photo by Dan Muller/Trickshot Photography Fresh off her tour with Radiolab , Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down are streaming their new album We The Common. Featuring a collaboration song with Joanna Newsom , "Kindness Be Conceived", the album is catchy but surprising - Thao can easily move from sweetness to roaring in a jump and a skip. Stream the album at NPR . In other catchy pop news the more ear-bending band Deerhoof spend [...]
Photo by Greg Stonebraker Among our favorite Seattle punk trios is The Wimps - who recently signed to End of Time, the new label founded by Sarah Moody formerly of Hardly Art - and they have a new track from their forthcoming Repeat entitled "Nap." Now that we are in full blown winter weather turf - yeah, "All I wanna do is nap!" [ Pitchfork ] Phosphorescent has just announced a new album for 2013. [...]
photo by Dave Lichterman "We bloody won the Mercury!!!" Alt-J announced on Facebook yesterday. The band's debut album, An Awesome Wave , had won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, an award for the best UK album of the year. And they're in good company, too: over the past twenty years, the prize has gone to classic albums like Portishead's Dummy and Pulp's Different Class . Watch Alt-J's live KEXP performance here , and check out their video for "Tessellate" below. [...]
all photos by Dave Lichterman Back in 1984, in an interview with himself , Talking Heads' David Byrne stated that he would tour again "when there is something new to say to an audience." While the songs themselves need not be new, the performance should be fresh and inventive, which in those days meant donning an oversized suit, serenading a floor lamp, and having band members appear one at a time. Their concert film of that year, Stop Making Sense , now has such significance for Talking Heads die-hards because it was [...]
photo by Dave Lichterman The xx released this new video for "Chained" off their most recent album Coexist . If the lyrics and male/female vocal layers don't get you, the beauty of this video added to the music certainly will. Directed by the Young Replicant Team from The Creator's Project, the video is as minimal but deeply affecting as the band's sound. Toro y Moi , or Chaz to his friends, released this blurping single, "So Many [...]
photo by Alex Crick Ahead of the release of their forthcoming LP, Scottish quintet Frightened Rabbit are prepping to release an EP, entitled State Hospital , on September 25th through Canvasback/Atlantic. A week out from the official release, the band have put the whole thing up for streaming over at Soundcloud . The band will support the release with a handful of tour dates, including a stop at The Triple Door on October 15th. David Byrne & St. Vincent kicked off [...]
It's a mind-blowing list of new releases on perhaps the biggest release date of the year, so let's get started. You're going to need all the time you can get to pick these up. First up, the long-awaited second album by The xx is potentially KEXP listeners' album of the year. While it's but one of a number of hotly anticipated this year - others come from Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective, and Grizzly Bear - The xx strip down their sound to a sultry murmur, like a whisper in your ear. Oliver Sims and Romy Madley-Croft never sounded [...]
photo by Dave Lichterman James Blake is prepping to follow up his 2011 debut, and he's announced a tour that will showcase some of the new material. The tour will begin on December 11th in Brooklyn, but further dates, although promised, have yet to be revealed. Blake played FYF Fest this weekend with a full band, which may or may not accompany him on this tour. David Byrne and St. Vincent's collborative album Love This Giant may not be officially [...]
photo by Dave Lichterman Perhaps one of the year's most anticipated releases, Coexist , the sophomore effort from the xx , is now streaming at NPR as part of the First Listen series ahead of its September 11th release date. The band played a sold-out show at the Showbox at the Market in July, and will return to Seattle to play the Paramount Theatre on October 6. KEXP will air an exclusive session with the London-trio next Tuesday at noon. Also streaming ahead of [...]
This week is a particularly exciting one for KEXP listeners because today marks the release of Live At KEXP Volume Eight ! Featuring performances from April 2011 to April 2012, the 19-track compilation houses live performances from some of KEXP's newest discoveries alongside longtime favorites, including songs from Alabama Shakes , Of Monsters and Men , Tame Impala , Dry The River , Brendan Perry and Robin Guthrie , Mark Lanegan Band , The Lumineers and more. Here's the tracklist: 1. Alabama Shakes [...]
