Few bands are more iconic in Iceland than GusGus. Starting some 20 years ago, more arts collective than musical act, GusGus broke from their cinematographic origins and through to mainland Europe and the world in the mid 90's with their eclectic electronica assembly of techno, deep house, dance-pop…
It's been a couple of months, so it's time for new music from Ty Segall. On January 22nd, the prolific artist releases his eighth (or tenth, who really knows) solo full-length, Emotional Mugger, via Drag City. Listen to an album stream below. This is actually the record's second iteration: it was …
A far cry from the "bedroom setup" they used to record their debut album, which took the world by storm in 2011, Django Django recently released the studio recorded Born Under Saturn, with a more confident and much bigger sound. The London four-piece didn't let fame or external pressures influence …
If there's another performer who has received two standing ovations for a single song at the Moore, Jason Isbell should call them and see if they'll go for best two out of three, because chances are that he'll win. The revitalized Southern songwriter is at a career high at the moment, and no other …
When asked how they deal with the stress of extensive touring, Yelle quips, "We are planking. Every day." Maybe we should be taking notes. Hailing from Brittany, France, electropop duo Yelle (Julie Budet) and Grandmarnier (Jean-François Perrier) have captured a wide following in recent years with f…
This weekend, on July 31st through August 2nd, Pickathon, the Northwest’s premiere roots festival, returns to the Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon. And once again, you’ll be able to watch the whole thing happen thanks to the festival’s live video webcast. From your very own porch, couch or of…
With their new release The Wanting, Seattle’s Nightmare Fortress have created the perfect blend of somber and emotionally intense sonic streams of grandiose grave wave soundscapes. Enthralled by this ambiguous and unnerving artwork, KEXP caught up with guitarist Cassidy Gonzales to discuss the maca…
Will Butler, best known as a core member of Arcade Fire, opened up the second day of Sasquatch on the main stage with a fun set of driving rock. Butler is a multi-instrumentalist, and seems equally confident on guitar, keys, or just playing the front man and singing. Indeed, his dynamic stage prese…
It didn't take long for Merchandise frontman Carson Cox's dry sense of humor to set in with his band's Saturday afternoon crowd. "So we're from Florida," he deadpanned. "Can you believe it?" On a hot afternoon, the hazy qualities of Merchandise's music were brought to the forefront, an effect that …
The legendary Bob Dylan releases "an album of vintage songs associated with legendary crooner Frank Sinatra." KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "it works beautifully, with spare, low-key accompaniment (ethereal pedal steel, softly plucked bass, gentle guitars and occasional muted brass) and his …
We are HAM! If you aren't yet, that's okay. HAM is legend. It took years of inactivity to become the rock icons they are today. Following the Icelandic doom metal band's prolific years, from 1988 to 1994, their legion of fans grew, until finally their members stepped aside from their other careers …
Our third act at our awesome off venue stage at Kex Hostel show of the day live from Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavik was Prins Póló (this also happens to be the name of a Polish chocolate bar here in Iceland, but we assure you it was the artist, not the candy, that we broadcast live). Svavar Pétur Ey…
"Holy shit." That's what DJ Cheryl Waters exclaimed as Scottish hip-hop trio Young Fathers finished their KEXP session. Thanks to Cheryl's booking, KEXP gets hundreds of in-studio sessions a year, but it's rare when our entire staff is unanimously blown away like we were that day. DJ Larry Rose, a …
On the 20th anniversary of his death, KEXP is celebrating the life of one of Seattle's greatest musicians. On April 5, 1994, Kurt Cobain took his own life but left an indelible legacy for musicians and fans across the world. Throughout the day on Friday, April 4, KEXP DJs are playing a variety of s…
Each time we've gone back to Iceland over the past five years, we've been fortunate to discover and share with KEXP listeners quite a few bands who might not otherwise leave their shores. For every Sugarcubes and Sigur Rós, we found dozens of others, like Hjaltalín, Ásgeir, Of Monsters and Men (bac…
UK indie pop trio London Grammar have been causing quite a stir lately, and the fact that they don’t even have a record out in the United States yet didn’t deter a single member of the full house they met Monday night at the Crocodile. Their debut LP, If You Wait, has soared towards the top of the …
2013 is a great year for garage rock. With Oblivians making their return and a whole new wave of young, brash energy on the rise, it’s going to be a summer for blasting shrill, lo-fi guitars out beat up car windows and driving down the highway to camp in your buddy’s ripped tent. Just a couple mont…
Brooklyn indie synth rock band Small Black stopped by Seattle this past weekend in support of their great new record Limits of Desire (you can grab the lead single "Free At Dawn" from our Song of the Day podcast here). With Limits of Desire, Small Black grow the fuzzy enveloped psychedelia of their…
After releasing a pretty great teaser (in an era of pretty awful album trailers) for the album last week, Neko Case has released some more concrete details about her sixth studio album, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, which will arrive on September…
If you didn't get your tickets in the 2.5 minutes that they were on sale, this lineup announcement may seem a bit cruel, but at least Artist Home, organizers of the annual Doe Bay Fest, kindly treated fans to a free show last night at Chop Suey as they revealed the performers at this year's sold ou…
