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…
Christopher Owens makes for one of the most interesting characters on the indie scene. His band former band, Girls, garnered mass critical acclaim in the late aughts, with a bright, unique rock sound and Owens' brilliant albeit dark assessment of the modern context of youth and progression in the c…
To call Mammút's live act "emotive" is a huge understatement. Frontwoman Kata Mogensen seems to enter a completely different state onstage, even covering herself in fake blood or painting her face ominously, while the rest of the band unleashes a colossal sound. We've been fortunate to watch the yo…
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…
It took losing her voice for Wye Oak to rediscover theirs. On the heels of their successful previous album, Civilian, the Baltimore duo were playing arenas, opening for acts like The National and The Decemberists. And then, sadly, frontwoman Jenn Wasner developed vocal-cord nodules, and under docto…
tUnE-yArDs — even the typography of the name seems to pop off the page like the ecstatic rhythms of the band's new album. For Nikki Nack, Merrill Garbus has traveled far, sonically and literally, expanding upon the conceit of her self-recorded debut and turning tUnE-yArDs into a communal arts tribe…
There's no denying Surfer Blood's love for 90's indie rock. Fragments of Pavement, Pixies and Weezer are undeniable elements in their sound, but the band made a space for themselves on their 2010 debut, Astro Coast, by adding breezy surf melodies blown off the beaches of their Florida home. Since t…
Thursday's weather forecast put Austin, TX, at a high of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but you wouldn't know it listening to the Copenhagen-via-Los Angeles trio Gliss' shimmering cool. Supplanted by multi-instrumentalist Martin Klingman and guitarist David Reiss' brooding soundscapes, vocalist Victoria Ce…
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 …
More anthemic than brooding, Scottish band Frightened Rabbit's songs pull no punches. You don't have time to dwell on their brutally honest lyrics, usually about love and relationships, as you're pumping your fist in the air and sloshing around a pint of. This week, their latest and fourth emotiona…
From their very first single, "Found Love in a Graveyard," London by way of Glasgow band Veronica Falls set the tone of their future releases: their sunny take on gloomy topics makes for happy listening in the darkened Northwest, that's for sure. Their 2011 self-titled debut channeled everyone from…
Robyn Hitchcock has announced that he will be releasing his 19th solo album on March 13, 2013 on Yep Roc Records. The title of the LP is Love From London and, according to Hitchcock, will be an album that "celebrates life in a culture imperiled by economic and environmental collapse." Hicthcock, …
We shared the first wave of line-up announcements from Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, and today, they've rolled out the final list. Fufanu, Reykjavíkurdætur, Sóley, and Gangly have been added to the festival, which already boasted great guests like Fleet Foxes, Michael Kiwanuka, Àsgeir, Aldous H…
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…
Seattle emcee DoNormaal offers surprise after lyrical surprise in the tightly packed, staccato rhymes brimming on her latest LP, Third Daughter. The rapper, who burst on the Emerald City scene in November 2015 with the release of her beloved first full-length Jump Or Die has maintained status as on…
Australian psych outfit King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard took over 2017 by stating at the beginning of the year that they would put out five albums in just this year and then...did it. Their fifth album doesn't have a name yet but should be dropping soon. They've previously shared two tracks off …
Greg Vandy explores that summer feeling on this two-hour mix and nod to Barna Howard's new album, plus 18 other road trip worthy songs from up-and-comers like Banditos, Leyla McCalla, The Deslondes, Benjamin Booker, Saun & Starr, Steve Gunn, and Spirit Family Reunion, to name a few. 1. Benja…
September closed out with a really strong week of new releases, including the long-awaited new album from Bon Iver. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it, "his most adventurous, forward-looking recording to date, combining spacy, digitally warped electro-pop with folk, gospel and other styles on s…
The penultimate act on our roster for day one of KEXP's Iceland Airwaves broadcast, live from KEX Hostel in Reykjavik is another fantastic Icelandic band, Valdimar. Both of Valdimar’s albums, Undraland (2010) and Um Stund (2012), have seen quite a lot of commercial success in their native Iceland, …
Another light summer week of new releases, but there's a handful hitting shelves today that you'll definitely want to check out. Portland singer-songwriter Alela Diane tops the list with her fourth album of heartbreaking (and broken) folk-pop, highlighting her rich voice and often personal lyrics. …
