What a bill! If you were at Crocodile Tuesday night, you sure got your 15 dollars worth. Swedish electro-pop duo Niki & The Dove blew our minds (as usual) with their soundscape of 80s pop glory, but luckily for those that arrived early, both openers played strong sets that were met with much ac…
Arcade Fire have shared a remix of the title track of this summer's Everything Now from their tourmates from the European leg of their recent tour, Colombian psychedelic cumbia band Bomba Estéreo. Simón Mejía of Bomba Estereo said that Win Butler approached the band with a couple of song possibili…
KEXP's Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole pumps up the volume with a great mix of new music and live rarities in celebration and appreciation of KEXP's Amplifiers Club donors! Turn it up! 1. Sonic Avenues - In Your Head 2. Guided By Voices - Psychotic Crush 3. Thee Oh Sees - Drop 4. Sharon Van E…
If you call yourself an Arcade Fire fan and have seen the band at least once in the live setting, there's a good chance that you need absolutely no introduction to Will Butler. When Arcade Fire skyrocketed to the moon amongst the Reflektor hype of 2013, it was clear that the one facet of their musi…
As we previously noted, Brooklyn band Parquet Courts make a sound whose exact genre is hard to nail down. Settling comfortably into a blend of seventies and eighties punk, avante rock, 80s pop, and no wave, their songs harken to indie rock's humble beginnings -- think Blonde Redhead but less sad, a…
It's been five years since Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have toured America, and in the unique and never-predictable story of Nick Cave, five years is a long time. After the release of 2008's Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, Nick has authored the screenplay for a major motion picture, published his second nove…
January ends on a bang as many long-awaited albums hit stores this past Friday. Cleveland's Cloud Nothings return with their fourth LP, which KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "their most polished and measured set to date of punkish power-pop. Produced by John Goodmanson, the album combines a dy…
It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since beloved Northwest singer/songwriter Elliott Smith released his now-classic LP Either/Or. For its anniversary, Kill Rock Stars is releasing an expanded reissue with live tracks from the 1997 Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia, WA, as well as previously u…
It is likely safe to say that the Fuel Sports Beer Garden has never been fueled with more grooviness than when Poliça took the stage for Upstream on Thursday night. The Minneapolis electro-pop group has their sound and aesthetic on complete lock. Their sleek, contemporary looks are in total unison …
Tonight, Friday, April 7th, Seattle's own Pearl Jam are being inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Barclays Center in New York. (Other inductees include Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Tupac Shakur, and Yes.) HBO will air the event later this month on April 29t…
Tonight, Friday, April 7th, Seattle's own Pearl Jam are being inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Barclays Center in New York. (Other inductees include Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Tupac Shakur, and Yes.) HBO will air the event later this month on April 29t…
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…
Since pairing up in 2014, Mazes frontman Jack Cooper and Veronica Falls vocalist/guitarist James Hoare have continued to enchant us as Ultimate Painting. While in town for the Capitol Hill Block Party (review here), the London duo (accompanied by touring bassist Will Young and drummer Bill Roe, aka…
When Vancouver-based band Black Mountain stepped in the studio, we got a contact high. Not necessarily from their clothing, but definitely from their heavy, sludgy, psychedelic sound. Vocalists Stephen McBean and Amber Webber trade verses over a Black Sabbath-inspired wave of droning guitar and key…
Detroit's Zach Saginaw, a.k.a. Shigeto, has been crafting immaculate and unique music over the past half-decade, most notably and consistently for revered American electronic music label Ghostly International. With a heavy jazz background, a strong love for hip-hop, and prodigious skills as an elec…
"You don't need to do that same ol' shtick." That's apparently what Aaron Dessner of The National told Scott Hutchison, founder and frontman of UK group Frightened Rabbit. Since their 2003 debut album, the Scottish group have become known for their anthemic guitar-based songs, punctuated with lyric…
