How long have we been anticipating A Moon Shaped Pool now? Truly, anticipation has lost much of its meaning in 2016. In our digital world of surprise albums and unquestioned instant gratification, the months we spend waiting for heroes to return to the forefront can feel like years. And yet, here w…
Seattle natives Iska Dhaaf now live in New York, but they still introduce themselves as a band from Seattle. This theme of sticking to your origins was found throughout their set at Sasquatch! Music Festival Monday afternoon. The group now takes the stage as a four-piece, a fitting change as their …
Next on the KEXP Iceland Airwaves broadcast live from KEX Hostel in Reykjavik was spectacular Icelandic singer Emilíana Torrini. Even if you do not know her name, you are still very likely familiar with some of her work. Torrini has participated in a wide variety of projects, including writing and …
Few bands have influenced Seattle's sound like Mudhoney. Twenty five years ago, to this month, Mark Arm and Steve Turner rejoined after leaving Green River to form a group that would weather all storms of the so-called "Grunge" scene. Their initial, poorly selling but highly influential single and …
It's no surprise that British downtempo pop group London Grammar sold out their second Seattle show in six months Saturday night. Back when they played the Crocodile at the end of September, their excellent first full length If You Wait had just come out only weeks before in the states. Now that it…
Up and coming sister bands Waxahatchee and Swearin’ gave us a lovely night this past Wednesday at Capitol Hill’s Chop Suey. It was a short and sweet set that the audience won’t forget any time soon as they swayed and bobbed to the piercing lyrics and layered instruments - loud in the best possible …
When we spoke to Ruler's Matt Batey earlier this year, he detailed how he approaches music "looking for a feeling of being lifted up by the experience." With his soaring hooks and insanely catchy riffs, he has a remarkable track record for hitting that mark. It's no wonder that he's become such a s…
In all the press shots for their new album, Swedish indie rock veterans Peter Bjorn and John are decked out in custom jumpsuits and armed with cartoon tools. They look like they are ready for a day of work at the zaniest garage or gear shop that you've ever seen. And yet, the imagery is fitting, pe…
18 year old Swedish rapper Yung Lean (Jonatan Håstad) may be one of the most polarizing, confusing faces on the independent hip-hop scene of the last few years. Pitchfork hates him. Fader loves him. The rest of us find ourselves somewhere in between, trying to balance all of the bizarre parts of th…
Thursday night before 4th of July at Neumos, you could tell who watched the show from the safety of the balcony from those on the floor strictly based on the quantity of sweat dripping from their clothes upon leaving the premises. I can't speak much for the casual observers above, but between the h…
Ben Gibbard continues his campaign against L.A. with the Death Cab for Cutie video for "The Ghosts of Beverly Drive." The clip for the latest Kintsugi single features the band on a celebrity-sighting tour bus with Gibbard as the reluctant tour guide. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Gibbard exp…
French indie rock veterans Phoenix are poised to make a comeback of epic proportions this year. Last time we got a full length release from the band, it redefined the band's following for good. 2009's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is still to this day one of the most well-loved indie pop records in rece…
In the haze of the smoke machines and blue lighting at the Crocodile, as a packed in crowd at a sold out show danced relentlessly to the bass-heavy tracks booming from the stage, we collectively celebrate one thing: brilliant songwriting. If there's one commonality between the two acts on the bill …
The whole time I drove home from the Trust show, I kept looking in the rearview expecting to see cops trying to get me to pull over. In fact, I don't think the strobing reds and blues have stopped in my brain since the show ended, even two days later. Red and blue and red and blue and red and blue …
On a rainy Wednesday evening, Annie Clark brought wonder and beauty to Seattle and to the Moore Theater with her St. Vincent return to our fair city. Both of the last times we've had the chance to see clark, it was alongside David Byrne, playing some original material, but mostly cuts from their co…
Santa Barbara synthpop group Gardens & Villa have been on the road for nearly four months straight. Ever since their sophomore LP Dunes dropped on Secretly Canadian, they’ve been road-tripping around this county and others, showing off what a new batch of tunes and a refined live show have to o…
