photo by Jeremy Farmer The wait is over. Finally, Nine Inch Nails have given us a new single to sink our teeth into. "Come Back Haunted" has an addictive chorus that longtime fans of the band will devour hungrily. Their new album, Hesitation Marks , will drop on September 3 via Columbia Records. Look out for, NIN in November when their crazy international tour will bring them to Key Arena. [ Pitchfork ] [...]
Sigur Rós headlines Saturday / photo by Morgen Schuler by Tara Kelly Kearns The sun was shining when groggy concert goers raised from the dead this morning. Avoiding hangovers, bloody marys and mimosas abounded while folks attempted to erase the fatigue in their faces from the day before. The Mainstage hosted the first act of the day I had been recommended to see. New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band was already in full swing (pun intended) by the time I walked down to the main floor. [...]
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 Kyle Johnson I think it's safe to say that at some point in the history of your life, you watched an infomercial. Be it to fall asleep, out of boredom, or for a laugh. Pissed Jeans "Bathroom Laughter" video is nothing like those infomercials - imagine if that infomercial was a nightmare. Set to their frantic, stormy, dirty grind, you can watch everything that could go wrong, go wrong - and while you watch between 12-12:30PM today, you can also live chat with the band through Youtube. [ Stereogum ] [...]
The Men at Mellow Johnny's during SXSW 2012 photo by Jim Bennett Last week the straight outta the mosh pit quartet The Men released the first song from their upcoming album New Moon - "Electric" carries on their direct and loud, but sincere and present, approach to punk. If anything can remind us what it's like to sweat gallons at a show and wash it all down with a cold beer, "Electric" definitely can. For tour dates and the track list visit Impose and hear the official audio [...]
It’s time again for Friday on My Mind , our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one theme. This is a collaboration between KEXP and King 5 News. It’s that time of the season again, so we’re looking at holiday songs. In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25th the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ. Humanity then decided, "sure, he was born on the 25th of December". Granted that would be like someone deciding I was born on March 19th in 2362, but you've got to [...]
photo by Dave Lichterman Sufjan Stevens isn't the only one taking on Christmas. The XX covered Wham! 's "Last Christmas" on BBC Radio 12s Live Lounge . It's just how you would expect it: a bit too serious for the cheesy lyrics, but then again The XX can make pretty much anything sound pout-perfectly pretty. And they sound like they're having fun, so check it out below. [ Pitchfork ] [...]
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! Alt-J outside the Cutting Room Studios NYC, 08/07/2012 photo credit: Lauren Slusher ( more photos ) John Richards' 2012 Top Ten Albums [...]
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 [...]
The xx return to Seattle on Saturday / photo by Dave Lichterman After a busy week of Decibel Festival, we are back with a whole new selection of shows for you to enjoy. Monday night, we start with Firewater and Bad Things at Crocodile, and also Stephen Marley, Spragga Benz, and Jo Mersa at Showbox at the Market. Tuesday night, Dirty Three is at Neumos, and Mono and Chris Brokaw are at Crocodile. Wednesday has some great choices, Aimee Mann at Neptune Theatre, [...]
photo by Morgen Schuler While traveling in Texas as part of her tour behind this year's The Idler Wheel... , Fiona Apple has been arrested for hash possession. (Let the flood of "Free Fiona" and "Criminal" jokes commence.) Apple is currently being held in a Hudspeth County jail, but is still scheduled to play The Moody Theatre tonight as part of Austin City Limits. Check out Fiona's mugshot over at Pitchfork . Canadian twins Tegan and Sara have been steadily working on [...]
Scenes come and go. For small windows of time, certain styles jump to the forefront of the music sphere and bands get their 15 minutes of fame. But with time, new fads come into vogue and the old ones fade into the mist. This timeless truth is evident perhaps now more than ever, with technology in the state it is. But the great bands throughout history take time to break the mold and create music that transcends the daily scene snapshot. They have the foresight to challenge themselves towards new musical goals and to challenge their audience to brave the [...]
Tracks in order of performance: Fiction Reunion Sunset Angels
photo by Lauren Slusher This year's Mercury Prize awards were released earlier this morning, containing 12 British or Irish albums of the year as judged by the independent panel of judges, and attempting to encase the year's best sounds. In case you don't know: the Mercury Prize is among the most prestigious awards a band can receive, giving them 20,000 lbs sterling, as well as a typically dramatic rise in album sales and rotation. Usually eclectic, the list includes up and coming bands as well as established acts. PJ Harvey is the [...]
Their set featured: Angels Fiction Reunion Sunset Enjoy the full playback here. Catch The XX on their North American tour. Purchase The XX items via Insound. MP3: The XX - Angels (Erol Sabadosh Mix)
photos by Dave Lichterman ( view set ) "Less is more," KEXP's DJ El Toro always says, and few things reflect that statement more acutely than the aesthetic cultivated by The xx 's Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft. Together with producer Jamie xx, the songwriting duo strip down the songs on their second release, Coexist (out today!), to create a masterpiece of sultry minimalist electronica. During a stopover in Seattle earlier this summer for a sold-out show at Showbox at the Market, Oliver, Romy and Jamie performed four new songs live in [...]
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 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 [...]
photo by Dave Lichterman Songs from Coexist , the xx 's forthcoming sophomore album, are continuing to trickle out onto the internet, but instead of being unveiled by fan footage, the newest song to be revealed was released by the band themselves. "Chained," the second track on Coexist has yet to be played live, but you can hear it now in a visually enhanced video released by the band this morning. [...]
all photos by Dave Lichterman Wednesday night may have been one of the better bookings in recent Showbox history. The xx are prefacing their tour in support of upcoming record Coexist with a string of gigs at smaller venues. Their "big" show for the new record will be at the Paramount on October 6 (which you can get tickets for here ), but for those lucky enough to grab tickets to their Showbox at the Market date, the xx put on a real treat. The show was paperless - the band [...]
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