L.A. ladies Warpaint share a new song... titled "New Song." Well played, Warpaint, well played. The track is slated for their third full-length, Heads Up, which finds the group moving (no pun intended) in a more dance-oriented direction. Vocalist/guitarist Emily Kokal says, via a press release, "W…
Mac Demarco’s declaration of “make yourself at home” at the beginning of his set at Sasquatch! Music Festival on Saturday was a fitting notion, as Mac has been making himself at home in the ears and hearts of fans for years now. The Canadian songster has a knack for writing songs that float and dri…
Luminescent electronic lady Julianna Barwick shares her new album, Will, next Friday, May 6th via Dead Oceans, but you can stream it now in its entirety via NPR Music. The latest from this Brooklyn-based songstress features guest appearances from Thomas Arsenault (Mas Ysa), Dutch cellist Maarten V…
Scottish band Frightened Rabbit share a video for the song "Get Out," a single off their upcoming album Painting of a Panic Attack. The poignant clip, directed by Greg Davenport, was shot in Kiev, Ukraine, and captures the struggle of two women in love. Painting of a Panic Attack was produced by A…
The name Erik Lindgren was not familiar to me at first glance (nor, for that matter, was the name of the currently-more-famous celebrity poker player Erick Lindgren), but it turns out I have heard his work before - and even covered it on this blog. Lindgren has lived all over and been affiliated wi…
The gaudy, sterile synths, the contrapuntal guitar and bass, the party ready drums, and especially the high-ranging, free-wielding, devil-may-care vocals - if you were there in 2005 when Clap Your Hands Say Yeah rose to indie-stardom with their self-titled, self-released debut, you remember it all.…
It's with terrible sadness that KEXP reports Darius Minwalla, longtime drummer for local band The Posies, passed away yesterday, May 21st, in his home in Vancouver, BC. Cause of death has yet to be determined. Minwalla joined the power-pop quartet in 2001, appearing on their 2005 comeback album Eve…
Christopher Owens makes for one of the most interesting characters on the indie scene. His band former band, Girls, garnered mass critical acclaim in the late aughts, with a bright, unique rock sound and Owens' brilliant albeit dark assessment of the modern context of youth and progression in the c…
While there was often a healthy debate on any given album's merits at KCMU, every once in a while it seems that everybody just ganged up on some poor defenseless record for no good reason. Icky Joey (not a name familiar to me until I pulled this record off the shelf) was a super group of sorts, fea…
Every year, Seattle sends a multitude of great artists down to Austin this week to showcase how our great city continues push the independent music scene forward in our own unique way. Of course, there is no shortage of Seattle bands at SXSW this year. But it was a special treat for us to get to se…
"Lovely" and "infectious" — mash those words together and it sounds something like Lucius. Watch and hear the band perform, and those words seem even more apt. Led by co-vocalists Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, the NYC-based five-piece blends gorgeous harmonies and lively percussion in girl group in…
On any given weekend in Seattle, there are a million amazing shows to see - from jazz sets at coffee shops and orchestras at theaters, to a grunge shows in DIY spaces and major touring acts at any of our larger venues. Maybe this weekend you want to try something new; maybe you heard one song by th…
There's no denying Surfer Blood's love for 90's indie rock. Fragments of Pavement, Pixies and Weezer are undeniable elements in their sound, but the band made a space for themselves on their 2010 debut, Astro Coast, by adding breezy surf melodies blown off the beaches of their Florida home. Since t…
Austin was blissfully cool and breezy this morning as the floor in front of our stage at Mellow Johnny's filled - excitement for the start of our SXSW programming clear. And what better way to kick off the week than with the iconic and hilarious Robyn Hitchcock, who took stage alone but totally fil…
Despite being recorded in December, Lavender Diamond's in-studio session was one of the warmest things that KEXP broadcast in 2012. Singer Becky Stark's voice is nothing short of radiant, buoying the Los Angeles quartet's tender, winsome sound. Across the folk pop bounce of "There's A Perfect Love …
More anthemic than brooding, Scottish band Frightened Rabbit's songs pull no punches. You don't have time to dwell on their brutally honest lyrics, usually about love and relationships, as you're pumping your fist in the air and sloshing around a pint of. This week, their latest and fourth emotiona…
From their very first single, "Found Love in a Graveyard," London by way of Glasgow band Veronica Falls set the tone of their future releases: their sunny take on gloomy topics makes for happy listening in the darkened Northwest, that's for sure. Their 2011 self-titled debut channeled everyone from…
A brand new song from Björk has emerged called "Blissing Me," along with a video premiered via Amazon Music UK. The song recounts the story of Björk and a fellow "music nerd" crush “sending each other MP3s, falling in love to a song,” according to the lyrics. It's a beautiful change after 2015's h…
Every time I look at this album cover I wonder if I should post it or not. Given the losses the Ramones suffered in the 21st century, the title and image takes on a new bittersweetness, and one or two of the 1984 KCMU DJs' comments take on a harsher edge than probably intended. That said, the stati…
Bust out those seersuckers one last time and enjoy a mix of local, national and international artists as Midday Show host Cheryl Waters presents KEXP's annual preview of Bumbershoot, Seattle's longest running music and arts festival, this year featuring expansive roots twists from Valerie June, so…
