After over 25 years in the game, Mogwai are a band that should need no introduction. Yet, perhaps because of their primarily instrumental nature, the Scottish post-rock band only recently received their first chart-topping album with 2021’s 'As the Love Continues.' Hitting No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart this past February, the record builds upon the emotively expansive world-constructing sound they’ve become masters of. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson takes us through a brief history of the band and...
May 18, 2021•26 min
After over 25 years in the game, Mogwai are a band that should need no introduction. Yet, perhaps because of their primarily instrumental nature, the Scottish post-rock band only recently received their first chart-topping album with 2021’s 'As the Love Continues.' Hitting No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart this past February, the record builds upon the emotively expansive world-constructing sound they’ve become masters of. Recorded 03/03/2021. Ceiling Granny Dry Fantasy Ritchie Sacramento How To Be A...
May 18, 2021•32 min
As you may know, last year we started producing intros for each episode, providing insights and backstory for the session you were about to hear. While many listeners are enjoying this added context, we've also heard that some of you miss our old format. Based on that feedback, we've decided to upload a second version of each episode every Tuesday, starting May 18th. That second version will contain the live session audio and interview only, with no introduction, for listeners who want to get st...
May 18, 2021•53 sec
Korean American musician Margaret Sohn has been dealing with the syndrome that inflicts nearly everyone in creative fields from time to time. Her sophomore EP as Miss Grit, ‘Impostor,' tackles that feeling head-on in ways both intimate and inventive. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson fills us in on the producer, engineer, singer, effects pedal builder, and composer before she plays a hazy set fueled by distorted guitars, programmed drums, and angelic vocals. Recorded April 2021. Imposter Buy the Ban...
May 11, 2021•23 min
Since 2008, Luz Elena Mendoza has been blending indie, Latin, folk, and pop music in eclectic, inventive ways under the name Y La Bamba. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson takes us through an abbreviated version of Mendoza’s journey from lo-fi self-produced recordings to working with a vast array of talented musicians and producers out of Portland. Her Live at KEXP at Home performance sees Mendoza employ a few of those incredible artists for a 4-song set recorded at the Center for Sound Light and Col...
May 04, 2021•24 min
Tennessee-born, Brooklyn-based artist Valerie June fuses folk, soul, gospel, country, and blues for a blissful blend of Southern charm. Her latest release, 2021’s 'The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers' is made up of “Songs with healing messages that keep our dreams a reality.” For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson delves into the lush new album, co-produced by Jack Splash (Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, John Legend), before June delivers an intimate set of songs recorded in front of a roaring fi...
Apr 27, 2021•28 min
With two EPs and a seemingly endless number of accolades from nearly every tastemaker in the music industry under her belt, it’s an understatement to say that Arlo Parks’ debut album was highly anticipated. Released in January, ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ lives up to the hype and reflects the artist born Anais Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho’s compassionate, friendly, and poetic spirit. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson traces Marinho’s journey from recording songs in her bedroom to sharing stages with heavy...
Apr 20, 2021•29 min
Malawi-born and Boston-based musician Anjimile has more resilience and fortitude than your average 27-year-old. After battling alcoholism, the queer trans artist turned to music during recovery which has produced a special gift in the form of their 2020 debut album, 'Giver Taker.' For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson delves into Anjimile’s fascinating life story and the influences that would push them towards becoming the self-described “boy king.” Recorded 02/08/2021. Your Tree Baby No More 1978 Maker...
Apr 13, 2021•27 min
As Troy Nelson details in this week’s Live on KEXP, Jean-Sébastien Yves Audet has created an incredibly large body of work for only 24 years on this planet. After putting out music under the names Un Blonde, Faux Fur, You Are Minez, Darren Wantz, and Zouk Fuck, his latest project as Yves Jarvis is probably his most palatable thus far. Intimate and evocative, the textured warmhearted songs that make up his latest release, 2020’s 'Sundry Rock Song Stock,' have captured a wide audience of ears and ...
Apr 06, 2021•23 min
A skillfully quick-witted musician, Stella Donnelly rose from the secluded coastal beaches of Perth to a world-touring artist by being uncompromisingly candid. Her debut album ‘Beware of the Dogs,’ released in 2019, sees Donnelly address misogyny and sexual assault in a direct but humorous way. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson charts her journey from Wales to Australia to Secretly Canadian while Donnelly plays a stripped-down set of songs from ‘Beware of the Dogs.’ Recorded 04/03/2019. Old Man Tric...
