
The best collection of rock and roll comics of late recently premiered at the Emerald City Comic Convention in Seattle this past weekend, but won’t be available en masse from publisher Fantagraphics Books Inc. till May 17. Be sure to pre-order Peter Bagge’s Other Stuff soon though, because it is an…
It's been over three years since Annie Clark released the last St. Vincent album but it looks like good news is on the horizon. Today she shared a new song called "New York" that many are hoping is a precursor to a new album. The song itself is far more stripped back than Clark's previous work and …
When it comes to young bands making self-assured, thoughtful and influence-referencing music, Ought already do. The Montreal-based four-piece formed just three years ago amid a burgeoning DIY scene in the city's Mile End district and, while drawing heavily from sonic inspirations like Talking Heads…
What a bill! If you were at Crocodile Tuesday night, you sure got your 15 dollars worth. Swedish electro-pop duo Niki & The Dove blew our minds (as usual) with their soundscape of 80s pop glory, but luckily for those that arrived early, both openers played strong sets that were met with much ac…
The title says it all: Animal Collective have released a new single titled "Kinda Bonkers." Listen below, via a lyric video by animator/director Jack Kubizne. The track will be included on their upcoming EP, The Painters, a companion to last year's full-length Painting With. It'll feature three ne…
Country Music Hall of Fame artist Glen Campbell has died at the age of 81. His family has written online: "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and legendary singer and guitarist, Glen Travis Campbell, at the age of 81, followin…
English indie band The xx released the deluxe edition of their third studio album I See You today which includes three bonus tracks. One of them, "Naive" samples Drake's "Doing It Wrong," while "Brave For You (Marfa Demo)" is a stripped down acoustic recording of their track "Brave For You." They …
This week in El Sonido, we’ll be talking about Vive Latino, a great music festival that happens every year in Mexico. It’s a wonderful way to see a wide variety of genres from Latin America mixed with artists from all over the world. Plus, it’s an outstanding excuse to visit the historical center a…
Seattle-via-Brooklyn DJ/producer Jaymz Nylon has been crafting supremely funky dancefloor grooves over the past two decades, forging his "Afro-tech" sound through a unique fusion of Afro house, Latin house, deep house, tech-house, disco, and jazz. In addition to a stacked discography that includes …
When it comes to Mike Krol, it's not three strikes and you're out. For the LA based, Milwaukee born songwriter, the third time's a charm, or rather, a Turkey. His third LP, and recent Merge Records release, avoids incarceration with a liberating blast of hook-filled garage rock, smart self-reflecti…
The lore of Seattle's Motopony begins not in a dense, leafy forest in the rainy Pacific Northwest (a scene which heavily inspires their music), but in a warehouse in Tacoma. Frontman Daniel Blue set the story of the now acclaimed band in motion when, at 27, he picked up his ten year-old guitar. Wit…
We've recorded him several times in the woods, but for his first in-studio at KEXP, Shakey Graves shook the dust off (unfortunately, on our floor) for a rowdy set of blues fueled rock live on the Morning Show. Sure, it was early for Alejandro Rose-Garcia and his co-producer and collaborator Chris B…
iTunes Radio is now streaming Real Estate's brand new album Atlas a full week before its official release. This is the New Jersey outfit's first new collection in three years. Listen HERE. And don't forget: Real Estate will be the next band featured on KEXP's Live Video Stream on Thursday, March 6…
Seattle's Beat Connection seem to evolve with grace. As is the case with most young bands, they've had plenty of that evolution in the last three years. Their journey from the early house-driven days of 2010's Surf Noir to the vast, green sound of their 2012 debut LP Palace Garden and even through …
It’s rare that a band has three songwriters. But camaraderie oozes from the Seattle group Hounds of the Wild Hunt – and it seems each member truly appreciates when another can show his stuff on the mic. Ryan Devlin, Jonny Henningson, Nikki O Anderson and drummer Cary Davis make up the band that ca…
