As Americans we are no longer surprised by European artists who bring their amazing music to our humble shores. The Joy Formidable is another among the ever-growing list of impressive British talent that has taken the US by storm. In 2007, childhood best friends Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan and Rhydian D…
There's one aspect to booking Man or Astro-Man? for an in-studio session that the band didn't reveal until they were on air. "We steal one thing from you guys, and if you figure out what it is, we'll give it back." Well, we don't think they took anything when they stopped by KEXP's studio in March,…
It's been five years since she's toured the States, but who knows how long it's been since she's been to Seattle? That all changes in 2017 as PJ Harvey embarks on a North American tour in support of The Hope Six Demolition Project. A press release states she'll be joined by an impressive 10-piece …
Welsh singer and producer Kelly Lee Owens has been making waves as a captivating solo artist in the underground music community over the past few years, blending immersive techno, ethereal dream-pop, and hypnotic krautrock to create her own singular style. She's released a string of hotly-tipped EP…
Montreal DJ/producer Jacques Greene has emerged as an integral and innovative artist within the underground electronic music scene since the release of his pivotal debut single, "(Baby I Don't Know) What You Want", in late 2010, displaying a cutting-edge style that uniquely infused R&B, progres…
April ended strong with new releases from some of our favorite artists. It's been five years since the last album from Feist, and the Canadian songstress returns with what KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls "a powerful set of dark, intimate folk-rock. Recorded mostly live, the album features a sta…
Vancouver, BC artist Dan Bejar -- better known as Destroyer -- returns with his 11th album, which KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes as "a powerful set of dark,'80s-steeped New Wave/post-punk with prominent percussive synths, gleaming guitars and occasional strings and horns accompanying his d…
Legendary '90s dream pop band Luna have reunited and are releasing two new albums on September 22 via Double Feature. One is a covers album called A Sentimental Education and the other is an instrumental EP entitled A Place of Greater Safety. They've previously shared a few songs off A Sentimental …
PJ Harvey has released a new single with Eyptian artist Ramy Essam called "The Camp," along with a video that includes images by photojournalist Giles Duley of displaced children in Lebanon. They hope the song and video will raise awareness and much needed support towards the health and educational…
First band on air for the 2013 Iceland Airwaves broadcast, live from KEX Hostel, is the 14-man Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band. First formed in early 2000 for a short series of performances in their native Iceland, the band was reformed in 2007 and released their first studio album Fynkur. In addit…
It may be Halloween, but this week's batch of new releases is pretty heavy on the Christmas theme, with collections out from She & Him, Jennifer Nettles, Kacey Musgraves, and Neil Diamond. I'm sure there will be more to come. For non-holiday albums, KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes the lates…
Veteran LA-based artist Moby debuts his new project, Moby & The Void Pacific Choir, and KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes their first LP is "a potent set of noisy, goth-tinged post-punk with loud, distorted synths, rumbling guitars, pounding industrial rhythms, dour vocals, soaring song hooks…
Spearheaded by recent NYC transplant and longtime Seattle DJ, musician, and writer Andrew Matson alongside Seattle DJ, musician, and designer HansmJustin, FR FR is a low-expectation, low-maintenance monthly rap party currently going down first Saturdays at Speckled + Drake on Capitol Hill. Known f…
Since we're celebrating Sub Pop 25th Anniversary, a.k.a. Silver Jubilee, this week, it's fitting that one of their new signees should top this week's list of new releases. Though the term does define him, Daughn Gibson is unlikely to be called a "singer-songwriter", at least not in the traditional …
If you're looking for a last-minute Valentine's Day gift for a music lover, look no further than this week's new releases. Brooklyn-based Sudanese multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Sinkane (aka Ahmed Gallab, former Yeasayer/Caribou/Of Montreal sideman) releases his fourth LP. KEXP Music Director Don Y…
Chelsea Wolfe is releasing a new album called Hiss Spun on September 22 via Sargent House. In collaboration with Converge's Kurt Ballou and Queens Of The Stone Age's Troy Van Leeuwen, she's delving deeper into metal influences on the new album. She's previously shared "16 Psyche" and "Vex" and toda…
It's an impressive week for new releases! Beloved Northwest band Sleater-Kinney end their hiatus with the release of No Cities To Love. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "The recently reunited trio’s eighth album (and first in 10 years) is a strong return-to-form, with an intense blend of punk, …
Perfume Genius mastermind Mike Hadreas is a local, but it wasn't until the 2010 Matador 21 anniversary shows in Las Vegas that I first saw him live. Sandwiched on the bill between two iconic heavyweights (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Cat Power, for crissakes), Mike sat timidly behind his piano w…
I've covered Beat Happening records in this space before, but it's been just over six years, so I figure the time is ripe to go back to that well. For my previous post, I compared the reactions to the Oly DIY heroes' first and fourth albums. Today we'll split the difference (sort of) and go back to…
Amber Mark is a blossoming NYC-based vocalist making waves in the music world with her stunning voice and vibrant sound that blends R&B, pop, soul, dancehall, and various club styles. She just released her impressive debut mini-album 3:33am, recently appeared on stand-out singles by DJDS, Demo …
