David Bowie played his last concert (to date) on June 25th, 2004 in Scheeßel, Germany. On one of the final legs of his tour behind 2003's Reality, Bowie began dealing with a series of health problems, which caused the dates following the Scheeßel performance to be scrapped. Afterwards, Bowie slowly…
Deep Sea Diver have been kicking around in one form or another since 2007, but last year, the Jessica Dobson-led group spent a fair amount of time outside of the studio, taking the kinetic pop songs from their album History Speaks on the road while Dobson wasn't playing with another guitar-centric …
As we mentioned earlier this month, Seattle's own Soundgarden are set to reissue their 1988 debut LP Ultramega OK. Like previous reissues, it'll come bundled with cool previously unreleased bonus tracks, like this early demo of "Beyond the Wheel." Sub Pop explains, "The [early versions] were recor…
It is with a heavy heart that KEXP reports Charles Bradley has cancelled his upcoming tour dates after doctors found a cancerous tumor in his stomach. The 67-year-old singer released the following statement:
In the past few months, I have had to cancel a number of shows due to illness, taking me a…
Zola Jesus is releasing her 6th album Okovi in September via Sacred Bones. She previously shared the lead single "Exhumed" and today the correlating video for the song has been released. Directed by Jacqueline Castel, the creepy black and white footage bears a resemblance to The Ring, with a simila…
Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard announced in December that he was covering Teenage Fanclub's 1991 album Bandwagonesque in its entirety. Today, he released his version of "The Concept." Gibbard explained why he was covering that particular album: “Bandwagonesque is my favorite record by my favorit…
It's nice to pick up a relatively obscure album from the KEXP stacks and discover that it's found a bit of new life in this century. It's not exactly a mysterious discovery along the lines of Light in the Attic's release of L'amour (though I will be looking for a vintage copy of that gem next time …
It's been a couple of months, so it's time for new music from Ty Segall. On January 22nd, the prolific artist releases his eighth (or tenth, who really knows) solo full-length, Emotional Mugger, via Drag City. Listen to an album stream below. This is actually the record's second iteration: it was …
Ever since moving to Seattle from Lansing, Michigan, in 1989, Shomari Shanks (a.k.a. DJ Sho Nuph (f.k.a. Sho Nuff) has been immersed within the local music community, first connecting with seminal 1990s local hip-hop crew Tribal Music before diving into the electronic music scene in the early 2000…
Anyone who's seen the video where a meteor falls during a Modest Mouse show while they're playing "Dark Center of the Universe" knows that it was a perfect synchronization of life and music, coincidental or not. And while there's no footage of it – yet – let it be known that case/lang/veirs summone…
Who would have thought a "Big Black Coat" could be so inviting? The album of that name is the first in nearly five years for KEXP favorites Junior Boys, and it comes not just as a return to form but a revisitation of the pop sounds they've cherished for some time - house, techno, soul, disco and R&…
The Twilight Sad have always specialized in making the darker side of humanity seem so grandiose and alluring, but they've never made gloom quite so emotive and magnetic as they do on their fourth album, Nobody Wants To Be Here and Nobody Wants To Leave. When the Scottish band brought six cuts from…
It has the makings of an indie movie plot: Hip musician dad records album with son while his wife undergoes cancer therapy. The real story is a bit more complicated, but that's essentially the backdrop of Tweedy, the latest project of Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer. The duo recorded…
Today marks the birthday of James Yancey, better known as J Dilla, one of the most influential hip-hop artists of this century. Just days after his 32nd birthday, back in 2006, the Detroit-based DJ and producer passed away, leaving an enduring legacy for others to follow. Above the nine albums he p…
There is a place where the sounds and sights of summer are always abounding and where you can sing about the beach all year long. That place, according to Zach Yudin, is Cayucos, California. His project Cayucas (formerly called Oregon Bike Trails) is an unapologetic love letter to the feeling given…
Congratulations to Searching for Sugar Man for winning Best Documentary Feature at the 85th annual Academy Awards tonight! Directed by Malik Bendjelloul, the musical biopic uncovers the mystery behind the Detroit-based musician Rodriguez and, most interestingly, how he became a legend for decades i…
