Carla dal Forno is an Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, currently based in Berlin. Beginning in underground groups F Ingers, Tarcar, and Mole House, Carla has emerged as a distinctive solo artist, releasing her critically-acclaimed solo debut album You Know What It's Like in …
Songs that make their way into the public domain are curious objects. For the few that make their way into pop culture, like "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" or "Jingle Bells," there are thousands of others that just collect dust and remain out of the public conscious. They're songs from bygone eras.…
Okay, buckle up you guys. This is where I usually write a few words to introduce the album at hand, but our friends at KCMU had a lot to say on this particular album, so I don't want to take up too much space - and by "on this album" I don't mean in any way relevant to the album, I mean they wrote …
On the second day of Bumbershoot, Seattle garage-rock duo Pony Time played their final show to a full house in the KEXP Gathering Space on Saturday afternoon. Luke Beetham (vocals/bass) and Stacy Peck (drums) did not disappoint, turning out their usual bass-heavy tracks, highly danceable as evidenc…
When most people hear the name "Barrett Martin," they immediately think of rock bands, like '90s grunge gods Screaming Trees or maybe supergroup Mad Season (which also featured members of Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam). Or maybe you flashback to 2015's Raw Power supergroup, performing on the top of…
"Seattle owns the future and they don't know it," composer Ron Jones tells a crowd at WaMu Theater during the second day keynote of the Upstream Music Fest + Summit. There's a bite to his words, feeling like equal parts admiration and condemnation. A native to the Northwest who relocated to Los Ang…
Following Friday's tease, alt-J have shared the single "3WW" in its entirety. Listen below. And looks like you really can't hide on the internet: the rumored album title that fans tracked down via a Japanese iTunes listing is mostly correct. The album is titled Relaxer and is scheduled for a June …
Fleet Foxes are getting back together. The Seattle indie band went on hiatus five years ago after they released their sophomore album, Helplessness Blues. At the time, frontman Robin Pecknold had decided to go back to Columbia University to earn his degree. Now it seems the hiatus is coming to an …
Armed with a tidal wave of talent and tracks from their new release, Weirdo Shrine, Seattle’s surf rock songstresses La Luz light up KEXP with this stunning live session. With their dark, reverb coated strings and organic tones, the band delve deeper into the fabric of their sundrenched sound - wit…
With a healthy dose of cool Britannia, Oxford’s Swervedriver take the KEXP audience on a melodic joyride through a collection of new spins from their long awaited comeback release, I Wasn't Born To Lose You. Enhancing their legacy seventeen years after their last LP, Sweredriver are still the multi…
"Utterly enchanting." That's how DJ Cheryl Waters described our recent in-studio session with the lovely Jessica Pratt, who was on tour in support of her sophomore release On Your Own Love Again, out now on Drag City. This young singer/songwriter emerged from the Bay Area's garage scene with an alb…
Portland composer and vocalist Natasha Kmeto dropped by and dropped jaws with her magnificent multitasking performance for KEXP's Audioasis. Surreal and vocally symphonic, Kmeto's songs stretch the boundaries of both contemporary pop, IDM and EDM with percussively intriguing compositions that slide…
Sounds like nowhere you'd want to be, and as far a band names go, maybe not something you'd want to hear, but believe us when we tell you, Diarrhea Planet rules! Six guys from Nashville – four of them playing guitar! – live the credo of "Shred 'Til You're Dead" by blasting a fiery torrent of riff-h…
The wildly talented guitar player, Jessica Dobson, who fronts the band, Deep Sea Diver, has also played extensively with bands like Beck, The Shins and Conor Oberst. Jessica knows the guitar inside and out and is a master of tones and composition. KEXP caught up with her to ask her about her favori…
Thinking of those who define the present-day Seattle music scene, musicians like Damien Jurado, who not only call the city home but who have influenced, promoted, and produced other local artists' music, come to mind. Jurado's soul-searching folk ballads have earned him a wholehearted embrace from …
I first listened to Damien Jurado's 11th album, Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son, while walking through our shared hometown of Seattle on a particularly rainy day. The first formidable moments of "Magic Number," transported me into a movie full of earnest life truths. Like his 2012 album, Ma…
Visually, Wampire are a throwback to the 70’s: button-downs with big collars opened at the top, sunglasses, long and wavy hair. If you didn’t know what year it was, you might think the Doobie Brothers just stepped out of the Mystery Mobile. Musically, Wampire proves worthy of their indie buzz. The …
The beautiful/transfixing/addicting/"reverb-abusing" Beach House have a homemade video out for their track "New Year" off 2012's Bloom. Featuring Victoria petting a cat in the sun as well as video of Beach House recording, and filmed at Sonic Ranch Studios in Texas, the video will make help all us …
If I thought there wasn't much info online about Saqqara Dogs, they're practically overexposed compared to the likes of Sacred Miracle Cave. I could just publish the 1990 KCMU DJs' thoughts on this album without any of my own nonsense, and I'm pretty sure it would encompass the vast majority of all…
Swedish rockers Peter Bjorn and John have been proselytizing their pro-60s pop prowess since 1999, but the trio really took the indie world by storm back in 2006 with their dance-floor hit “Young Folks.” Ten years later, they're still artfully writing their whistle-catchy songs like the title…
