It doesn't quite feel like it in Seattle — we've been alternating from jackets to tank tops, boots to sandals, all in the same day — but the Summer Solstice is this Saturday, June 21st! Due to the tilt of earth's semi-axis on this day, it will be the longest period of daylight, perfect for going ou…
Oneohtrix Point Never, a.k.a. Daniel Lopatin, has shared an killer, new psychedelic track called "Zebras." The Brooklyn based musician never ceases to amaze with the complexity of his music. This should tide fans over until the release of his album R Plus Seven on October 1. [Stereogum]
It's only been, what, 9 years? And the Pixies have a new track! Titled "Bagboy" and with a video that shows exactly how the titular bag boy has fun in life, the track is round-about kicker. "I get no satisfaction from your recent sightings" the song goes, before the guitars jump in with an off-kilt…
Only one store in the entire country is selling the new Atoms For Peace limited edition silkscreen "Judge Jury and Executioner" 12" -- and that store is Seattle's own Sonic Boom Records in Ballard. Limited to only 100, these rare exclusives were designed by Stanley Donwood, who has done all Radiohe…
The 2013 Coachella lineup has been officially shared with public. It's a pretty astounding group -- a mix of resurgent bands like Blur or The Postal Service along with tons of others who are at the top of their game. According to the timer on the website, it looks like tickets will go on sale at …
After emerging in 2011, Youth Lagoon's Trevor Powers has set a release date for the follow-up to his debut. Entitled Wondrous Bughouse, the ten-track LP will arrive on March 5th via Fat Possum. Powers hasn't released any music from the new disc yet, but you can check out the tracklisting and artwor…
Singer Ann Wilson appreciates people. The powerful-voiced frontwoman for the legendary rock ‘n’ roll band, Heart, which has sold tens of millions of records over four decades, continues her career in the music industry so that she might continue to engage in honest, even primal expressions and conn…
Chris Ballew made a name for himself fronting the Seattle-based band, The Presidents of the United States of America. For the last 10 years however, Ballew has been a prolific children's musician – releasing 16 albums for kids under the pseudonym Caspar Babypants. Sound and Vision host John Richard…
Louder, Faster, Better, and More Romantic, Cataldo leader Eric Anderson took a few cues from the bliss of his long-term relationship on his new album Keepers, and the LP's rich, buoyant tone both embodies the satisfaction Anderson has in his own life while carrying the torch of Pacific Northwester…
While everyone else in Seattle was decked out in rain boots and all-weather jackets, the dapper Los Angeles quartet Chicano Batman returned to the KEXP studio dressed to the nines, bringing a bit of psychedelic sunshine to one of the wettest Seattle winters in recent memory. The band's ebulli…
It's always a special night (or day) when the soul journeymen Lee Fields enters KEXP's studios. Fields' energy is as infectious as that of any frontman half his age, to say nothing of the explosive, colorful sounds of his backing band the Expressions. Joining Larry Rose in the KEXP studio, Fields …
Since their formation in 1979, Fishbone's kinetic, funky mixture of rock and ska has remained a singular sound, not least because of Angelo Moore and company's blend of social commentary and clever humor that, thirty years on, seems more incisive than ever. Still vibrant, still relevant…
Fémina's take on acoustic rock music has plenty of melody, but the San Martin de los Andes, Argentina trio don't ever let their harmonious voices take the backseat to their hip-hop influenced rhythms and almost percussive vocal arrangements. Clara Miglioli and sisters Sofia and Clara Trucco join D…
When Omara Moctar first started picked up a guitar, he was merely having fun with his friends. Fast forward to 2016, and the musician better known as Bombino has made albums with The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth, who produced his reggae-influenced 2016 album, Az…
All of my music nerd friends are in trouble. How is that I've lived on this earth over 40 years - during which period Garland Jeffreys has released 12 of his 14 solo albums to date (with number 15 due this spring) - and the first I heard of this guy is when I pulled this record off the shelf to tak…
It's been a year since the release of David Bowie's Blackstar, the #1 Album of 2016, as voted on by KEXP listeners. And to mark what would have been his 70th birthday, an EP has been released featuring some of the last songs this musical icon recorded, including “No Plan”, “Killing a Little Time”,…
We've finally got a release date to announce for the new Run the Jewels! The highly-anticipated RTJ3 hits the internet as a free download on January 13th, with physical copies to follow, same day in North America and January 20th everywhere else. Special guests include Kamasi Washington (who, inci…
Ben Harper has defined the sweet spot between reggae and American folk for over two decades now. It's hard for an artist to survive that long while maintaining relevance and staying true to the original sound that hooked listeners long ago while evolving and while shifting and growing - but after r…
When we were spinning Rapprocher back in 2011, we knew it was only a matter of time before Class Actress became a full-fledged pop star. There's just something magical about the high tension melancholy Elizabeth Harper has on her records. It's a very "this is where I find myself for better or worse…
