It's a family affair for local artist Noah Gundersen. Accompanied by his sister, brother, and friends, the soft-spoken singer/songwriter performed a dynamic, yet delicate Morning Show session featuring tracks from his then-unreleased debut full-length, Ledges. It comes as no surprise that Gundersen…
Beck's 12th full-length album, Morning Phase, won't be out until February 25th, but you can stream it in its entirety online starting today. Already being touted as the "sequel to Sea Change," see what you think of this introspective new release from this musical innovator. Also, mark your calenda…
What kind of music would a futuristic space colony of Seattleites create? Seattle producer Kid Smpl gives us an idea with his pleasantly subtle, weather-infused tracks. The 23 year-old artist has been busy over the last few years, releasing a series of EPs since 2011, along with his debut album, Sk…
There is nothing extinct about The Dodos. In fact, they've been playing music together consistently since 2005 and are continually evolving. While playing, The Dodos are always changing speeds, messing with time, all the while imbuing an unassuming – yes – confidence, as on their recent single of t…
In the midst of the 10th annual Decibel Festival, KEXP was fortunate to get Julia Holter in our studios. While her first two albums were recorded alone in the intimacy of her bedroom, her acclaimed recent release Loud City Song on Domino Records was her first to be recorded outside the comfort of h…
Given the number of groups to perform at the Bumbershoot music festival and to pass through the KEXP halls, you’d think we’d seen everything. Well, it still comes as a surprise to see a band featuring a belly dancer balancing a jug on her bejeweled brunette head while doing the splits. And that is …
Few Seattle bands put on as energetic and frenetic of a live show as Kithkin. In keeping with the fantastical woodland creatures they're named for (from Magic: The Gathering), the group is even known to decorate the stages they play with fir trees and other forest paraphernalia. They are slated to …
It always does my heart good when a band's Wikipedia entry starts with the present tense ("The Celibate Rifles are an Australian punk rock band... "). It lets me know that however long ago this band began (1978 or -9 for this particular Australian punk rock band, depending on whom you ask), their s…
Sufjan Stevens isn't the only one taking on Christmas. The XX covered Wham!'s "Last Christmas" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. It's just how you would expect it: a bit too serious for the cheesy lyrics, but then again The XX can make pretty much anything sound pout-perfectly pretty. And they sound l…
Laser domes have a nostalgic tie for many music listeners. For many, it recalls memories of zoning out and listening to classic records as a flurry of dazzling lights create a vivid masterwork right in front of your eyes. It's like going to the movies, only louder and a whole lot more awesome. The …
Last Monday, at the first of two sold-out shows at The Moore, Philly's The War on Drugs delivered nothing short of a visually and viscerally stunning display of dream rock dopeness with their cascading waterfall of sound. It's like multiple shots of Nixon-defying dope coursing through your veins th…
As the sun began to set on The Gorge Amphitheater, The Head and the Heart played a memorable set at Day 1 of Sasquatch Music Festival, representing Seattle in the Eastern Washington Sasquatch setting. Despite Josiah Johnson still being absent from the band, the band still demonstrated their ability…
Holy Fuck! Noise upon noise, wires upon wires, dance beats upon dance beats - and a dinner knife traversing a slide guitar? Yep, that's how the unconventional Canadian electronica gang Holy Fuck rolls when performing songs off their new album, Congrats, which magnifies their noise-enthusiast, gear-…
Seattle's Joe Martinez brings old-school skills into a contemporary world every time he gets behind his beloved turntables as Scratchmaster Joe to unleash his wildly unpredictable sets. The renowned turntablist has competed in DJ battles all over the world, and his workmanlike philosophy towards DJ…
This past week, L.A. rapper Kendrick Lamar unleashed his latest, untitled unmastered, seemingly out of nowhere. The album consists of eight previously unreleased outtakes from his To Pimp A Butterfly recording sessions, which KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes "holds together remarkably well, comb…
It's hard to lament The Strokes hiatus when their guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. keeps putting out such great solo releases. On his third full-length, Momentary Masters, he delves into an unintentional new wave inspiration ("I don't really know how to put it into categories," he tells DJ Troy Nelson…
Danish psych-rock band Mew returned to the KEXP studios in support of their first album in six years, + - (pronounced "plus minus"). It ended up being quite an appropriate title. Plus: the return of founding bassist Johan Wohlert, who left the band in 2006 before the birth of his first child. Minus…
