COSMOS kicked off KEXP's Live Broadcast at Upstream Music Fest + Summit with an undeniable style and presence, establishing the all-ages presence at the festival, and further cementing the band's place within the local music scene. Upstream marks another junction on the rising career of COSMOS, fol…
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…
The bass-wielding demigod known as Jah Wobble (né John Wardle, renamed by Sid Vicious, who also allegedly gave him his first bass) should need no introduction, especially around these parts, but here's the quick version: First heard holding down the low end with PiL, he soon moved on to his own var…
British outfit The Big Pink burst on the scene with their 2009 debut album, A Brief History Of Love, for 4AD, propelled by the massive pop single Dominos that showcased their widescreen fusion of rock, pop, and electronic styles. The band recently released their new EP, Empire Underground, signalin…
As Toronto-based teens, best buds Katie Monks and Liz Ball would sneak off to the park to play guitar. What started as a secret has now become broadcast around the world on KEXP: as Toronto quartet Dilly Dally, Monks and Ball channel their '90s influences into fierce, grunge-inspired pop, spotlight…
In a manner of speaking, frontmen Tim Jenkins and Tom Crandles are master tightrope walkers. The duo behind Au.Ra balance shared singing duties, varying music styles, and even hometowns (shuttling often between Sydney and London) with striking ease and control. Take “You’re On My Mind”, the first s…
Effortlessly weaving notes together to create airy, meandering harmonies, Shana Cleveland truly shines in the KEXP studio. In comparing Cleveland's other music project La Luz, which has has quickly gained a respectable fan base over the past years, Shana Cleveland & The Sandcastles' 6-year time…
For as far and wide as East India Youth has traveled over the past couple of years, it's surprising that William Doyle still hasn't really left his bedroom. After wowing listeners with his genre-bending self-produced debut, Total Strife Forever, a pleasantly strife-free auditory adventure, the Lond…
T.Wan is Seattle native Tiffany Wan, a member of the TUF collective and a steadfast devotee of the ideal dance floor vibe. Her heart beats excitedly to acid-tinged rhythms, jacking Chicago and Detroit house, seductively pulsating disco, and nearly anything with hand drums. Trusted behind the decks …
"Should is a worthless word," advises the always-wise Bobby Bare Jr. "The only time you use the word 'should' is when you're talking about something that doesn't exist." On his seventh album, Undefeated, the Nashville artist clearly strives forward without any "shoulds" — laying himself, well, "bar…
Mark Farina is a world-renowned San Francisco-via-Chicago DJ and musician best-known as the founder of the iconic Mushroom Jazz series, which spotlights a unique blend of downtempo, house, jazz, soul, and trip-hop styles. His warm and cerebral ear and mixing talents have led to DJ gigs all over the…
For Bombino, making music is not only a form of expression - it is also a political statement. Born in Agadez, Niger, a small desert town in the Tuareg region of Africa, Omara Moctar creates music under the name Bombino despite the near deadly dangers posed by strict government rule. After having t…
They look like sisters, maybe even twins, the way that Lucius co-founders Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig style themselves and dress, but like any pair, they can also be opposites - the yin to each other's yang. That duality forms the core of Good Grief, the now LA-based band's second release, which e…
The city of Los Angeles has always been a backdrop for west coast punk band Bleached: there's a fun-in-the-sun melodic sound paired with a gritty Sunset Strip side. But on their latest album, Welcome the Worms, they escaped to Joshua Tree to find inspiration. "It's funny, because when we would go t…
There's nothing queasy about the latest from west coast dream-pop band Craft Spells. It's been almost a year since their sophomore full-length, Nausea, came out on Captured Tracks; since then, songwriter Justin Paul Vallesteros has relocated back to Seattle and overcome a depression that influenced…
Noise-rock duo Stagnant Pools have been compared to the likes of Sonic Youth and Disappears, but they truly have a flavor all their own. Bryan and Douglass Enas are recent graduates of Indiana University that are using this exciting time in their lives to make a dream a reality. The brothers have t…
Sometimes life's journeys lead us back home matter how far away we travel. It's been nearly eight years since U.K. born producer Will Holland released a solo album as Quantic. He was certainly busy the whole time, producing records, collaborating with Alice Russell, and most significantly, moving t…
It's hard to believe, but west coast one-time wunderkind Beck turns 45 years old today. The junior high school dropout has gone from self-released cassettes, to a surprise smash hit with "Loser", to Grammy Award-winning artist. He's tackled styles from the soulful slide of Midnite Vultures to the N…
Raised in Singapore and currently based in London, et aliae is a talented pianist, electronic producer and composer who makes refined and progressive electronic pop. Her debut song came out in 2014 as part of Ryan Hemsworth's initial Secret Songs compilation, leading to a significant rise in her pr…
Kristian Matsson, better known as The Tallest Man on Earth, doesn’t need much for an introduction. The Swedish born singer-songwriter rocks a style so unique and unmatchable that most who’ve heard him once could recognize his sound anywhere. Blogs often attribute that unmistakable quality to his vo…
