A-HA! Turns out that creepy snippet The Shins shared yesterday is part of a longer video that has been revealed today. As the press release says, "James Mercer wanted to give you all a Halloween gift while you wait for the album." So, watch the video for "Dead Alive" below. The new album will be o…
Today, Foals have dropped their new album, What Went Down, the follow up to 2013's impressive Holy Fire. The 10-track collection was recorded in France and produced by James Ford, who's worked with artist such as Florence and the Machine and the Arctic Monkeys. What Went Down can be streamed in it…
My Morning Jacket return with their seventh studio album, The Waterfall, on May 4th via ATO Records/Capitol Records. It'll be the band's first release since 2011’s Circuital, and the first of two new albums planned for this year. Jim James and friends have shared a video trailer for the album, fea…
No, we haven't time-warped to twenty years ago: on this holiday week, the reissues and anniversary editions dominate the new release list. One of the highlights is the reissue of Flake Music's 1997 debut (and sole release) When You Land Here, It’s Time to Return. Flake Music was an early incarnatio…
Happy Halloween, everyone! In the spirit of scaring, Arcade Fire has shared a 20-minute horror film called Festi, which takes place during their 2011 tour. As they celebrate lead singer Win Butler's birthday, the band deals with the frightening curse of the infamous 27 Club. An entire slew of cele…
More new music from The Shins: stream the very Wilco-esque single "Mildenhall" below (frontman James Mercer is even singer lower than ever before). The band's fifth LP Heartworms will be out March 10th via Aural Apothecary/Columbia. Catch them at this year's Sasquatch! Music Festival, 5/26-5/28 at…
It's not difficult to assay Purity Ring's latest album, Another Eternity. Based on the first three singles, the sophomore effort was undoubtedly pure gold in its alchemic union of Corin Roddick's beats and production and Megan James's resonant voice. The Edmonton duo have added further luster to th…
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time on KEXP, is "Something to Say" by James and the Cold Gun , from their self-titled 2023 album on Loosegroove Records
Two bands that probably sit close to each other on your record shelf: The Shins performed a session for Spotify where they covered The Smiths 1986 single "Panic." Listen below. James Mercer and friends also performed their own track "Name For You" off their latest full-length, Heartworms, out now …
Can you believe it's been eight years since DJ Cheryl Waters first kicked off her now-annual Canada Day show? Even our friends at the Canadian consulate are tuning in, like Consulate General James K. Hill (right) who stopped by the station to chat with Cheryl about the Great White North! “There is …
So, what happens after the disco? Broken Bells break it down in the video for the title track of their sophomore release, After the Disco. In this clip, directed by Nelson de Castro, the duo of James Mercer and Danger Mouse take a walk through several post-party scenes. Check it out below, and che…
In the Nordstrom Recital Hall during Decibel Festival's Optical 4 showcase, the sound of WIFE was equal parts exciting and heavy - the sound was swelling with an emotional intensity unparalleled, and the room felt thick with listening. Visuals tracked through architectural yet emotive abstractions …
This past weekend in Portland, a benefit concert was held for beloved local artist Scott McCaughey, who suffered a stroke back in November. As we mentioned last month here on the KEXP Blog, the two nights (Friday at the Star Theater, Saturday at the Wonder Ballroom) featured an all-star bill includ…
Brooklyn band The So So Glos lead this week's new release with their fifth full length. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says the LP, "finds them bringing a bit more diverse and hook-filled sound to their anthemic garage-punk, with often-politically charged lyrics contrasting anxiety, political extrem…
If our recent in-studio session with Thurston Moore was too much of a tease, you can now stream his forthcoming full-length album, The Best Day, below. His fourth solo album finds the former Sonic Youth frontman backed by longtime drummer Steve Shelley, My Bloody Valentine bassist Deb Googe, and U…
More than any other day, Saturday at Bonnaroo was filled with things that could only really happen at the Farm, among them, Björk's jellyfish facemask thing, R. Kelly entering on a boom crane, a 5k at 9 in the morning (in 80 degree heat), and a moment where Jim James, R. Kelly, Billy Idol, and John…
On Saturday, February 18th, musician Clyde Stubblefield passed away from kidney failure in his Madison, Wisconsin home. He was 73 years old. Stubblefield rose to prominence as the percussionist for the James Brown Band during the ’60s and ’70s. His improvised backbeat in the song "Funky Drummer" b…
Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis has cut his acting chops on IFC’s Portlandia, and he's joined by the show's co-creator Fred Armisen in his video for the track "Every Morning." (Keep an eye out for a cameo from James Mercer of The Shins!) J will be LIVE on KEXP from NYC this Friday, August 29th at 9…
Danger Mouse, a.k.a. Brian Joseph Burton, and The Shins' James Mercer have united once again under the name Broken Bells. They've shared their video for their dazzling new track "Holding on for Life". The visual features actress Kate Mara (American Horror Story, House of Cards) and Anton Yelchin (…
