Some frontmen were born to brood across the stage with enigmatic allure, but Merchandise's Carson Cox is not one of them. When the Tampa, Florida, quintet arrived in the KEXP studio in October, Cox's loquacious charm outfitted the session with a series of one-liners, ad-libs, and shoutouts to fellow musicians, but despite the singer's uncanny penchant for hilarious off-the-cuff remarks ("This song is for driving... so if you're at home... get in your car and turn on the radio"), his charisma never overshadowed the music. Highlighting tracks from their latest album and 4AD debut, After The End, and a song from their split with Milk Music and Destruction Unit, the band just sounded as powerful and engaging during the early morning session as they had during their headline gig played just under twelve hours prior. Below, watch Cox and the band burn through tracks from After The End and discuss recording in a closet, evolving as a band, and the importance of caffeine when playing a gig early in the morning.
We knew an excellent in-studio session was in the cards when Canadian rock legends Sloan stopped by KEXP. On their eleventh studio album, Commonwealth, the Toronto quartet split the deck on an ambitious double album, with each band member taking a side represented by a playing card symbol. The four…
It's been four years since Owen Pallett stopped by KEXP for a live in-studio, four long years. Although he's grown a beard, Pallett's new music could be described as clean-shaven, bare in its autobiographical revelations. His latest material even includes his phone number! In between performances o…
