Listening to St. Vincent's new self-titled LP, I find it harder and harder to market Annie Clark's music to friends by method of comparison. On her past efforts, including 2011's excellent Strange Mercy and her breakthrough 2009 record Actor, Clark has stood out on the forefront of a brave, new wav…
All this year, KEXP has been hosting a series of unique fun events to raise money for our New Home campaign! Back in October, we hosted a two day showcase in Portland, one at Holocene and the other at Doug Fir. While there, we were fortunate to work with Louie Herr and Aaron Colter of Banana Stand …
This week we celebrate the 15th year of one of Seattle’s favorite hometown labels: Barsuk Records! Since its birth in 1998, Barsuk has helped create a platform for dozens of great bands, from the Pacific northwest and otherwise, to get off the ground and put forth incredible music. Even in the deca…
We end our broadcast during Musicfest NW today with another great lineup at the Doug Fir in Portland. Tune in today starting at noon for four great bands performing live on air starting with New Jersey indie punks Titus Andronicus, followed by melodic Bay Area folk-pop duo The Dodos, Portland's own…
Spring is here, and Cheryl Waters' latest mix comes into bloom with rootsy, sparkling, and exuberant new songs from artists including PWR BTTM, Gillian Welch, and Guided By Voices. 1. Gillian Welch - I Don't Want To Go Downtown2. Happyness – Falling Down3. Father John Misty – Total Entertainment F…
If you're looking for a last-minute Valentine's Day gift for a music lover, look no further than this week's new releases. Brooklyn-based Sudanese multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Sinkane (aka Ahmed Gallab, former Yeasayer/Caribou/Of Montreal sideman) releases his fourth LP. KEXP Music Director Don Y…
It's always inspiring to see bands releasing new and interesting music thirty years into their careers. (I'll be honest and admit I haven't heard 2015's Stuff Like That There - I'll blame that on the fact that it was released one month before my son was born - but I'm just assuming it was new and i…
Our friends at Merge Records are celebrating their 25th Anniversary all year long -- not only with our recent SXSW showcase, a buncha great reissues, and a 25K run, but with Merge 25, a four-day music festival taking place July 23rd through 26th in the label's hometown of Carrboro, NC. They've jus…
Tomorrow, Beat Connection drop their new LP, Product 3, on ANTI- Records. Everything about that sentence makes me want to run outside shouting for joy and hug the first person I see. Beat Connection fans, both in their home town of Seattle and afar, have been waiting on Product 3 for a minute now. …
It should come as no surprise, but we're not the only ones celebrating the 25th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind. Our Seattle Center neighbors the EMP Museum are hosts to the world's most extensive exhibition of Nirvana memorabilia, a collection commemorated in the book, Nirvana: Taking Punk to t…
As a teenager, Jordan Gatesmith fronted the Minneapolis-based band Howler, whose sneering garage-rock sound caught the attention of UK label Rough Trade. (You can check out their KEXP performance during SXSW 2012 here on the blog, and a 2014 in-studio session here.) After two albums, Gatesmith disb…
There's lots to love in the record stores this Valentine's Day week, like the aptly titled Hotel Valentine, the first release in fifteen years from New York City duo Cibo Matto. If you're in a more somber mood, check out the album Benji from Sun Kil Moon aka Mark Kozelek (ex-Red House Painters), fe…
Brooklyn-based (formerly San Francisco) shoegaze band Weekend came into the picture at the turn of the decade with Sports, a strong introductory statement that could have seen the band go in plenty of different directions in the future. But in the form of Jinx, their sophomore step mixes dense text…
Earlier this week, HAIM released their acclaimed album, Days Are Gone, but only those with access to the deluxe UK iTunes edition of the album had the pleasure of hearing a flawless bonus track. The sisters co-wrote the song, entitled "Edge," with Twin Shadow and the result is a smooth masterpiece…
KEXP's Morning Show host John Richards presents a new mix featuring tracks from Odonis Odonis, Tom Vek, Young Fathers, Brian Jonesetown Massacre, The GOASTT, King Dude and more. From fuzzed out post-punk to funked up Black Sabbath, there's a noise here for everyone. 1. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Jacks…
One of the few bands promoting a soon-to-be-released album, Parquet Courts' Sunday night set at Sasquatch was a partially a showcase for their forthcoming second album, Sunbathing Animal. (Interestingly enough, the album went up for streaming just as their set started.) Their debut, 2013's Light Up…
Following his stunning participation in A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and His Month of Song at Benaroya Hall last month, L.A. punk legend John Doe shares a video for the track "A Little Help," which, incidentally, gets a little help from Chan Marshall aka Cat Power. Doe explains, "There is beauty &am…
The Cure celebrate their fortieth anniversary this year. Let that soak in for a second. Then consider that the English quintet are playing three-plus hour sets with multiple encores night after night. Needless to say, Robert Smith and the current Cure lineup are doing right their legacy night after…