Just Tell Me That You Want Me is a bit of a wild card on the scene today. It's a tribute album to Fleetwood Mac , undoubtedly one of the greatest bands of all time, put out by Concord Music Group, who specializes in jazz and reissues of classic rock and pop records (none of which are Fleetwood Mac records). Concord has very little connection to any of the artists chosen to cover these phenomenal songs. Plus, the group of bands chosen is very eclectic, and only a handful of these have any connection with each other. At [...]
The inaugural episode of Animal Collective's radio program aired last night, and those who tuned in were treated to not one, but three new AnCo-related tracks. The Baltimore band premiered "Today's Supernatural", the first single from their forthcoming album Centipede Hz , but also featured in the Panda Bear-curated mix were two new Panda Bear instrumentals, "Soft Serve Rip Curl" and "Principe Real". You can listen to "Today's Supernatural" below, listen to the instrumentals over at Consequence of Sound , and listen to Panda Bear's mix over at Animal Collective's website . [...]
The initial lineup for the 2012 Heineken City Arts Fest has been announced, and it's packed with a diverse range of acts that will be sure to fill up the numerous venues taking part in this year's activities. Alongside the already announced headlining show from David Byrne and St. Vincent , the festival will host performances from Ghostland Observatory (two shows), Two Door Cinema Club , Joshua Radin , Collie Buddz , A Fine Frenzy , Brother Ali with Blank Tape Beloved , EOTO , Lost in the [...]
photo by Josh Bis Former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck has been mostly quiet since the legendary alternative rock pioneers disbanded last year, but he's broken that silence in a loud way this morning. "10 Million BC", the first taste of his forthcoming solo album, was premiered this morning, and it sounds like nothing Buck has ever done, R.E.M. or otherwise. Stream the track below while you wait for any official release information. Update to our news yesterday [...]
photo by Alex Crick Best Coast have finally created a video to go along with the title track single off their new album The Only Place . The song itself is an unapologetic love poem written to California, so naturally, the video is only more so. Bethany Consentino and Bob Bruno will melt your hearts on the beach, in the back yard, and driving down beautiful California highways as they celebrate the only place they want to live. Watch it below! [...]
photo by Brittney Bollay Opening a main stage at a festival can be a daunting task, especially for a band that isn't used to playing festivals. " This is a little different than our basement," noted singer Galen Disston, "but we're really honored to be here." Lucky for Pickwick , a legion of fans rushed to the front of the stage, and with their support, Pickwick tore through a set of groove-based rock that started the day off with a bang. Their energy was high and their musicianship was tight, so by the time they [...]
Earlier in our coverage of Record Store Day 2012, KEXP has covered both the full list of record exclusives and live events around Seattle ; however, amidst the many, many special releases available this weekend, we've highlighted the vinyl releases that we're super excited about. Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II" (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Courtesy of Merge Records. Remixes of The Suburbs tracks "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) and "Ready to Start" by producer Damian Taylor with Arcade Fire. [...]
For those mourning the death of Whitney Houston , here is Girls covering "I Will Always Love You." The first round of EMP's Sound Off! competition took place over the weekend. The Deep Wake came in first while Sam Lachow placed second. Listen to the all of this year's bands here . [...]
photo by Doron Gild We have a new track by The Shins for all of you. It's called "September" and it's the b-side to their recent single, "Simple Song." Be sure to tune in to our live in-studio from The Shins this Friday, February 10. M.I.A. will likely pay a fine for her Superbowl bird-flipping fiasco. The singer is contractually obligated to cover any FCC fines that might occur during her [...]
Those lamenting the loss of J Tillman's presence in Fleet Foxes now have reason to rejoice. Sub Pop will release Father John Misty 's Fear Fun on May first. Father John Misty is Tillman's new moniker. Feel free to participate in a legal music download below. Ah yes, another awesome new tune from Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen . This one is called Silent Song - you'll find it on Rossen's new EP, Silent Hour/Golden [...]
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New album: Washed Out
Escucha: Ghost B.C. – “Waiting for the Night” (Depeche Mode cover)
Stream: Disclosure | When A Fire Starts To Burn (Original Mix)
V V Brown – Samson
Listen to Prince really wail on a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow”
