Well, can't say we saw that one coming! In the next phase of the ever-evolving state that has come to define them, experimental indie rock chameleons Liars come to us now as... a synth pop band?! Well, perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration. But still, on new record Mess, we find Liars a far cry a…
Next on KEXP live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves was an insane set from Icelandic band Grísalappalísa. The band, whose name means "pig-legged Lisa," plays raucus music that genre-jumps like nothing I've ever seen before. Vocalists Gunnar Ragnarsson and Baldur Baldursson scream and grunt, with …
This past Thursday at the Sunset Tavern over in Ballard was blessed to be hosting an intimate showing of some of the most face melting and forward thinking UK indie rock that’s around today. You might think that’s a big statement - and it is. The band, you ask? None other than Drenge. And if you mi…
Shabazz Palaces' new video for "Forerunner Foray" takes trippy animation to the next level. While there ins't an obvious answer as to what exactly is happening, the visuals will definitely keep you transfixed. Yes, that is Magic Johnson riding a giant slice of pizza through space. [Stereogum]
In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Death Cab For Cutie's 1998 session on KCMU, KEXP looks back on the band's remarkable debut which also came out two decades ago next month.
Only last year, legendary shoegaze band Ride released their first album in 21 years, Weather Diaries. Thankfully, we won't have to wait another 21 years for their next release. Today the band has announced a new EP entitled Tomorrow's Shore that will be dropping next month. It'll include the single…
The Roadhouse is a roots program emphasizing the blues and other traditional styles of American music. The show presents the wide and wonderful spectrum of our musical legacy - the roots of today's popular music and culture. The show explores regional differences in American recordings with a decid…
Next on KEXP’s Iceland Airwaves broadcast live from Kex Hostel is Icelandic indie-rock band Hjaltalín. The band formed in 2004, but didn’t release their debut record
Of all the things that characterize Mondays, high energy performances are probably last on the list. But The Districts and Sun Club both brought their music to Neumos on Monday through a explosive, sweat drenched lens. It was more than enough to shake any Monday gloom, and both sets left the Neumos…
Finally! A reason to go to Spokane! This weekend, September 5th through 7th, launches the First Annual Bartfest, a music festival organized by a new all-ages venue in the small Washington town, The Bartlett. Together, with Nyne Bar located next door, they'll host a three-day indoor festival smack-d…
This weekend is your chance to score a piece of punk rock history as X's Exene Cervenka is throwing a yard sale, and you're all invited! The sale begins today in Santa Ana, California and runs for the next four days. Everything from guitars, vintage clothing, movie posters, alligator bags, and mor…
Next on KEXP live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was the first non-Icelandic band of this year's broadcast. Operators is the new synth-pop project from Canadian musician Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade/Divine Fits/Handsome Furs). A ray of sun after the bright but melancholy cloud of D…
Seattle's Dreamsalon gets you right away with their tight rhythms, deep bass and quick, quirky melodies. Ever since 2011, they've been rocking as a cohesive unit spilling out songs with high energy. We wanted to catch up with bass player Min Yee to get his thoughts on the project, how the band memb…
Hey, are you going to be in Austin, TX, during SXSW next week? If you are, come join KEXP at Mellow Johnny's Bike shop for three days of free music. During the 2014 South by Southwest Music Conference, KEXP is teaming up with our friends Distiller Promo, Sub Pop + Hardly Art, and Merge Records for …
Grynch has been rapping in the Seattle hip-hop scene for over a decade. He has played with just about everyone around town, from Macklemore to Blue Scholars, and even with Cleveland's Bone Thugs 'n Harmony. He's also working on a new album that he hopes to release in spring. KEXP caught up with the…
If you were listening to The Morning Show on KEXP the other morning, you already heard the worldwide debut of the new Parquet Courts EP, Tally All The Things That You Broke. If not, you can now stream it below, or just wait 'til it comes out on What’s Your Rupture? Records next week on 10/8. [Ster…
With his previous record, Timothy Showalter sought to look inward. On his latest LP as Strand of Oaks, Hard Love, Showalter is looking outward with his most expansive and expressive songs to date. Opening with the crushing, lengthy, and affecting “Taking Acid and Talking To My Brother”, the Philad…
There's not a ton to say about the last year of CHVRCHES' career that hasn't already been said. Anyone who's even occasionally read Stereogum or Pitchfork in the last six months probably knows the story by now: the Scottish trio of singer Lauren Mayberry and multi-instrumentalist Iain Cook, and Ma…
Next on the broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves music festival is Icelandic psych outfit Par-Ðar. Their name serving as a description for the band's sound, "PAR" is an acronym for Psychedelic Ambient Rock, and "Ðar" is the band’s made-up word for a state of enlightenment or being. Th…
