"It's a complicated place, this planet we're on." That's how Mark Kozelek closes "Dogs", the most confrontational and stomach-churning cut on new Sun Kil Moon record, Benji. It's a great thesis for the rest of the record, really - Kozelek has witnessed some pretty insane shit, and much of it appear…
Al Doyle is a wunderkind. Whether he's hopping between three or four different instrument setups at a Hot Chip show, turning the guitar part on "Losing My Edge" into a rock 'n' roll masterpiece at LCD Soundsystem's last show, or having the time of his life jamming out with fellow Hot Chip member Fe…
Capturing the energy in The Showbox SoDo is a difficult task. The venue’s high ceiling stretches for a great distance overhead, and without the proper performance, momentum can dissipate from front to back. Luckily, Run the Jewels are nothing if not seasoned performers. From El-P’s first project, C…
“Everyone is dressed up, everyone to the nines”, Mike Kinsella whispers on the album’s closing track, “Someone must have found love or someone must have died”. That sentence - perhaps better than any other on the record - embodies the perfect mixture of awareness and distance that has haunted Ameri…
If you were listening to The Morning Show on KEXP this morning, you heard DJ John Richards play the new LCD Soundsystem. As reported yesterday, two songs debuted last night -- "Call the Police" and "American Dream" -- both available now in digital format, and streaming below. No definite news on t…
2011's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming didn't just turn M83 into a triple-A critical darling and unexpected commercial success, it pushed the band to become one of the biggest and outright best acts on the live circuit. Taking their records' widescreen ambitions and bringing them to life with a huge, bord…
A warm April Thursday night brought an all-star lineup to the sold-out Moore Theatre in the form of Courtney Barnett and Alvvays. The two groups differ dramatically stylistically, but they are two of the best acts in terms of captivating and connecting with audiences both lyrically and sonically. A…
A year after his debut album release, it is no doubt that Benjamin Booker is a rockstar. He's played the festival main stages, toured across the country, and even guitar dueled with Jack White. It's deserved notoriety for a man who makes such a unique blend of punk, rock, blues and folk. And even w…
Conor Oberst has spent an entire career fighting against expectations. Even if he wasn't saddled with the "new Dylan" tags upon his emergence in the early 2000s, there undoubtedly still would have been a focus on his age (20 at the release of Bright Eyes' 2000 breakthrough Fevers and Mirrors), his …
Timely does not even begin to describe the new record from NYC rappers Heems and Riz MC, a.k.a. Swet Shop Boys. While it's depressing as hell, these two dudes seriously could not have picked a better week to drop an album about basic human rights being put up into contention. As the race towards Vo…
