What a fantastic way to send off the KEXP Live Room at our Dexter/Denny studios! When the members of EL VY arrived to the station in matching polka-dot shirts, we thought they looked pretty cool, but then once they stepped into our studio with its iconic twinkling lights, we realized how special their customized camouflage was. The band itself is no wallflower sinking into the background: this debut collaboration from The National frontman Matt Berninger and Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls (and formerly with Menomena) is a stand-out of the year. Watch:
When it comes to young bands making self-assured, thoughtful and influence-referencing music, Ought already do. The Montreal-based four-piece formed just three years ago amid a burgeoning DIY scene in the city's Mile End district and, while drawing heavily from sonic inspirations like Talking Heads…
Danish psych-rock band Mew returned to the KEXP studios in support of their first album in six years, + - (pronounced "plus minus"). It ended up being quite an appropriate title. Plus: the return of founding bassist Johan Wohlert, who left the band in 2006 before the birth of his first child. Minus…
