He doesn't need anyone... except his sound guy. Watch the latest video from Hamilton Leithauser below for the track "I Don’t Need Anyone" from his debut solo album, Black Hours. Leithauser leads his life — getting a haircut, going to a museum, etc. — accompanied by Christopher Colbert, the band's …
In the Nordstrom Recital Hall during Decibel Festival's Optical 4 showcase, the sound of WIFE was equal parts exciting and heavy - the sound was swelling with an emotional intensity unparalleled, and the room felt thick with listening. Visuals tracked through architectural yet emotive abstractions …
When Vancouver-based band Black Mountain stepped in the studio, we got a contact high. Not necessarily from their clothing, but definitely from their heavy, sludgy, psychedelic sound. Vocalists Stephen McBean and Amber Webber trade verses over a Black Sabbath-inspired wave of droning guitar and key…
Welcome to BabexHouse, a new music and artist collective in Seattle made up of POC/LGBTQ (People Of Color/Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer) DJs and artists who are dedicated to creating safer spaces in dance music.
Cheryl Waters' latest mix isn't just betwixt the Shire, it gathers music from the Arabian peaks of Afghan Whigs, the icy glimmer of Sóley, and the galaxy-roaming sounds of Shabazz Palaces. 1. Sóley – Sing Wood To Silence 2. Low Roar – Give Me An Answer 3. The Black Angels – Currency 4. The Afgha…
L.A. duo No Age share their cover of Black Flag's "Six Pack", and just like the original 1981 single, it's a rush of hardcore fury. The track was recorded for a 7-inch box set curated by designer Dana Lecthenberg for Gallery 1988. Also in the set: Andrew Jackson Jihad’s Sean Bonnette cover of The …
Before Black Pistol Fire even began performing, drummer Eric Owen stripped himself down to his skivvies, preparing himself for a loaded live session. And, yes, he is donning golf gloves. Coupled with the high energy guitarist and life-long friend Kevin McKeown supplied, the incredible duo flooded t…
When the legendary dub musician starts this session with a spiritual thesis statement ("Let Scratch arise... let Scratch enemies be scattered"), it's only the first sign that the vibe of the room is about to be elevated. Lee "Scratch" Perry may be 80 years old, but his ability …
Seattle duo The Spider Ferns don't make music, they create worlds. Each of their songs is like a new landscape. You may have heard the sounds before -- drums that seem to echo into infinity, bass lines that throb and pulse like they have lives of their own, electronic sounds that shimmer like a cre…
It's a great week for local music. The latest from Olympia-via-Seattle artist Briana Marela is what KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "her strongest set to date of adventurous electro-pop. Co-produced by Juan Pieczanski and Ryan Heyner of Small Black, the album features a brighter, more dynamic …
Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole delivers an explosive set of his favorite new music and new bands including The Fireworks, POW! and Pinkshinyultrablast. 1. Pinkshinyultrablast - Holy Forest 2. The Tamborines - Black and Blue 3. The Fireworks - Runaround 4. POW! - Liquid Daydream 5. Doldrums - Loo…
Hamilton Leithauser is a veteran of the KEXP studios by this point in his career, but his rough and tumble brand of doo wop-damaged rock has never sounded as rich as it has on his 2016 collaborative album with Rostam, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine. The New York City songwriter is in fine form a…
Seattle hip hop artist Draze released a single called "Building Black Wealth." The message was simple — build Black wealth by buying from Black-owned businesses. Draze discusses the single and its message.
The second act up for our live streaming broadcast from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves was rock and post-punk band Börn. They have a darker, gloomier sound influenced by the Icelandic punk movement of the 80s. Lead singer Alexandra is a total badass. She came adorned in black lipstick, a bright gre…
It started as part-joke, part-challenge. The Austin-based band Brownout were exploring different themes during an extended club residency, and one night they chose to cover Black Sabbath, as many of their members of the grew up listening to the godfathers of darkness. Almost immediately, the 8-piec…
If you saw them on the street, it's very possible that you'd mistake Black Rebel Motorcycle Club for, well, members of an actual motorcycle gang. Bassist Robert Levon Been and guitarist Peter Hayes have been playing together since high school (drummer Leah Shapiro has been with them since 2007), an…
It is likely safe to say that the Fuel Sports Beer Garden has never been fueled with more grooviness than when Poliça took the stage for Upstream on Thursday night. The Minneapolis electro-pop group has their sound and aesthetic on complete lock. Their sleek, contemporary looks are in total unison …
Xenia Rubinos' evocative, electrifying voice is a singular one to say the least, and in her sophomore album, this year's Black Terry Cat, she has a set of songs that have just as broad of a musical spectrum. Painting with a hard-to-categorize set of sounds drawing from R&B to punk, Rubinos' ret…
Musical lore has it that Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the iconic South African mbube group, was founded by Joseph Shabalala after having a series of dreams in which he heard their sounds. It goes unmentioned whether or not Joseph dreamt of 50 years of worldwide success as perhaps the most well-known cu…
