While everyone else in Seattle was decked out in rain boots and all-weather jackets, the dapper Los Angeles quartet Chicano Batman returned to the KEXP studio dressed to the nines, bringing a bit of psychedelic sunshine to one of the wettest Seattle winters in recent memory. The band's ebulli…
Our long-time musician friend, David Bazan, stopped by the KEXP studios the other day to play synth-ethereal songs off his new album, Blanco, which he so Bazanly described before the session as "basically electronic music with sadness." No surprise there! If you know anything about the man you know…
A Four Tet remix has long been a universally accepted stamp of approval and new music from the beatsmith is always met with a rare intensity of excitement. And while new music and mixes from Kieran Hebden’s project are always a cause for celebration, his live sets are surely the best way to experie…
"Scottish people and the sun don't go well together," remarked The Twilight Sad frontman James Graham as he and his black-clad bandmates took a sunlight- and wind-drenched stage. However, perhaps the dissonance between the Scots and Vitamin D fueled Graham and his comrades because, despite the circ…
Starting on Monday, August 14th, KEXP will celebrate National Radio Week, featuring a variety of special programming dedicated to beloved radio stations largely no longer on the dial. National Radio Day, officially celebrated on August 20th, will be stretched to an entire week to give over the KEXP…
Every Monday through Friday we deliver a different song as a part of our Song of the Day Podcast subscription. This Podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists our DJ's think you should hear. Today's song is "Light it Up (Let it …
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 …
Elvis Costello was in fine form at his solo show at The Paramount Theatre on Sunday night. The very nearly sold-out crowd was abuzz with anticipation, and there was a palpable sense that this was going to be a special event. The stage was dressed with several guitars, a piano, a high backed chair o…
It's important to note that The Replacements reunion could've been a disaster, and not the kind of shambolic splendor that the Minnesota legends used to thrive off of. When they were perpetually drunk underdogs tossing out half-assed covers and barely recognizable versions of their own material, th…
There's lots of treats as the month of October kicks off, including the latest from Ontario-born, London-based producer/multi-instrumentalist Caribou. KEXP's Music Director Don Yates describes it as, "an even more dance-oriented follow-up to his 2010 breakthrough album Swim, with an often-intimate …
If you've seen any of their paper ads or television commercials this year, Bumbershoot's marketing slogan goes along the lines of "Possibly the most amazing lineup in the universe". Roll your eyes if you must, but we think Bumbershoot isn't too far off the mark. This year brings one of the best sch…
Rock icon Tom Petty has passed away at the age of 66, following a full cardiac arrest on Sunday night that left him with no brain activity. On Monday, October 2nd, the decision was made to pull him off life support. His longtime manager Tony Dimitriades released the following statement: "On behalf …
It's an understatement to say The War On Drugs' return to KEXP was highly anticipated, but it's the best that words can do for this sublime session from Adam Granduciel and company. Featuring four songs off the band's beautiful new album A Deeper Understanding, the Philadelphia…
There was only one line longer than the Big Mario's line on Saturday at Capitol Hill Block Party 2016. In the middle of the day, with the sun out and shining down, keeping everyone warm, the line to get out of it and down into the basement shelter of Cha Cha was stacked fifty deep at pretty much an…
This is the third album by The Jazz Butcher I've covered in this blog series (see also here and here), and I'm embarrassed to admit I have yet to properly spend time getting acquainted with this long-running English band's deep discography. Something tells me that the next several years will be a g…
Celebrating their fourth LP, A Man Alive, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down stopped by KEXP to throw a little pre-release party. Though the new songs are energetic and completely accessible, as Thao explains to the Midday Show's Cheryl Waters, recording A Man Alive was an incredibly personal, at time…
There is no group of people more passionate at festivals than Australians. Ineffably, Aussie bands and fans always give notable performances and serve as fervent audience members, which is why Cloud Control felt like they were playing the steps of the Sydney Opera House instead of the much-smaller …
Seattle's Chastity Belt teamed up with Pony Time's Stacy Peck and one local loveable couch to create a video for "Seattle Party" off their upcoming album No Regerts. Can you pick out all the Seattle locations in the video? And for those of you not from around the block, get a glimpse of our city th…
The Strokes have shared a trippy, animated lyric video for "Drag Queen" off of their new release, Future Present Past. The four-track EP is out now via Julian Casablanca's own label, Cult Records. As an added bonus, the band and label will open a pop-up shop in New York City on Sunday. [Pitchfork]
After the release of their stellar debut album, The Shape of Brat Pop to Come its been a year of relative silence, but today, HOLYCHILD is back with a bang. The indie pop duo has impeccable timing. "Rotten Teeth" is perfect summer jam to kick off your Memorial Day weekend. [SPIN]
