The first thing that jumps out listening to Seattle's Maiah Manser is her loping, almost acrobatic vocals. But as the session goes on, it's just as impressive to see how her electronic compositions work themselves around her evocative voice to create swirling, hypnotic sounds. Joining D…
They say great art can come from sadness, and that seems to be true for the new album from Grandaddy. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "the fifth album (and first in 11 years) from this reunited Modesto, CA-bred band led by Jason Lytle is an impressive return to form featuring consistently stro…
“That's all I got,” chuckles Marty Stuart after gliding through a gorgeous, breakneck rendition of “Mississippi Railroad Blues” with His Fabulous Superlatives. Notably affable and even more instrumentally impressive, Stuart runs through cuts from his latest album, Way Out West, and trades storie…
We wrapped up day two of the OFF Festival in Katowice, Poland in the wee hours of the morning, tired but very happy and with the desire to reflect on the many positive aspects of the festival. We have been so impressed with OFF Festival, not just because of the high caliber of the lineup but also i…
This week, New Jersey producer Clams Casino hits a jackpot with his first official album. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it, "a strong set of expansive hip hop and R&B with woozy soundscapes combining atmospheric synths, spacy ambient noise and trunk-rattling beats with an impressive guest…
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,…
We hope you had a successful and fruitful Record Store Day this past Saturday and that you've added many cherished discs to your vinyl collection. This growing movement has been a needed boon for ailing record stores as much as it's been a treasure trove for music fans worldwide. We'd love to hear …
August is off to a great start with these excellent new releases, including the sophomore smash from Seattle's own La Luz. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it, "another impressive blend of noirish surf-rock and ‘60s girl-group pop. Produced by Ty Segall, the album’s sound is a bit more raw than …
Veteran Tucson band Calexico return with their ninth album today titled Edge Of The Sun. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "a beautifully crafted set of expansive folk-rock inflected with mariachi, synth-pop, cumbia and more. The album’s vibrant, colorful sound is fleshed out with help from an…
When a 4-year-old, Erik Blood began sneaking 45-rpm records from his sister’s room and listening to them while she slept, a future was being formed. Music shapes us like few elements can. The sounds, words, and images associated with certain songs can leave lasting impressions that often influence …
Northwest supergroup Unlikely Friends (featuring members of BOAT and Math and Physics Club) have returned with their sophomore album, Crooked Numbers. The LP follows up on 2016's Solid Gold Cowboys and KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "another impressive set of buoyant power-pop with jangly g…
Jack White looks very dapper and mysterious in his video for Lazaretto track "Would You Fight For My Love." Directed by Robert Hales, the video was filmed at Denver's Oxford Hotel, and according to a press release, "conceived and created within 24 hours." Now that's impressive. [Pitchfork]
I knew nothing about ESG before starting to write this blog post, but my quick research made it clear that they really should have been on my radar for at least the past twenty years, if not thirty. Their releases in the '80s, and then after their reformation in the early '90s, impressed a lot of p…
Yesterday, the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival line-up rolled out -- this year's headliners include Radiohead, Beyonce, and Kendrick Lamar as headliners, with Seattle's own Tacocat, Car Seat Headrest, and The Head & the Heart also on the impressive bill.
The Dead have come back to life with Day of the Dead. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "This mammoth 59 song, 5 and a ½ hour long tribute to the Grateful Dead was put together and produced by The National's Bryce and Aaron Dessner as a benefit for the Red Hot organization and their fight agains…
Swedish band Little Dragon are back with their fourth album, Nabuma Rubberband, which KEXP's Music Director Don Yates describes as their "most impressive set yet of chilly, R&B-tinged electro-pop." Why not let the downtempo electro-beats help you channel your inner eight-year-old for a chance t…
From the dance clubs of São Paulo to the Kent Avenue scene in Brooklyn, Montreal-native Thomas Arsenault, a.k.a. Mas Ysa, has found inspiration across the globe to create his rich, beat-driven songs. After discovering techno while in high school in Brazil, Arsenault went on to study Modern Composit…
“Joint isn't a curse, right?” El-P always asks the important questions, both on his records and in his sessions. This was only moments before he, Killer Mike, and Trackstar the DJ rock the KEXP Live Room with an incendiary (and, impressively, profanity free) session. A quartet of Run The Jewe…
The Triple Door was the place to be last night if you're a fan of Decibel Festival and need something to tide you over until September. The venue featured two identical back to back shows of Erased Tapes artists Nils Frahm and Douglas Dare. The two pianists made for an impressive showcase of everyt…
It's been 19 years, but we finally have a new album from The Jesus and Mary Chain! KEXP Music Director Don Yates says the Scottish siblings Jim and William Reid deliver "an impressive return-to-form that ranges from fuzzy, feedback-drenched rockers to swooning downer ballads." Coming right behind t…
