First Listen: Youth Lagoon, ‘Savage Hills Ballroom’
A sensitive, trembling soul, Youth Lagoon’s Trevor Powers mixes precision and poise with a sense of being forever on the verge of falling apart.
Tag: Indie Rock
KEXP Presents: La Luz
Watch the Seattle surf-rock band light up the studio with the sun-drenched “Don’t Wanna Be Anywhere.”
Happyness: Tiny Desk Concert
If you’re a fan of dark, incredibly dry, wry humor, you’ve just found Happyness. Watch the London trio perform three songs that enchant and lull, even as they jar you with their quirkiness.
Babe City Records: The D.C. Label That Started In A Basement And Moved Up To 9:30 Club
On a Saturday night, multicolored balloons bearing the image of cartoon character Tintin sail down from the balconies of D.C.’s…
First Listen: Low, ‘Ones And Sixes’
Intimacy, unease and aggression coexist in bracing, beautiful ways throughout Ones And Sixes, which feels as intimate as a whisper over pillows and as obtuse as transmissions from a faraway satellite.
Review: Joan Shelley, ‘Over And Even’
Songs on the Kentucky folk singer’s second album sound ancient and true, even on first hearing.
First Listen: Lou Barlow, ‘Brace The Wave’
Brace The Wave keeps the Sebadoh singer’s sound stripped to its barren bones, an approach suited to the pleas and confessions therein.
First Listen: Diane Coffee, ‘Everybody’s A Good Dog’
Foxygen’s Shaun Fleming aspires to a ’70s ideal that rolls up sugarcoated bubblegum glam, soul balladry, Francophone pop and echoes of the Brill Building.
Review: The Arcs, ‘Yours, Dreamily’
In his new band, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach plays immersive, funky R&B and soul that’s embellished with velvety harmonies, hissy tape recordings and lip-curling attitude.
Yo La Tengo: ‘When We Let The World In, It Can Be So Profound’
The New Jersey band’s members say their longevity comes from not projecting ideas onto themselves. Their new album, Stuff Like That There, features covers and reworked songs.
Six Pics: Of Montreal And A Lot Of Insane Costumes At Flying Dog Brewery
An Of Montreal show is an experience better witnessed than described — any attempt at summarizing what happened onstage is…
Review: Destroyer, ‘Poison Season’
On his 10th album as Destroyer, Dan Bejar keeps mining discarded sounds and reclaiming them, recalling everyone from Harry Nilsson to Clarence Clemons.
First Listen: Beach House, ‘Depression Cherry’
On its fifth album, the Baltimore duo still finds a way to settle jangled nerves and transport listeners to a warmer, softer, easier place.
First Listen: Yo La Tengo, ‘Stuff Like That There’
Amid two invigorating new songs and three fresh renditions of Yo La Tengo classics, nine wide-ranging covers are performed with varying degrees of sweetness, sadness, silliness and joy.
Premiere: Marian McLaughlin’s Joyful ‘Kapunkah,’ A Tribute To Thailand
After working on the Fojol Bros. food trucks in D.C. a couple of years ago — rotating between Indian, Ethiopian…
Premiere: ‘Drag + Blur,’ A Slacker-Rock Gem From Princess Reason
If you know ‘90s rock, you’ll know where the latest song from Princess Reason comes from. “Drag + Blur,” the…
KEXP Presents: Built To Spill
Despite the title of their new album, Untethered Moon, these veteran rockers have never seemed more grounded. Watch them play “So” in the KEXP studio.
Premiere: ‘Go Bi,’ An Anthem About Bisexuality From D.C. Indie Rockers BRNDA
The title of “Go Bi,” a new tune from D.C. indie-rock band BRNDA, doesn’t falsely advertise: It’s a song about…
Color Palette Jangles The Pain Away On New Song ‘Heartless’
On a new track called “Heartless,” Jay Nemeyer takes listeners through his struggle to come to terms with the disappointments and complexities…
First Watch: Yo La Tengo, ‘Friday I’m In Love’
And we thought a new album of cover songs by the band was good news.