To name her newest record, Halo, Argentina's Juana Molina sorted through her lyrics word by word before deciding “halo” was the correct way to describe this collection of rhythmic, kinetic electronic music. Joining Darek Mazzone on Wo' Pop, Molina and her band return to KEXP to perform four songs from Halo and discuss the difficulty of naming the record and being one of a kind. Recorded 9/26/2017 - 4 songs: Cosoco, Estalacticas, Paraguaya, Sin Dones Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate ...
Dec 27, 2017•31 min
Influenced by the year he spent on the road while writing the record, Simon Green's latest record, Migration, is Bonobo's most progressive album to date, with a wider spectrum of sounds bursting into his electronic compositions. Joined by a full band in his return to KEXP's Live Room, Green joins DJ Kevin Cole to play four Migration tracks and discuss how perpetually traveling impacted the record. Recorded 9/19/2017 - 4 songs: Migration, Break Apart, No Reason, Samurai Support the show: https://...
Dec 22, 2017•32 min
Benjamin Booker's second album, Witness, finds the musician rallying his blues rock sound to call for respect and justice in troubling times while retaining the sharp musicianship that made his debut stand out. On his return to the KEXP Live Room, Booker joins Troy Nelson for four Witness songs and a conversation about writing songs in Mexico and visiting Third Man Records' headquarters. Recorded 9/11/2017 - 4 songs: The Slow Drag Under, Carry, Believe, Right On You Support the show: https://www...
Dec 20, 2017•19 min
The North Carolina musician Sarah Shook had been buzzy for the past few years, but with Sidelong, her 2017 album, her profile appropriately raised with the collection of twangy, burning country songs. In fiery form, Shook and her band the Disarmers join Don Slack on Swingin' Doors to play four songs and discuss the origins of the group, . Recorded 9/27/2017 - 4 songs: Keep the Home Fires Burnin', Dwight Yoakum, Heal Me, The Bottle Never Lets Me Down Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate ...
Dec 15, 2017•23 min
In between playing seemingly countless shows and becoming one of Seattle's worst-kept-secrets, DoNormaal found time to craft Third Daughter, her second full-length and a stunning addition to her catalog. On her return to the KEXP Live Room, DoNormaal performs four tracks from Third Daughter and discusses the last year and her favorite poets with Stas THEE Boss. Recorded 9/21/2017 - 4 songs: Buckle, Magic Donormarl, Emotional, Plugged In Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudi...
Dec 13, 2017•21 min
He's one of America's most consistent journeyman songwriters, but Conor Oberst's 2016/17 companion albums Ruminations and Salutations are some of his best and most harrowing work yet. Performing four songs from those albums with a band, Oberst's songwriting is placed front and center in this session with Troy Nelson. Recorded 9/2/2017 - 4 songs: Barbary Coast, Afterthought, Mamah Borthwick (A Sketch), Till St. Dymphna Kicks Us Out Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/...
Dec 08, 2017•23 min
Cigarettes After Sex is an evocative moniker, and it's brilliant that the El Paso, Texas group's sound is as vaporous, alluring, and nocturnal as they suggest. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Live Room, Greg Gonzalez and co. perform four tracks from their self-titled debut. Recorded 9/8/2017 - 4 songs: K., Sunsetz, Sweet, Apocalypse Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 06, 2017•28 min
Considering the members' other projects, Filthy Friends' collective resume is completely stacked - having Corin Tucker, Peter Buck, and Scott McCaughey in your ranks will do that - but it's remarkable how loose and low-stakes this performance of ripping guitars and pounding drums sounds. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Live Room, the Portland, Oregon group show off their chemistry as friends and musicians with four songs from their 2017 self-titled debut. Recorded 9/8/2017 - 4 songs: The Arrival, ...
Dec 01, 2017•21 min
Pieces of Sky, Tomo Nakayama's latest record, is one of the Seattle veteran's most delicate and powerful works, reflecting on the nature of traveling and going through life during chaotic times. Backed by a full band in this session on the Morning Show with John Richards, Nakayama and his group play four songs and discuss the nature of playing gigs in airports and using music to stay positive in tough times. Recorded 9/7/2017 - 4 songs: Bright and Blue, Fourth of Julivar's, Undying Light, Pieces...
Nov 29, 2017•25 min
Named after the informal moniker of the musicians who helped him make the record, Floating Harmonies is one of Júnrus Meyvant's finest records, living up to its title's description of aqueous, serene melodies. Performing a stripped down set in the KEXP Live Room, Meyvant and his band play three tracks from the record (and an unreleased tune) and tell DJ Morgan about their year after the record's release. Recorded 9/2/2017 - 4 songs: Dwelling Side By Side, Mr. Minister Great, Floating Harmonies, ...
