Photos by Matthew Thompson To say I feel like I know too much about Grimes might be an understatement. While I'm not a mega fan in knowing facts like her favorite foods - I am a mega fan in that I've been fascinated by her since around 2009, long before Grimes was a giant and adored pop star. And I am happy to say that seeing her at Sasquatch - the largest venue I've ever seen her at - revealed that fame has only helped Claire Boucher to grow. Where her past work has [...]
Whether you like it or not, the tide is turning for the indie scene. Back at the beginning of 2013, Grimes wrote a brilliant piece on her Tumblr, documenting her favorite tunes of 2012, which included "Gangnam Style", "Call Me Maybe", and a tune or two by Taylor Swift and Lana del Rey. She's also, time and time again, quoted Mariah Carey as the ultimate inspiration for her work as Grimes. With Grimes, we saw the dawn of a new era of indie music, not stylistically alone, but in mindset. In the post Internet world, it's literally just as easy [...]
photo by Dave Lichterman The XX have a new slow burning sultry track "Together" created for the upcoming film adaptation of The Great Gatsby . Unlike previous songs this one for the film becomes almost drone like - "together" they sing over and over, while a backing score swells over, classically dramatic in the most perfect cinematic way. Also interesting to note - the whole soundtrack was curated by Jay-Z. [ Pitchfork ] Just in case [...]
photo by Zach Hollowell Desaparecidos , who released their first new pair of songs last years since their one and only album in 2002, have followed up with a new pair of songs today. The new tracks from Conor Oberst and co. are "Anonymous" and "The Left is Right", and they tackle the obvious political associations with their names -- "Anonymous" heralds the hacking group associated with Julian Assange and "The Left is Right" champions the Occupy movement. You can stream both songs at rollingstone.com . [...]
For the rest of the year, we'll be spotlighting our KEXP DJs Top Albums of 2012, leading up to our 2012 Top Album Countdown , as voted on by our listeners! Tune in on Friday, December 28th to hear if your picks made the list! Grimes at KEXP, 02/20/12 // photo credit: Morgen Schuler ( more photos ) Sean's 2012 Top Ten Albums 1. Grimes -- Visions (4AD) I don't [...]
For the rest of the year, we'll be spotlighting our KEXP DJs Top Albums of 2012, leading up to our 2012 Top Album Countdown , as voted on by our listeners! Voting ends on Friday, December 21st , so let us know your favorites now , and tune in on Friday, December 28th to hear if your picks made the list! Macklemore x Ryan Lewis on The Afternoon Show on KEXP, 07/20/11 // photo credit: Jim Bennett ( more photos ) [...]
Das Racist at Sasquatch / photo by Alex Crick Is it a joke? Is it not a joke? Recently at a show in Germany, Das Racist 's Heems (a.k.a. Himanshu Suri) spilled the beans: "You guys wanna know the secret? ... Das Racist is breaking up and we're not a band anymore." Though Heems was alone when he made that statement, Kool A.D. tweeted soon afterwards: "for the record i quit das racist 2 months ago and was asked by our manager not to announce it yet." [ Vulture ] [...]
As a supplement to John's "Mom Show" this morning, and our earlier roundup celebrating women, we'd like to keep the celebration of female art on the indie scene going throughout the day! 2012 has seen an insane number of breakout artists, many (if not most) of which are women who are not afraid to break rules and show off their artistry unhinged. Natasha Khan ( Bat For Lashes ) created a masterful album with The Haunted Man , whose cover of Khan naked with a man draped over her shoulders, makes her look strong [...]
Vancouver electronic band Myths just rocked the house with Grimes at Neumos last week. The two-piece band also acted as her backing band during her stellar set . But opening the night, Quinne Rodgers and Lief Hall assaulted the audience visually and aurally with a dynamic and visceral set of noise and color. Myths' music draws on a lot of influences. Some similarities can be drawn to the noisy, dark synth pop of Grimes, but the two also utilize the primal screams and heavy house beats of goth dance band Crystal Castles. Finally, the dynamic [...]
all photos by Victoria Holt I have a personal relationship with Grimes . And by that I don't mean that I know Claire Boucher, no, not at all. I mean Grimes, the music making monkier of the adored and adorable Canandian lady Claire Boucher. Geidi Primes was one of the first albums I "discovered" during my college radio days - I begged to book her for one of our shows, but was denied because of the overall strangeness of her music. The first time I saw her was in summer of 2010 at MoMA PS1 [...]
