Cheryl Waters' latest mix is equal parts melody and noise, a dazzling selection of sounds from pristine folk to gauzy waves of noise from Ride, Sera Cahoone, Fufanu, and more. 1. Kevin Morby – Beautiful Strangers2. Sera Cahoone – Only One3. Mac DeMarco – My Old Man4. Real Estate – Darling5. Monst…
I've never really been a metal guy, and I think I've probably heard less of Megadeth's music than what little I've heard of some of the other giants of metal. Actually, I think those super-awkward scenes with Dave Mustaine in Some Kind of Monster pretty much sum up the entirety of my Megadeth knowl…
French dance producer Alan Braxe has created a stunning remix of Franz Ferdinand's single "Evil Eyes." It's a bit of a creepy track, but Braxe was able to make it a haunting dance groove. This should be an instant addition to everyone's Halloween party playlist, somewhere between "Thriller" and "M…
Next on the KEXP video stream live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival were genre-bending Icelandic post-punk band Mammút. Formed as a trio called ROK in 2003, the band expanded in 2004 and changed their name before winning Iceland’s Músiktilraunir (a battle of the bands similar to S…
Visually, Wampire are a throwback to the 70’s: button-downs with big collars opened at the top, sunglasses, long and wavy hair. If you didn’t know what year it was, you might think the Doobie Brothers just stepped out of the Mystery Mobile. Musically, Wampire proves worthy of their indie buzz. The …
Sufjan Stevens has shared an outtake from 2015's fantastic Carrie & Lowell called "Wallowa Lake Monster." The song will be on a forthcoming album of outtakes, remixes, and demos from Carrie & Lowell called The Greatest Gift. Helado Negro, Doveman, James McAlister, and Stevens himself contri…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. This week, we are featuring Christmas…
It hit around "Maud Gone": Will Toledo has finally found a band as talented as he is. For many years, Car Seat Headrest existed as the bedroom project of Will Toledo, releasing countless albums of expressive, vibrant pop/punk. However, after being signed to Matador, Toledo began recording and touri…
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time on KEXP, is "Monster" by Branik, a 2020 self-released single.
M. Ward’s 2016 release, More Rain, sounds as advertised, offering a perfect soundtrack for rainy days. Ward has admitted to writing it for that particular reason, and while at first listen it doesn’t sound like a festival ready album, it was perfect for Sasquatch! Music Festival. For the songs off …
It's gusting something fierce out in the dark Reykjavik night. But it's warm and cozy here in Kex Hostel as our live broadcast continues. Our fourth Iceland Airwaves act of the day was rock trio Kimono, heavy, loud, and a bit dark. They formed in 2001 as an instrumental post-rock band, but have evo…
The lyrics "My fingers have shriveled and dropped to the dirt / and two giant talons have grown where they were" sound like a recurring nightmare, but in Chad VanGaalen's song "Monster," that's exactly what he's looking for. Ramshackler extraordinaire, DIY genius, and honestly weird CVG showcased h…
If you haven't seen it yet, Icelandic superstars Of Monsters and Men just released the first official video from their upcoming album, Beneath The Skin. As you await the full-length, due June 9th, you can watch the surreal and frosty wonder of "Crystals":
Each time we've gone back to Iceland over the past five years, we've been fortunate to discover and share with KEXP listeners quite a few bands who might not otherwise leave their shores. For every Sugarcubes and Sigur Rós, we found dozens of others, like Hjaltalín, Ásgeir, Of Monsters and Men (bac…
We rounded out day two of our Iceland Airwaves broadcast live from Kex Hostel with Icelandic punk band Hórmónar. Like many of our favorite Icelandic acts, Hórmónar were the winners of last year’s Músíktilraunir or “Music Experiments,” Iceland’s youth-focused battle of the bands (other winners inclu…
We opened this year’s broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival with a newer Icelandic band, Between Mountains. Hailing from the Westfjords, the promising new duo were this year’s winner of Músíktilraunir, a youth-focused battle of the bands (similar to Seattle’s Sound Off!)…
A hot sun is shining down through mostly blue skies, revealing sweeping views of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge from which this venue takes its name. Sasquatch 2015 is officially getting underway, and tens of thousands of music fans are streaming in from far and wide today to catch bands like…
Monotown: it's a name you'll be hearing a lot on KEXP, and hopefully everywhere else, in 2013. Over the past several years, our trips to Iceland have allowed us to discover bands sometimes even before they've released any albums (as was the case with Of Monsters and Men in 2010), or at least before…
Thankfully, Failure never quite lived up to their name. Though in the 90's, they were never really allowed to sit at the cool table of grunge superstars, they found critical praise through their own inventive brand of heavy alt-rock. Record sales, unfortunately, never followed, and five years after…
