Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi has shared a new solo track -- stream the single "Simple Gifts" below, a take on a traditional Shaker song originally written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett. This modern version will appear on the upcoming soundtrack for the movie The Circle, starring Tom Hanks and Emm…
I didn't realize that I was familiar with Altered Images when I pulled out this record, but it turns out I know two of their songs (and I'm sure you know at least one, if not both): the title track from their debut album, Happy Birthday (which is exactly the one you think of when I say it's an '80s…
The highly-anticipated tenth full-length from experimental-pop group Animal Collective hit stores last Friday. The album features contributions from John Cale and Colin Stetson. Brooklyn band Wild Nothing return with their third LP. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "this Brooklyn-via-Virginia p…
American treasure Willie Dixon would have turned 100 this year. As it seems must be the case with even the most revered and successful blues musicians, his life had its highs and lows; sometimes those were two sides of the same coin, from having his songs covered by some of the most popular bands i…
Boston punk band The Real Kids had a surprise hit in 1977 with the track "All Kindsa Girls," and now all-girl trio Ex Hex give it a modern spin with their rendition, shared below. Lead vocalist Mary Timony described it to NME as, "just a great song, the kind of song that you wish you wrote." The c…
When Surfer Blood stopped by the KEXP studios last month, they surprised us with a great cover of the Polaris song "Hey Sandy" (which you can watch here). Now, they've released a cover of the Outkast hit "Hey Ya" for an upcoming compilation titled Amazon Acoustics, a collection of 30 exclusive cov…
Kick off the summer solstice with these great releases! UK band Wolf Alice release their debut full-length, which KEXP's Music Director Don Yates describes as "an expansive blend of ethereal dream-pop, shoegazer psych-rock, bristling grunge-pop and much more, with a dynamic, wide-ranging sound on s…
As if she could: Sharon Van Etten has announced a new EP, titled I Don’t Want to Let You Down. The 5-track release will feature four new songs, along with a live version of the song "Tell Me" off last year's stunning release Are We There. Check out the EP's title track below. I Don’t Want to Let Y…
We caught up with Nila K Leigh and Sam Ford of Goodbye Heart to converse about some new projects, gain a little insight into the band's history and, of course, discuss their fascination with Tina Turner. The Seattle-based synth-pop duo just recorded an album, Restless Nights, with Shawn Simmons at …
If surf rock is making a comeback with the rise of bands like Seattle’s La Luz, then Portland-based band The Shivas may well be ahead of the curve. Their head-bobbing rhythms and cute, airy background vocals envelope the ears like a warm tropical day. The band can rock, too, like on their song “Sta…
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…
It's hard to believe that there can be room for improvement when it comes to James Blake's music. Apparently Blake himself wasn't 100 percent sold on his song "Life Round Here" and he said, “I never really felt the track was finished, even when it went on the album, I just felt there was this spac…
It was there and now it's gone. First, a sample of the forthcoming single "Full of Fire" by Swedish band The Knife was available on Amazon before being removed. Then, the song was teased out in 30-second clips by London's Juno Records before removing it entirely. Though you may find wisps of the so…
Indie folk darling Angel Olsen kicked off her North American tour last night in Charlottesville and treated the audience to a surprise cover of beloved icon David Bowie's "Five Years." The song comes from 1972's classic The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Olsen recently …
Following his stunning participation in A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and His Month of Song at Benaroya Hall last month, L.A. punk legend John Doe shares a video for the track "A Little Help," which, incidentally, gets a little help from Chan Marshall aka Cat Power. Doe explains, "There is beauty &am…
British psych pop four-piece Temples have garnered a lot of attention in the short time since their formation in 2012. Their 2014 debut, Sun Structures, made its way onto lots of best-of lists. Consequently, the Bigfoot stage was considerably crowded as they launched into the single "Shelter Song".…
Portland quartet Summer Cannibals are hungry for more, returning with their sophomore release Show Us Your Mind, self-released via their own New Moss Records on March 3rd. Recorded and mixed by the famed Larry Crane at Jackpot Recording Studios, the album features the sharp Northwest punk-pop sound…
Former Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band frontman Benjamin Verdoes came out to the KEXP studio to perform some of the new songs off his latest, 11-track solo project, The Evil Eye. From the unhinged, experimental undertones of Where The Messengers Meet to the structured melancholy of his new-found colla…
Much has been made of The Ruby Suns' globetrotting tendencies, both internationally and musically. American born band founder, Ryan McPhun, left California for New Zealand in the mid '00s and joined Auckland group The Brunettes before forming The Ruby Suns to make blissful, psychedelic multicultura…
Before they headlined our fourth Little Big Show at the Neptune, Swedish duo First Aid Kit stopped by our studio to chat with Stevie Zoom about Bright Eyes, the Polar Music Prize, and their remarkable harmonies. Klara and Johanna Söderberg made a great first impression with their cover of Fleet Fox…
