New York based Freelance Whales may have gotten their start playing on subway platforms in 2008, but now they are one of the most critically acclaimed indie rock bands in years. Judah Dadone, Doris Cellar, and company stopped by the KEXP studio in October to play some tracks off of their Diluvia al…
“Everyone is dressed up, everyone to the nines”, Mike Kinsella whispers on the album’s closing track, “Someone must have found love or someone must have died”. That sentence - perhaps better than any other on the record - embodies the perfect mixture of awareness and distance that has haunted Ameri…
George Lewis Jr., or as he's known by his stage name Twin Shadow, is one of the most gifted indie pop artists in music today, and now, he's proven to be one of the most resilient. Earlier this year, the Brooklyn based singer/producer/writer released Eclipse, his third studio album, to critical accl…
We've got new releases from a few music veterans this week. British rock legends The Rolling Stones return with their first album in 11 years. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it, "a shockingly potent set of Chicago blues. The band sounds raw and vital, and Mick Jagger tears into the set list of…
Phantogram have dropped the cinematic new video for the song "Funeral Pyre," off of last year's Three. Directed by Gianluca Minucci, the video takes place in a car slowly cruising through Los Angeles, documenting all the things seen out of the passenger window. Minucci describes the video as, "a ph…
"That’s how it’s DONE!" -- As Conan O’Brien recognized, Charles Bradley & his Extraordinaires brought a fantastic performance to Conan last night. Watch the 67-year-old showman perform "Ain’t It a Sin" off their latest Changes, and you'll most likely agree. Keep up with all the late-night TV h…
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…
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings are recent legends and have become one of KEXP's core artists. The band, and the Daptones label that it represents, were the main force behind the soul funk revival of the last fifteen years, the stylistic rebirth that bands ranging from The Alabama Shakes to The Bu…
Back in 1994, a new club hit Capitol Hill called Moe’s Mo’Roc’N Café. It re-opened in 2004 as Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room (pronounced "new-Moe's," get it?). And for the next week of 2014, Seattle celebrates the 10th and 20th year anniversaries of these venues with eight-rockin'-days of local m…
Baltimore synth-pop group Future Islands found a new home on 4AD for their fourth LP, Singles. Though their prior years at Thrill Jockey have given us some incredible music over the years, whoever it is over at 4AD that got the wonderful task of marketing this band and this record for a Future Isla…
New Zealand-born, NYC-based artist Tamaryn has emerged as one of the most striking artists crafting atmospheric shoegaze/dream-pop over the past five years. Her third and latest album, "Cranekiss", finds her adding more electronic elements into her potent and grandiose sonic mix, yielding some of h…
Sleigh Bells have shared "That Did It," a fearless collaboration with Chicago rapper Tink. The Brooklyn duo weren't thrilled with the original demo last year but according to Derek Miller, Tink's fierce style was exactly what it needed. In an interview with Rolling Stone Miller said, "Once Alexis a…
It's April Fool's Day, so we're celebrating with a video round-up of your favorite Huey Lewis & the News songs! April Fool's! We're actually sharing a round-up of some of our favorite "foolish" songs for you on this festive day. It's our way to say "thank you" for supporting KEXP over the years…
K Records' Arrington De Dionyso shape shifts easily - between a rather normal looking young individual and a sprawling, terrifying, rapping shaman as part of Malaikat Dan Singa. The PNW has produced some rather odd things over the years, but to see Dionyso pop on some fake teeth and instantly trans…
David Bowie has decided to spread the love a few months early this year. He's released the music video for the track "Valentine's Day" off of his recent album, The Next Day. The video doesn't try to overwhelm you with visuals, there's just Bowie and his guitar. The simplicity really allows you to …
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…
You never need to wait to hear great music when you can always find it at KEXP. Cheryl Waters shares a mix of her recent favorites, including new tracks from Angel Olsen, My Bubba, and Camp Cope. 1. My Bubba - Charm2. Annabelle Lord-Patey - Oxytocin, Serotonin & Me3. Eskimeaux - Year of the Ra…
Tomorrow, reunited shoegaze legends Ride will release Weather Diaries, their first album in 21 years. And today, they’ve shared a new video for their single “All I Want.” Director Jade Mortimer relied on simplicity and detailed camera work for the video, which is mostly centered around a man slow-m…
Beach Fossils have done a lot of growing in the past couple years. Their 2010 self-titled debut was pleasing to the ear and to the heart with it's quiet, introverted finesse. But in 2011, by trimming some lo-fi fat off their tracks, they created a timeless experience with the What A Pleasure EP. Su…
“Boy, the come down here was easy, like the arrival of a new day.” That’s how Adam Granduciel chooses to open the new album from The War on Drugs after a minute and a half of dreamscape Americana. As the listener, you could say the same thing. The Philadelphia band have always found a way to worm i…