It may have turned for the worse outside, but there's still plenty to see inside. City Arts Fest dominates most of the schedule with an amazing week of music ahead in almost every venue in town. It's a busy week with a ton of great choices for everyone. On Monday night Beth Orton sets the bar high for the week with a highly anticipated performance at Showbox at the Market. On Tuesday, Grimes, Elite Gymnastic , and Myths are at Neumos, Crocodiles and The Soft Pack are at Crocodile, and [...]
The first video from Trash Talk's forthcoming album 119 album was released today and is pretty much exactly what you would expect from a hardcore group signed to Odd Future's record label. Directed by none other than Tyler, The Creator, the video for "F.E.N.B.," which stands for "Forwards Ever Backwards Never," features a lot of people hitting each other, a lot of graffitiing and fire, a cop or two, a really expensive sports car, and a small child. Check out the video below: [...]
Dinosaur Jr. have released a video for their song "Watch the Corners," the first from their forthcoming album I Bet On Sky , due out September 18 via Jagjaguwar. The hilarious and touching video, produced in conjunction with Funny Or Die , stars Tim Heidecker, of Tim and Eric fame, as an overprotecting and loving dad with a model airplane collection and a rebellious teenage daughter. Check out the video, which is a good reminder why we love Dinosaur Jr. and why dads are awesome, below: Watch [...]
Allen Stone / photo by Dave Lichterman This year's Captiol Hill Block Party was a colorful, exciting weekend for all of those who were able to make it, and for those of you weren't able to attend, the KEXP Blog has exhaustive coverage of the event so that you can experience this year's festivities. To get a glimpse of the weekend, we've compiled a set of photos documenting Block Party below, and for more Block Party coverage (including more photos and write-ups of all three days), click here . [...]
Absolute Monarchs - 2:15 - Main Stage photo by Colby Perry Describing noise rock duo Lightning Bolt's noon set at an installment of All Tomorrow's Parties, Steve Albini said their loud thrashing was "the best alarm clock I've ever had." It's likely that the sleepier residents of Capitol Hill had a similar feeling about Absolute Monarchs ' early afternoon set. Only stopping to take a breath in between songs, Absolute Monarchs' booming set was like a freight train to the main stage audience, hitting every person with [...]
For those who didn't get their Coachella fix this year ( or didn't get tickets to next year's fest ), festival promoter Goldenvoice has a solution: the S.S. Coachella. Departing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in December, the ship sails to the Bahamas and Jamaica, and while in transit, the cruise will host performances from Pulp, Hot Chip, Yeasayer, Sleigh Bells, Warpaint, El-P, Black Lips, Grimes, Cloud Nothings, and Father John Misty among others. There will also be "unique events," including wine tastings with James Murphy and late night performances. Get the full details on [...]
About a month after the release of the longlist the 10 finalists for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize Shortlist have been revealed, and it boasts one of the Canadian music prize's most diverse roster to date. Feist, Kathleen Edwards, Drake, Cold Specks, Fucked Up, Handsome Furs, Japandroids, YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN, Cadence Weapon, and Grimes will face off in Toronto for the $30,000 prize on September 24th. Founded in 2006, the Polaris Music Prize is chosen by a jury of over 200 Canadian music industry figures, including journalists, broadcasters, and bloggers. The process begins [...]
Warm summer weather has finally reached Seattle, just in time for the Capitol Hill Block Party ! Showcasing over 100 artists, CHBP is a perfect time to discover a new artist in between sets from your current favorites. To help you make scheduling your weekend a little easier, we've gathered some videos previewing some of (but certainly not all) of Block Party's finest artists. Check out our selections below and experience these artists for yourself this weekend, and be sure to listen to KEXP's broadcast live from CHBP at Barboza ! Friday, [...]
It's Capitol Hill Block Party weekend and the Hill is going to be booming! We've got some other great shows to share with you this week as well. On Tuesday night, Talib Kweli, J.Pinder, Raz, and DJ Vega The Virgo are at the Crocodile, J. Pinder has a free in-store at Easy Street Records inQueen Anne, and Dan Sartain, Teenage Bedroom, and The Apollos are at Fun House. Wednesday, Sidi Touré, Garage Voice, and Atlantic Melody are at the Crocodile, and The Soft White [...]
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