Indicators of Autumn: cooler weather, it's getting darker outside earlier, and the new releases list is getting more robust! Just look at this week's list. We get the long-awaited new album from Interpol. KEXP's Music Director Don Yates notes, the "New York-born band’s fifth album (and first withou…
It's been a long wait, but last week Montreal-born, Woodstock, NY-based artist Thomas Arsenault (aka Mas Ysa) released his debut full-length. (Watch his 2014 KEXP session here.) KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls the album, "a potent set of moody electro-pop with bright synths, propulsive rhythms,…
Making the long journey from their native homeland, Italy, Be Forest drop by KEXP to transform our live room into a warm cocoon of earthly awesomeness. The distinctive drum setup offers a foundation of unique rhythms that the echoing guitars and firm vocals are simply poured over. From the haunting…
Seattle's own Beat Connection make their Anti- Records debut with an album KEXP's Music Director Don Yates describes as, a "first-rate set of sleek electro-pop inflected with New Wave, R&B, funk and other styles, with consistently strong songs featuring bright synths, jangly guitars, shimmering…
Showcasing tracks from his recently released MCIII on Merge Records, Californian singer-songwriter Mikal Cronin fills the KEXP live room with his most realized, beautifully arranged, and well-crafted works to date. With an ear for melody and and a knack for emotional resonance, tracks like the open…
It's an excellent week for new releases, led by the latest from Philly-based psychrockers The War on Drugs. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes their third album, Lost In The Dream, as "another expansive blend of psych-tinged guitars, atmospheric keyboards, occasional horns and other instrument…
Under a blue light on the Music Lounge stage, the New Zealand-born (and, now, New York native) Tamaryn sang a collection of pulsingly-mellow tunes for the Bumbershoot audience. The songs were an interesting mix, with the rhythms almost over-powering the singer’s ghostly, etherial vocals. In this wa…
With a wash of funky synth and a splash of dancey pop, Seattle's Pillar Point is making waves on the electronic scene. Having transitioned from indie rock to indie synthpop, Scott Reitherman has just released his one-man project's sophomore album, Marble Mouth, on Polyvinyl Record Co. In-studio at …
Saturday marked Treefort Music Fest's busiest day with a slew of diverse acts found at every hour. On the main stage San Fermin and White Denim both brought an orchestra's worth of sound to full crowds, while Yacht got Boise dancing like only Yacht can. Elsewhere, the Knitting Factory offered Treef…
White Men Are Black Men Too - Young Fathers' inclusiveness extends beyond the title of their latest LP. The adventurous followup to their Mercury Prize winning debut expands upon their already unconventional hip-hop-infused art pop toward an even wider spanning blend of gospel, soul, psych, prog an…
Following yesterday's hypnotic in-studio session on The Midday Show on KEXP, local ladies THEESatisfaction release their sophomore album EarthEE today via Sub Pop. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes it as an "entrancing blend of Afro-futurist hip hop, cosmic R&B, psychedelic funk and astra…
Intricate and soulful, White Denim visited the KEXP studio recently, where they displayed that which makes them so popular: vocals like a smooth cowboy crooner, rhythms like outer space and guitar solos like smokey 70's rock clubs. Joining DJ Morgan, the Austin four-piece played tunes from their ne…
As one of the founding members of pioneering Washington, DC electronic music duo Thievery Corporation, Rob Garza has been on steady rotation for decades with his innovative globe-spanning blend of trip-hop, dub, downtempo, bossa nova, reggae, and lounge flavors. Now living in San Francisco, Garza t…
We're so excited to have Bob Mould joining us next month for KEXP's New Home Grand Opening on Saturday, April 16th! KEXP Music Director Don Yates observes that on Mould's latest solo album, "the former Husker Du/Sugar frontman continues his latter-day resurgence with another impressive set of anthe…
Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg shares her debut solo album under the moniker jennylee. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes the release "brings a bit more of a rhythmic emphasis to her regular band’s brooding, goth-tinged dream-pop, while still sharing a dark sound with atmospheric guitars and …
Cooking up a rich mixture of fuzzed out indie jams and smart lyrics, Massachusetts's Speedy Ortiz knows how to make the tastily technical sound effortlessly easy in this catchy KEXP live session. Showing off a selection of tracks from their new release, Foil Deer, Dupuis controls the room with her …
NYC's Jon Spencer is a veteran of the alternative music world, best-known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, in addition to playing a key role in Pussy Galore and Boss Hog. Hot on the heels of his killer new album, Freedom Tower: No Wave Dance Party, Spence…
It's scary how many great albums are coming out on this Halloween week! Highlights include the fourth album from Scottish band The Twilight Sad. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says the band, "brings back the loud, shoegazerish guitars that were mostly absent from their last release (2012’s No One Ca…
Oh, hey, did you hear there's a new album out this week from Spoon? KEXP has been, understandably, excited for the latest release from this veteran band (watch an exclusive nine-song set from the band that we aired on The Midday Show on KEXP earlier today). KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "thi…
Seattle-based DJ and producer Waylon Dungan (a.k.a. WD4D) has been a staple on the local DJ scene for well over a decade now. Consistently bringing his top-notch song selection, fresh mixing skills, and positive energy to each and every party and mixtape, WD4D also brings his lively, progressive st…