• Christopher Reimer of the Jagjaguwar band Women passed away in his sleep. The cause of death is unknown. He was 26. His sister has created a memorial websiste in his honor.

• Check out Death Cab for Cutie performing for a bunch of middle aged people at The Brooklyn Museum. Death Cab will play the Paramount on May 13 accompanied by the Magik*Magik Orchestra – Youth Lagoon will open. According to Ben Gibbard it will feature killer old tunes with new arrangements.

• Grimes released her new record Visions yesterday on 4AD and Arbutus. She was just in for an in-studio which you can listen to right here. And check out this bonus track off her new record via Gorilla vs. Bear — it’s called “Angel.”

• Here is our President singing Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” He also recently sang a few bars of “Sweet Home Chicago” with B.B King. Check it out via the Washington Post.

For three years now, KEXP has been going back to Iceland in order to tap into the scene welling up out of those thermal heated pools there. And while we set out to discover a handful of great new bands to share with our listeners, we ended up discovering a nearly endless stream of talent. In fact, we just realized that the Iceland playlist on our YouTube channel contains over 12 hours of video! Gathered here are a few more artists we recorded around our recent broadcast during the the 2011 Iceland Airwaves festival.

The first two were filmed in Gym and Tonic, the back room of the KEX Hostel on our first day. Kiriyama Family, the “New, self-proclaimed princes of indie-electro-pop,” was completely new to us… and new to the world. At the time, the band had only a few songs in their repertoire, but their melodic dance grooves were immediately catchy. Look for a dream bill with them and Miike Snow! Prinspóló, on the other hand, offers a few more challenges to American listeners, particularly because principle songwriter Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson tends to sing only in Icelandic, but his quirky indie pop builds from repetitive loops into deep reaching hooks. You’ll be chanting words you have no idea what they mean! Agent Fresco is a band we first discovered back in 2009. We’ve since followed their trajectory as they’ve won one award after another. Normally, their self-described “polyrythmic oddtime rock with jazz and funk influence” translates to sheer sonic assault, but for this session, we met up with the band at a music school for a special acoustic, string-accompanied performance. Check out the videos and discover a new favorite of your own here:

Kiriyama Family:

Prinspóló:

Agent Fresco:

Exitmusic at the Cutting Room Studios NYC
photo by David Andrako

Today on the Morning Show, John Richards debuted the brand new single “Passage” by indie electro-pop group Exitmusic. The band is made up of married couple Aleska Palladino and Devon Church, and whatever single-word, genre-inducing monikers that might be slapped onto this duo’s sound are essentially meaningless after a couple trips through this track. Exitmusic are among the new breed of lo-fi electronica (if there could be such a thing) alongside acts like Youth Lagoon, Washed Out, and The Antlers, but what defines Exitmusic is their epic songwriting style that is 100% evident in their new single “Passage”:

Exitmusic’s debut LP, also entitled Passage, will be released by Secretly Canadian on May 22nd. On every track, Palladino and Church confuse, realize, and amaze with massive builds and emotional, passionate breaks that have as much drive as they have stutter. Exitmusic balance their gusto with swirling, layered textures, making a beautiful convolution of noise and sound and harmony.

You’ll have several opportunities to get to know Exitmusic better in the upcoming months. They are opening up for labelmates School of Seven Bells on their upcoming tour in support of new album, Ghostory, and will be coming to Seattle and playing at the Crocodile on April 23 (it will be glorious). If you haven’t yet checked out their fantastic 2011 EP, From Silence, you can stream the whole thing here, as well as check out more dates on their Bandcamp and Facebook pages, and watch video from their previous session live on KEXP from the Cutting Room Studios NYC here.

photo by John Gladdy

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased tracks, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s selection, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Black Holes In My Brain” by Barry Adamson from the 2012 album I Will Set You Free on Central Control International.

The defining element of Barry Adamson’s music and persona might be the fact that it is abundantly clear that he is going to do whatever he god damn well pleases, and probably doesn’t give a shit what you think about it. Bald, dark-eyed, and intense, Adamson’s music has taken many twists and turns since he released his first solo EP, The Man With The Golden Arm, in 1988, but whether he is playing grim, desolate, and expansive pieces suited for cinema (he worked with David Lynch to write much of the music for Lost Highway) or funkified lounge jazz topped off by his smoky voice stringing together bits of darkened imagery, his music has always retained a certain rugged independence that is unmistakeably Adamson’s alone.

Adamson got his start in the 70s playing with the Buzzcocks and as a member of Magazine (who just reunited for a tour in 2009), going on to join Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in the 80s. His time with Nick Cave set the tone for much of his solo work, but you could just as easily say that Adamson’s own influence is readily apparent on the four Bad Seeds’ albums he was a part of (From Here To Eternity, The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against The Pricks, and Your Funeral, My Trial). His solo work in the 90s was haunting, atmospheric, and cinematic, often prominently featuring horns and strings, and many have likened his songs to something that would appear in a James Bond soundtrack (one track from his 1992, Mercury Prize-shortlisted album Soul Murder is even titled “007, a Fantasy Bond Theme”). In recent years, Adamson’s music has drawn more comparisons to that of the Bad Seeds, tending toward the dark, lounge-y, and conversational, and no exception is today’s featured song “Black Holes In My Brain.” Like everything he’s ever done, however, of course, and more than anything, it’s distinctly Barry Adamson.

