Live on KEXP

"All the way from Seattle, Tacoma, and the Pacific Northwest,” is how DJ Troy Nelson cleverly introduces Unlikely Friends, the group of PNW musicians featuring members of Math & Physics Club and BOAT whose glimmering, powerful rock outshines the KEXP Live Room's ample lighting. The group join Nelson for this session featuring five songs from their latest LP, Crooked Numbers.. Recorded 02/08/2018. 5 songs - The Strangest Kind, Broken Again, Kool-Aid Smell, Fifteen Rounds, 39 Steps

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Losing, Bully's second full-length album, is more ragged and furious than its predecessor, but the heart of the band - Alicia Bognanno's reflective lyrics and fiery howl - remain front and center despite the increase in intensity. Joining Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room, the band perform four Losing songs that sound best turned up.  Recorded 02/27/2018. 4 songs - Either Way, Feel The Same, Guess There, Running

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While the sometimes New Pornographer is always steady for a clever pop tune or two on that group's records, Dan Bejar's primary project remains excitingly difficult to pin down. On Destoyer's latest album, ken, Bejar's synth-soaked set of songs is full of side-eyed bewilderment and cutting turns of phrase, all of which is on display in this session with DJ Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room. Recorded 02/08/2018. 4 songs - Stay Lost, Tinseltown Swimming In Blood, Saw You At The Hospital, Sky's Grey

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Sharp, booming, and a hell of a lot of fun, 2KFG, Kung Foo Grip's aptly titled second album, is an early 2018 standout for Seattle hip-hop. Joining Stas THEE Boss on Street Sounds, the Seattle group perform four tracks from their Keyboard Kid-produced LP.  Recorded 03/09/2018. 4 songs - Mic Check, Blvck Hollywood, Sposed Ta B, I Quit (feat. Misunderstood)

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Roots musicians Dori Freeman's voice floats with "a certain purity”, to quote Roadhouse host Greg Vandy, that cuts through the noise and grabs the listener. Playing songs from her sophomore record, Letters Never Read, the Virginia songwriter runs through four songs and discusses her musical journey in the KEXP Live Room. Recorded 02/09/2018. 5 songs - Lovers On The Run, If I Could Make You My Own, Ern and Zorry's Sneakin' Bitin' Dog, Cold Waves, Just Say It Now

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Ahead of his second album, Full Circle Nightmare, Kyle Craft's swampy storytelling got sharper and it shows all over the Louisiana songwriter's newest record. Melding golden-toned rock with a glammy sneer, Craft and his band join Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room for four Full Circle Nightmare songs. Recorded 01/31/2018. 4 songs - Heartbreak Junky, Fever Dream Girl, The Rager, Exile Rag

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The Spook School's music is certainly political - written from the crucial voice of a trans person's perspective - but its vital message has a razor-sharp catchiness and chiming dynamic that makes the Scottish group's songs soar with a stinging grace. Joining DJ Miss Ashley in the KEXP Live Room, the band play four songs from their latest album, Could It Be Different? Recorded 02/09/2018. 4 songs - Less Than Perfect, Body, Keep In Touch, Still Alive

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Michelle Zauner's second album as Japanese Breakfast, 2017's Soft Sounds From Another Planet, may have a space-adjacent angle to many of its songs, but it's all a lens to an intimate, personal LP that cuts to the bone. Joining Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room, Zauner and her band discuss space and personal exploration alongside four Soft Sounds songs. Recorded 02/15/2018. 4 songs - Diving Woman, Road Head, The Body Is A Blade, Boyish

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The origins of Johnny Goss and Ola Hungerford's latest LP as Cock & Swan, Dream Alone, lie in a live soundtrack the band created for the Nicolas Winding Refn film “Only God Forgives”. Filled the with sleek, stylish, and dark tones of the film, the Seattle duo join Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room for a performance of four Dream Alone tracks. Recorded 02/09/2018. 4 songs - SILM, PERG (Honing), What Was Life? (What's Your Problem?), Never Been So Lost

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Wolf Parade's return from hiatus in 2016 found the band with renewed energy, plenty of which went into the recording of Cry Cry Cry, their vibrant fourth album. Filled with the spiky, art-damaged energy that runs through their best work, the band perform three Cry Cry Cry tracks and a Wolf Parade classic live from the KEXP Gathering Space. Recorded 01/03/2018. 4 songs - Lazarus Online, Soldier's Grin, You're Dreaming, Baby Blue

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