I assumed when I pulled out this record by 17 Pygmies that this would be one of those bands who released a DJ-beloved album or two in the '80s and then quietly dissolved, leaving almost no trace to survive into this Internet age of ours. How wrong I was! It turns out this band - originally a Savage…
Earlier this week, UK trio alt-J released the single "3WW" as a video game; today, we get an actual video. Directed by Young Replicant (aka L.A.-based artist Alex Takacs), the band describe it as "a beautifully shot story of love and loss in Mexico." The new album Relaxer is out June 2nd via Canva…
It's morbid, but you're probably thinking it, too: after losing so many musical icons in 2016 (see here and here), I felt it was important to see Brian Wilson in concert. Now 74 years old, the brilliant but troubled songwriter celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Beach Boys' landmark album Pet So…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Mid…
Seattle's Car Seat Headrest is no stranger to covers: founder/frontman Will Toledo has previously taken on tracks by Radiohead and Bowie. Today, they add another musical icon to the list: The Smiths. Listen to his lovely, acoustic cover of "That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore" below. Car Seat Headrest p…
When Molly Sides takes the stage fronting her band Thunderpussy, it'd be easy to mistake her for a cybernetically enhanced superhuman. How else could anyone prowl the stage and howl so ferociously? Amazingly, Sides is human like the rest of us. However, in director/writer Robert McGinley's new film…
Moderat is the collaborative team-up between German electronic heavyweights Modeselektor (Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary) and Apparat (Sascha Ring). Longtime KEXP favorites with three stellar albums under the Moderat name as well as deep individual catalogues, the trio will be joining forces o…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mid…
Mac DeMarco shares another new track from his forthcoming album This Old Dog, out May 5th via Captured Tracks. Check out the lovely single "On the Level" below. In a statement, DeMarco explains, "This record has a lot to do with my family and my life right now and the way I’m feeling. One of the m…

In 2018, KEXP celebrated the 30th anniversary of local record label Sub Pop with a four-month retrospective, "counting up" every catalog number in their vast discography of over 1,200 releases. Dig into the archives of our catalog coverage, featuring in-depth coverage on the history of their releases.