“They’re a festival band”, a friend said. “That’s so true, they know exactly how to get a crowd going in less than a minute and keep ‘em going for nearly an hour; like one big party!” I said back. Though, what I really love about Run the Jewels is the ease with which one passes off the mic to the o…
Seattle's Ephrata have been purveyors of dreamy, expansive-yet-poppy music scene they formed in 2012. With each new single and EP, they've expanded their sonic palette and even managed to squeeze in some startling visuals and music videos — sometimes things got bloody. The band will self-release th…
“Tonight’s a special show,” lead vocalist Dustin Payseur said at the beginning of Beach Fossils’ sold out show at The Crocodile. I’m sure many artists say this at the start of every show, but Beach Fossils stayed true to their word, pulling out songs they haven’t played live before, and bringing ou…
English indie band The xx released the deluxe edition of their third studio album I See You today which includes three bonus tracks. One of them, "Naive" samples Drake's "Doing It Wrong," while "Brave For You (Marfa Demo)" is a stripped down acoustic recording of their track "Brave For You." They …
Going into Jagwar Ma’s Saturday night set at the Yeti Stage at Sasquatch, fans had plenty of reasons to be excited about the Australian trio’s hour-long set. The group has opened for Tame Impala and the xx, two other bands who have made being an introvert sound very cool again, and they've released…
Not to be outdone by fellow shoegazers Ride, Slowdive have announced their first new album in 22 years! The self-titled LP will be out May 5th via Dead Oceans. We've already heard the single "Star Roving." Stream a new track below, titled "Sugar for the Pill." On Wednesday, the band will perform l…
The station "where the music matters" is paying tribute to the "the only band that matters" this Friday on the air, but the party doesn't stop there: on Saturday, February 6th, The Skylark in West Seattle hosts an International Clash Day Concert to benefit KEXP's New Home! Seattle favorites Polyrhy…
"Your hippocampus does it alright" That astute observation from Built to Spill's Doug Martsch on his cerebral ode to memory function is a heck of an understatement when it comes to Twin Cities band Hippo Campus. The young four-piece is quickly becoming the pride of the St. Paul scene with their bre…
When it comes to Mike Krol, it's not three strikes and you're out. For the LA based, Milwaukee born songwriter, the third time's a charm, or rather, a Turkey. His third LP, and recent Merge Records release, avoids incarceration with a liberating blast of hook-filled garage rock, smart self-reflecti…
Well, now I'm depressed. I just did some math, and it turns out that in 1990, when John Doe took a break after having released six albums as a member of the legendary punk rock band X (see here for #6) and released his first solo album - as practically an elder statesman of punk rock - he was 3 yea…
KEXP made Seattle music history last weekend by featuring the first band ever to play on the roof of the historic Pike Place Market: Raw Power KEXP! The Seattle supergroup featured local legends Mike McCready, Duff McKagan, Barrett Martin and Mark Arm covering the classics of Iggy Pop and the Stoog…
It's only 73 seconds long, but this mini-trailer has us very excited for the eagerly-awaited sophomore release from UK group Savages. In the clip, none other than Henry Rollins (??!!) reads from Phyllis Rose’s Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker In Her Time as new music from the band plays in the back…
Well, who saw that coming? Wilco have unleashed a surprise new full-length this morning, and are offering it as a free download through August 13th. A CD version hits stores on August 21st, and the vinyl comes out November 27th. The hilariously-named Star Wars is the band's 11th studio album. Stre…
Coming off a great Neumos set the night before, Tanlines arrived at the KEXP studio early the next morning to deliver a flawless live performance as a four piece. The addition of a live drummer and second guitarist to the Brooklyn duo's always refreshing version of pop filled out their live sound w…
On Sprinter, the latest album by TORRES, Mackenzie Scott does not run away from the big issues. The 24-year old Brooklyn-based artist has clearly grown from her Southern Baptist upbringing, outpacing the usual "country girl meets big city" timeline but not so quickly that she dodges heavy themes of…
Spaced out indie psych at its finest, Dreamsalon’s Soft Stab is another piercing offering from the misty shores of the Pacific Northwest. Consisting of members Min Yee, Craig Chambers and Matthew Ford, the Seattle band crafts original and honest songs stewed in complex chord progressions, melodic b…
From pin dropping to firewatching, Brandi Carlile has lately shown a lot of range. On the heels of her unamplified Pin Drop Tour, the Northwest roots rock troubadour has released her fifth and and most rocking LP. The Firewatcher's Daughter is the first since the birth of her own daughter, but this…
Last month, we shared the first wave of bands playing the 2015 Treefort Music Fest, March 25th - 29th, 2015 in downtown Boise, Idaho. Today, we've got the next batch to share, and it's a doozy! Hometown heroes Built to Spill will take the stage, as well as Syrian artist Omar Souleyman. Both of Mont…
Following up from her stunning debut, Toronto’s Cold Specks drops by the live room to give us a crucial shot of excitement by sharing a sprinkling of sultry and sincere tunes from her new sophomore longplay Neuroplasticity. Helping to embellish Al Spx's powerful and magnetic voice is her minimal bu…
When Sólstafir plays for KEXP, the gods take notice. Two years ago, during KEXP's broadcast at Iceland Airwaves, hurricane-level gales swept across Reykjavik as the hard rocking band brewed up their own storm inside Kex Hostel. Last month, on their first tour of the West Coast, heavy winds followed…
