It's been a big year for Chicano Batman. The L.A. four-piece released the Freedom is Free, their third album in total and first on big-time indie label ATO Records. They made their first appearance on late night TV, performing on Conan in May, and hit the festival circuit hard, playing top slots at…
KEXP Overnight Creature (or DJ) Abbie takes you on an epic journey through her favorite tracks of the moment, ranging from minimal electronic coated in silky vocals to a spaghetti western with hints of trap. Additionally, hear Big Thief, Noga Erez, HMLTD, and Land of Talk break down the inspiratio…
The psych- and Tropicalia-inflected rock of Boogarins is so intriguing that when their earliest recordings had been picked up by music fans all over the globe, the band hadn't even played any gigs. Only becoming a live band shortly afterwards in early 2013 hasn't prevented the Goiânia, Brazil qu…
Today is our last day in Rennes filming bands during Trans Musicales. We woke up early and headed back to the Rennes Museum of Fine Arts and started setting up for our last two bands of the week.Trans Musicales. We woke up early and headed back to the Rennes Museum of Fine Arts and started setting …
Kanye West is crazy. Or so people like to say with a sort of flippant superiority. Only thing is, this time around on his highly awaited, hotly debated, and incessantly fiddled with latest album, The Life of Pablo, he’s saying it, too. In three separate instances on the record, he declares instabil…
HEALTH's new record Death Magic has a pretty significant lead up to it. After working on a third album for some time, the band got an opportunity to work on the soundtrack for Rockstar's Max Payne 3, which they knocked out of the park in every plausible way. The extra time focused on production and…
Much talk surrounding Capitol Hill Block Party's 2016 notes the intentionally electronic turn that the festival made this year with its headlining choices. Of those, the crowning evening of the weekend had to go to Saturday night, where hometown heroes ODESZA played to maybe the biggest crowd ever …
It's been an interesting couple years for Henry Laufer, a.k.a. Shlohmo. Just about this time last year, we were all waiting on pins and needles for a collaborative EP to drop between Shlohmo and R&B singer Jeremih, spinning the new single "No More" to death and begging for a set in stone releas…
On stage Annie Clark, or as she's known, St. Vincent, is like an alluring, otherworldly android. She skitter steps around rapidly on high stiletto heels, staring blankly and doe-eyed, smiling at odd times while tearing through guitar lines seemingly effortlessly. Much of her show seems almost chore…
Benjamin Booker has earned himself a bit of a reputation 'round these parts for his wild music and even wilder on stage antics. Born in Tampa, Booker now lives in New Orleans, though his band is based in Nashville. His rootsy, southern-steeped sound erupts intro overdriven garage and even punk rock…
It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. The weather here in Seattle is out of control super summer awesome. And what makes a sunny summer day even better? Brand…
For a moment there, it looked like The National's headlining set at Sasquatch – one of the band's biggest shows to date – was going to be underwhelming. For the first twenty minutes, the band felt too mellow, and frontman Matt Berninger, disinterested. And then, after "Don't Swallow The Cap", a swi…
"Stick with the old stuff, Win." That's the advice that Butler gets from Carl the roadie (Rainn Wilson) after playing a bloated, belligerent rendition of Funeral cut "Wake Up" during the fictitious Arcade Fire performance in the Reflektor accompaniment film Here Comes The Night Time. Here, Butler i…
It should never go without saying that we at KEXP are amazed by the ongoing support by our listeners and friends. This year, you've helped us maintain our fiercely independent programming and find a new home, and now you're continuing to help us fully compete it so that we can reach more of you tha…
Scott Weiland, the frontman for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died yesterday while on tour with his new band, The Wildabouts. The dynamic singer had a much publicized tumultuous life, but as VR bandmate Duff McKagan posted on the band’s Instagram, “It’s just so sad and brutal from any p…
New Zealand-born, NYC-based artist Tamaryn has emerged as one of the most striking artists crafting atmospheric shoegaze/dream-pop over the past five years. Her third and latest album, "Cranekiss", finds her adding more electronic elements into her potent and grandiose sonic mix, yielding some of h…
Local Natives might as well be full-time residents at KEXP. With their sunny indie rock melodies and radiant vocal harmonies, the LA-based quintet have cranked out three amazing albums since 2009, including their joyous 2016 release, Sunlit Youth, which finds the band taking their expansive folk-po…
