Listening to In A Dream, the new LP from DFA powerhouse The Juan MacLean, we're reminded that it's been a long five years since John MacLean dropped his last proper record, The Future Will Come, back in 2009. That fantastic dance record was laden with Human League-esque back and forth narration bet…
The world is never ready for a new Jamie Lidell album. Jamie Lidell is his fourth record following his work as Super Collider with Cristian Vogel, and ever since Multiply, his 2005 return to solo work, Lidell has been pushing the envelope of his music landscape further and further into oblivion. At…
It's real. After teasing fans on and off for the better part of 22 or so years, guitarist/vocalist Kevin Shields has delivered the third full-length My Bloody Valentine album, m b v. (Take a deep breath.) Since its release on Saturday night (which resulted in the cancellation of the evening plans o…
Through in-studio performances, interviews with local and national artists, co-curators and DJs Darek Mazzone and Chilly explore the immigrant experience.
If there was one Prince tribute to catch at Coachella last weekend, it was "Purple Rain" as done by indie rock god Sufjan Stevens, featuring lead vocals from a mysterious and absolutely wondrous new voice, Gallant. This isn't the first time Sufjan has teamed up with Gallant. At the turn of the new …
We knew that The Besnard Lakes would be on our list to see while we were in Montreal since first, they are one of our favorite Montreal-based bands, but also because frontman Jace Lasek is one of the three founders of Breakglass Studios. It was really fun to see The Besnard Lakes in their element a…
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings recorded one last album before Jones passed away due to pancreatic cancer last year. Entitled Soul Of A Woman, the album will be released November 17. Today the Dap-Kings shared the track "Call on God," a song Jones wrote in the '70s for E.I. Fields' Gospel Wonders an…
Seattle art-rap duo Shabazz Palaces released two albums, Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star and Quazarz Vs. The Jealous Machines, on the same day earlier this year. Today they've shared the video for "Since C.A.Y.A.," the Thundercat-featuring opening track off of Born on a Gangster Star. The clip wa…
First, A Tribe Called Quest released a new album after 18 years. And, now, Scottish siblings The Jesus and Mary Chain are one-upping them, so to speak, with their first LP in 19 years, out in March 2017. The news was announced by Creation Records founder and longtime manager Alan McGee, who excite…
The bad news continues to roll through the music world: singer/songwriter Leon Russell died in his sleep yesterday morning in Nashville. No cause of death has been cited for the 74-year-old musician, but NBC News reports a number of prior health conditions, including surgery to stop leaking brain …
Next on the KEXP live video stream from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was brand-new band Andy Svarthol. Comprised of brothers Egill and Bjarki Hreinn Viðarsson). Andy Svarthol came together in 2015 after Egill’s other project Nóra went on hiatus. They aren’t even in the festival’s o…
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…
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…
Melbourne's Cut Copy have announced the name of their forthcoming album, Haiku From Zero, and shared the second single from it. Called "Standing In The Middle Of The Field," it follows last month's "Airborne" and will be the album's opening track. Frontman Dan Whitford said this about the new album…
This weekend, Friday, August 4th and Saturday, August 5th, the Chautauqua Music Festival takes over the Vashon Eagles on Vashon Island. The festival was founded to benefit elementary and middle school arts programs on Vashon Island. To date, Chautauqua has raised over 14,000 dollars to "help augmen…
As previously reported, Chris Cornell of the legendary band Soundgarden has passed away. We now have footage of the very last song Soundgarden played before Cornell's death last night in Detroit. "Slaves and Bulldozers" was a deep cut from the album Badmotorfinger and is an interesting choice in l…
What the hell? Are the planets aligned? Did they work this out in advance? Because today, we have a slew of new releases to share. First up, a new solo album from Thurston Moore. We had a hunch it was coming after he shared the stand-alone track "Cease Fire." Now you can check out the track "Smoke…
Over the weekend, elderly folks everywhere were introduced to well-tressed Philly rocker Kurt Vile as he was spotlighted on Saturday's CBS This Morning (a show whose key demographic tends to skew older). Watch Vile perform "I’m An Outlaw," "Dust Bunnies," and "Pretty Pimpin," as well as chat with …
Back in 2010, KEXP was broadcasting from the Ace Hotel in New York City during the CMJ Music Festival, and we were lucky to score not one, but two guest DJ sets from The Roots drummer Questlove. Apparently the guy had so much fun the first time, he returned to the decks the following day! As the be…
