Montreal trio Paupière was the only Francophone artist that we filmed during our time at Breakglass Studios and Pop Montreal. Québec is a Francophone province with a vast majority of the population speaking French as their primary language. I spoke with many of the bands from Montreal about the dif…
Mozambique-born artist Samito moved to Montreal over a decade ago with the intention of pursuing a career in music in the vibrant Montreal scene. He recently released his first full-length self-titled album last May, a very groovy set of African/Tropicalia/Electronic flavored songs with lyrics in P…
The very first band we had in during our residency at Breakglass Studios for POP Montreal was Montreal-via-Beirut duo Wake Island. Comprised of Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal, the two grew up in war-torn Beirut before coming to Montreal where they ended up meeting in college and bonding over t…
KEXP Music Director Chris Sanley shares some highlights from her trip to POP Montreal.
KEXP’s Music Director Chris Sanley talks about Pop Montreal and one of the acts she looks forward to seeing – Thanya Iyer.
KEXP Music Director Chris Sanley talks about POP Montreal International Music Festival’s best acts, including WORKS and their song "Taut & Unphased."
In September, KEXP made our first journey out to Montreal, Quebec, to immerse ourselves in their vibrant and eclectic music scene during the 16th annual POP Montreal Music Festival. With the assistance of FACTOR, a fellow nonprofit that assists the growth and development of musicians across Canada,…
Montreal natives The Luyas have been around since 2006 and have put out some really great records over the years, two of which -- Too Beautiful To Work and Animator -- were included on the long list for the 2011 and 2013 Polaris Music Prize respectively. Their sound is hard to pinpoint, using tons …
The POP Montreal Festival celebrates the wide variety of artists coming out of the Montreal music scene, but also features a ton of bands from across Canada as well. Releasing records since 2009, Vancouver, BC 4-piece Woolworm played a killer set of straightforward solid rock. With catchy hooks and…
New music from Of Montreal, The Drums, Wye Oak, and more.
Every week, KEXP features a new local artist with an interview and suggested tracks for where to start. This week we're highlighting Vancouver B.C.'s Woolworm, who performed last night at Pop Montreal, where KEXP is currently on site filming live sessions and doing interviews.
One of the many reasons KEXP went to Montreal was at the recommendation of our friend Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Operators), so when we had our plan in place to record at Breakglass Studios during the POP Montreal Festival, naturally we asked Dan if he had any local bands that he would recommend th…
Faith Healer, out of Edmonton, Alberta, released their latest release Try;) ahead of our trip out to Montreal so I was able to spend some time with it before they did their session. This was one that I was most looking forward to seeing. Jessica Jalbert, the primary songwriter and guitar player, ha…
We knew that The Besnard Lakes would be on our list to see while we were in Montreal since first, they are one of our favorite Montreal-based bands, but also because frontman Jace Lasek is one of the three founders of Breakglass Studios. It was really fun to see The Besnard Lakes in their element a…
Georgia rock band Of Montreal will drop a brand new album called Aureate Gloom on March 3. The opening track "Bassem Sabry," named after the late Egyptian journalist, serves as a perfectly funky jumping off point for the album. [Pitchfork]
Montreal-based band Loon is Tessa Dawn K, Gregory Burton, Alexander Thibault, Tamara Sandor and Alex Nicol. They played a lovely set of ethereal, down-tempo dream pop, with Tessa’s delicate, crystalline vocals shining through, reminiscent at times of Kate Bush and Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES. Their…
Inspiration can come anytime; Montreal experimental trio Big Brave can attest to that. Guitarist/vocalist Robin Wattie and guitarist Mathieu Bernard Ball began playing together in 2012 when they were roommates, Robin told us after their set. She played acoustic guitar and was working on writing son…
Montreal trio Braids perform a sparse and dreamy set live on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters. Recorded 10/23/2013 - 4 songs: Hossak, 13, Victoria, In Kind.
of Montreal have shared a new track from their upcoming Lousy With Sylvianbriar album (out October 8). "She Ain't Speakin' Now" sounds like it's straight out of the 60s. It was written by frontman Kevin Barnes while his wife and daughter were ill and he was "pretty paranoid about catching what the…
Originally from Toronto now based in Montreal, musician and photographer Tess Roby is a true talent. At just 24 years old, she has a mature voice reminiscent of Nico, but truly her own. With gorgeous, lush songwriting, Tess on keyboards and vocals accompanied by her brother Eliot Roby on guitar, in…
