It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. We here in Seattle are very lucky in that we always have the opportunity to see amazingly talented musicians, both natio…
It's a very short list of new releases this holiday week, so you can probably tie your record store shopping to your quest for 4th of July BBQ supplies. While you're stocking up on burgers, weiners, beer and soda, you might stop to grab the latest from British producer Zomby, whose third album, our…
Emily Fox and KEXP DJ Troy Nelson break down KEXP’s top played songs of the summer.
Latin-infused Americana band Calexico and folk singer-songwriter Sam Beam, better known as Iron & Wine, are gearing up to release their debut collaborative full-length, Years to Burn. The record comes 14 years after they released the EP In the Reins and is due for release on June 14 via Sub Pop…
Artists need The Clash as much as the rest of the world. The legendary band help shape the ideas of not just fans but future generations of musicians. We didn't have to ask twice for a few core KEXP artists to perform some of their favorite Clash songs for the fifth annual International Clash Day. …
Looks like new Spoon is on the way! The Austin-via-Portland-via-Who Knows band shared a mysterious image on social media that looks like a possible album cover. Adding to the mystery, Matador Records shared it as well. Viewers of the Showtime TV series Shameless were treated to a new song last Sun…
Chaz Bundick is an endless whirlwind of creativity, whether recording as Toro Y Moi or as PLUM, Les Sins, or Sides of Chaz. Now he's got another project to add to the list: a collaboration with sibling duo The Mattson 2. The LP is titled (wait for it) Chaz Bundick Meets the Mattson 2, and it hits …
French musician/producer Jean-Christophe Le Saoût first emerged as Wax Tailor in 2005 with his breakout album, Tales of the Forgotten Melodies, showcasing a confident and refreshing fusion of cinematic trip-hop, hip-hop, and soul styles. Since then he's continued to master an eclectic fusion of div…
Brooklyn-based artist Mitski shares a video today for the track "A Burning Hill," a stand-out from an already outstanding LP, Puberty 2, out now on Dead Oceans. Director Bradley Gray captures singer/songwriter Mitski Miyawaki around town, wearing a button down shirt as mentioned in the lyrics. Via…
What the hell? Are the planets aligned? Did they work this out in advance? Because today, we have a slew of new releases to share. First up, a new solo album from Thurston Moore. We had a hunch it was coming after he shared the stand-alone track "Cease Fire." Now you can check out the track "Smoke…
As the music world reels from the news of Alan Vega's passing, several fans have shared cover versions of Suicide songs online. Check out Win Butler of Arcade Fire's take on the 1979 single "Dream Baby Dream" below, shared under his DJ Windows 98 name, and MGMT's resurrection of Vega's 1983 track …
Over the weekend, elderly folks everywhere were introduced to well-tressed Philly rocker Kurt Vile as he was spotlighted on Saturday's CBS This Morning (a show whose key demographic tends to skew older). Watch Vile perform "I’m An Outlaw," "Dust Bunnies," and "Pretty Pimpin," as well as chat with …
Peter Michel seems to be living in the breezy midpoint in between lying in bliss and getting lost in the moment, so it's fitting that the Seattle' musician and his comrades in Hibou opened the Bigfoot stage on a day that fell into that same feeling. Most of Hibou's catalog runs at a midtempo pace a…
Despite keeping busy with his Run the Jewels project, Atlanta MC Killer Mike shares a previously unreleased track "Saks Fifth" which you can stream below. Stereogum points out, it's mostly likely an older track as Mike shouts out his old Grind Time Rap Gang crew and his short-lived Grand Hustle la…
Beloved cable network Adult Swim have been putting out some amazing music over the years, and today's contribution ranks among the coolest releases yet: Seattle's own Shabazz Palaces team up with Flying Lotus and Thundercat under the name WOKE. Stream their first single "The Lavishments of Light L…
In a manner of speaking, frontmen Tim Jenkins and Tom Crandles are master tightrope walkers. The duo behind Au.Ra balance shared singing duties, varying music styles, and even hometowns (shuttling often between Sydney and London) with striking ease and control. Take “You’re On My Mind”, the first s…
Filling the KEXP studio with his breezy pop/rock tunes, Nic Hessler flawlessly paints a picture of summer by the shore with a sound that is unmistakably Californian. Originally signed to Captured Records under the name Catwalk, he halted his career when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with an autoimm…
Portland awoke to the resounding hiss-and-crack of PBR tallboys and the camp-tastic house party vibes of local band Wampire Sunday afternoon at Project Pabst. Their hazy psych rock medley was followed by charmingly twee local pop group Wild Ones, who delivered meticulously jammy indie pop. Lead sin…
San Francisco rockers Thee Oh Sees have shared the opening track from their upcoming album Mutilator Defeated At Last (out May 18). "Withered Hand" goes for broke with a steady buildup and an explosive payoff. The band has also contributed a song called "The Ceiling" to the 50 Bands & a Cat fo…