Today would have been Chris Cornell's 53rd birthday. Since news hit of his death in May, there's been an outpouring of love for Cornell and his music. From Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog to Audioslave and his prolific solo career, he gave generations of fans music to adopt as their own. He gave …
What kind of music would a futuristic space colony of Seattleites create? Seattle producer Kid Smpl gives us an idea with his pleasantly subtle, weather-infused tracks. The 23 year-old artist has been busy over the last few years, releasing a series of EPs since 2011, along with his debut album, Sk…
After 17 years of existence, The Helio Sequence could easily kick back in comfort as a fixture in the Pacific Northwest music scene with their successful signature indie-rock sound. Instead, the duo has been ushered into a new, full-grown style on their fifth full-length album, 2012's Negotiations,…
History seems to have mostly forgotten the London band Birdhouse - or The Birdhouse, depending on whom you consult - with references to their work turning up at baseline music information sites such as Allmusic and Discogs, but not much analysis or information beyond that. The only way I even found…
UK post-punk band The Vaccines took a more somber turn last year with their excellent album Come of Age. After their pitch perfect indie rock masterpiece of a debut, Come of Age was a surprise to most – a melodic turn towards introspection and harsh reality rather than reckless lust for youth. With…
The Dodos have announced a new album, Carrier, which will be out on August 27th, and they've shared "Confidence" from that album. Carrier follows the loss of guitarist Christopher Reimer, who joined The Dodos in 2011. Singer Meric Long revealed that Reimer was a big musical influence for him, “seei…
Happy Weed Day, everyone! Though the origins of "420" aren't quite the stuff of legend (it was not actually police code for marijuana use in progress), it certainly has become the rallying cry of pot smokers and is celebrated daily without anyone's help. But the day 4/20 is likely to raise more blu…
Montreal trio Paupière was the only Francophone artist that we filmed during our time at Breakglass Studios and Pop Montreal. Québec is a Francophone province with a vast majority of the population speaking French as their primary language. I spoke with many of the bands from Montreal about the dif…
Sharon Van Etten is one of many great artists contributing singles to the 7-Inches For Planned Parenthood compilation, released today. "Passion and Love" is the name of her contributed song, which is simple and sparse, with her vocals being accompanied by acoustic guitar. The 30-track compilation i…
Last Monday, at the first of two sold-out shows at The Moore, Philly's The War on Drugs delivered nothing short of a visually and viscerally stunning display of dream rock dopeness with their cascading waterfall of sound. It's like multiple shots of Nixon-defying dope coursing through your veins th…
This past weekend in Portland, a benefit concert was held for beloved local artist Scott McCaughey, who suffered a stroke back in November. As we mentioned last month here on the KEXP Blog, the two nights (Friday at the Star Theater, Saturday at the Wonder Ballroom) featured an all-star bill includ…
A native of Red Bluff, California, Margaret Glaspy moved across the country to Boston, where she cut her teeth with master classes at Berklee (regardless of whether or not she was a student at the time) and local gigs. A few years – and one set of studio sessions redoing her original, iPad-recorde…
It's only appropriate that his debut album is titled Tremors, because this beautiful, intimate session from SOHN had us all aquiver. Born in South London as Christopher Taylor, he had an early interest in music, but it was the groundbreaking Radiohead release OK Computer that led him into electroni…
Katie Kate stormed Hilliard's Beer Taproom with a performance so stunning, even the children attending were floored. Alongside a live drummer and beat-maker, Katie Kate showed everyone in the audience what she was truly made of. Even if hard beats and surprising rhyme aren't your cup of tea, there…
As major labels continue to exist behind the times, artists and labels with little capital and lesser reputations are producing some of the most innovative, interesting, and inspiring music. Whether it’s creating a new niche in digital technology or looking to once obsolete formats, Agitated Atmosp…
With eight members, it's no surprise that the afro-funk of Seattle's own Polyrhythmics packs a mean punch of energy. Beyond the vibrant wall of sound that struck audience members of our Occidental Park at Upstream, festival-goers were also hit with a massive dose of sheer joy. The highly-danceable …
Day one from our Upstream Music Fest & Summit coverage closed off with an intimate, gorgeous performance from Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft), who is no stranger to the KEXP airwaves. Performing mostly tracks off his 1996 debut record, Return of the Frog Queen, Enigk was jo…
At 7PM during KEXP's New Home Grand Opening, we were blessed with a magic hour: the sun had passed behind our wall but the dusk was still light. A crowd of fans spilled out into the courtyard from having just witnessed Hey Marseilles in the standing room only Gathering Space of KEXP. Now, they coul…
I didn't realize that I was familiar with Altered Images when I pulled out this record, but it turns out I know two of their songs (and I'm sure you know at least one, if not both): the title track from their debut album, Happy Birthday (which is exactly the one you think of when I say it's an '80s…
You're going to hear plenty of songs all day as we celebrate International Clash Day today from 6AM to 6PM, featuring the The Clash's officially released songs plus rarities, side projects, and an exclusive interview with Julien Temple, but that's just part of the picture. The band's fame was earne…