Mar 30, 2021•20 min
In an effort to explain the context of the land from which the desert blues rockers Songhoy Blues reside, Troy Nelson delves into the meaning behind the commonly-used phrase, “From here to Timbuktu” and the history of the Malian city. From there, Nelson charts the progression of the trio that make up Songhoy Blues, from refugees to Nick Zinner collaborators to Glastonbury performers to major label signees. A journey just as expansive as their unique sound. Recorded 11/03/2020. Badala Dournia Wor...
Mar 23, 2021•28 min
“I meant to behave. There were just too many other options.” While this quote comes from paranormal romantic thriller writer Darynda Jones, it could easily be applied to British producer and rapper Tricky. An early pioneer of trip-hop, he’s never been afraid of pushing boundaries. Troy Nelson delves into Tricky’s musical and personal evolution over the past 25 years on this episode of Live on KEXP before the British icon delves into a stirring four-song set featuring Polish singer Marta. Recorde...
Mar 16, 2021•21 min
“Age is just a number. It’s irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” This Joan Collins quote sets the tone for this week’s Live on KEXP, which uses wine vintage as a metaphor for the incredibly difficult year in which Slow Pulp’s latest album, 'Moveys,' was made. Over the course of Spring 2019 until its release in October 2020, the band dealt with Lyme Disease, family emergencies, and a global pandemic while hammering out their debut full-length. Troy Nelson traces the C...
Mar 09, 2021•26 min
“Conform, go crazy or become an artist.” DC-based musician Bartees Strange understands this sentiment well. As an artist, he’s pushing the boundaries of music by refusing to conform to one genre which, especially for artists of color, tends to be incredibly limiting. With influences ranging from At the Drive In to The National, Strange is reinventing what it means to be a “Black artist.” For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson dissects Strange’s history and influences to uncover how he became the revoluti...
Mar 02, 2021•26 min
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” So Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet. Or to put it another way - The ocean is big. For this week’s Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson compares the vast mysteries of the ocean with the immense magic of the massive city of Kinshasa, which is the second-largest city in Africa and boasts more people than LA. Kinshasa native Jupiter Bokondji is evidence of the rich talent coming from the capital of the Democratic Republic o...
Feb 23, 2021•28 min
This week, Live on KEXP is doing something a little different. In honor of Black History Month, we’re revisiting an incredible performance from all the way back in 2016, when KEXP moved to our new home at Seattle Center. We were fortunate enough to have Miss Sharon Jones perform mere months before passing from cancer so for this episode we’re skipping story-time and replaying as many songs from this iconic performance with the Dap-Kings as we can fit in 25 minutes. Recorded 04/16/2016. 100 Days,...
Feb 16, 2021•26 min
Rapping is hard. To deliver lyrics clearly, with speed and cadence, with rhythm and syncopation and with meaning, with TRUTH, is really dang HARD. Blimes Brixton and Gifted Gab are two of those special humans with these exceptional capabilities. The self-described “cool aunties” have been separately killing the game in their respective regions of San Francisco and Seattle for years now but, after meeting on Facebook, decided to join forces for a collaborative release. That album, 'Talk About It,...
Feb 09, 2021•23 min
It’s a rarity and an honor when a band is able to not only stick around for 20 years but still make music that people love and connect to. Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers are in this honorable position, having channeled the power of collaboration to make it the long haul. Last year, the AC Newman-fronted band dropped by KEXP mere weeks before the world shut down to play songs off their latest album, 'In the Morse Code of Brake Lights.’ For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson connects the st...
Feb 02, 2021•23 min
If there’s one thing that hit shows like ’Sopranos’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ have taught us, it’s that we love an anti-hero. On American musician Caroline Rose’s latest album ’Superstar,’ she crafts a story centered around a brazenly confident anti-hero that plays out like a film with a beginning, middle, and an open ending. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson breaks down the thematic elements of the record, offering tidbits of background on the glamorous Chateau Marmont, the scene for which the album is in...
Jan 26, 2021•28 min
The older they get, the cooler your parents are (or whoever plays that role in your life.) Mexico City-raised trio Son Rompe Pera know this well. The brothers may have initially shunned their parents’ push towards playing marimba as teenagers in favor of punk and cumbia, but eventually came back, putting their own unique and modern spin on the rich traditions of marimba. Troy Nelson delves into the brothers’ journey while also digging into some background education on the history of cumbia, rose...
