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…
Get ready, Seattle. Radiohead play a sold out show next door to the station at Key Arena this Saturday. And last night, at Kansas City, MO’s Sprint Center, they dug out the track "Where I End and You Begin" for the first time in nine years. Watch fan shot footage of them performing the Hail to the…
Brooklyn group Yeasayer are an act that cares about the details. From their pleas to “please watch at the 4k setting” on one of their music video’s to the collage of sounds that was their 2016 release, Amen and Goodbye, the group certainly has a knack for thinking about the little things other band…
This year is Wilco's twentieth anniversary, but the posit of Wilco merely being a band for two decades is a somewhat reductive statement – across their career, they've covered as much musical ground (and employed as many personnel) as three or four bands. They started out as alt-country lifers tryi…
L.A. dance music duo Classixx is band who gets what they want: when the pair decided they wanted LCD Soundsystem vocalist Nancy Whang for their track "All You're Waiting For," they flew out to New York, and as explained to KEXP DJ Cheryl Waters during a recent session at KEXP, they had to "kidnap h…
San Francisco garage rock band Weekend have been doing some serious growth over the last couple years. On their 2010 debut Sports, Weekend gave us an enjoyable, noisy introduction that put them in tune with the scene and its direction. Now, with a couple years under their belt and a fresh batch of …
If you've been listening to the Morning Show with John Richards, you've probably heard a lot of up-and-comers Wild Cub, whose energetic, electronic-infused sound takes the best from 80's new wave romanticism, R&B and indie rock and makes it impossible to sit still. Back in February, the Nashvil…
The Replacements were one of the most original and influential rock bands of the 1980s. Their hard-drinking ways made them infamous to many clubs in the Twin Cities and around the country -- including the time when they got themselves famously banned from Saturday Night Live after a particularly i…
We're always excited to feature Oklahoma singer-songwriter, vintage rock and roller JD McPherson any time he comes to town. Not only was he one of the highlights of our SXSW broadcast, but he and his smoking-hot band tore up the KEXP studio this past summer. Right now, JD is celebrating the holiday…
Beck released the effervescent pop album Colors this past fall and today he's shared a cute video for the track "Fix Me." Directed by Brook Linder, the clip focuses on the true story of a little girl in Japan named Mame who lives with three poodles that dress up in a variety of costumes. The four o…
They've been playing together in one form or another since they were kids, so maybe it's not a surprise that within a year of their first single, Los Angeles' HAIM feel like natural stars. The three sisters that comprise the band - Danielle, Este, and and Alana - give great interviews. They have hi…
Closing out a fantastic week of music live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival were London-based power-pop trio Dream Wife. The band is comprised of London-based musicians Alice and Bella, and Icelandic singer Rakel, who are known for their super-fun performances and strange, beautif…
Even as it feels like rock 'n' roll is losing too many of its heroes lately, we should also remember those who continue to carry the flame. Among them, KEXP favorites Capsula, who exalt the rock gods of yore with a fiery passion. On eight kinetic LPs, plus a handful of collaborations, compilations …
Essaie Pas is Marie Davidson and Pierre Guerineau, a married singer and engineer from Montreal, who have worked as individual artists as well as making three prior Essaie Pas records before this one. Demain marks a special milestone for them as their first for DFA, a label which continues to give h…
While we'd naturally prefer you to keep listening to KEXP, there's several great full album streams out today, too. Yo La Tengo share their forthcoming full-length, Stuff Like That There, which hits stores August 28th via Matador Records (stream here). Much like the band's 1990 release Fakebook, t…
If there's another performer who has received two standing ovations for a single song at the Moore, Jason Isbell should call them and see if they'll go for best two out of three, because chances are that he'll win. The revitalized Southern songwriter is at a career high at the moment, and no other …
When asked how they deal with the stress of extensive touring, Yelle quips, "We are planking. Every day." Maybe we should be taking notes. Hailing from Brittany, France, electropop duo Yelle (Julie Budet) and Grandmarnier (Jean-François Perrier) have captured a wide following in recent years with f…
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…
