A Deeper Listen

2020 brought a national conversation around race in America. It’s a subject musician and KEXP Audioasis host Eva Walker has been talking about with her friend and fellow musician Rani Weatherby of th…

Calexico released a Christmas album for 2020 called 'Seasonal Shift.' But rather than the typical holiday songs about good tidings and cheer, Calexico paints a more realistic picture of dysfunctional…

Bartees Cox Jr., AKA Bartees Strange, released his debut album this year, entitled 'Live Forever.' His sound traverses art-rock, emo, folk, R&B and even trap rap. Though many are surprised by the eff…

Iceland’s Sigur Rós recently released their first album in seven years, titled 'Odin’s Raven Magic.' It’s an orchestral album featuring a Paris-based orchestra and an Icelandic chamber choir. While y…

Seattle independent artist Mark Diamond was surprised when he was able to pay his rent through song streams on Spotify. By persistence in reaching out to individual playlisters on the platform, he ev…

Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard talks about his new side project, Painted Shield, with singer/songwriter Mason Jennings. Gossard elaborates on the fruitful collaboration and dives into the backgrou…

Nearly two years ago, Toronto’s Royal Mountain Records became what might be the first label to offer a mental health fund for its artists. It pledged that any artist on the label could anonymously ac…

Harpist and composer Nailah Hunter released her debut EP, ‘Spells,' in May of this year. Hunter says she sees composition as an act of magical healing and, as the title suggests, each song is like a …

Dirty Projectors released five markedly different EPs in 2020, jumping between sonic realms of folk, classical, avant garde, bossa nova, and soulful pop. 

The first four EPs in the series feature a d…

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Alice in Chains' debut album, 'Facelift.' On December 1st, the band will be presented Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture’s Founders Award.

To talk about the band’…

Marie Davidson’s popular 2018 song, “Work It,” was a club hit, but also pointed to workaholism, in both her own life and society at large. Her latest album, 'Renegade Breakdown,' is a conscious depar…

On November 1st, Germany announced that they would be in partial lockdown for the month of November. That meant bars, clubs and cinemas could not host any guests. This came one day after a study was …

SassyBlack is an independent musician and educator, and a staple in the Seattle arts scene. After signing to Sub Pop at age 23 with her former duo THEESatisfation, she continues to evolve as a solo a…

Marshall Law Band has been the de-facto house band for the ongoing Seattle protests that began following the death of George Floyd. The band is out with a new album, '12th and Pine,' representing the…

Sa-Roc’s latest release, ‘The Sharecropper’s Daughter,’ is KEXP DJ Gabriel Teodros’ favorite hip-hop album of 2020. Teodros spoke with Sa-Roc about her song, “Forever." She says her goal for the song…

The new album by the feminist hardcore punk band, War on Women takes on issues of race, gender and politics. It’s called 'Wonderful Hell.'

The theme of the record is encapsulated in the title track w…

Laura Veirs calls her latest album, 'My Echo,' her “my songs knew I was getting divorced before I did" album. Her now ex-husband, Tucker Martine, was her producer of 20 years and produced the record.

Backxwash was announced the winner of Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize last week. Backxwash describes her music as industrial hip hop and horrorcore.

She talks about how issues of mental heal…

Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco fame) set a goal for himself during the pandemic—to write one song a day. The resulting work makes up his latest album, ‘Love Is The King.’ He also just released a new book, ‘Ho…

Kevin Morby feels a sense of melancholy when the sun goes down. That feeling inspired his latest album, ‘Sundowner.’ The album was written after Morby moved from LA to his hometown of Kansas City. He…