A band is like a marriage; the divorce rate for groups started two decades ago is high. Add in more members, each with significant side projects, and the odds of a split only climb higher. By all estimates then, The New Pornographers, formed twenty years ago in Vancouver, B.C., by players from a ha…
With a wash of funky synth and a splash of dancey pop, Seattle's Pillar Point is making waves on the electronic scene. Having transitioned from indie rock to indie synthpop, Scott Reitherman has just released his one-man project's sophomore album, Marble Mouth, on Polyvinyl Record Co. In-studio at …
For the past 40 years, John Doe has done it all, from fronting legendary punk band X to acting in TV and film. On his twelfth solo album, The Westerner, he found inspiration in the desert around him in Tucson, Arizona, where he was recording with Howe Gelb of Giant Sand. Take a musical journey thro…
When frontman Dean Wareham sings, "don't know why I can't stop smiling," he echoes the thoughts of thousands of Luna fans grateful to have the band back together after a decade apart. The beloved New York (well, now L.A.) band called it quits in 2004, but with Captured Tracks reissuing their first …
GEMS is the blossoming musical duo of LA-via-DC artists Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher. Their recent debut full length album, Kill The One You Love, has quickly become a KEXP favorite, with the record's brilliant lead single, "Living As A Ghost", handsomely showcasing their rich and dreamy m…
Second on the KEXP Broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was Icelandic folk-rock band Markús and the Diversion Sessions. Frontman Markús Bjarnason formed the band in 2011 after the breakup of his previous band, Skátar, for which he was the singer and keyboardist. A huge …
Okay, sure, this show was almost, like, a month ago, but I'm still reeling from seeing former Stereolab frontwoman Laetitia Sadier perform at the Vera Project. The influential artist spotlighted tracks from last year's Drag City solo full-length Something Shines, as well as her most recent single "…
Today, Thursday, September 17th, KEXP celebrates Six Degrees of Greg Dulli Day, where our DJs will demonstrate their "on-the-fly" programming skills all kicked off by a song by the charismatic frontman of The Afghan Whigs, The Twilight Singers, and The Gutter Twins. Wanna watch DJs John Richards, …
We've got more new music to share from the highly-anticipated new album from Telekinesis (aka Seattle's own Michael Benjamin Lerner): stream the track "Sleep In" below, a fantastic synth-pop ode to everyone's favorite activity. The song will appear on his fourth album, Ad Infinitum, out September …
It’s a bit difficult to accurately convey in words the many factors big and small that contribute to making Timber! Outdoor Music Festival a weekend unlike any other. As cliche as it might seem, Timber really is one of those things that has to be experienced in person to be fully appreciated. Now i…
While we wait for a new Parquet Courts full-length, the boys from Brooklyn tease fans with two split 7" releases instead. Today, they unveil a collaboration with Vermont artist Joey Pizza Slice (which is a GREAT name, btw): only 500 copies will be pressed of this August 11th release via Wharf Cat.…
Over the weekend, Grimes shared on Twitter that her highly-anticipated follow-up to 2012’s Visions will be out this October. She tweets the next release was recorded with "real instruments...very different from anything" and "every track is super different." Reflect on her early days with this 201…
White Men Are Black Men Too - Young Fathers' inclusiveness extends beyond the title of their latest LP. The adventurous followup to their Mercury Prize winning debut expands upon their already unconventional hip-hop-infused art pop toward an even wider spanning blend of gospel, soul, psych, prog an…
The unstoppable Dan Boeckner is back with a new synthpop smash from his dance project Operators. Stream the single "Ecstasy In My House" below, out now via Last Gang Records. A full-length album will be out later this year. In the meanwhile, watch last year's KEXP in-studio session here. [Stereogu…
Mark Lanegan shares a gorgeous new video for the track "Floors Of The Ocean" from his most-recent release, Phantom Radio. The abstract clip features ominous-looking storm clouds, as menacing and alluring as Lanegan's voice itself. You can watch him perform more songs from the album in this KEXP in…
Earlier this year, Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit released their third album, Stay Gold, and the siblings do just that in the video for the title track, streaming below. In the clip, Klara and Johanna Söderberg wander dreamily around the island of Gotland. Check it out, and tune in on Saturday, …
We've got a new Shabazz Palaces track to share today, with, quite possibly, one of the best song titles ever: "#CAKE." The sophomore release from the spacey Seattle duo is titled Lese Majesty, out 7/29 on Sub Pop. They'll be LIVE on KEXP on Monday, August 4th at 3:00 PM PT. [Stereogum]
Don't touch that dial! Public Service Broadcasting has a message for you! The London-based duo of J. Wilgoose, Esq., and Wrigglesworth are fond of filling their music with samples from public information films, archive footage and propaganda material, creating an amalgamation of the historical past…
Josh Rawlings plays keyboards with some of Seattle's most influential musicians and performers, from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to Allen Stone to his own band, Industrial Revelation. A graduate of Cornish, and recently a new father, Josh balances his time between family, being on tour, recording a…
Brooklyn synthpop trio Au Revoir Simone are back after a four year hiatus, and we were thrilled to have them as part of our CMJ broadcast from Judson Memorial Church. After a lovely walk around Washington Square Park with their young superfan, we stopped for a chat about parenthood, '80s beats, and…