Nov 24, 2017•19 min
It's hard to think of a local band that's emerged as explosively this year on KEXP as Great Grandpa, but it's not hard to see why. The quintet write crunchy, catchy, and thoughtful songs, of which there are 10 on their stellar debut Plastic Cough. Four of those air during this session with on the Morning Show with John Richards which also features a story about how a band member eating pumpkin seeds led to the lyrics of “Teen Challenge”. Recorded 8/23/2017 - 4 songs: Expert Eraser, Fade, Teen Ch...
Nov 22, 2017•25 min
“I'm just writing to write and to let that be heard.” Luz Elena Mendoza says she processes events and experiences pretty quickly, and it shows in her songs, full of musical ideas with vibrant energy. The Y La Bamba leader clearly has a lot to say, and in this session with DJ Sharlese on Audioasis, she and her band play four new songs and discuss living through the darkness and the light, articulating your experiences, and striving to being nice to everyone. Recorded 8/17/2017 - 4 songs: My Death...
Nov 17, 2017•32 min
Kevin Morby has been a KEXP favorite for a few years now, but he's never sounded quite as vibrant and expansive as he does on his latest LP, City Music. Performing a set full of City Music tracks (along with some old favorites) at the Triple Door, Morby and his bandmates run through a sublime 50 minute set. Recorded 8/21/2017 - 4 songs: City Music, Crybaby, 1234, Aboard My Train, Destroyer, I Have Been To The Mountain, Parade, Downtown's Lights, Beautiful Strangers Support the show: https://www....
Nov 15, 2017•50 min
“In order to be big, we need a lot of players.” Jungle Fire guitarist bassist Joseph Reina lays it out pretty clear: to be able to create muscular afro funk workouts, the Los Angeles outfit need at least ten musicians. But even with a guitarist missing, the nonet sound bold and kinetic when they joined DJ Chilly on El Sonido for four songs and a breakdown of their story as a band. Recorded 6/23/2017 - 4 songs: Jambú, Cumbia de Sal, Lamento Momposino, Firewalker Support the show: https://www.kexp...
Nov 10, 2017•21 min
Popular Manipulations, The Districts' followup to 2015's breakout A Flourish and a Spoil, is a massive leap forward for the mature-beyond-their-years quartet. Ragged and emotional but with plenty of songwriting sharpness, the band's newest batch of songs goes forth boldly into the KEXP Live Room in this session with Troy Nelson. Recorded 7/7/2017 - 4 songs: If Before I Wake, Violet, Fat Kiddo, Ordinary Day Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...
Nov 08, 2017•22 min
Nothing Feels Natural, Priests' stunning 2017 LP, pulls no punches with its shapeshifting punk-damaged songs about fighting against the oppressive forces around you. It's the kind of record that makes the most sense in a sweaty small venue, but a small radio station studio comes pretty close to recreating that experience. The D.C. quartet join Troy Nelson in the KEXP Live Room for four songs and a discussion about running your own label and having Ian Mackaye as a “band dad." Recorded 8/17/2017 ...
Nov 03, 2017•22 min
Doom Wop, the title of Prom Queen's latest album, is just as much of a title as it is a statement of aesthetic. Dressed to the nines and stocked with a wave of girl-group melodies, Leeni and co. joins DJ Sean on Audioasis for a set of smooth, beehive-haired Doom Wop tracks and a discussion of the best prom movies. Recorded 7/22/2017 - 4 songs: Vengeance (Will Be Mine), I Need You, Can't Seem To Cry, Blonde Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...
Nov 01, 2017•23 min
Underneath shimmering textures and spiky rhythms, The Drums have always kept their heart on their musical sleeves, with Jonathan Pierce effortlessly dropping sentimental expressions alongside darkly-tinted humor alongside each other. That's no different on the band's latest album “Abysmal Thoughts”, and which gets highlighted (along with some older material) in this VIP Concert at the Triple Door in Seattle. Recorded 7/17/2017 - 7 songs: Heart Basel, Days, Book of Stories, Blood Under My Belt, M...
Oct 27, 2017•34 min
Considering her earliest DIY recordings and her days in P.S. Eliot, Katie Crutchfield is practically a veteran at this point, so it's no surprise that her fourth and most recent album as Waxahatchee, Out in the Storm, is her most confident yet. In session with Stevie Zoom, the Birmingham-born songwriter and her bandmates perform four Out of the Storm tunes. Recorded 7/24/2017 - 4 songs: Recite Remorse, Silver, Hear You, Never Been Wrong Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudi...
Oct 25, 2017•20 min
Although the musicians surrounding them aren't always the same, the couple of Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia's impeccable chemistry has kept their Malian rhythms dazzling for more than 30 years. Their first record in five years, La Confusion, is as vibrant as any of their previous work and in this session on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, their danceable songs cut straight to the point. Recorded 8/9/2017 - 4 songs: Bofou Safou, Filaou Bessame, Beaux Dimanches, La Réalité Support the sho...
