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…
The sheer volume of great pop music coming out of the UK can be overwhelming, and that’s only what makes it Stateside. Imagine actually living there, surrounded on all sides by unending legacy and talent. That’s exactly the type of pressure cooker from which London based pop artist Oscar has emerge…
There are infinite ways in which musicians reveal their talent, and fans need only listen to the first track of Ad Infinitum, the fourth album by Seattle's own Telekinesis, to realize what we now have on our airwaves is a truly stand-out record. Combine several years of early, steady, success with …
As Oli Bayston, a.k.a. Boxed In, says, "Everyone who creates something is a product of their influences" - and he should know. The British record producer certainly has had a wide of array of influences, growing out of his previous work as frontman for the four-piece Manchester rock band Keith and …
Of Monsters and Men are no longer the undiscovered artists who charmed audiences across the web back in 2010 with their intimate, stripped back living room performance, recorded by KEXP, of “Little Talks”. Since signing to a major label subsidiary, Republic Records, for their debut album in 2011, t…
Everyone's recovering from the long Memorial Day weekend, including the music industry, but there are still some excellent new releases awake today. One of the highlights is the third full-length from Portland band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "an adventurous, im…
The otherworldliness of Iceland's landscape is never lost on those who live or travel there. Not just a land of fire and ice, it is also a land of light and dark, starkness and majesty, community and isolation. The only thing that isn't a wonder about Iceland is how artists of all kinds echo its un…
Beloved Chicago label Bloodshot Records are celebrating their 20th anniversary with the 2CD or 3LP compilation called While No One Was Looking, featuring bands covering artists from their roster. Indie rock veterans Superchunk chose the Ryan Adams track "Come Pick Me Up," which frontman Mac McCaug…
Today, Bruce Springsteen turns 65 years old. SIXTY-FIVE. After a seven-year-old Bruce saw Elvis Presley performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, he knew he wanted to be a musician. Even as a teenager, he played concerts at Jersey trailer parks and at the Elks Lodge. And, somehow, over fifty year…
In an industry where auto-tune is often synonymous with lack of talent, the vocals of Channy Leaneagh, frontwoman of Minneapolis electro-pop group Poliça, are boldly filtered through reverb and auto-tune on each of their albums. But the use of these tools is an overt stylistic choice for Leaneagh a…
Delorean's synth-heavy alternative dance music resonates like the clean whir of a fully-functioning flux capacitor. Typically, their albums contain influences ranging from punk rock to electronic music, giving Delorean their eclectic sound. Having dropped a new album, Apar, in Fall of 2013 on the N…
It’s always interesting when you learn about an artist’s path to recognition – and it’s even more captivating when it involves details and arcs you’d never expect. This is the intriguing life of singer-songwriter Laura Veirs: she was raised in Colorado in the 70s, where she studied geology and Mand…
Shearwater fans need not worry: they're "not turning into a cover band". So says principle songwriter Jonathan Meiburg, who recently performed a set of covers live in the KEXP studio. Their new album, Fellow Travelers, in fact, consists exclusively of cover songs written by tour companions of the A…
The 10th anniversary edition of Decibel Festival begins on Wednesday, September 25, and gathers the crème de la crème of the international electronic music and visual arts community. Holding their own among them are some of Northwest's best electronic artists, like Seattle duo ODESZA. These two you…
After selling out their first show (Dec. 12) at Key Arena in just 15 minutes, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis decided to add a second performance on December 11. That one sold out in two hours. The guys have so much love for their hometown that they've now added a third show, this one is set for Decem…
Today, millions of Canadians celebrate Canada Day, their nation's birthday, dating back to 1867, when the four current British colonial provinces joined to form the country consisting of ten provinces and three territories that we know today. We at KEXP feel a particular kinship with our polite nor…
Trends come and go quickly in music. Something can be hot one day and out the next, while some things take hold and never let go. The latter can be sincerely said of The Zombies enduring jazz-infused psychedelia, especially their handful of American hits and acclaimed album Odessey and Oracle. Al…
Björk has shared the enchantingly vivid video for recently-released single "The Gate" off her forthcoming full-length Utopia. Directed by frequent artistic collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang, the clip features the Icelandic songstress in a custom Gucci gown by by Alessandro Michele (who also collabor…
Sudan Archives is the alias of Cincinnati-bred, LA-based singer, songwriter, violinist, and producer Brittney Denise Parks. Recently releasing her self-titled debut EP this past summer on Stones Throw Records, her mesmerizing blend of Sudanese and West African influences with R&B and electronic…
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…
