There was a very distinct moment at the Ibeyi show last Sunday night where the energy for the evening turned from simply good to really, really great. It happened during the duo's explosive self-titled album single "River", the song most well known by the world and easily the most far reaching in i…
You'll wish you could say you were there. It was just one of those shows that all in attendance knew they were blessed by some kind of angelic beings to attend, as HÆLOS played for a respectably sized, though not packed, crowd at The Sunset Tavern last week. The UK trio decided to advance their for…
By taking their name from the annual festival held in Pamplona, Spain, San Fermin presents their musical philosophy outright. Like the running of the bulls, San Fermin's music bewilders, delights, and intimidates. Surprisingly, the Brookyln-based Baroque-poppers have only released one album, San Fe…
While climate change may be something that members of our federal government have decided to ignore and/or flat-out reject, it's difficult to ignore the fact that summers in Seattle have gotten increasingly warmer. On August 8th we broke the previous record of 51 days without rain, making it the dr…
Detroit's Zach Saginaw, a.k.a. Shigeto, has been crafting immaculate and unique music over the past half-decade, most notably and consistently for revered American electronic music label Ghostly International. With a heavy jazz background, a strong love for hip-hop, and prodigious skills as an elec…
Whether you're attending in person or in spirit, Midday Show host Cheryl Waters presents the perfect soundtrack for your trip to Sasquatch! Music Festival this year. 1. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better 2. Julia Holter - Feel You 3. Briana Marela - Surrender 4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra -…
Day 2 of KEXP's visit to the OFF Music Festival in Katowice, Poland was a perfect reflection of what founder Artur Rojek is aiming for: diversity not only in sound but in origin. KEXP's DJ Morgan spent time chatting with musicians from around the globe: up-and-coming Warsaw band Bastard Disco, Toky…
California surf rockers Cayucas have been keeping our summer quite lovely. They dropped their delightful debut LP, Bigfoot, back in May and we've been dancing to it ever since. Last month, they played a headlining gig at Barboza in support of the record with JBM to much acclaim. But before they too…
While we're all waiting for the warm weather to officially take hold (we've been given an enticingly cruel taste of it here in Northwest), Vampire Weekend has created the perfect summer album to fuel your anticipation. At times wistfully nostalgic, percolatingly peppy and even fiercely energetic, M…
Charly Bliss has shared a new video, perfect for Friday the 13th, for Guppy track "Scare U." Directed by lead singer Eva Hendricks and Andrew Costa, the clip is inspired by an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called "Doublemeat Palace" from season six of the show. It casts Hendricks as a trainee…
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by DJ Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time on KEXP, is "Perfect Smile" by Supercrush, from the 2022 self-released Melody Maker EP.
Brooklyn band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have been going through some growing pains, indeed. Between their 2011 album, Belong, and their brand new release, Days of Abandon, the band lost longtime members Peggy Wang and Alex Naidus, and though drummer Kurt Feldman played on the album, he decli…
Between his bluegrass voice, genuine love for performance, and one-man-band resilience, there's just something so authentic about Scott H. Biram. If that weren't enough, in 2004, Biram was involved in a near-fatal car crash, requiring him to have his bones re-connected with metal rods and even nec…
For over twelve years now (not to mention the many years of hard-work they spent playing on the streets of Mexico City and Dublin to perfect their sound), guitar-wielders Rodrigo y Gabriela have been consistently cranking out classical improvisations, maintaining a steady sound while redefining wha…
All day tomorrow, we'll be counting down KEXP listeners' Top Albums of 2012 all day, and there's no doubt that local band The Helio Sequence will have a strong showing. That it took four years to release Negotiations isn't too surprising, considering the Portland duo usually take their time perfect…
It started as part-joke, part-challenge. The Austin-based band Brownout were exploring different themes during an extended club residency, and one night they chose to cover Black Sabbath, as many of their members of the grew up listening to the godfathers of darkness. Almost immediately, the 8-piec…
DJ NHK Guy is the alias of Seattle-via-Fukuoka electronic producer Jesse Lopez, creator of some of the finest juke/footwork rhythms to emerge locally as well as internationally in the last few years. Fusing a love for disco, J-pop, vaporwave, R&B, and video game soundtracks through frenetic and…
Dazzling D.C. duo GEMS stopped by KEXP’s new home, filling our cavernous live room with their spacious and glimmering dream pop. Singer/keyboardist Lindsay Pitts and singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Clifford John Usher released their debut LP, Kill the One You Love, after writing together for …
Self discovery can be euphoric. Finding yourself can lead to a tidal wave of confidence, and that confidence is infectious. This confidence isn't based in complete knowledge of the future or perfect success without any mistakes - rather, it stems from an overpowering believe that whatever happens, …
There's a highly discernible trajectory between the first four albums by Baltimore dream pop act Beach House, from the bedroom whispers of their debut to the mountaintops of Bloom, the duo have, with each subsequent effort, come a bit more out of their shell, turning up the volume, fleshing out tex…
