Summing a two-song barrage in the KEXP studio by New Zealand's Salad Boys, DJ Kevin Cole exclaimed that they sound like "the best of The Feelies, Velvet Underground and Yo La Tengo in one song". While they certainly make a lovable racket channeling those and other legendary bands from their hometow…
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…
As DJ Cheryl Waters points out, Surfer Blood may not be the same "pen of puppies" they were in 2009, but on their newest release, 1000 Palms, they go back to their DIY roots. No longer with a major label looking over their shoulder and now with years of touring experience under their belt, the Flor…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
Vacation's over, folks. Those last several weeks of light weekly lists with barely a handful of worthwhile new releases are no more. Time to get back to record shopping in earnest. And this week is a doozy! Topping the list is the tenth album from veteran Chapel Hill, NC, group Superchunk. Released…
Seattle electronic producer Kayla Waldorf creates immersive, propulsive techno under the Aos moniker. Her debut EP, 90 East, was released on the stellar underground label Blankstairs and formally introduced a blossoming new artist within the electronic community. Also a dedicated and active member …
For fans of '90s shoegaze, the past few years have been a rush of reunions: Slowdive. Ride. Lush. Swirlies. Okay, hear me out. Unlike their UK contemporaries, the at-the-time Boston-based band followed a more lo-fi path, combining a DIY, punk aesthetic with their swoony, well, "swirly" guitars. In …
Raica is the alias of Seattle-based artist Chloe Harris, a lifelong passionate music lover, record store employee, and veteran DJ with 20 years of experience behind the decks. She was involved in the early days of Groovetech, one of Seattle's first online radio stations, right at the turn of the mi…
San Francisco's Nick Monaco brings his deep experience within his city's DJ/nightlife culture into his own carefree, cosmic experimental pop sound, recently found on his album Half Naked for Soul Clap's Crew Love label. With his teenage years spent throwing all-night parties and diving deep into tu…
Chicago DJ and electronic producer Chrissy (real name Christopher Shively) has been a prolific provider of exciting underground electronic rhythms over the last 10 years. Beginning with his debut EP in 2005 under the Chrissy Murderbot alias, his steady evolution in sound has witnessed multiple new …
The news that shoegaze legends Lush are touring again is exciting enough, and it's just gotten better as we have new music to share from the UK trio! Check out the video for "Out of Control," a single from their forthcoming EP The Blind Spot, out April 22nd on the band's own Edamame label. It'll b…
Sam Beam's new label Black Cricket Recording Co. has released Archive Series Volume No. 1, the first collection in a series of archival Iron & Wine songs. Most of the tracks were recorded while he was working on his 2002 debut, The Creek Drank The Cradle. The album will officially drop on Febr…
Since forming in 2007, Seattle's Cumulus – comprised of Alexandra Niedzialkowski, Lance Umble and Leah Julius – have only recently released their debut album, I Never Meant It To Be Like This, last month. But the wait was well worth it! The record is tight and rife with cheerful pop music, from sin…
Part of Minneapolis' Doomtree collective, Dessa, the 7-member group's only female emcee, may also be their most well rounded. A degree in philosophy, a background in writing, particularly in creative non-fiction and spoken-word, and enough business acumen to run day-to-days of the label itself all …
Yo La Tengo have premiered a new video for their song "I'll Be Around" (which, by the way, is their first new video in 16 years), and it features Mac McCaughn, founder of Superchunk and the Merge record label, singing the song and picking at a guitar in a woodsy field somewhere. The video is also …
KEXP is heartbroken to announce the passing of beloved soul singer Charles Bradley at the age of 68. The "Screaming Eagle of Soul" found a tumor in his stomach towards the end of 2016, but returned to the music world after an operation, including a stand-out set at the Sasquatch! Music Festival and…
Perera Elsewhere is the solo alias of Sasha Perera, a London-born, Berlin-based Sri Lankan singer/songwriter/producer that also fronts the futuristic electronic/pop trio Jahcoozi. Debuting the Perera Elsewhere moniker in 2013 with an EP of adventurous, sophisticated, and modernized trip-hop for Los…
