Author Archives: Jim Beckmann

Live Video: Bomba Estéreo

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 25, 2013

The name of their 2009 release (2008 in Colombia), “Blow Up”, was prescient. While the music of Bomba Estéreo is stylistically explosive, their popularity at the time of its release was just beginning to grow. We watched them ascend as their in-studio performance from late 2009 quickly became one of our most popular videos andRead more...

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New Music: Sigur Rós - Ísjaki

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 24, 2013

If you were listening at 11:35AM this morning, KEXP premiered another song from the forthcoming and highly anticipated new Sigur Rós album, Kveikur, due June 18 on XL Recordings. You may have already heard the first single “Brennisteinn“, which finds the band in a dark, dizzying, electrified state. “Ísjaki”, the new one, by comparison isRead more...

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Live Video: The Cave Singers

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 23, 2013

Few band names are as apt as The Cave Singers. Not quite a folk band and definitely not your typical indie rock band, The Cave Singers seem to have hatched their sound in seclusion, as if alone amid darkness and firelight. Their songs are rustic in style but not necessarily in execution, airy but alsoRead more...

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Out This Week 4/23

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 23, 2013

We hope you had a successful and fruitful Record Store Day this past Saturday and that you’ve added many cherished discs to your vinyl collection. This growing movement has been a needed boon for ailing record stores as much as it’s been a treasure trove for music fans worldwide. We’d love to hear what yourRead more...

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I Got High 4/20 Playlist!

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 20, 2013

Happy Weed Day, everyone! Though the origins of “420″ aren’t quite the stuff of legend (it was not actually police code for marijuana use in progress), it certainly has become the rallying cry of pot smokers and is celebrated daily without anyone’s help. But the day 4/20 is likely to raise more blunts, and hopefullyRead more...

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Live Video: Billy Bragg at SXSW

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 17, 2013

At his most vitriolic, Billy Bragg is still a softy. The now legendary British singer-songwriter has made a name for himself since the 80′s through crooning romantic ballads and biting political critique. Both originate from the same place; for Bragg, as for his hero Woody Guthrie, love for humankind is the heart of protest. SoRead more...

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Out This Week 4/16

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 16, 2013

I hate to break it to you, but you’re gonna be heading toward Record Store Day this Saturday at a deficit. Why? Because there are too many excellent new releases coming out today that you’ll want to pick up right now. First and foremost: the latest from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whose fourth album our MusicRead more...

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Live Video: Unknown Mortal Orchestra at SXSW

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 15, 2013

Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a bit of a conundrum, at least when it comes to classifying them. Not really a “band,” UMO is really the project of Ruban Nielson, who wrote and recorded songs in his bedroom and even posted the insanely catchy “Ffunny Ffrends” first online anonymously. Not really a local group, Nielson isRead more...

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Song of the Day: Cloud Cult - Good Friend

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 15, 2013

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. Every Friday, we feature a Northwestern artist. Today’s song, featured on the Afternoon Show with KevinRead more...

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Live Video: Ólafur Arnalds at SXSW

By Jim Beckmann | Published: April 14, 2013

It’s been hard for us to forget the beautiful and intimate session we had with Ólafur Arnalds during our Iceland Airwaves broadcast last year at KEX Hostel. This year, when we saw that the young Icelandic composer and songwriter would be performing at SXSW, we wanted to get him live on air again, not toRead more...

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