It's hard to believe that next month will be the one year anniverary of Scottish electronic band CHVRCHES releasing their first LP. At this point, it seems like the trio has been dominating indie and pop airwaves for ages. Every track on The Bones of What You Believe oozes with pristine pop majesty…
Though it's the first album released solely under his own name, there is a strong argument to be made that Everyday Robots is not the official solo debut of English legend Damon Albarn. That could be the soundtrack to the 1999 film Ravenous, which was the first music outside of his then-main band B…
Interweaving a patchwork of influences, from '60s psych to outsider folk, Boston band Quilt blanketed the KEXP studios with songs from their latest album, Held in Splendor, out now on Mexican Summer. Stitched together with their unique three-part-harmonies, the ambitious young band explained to DJ …
Bob Casale, founding member and guitarist of influential new wave band Devo, sadly passed away on Monday at the age of 61 from health complications that led to heart failure. His brother and bandmate, Gerald Casale, left this statement on the band's Facebook page: "As an original member of Devo, Bo…
After seven years together, Vivian Girls are calling it quits. They wrote on their Facebook page, "It's been a long and crazy journey in the seven years since, and we feel as though the time has finally come to let our band rest in peace. It's been an experience that we'll look back on and cherish…
We're excited to announce that Arcade Fire have announced North American dates for their Reflektor tour, including a stop at the Gorge Amphitheatre on Friday, August 8th. Mark your calendars: tickets for the general public go on sale starting Friday, November 22nd.Earlier today, we reported that th…
"Nothing is more dangerous than a man," Hutch's guitar declared as The Thermals blazed through an incendiary set live at KEXP. The songs on the Portland band's latest album, Desperate Ground, carry the same message: guns kill, people kill, wars kill. In the studio, the trio (Hutch, Kathy and Westin…
February 1986. Four scrappy dudes from Minneapolis -- Paul Westerberg, Bob Stinson, his brother Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars -- took the stage at Maxwell's, the now legendary (and defunct) Hoboken venue. It was a memorable show for the now legendary (and defunct) band The Replacements. They had ju…
Mark E. Smith, leader of influential UK post-punk band The Fall, passed away this morning at home at the age of 60. His manager Pam Van Damned states, "A more detailed statement will follow in the next few days. In the meantime, Pam & Mark’s family request privacy at this sad time." The band ca…
It's time to add another band from the KEXP stacks to the long list of fascinating artists I should really become more familiar with - and would happily read a book about. Scritti Politti began 40 years ago in Leeds, and have been intermittently making music in various lineups ever since (with the …
Have you ever wondered how to prove your undying loyalty to your favorite band? If the answer is year, The Kills have got you covered. Last month, the band asked fans for 15 participants to get tattoos of symbols inspired by each song for their album Ash & Ice. The call was easily answered and…
Scott Weiland, the frontman for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died yesterday while on tour with his new band, The Wildabouts. The dynamic singer had a much publicized tumultuous life, but as VR bandmate Duff McKagan posted on the band’s Instagram, “It’s just so sad and brutal from any p…
When Australian band Crayon Fields first formed, they were scrappy high school students with a love for jangle-pop music. After two excellent full-lengths, many worldwide tours, and one KEXP performance from SXSW, the band took a five-year hiatus that ends this September with the release of their t…
There's over 20 live videos from Canadian bands listed below, and that's just scratching the surface of how many of our neighbors to the North have stopped by KEXP. And, whaddya know, our very own DJ Cheryl Waters just happens to also book these in-studios... coincidence? Cheryl has long championed…
This week's post is actually, completely by coincidence, somewhat timely! I had somehow missed the news that the English punk/post-punk heroes Wire had just released a new album called Wire (because once you've been a band for almost forty years, why not go the self-titled route at long last?). The…
It's scary how many great albums are coming out on this Halloween week! Highlights include the fourth album from Scottish band The Twilight Sad. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says the band, "brings back the loud, shoegazerish guitars that were mostly absent from their last release (2012’s No One Ca…
Named after a race of diminutive creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Kithkin's energetic, uplifting indie rock is the type of music that gets the cops called over to house shows (in the best way possible). Although the band's aesthetic is clearly a fantastical one - the self-described "Cascadian you…
It's not easy for bands to pull of a daytime performance in bright sunlight. Most are used to dark clubs and nocturnal crowds, but the warm desert tones of LA's Allah-Las made for a perfect Austin afternoon on the first day of our broadcast this year from Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop during SXSW. Thou…
Two Seattle bands top this week's list of new releases. Since 2011's full-length No Witch, The Cave Singers added Blood Brothers/Past Lives/Fleet Foxes (among others) member Morgan Henderson to their lineup and teamed up with Fleet Foxes producer Phil Ek for their fourth LP Naomi out on Jagjaguwar.…
Anacortes: gateway to the Washington's San Juan Islands. Home to artists like Karl Blau, Phil Elverum and The Lonely Forest. Soon to be know for another new band, BellaMaine. The young indie rock group, led by married duo Nick and Julianne Thompson, immediately caught the attention of KEXP's Mornin…
