It's a great week for local music. The latest from Olympia-via-Seattle artist Briana Marela is what KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "her strongest set to date of adventurous electro-pop. Co-produced by Juan Pieczanski and Ryan Heyner of Small Black, the album features a brighter, more dynamic and hook-filled sound on songs ranging from densely layered, beat-driven electro-pop to celestial dream-pop ballads." Portland-bred band Guantanamo Baywatch unleash "an energetic blend of garage-rock, surf, and more." Dale Crover, the drummer for Montesano, Washington band the Melvins, releases his debut solo LP, featuring himself on 90% of all instruments. And on their third LP, Olympia-based band Naomi Punk deliver "an adventurous set of sludgy, noise-addled post-punk ranging from hypnotic, off-kilter rock to more experimental ambient fare."
Meanwhile, in other parts of the world... The official debut album from young Nashville artist Soccer Mommy (real name: Sophie Allison) is "a strong set of intimate indie-pop combining a warm, hazy sound with vulnerable lyrics and bittersweet melodies. The album combines newly recorded full-band versions of songs she previously recorded solo and released on Bandcamp along with some brand-new tunes." Eagles of Death Metal share a live album recorded at the Olympia Hall in Paris in 2016 as part of their Nos Amis Tour¸ The show was particularly poignant as it marked the band's first return to France since the 2015 concert at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris where gunmen opened fire on the crowd, leaving 89 dead. The new concert LP is dedicated to all those who lost their lives at the Bataclan.
Philly-based band The Districts return with their third LP, what KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "their strongest set to date, with a fuller, more dynamic and densely textured sound combining thick, swirling guitars, muscular rhythms and often-dark lyrics of isolation and dysfunctional relatio…
The highly-anticipated new album from Arcade Fire is finally here. KEXP's Music Director Don Yates notes, "Like their last album (2013's Reflektor), this one features a more dance-oriented sound... with takes on consumerism, social media, and content overload."
