I guess they can't all be as crowd-pleasing as Executive Slacks (that might be the first time that phrase has been uttered). Which is good for me, because honestly this blog series is a little more interesting when there's some dissent, a frisson of debate, even the occasional "I HATE THIS." This U…
The otherworldliness of Iceland's landscape is never lost on those who live or travel there. Not just a land of fire and ice, it is also a land of light and dark, starkness and majesty, community and isolation. The only thing that isn't a wonder about Iceland is how artists of all kinds echo its un…
Delorean's synth-heavy alternative dance music resonates like the clean whir of a fully-functioning flux capacitor. Typically, their albums contain influences ranging from punk rock to electronic music, giving Delorean their eclectic sound. Having dropped a new album, Apar, in Fall of 2013 on the N…
At last year's Decibel Festival, as part of the Optical series, there was a live scoring to an incredibly absurdly spliced film from the 70s, unfortunately missing this year. Luckily, Optical 4 made up for it, featuring the doom electro-acoustics of London duo Raime, the terrifying ambient textures…
When Sweden's Shout Out Louds came onstage for their 6:50 p.m. show at Sasquatch Music Festival this year, the weather started to shift from sunny skies to cloudy weather, but where most bands would thrive in a warm-natured festival environment, Shout Out Louds' melancholy pop benefitted from the o…
2013 has been a good year for guitarists. Chelsea Light Moving's Thurston Moore, Savages' Gemma Thompson, My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields, Marnie Stern, and Mikal Cronin have spent the year reminding listeners why the six-stringed instrument remains rock's weapon of choice. Playing with the pro…
Closing out the KEXP stage on Sunday night, you couldn't have asked for a better send off than Smokey Brights. The Seattle rock outfit wasted no time jumping right into what they do best: blaring killer guitar riffs and belting out infectious melodies that are sure to get people up and moving. This…
Ty Segall stopped by Conan last night to announce his forthcoming album Freedom's Goblin and to perform a brand new song "Fanny Dog." He performed the song about his dog Fanny with seven other bandmates, including a three-piece horn section, all dressed in white jumpsuits. Segall has also shared an…
Sudan Archives is the alias of Cincinnati-bred, LA-based singer, songwriter, violinist, and producer Brittney Denise Parks. Recently releasing her self-titled debut EP this past summer on Stones Throw Records, her mesmerizing blend of Sudanese and West African influences with R&B and electronic…
Angel Olsen is releasing a collection of outtakes and rarities called Phases this Friday, November 10 via Jagjaguwar. Today she's given us the previously unreleased song "Sans," which was written in between Burn Your Fire For No Witness and My Woman. Olsen called the song, "something short and simp…
All the way back in August, when Father John Misty was on his Pure Comedy tour, he recorded an episode of Austin City Limits for PBS. Recorded at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin, he delivered a shorter set than the other shows on his tour (his Seattle show at the Paramount was over two hours l…
DJ Chilly of El Sonido collects a bunch of his favorite Latin beats from 2015 for this mixtape, featuring all sorts of different styles from around the globe. 1. Buyepongo - Maestros (Captain Planet and Canyon Cody Remix) 2. Novalima - Mi Canto 3. Kiko Villamizar - La Remolacha 4. Nicola Cru…
Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole shares some of his favorites of 2014. Relish in the best of the year and hopefully discover something new and awesome! 1. Júníus Meyvant - Color Decay 2. Mac DeMarco - Blue Boy 3. Temples - Shelter Song 4. Ty Segall - Feel 5. Parquet Courts - Black and White 6. BRO…
Seattle's Earshot Jazz Festival is respected for its massive and adventurous artistic legacy. Now in its 26th year as Seattle's major annual jazz festival, Earshot is known for presenting creative masters and important emerging artists, and for finding fresh synergies between international artists…
Shlohmo is one fearless dude. If there is anyone else left in the room doubting that at this point, I really think they need to come forward if for nothing else than to just have a talk. Last year, Henry Laufer dropped an EP with R&B god Jeremih on his own record label, WEDIDIT, and shared a st…
It's that magical time of year again -- Sufjan Stevens has been releasing and presenting his usual barrage of bizarrely sweet Christmas cheer, and there have been plenty of other excellent holidays-themed releases and performances. For your holiday listening pleasure, we've compiled a list of the b…
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time on KEXP, is "All Too Soon" by Trentemøller, from the 2022 album Memoria on In My Room.
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Larry Mizell, Jr., host of The Afternoon Show on KEXP, is "All Roads Lead to Los Angeles" by High Pulp, from the 2022 album Pursuit of Ends on ANTI-.
