Mariachi and punk don’t seem like harmonious ingredients for palatable, let alone outstanding, music, but hardcore punk band The Bronx were creative (and brave) enough to try it out. The unprecedented hybrid punk/mariachi band they formed, named Mariachi El Bronx, had enough talent, appeal and nice…
He's never lived so far away, yet he's never sounded so much like himself. After a move to London, former Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore reclaimed his place as a ranking don of noise-rock while reassembling his band with some true ringers, namely former SY bandmate Steve Shelley on drums and D…
If you, like myself, live in 2014 but still can't get over 80s new wave, you can't get much better than Berlin band Ballet School. The band is a godsend for new wave diehards and make some of the most incredible synth pop around. But tribute isn't Ballet School's only trick in the cards - the band …
How does K Records label impresario Calvin Johnson feel about Pink Floyd? DJ Sharlese may not get the local legend to reveal how he feels, but one thing we know for sure is that he loves Portland surf-rockers The Shivas. Not only has he released the young band's fourth album You Know What To Do on …
A lot of great music came out in 2014, but UK duo Jungle never got lost. In fact, their Mercury Prize nominated self-titled debut of retro-futuristic electro-funk is among this year's most enjoyable and is sure to land on many critics' "Best of" lists. But it takes a lot to recreate Jungle's lush s…
In Icelandic their name means "seasons", but the warm, acoustic chamberpop songs of Árstíðir are particularly comforting on these cold days of winter. Recently, the group has been busy recording and crowd funding their third LP, Hvel (due February 2015), but they took time to share a handful of gor…
Sóley is the cutest creeper out there. The Icelandic singer-songwriter is so disarmingly charming, and her voice so exquisite, that even her songs about killer clowns, murderers and weird, one-eyed ladies are quite soothing. She's also an expert looper and a snappy dresser. In other words, there's …
The guys from ADHD keep busy with a multitude of projects, but that's not to say they distract easily. In fact, since forming on a whim in 2008, this award-winning Icelandic super-group of sorts has produced five albums of expressive avant jazz. But still, bringing brothers Óskar and Ómar Guðjónsso…
"Put your hand on the chest / of a heart that is beating" -- the line comes from a song they didn't play during their recent session at KEXP, but it's the same tangibly intimate invitation you get whenever you hear The Barr Brothers's music, like you can actually touch the creative force coursing t…
In 2018, KEXP celebrated the 30th anniversary of local record label Sub Pop with a four-month retrospective, "counting up" every catalog number in their vast discography of over 1,200 releases. Dig into the archives of our catalog coverage, featuring in-depth coverage on the history of their releases.
