Today's Holiday Song of the Day, as chosen by Brian Foss, host of Sonic Reducer on KEXP, is "The Covid19 Christmas Song" by David King Jones, a 2020 self-released single.
Next on the live video stream from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival is Icelandic feminist rap collective Reykjavíkurdætur. Formed in 2013, the name "Reykjavíkurdætur" was a bit of an accident. It was the name of the first song the collective released, and once they were referred to as …
When a band self-titles an album midway through their career, it's usually for one of two reasons: they've either run out of ideas or they've taken a significantly new tact. For Portland duo The Helio Sequence, the reason is obvious. Rather than mull over songs in their usual slow-going and contemp…
Although the title of the band's new album, We All Come From The Same Place, isn't referring to a specific place, geographic location seemed to be on the minds of Allo Darlin' when they stopped by KEXP in October. The Australian/English quartet's songs shimmered with an honed precision, allowing El…
'90s-revivalists Speedy Ortiz go all the way back to the '70s for their cover of the Sibylle Baier song "Lost Something In The Hills." The obscure German folk-singer had recorded songs at home on a reel-to-reel recorder, and when none other than J Mascis got his hands on a copy, he helped Baier's …
It's been three long years, but Brooklyn band The Drums are back with a new song. Stripped back down to the founding duo of Jonny Pierce and Jacob Graham, Pierce explained the new song to Noisey.com: "It’s about shedding off what binds you and protecting what’s good, finding a safe place away from…
If Charms’ Facebook and Bandcamp pages are any indication, the Seattle band LOVES candy and chips. Perhaps as a result, the trio play driving rock and roll songs that feel like a sugar rush mixed with a touch of Cool Ranch. Big, boisterous songs come from this group, which has only been together fo…
Dan Deacon will release "Konono Ripoff No. 1" as an exclusive run of 500 hand-numbered 7" for Record Store Day on the 20th. Deacon has played the song live in recent months but this will be the first time it's been released. The song is performed by two different pairs of drummers -- the A-side i…
DJ Riz and Larry Rose co-host this year's edition of the Big Gay Podcast, bringing you an infectious mix of music by, for, and about the LGBTQ community with songs from Courtney Barnett, Blood Orange, The Drums, Goldfrapp, Austra, Hurray For The Riff Raff, and more. They also mix in songs from Rai…
New York synthpop duo Chairlift have shared a surprise, new track called "Get Real" on Spotify. They first mentioned the song on twitter 3 years ago, but it was never officially released, until now. It's a smooth, soulful number that showcases Caroline Polachek's amazing vocals. [SPIN]
Danish rock duo The Raveonettes are taking a more avant-garde approach to releasing new music. Instead of putting together a full LP, they've decided to shared one new song a month as part of their Rave-Sound-Of-The-Month series. Check out the first song of the series, "The World is Empty (Without…
Between their first session at KEXP in March 2015 to their return trip three and a half years later, Wolf Alice toured the world two or three times over and became one of the biggest bands of their generation. Visions of a Life, their sophomore record, meets the hype - it's ambitious and gran…
When the seminal shoe gaze group Ride reunited in 2015, a new record was just a matter of when, rather than if. Weather Diaries, the band's first record in over two decades, channels their textural tension with a mature, reflective set of songs that shows few, if any, signs of rust. The band…
It's hard to think of a local band that's emerged as explosively this year on KEXP as Great Grandpa, but it's not hard to see why. The quintet write crunchy, catchy, and thoughtful songs, of which there are 10 on their stellar debut Plastic Cough. Four of those air during this sessi…
He wasn't a goth - although he had goth sensibilities, by his own account - but John Darnielle and the Mountain Goats' new album Goths is a vivid, humorous account of the lives of the black-clad subculture. Joining Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room, Darnielle discusses growing up all o…
It's always a special night (or day) when the soul journeymen Lee Fields enters KEXP's studios. Fields' energy is as infectious as that of any frontman half his age, to say nothing of the explosive, colorful sounds of his backing band the Expressions. Joining Larry Rose in the KEXP studio, Fields …
Since their formation in 1979, Fishbone's kinetic, funky mixture of rock and ska has remained a singular sound, not least because of Angelo Moore and company's blend of social commentary and clever humor that, thirty years on, seems more incisive than ever. Still vibrant, still relevant…
Fémina's take on acoustic rock music has plenty of melody, but the San Martin de los Andes, Argentina trio don't ever let their harmonious voices take the backseat to their hip-hop influenced rhythms and almost percussive vocal arrangements. Clara Miglioli and sisters Sofia and Clara Trucco join D…
Any major dude will tell you that Canadian crooner Mac DeMarco knows how to get a laugh, but don't let the oversized t-shirts and backwards-facing baseball caps fool you - behind the humorous antics and normcore fashion, Mac delivers an impressive blend of dynamic pop melodies and smartly crafted,…
Throughout Band of Horses' intimate semi-acoustic set at the KEXP Gathering Space, frontman Ben Bridwell repeatedly mentioned that the group's origins were only a few blocks away in a rehearsal space. "This is one of the first songs I wrote for Band of Horses, and I wrote it right down the street i…
