You might not know the name Barry Adamson, but if you're a KEXP listener you've likely heard him - if not any of his excellent solo work, then as a member of bands such as Magazine and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. (Those are, in fact, the two things that anybody knows about Adamson, as one of the D…
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…
It's mind-boggling how a place so small can create so much terrific music. This year, as I was compiling my list of top Icelandic releases, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd find as many great albums as last year and the year before. Would I find ten? Twenty? Actually, as it turns out, a lot more! …
American influences from John Coltrane to Bob Dylan are clear in U.K. singer-songwriter Pete Molinari's acoustic bluesy-folk. Scratch the surface of his four albums and you'll find a broad range of sounds in the low-key Brit's music. Molinari grew up in an Egyptian, Maltese and Italian family, whic…
Jenny Lewis has always been a voyager. Whether it was way back when penning heartbreak after heartbreak with Rilo Kiley or finding fresh, rocky footing on her own Rabbit Fur Coat and Acid Tongue, she's wandered around like an ongoing cameo in someone else's story. Lewis is a gifted spectator, bless…
"Are you digging our laid-back vibe?" Band of Horses band leader Ben Bridwell asked the audience during their recent concert at Seattle's Moore Theatre. Following their recently released live recording, Acoustic at the Ryman, Bridwell and co. chose to perform very loose, rootsy interpretations from…
By now most have heard about Superchunk titling their new album I Hate Music, that it is the “dark twin” of their 2010 release, Majesty Shredding. But the only reason to care about an album name is if you like the band that’s naming it. And who doesn’t like Superchunk?? The lively rock group that r…
May has been a big month for Mary Lambert. In the wake of the success of "Same Love" - her 2012 collaboration with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis that served as a rallying cry to same-sex couples worldwide - the Seattle-based singer/songwriter has been writing new songs, playing a series of local show…
Sunday night, rock pioneer Nick Cave returned to Seattle in support of the excellent new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds record Push The Sky Away. Unsurprisingly, Cave played an insurmountable show in grandiose fashion. Mixing the best of Push with a dozen or more classics, Cave and his band brought …
Despite being recorded in December, Lavender Diamond's in-studio session was one of the warmest things that KEXP broadcast in 2012. Singer Becky Stark's voice is nothing short of radiant, buoying the Los Angeles quartet's tender, winsome sound. Across the folk pop bounce of "There's A Perfect Love …
Cleveland post-punk band Cloud Nothings are following up this year's Life Without Sound with a new track, "Relief." The previously unreleased demo is a contribution to a forthcoming benefit compilation, Taking It To Heart, Volume Two, which is raising money for the Heart And Stroke Foundation. Fron…
Yet again, I come to you on this Thursday somewhat surprised. I've covered the first two Television albums, plus Richard Lloyd's Field of Fire, but this is my first time bringing you one of Television guitar genius Tom Verlaine's own solo albums. Cover was certainly well-loved in the halls of KCMU …
San Francisco experimental indie band Deerhoof have contributed a cover of Madonna's "Live to Tell" to a new benefit compilation called Post - Trash: Volume Three. The proceeds of the compilation are benefitting the Maria Fund, which is a relief agency to help those affected by the hurricane in Pue…
Sleater-Kinney guitarist/vocalist and Portlandia star Carrie Brownstein did probably the most adorable interview of her life for the new podcast Bea's Big Laughs hosted by 10-year-old Bea. The interview focused mostly on Brownstein's work in Portlandia, but Sleater-Kinney was brought up as well, wi…
Sometimes, random happenstance can lead to wonderful things - the entire existence of Got A Girl exists as a testament to this. While on set during the filming of the Edgar Wright film adaption of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead got a chance to meet Dan The Automator, w…
It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. Thank you again to each and every one of you who donated to help build our home and specifically a new in studio perform…
4AD has been on a roll this year with unique new signees that are bringing the atmospheric R&B game to the next level. I guess this isn't terribly surprising, considering 4AD has been on the forefront for, I don't know, 35 years. But between last month's sleeper hit Lo-Fang set and last week's …
In his interview with Stereogum, Kip Berman historically described The Pains of Being Pure At Heart as a project about writing songs and playing them with friends. Now, almost five years since the band’s divine eponymous debut, with a new backing lineup that helped record the new LP out in a week a…
Recent losses getting you down? The weather seeming too bleak? Then come down to the Tractor Tavern this Wednesday for My bubba. The Nordic duo might not cure all your ills, but their infectious "sensual folk" is sure to offer at least one night of bliss. Their last (and first!) show in Seattle thi…
The 2017 Mercury Prize shortlist was announced today. Nominees include alt-J's Relaxer (who previously won the award in 2012 for An Awesome Wave), Glass Animals' How to Be a Human Being, Sampha's Process, Kate Tempest's Let Them Eat Chaos, and The xx's I See You. The prize celebrates the best Briti…
