On Subjective Concepts Olympia trio Strange Wilds have produced a faultless full length of feedback ridden, jagged jams that have helped bring a riotous, rebellious renaissance to Seattle’s notorious label, Sub Pop. To discuss the cover art, steeped in the same tightrope tension as the music, KEXP …
Local duo Chimurenga Renaissance (aka Tendai Maraire of Shabazz Palaces and Hussein Kalonji) debut a new track today titled "Girls With Gunz," a song they say was inspired by African assassin Grace Maseva, a woman who fought in the Second Chimurenga, the war that ended white rule in Zimbabwe. Loca…
Levi's has produced a short documentary, titled Skateboarding In Pine Ridge, which features an original score by Slint's David Pajo, and a brand new song from Cat Power, titled "Anthem." Watch the 17-minute film below to hear both. Director Greg Hunt captures two skatepark-building projects in Sou…
The New Pornographers have always had a knack for explosive, shining melodies, but after two relatively experimental, more mellow albums, they've returned to playing to their strengths – multi-part harmonies and agile, punchy performances – on their new album, Brill Bruisers. The Vancouver supergro…
Decibel Festival has spent the last 11 years building a movement. This is no run of the mill, mindless EDM party. Instead, Decibel is a unique multi venue music, arts, and lecture series that brings some of the best, brightest, and most interesting to the Emerald City. And night one at Showbox at t…
It's time to move on. KEXP is moving to a new home. There's still a great deal of work to be done before it's up and running, but the waiting doesn't have to be the hardest part, thanks to KEXPetty, a benefit for KEXP's new home campaign. On Tuesday, May 5th, you'll get lucky with an all-local line…
Joining us in the studio for a KEXP Secret Stage performance at Bumbershoot is Austin post-rock powerhouse Explosions in the Sky. Playing together for over 15 years, their sound is hugely emotive, accented with glistening guitar. It’s a unique listening experience, both cathartic and calming, comfo…
When Laura Marling first emerged out of the West London folk scene in 2008, her age (then 18) belied her eloquent lyrics, deft guitar playing and strong voice, but as her has career progressed, critics have stopped using her age as a talking point and begun championing her consistency. Her fourth a…
You know him as host of the Afternoon Show and Senior Director of Programming at KEXP, but before moving to Seattle in 1998, Kevin Cole was the house DJ at First Avenue in Minneapolis, started and managed record stores, helped build and launch the legendary radio station Rev 105, and started one of…
Low are back with the less Tweedy influenced track "So Blue" from their upcoming album, The Invisible Way. Building to a humble intensity with piano and guitar alike, the track demonstrates that they're still creating moving slowcore/indie music and not just slow music. Their album will be out Marc…
He's never lived so far away, yet he's never sounded so much like himself. After a move to London, former Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore reclaimed his place as a ranking don of noise-rock while reassembling his band with some true ringers, namely former SY bandmate Steve Shelley on drums and D…
Raising money is fun! As we think of new ways to connect KEXP supporters with their favorite artists during our KEXP's New Home campaign, no idea is off the table - not even bowling with Shakey Graves. As it turns out, the young Texas troubadour and his band are big-time bowlers, so much so that th…
I can't think of many one-hit wonders who have careers with the length and breadth of Chris Isaak. If you were alive in the late '80s, the song (and video!) "Wicked Game" is probably what comes to mind when you hear Isaak's name. That song was on his third album, though (a testament to Warner Broth…
Inspiration can come anytime; Montreal experimental trio Big Brave can attest to that. Guitarist/vocalist Robin Wattie and guitarist Mathieu Bernard Ball began playing together in 2012 when they were roommates, Robin told us after their set. She played acoustic guitar and was working on writing son…
Nine decades deep into the electronic music genre, and the most startling and effective instrument it uses is still the human voice. From the earliest days of sampling and vocal splicing to the revolutionary vocal manipulations of Bruce Haack and Kraftwerk up through the live vocal looping we've en…
DJ Alex continues his insatiable quest to unveil the freshest new sounds with this genre-hopping + globe-trotting 21-track mix packed with recent favorites. 1. Yppah - Bushmills 2. Ohmega Watts - Cosmo Knotts (feat. Stefan Otto) 3. Turtlez - Dream of Heaven 4. Wave Racer - Streamers 5. Maya Vik -…
Drum machines, laptops and keyboards don't generally lend themselves to physical expression in music. In many cases, the minute adjustments that can change an entire track are invisible to audiences during electronic performances. The Seattle group Kingdom Crumbs, on the other hand, is captivating …
Northwest artist Joey Casio has been identified in the aftermath of last weekend's Oakland warehouse fire, one of the deadliest building fires in history with a total of 36 people killed. Joey (real name: Joseph Matlock) was scheduled to perform under his alias Obsidian Blade. Originally from Vanc…
In Portland, it takes a village. Or nearly that, at least, to bring to life the songs of Kyle Morton. Over three albums and a handful of EPs, the 11-member group Typhoon build gorgeously orchestrated folk pop around Morton's uniquely intimate and personal lyrics. Morton, who nearly died of Lyme Dis…
It's an eclectic mix of new releases this week, including some moody music out of the UK, led by trip-hop pioneer Tricky, whose latest album is, according to our Music Director, Don Yates, "his most focused effort in years" featuring the sounds he's most known for, i.e. "gloomy, mostly downtempo be…