Jan 19, 2021•26 min
So, way back when, in 2020, there were 262 “working days.” Whatever that means. Nevertheless, KEXP favorites IDLES spent one of those days joining Kevin Cole for a virtual live performance recorded at Abbey Road Studios. With cat meows censoring the FCC-unfriendly words, the British band barrels into four tracks off their latest album, ‘Ultra Mono.’ Ahead of the fiery performance, Troy Nelson dissects the diverse collaborators involved and the very deliberate four-part strategy behind making the...
Jan 12, 2021•22 min
Adia Victoria hails from Spartanburg, South Carolina, informally known as “The Upstate” just a few miles down Highway 9 from the trucks hurtling along Interstate 85 between Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia to the south. This geographical background heavily informs her music, which is often referred to as “gothic blues” and takes inspiration from Black blues artists like Robert Johnson, Skip James, John Lee Hooker, Junior Kimbrough, and RL Burnside. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson map...
Jan 05, 2021•22 min
In summer 2019, when the world looked vastly different, Hot Chip dropped their seventh full-length, ‘A Bath Full of Ecstasy.’ One of their strongest releases in years, the album marks the first time in their 19 years together that Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard brought in outside producers to help round out their sound. With Philippe Zdar and Rodaidh McDonald by their side, the album is a blissfully cathartic release. Last September, Hot Chip dropped by KEXP to play three songs from ‘A Bath Full ...
Dec 29, 2020•22 min
As the very first Francophone band signed to Sub Pop, Corridor prove that they’re worth their salt with their third studio album, ‘Junior.' Released in fall 2019, the album expertly mingles woozy shoegaze and ethereal French vocals with tightly-wound angular guitars for a completely hypnotizing effect. Troy Nelson explores the history of the Montreal band and the swift making of Junior while the band plays a selection of songs off the record. Recorded 12/12/2019. Agent Double Junior Grand Cheval...
Dec 22, 2020•20 min
With a long, community-driven career in music, Courtney Marie Andrews’ Grammy nomination for her latest album, ‘Old Flowers,’ feels more than well earned. The eighth studio album from the Nashville-based, Phoenix-born (and at one point Washington-dwelling) singer-songwriter is nominated for Best Americana Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards. A breakup record, through and through, the songs on the album convey the heartbreak and loneliness following the end of a relationship. For Live on KEXP, Troy N...
Dec 15, 2020•29 min
“It is not enough to say that justice takes time but it’s coming soon. Justice that is not exercised when appropriate is not justice.” These words from Pierre Dubois exemplify the ethos Chilean artist Ana Tijoux embodies in her politically charged music. With a rich and unconventional history, it’s difficult to unpack her life story in just 10 minutes but Troy Nelson makes that attempt. Everything from her unorthodox childhood with fiercely intelligent parents that instilled the radical passion ...
Dec 08, 2020•26 min
Today’s episode is brought to you by the letter “B,” with the brooding brutalism and bashing bombardment of Bambara. Using the beloved writing technique known as alliteration, Troy Nelson burrows into the biography of the Brooklyn-based band while also bestowing beholders with a brief background on the letter itself before the bands break into a blazing set, recorded live at KEXP right at the very end of the “before-times.” Recorded 03/04/2020. Serafina Death Croons Heat Lightning Stay Cruel Wat...
Dec 01, 2020•23 min
The sooner you start, the greater chance you have of doing something for half your life. This is something Frances Quinlan understands, as she’s on the verge of reaching the half-mark milestone for playing music. Beginning with the solo project Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, when she was in high school, Quinlan went on to release three records with the renamed full band Hop Along as well as a 2020 solo record, 'Likewise,' under her own name. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson details Quinlan’s tra...
Nov 24, 2020•24 min
Ever take a bath in sound? Like a full-on gong-bathing sonic immersion? Well, that’s what the music of Kelly Lee Owens both sounds and feels like. It’s a complete sensory experience that melds electronica, dream pop, and techno with Owens’ heavenly vocals for an otherworldly encounter that’s possibly just as relaxing and centering (and certainly cheaper) than a day at the spa. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson traverses Owens’ beginnings, from Wales to Manchester to London, where she made her first ...
Nov 17, 2020•22 min
Writing of reality, like all forms of truth-telling, is dangerous. That hasn’t stopped Brazilian musician Sessa from forging ahead and blending the imaginary with all-too-real scenarios. Laughing in the face of danger, his specialty is sensuality, honing in on the experience of sex in flowery yet less-than-veiled Portuguese terms on his debut album ‘Grandeza.’ For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson contextualizes Sessa’s work alongside the words of other influential Brazilians including poet Carolina Mar...
Nov 10, 2020•20 min
