Splitting the difference between bursts of lo-fi energy and ragged psychedelia, the Brooklyn trio Sunflower Bean channel a number of sounds from the storied lineage of their home city into their 2016 debut album, "Human Ceremony". Drawing equally from their pair of lead singers, the grou…
Twelve solo albums into his career, Bob Mould's "Patch The Sky" captures the Minnesota songwriter at his darkest and most reflective. His emotional and sonic fury remains just as impactful – and loud – in this blistering live session where Mould discusses "the darkness behind the su…
Any major dude will tell you that Canadian crooner Mac DeMarco knows how to get a laugh, but don't let the oversized t-shirts and backwards-facing baseball caps fool you - behind the humorous antics and normcore fashion, Mac delivers an impressive blend of dynamic pop melodies and smartly crafted,…
As we reported last month, Scottish siblings The Jesus & Mary Chain are releasing their first new album in eighteen years, Damage and Joy, out March 24th via ADA/Warner Music. (The album title is apparently "a reference to the English translation of schadenfreude." Interpret that as you will!)…
Swedish indie pop band The Radio Dept. have never been optimists, but with new record Running Out of Love, they are really going out of their way not to see any silver linings. "There's nothing gracious about our kind", Johan Duncanson sings on opener "Sloboda Narodu" (yes, that is the famous Yugos…
Thankfully, Failure never quite lived up to their name. Though in the 90's, they were never really allowed to sit at the cool table of grunge superstars, they found critical praise through their own inventive brand of heavy alt-rock. Record sales, unfortunately, never followed, and five years after…
When we were spinning Rapprocher back in 2011, we knew it was only a matter of time before Class Actress became a full-fledged pop star. There's just something magical about the high tension melancholy Elizabeth Harper has on her records. It's a very "this is where I find myself for better or worse…
Calling Brooklyn dance outfit Future Brown's debut LP an album is almost depressing. Future Brown is less of an album and more of a flawless collection of singles curated in the most listenable form possible for maximum sonic impact. There is no slow middle section. There's no one track you'll pass…
For those lamenting beloved NYC band The Walkmen's indefinite hiatus, rejoice in the band's bassist Peter Matthew Bauer's solo album, Liberation!. Don't be offended by the title, it's not an enthusiastic goodbye to the band Bauer has dedicated 13 years of his life to. The album marks an opportune m…
During SXSW this year, KEXP returned to Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop and teamed up with Distiller Promo, Sub Pop Records + Hardly Art, and Merge Records for three days of free showcases featuring Dum Dum Girls, Wye Oak, Black Lips, La Luz, Hurray for the Riff Raff and many others. Between sets, we ask…
Opening our final day of the KEXP broadcast live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves is singer-songwriter John Grant. Though he is currently based in Iceland, he is one of only two American acts featured on this year's broadcast. Grant first gained notoriety as the lead singer of Denver-based shoeg…
If you'd been following the prolific career of Bay Area musician Ty Segall, you might have been surprised when he was announced to perform Pickathon earlier this year. But the 26-year-old Bay Area musician, whose discography is as labyrinthine as an 80's record contract, and whose most recent recor…
Mary Lambert, who sings the beautiful hook on the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song about marriage equality, “Same Love”, recently released her solo EP, Welcome To the Age of My Body, on Capitol Records. KEXP caught up with Mary as she was in Los Angeles preparing for the Grammy Awards, where “Same L…
