Taking us into the rainy Reykjavik night is a hard-hitting set live at KEX Hostel from Icelandic psych-rockers Singapore Sling. Though the band was formed in 2000, founder Henrik Björnsson had been writing their songs for years before. He made some 8-track demos on his own, and then put the band to…
Toronto production duo Southern Shores stepped up as one of Cascine Records' earliest acts, helping establish the NYC label's affinity for a dreamy, summery aesthetic with a pair of EPs at the turn of the decade. Four years since their latest release, they've recently resurfaced to unleash their de…
SIFF is bringing I Am The Blues to Seattle this weekend, and it is well worth a look. Bobby Rush lays out his life story as he returns to the Blue Front Cafe in Mississippi and a reunion gig in Louisiana. Watching him travel The South and greet friends like Lazy Lester, Henry Gray, Barbara Lynn, an…
Say what you will about the Internet age, but this whole "global flow of instantly accessible information" thing definitely has its uses. A couple of which are pointed out by the conversation on the album cover for Hallelujah All the Way Home, the debut album by New Zealand band The Verlaines. For …
'90s/early 2000's dream pop outfit Luna have two new albums in the works, a covers album called A Sentimental Education and an instrumental EP called A Place of Greater Safety. Today they've shared a track from A Sentimental Education, a cover of Mink DeVille's "Let Me Dream If I Want To." They've …
It's been three years since the last record from The Drums, and a lot has changed for frontman Jonny Pierce. In that time, Jonny moved across the country twice, split up with his husband, and found himself without a bandmate as founding member Jacob Graham left the band to pursue other interests. J…
Next Tuesday, June 13th, journey to the land of the midnight sun as the Iceland-based trio Moji & the Midnight Sons lights the skies of the Laser Dome at Pacific Science Center. We were thrilled to discover this blues-rocking US/Icelandic trio while at Iceland Airwaves last years, and even more…
It is a truly beautiful sight to see a swarm of of black t-shirts filling up the halls of an 89-year old theater. A strikingly atypical one, considering the venue's usual programming, but a beautiful one nonetheless. Mastodon's return to Seattle coincided not just with the Georgia outfit's most foc…
UK trio alt-J stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in support of their upcoming release, Relaxer. Watch them perform the track "In Cold Blood" with house band The Roots helping out. Relaxer is out June 2nd via Canvasback. alt-J will be LIVE on KEXP on Sunday, April 23rd; catch them li…
From heartbreak to the end of the world: that's how DJ Troy Nelson describes the trajectory of albums from singer/songwriter Marissa Nadler. "I think this is album seven or something? I don't know," she says with a smile and a shake of her head. Over the past 16 years, this ethereal singer/songwrit…
It's been a few years since we last heard from The Strokes, but today they triumphantly return with not one, not two, but three new tracks! All of 'em will appear on their upcoming EP Future Present Past, out June 3rd via Cult Records. Check out the singles "OBLIVIUS," "The Threat Of Joy," and "Dr…
It's the most wonderful time of the year... for a music lover. This Saturday, April 16th is the ninth annual Record Store Day, a celebration of independent music stores around the globe. It also happens to be the day of KEXP's New Home Grand Opening celebration! Our event doesn't start until noon, …
Currently based in Los Angeles, San Diego native and emerging electronic producer Rafa Lavarez (a.k.a. Different Sleep) has been steadily evolving his underground style over the past 5 years, adding upon his early lush downtempo aesthetic to incorporate a more physical and abstract sound that adven…
Icelandic hip hop collective Reykjavíkurdætur ("Daughters of Reykjavik") are a force to be reckoned with. A huge group of seventeen women, they work together to create songs about topics ranging from sexual politics to political ones. During KEXP's broadcast at Iceland Airwaves last year, they play…
Die Kreuzen is one of the many bands of the '80s and '90s about whom my principal awareness derives from having seen their records in the bins at my usual Harvard Square haunts (I've always been much more of a browser than a buyer, alas). Since I studied German for all four years of high school, I …
After their blazing performance in the KEXP studio, DJ Troy Nelson quips, "Is the room still intact?" We're not sure about that, but now we do know that METZ is in all caps for a reason. Known for a ferocious, raw energy that funnels directly into their terrifyingly primal performances, METZ does n…
Supporting KEXP does have its perks. Donors who contributed $500 or more during the KEXP pledge drive are awarded membership to KEXP's VIP Club concert series, allowing them access to exclusive, intimate performances throughout the year. In the past, such artists have included The Lumineers, Interp…
There's nothing queasy about the latest from west coast dream-pop band Craft Spells. It's been almost a year since their sophomore full-length, Nausea, came out on Captured Tracks; since then, songwriter Justin Paul Vallesteros has relocated back to Seattle and overcome a depression that influenced…
After a highly successful run in 2014, Project Pabst returns this weekend July 17-19th at Zidell Yards in SW Portland. This year's eclectic lineup boasts several impressive big name performers sure to draw a crowd- for example, Blondie, Weezer, and Passion Pit, alongside indie pop band Alvvays, pun…
"Discover new music at KEXP". You've probably heard those words countless times while listening to KEXP and watching our videos. In our relentless pursuit to achieve this goal, we search deeply within the Northwest community and more broadly around the world. Sometimes along the way we find not jus…
