Barely a year away from the release of her sixth album Short Movie, UK singer/songwriter Laura Marling has announced a new album, Semper Femina, due out March 10th on her own label, More Alarming Records (via Kobalt Music Recordings). Via a press release, she elaborates: "I started out writing Sem…
Was he mad he had to sit at a different table? Reunited shoegazers Lush have canceled their remaining tour dates as bassist Phil King has left the band. So, you won't get to see them at Iceland Airwaves or Rolling Stone Weekender after all. King replaced original bassist Steve Rippon before the re…
Today, we conclude our weekly series of Polish bands KEXP recorded while at the OFF Festival in Katowice with a bang. Wrocław trio Ukryte Zalety Systemu, whose name translates to "Hidden Benefits System", clearly reference bands like Gang of Four as they decry the erosion of individualism in the fa…
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…
Anyone who's ever seen a show at Fremont Abbey could tell you that it's a beautiful, intimate setting; it's one of a handful of music venues in Seattle that is available to rent for wedding receptions, and when it does host gigs, they're primarily acoustic shows and songwriter showcases. But Deep S…
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…
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 …
British band Cheatahs sped over to the Cutting Room Studios in NYC, all the way from London, to play a raw live set just for KEXP. Well, not exactly. Last month, the UK group, consisting of Dean Reid, James Wignall, Marc Raue, and Nathan Hewitt, made a quick 7-city jaunt in the U.S. to introduce th…
THUMPERS — not only is the name itself indicative of their sound, but the preferred spelling is all in caps. "Every time people actually do it, I feel a bit bad", confessed John Hamson Jr., one of the band's two founders, in a recent interview with KEXP. But Hamson and his cohort Marcus Pepperell m…
Every year, Seattle sends a multitude of great artists down to Austin this week to showcase how our great city continues push the independent music scene forward in our own unique way. Of course, there is no shortage of Seattle bands at SXSW this year. But it was a special treat for us to get to se…
Opening day two of the KEXP broadcast live from KEX hostel at Iceland Airwaves is Icelandic singer-songwriter Snorri Helgason. His music has classic American folk sensibilities, reminiscent of the likes of Harry Nilsson and Nick Drake. some with sparse instrumentation, and words sung so quietly and…
Today's a big day for Ty Segall, that is if the legendary scuzz garage king can have big days anymore after his many releases, shows, and side projects. First of all his band Fuzz released a video that features the trio playing "Fuzz's Fourth Dream" at Burgerama in LA. The video starts with a littl…
Bands go through changes – name changes, member changes, sound transformations, covers. One of those bands that has recently changed names, members, and sound, but has survived, is Philadelphia’s Bleeding Rainbow. Starting as a duo of sludge-infused indie pop back in 2009, the band then known as Re…
From their very first single, "Found Love in a Graveyard," London by way of Glasgow band Veronica Falls set the tone of their future releases: their sunny take on gloomy topics makes for happy listening in the darkened Northwest, that's for sure. Their 2011 self-titled debut channeled everyone from…
Crater's afternoon set on the KEXP stage was an act of perseverance. The Seattle electronic act had a few technical difficulties midway through their set, delaying the track "Crater Head." Some well-played banter about vampires by lead vocalist Ceci Gomez kept the audience rapt and at attention unt…
Every time I look at this album cover I wonder if I should post it or not. Given the losses the Ramones suffered in the 21st century, the title and image takes on a new bittersweetness, and one or two of the 1984 KCMU DJs' comments take on a harsher edge than probably intended. That said, the stati…
The 2017 Mercury Prize shortlist was announced today. Nominees include alt-J's Relaxer (who previously won the award in 2012 for An Awesome Wave), Glass Animals' How to Be a Human Being, Sampha's Process, Kate Tempest's Let Them Eat Chaos, and The xx's I See You. The prize celebrates the best Briti…
Earlier this week, UK trio alt-J released the single "3WW" as a video game; today, we get an actual video. Directed by Young Replicant (aka L.A.-based artist Alex Takacs), the band describe it as "a beautifully shot story of love and loss in Mexico." The new album Relaxer is out June 2nd via Canva…