On Monday, March 5 at 1:00 pm, Barry Adamson will be playing an in-studio session for KEXP that will be broadcast live on 90.3 FM and around the world at KEXP.org. Don’t miss this one! For now, check out his video for “Destination,” from I Will Set You Free:

photo by Tracy Clayton

It’s 10:15pm on a Thursday night and Dominant Legs is close to wrapping up their set at the Crocodile, dedicating the last song to Eleanor, and asking the audience to consider buying a CD to help buy back some stolen equipment (read more about it or help out here). The crowd is partially responsive. A couple members of the throng that were pretty into their set start to shuffle towards the merch booth as the band begins to play “Hoop of Love“. They sound fantastic. The crowd is starting to loosen up and dance around. I look towards the front of the crowd and right up against the stage is Eleanor Friedberger and her lead guitarist John Eatherly, bopping and swaying along. Lord knows they’ve heard this song dozens of times along their tour, but they dance and smile like it’s the first time.

photo by Tracy Clayton

Within the Fiery Furnaces context and without, Eleanor writes beautiful stories that are equal parts dizzying, shocking, and endearing. But on her own, she seems more autobiographical and more vulnerable. And at 10:30pm, when Eleanor and her band clamber up onto the stage and start up the pop gem “I Won’t Fall Apart On You Tonight“, it’s fun to watch her spin her life in the form of a song. She’s not afraid to crack a smile at the lines she’s written because she’s honest to herself. The songs of her solo LP Last Summer, and even the nameless new tracks that weave in between them in her live set, are pieces of a diary disguised as pop songs. Their arrangement is simple and sweet. Eatherly occasionally rips out a bouncy, 1960s guitar solo, but other than that, the tracks are bare bones – just Eleanor and her life, and the songs that come out of it.

photo by Tracy Clayton

About halfway through her set, Dominant Legs joins us in the crowd to dance along. Eleanor dedicates songs back to them. They cheer back at the stage. Everything is honest. Eleanor isn’t relying on stage tricks or lighting or aesthetic. Rather, her songs speak for themselves, and nothing needs to be said or done to alter them. For the last song of her main set, Eleanor plays a faster, punkier version of “My Mistakes” and everyone in the Crocidile is dancing and singing along. At this point, Eleanor is a music lover among music lovers, and we all just get to share the experience together.

photo by Tracy Clayton

Eleanor is touring with Fred Armisted and Carrie Brownstein on the rest of the Portlandia tour as a musical guest. Check out her solo LP Last Summer, out now on Merge Records, and check out some more photos below:

photo by Tracy Clayton

photo by Tracy Clayton

photo by Tracy Clayton

photo by Tracy Clayton

photo by Tracy Clayton

photo by Tracy Clayton

• A new video popped up today from Santigold. The video is for her new single “Disparate Youth”, which debuts today on iTunes. The song comes from her much anticipated new LP, Master Of My Make-Believe. Watch the video above.

• The Shins have created a video for their newest single “Simple Song.” Oddly enough, instead of just streaming it, they are offering it up for free on iTunes. It’s a quirky and adorable video, featuring an aged James Mercer giving his last will and testament. Grab it here.

• Blur, New Order, and The Specials are slated to perform at the closing ceremonies for the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games. This “Best of the British” performance will take place in Hyde Park.

• Rufus Wainwright released the new single from his upcoming album Out of the Game today. The track is called “Montauk” and reminisces about the town of the same name. The new album will be produced by Mark Ronson and feature cameos by Nick Zinner, Sean Lennon, and Doveman. For a listen and some more information about the album, check it out at Twenty Four Bit here.

• Memoryhouse is now streaming their new album The Slideshow Effect in full over at SPIN. If you still haven’t checked out this beautiful record, do so here!

• Little Dragon has remixed the Grouplove track “Tongue Tied” and morphed it into a noisy, snare-heavy dance track. It’s available for free download through SPIN here.

