"An encore. How predictable," said a pre-recorded video of the cover model from Belle & Sebastian's latest album right before the Glaswegian pop stalwarts returned to the stage. And she was right. Contrary to their historical tradition, encores at modern concerts are almost always planned well …
White Lung's frontwoman Mish Way is nothing less than a singular, commanding singer, but the ferocious spirit that fuels her performances is empowering, not intimidating. On the band's latest album, Deep Fantasy, Way and guitarist Kenneth William, drummer Anne-Marie Vassiliou, and bassist Hether Fo…
Not surprisingly, a country known for its epic landscapes like Iceland also produces similarly cinematic music, like that of Kiasmos. The breathtaking sound of this new duo, featuring composer Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen (also of Bloodgroup), was the perfect intro for the first day of KEXP's…
Little Big Shows tend to sell out - that much is true. But with Little Big Show #10, Seattle broke a ground speed record, as tickets were gone almost before they even appeared. Every few months, KEXP joins Starbucks Seattle Theater Group to spotlight a Seattle charity with a show at the Neptune The…
Our second live Iceland Airwaves show of the day at Kex Hostel was friend of the station and amiable funny man Júníus Meyvant. This lanky ginger haired songster is a bit of an enigma, with no album and scant online presence. Unnar Gísli Sigurmundsson, his given name, began performing music a bit la…
It's not just because they're young (or high) that brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall consider the "classics" bands like Pixies, Beck, and My Bloody Valentine. JEFF the Brotherhood draw from some fairly obvious influences for their sludgy punk-metal sound, but on their new EP, Dig the Classics, the Orr…
It's not like Conor Oberst needs much help sounding great. The Omaha, NE, native has been writing and performing with various projects, most notably with Bright Eyes, since his early teens, and he is a co-founder of not one but two independent labels: Saddle Creek and Team Love. In other words, we …
The New Pornographers have always had a knack for explosive, shining melodies, but after two relatively experimental, more mellow albums, they've returned to playing to their strengths – multi-part harmonies and agile, punchy performances – on their new album, Brill Bruisers. The Vancouver supergro…
Pinch yourself, because this is really happening. Not only are The Dream Syndicate back in Seattle for the first time in 25 years - they also are playing an additional set for the KEXP Music Lounge to bring us as close as possible to this timeless and influential act. From their debut EP through fo…
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…
When Aaron Dessner of The National hands you the keys to his recording studio, you don't say no. That's exactly what happened when Australian indie-folk duo Luluc relocated to Brooklyn to record their second album, Passerby, out now on Sub Pop Records. The duo of Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett had b…
It had been almost a year to the day when Sam France of Foxygen fell off stage, canceling their 2013 tour just as it was getting started, but now he and songwriting partner Jonathan Rado are back with a vengeance... a glittery, glammy vengeance. The duo just announced the followup to their epic We …
This Friday, August 1st through Sunday, August 3rd marks the 16th Annual Pickathon Music Festival at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, and every year, the festival continues to live up to its city's name! The festival features a line-up of over fifty joy-inducing bands — including The War on …
If Dean Wareham's own name isn't familiar, his previous projects most likely are. Galaxie 500 and Luna may never have quite reached the commercial success to match their critical acclaim, but both bands inspired a generation to follow of dream-pop wanderers and romantic rock dreamers. And both were…
Firing on all cylinders, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley of Drive-By Truckers zipped over to the KEXP studio to play a couple of their songs off their newest album, English Oceans. With an eight-string, robust Kay Vintage guitar and silvery crooning, the two displayed their stripped-down prowess, il…
Ain't no lie: Los Angeles trio Liars wove a captivating web over us with their dark, atmospheric in-studio session. Entwined in a colorful skein of yarn, inspired by the cover for their latest release Mess, the long-running electro-punk band strung listeners along with their dark dance pop. The col…
"It happens to be the most played album on the Afternoon Show this year", Kevin Cole gushed about Sun Structures, the shimmering debut by Temples. The young UK group has been touted by Brit pop luminaries no less than Johnny Marr and Noel Gallagher, and though they may not yet be Top of the Pops, T…
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…
Since Kim Deal left, iconic band The Pixies have had a public struggle trying to replace her. And in a recent interview with Brooklyn Vegan, drummer David Lovering acknowledges that Deal is irreplaceable: "Basically, no-one can replace Kim Deal. It would be impossible to do." Kim Shattuck of the M…
The title for their latest album, Adios I’m a Ghost, fits The Moondoggies aptly – for, who are they, exactly? Always somehow be-shadowed, always off to the side somewhere, always somehow physically obscured. Upon listening, this is the sense they exude. In fact, lead singer Kevin Murphy noted of th…