Oct 20, 2017•28 min
It's an understatement to say The War On Drugs' return to KEXP was highly anticipated, but it's the best that words can do for this sublime session from Adam Granduciel and company. Featuring four songs off the band's beautiful new album A Deeper Understanding, the Philadelphia outfit join DJ Troy Nelson for a quick catch-up on the last three years, the making of their new album, and cold calling engineers through their Geocities site to come work on a record. Recorded 8/1/2017 - 4 songs: Pain, ...
Oct 18, 2017•32 min
“Joint isn't a curse, right?” El-P always asks the important questions, both on his records and in his sessions. This was only moments before he, Killer Mike, and Trackstar the DJ rock the KEXP Live Room with an incendiary (and, impressively, profanity free) session. A quartet of Run The Jewels tunes rocks DJ Kevin Cole and the Jewel Runners in the Live Room audience (“we can't hear you but make some noise”) before a conversation on music, life, and being too high to remember your cameo in Baby ...
Oct 13, 2017•33 min
Bringing your backup dancers to a radio session is a surefire way to know someone isn't messing around, so it shouldn't be a surprise that Lizzo's visit to the KEXP Live Room is an immensely fun twenty minutes. Performing a quartet of new cuts and discussing the role of music in activism, Lizzo joins DJ Morgan for a set of charismatic and kinetic hip-hop. Recorded 7/22/2017 - 4 songs: Good As Hell, Phone, Scuse Me, Coconut Oil Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/list...
Oct 11, 2017•21 min
The Kentucky songwriter Joan Shelley's latest album contains some of her richest songs, highlighting Shelley's rich voice and mellifluous guitar playing. Performing four songs from the self-titled record, Shelley and guitarist Nathan Salsburg join Greg Vandy on the Roadhouse for a crisp, beautiful performance. Recorded 7/19/2017 - 4 songs: If The Storms Never Come, The Push and Pull, Where I'll Find You, Over and Even Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
Oct 06, 2017•23 min
After a few years off, Beach Fossils returned earlier this year with Somersault, the band's finest set of songs to date and also the first to be written and recorded as a band. Dustin Payseur and co. bring four new tracks to the KEXP Live Room with Kevin Cole and talk about Somersault, people actually liking authority figures, and being nervous about asking Slowdive's Rachel Goswell to sing on your song. Recorded 7/11/2017 - 4 songs: Saint Ivy, Be Nothing, Sugar. Closer Everywhere Support the sh...
Oct 04, 2017•28 min
Ten years into her career, Javiera Mena's music continues to get more colorful and vibrant while remaining introspective. The Chilean musician's latest album Otra Era is full percolating and percussive electronic sounds that are highly danceable, not least by the dancers that join her in this session on El Sonido with DJ Chilly. Recorded 7/18/2017 - 4 songs: Hasta La Verdad, Sincronía, Pegaso, Cámara Lenta, Otra Era Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
Sep 29, 2017•37 min
He wasn't a goth - although he had goth sensibilities, by his own account - but John Darnielle and the Mountain Goats' new album Goths is a vivid, humorous account of the lives of the black-clad subculture. Joining Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room, Darnielle discusses growing up all over the United States, the differences between writing songs on piano and guitar, and losing your leather jacket on your first European tour. Recorded 6/6/2017 - 4 songs: Blood Capsules, Andrew Eldrich Is Moving ...
Sep 22, 2017•30 min
Dropping a pair of albums on one day is an ambitious move, but convention has never been for the inimitable Shabazz Palaces. Those records - Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines and Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star - are filled with some of the duo's most engaging work yet, and those records shine through in this session with Stas Thee Boss in the KEXP Live Room. Recorded 7/14/2017 - 4 songs: Since C.A.Y.A., Welcome to Quazarz, When Cats Claw, Shine a Light Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/don...
Sep 22, 2017•18 min
The warm, golden Finnish-style Americana of Tuomo & Markus flows with the aqueousness of jazz and bursts of a post-rock glow. Backed with a crack band, the Helsinki duo join Kevin Cole in the KEXP Live Room to play songs from their latest releases, tell the story of how they became a band, and the importance of libraries in discovering new music. Recorded 6/20/2017 - 5 songs: Over The Rooftops, Life Leaving Your Body, Land of Real Men, Don't Shut Down Your Radio, Jack Straw Support the show:...
Sep 20, 2017•36 min
Seven years is a long time between albums, but Land of Talk's Liz Powell took that time to walk away from music and recharge, returning with some of her most affecting songs yet on this year's Life After Youth. Joining John Richards in the KEXP Live Room, Powell plays four new songs and talks about leaving music behind, returning to it, and the unforgettable time she saw Fugazi in Dublin. Recorded 6/28/2017 - 4 songs: Yes You Were, Loving, Inner Lover, This Time Support the show: https://www.kex...
Sep 15, 2017•27 min
