For a band that's distinctly Scottish, The Vaselines couldn't be more "Northwest", and now more so than ever. Formed by current members, Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, the Glasgow group released only one album before breaking up in 1989. That might have been the end for their catchy, quirky, charmingly disaffected sound, but, as most of the world now knows, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain declared them songwriting masters and famously covered three of their songs (on two separate multi-platinum releases!). That, coinciding with Sub Pop release of the '92 compilation The Way of the Vaselines sealed them forever in Seattle's music history. That too, might have been the end (albeit a more glowing one), but 21 years after their debut, The Vaselines returned with another jangly twee-pop masterpiece in 2010's Sex with an X. Not giving up momentum, they've recently released V For Vaselines, their third album, and they sound more energetic than ever! Punchier, bigger, more brash (but don't say "more grunge"), they've hardened the sugary sound but have lost none of the effervescent harmonies, sparkling pop hooks and often-dark lyrics that fans have loved for so long. Twenty-five years and running, and The Vaselines are still showing us the way. Watch their recent performance live in the KEXP studio here:
What a great way to kick off 2015: our very first in-studio session of the year was with Canadian musical craftsmen Dan Mangan + Blacksmith. On his fourth album, Club Meds, out now on Arts & Crafts, the Juno Award-winning singer/songwriter expands into new sonic soundscapes with his band, Black…
All throughout her conversation with Stevie Zoom, Mary Timony kept mentioning how Ex Hex "just came together". You'd be forgiven for thinking a band so fierce and tight could never be assembled so serendipitously, but when you've got a trio of D.C. punk lifers in the same room, there's no other pos…
