We have reached day one of Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, and the anticipation in Reykjavik is palatable. Locals and visitors alike are milling about town, getting ready for the big week to come. Here at KEX Hostel, KEXP is putting the finishing touches on preparations for an incredible week of l…
Highlights this week include the latest from Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls Lekman's fourth LP, "a smartly crafted set of buoyant orchestral dance-pop inflected with disco, calypso, samba and other styles, combining bouncy dance beats and a variety of ins…
Earlier this year, lovable rocker Mac DeMarco announced a new album on the way titled This Old Dog. So, it only makes sense for him to perform the title track from a dog grooming parlor. "Though I may not be speaking about a real dog, this is what my press will probably look like for the next two …
A quick look at the Restorations tour schedule might have your eyes glazing over. After releasing their third studio album (LP3) in only four years at the end of 2014, the Philly indie-rockers have spent most of 2015 tirelessly touring across the U.S., the U.K., and even Jamaica. Or as singer/guita…
For as cosmic as their jams can be and as free floating as their new album title appears, Built to Spill have never seemed more grounded. On Untethered Moon, their eighth studio album and their first in six years, the veteran indie rockers haven't drifted away from their roots but, thanks to produc…
While his previous release, Temple Beautiful, looked backwards, particularly at the storied past of San Francisco, Chuck Prophet's latest, Night Surfer (out today!), looks brazenly forward. But even if the future isn't always bright on this, his 13th album, the songs are characteristically punchy, …
2014 is off to a great start for new music! Highlights include the long-awaited sophomore release from LA band Warpaint. KEXP Music Director, Don Yates, declares it a "more subtle and minimalist take on the band’s brooding dream-pop, featuring a dark, atmospheric sound with swirling guitars and key…
We've reached day three, the halfway point of Iceland Airwaves Music Festival and of the KEXP broadcast. Rather than winding down, things are just getting going, as festival-goers prepare for a weekend that invariably becomes a music supermarathon, catching great music all over Reykjavik from noon …
Tomorrow, not only will iconic rocker David Bowie celebrate his 69th birthday, but he releases his 25th studio album ★ (pronounced "Blackstar") via Columbia Records. Today, he shares the video for the track "Lazarus," which features the influential artist, well, hallucinating in a mental hospital.…
In the weeks since Tom Petty's sudden death, dozens of musicians have honored the rocker by covering his songs. The breadth and depth of these tributes is awe-inspiring: Sure, artists have gravitated toward the hits -- "American Girl," "Don’t Come Around Here No More," "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and …
Although they hit you immediately, the depth of Unknown Mortal Orchestra's songs belies their urgency. Underneath a pulsating rhythm or Ruban Nielsen's expressive vocals is always a subtle, just-as-infectious keyboard melody or a texture that alters Nielsen's voice. On the Portland group's latest a…
Like goths on a beach, the dark sounds of Daughter may seem out of place on sunny summer day, but few bands make "moody" music that's not downright depressing as well as this UK trio. Their atmospheric debut LP, If You Leave, arrives just in time for the warmer weather, and you may find yourself, w…
San Diego-based surf rockers Wavves have announced the release of their fourth album this spring. The LP, tentatively titled Afraid of Heights, will be out March 26 on Mom + Pop, and fellow California crooner Jenny Lewis is slated to make an appearance. "You know the tone of King of the Beach and t…
With Oh My Virgin Ears!, KEXP's (young) intern Gabe Pollak takes a first listen at iconic albums in music history. With singer/songwriter and author Billy Bragg visiting KEXP's Gathering Space tonight as part of of Songbook: KEXP’s Music & Literature Series, we had Gabe reflect on his first tim…
We've got another insanely long-running band this week, with the Fleshtones, a band that's as old as I am and wayyyyyyy more productive. These garage rockers have been steadily serving up their "super rock" since their CBGB debut in 1976. In fact, Yep Roc is releasing their twenty-somethingth LP - …
This Friday, KEXP, Seattle Center and No Depression are teaming up to bring you an excellent line up for the first of August's Concerts at the Mural! Take advantage of this unique opportunity to discover your new favorite band or enjoy independent artists you already love for FREE! If that's not en…
Dee Dee, songwriter and main force behind the Dum Dum Girls, stopped by the KEXP studio to chat with Stevie Zoom and perform alone with just her heavy-tremolo-ed guitar. Her Girls-less performance is a throwback to the early 2008 to 2010 years, which saw Dee Dee's first CDR release on her own label…
With more amazing music than ever to choose from, the 7th Annual Big Gay Podcast includes more than 90 minutes of songs by, for, and about the LGBTQ community, from a sinuous electronic groove inspired by Paris Is Burning to a deep cut from ‘70s glitter rocker Smokey. We're also thrilled to includ…
Anticipation is high for the forthcoming full-length from Temples, totally heightened by last month's awesome performance in the KEXP Gathering Space. While we have to keep waiting 'til next year for Volcano to hit stores, today we've got a remix of the track "Certainty" by Scottish rockers Franz …
Even as it feels like rock 'n' roll is losing too many of its heroes lately, we should also remember those who continue to carry the flame. Among them, KEXP favorites Capsula, who exalt the rock gods of yore with a fiery passion. On eight kinetic LPs, plus a handful of collaborations, compilations …
