Portland band Battleme are lovers not fighters. Frontman Matt Drenik may have fueled his project's perpetually punchy new LP with hard-hitting beats and muscular rhythms, but Habitual Love Songs is Battleme's billet-doux to '70s-steeped power-pop and glam guitar rock, populated with characters from…
With their documentary The Reflektor Tapes now in theaters, Canadian sextet Arcade Fire are re-releasing the 2013 album in question as a special deluxe version with six previously-unreleased tracks, five new and one remix. On October 16th, the six songs will be released on cassette tape, but 'til …
As lighthearted as they are lethal, Seattle’s Mommy Long Legs stepped into our live room to rock out a handful of tracks from their debut release, Life Rips, comprised of clever, hooky punk rock that mixed furious righteousness with a wicked sense of humor. Songs like "Horrorscope" and the title tr…
Revolution Girl Style Now! Or, err, September 22nd, when Northwest icons Bikini Kill release their 1991 demo tape of the same name on vinyl, CD, and digitally, via Bikini Kill Records. The reissue will also feature three previously unreleased tracks. The cassette was originally recorded by Pat Mal…
Chicago guitarist/songwriter Ryley Walker blows back into the Emerald City to bring a little Windy City whimsy into the KEXP live room. Drawing likely comparisons to Tim Buckley and Ray Lamontagne for his heartfelt folk style, Walker treats us to four fabulous cuts from his sophomore LP, Primrose G…
If you've ever wanted to put Nick Cave in your pocket, now's your chance! LA-based toy company Plasticgod will release six different variations of a mini-figurine based on the iconic frontman, each named after a different song of his. Just check out the detail in the "Red Right Hand" model! Each l…
To call a band brimming such powerful emotion Holy Esque is like calling Scottish indie music in general "kind of sad". The Glasgow quartet has already built a ton of buzz with their 2012 EP while touring with the equally impassioned (but sadly defunct) Wu Lyf, but they took time since then to deve…
Even after releasing a pair of EP's, Wolf Alice has yet to show their teeth. The young London four-piece have grown from a folky duo into a gnashing, shoegazy, guitar-heavy band steeped in 90's alternative rock but with a freshly energized take. But their past singles “Fluffy” and “Moaning Lisa Smi…
Sufjan Stevens will release the highly anticipated, Carrie & Lowell, on March 31. This is Steven's first studio album since 2010's The Age of Adz. The singer-songwriter debuted the stunning title track today on Mary Anne Hobb's BBC Radio show. The full track can be heard over on BBC Radio 6 at…
Bay Area bashers Thee Oh Sees return this Spring with their ninth album, Mutilator Defeated At Last. Stream the first single "Web" below. This time around, the line-up consists of mainstay frontman John Dwyer (vocals, guitar), Tim Hellman (bass), Nick Murray (drums), Brigid Dawson (keyboard and ta…
Caught in a spin cycle of updated 70s punk and hard rock aesthetics, LA’s Meatbodies drop by KEXP shred out a hot plate of marinated melodies from their self-titled release on In the Red Records. Cooking up a rich mixture of fuzzed out genre-blurring jams and high strung vocals, this is a band that…
Danish post-punk band Iceage have been pretty quiet since last year's sophomore release You're Nothing on Matador Records, but today they break the ice with a new track, "The Lord's Favorite", which you can stream below. They've also shared dates for a North American tour, with no Seattle date... …
Buddy Holly-esque bad boy and KEXP favorite Nick Waterhouse returned to the station to perform songs from his new album, Holly. This time around, he brought two saxophonists, a pianist, and a bassist, as well as another vocalist to complement his R&B milieu, giving his entire in-studio performa…
As a part of Australian radio station Triple J's "Like a Version" cover series, Arctic Monkeys took on Tame Impala's standout hit "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards." This song has been covered and embellished by so many artists, including Kendrick Lamar for the Divergent soundtrack, but this versio…
It's no wonder people can't help but use fiery rhetoric when describing Angel Olsen and her new album, Burn Your Fire For No Witness. Whether they're referring to the heated passion of her lyrics, her smokey voice or occasionally scorching melodies, listeners can't help notice the bright quality sh…
It's been six years, but a new album from Beck is finally here. KEXP's Music Director, Don Yates, describes his twelfth studio album, Morning Phase, as "a gorgeous set of downtempo, psych-tinged folk-pop that’s a sequel of sorts to his 2002 album Sea Change, with somber, slow-moving songs featuring…
Who said the Northwest can't get funky? The eight members of local group Cascadia ’10 play afro-funk music together using a variety of horns, electric guitars, percussion instruments and a sense of slow-burning soul. Formed in 2010, as their name might suggest, the members of Cascadia ’10 also play…
The 2014 Academy Award nominations were announced this morning including nods to Karen O, Arcade Fire, and Owen Pallett. All three worked on the Spike Jonze film Her -- the Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman is nominated for Original Song for her collaboration with Jonze, and Arcade Fire & Pallett are…
Listening to The Lonely Forest is like looking up at the Northern Lights. On a crisp evening, a river rushing behind you, pine trees spotting the landscape, the shimmering aurora borealis hypnotizes. This is what it’s like taking in the grand, pleasantly wavering vocals of Lonely Forest lead singer…
1965 saw the release of what's become one of the most universally well-known songs of our time. Now, nearly half a century later, Bob Dylan has graced the world with an incredible, interactive video for "Like A Rolling Stone." Featuring appearances by Drew Carey, Danny Brown, and the Pawn Stars, t…
