DJ El Toro shares some of his favorite music of 2015 and previews upcoming releases from Shearwater, ANOHNI, Gazebos, and the Cave Singers. Speaking of next year, don't forget: everything you enjoy on KEXP, including the free podcasts, is made possible by support from music lovers like you. P…
Despite being recorded in December, Lavender Diamond's in-studio session was one of the warmest things that KEXP broadcast in 2012. Singer Becky Stark's voice is nothing short of radiant, buoying the Los Angeles quartet's tender, winsome sound. Across the folk pop bounce of "There's A Perfect Love …
Join KEXP, CityArts, and Neumos in supporting the 8th edition of Dancing on the Valentine: A Cure for Leukemia — A Tribute to The Cure and Fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society . On February 9th at Neumos some of our favorite Seattle bands will be covering songs by The Cure. The line…
It's that time of year again: MoPOP’s Sound Off! has been pitting local bands against each other for 16 years now. The all-ages "battle of the bands" have introduced us to acts like The Lonely Forest, Naked Giants, Manatee Commune, and more. The 2017 competition kicks off tonight, Friday, February …
Perera Elsewhere is the solo alias of Sasha Perera, a London-born, Berlin-based Sri Lankan singer/songwriter/producer that also fronts the futuristic electronic/pop trio Jahcoozi. Debuting the Perera Elsewhere moniker in 2013 with an EP of adventurous, sophisticated, and modernized trip-hop for Los…
For many, 2016's sole light was music. As is always the case in times of cultural unrest, musical artists responded to widespread feelings of alienation, anger, and fear by producing vital, overflowing works in which a listener can find comfort, escape or understanding. However, as a result of this…
Anika is the stage name of British-born, frequently Berlin-based singer, songwriter, and political journalist Annika Henderson, a magnetic vocalist and writer that emerged as a solo artist in 2010 with releases on Portishead member Geoff Barrow's Invada Records as well as the highly revered Stones …
Julie Byrne makes a face when she doesn't have to sing, one that expresses a sheer contentment with what's going on around her. She leaned back and made this face - which is featured on the cover her sublime sophomore outing, Not Even Happiness - at least six times during her Sunday afternoon set o…
Okay, I have no idea what is going on here, and for once the Internet and KMCU DJ comments are mostly giving me more questions than answers. Starting with Discogs, which seems to have the only solid info on this release out there, we have before us an album from early 1984 by The Seclusions, featur…
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. We've already shared Part 1 and …
The phrase "music is a universal language" is sometimes overused, but is perfectly fitting when it comes to Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate. New York native Driscoll and Guinea-born Kouyate met at a music festival in Marseilles, France and instantly clicked. Despite the enormous language barrier -…
You might not know the name Barry Adamson, but if you're a KEXP listener you've likely heard him - if not any of his excellent solo work, then as a member of bands such as Magazine and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. (Those are, in fact, the two things that anybody knows about Adamson, as one of the D…
Summers in Seattle just keep getting better and better: now beloved local label Light in the Attic Records have announced they're launching a Summer Spectacular series at their new warehouse/storefront in Ballard. Join them on Saturday, July 12th for a very special performance from Donnie & Joe…
As frontman and principle songwriter of rock band Eels for over 20 years, Mark Oliver Everett has created a cast of unique characters, but none may be as interesting as the one that is himself. On The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, the band's eleventh studio album, Everett, or just "E", p…
Star Anna released her latest full-length album, Go To Hell, last summer and has been playing gigs all around Washington - and the country, for that matter - showcasing her distinctively beautiful, gravely voice to crowds of all sizes. Often, Star can often be found with her dog Forest by her side …
Where does a young band go after making a name for themselves with a gorgeous album like Dye It Blonde, of Nuggets-mining jangly psych pop? They dig deeper. At least, that's what Smith Westerns did on their followup, Soft Will, as they dig deeper both into the history of rock and their own songwrit…
