It's a great week for local music. The latest from Olympia-via-Seattle artist Briana Marela is what KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "her strongest set to date of adventurous electro-pop. Co-produced by Juan Pieczanski and Ryan Heyner of Small Black, the album features a brighter, more dynamic …
It's no surprise that Radiohead's Saturday show at Key Arena is sold out; the band have amassed a rabid fan base since forming in Abingdon, Oxfordshire back in 1985. And, it's no surprise that this roundup of Radiohead covers goes on and on; many of our favorite artists cite Radiohead as one of the…
New York duo Phantogram continue to tease out singles from their forthcoming full-length Three, out September 16th via Republic. We've already heard "You Don't Get Me High Anymore" and "Run Run Blood," and now we've got the track "Cruel World," which the twosome shared on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 Radio…
While boisterous hip hop (A$AP Rocky) and sleek pop house (Disclosure) dominated the main stage, Todd Terje's silvery disco was the perfect late night antidote to those acts. Though his usual backing musicians were absent, Terje played what very well could be both the smoothest and most subtly bril…
Last year, Sasquatch! Music Festival quite arguably had one of the best festival lineups in all of North America. Not counting the headliners, featuring leading voices in hip-hop, punk, and rock, the lineup was rich from bottom to top, covering a wide breadth of genres with a precisely-timed, (most…
"That’s how it’s DONE!" -- As Conan O’Brien recognized, Charles Bradley & his Extraordinaires brought a fantastic performance to Conan last night. Watch the 67-year-old showman perform "Ain’t It a Sin" off their latest Changes, and you'll most likely agree. Keep up with all the late-night TV h…
Every year, EMP's Sound Off! competition showcases emerging stars in the all-ages music scene. Previous winners have included The Lonely Forest, Dyme Def, Sol, Kithkin, Brothers from Another, Manatee Commune, Fauna Shade, Schoolyard Heroes, Tomten, and Brite Futures, just to name a few. Last week, …
This week, as we continue to post KEXP DJs’ Top 10 Albums of 2015 lists, we also want to share the favorites of KEXP's staff, volunteers and interns, the many many dedicated people who work behind the scenes at KEXP, and who are all passionate music fans themselves. We've already shared Part 1 and …
The Arcs, Dan Auerbach's new music project, have released a brand new single called "Fool's Gold." In an interview with Rolling Stone, Auerbach described the meaning of Fool's Gold as having "the same thrilling discovery, the same shiny luster and perceived weight as gold, but it isn’t gold and wh…
The name Erik Lindgren was not familiar to me at first glance (nor, for that matter, was the name of the currently-more-famous celebrity poker player Erick Lindgren), but it turns out I have heard his work before - and even covered it on this blog. Lindgren has lived all over and been affiliated wi…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. This week, we are featuring artists p…
For the third Friday evening in our free Concerts at the Mural series, on Donor Appreciation Night, clear sunny skies and sweet tunes beckoned fans to fill the Seattle Center lawn. KEXP truly is a community effort, and Friday night showed what the community is all about. Justin Chan won a chance to…
Good music may be one of the few things Iceland and Austin, Texas, have in common. Kaleo is a perfect example of that bond. The Austin-based Icelandic four-piece dance around their influences while delivering songs with such diverse sound you wonder if their songs all come from the same band. But u…
It's Record Store Day Eve, so get to bed early so you can wake up and get in line at your favorite neighborhood store! Many KEXP DJs and staff will be in line, too, hoping to get some of the items below. (Part one of their lists is posted here, and DJ Kevin Cole shares his highlights here.) Plus, c…
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…
We couldn't describe Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires' recent Sub Pop debut any better than label co-founder Jonathan Poneman himself, who claims in his own press release for the album, "Dereconstructed is a careening, road raging, all night party of a record", adding that even frontman Bains' "…
Summers in Seattle just keep getting better and better: now beloved local label Light in the Attic Records have announced they're launching a Summer Spectacular series at their new warehouse/storefront in Ballard. Join them on Saturday, July 12th for a very special performance from Donnie & Joe…
Leeds band Eagulls know how to incorporate punk fuzz and poppy hooks into a hard-hitting blend of speedy percussion, chainsaw reverb, and, well, demonic possession. Notorious for their thoughts on the so-called 'beach-bands' out right now, Eagulls aren't looking to make any long-time friends with a…
Today, we wrap-up our series of Sub Pop Memories. (Check out previous installments here, here, and here.) Surely, new memories will be made this Saturday, July 13th at the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee in Georgetown, and you can read all about those on the KEXP Blog in the year 2038.
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…
