There's this interview reel with Rod Serling that plays over the intro of Flight Facilities opening dance number "Two Bodies" on their debut LP, Down To Earth. Here, the famous Twilight Zone narrator reconciles the ideas of commercialism and creativity as the house beat fades in and Emma Louise sin…
“Hey Joe, sorry to hurt you, but they say love is a virtue, don’t they?” On The National’s new single “Sea of Love”, this quiet apology to a friend is a battle cry for affirmation of love. At this point, The National are indie rock legends, and themes of terrible love and trying relationship are no…
Last Friday saw the release of not one, but two albums from local duo Shabazz Palaces. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star "an impressive set of adventurous hip hop combining an ominous, shape-shifting sound with often heavily processed and reverbed vocals and dysto…
The Radio Dept. don't seem like your typical "summer festival" style band. On their most recent album, 2016's Running Out of Love, the Swedish duo paired their dreamy '80s-influenced synthpop with fierce, biting lyrics towards their homeland's government. But, somehow, the group got the bros and te…
We're so excited to have Bob Mould joining us next month for KEXP's New Home Grand Opening on Saturday, April 16th! KEXP Music Director Don Yates observes that on Mould's latest solo album, "the former Husker Du/Sugar frontman continues his latter-day resurgence with another impressive set of anthe…
This week's batch of new releases takes us from Seattle to Saint Petersburg, Russia, as Pinkshinyultrablast return with their sophomore full-length. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes the album as "an even more impressive set of fuzzy shoegazer psych-rock, featuring a more complex and dynamic …
Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg shares her debut solo album under the moniker jennylee. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes the release "brings a bit more of a rhythmic emphasis to her regular band’s brooding, goth-tinged dream-pop, while still sharing a dark sound with atmospheric guitars and …
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mid…
Artists like Vermont’s King Tuff don’t just play rock n roll - they personify it. Showcasing a smattering of bewitching jewels from his 2014 Sub Pop release, Black Moon Spell, King Tuff and his band clog up the pores of the KEXP live room with the dirty sound that rock purists have been jonesing fo…
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…
Oh, hey, did you hear there's a new album out this week from Spoon? KEXP has been, understandably, excited for the latest release from this veteran band (watch an exclusive nine-song set from the band that we aired on The Midday Show on KEXP earlier today). KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "thi…
Not only is the The Gorge at George, Washington, one of the most beautiful places on earth, but it also hosts the Northwest's biggest music festival for alternative and independent music. KEXP listeners don't need to be sold on Sasquatch! because the lineup each year is a vivid reflection of our DJ…
Influential artist Phil Everly, who formed The Everly Brothers with his sibling Don, passed away last Friday, at the age of 74. Everly's son Jason cites the cause of death as complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Since forming in the 1950s, The Everly Brothers racked up an unprec…
One voice that has definitely not been heard in the open letter to Miley Cyrus ballgame is Sufjan Stevens -- but don't worry, because he has finally voiced an opinion. His main advice: embrace grammar! Finding delicacy and delight in the present perfect continuous tense, Sufjan encourages the music…
Suzi Quatro is probably the first person I've covered in this blog series who was also a cast member on Happy Days - which I watched quite a bit as a kid, but I don't remember much of. But perhaps Quatro's bass-playing character Leather Tuscadero was an early influence, subconsciously leading me to…
Beloved Brooklyn band The National are back with their seventh album. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "another masterful set of brooding rock that injects a bit more electronic experimentation along with an occasional welcome return to rock aggression. As beautifully crafted and intricately …
Sometimes I think I'm not remotely qualified to be doing this blog series. (Perhaps you've thought the same.) Take Sparks, for example. I don't think I'd ever heard of Sparks before pulling this album off the KEXP shelves, but they've been a band for over 45 years and released a couple dozen albums…
Cheryl Waters shares the promise of the new year by starting off 2016 with a mix of great new music 1. Elephant Stone - The Devil's Shelter (feat. Alex Maas) 2. Wray - Hypatia 3. Hibou - When the Season Ends 4. Martin Courtney - Northern Highway 5. Wild Nothing - TV Queen 6. The Cave Singers - Tha…
Summer is here with warm weather, the occasional summer breeze and non-stop great music on KEXP. Check out the latest Music That Matters mix from Midday Show host, Cheryl Waters. 1. The Drums - I Can't Pretend 2. Lady Lamb - Billions of Eyes 3. Roaming Herds of Buffalo - Cereal Prize 4. Alabama …
KEXP Morning Show host John Richards is Vibing Geography. Featuring similar artists from different locations including Lawrence KC, Vancouver BC, Nashville, Seattle, Brooklyn, Duluth MN, Denver, Halifax Nova Scotia, Long Beach, Sweden and England. 1. Your Friend - Bangs 2. Frazey Ford - Done 3. P…
