The very first band we had in during our residency at Breakglass Studios for POP Montreal was Montreal-via-Beirut duo Wake Island. Comprised of Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal, the two grew up in war-torn Beirut before coming to Montreal where they ended up meeting in college and bonding over t…
The Hood-to-Hood artist with the shortest commute today was West Seattle's own Michael Lerner, aka Telekinesis. For his stripped-down set from the Junction, Lerner stepped on stage with a guitar and an old-school four track machine, and charmed his neighbors with a short n' sweet set. The set kicke…
Ah, it's time for another dip into the "Bands Levi Really Should Have Been Paying Attention to at the Time" file. I can't tell you how many Red Lorry Yellow Lorry records I flipped past in my teenaged record-store-digging days, and I'm sure I heard them on one of our fine local college radio statio…
Sometimes I really wish I could jump in a time machine and visit the Seattle of yesteryear. Not because the traffic was better, and there were fewer condos, and people argued on album covers instead of the Internet, but because I really wish I could witness firsthand the version of this city - and …
In addition to producing about three months of shows and two new songs, The Postal Service reunion can now add a video to the list of things its produced. The AB/CD/CD-directed clip for the new song "A Tattered Line of String" finds a man fighting off a laundry machine that's trying to suck him in.…
Seattle art-rap duo Shabazz Palaces released two albums, Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star and Quazarz Vs. The Jealous Machines, on the same day earlier this year. Today they've shared the video for "Since C.A.Y.A.," the Thundercat-featuring opening track off of Born on a Gangster Star. The clip wa…
On the show this time, it’s the inclusionary joy of London’s Ibibio Sound Machine. Their latest album, Electricity, is available on Merge Records.
Ibibio Sound Machine talk about how their music unifies and vocalist Eno Williams talks about her family's journey between Nigeria and London.
The Strokes have unveiled the video for their new single "All The Time". If you just barely follow the band then I bet you've heard how they are prone to long, random breaks. We had to wait five years for the 2011 album Angels, so it's no wonder fans are thrilled to have another collection just TW…
Natalie Mering, better known as Weyes Blood, has had a busy year. She released her latest (and very good) LP Front Row Seat To Earth late last year and followed that up a few months later with a collaborative EP with Ariel Pink called Myths 002. Next on her agenda is a 7" of two covers of two songs…
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Cheryl Waters, host of The Midday Show on KEXP, is "Electricity" by Ibibio Sound Machinea 2021 single on Merge.
Every Shabazz Palaces record feels like a transmission from a far-off planet. In 2017, the Seattle hip-hop duo took this aesthetic a step further with two records -- Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines. The albums collectively chronicle the story of an alien sent t…
Local art-rap heroes Shabazz Palaces have released a new single with producer Thundercat called "Since C.A.Y.A." which will be on their forthcoming release Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star. It's one of the two brand-new albums the group is planning on releasing on the same day this summer, the othe…
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by John RIchards, host of The Morning Show on KEXP, is "Phoenix (feat. Fleet Foxes & Anaïs Mitchell)" by Big Red Machine, from the 2021 album How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? on 37d03d.
West coast faves Silversun Pickups kick off their three-month-long North American tour with a video for the track "Circadian Rhythm." The clip spotlights bassist Nikki Monninger (with a cute doggie co-star) in a dreamy, sparkly scene. Watch below, and then watch the band's KEXP New Home benefit pe…
This week sees the return of L.A.-based artist Aimee Mann. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls her ninth solo album, "a consistently strong set of intimate, smartly crafted folk-pop, combining a dark, acoustic-oriented sound with her plaintive vocals and often-poignant lyrics reflecting upon lost l…
Donning a red jump suit, Olivia Merilahti, vocalist of The Dø, looked as if she took the spacey ambiance of the KEXP studio to heart and, based on the sonic transformation The Dø's sound undertook in the creation of their third album, it was a fitting sentiment. Leaving acoustic instruments behind,…
Daily Ski Report on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, brought to you in part by Crystal Mountain Resort
