Boise isn't one of those places where you hop out of bed and say "I think we should go to Boise this weekend!" Actually, I don't think it would have ever been a destination on my list, but then low and behold Treefort Music Festival was born. So many people talked up this fledgling festival last y…
Iron and Wine, the music project of singer/songwriter Samuel Beam, delivers simple, folk ballads that evoke powerful complex emotions. With each album Beam seems to be reinventing himself; from the minimalistic, soulful melodies of The Creek Drank the Cradle and Our Endless Numbered Days to the mor…
All day tomorrow, we'll be counting down KEXP listeners' Top Albums of 2012 all day, and there's no doubt that local band The Helio Sequence will have a strong showing. That it took four years to release Negotiations isn't too surprising, considering the Portland duo usually take their time perfect…
DJ Miss Ashley celebrates Women's History Month, featuring new tracks from some very talented female artists, including Madrid-based, all-female quartet Hinds, sister duo Bleached, local reggae singer and multi-instrumentalist Chava Mirel of Clinton Fearons Boogie Brown Band, and many other leadin…
Wow, another year of Bumbershoot action already over, and what a ride it was! This year's festival was truly a different beast. With the new overhead having a full year to strategize and plan logistics, it seemed like by day 3, a lot of these were starting to go out the window. Crowd rushing in the…
Alt-J have shared an incredibly cinematic video for "Pleader," off their latest album Relaxer, released back in June. Directed by Isaiah Seret, the exact plot is difficult to derive but according to the band: "When we set out to make a video for 'Pleader,' Joe sent the following one-line brief to d…
Next on the broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves was the genre-bending psych-pop/blues/avant-garde band Fai Baba. Based in Zurich, Fai Baba is the solo project of Fabian Sigmund, accompanied by a varied lineup of musicians over the years. Fai Baba began about 10 years ago, after Fabia…
Hibou, the moniker of Seattle songwriter Peter Michel, returns with a new LP entitled Something Familiar out March 2 via Barsuk Records. The album follows up on the project's 2015 self-titled debut, which Michel recorded in a walk-in closet. This time around he's recorded with a full-band at Chris …
Last week, the Houston-born, Venezuelan debonair Devendra Banhart graced Showbox at the Market’s sold-out crowd with his charismatic charm, knee-weakening vibrato, and sultrily multicultural freak pop - or as his bandmate Josiah Steinbrick (one of the openers) put it, “all the best of unpopular pop…
It's been, like, eleven months -- we're overdue for a new Ty Segall album! All kidding aside, the prolific artist has announced a new self-titled LP coming out January 27th via Drag City. Check out the first single, "Orange Color Queen," below. The track is quite a departure from January's Emotion…
Bumbershoot has been a local institution since 1972. Ask anyone who's lived here for even a few years and they'll likely be able to talk off your ear with stories of their first experience at the fest in Seattle Center. In 2017, the arts and music festival is continuing strong for another weekend u…
Are you a fan of breezy, lush symphonic indie rock? What about high-end modern furniture? Then boy do we have a show for you! In conjunction with VuHaus, a non-profit digital video service, West Elm in Westlake will host a FREE performance by Hey Marseilles on June 15 at 7PM. It's a great chance to…
Local Natives have released a new single with the help of Nico Segal, a.k.a. Donnie Trumpet, from Chance the Rapper associates The Social Experiment. Entitled "The Only Heirs", it follows the previously released track "I Saw You Close Your Eyes", which (rather creepily) forced listeners to physical…
Sigur Ròs want you to go to hell. No, wait. The Icelandic icons have announced they'll be organizing their own festival, Norður Og Niður, a name that translates to “go north and go down” but can also mean “everything’s going to hell.” From December 26th through 31st, the venue Harpa will host musi…
Dream-pop duo Beach House are still stomping the pavement in support of last year's two-fer releases, Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars, but they took the time to create a video for the track "The Traveller" off the latter. It's an eerie clip from the Baltimore band, featuring a woman d…
There's not a lot of information out there about Gibson Bros. (not to be confused with The Gibson Brothers), but they seem to have been purveyors of the low-fi psycho-bluesy-rockabilly-ish sound that college radio stations saw a fair amount of in the '80s and early '90s. A quick YouTube survey of s…
10:15 on a Thursday morning, and today happens to be the birthday of Robert Smith, godfather of goth (even though he hates that term) and legendary frontman of The Cure. It's hard to believe, but The Cure will be here Memorial Day weekend, headlining the 2016 Sasquatch! Music Festival. Throughout h…
Brix Smith seems to have led a fascinating existence. Perhaps having been a member of the Fall isn't a huge claim to fame (not many bands have Wikipedia pages specifically dedicated to listing their past members, after all). But how many people can say they've played with the Fall, the Bangles, and…
It's a holiday week, so for new releases, we get a cornucopia of reissues, remixes, retrospectives, and more. Husband-and-wife duo Shovels & Rope share a surprise covers album that KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes features appearances "ranging from Shakey Graves and JD McPherson to Lucius an…
