It's been an interesting year and a half for Sheffield indie rock duo Drenge. The band's rise to public awareness has taken a pretty incongruent path: being name checked by a member of Parliament upon resignation, dubbed "Derbyshire's Black Keys" by the Guardian UK, and getting commercial appeal fr…
For almost five years now as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ruban Nielson has been learning how to give himself away. On his eponymous debut, it was from behind the closed door of a bedroom, where we heard psychedelic funk gems muffled through the wall and wanted to know more. On 2013's II, the door cra…
I have to admit that after reading up a little bit on the goings-on in the life of Ripton Hylton, a.k.a. Eek-A-Mouse, in the past decade or so, I was unsure as to whether I should be talking about this particular album. But after a little more reading and thinking (and listening), I decided to go a…
Despite keeping busy with Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh, Lou Barlow managed to find time to record a new solo album. The latest, Brace the Wave, hits stores September 4th via Joyful Noise. In a press release, Barlow explains, "Having moved back to Massachusetts (after 17 years in Los Angeles), I recorde…
With a rare chunk of time to spare between great acts at Bumbershoot, a stop at the Sub Pop installation was in order. A short walk down the hill from KEXP to the International Fountain Pavillion to check out the installation and pop-up shop from the legendary Seattle label. Only up for the weekend…
A native of Red Bluff, California, Margaret Glaspy moved across the country to Boston, where she cut her teeth with master classes at Berklee (regardless of whether or not she was a student at the time) and local gigs. A few years – and one set of studio sessions redoing her original, iPad-recorded…
Our first live Iceland Airwaves show of the day from Kex Hostel in Reykjavik was Icelandic indie-folk quintet Árstíðir. Formed in 2008 as a guitar-based group, they've since added piano, violin, and cello to the mix. They incorporate classical, minimalist, and even some prog rock elements into thei…
Originally, he didn't want to do it, but Joseph Arthur was eventually convinced to record Lou, a full album of songs by his friend and mentor, the late Lou Reed. Reluctant to turn the modern legend's memory into "an opportunity", Joseph Arthur approached the songs cautiously, simply, and unplugged …
The forthcoming Conor Oberst solo album, Upside Down Mountain, is streaming in its entirety today on NPR Music. The release features guest vocals from his pals First Aid Kit, and was recorded with producer Jonathan Wilson. Upside Down Mountain comes out May 20th through Nonesuch Records, and as we…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of 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. Today’s song, featured on the Morn…
Cataldo's Eric Anderson writes big, beautiful songs that begin with just a hum or a whistle. His new album, Gilded Oldies, is full of tracks with bright melodies and powerful percussion - jungles from small seeds. It's a particularly strong record that has been received in Seattle with open arms. W…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of 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. Today’s song is featured during th…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of 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. Today’s song, selected by Midday S…
Brooklyn-based (formerly San Francisco) shoegaze band Weekend came into the picture at the turn of the decade with Sports, a strong introductory statement that could have seen the band go in plenty of different directions in the future. But in the form of Jinx, their sophomore step mixes dense text…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of 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. Today’s song comes from Sub Pop su…
