KEXP listeners vote for their top albums of the year in 2021.
It's hard enough to make money nowadays as a musician, let alone when you have to ditch all momentum you've gained thus far and start again. But watching the bands the make the cut and bottle lightning a second time is like watching a boxer come off a loss stronger than ever. It's not just good - i…
Perspective is a powerful tool to have in your pocket as an individual. It can make even the worst situation a blessing in disguise, as learned strength can produce a rose from the thorn patch, and doors unlocked and opened where others closed. This perspective is even more valuable when you manage…
While he may not have enjoyed the widespread attention that Kendrick Lamar received last year for his fantastic To Pimp A Butterfly, rising Oakland rapper Vince Staples deserves just as much credit for pushing the culture in new directions with his own 2015 LP, Summertime '06. Staples' first full-l…
For longtime followers of the band, it's a little strange that Modest Mouse has now spent more time as a big-name ticket than a scrappy indie rock band from Issaquah, but in retrospect, the band's current status goes along with Modest Mouse's singular trajectory. Although many would label them with…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unrealeased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mi…
They made us wait all Spring, but you know it's Summer when you get the complete line-up for the Capitol Hill Block Party July 21st-23rd in the heart of Capitol Hill. Check it out below. They've also released the daily schedules so you can begin to plot out your festival attack early.Diplo | Run Th…
If the Internet age is defined by one thing, it's probably disposability: the temporal state of everything we define ourselves by. We live in a world that is exponentially unsatisfied with singularity and smallness. Our good intentions for globalization and interconnectedness have gone by the waysi…
Hunter Hunt-Hendrix cannot catch a break. With his work as Liturgy, he has crafted some of the most vivacious, jarring metal records we've heard in recent years. Take 2011's Aesthetica as an example. The record operates between quiet and loud like little else on the market. Its use of black metal t…
It's one of those touchstones of rock that if you don't have in your collection, you're likely to add immediately on first hearing. Big Star's Third never reached the commercial success it deserved upon its release, but over the years it grew into a cult favorite frequently name-checked (and cribbe…
Now here's an interesting one. Ry Cuming dropped his first full length album back in 2010, top to bottom filled with coffee shop ready singer-songwriter wanderings, guest spots on the record going to Sarah Bareilles and Jesse Carmichael. Then in 2013, we got a complete reintroduction with the Austr…
Tom Krell has always been a thinker. On 2010 debut Love Remains, Krell introduced us to his unique blend of slow jam R&B and heady philosophy (what he studied at school in Brooklyn and Cologne, Germany) with an unforgettable collection of heartbreaking magic. On 2012 breakthrough Total Loss, Kr…
Appropriately, the artist that opened Sasquatch 2014 was part of one of the key sets of Sasquatch 2013. When Mary Lambert made an appearance to sing the chorus of "Same Love", it was one of a number of peaks in Macklemore's triumphant headlining set last year. In her Friday afternoon mainstage set,…
"It's a complicated place, this planet we're on." That's how Mark Kozelek closes "Dogs", the most confrontational and stomach-churning cut on new Sun Kil Moon record, Benji. It's a great thesis for the rest of the record, really - Kozelek has witnessed some pretty insane shit, and much of it appear…
As the days grow shorter, the list of exciting new albums seems to grow longer. Though none of the big year-end blockbusters are out yet, there's a lot to choose from on the new release shelves at your favorite record store, including the latest from Moderat. This second LP by the collaboration of …
Oklahoma psychedelic freaks The Flaming Lips have never been ones to abide by the norm. But now, we really know there is zero method to their madness. This week, they released patiently awaited, heavily marketed new LP The Terror, along with a previously unmentioned split EP with Oklahoma band Hors…
Just as their name is a consonant away from that of an iconic British candy, Palma Violets's sound is just shades removed from the late 70's UK punk bands like The Clash and those who followed years later like The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys. The young rock quartet has already caused a scene in t…
Damn, 2013, you are looking good! You just keep hitting us week after week with one killer list of new releases after another. This week, there's no way we're not going to run out to pick up the latest from long-time KEXP favorite Frightened Rabbit. As if there was any doubt that this would land hi…
It’s Tuesday afternoon here in charming Reykjavik, Iceland, and the city is gearing up for one of its biggest events of the year: Iceland Airwaves Music Festival. People are talking about new bands, comparing notes and schedules, and are preparing for five full days jam-packed with live music from …
