Inspired by Sufi poetry, their obsessions with writing, and limitation, Benjamin Verdoes and Nathan Quiroga, the creative masters behind Iska Dhaaf (a Somali phrase which roughly translates to "let it go"), have been collaborating for the past couple of years with impressive results. At first glanc…
DJ Kevin Cole drops a vibey, life-affirming new music mix taking you from outer spaces to the chamber of plastic thrills. Includes new tracks from Holy Fuck, Deerhoof, Jessy Lanza, and Delorean. 1. Outer Spaces - Words 2. Amber Arcades - Turning Light 3. Holy Fuck - Neon Dad 4. Delorean - Limbo …
DJ Kevin Cole invites you to sharpen your sense of wonder with a cascade of sweet new music from local faves Sean Nelson, Laura Veirs, and Rose Windows, alongside out-of-townies Superchunk, Love Language, Light Heat, and more! 1. Sean Nelson – Make Good Choices 2. Love Language – Calm Down 3. SPL…
The psych- and Tropicalia-inflected rock of Boogarins is so intriguing that when their earliest recordings had been picked up by music fans all over the globe, the band hadn't even played any gigs. Only becoming a live band shortly afterwards in early 2013 hasn't prevented the Goiânia, Brazil qu…
Put on your dancing stockings because this Sunday, as KEXP presents Deck the Dock: A Kids Dance Party from 9:30 AM to noon! At Waterfront Park, located between the festive Great Wheel and the Seattle Aquarium, you and your friends and family can enjoy a free morning of music, including live sets fr…
A-HA! Turns out that creepy snippet The Shins shared yesterday is part of a longer video that has been revealed today. As the press release says, "James Mercer wanted to give you all a Halloween gift while you wait for the album." So, watch the video for "Dead Alive" below. The new album will be o…
Italian electronic producer Andrea Mangia has been creating boundary-pushing electronic beats under the Populous alias since his debut album in 2002. Influenced by his extended travels around the globe, his latest releases explore an immersive, bass-heavy, intricately-layered sonic world that's enh…
You would think by this time in the run of this series I would have covered every "seminal" band worth getting your '80s-college-radio-DJ hackles up about. And yet, here we are in 2017 and this is the first time we've discussed The Velvet Underground. Of course this makes a lot of sense, since all …
They may not have made the majors like The Replacements and Hüsker Dü did, but Minneapolis-based band Arcwelder were more than a perennial local favorite, cracking John Peel's Festive Fifth countdown in 1992 and getting crowned NME's "Punk Rock Single of the Week" by none other than guest editors, …
A band is like a marriage; the divorce rate for groups started two decades ago is high. Add in more members, each with significant side projects, and the odds of a split only climb higher. By all estimates then, The New Pornographers, formed twenty years ago in Vancouver, B.C., by players from a ha…
This week, we continue sharing our discoveries from the Trans Musicales festival in Rennes, France, where last December we captured twelve exclusive sessions. We’re sharing with you one unique session each Friday, and you can watch all the previously released ones here. This week, we present a stri…
For the past 40 years, John Doe has done it all, from fronting legendary punk band X to acting in TV and film. On his twelfth solo album, The Westerner, he found inspiration in the desert around him in Tucson, Arizona, where he was recording with Howe Gelb of Giant Sand. Take a musical journey thro…
Happy 75th birthday, Bob Dylan! In honor of this momentous occasion, Animal Collective have decided to pay tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter. The experimental pop outfit shared their remix of Dylan's 1963 song "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." On paper, this combination doesn't make any …
Fifty fans christened KEXP's live room during an exclusive tear-soaked performance with José González, all to benefit KEXP's New Home. The Swedish singer-songwriter, whose history with KEXP dates back over a decade, broke listeners' hearts for a full set of gorgeous, heartbreaking bliss, while shar…
There should be no misconception about it, Delusions of Grand Fur is a gorgeous return to form for Oakland band Rogue Wave - not that they really ever left it. For their sixth release, though, frontman Zach Rogue and his longtime collaborator Pat Spurgeon have returned to self-producing and self-re…
Ever since his debut single in 2009 for his longtime label Captured Tracks, Virginia musician Jack Tatum's Wild Nothing project has consistently unleashed some of this decade's finest expansive dream-pop and shoegaze music. Now based in Brooklyn, his new third album, Life Of Pause, is yet another K…
Poliça will release their third album, United Crushers, on March 4. The Minneapolis synthpop band describe the album as "heavily political and deeply personal with thick references to social injustice, self-doubt and isolation, the rapidly increasing urban decline in gentrification, overcoming mu…
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 DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Afte…
White Men Are Black Men Too - Young Fathers' inclusiveness extends beyond the title of their latest LP. The adventurous followup to their Mercury Prize winning debut expands upon their already unconventional hip-hop-infused art pop toward an even wider spanning blend of gospel, soul, psych, prog an…
