Few bands generate as much excitement among KEXP listeners as alt-J. We followed their stratospheric rise from the beginning and even helped stoke the fire of the early buzz by which they burned brightly. The anticipation of their sophomore album was almost unbearable, though, particularly followin…
Well, that's a wrap on another year! Bumbershoot 2014 closed out with yet another incredible day on Monday, seeing the last good weather before a big rain and the last tour appearance by several bands before heading back to the studio. But the farewells were all in great spirits - fantastic sets ab…
We've recorded him several times in the woods, but for his first in-studio at KEXP, Shakey Graves shook the dust off (unfortunately, on our floor) for a rowdy set of blues fueled rock live on the Morning Show. Sure, it was early for Alejandro Rose-Garcia and his co-producer and collaborator Chris B…
KEXP faves First Aid Kit have announced the follow-up to their beloved release, 2012's The Lion's Roar. The Swedish folk sisters will release the full-length Stay Gold on June 10th via Columbia Records, produced by Bright Eyes producer Mike Mogis. Sample the single "My Silver Lining" below. The gi…
Often touted in 2013 as one of the bands you should know, KINS are quickly becoming one of the bands you do know. The Brighton-based band's well-received debut was several years in the making, starting from the original demos Australian transplant Thomas Savage brought with him from Melbourne, and …
One song from The Clash is hardly ever enough. That's what DJ John Richards admitted to himself last year on this day when one Clash song became two, and then became the rest of The Morning Show on KEXP, and thus International Clash Day was born. And there's no better band to honor worldwide than t…
If you were to define a sub-genre for Julianna Barwick's ambient music, it might be something like "polar pastoralism" as the young church-raised singer and composer evokes both the southern straw dust farmland of her youth and the glacial fields that surrounded the recording of her latest release.…
On any given weekend in Seattle, there are a million amazing shows to see - from jazz at a coffee shop or theater, to a grunge show at a DIY space, to a major act at any one of our large venues. Maybe this weekend you want to try something new, maybe you heard one song by this small electronic, fol…
Apart from their various shows around the U.S. and Europe, we haven't heard much from Texan lo-fi indie rock band The Baptist Generals since their debut Sub Pop album, No Silver/No Gold ten years ago, but the band is back with the highly anticipated Jackleg Devotional to the Heart. The Baptist Gene…
When England's Lucy Rose came in to KEXP's studios, the friendly, unassuming songwriter didn't give much of a hint of the powerhouse performance that was about to come out. When she began singing a set of songs from her 2012 debut, Like I Used To, the Surrey chanteuse released a For Emma-level emot…
On any given weekend in Seattle, there are a million amazing shows to see - from jazz at a coffee shop or theater, to a grunge show at a DIY space, to a major act at any one of our large venues. Maybe this weekend you want to try something new, maybe you heard one song by this small electronic, fol…
Doe Bay Festival co-organizers Artist Home Presents have just announced a new outdoor music festival called Timber!, with 'a vision of uniting music, community, and the beautiful natural environment of the Pacific Northwest." Timber! falls on July 26-27 at King County’s Tolt-MacDonald Park in Carna…
My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James has announced a collection of covers called Tribute To 2. James released a solo EP Tribute To in 2009 which was a handful of acoustic George Harrison covers following Harrison's death. For Tribute To 2 James is covering a variety of different artists such as El…
Wo' Pop host Darek Mazzone had a chance to spend some time in China this year and dug deep into the country's amazing indie music scene: "I was blown away by the complexity, range, and fervor of what I found. I feel that China could be one of the next hotbeds of music and culture - it's just …
We made it out to the Trans Musicales festival grounds last night after we wrapped up filming for the day. The festival grounds are located at the Park Expo, which is a complex of large buildings, a couple of which are the main festival areas, like the food court, for a lack of a better term and I …
"It's so fuckin' party you will die." That was The Avalanches self-endorsement of Wildflower from back in January 2007. It had been a long wait for a new Avalanches record (seven years), but the boys were getting it together. They just needed nine more to make it perfect. Back in 2000, the Australi…
Barboza, the intimate venue underneath Neumos, feels cut off from the rest of the world, with no sight or sound of the rest of the world. In some ways, it's the perfect venue for a band like Hælos, whose particular brand of UK club R&B feels wholly detached from the rest of the world, cinematic…
The sounds that come out of a computer aren’t often what we enjoy listening to. The sound of your email, the sound of an error, the sound of typing, it’s all mundane. To some, however, the computer is an endless opportunity for sound. The artists beginning Decibel Festival 2015 have made their comp…
"Product of partition" - that's how Himanshu Suri, a.k.a. Heems, defines himself on Eat Pray Thug closer "Patriot Act". On that track, he talks about how growing up as a man of Indian descent in post-9/11 NYC was a nightmare. "From then on they called all of us Osama", he recalls towards the end, "…
Listening to In A Dream, the new LP from DFA powerhouse The Juan MacLean, we're reminded that it's been a long five years since John MacLean dropped his last proper record, The Future Will Come, back in 2009. That fantastic dance record was laden with Human League-esque back and forth narration bet…