Happy Presidents Day week, everybody. A commanding list of new releases awaits you in stores today. Among them is the latest by our recent guest and longtime friend of KEXP, Damien Jurado, whose Maraqopa would be good enough to get him elected President of Seattle if there were such a thing. Our Music Director, Don Yates, says the new album “sounds like nothing else in Jurado’s illustrious catalog. It’s a dynamic and expansive set of adventurous psych-folk with a variety of haunting, well-crafted songs featuring trippy guitar work, atmospheric keyboards, swelling strings and various ambient noises accompanying Jurado’s soothing vocals and evocative lyrics.” This may be Jurado’s tenth album in his fifteen-year career, but it’s easily one of his best yet. Another stellar new release comes from another recent guest, who performed live on KEXP just yesterday: Claire Boucher a.k.a. Grimes. Visions, her fourth release in two years, has earned high praise from many internet tastemakers and is “a stunning set of adventurous electro-pop incorporating a wide variety of atmospheric synth sounds to accompany her eerie, girlish falsetto (which is often processed and looped to sound even more otherworldly) on intricately textured, R&B-tinged songs that are darkly mysterious, wildly inventive and proudly pop.” Look for both albums making the ballot on many critics’ “best of 2012″ year-end lists!

But if you really want to be ruled, Sleigh Bells‘ much anticipated Reign of Terror ignites a full-on electro-riot. The duo’s second album builds upon Treats‘ crunchy beats and inescapable hooks with a barrage of metal riffs from guitarist/producer Derek E. Miller and much more of Alexis Krauss’s lilting sugar-pop lyrics. Check them out for yourselves this Friday when they play Showbox at the Market. It’s also a day to celebrate a different kind of chief as well. February 21, 2012, is Mardi Gras Day, and what could be a more fitting release than Carnivale Electricos from New Orleans’ own Galactic? Mardi Gras indians Big Chief Juan Pardo and the Golden Camanche are the first of many New Orleans artists to join Galactic on their third release, which with its emphasis on Brazilian roots makes for pure party fun.

Other outstanding new releases include the second album of atmospheric indie-pop from Seattle’s Mike Hadreas (a.k.a. Perfume Genius), a promising debut of catchy lo-fi garage-pop from San Francisco’s Terry Malts, and a more crystalline ‘80s-influenced ethereal-pop follow up by former Vivian and Dum Dum Girl Frankie Rose. Idiosyncratic songwriters abound this week as the always witty southern songwriter Jim White returns with his latest; Lambchop, once self-proclaimed as “Nashville’s most fucked-up country band,” dedicates their 11th album to the late songwriter Vic Chesnutt; and brooding British orchestral band Tindersticks following a 5-year hiatus and a handful of French film soundtracks with their return-to-form, The Something Rain.

You’ll find all of these, plus another Archers of Loaf re-release, in record stores today. Head out to cast your vote today, but first, check out these fine tracks:

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased tracks, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s selection, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Pharaohs of Elysium” by Cascadia ’10 from their 2011 self-released Live EP.

Crazy as it sounds, Cascadia ’10 is old school original Afrobeat from the Pacific Northwest. Resonating sounds from Nigeria to the Emerald City, this small army of experienced musicians bring hypnoticly funky music to the hips and feet. The members of C’10 also perform in other groups such as Marmalade, Soul Senate, & Fascination Nation; and have performed in groups such as Swamp Mama Johnson, Altered States of Funk, and Sly Lothario. C’10 has gained much respect outside of Seattle and have opened for for international acts such as Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars and Garaj Mahal. The music of Cascadia ’10′s music consists mostly of original pieces, but the songs inherit from the rich legacy of Fela Kuti, Femi & Seun Kuti, Tony Allen, and the wellspring of music from Nigeria and throughout western Africa.

Cascadia ’10′s Live EP is collects live recordings from KEXP’s own Sonarchy session with them from Jack Straw Studios and from KBCS’s “Music of Africa” show. You can grab the whole thing from their Facebook and Bandcamp pages. If you want to catch them live yourself, they’ll be at the Seamonster Lounge on March 10th. For now, here’s a clip of them performing live at The Comet:

http://www.facebook.com/cascadia10?sk=app_204974879526524

• It’s about time M. Ward released something without the help of Zooey. Check out the new single “Primitive Girl” below.

• Justin Timberlake impersonated Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on this week’s episode of SNL. It’s pretty funny – JT does a parody of “Holocene” for Jay-Z and Beyonce’s new baby.

• Alison Krauss covered The Simpsons theme song in celebration of the show’s 500th Episode. Stream it below while you wonder why the creators can’t seem to make episodes as good as the older ones.

• This weekend brought us the second semi-final of EMP’s Sound Off! competition. Four great bands played, but Nude came home with the victory while Honora earned wild card honors. Ulrich and Brothers from Another also played great sets but will not advance to the finals on March 3rd.

EMA – Endless Nameless

Meat Puppets – Smells Like Teen Spirit

Casper Baby Pants – Sliver (double whammy… it’s Presidents Day!)

The Polyphonic Spree – Lithium

JEFF the Brotherhood – Something in the Way

Horse Feathers – Drain You

Jay Reatard – Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle

John Frusciante – Lounge Act

Dee Dee Ramone – Negative Creep

Hole – You Know You’re Right

Surfer Blood – Territorial Pissings

The Flaming Lips – Pennyroyal Tea

Ben Gibbard – All Apologies

Foxy Shazam – Drain You

Miley Cyrus – Smells Like Teen Spirit

Frank Turner – On a Plain