It's about as difficult to claim a favorite Nick Cave album as it is to claim a Tom Waits one. That the two artists get compared so frequently by critics and fans isn't due so much to their similar penchant for the seedier aspects of life but rather to their shared mastery of the album's form. Each…
It's been four and a half years since I've talked about Sheffield's Hula, and there's still not much about them out there on the old world wide internet - except, perhaps, this charming little amateur doc from not long before the release of their double LP 1000 Hours.
Fifty fans christened KEXP's live room during an exclusive tear-soaked performance with José González, all to benefit KEXP's New Home. The Swedish singer-songwriter, whose history with KEXP dates back over a decade, broke listeners' hearts for a full set of gorgeous, heartbreaking bliss, while shar…
GEMS is the blossoming musical duo of LA-via-DC artists Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher. Their recent debut full length album, Kill The One You Love, has quickly become a KEXP favorite, with the record's brilliant lead single, "Living As A Ghost", handsomely showcasing their rich and dreamy m…
If you were listening to the Morning Show with John Richards on Monday, you heard the world premiere of the latest single from Seattle band Motopony. "Daylights Gone" is the first glimpse from their upcoming sophomore LP, Welcome You, due June 23rd on Fast Plastic / eOne Music, and it's glimmering …
Best Coast will drop their new album California Nights on May 5. They've shared the lyric video for album track "Heaven Sent." This spring the band heads out on a North American tour, which will bring them to The Showbox on June 4. [CoS]
For a song that was supposed to be a joke, Alt-J are really running with the track "Left Hand Free." The UK trio have made yet another video for the single, this time portraying a debaucherous lifestyle, with quite the twist ending. Check it out below, and watch them perform the track LIVE in the …
Baltimore synthpop trio Future Islands have an undeniable '80s influence, so who better than Vince Clarke, frontman of Erasure and former member of Depeche Mode, to remix them? Clarke takes the track "Doves" from the band's most recent release, Singles, and transforms it into a smooth dance-club s…
It's been four long years, but Canadian supergroup The New Pornographers have announced a new album, Brill Bruisers, out August 26th. The line-up will yet again feature A.C. Newman, Blaine Thurier, Dan Bejar, John Collins, Kathryn Calder, Kurt Dahle, Neko Case, and Todd Fancey. Check out the titl…
Intricate and soulful, White Denim visited the KEXP studio recently, where they displayed that which makes them so popular: vocals like a smooth cowboy crooner, rhythms like outer space and guitar solos like smokey 70's rock clubs. Joining DJ Morgan, the Austin four-piece played tunes from their ne…
Brooklyn synthpop trio Au Revoir Simone are back after a four year hiatus, and we were thrilled to have them as part of our CMJ broadcast from Judson Memorial Church. After a lovely walk around Washington Square Park with their young superfan, we stopped for a chat about parenthood, '80s beats, and…
La Luz is one of Seattle’s hottest groups. Comprised of Shana Cleveland, Marian Li Pino, Abbey Blackwell and Alice Sandahl, the four-piece, known for its alluring combination of doo-wop and surf rock, is putting out work left and right and even inventing a new way to watch a show: with audience mem…
For this installment of Immigrant Songs, I was blessed to have Los Angeles group Chicano Batman live in the KEXP studios. They’ve been getting a lot of attention around the country lately, both by doing some killer opening slots during tours with Jack White and Alabama Shakes and by being on the bi…
Although there was plenty of star power on the final day of Sasquatch, there was a clear standout during the early afternoon on Monday, and it wasn't just because brought a Godzilla figurine onstage with her. When an assured Natalie Prass opened with an electric version of "Bird Of Prey", it was cl…
You needn’t be an audiophile snob to conclude that today’s MP3 downloads, or their streaming counterparts, sound worse than 1965’s LPs - MP3s are designed to sound worse. It’s a crucial part of what enables them to be so portable, cheap (if not free), and ubiquitous.
If you are dancing while wearing…
"Put your hand on the chest / of a heart that is beating" -- the line comes from a song they didn't play during their recent session at KEXP, but it's the same tangibly intimate invitation you get whenever you hear The Barr Brothers's music, like you can actually touch the creative force coursing t…
KEXP wants to know: "Who are your Favorite Artists of All Time?" Pick out a dozen musicians, bands, projects, and share them with us before Friday, September 19th at 6:00 PM PST. And then tune in during KEXP’s Fall Fundraising Drive, September 26th through October 3rd, to hear which artists your fe…
KEXP wants to know: "Who are your Favorite Artists of All Time?" Pick out a dozen musicians, bands, projects, and share them with us before Friday, September 19th at 6:00 PM PST. And then tune in during KEXP’s Fall Fundraising Drive, September 26th through October 3rd, to hear which artists your fe…
KEXP wants to know: "Who are your Favorite Artists of All Time?" Pick out a dozen musicians, bands, projects, and share them with us before Friday, September 19th at 6:00 PM PST. And then tune in during KEXP’s Fall Fundraising Drive, September 26th through October 3rd, to hear which artists your fe…
KEXP wants to know: "Who are your Favorite Artists of All Time?" Pick out a dozen musicians, bands, projects, and share them with us before Friday, September 19th at 6:00 PM PST. And then tune in during KEXP’s Fall Fundraising Drive, September 26th through October 3rd, to hear which artists your fe…
