It's that time of year again - when Pike and Pine become overrun with confusing fences, music ripples between buildings of people hanging out their windows, and festival goers run rampant down the shut down streets. The 2013 edition kicked off with the usual sort of festival confusions, that starte…
California surf rockers Cayucas have been keeping our summer quite lovely. They dropped their delightful debut LP, Bigfoot, back in May and we've been dancing to it ever since. Last month, they played a headlining gig at Barboza in support of the record with JBM to much acclaim. But before they too…
The Sumner Brothers, the Vancouver B.C.-based alt-country band, co-led by brother Bob and Brian Sumner, stopped by KEXP to play a moving set on The Roadhouse with Greg Vandy. Looming with almost nightmarish instrumentation, but calming, yearning vocals, the band finds the listener’s ear immediately…
Although they've been local stars for some time now, Ravenna Woods just stepped it up a notch. The trio of singer/guitarist Chris Cunningham, drummer Matt Badger, percussionist Brantley Duke, are now joined by keyboardist Sam Miller for their forthcoming release, adding another layer to their alrea…
Jimmy Cliff might be the most prolific artist I've covered in this blog (OK, probably not more prolific than Jandek, but he's superhuman). Last year, forty-five years after his debut, he released the Tim Armstrong-produced Rebirth, which shocked the world by being both a brilliant artistic achievem…
We knew that The Besnard Lakes would be on our list to see while we were in Montreal since first, they are one of our favorite Montreal-based bands, but also because frontman Jace Lasek is one of the three founders of Breakglass Studios. It was really fun to see The Besnard Lakes in their element a…
Funk music isn't just heard, it's experienced. You can have a great time playing a funk article at home on your stereo, but it takes on a whole new life when it's right in front of your face. Seattle future funk-fusion act High Pulp gets this. With a staggering 10 members in the group, they push an…
A catchy melody doesn't just get stuck in your head – it lives there. You sit with it, sometimes for days or even years, ruminating on it whether you want to or not. Writing just one of these songs can be an accomplishment. Portland songwriter Mo Troper does this 15 times over on his latest album, …
The harsh cold air bites at my hands as I walk toward the Tractor Tavern to see Pedro The Lion play their first Seattle show in 11 years. The harshness of freezing breeze turns my thoughts to Pedro The Lion's "The Longest Winter." "In time memories fade, senses numb," the young David Bazan sings on…
Moon King is the project of Daniel Benjamin originally from Toronto, and now spending most of his time in the Detroit area. When Benjamin released his first tape as Moon King in 2011, he caught the attention of fellow Toronto band Fucked Up’s guitarist Mike Haliechuk who released his first two EPs.…
Next month we celebrate the 20th birthday of High/Low, the timeless full-length debut from New York indie rock stalwarts Nada Surf. The band celebrated the milestone in great fashion, reissuing the record on beautiful orange vinyl through Vinyl Me Please and giving it a fantastic packaging makeover…
Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole shines a light on some of the best new music from around the world, including songs from Iceland's Júníus Meyvant and Vök, Sweden's Tallest Man on Earth, Santiago, Chile's The Holydrug Couple, Seattle's The Flavr Blue, and many more hot jams that…
KEXP broadcasts live from the inaugural Thing Fest at Fort Worden, Washington
The rollout of new Arcade Fire begins! And it truly couldn't happen at a better time. Stream the single "I Give You Power" below, which features guest vocals from legendary vocalist and civil rights activist Mavis Staples. The track is a Tidal exclusive (a company Win Butler and Régine Chassagne a…
Beck continues to surprise us as he slowly unveils tracks from his new album, the long-awaited follow-up to 2014's Morning Phase. In addition to the groove of "Wow," today we get the radio-friendly pop song "Up All Night." The track also appears in the new FIFA ’17 video game, hence the YouTube im…
Alvvays are due to release their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Antisocialites, on September 8 via Polyvinyl. Today they've shared the third single from the new album, "Plimsoll Punks." It follows the wistful tracks "In Undertow" and "Dreams Tonite." In a press release the band claims "Plimsol…
Say what you will about the Internet age, but this whole "global flow of instantly accessible information" thing definitely has its uses. A couple of which are pointed out by the conversation on the album cover for Hallelujah All the Way Home, the debut album by New Zealand band The Verlaines. For …
It's been three years since the last record from The Drums, and a lot has changed for frontman Jonny Pierce. In that time, Jonny moved across the country twice, split up with his husband, and found himself without a bandmate as founding member Jacob Graham left the band to pursue other interests. J…
Next Tuesday, June 13th, journey to the land of the midnight sun as the Iceland-based trio Moji & the Midnight Sons lights the skies of the Laser Dome at Pacific Science Center. We were thrilled to discover this blues-rocking US/Icelandic trio while at Iceland Airwaves last years, and even more…
It is a truly beautiful sight to see a swarm of of black t-shirts filling up the halls of an 89-year old theater. A strikingly atypical one, considering the venue's usual programming, but a beautiful one nonetheless. Mastodon's return to Seattle coincided not just with the Georgia outfit's most foc…
