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…
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…
This week sees new albums from two soul greats. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings share their seventh and final album, recorded before Jones passed away from cancer in November 2016. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "a strong set of buoyant old-school soul and funk, with songs mostly written b…
Wilco are about to release reissues of their first two albums, 1995's A.M. and 1996's Being There. On both reissues are unreleased tracks and today we've received one from the Being There sessions called "Dynamite My Soul." The acoustic track features vocals from frontman Jeff Tweedy and his acoust…
Next on the broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves was Russian punk band Glintshake. Formed in 2012, much of their early music was in english, but they’ve since switched to making music in Russian, even re-recording some of their English songs in their native language and changing their…
KEXP was thrilled to be part of the Seattle spotlight on the CNN show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Check out their visit to the Gathering Space!
For many, 2016's sole light was music. As is always the case in times of cultural unrest, musical artists responded to widespread feelings of alienation, anger, and fear by producing vital, overflowing works in which a listener can find comfort, escape or understanding. However, as a result of this…
For months now, we've been playing tracks from the new Temples album and just saying "out next year." Now, we have an actual date to share! The LP Volcano will be out March 3rd, 2017 via Fat Possum, their first new album since their 2014 debut, Sun Structures. Via a press release, frontman James B…
Okay, I have no idea what is going on here, and for once the Internet and KMCU DJ comments are mostly giving me more questions than answers. Starting with Discogs, which seems to have the only solid info on this release out there, we have before us an album from early 1984 by The Seclusions, featur…
L.A. ladies Warpaint share a new song... titled "New Song." Well played, Warpaint, well played. The track is slated for their third full-length, Heads Up, which finds the group moving (no pun intended) in a more dance-oriented direction. Vocalist/guitarist Emily Kokal says, via a press release, "W…
Surprise! Baltimore duo Wye Oak have sprung an EP on us titled Tween, out now digitally and available physically on August 5th via Merge Records. The title reflects the contents: via a press release, they explain the songs "don’t make sense for album number five," but "just because they don’t belo…
Luminescent electronic lady Julianna Barwick shares her new album, Will, next Friday, May 6th via Dead Oceans, but you can stream it now in its entirety via NPR Music. The latest from this Brooklyn-based songstress features guest appearances from Thomas Arsenault (Mas Ysa), Dutch cellist Maarten V…
Who doesn't want to learn how to play guitar like Bob Mould? The veteran musician has certainly honed his chops over the last 40 years with previous projects Hüsker Dü and Sugar, and last night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he broke down his technique. Watch below. He and his fantastic ba…
West coast faves Silversun Pickups kick off their three-month-long North American tour with a video for the track "Circadian Rhythm." The clip spotlights bassist Nikki Monninger (with a cute doggie co-star) in a dreamy, sparkly scene. Watch below, and then watch the band's KEXP New Home benefit pe…
Opening the third day of KEXP’s broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was Icelandic singer-songwriter and KEXP favorite Sóley. Previously a member of Seabear and Sin Fang, the soft-voiced multi-instrumentalist has had a very successful solo career. She released her debut…
The middle set of today's broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves is British pop artist Lonelady. The pseudonym for british pop artist Julie Campbell, LoneLady combines funky guitar riffs with fun, dancy synths and beats, and influences the likes of “That’s Us/Wild Combination”-era Arthu…