Brooklyn-based (formerly San Francisco) shoegaze band Weekend came into the picture at the turn of the decade with Sports, a strong introductory statement that could have seen the band go in plenty of different directions in the future. But in the form of Jinx, their sophomore step mixes dense text…
KEXP's Morning Show host John Richards presents a new mix featuring tracks from Odonis Odonis, Tom Vek, Young Fathers, Brian Jonesetown Massacre, The GOASTT, King Dude and more. From fuzzed out post-punk to funked up Black Sabbath, there's a noise here for everyone. 1. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Jacks…
In its 21st year, Capitol Hill Block Party feels more like a party than ever. The first day alone proved that people were willing to forgo their post-work tiredness and rage in the streets to Run The Jewels, Wolf Parade, and Mura Masa. CHBP may have the budget to keep bringing in larger and larger …
Earlier this year, we got a sneak peek at the new alt-J album as the UK trio stopped by KEXP for an in-studio session. Now, the entire LP is out -- a release KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "their most adventurous, ranging from catchy prog-pop and solemn atmospheric folk ballads to decidedly o…
This week, as we continue to post KEXP DJs’ Top 10 Albums of 2015 lists, we also want to share the favorites of KEXP's staff, volunteers and interns, the many many dedicated people who work behind the scenes at KEXP, and who are all passionate music fans themselves. Yesterday, we shared Part 1, whi…
I know, I know, didn't I just post an R.E.M. album a month or so ago? I guess I kinda did. But I have my reasons! First of all, Fables of the Reconstruction was released 30 years ago next week (and checked into KCMU 30 years ago tomorrow, as you can tell by the sticker on the bottom). Happy birthda…
When Sólstafir plays for KEXP, the gods take notice. Two years ago, during KEXP's broadcast at Iceland Airwaves, hurricane-level gales swept across Reykjavik as the hard rocking band brewed up their own storm inside Kex Hostel. Last month, on their first tour of the West Coast, heavy winds followed…
I guess this year I'm making up for the previous lack of XTC posts in this series. The Dukes of Stratosphear were XTC in all but name, working under a different moniker to crank out a couple albums of pop genius that heavily mined some of their favorite sounds of the '60s, from Barrett-era Pink Flo…
One song from The Clash is hardly ever enough. That's what DJ John Richards admitted to himself last year on this day when one Clash song became two, and then became the rest of The Morning Show on KEXP, and thus International Clash Day was born. And there's no better band to honor worldwide than t…
Holger Czukay, co-founder of the influential Krautrock band Can, has passed away at the age of 79. Cause of death is currently unknown. Via Facebook, his bandmates have written:
We are very sad to confirm that Holger passed away yesterday, in his home, the old CAN Studio in Weilerswist. His wife U-…
Ah, it's time for another dip into the "Bands Levi Really Should Have Been Paying Attention to at the Time" file. I can't tell you how many Red Lorry Yellow Lorry records I flipped past in my teenaged record-store-digging days, and I'm sure I heard them on one of our fine local college radio statio…
I was talking to KEXP engineer extraordinaire Kevin Suggs the other day, and the band Diamond Fist Werny came up in conversation. Having moved to Seattle in 2001, well after their heyday, I had never even heard the name, but apparently they were a pretty big deal around here in the '90s, doing thei…
One thing about browsing through the KEXP stacks is that you never know when you'll come across something that should probably be in a museum, and not on a shelf where some grubby-fingered scribe such as myself can pull it out, snap a picture of the cover, and transcribe the pithy comments scrawled…
As far as I'm concerned, it's the most important music news of the day: Iggy Pop has started an Instagram account for his pet cockatoo, Biggy Pop! Watch Biggy give Iggy a "Flintstone shave," watch them chillin' on the couch listening to Iggy's 1993 single "Wild America," and (below) watch them dan…
Last month, beloved local troubadour Karl Blau lost all of his instruments and recording gear in an accidental fire that destroyed the Anacortes Music Channel, an all-ages DIY art space, concert venue, recording studio, and online radio station that he established last year in Anacortes, Washington…
Seattle's Jason Baxter & Kyle Hargus craft colorful electronic music under the moniker USF, rising up with the pioneering chillwave album Ocean Sunbirds in 2009 as Universal Studios Florida. They've been unleashing more club-inspired jams on a string of EPs under the shortened alias, most recen…
The last time I posted on The Smiths in this space, I was pretty bummed about the disappearance of various local businesses and the gloomy weather. Good thing those days are behind us, right? Hahahahaha! Ha! Ha. Suffice it to say it's been a while, and there are a number of fine Smiths albums with …
Morrissey revealed yesterday the source of his ongoing health problems, which have led to tour date cancellations in the past two years: he was being treated for cancer. Moz told Spanish-language newspaper El Mundo that he currently feels "good" but also stated "If I die, then I die. And if not, t…
It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. I doesn't feel more like summer to me than when the Concerts at the Mural begin. We present these free shows along with …
It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. It’s Halloween season again. Time for all things spooky like witches, spiders, and bats which all tie in together. The i…
