Originally hailing from North Wales and now based in London, The Joy Formidable is a powerhouse dream rock trio. The live show-dominating, wild-eyed outfit recently released their third studio album, Hitch, once again demonstrating their emotional shoegaze and melody-driving arena pop. However, to …
Daughter - the word alone inspires feelings of love, protection, fostering, sharing and hope. For KEXP listeners and viewers, there's even a stronger bond, as the band Daughter have become, since their first appearance on our airwaves in 2012, one of the most endearing bands to ever perform live in…
Musical lore has it that Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the iconic South African mbube group, was founded by Joseph Shabalala after having a series of dreams in which he heard their sounds. It goes unmentioned whether or not Joseph dreamt of 50 years of worldwide success as perhaps the most well-known cu…
Anticipation is high for the forthcoming full-length from dream-pop duo Beach House. Today, you can enjoy two more tracks from their upcoming album, Depression Cherry, out August 28th on Sub Pop. Stream the singles "PPP," "Beyond Love," and the previously-released "Sparks" via a player on their we…
You know, it's bad enough when there's a band that I'm vaguely familiar with, that I know I should really check out, but have never quite gotten around to (we see a lot of those in this column). But when there's a band that I totally think "yeah, I know that band! I like them," only to realize that…
After pumping out five albums in seven years, The Hold Steady were due for a break. But during the time between albums, the Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis band just couldn't keep from working. While vocalist Craig Finn released and toured a solo album of his own, guitarist Tad Kubler got the guys togethe…
"It's your natural place", Sarah Versprille whispers, as the steady groove of "Scotty" beckons you on to the wonderful b-side of Pure Bathing Culture's debut record, Moon Tides. It sounds like she could be singing to David Hindman, the other half of Pure Bathing Culture, who is responsible for the …
David Lynch's musical legacy is not one to be trifled with. Throughout his many decades of film work, Lynch has made it a priority for the musical impact of his films to be just as haunting and brilliant as the visual. From the dystopian terror of his and Peter Ivers' Eraserhead soundtrack to his f…
For Seattle garage rock fans, Friday night's bill at Tractor Tavern was a dream come true. San Francisco's Mikal Cronin made his way up the coast in support of his highly acclaimed new record MKII and brought along Oakland friends Shannon & The Clams and rising local three-piece Dude York. Each…
There's something about the booming sound of an analog synthesizer that excites the imagination. Decades of filmmakers and composers have utilized the mesmerizing power of these instruments, from John Carpenter to Vangelis all the way through Hanz Zimmer and Cliff Martinez. So it made sense that Se…
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Cheryl Waters, host of The Midday Show on KEXP, is "You Sold Me a Dream (feat. Ana Tijoux)" by Jupiter & Okwess, from the 2021 album Na Kozonga on Everloving Records.
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by DJ Kennady Quille, in honor of KEXP's Pride programming, is "Dream Girl" by Dreamer Isioma, from the 2022 album Goodnight Dreamer on Dreamer Isioma/AWAL.
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Mike Ramos, in honor of Pushing Boundaries, is "Calamansi dreams" by Sendai Era, from the 2023 self-released album Kalayaan.
We've reached day three, the halfway point of Iceland Airwaves Music Festival and of the KEXP broadcast. Rather than winding down, things are just getting going, as festival-goers prepare for a weekend that invariably becomes a music supermarathon, catching great music all over Reykjavik from noon …
It's a great week for local music. The latest from Olympia-via-Seattle artist Briana Marela is what KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "her strongest set to date of adventurous electro-pop. Co-produced by Juan Pieczanski and Ryan Heyner of Small Black, the album features a brighter, more dynamic …
The gaudy, sterile synths, the contrapuntal guitar and bass, the party ready drums, and especially the high-ranging, free-wielding, devil-may-care vocals - if you were there in 2005 when Clap Your Hands Say Yeah rose to indie-stardom with their self-titled, self-released debut, you remember it all.…
Back in October, we took the first opportunity we had to bring Scottish group Django Django live on air. Their self-titled debut, soon to be nominated for a Mercury Prize, had been released just the day before, and a full U.S. tour was still a dream, but the band was able to drop by the Cutting Roo…
