My favorite song of the year is “Color Decay” by Icelandic singer-songwriter Júníus Meyvant. I wasn’t blown away by the song the first time I heard it, but it’s not that type of song. It’s deceptively subtle, with a quality that pulled me in, haunted me, and made me want to listen to it again, and again, and again. Part of it is the way the song unfolds, building in intensity as the strings and horns slowly play off each other and the lyrics…“moving into place, from gloom to grace.” Mysterious, melancholy, soulful, there’s something spiritual about “Color Decay” that’s ultimately transcendent and triumphant as the horns and strings swell and march to their final note.
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Afterno…
It's mind-boggling how a place so small can create so much terrific music. This year, as I was compiling my list of top Icelandic releases, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd find as many great albums as last year and the year before. Would I find ten? Twenty? Actually, as it turns out, a lot more! …
For the rest of the year, we'll be spotlighting our KEXP DJs Top Albums of 2014. Click here to check out other lists from our DJs, staff, volunteers, and interns, and click here to see the Top 90.3 Albums of 2014, as voted on by KEXP listeners!
Check out some of the KEXP DJ’s favorite artists from the Pacific Northwest and around the world on-the-go. KEXP’s Music That Matters weekly podcast brings you an exclusive mix of new music from the world’s best independent artists.
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…
