This week in new releases, we hear from several artists who've been dormant for a while. Sufjan Stevens returns with his majestic new album, Carrie & Lowell, named after his mother and stepfather and partly inspired by his mother’s death. Several KEXP DJs have already hailed it as a contender f…
KEXP Music Director Don Yates has declared the debut release from Ibeyi as his "Pick of the Week." He notes, "the debut album from the young Paris-based French-Cuban twin-sister duo of Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz (who are also both daughters of the acclaimed Cuban percussionist Miguel “Anga” Diaz) i…
Iceland breeds some unique vocalists. One of our favorites, who we discovered a few years ago at Icelandic Airwaves Festival is Sóley, a former member of Seabear who has become an acclaimed songwriter on her own. We know we're not the only ones to fall in love with her, as Sóley's performance of "I…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morn…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midd…
On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cash walked through the gates of Folsom State Prison in California. He had written the track "Folsom Prison Blues" after watching the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison, and had always wanted to perform the song, well, inside the walls. He performed two shows for th…
Daft Punk's new video for Random Access Memories track "Instant Crush" shows that even inanimate object can have their own tragic love story. A museum mannequin was sculpted into Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas likeness by Tony Gardener, the makeup artist behind Michael Jackson's "Thriller." […
It's the kind of thing you're told all the time: "you just have to go there, do it, see it." But it's true: describing the experience of attending Pickathon is kind of like writing about music itself. Too much is lost in translation. That the festival remains a hidden gem in the Northwest seems bot…
Neko Case will drop her new album, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, on September 3 via ANTI- Records. She previously shared the track "Man", but today we have the lyric video for a haunting new song called "Night Still Comes." Her beautiful voice a…
Wasn't I just talking about my childhood love of The Charlatans UK? Indeed I was. So it seemed like a fine time to take a moment to check out the debut album from these lovable Mancunians - who, it must be said, are still going strong, having released their 11th studio album in 2010 and rumored to …
Happy Valentine's Day! This morning, we shared a some of our favorite V-Day videos with you, but here are some other new videos that you're sure to love. First up, we have this clip for Passion Pit's "Carried Away" off their latest album, Gossamer. Sophia Bush and lead singer Michael Angelakos star…
A cinematic labor of love that captured a quiet revolution for American country music, the 1976 documentary Heartworn Highways is just like the songs that fill it. Sure, it’s scrappy, and a little rough around the edges. Yet its abundance of warmth, wit, and vitality makes it easy to understand how…
DJ Shannon brings you her latest favorite gems from bands such as Blaenavon, Shame, Ride, the Casual Sexists, Lea Porcelain, Paradise and Creatures. 1. Blaenavon - Lonely Side 2. Shame - Concrete 3. Ride - Pulsar 4. Control of the Going - Love You More 5. Paradise - Goodbye 21st Century 6. Lea P…
Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole's first podcast of 2015 features music to warm you up during the cold days of winter. Exciting up-and-coming artists are brought together for the perfect winter mix of spacey pop gems, hypnotic grooves, grimy hip-hop and more. 1. Flight Facilities - Two Bodie…
There's a wave of fantastic music coming out of Sydney at the moment, but Australia's Middle Kids never get overshadowed by their scene siblings. The silvery rock trio's knack for steely hooks and gleaming tones made them a breakout artist in summer 2016, and nine months later, the…
Four years after the Denver, Colorado trio made the leap from small, sweaty clubs to massive outdoor stages, the Lumineers have retained their breezy, rustic charm on their sophomore effort, "Ophelia". Returning to an intimate venue not unlike the ones they cut their teeth on, the folk r…
