Jason Bentley, KCRW Music Director

Dean Wareham is one of independent music's most consistent ambassadors, from his early days as a member of Galaxie 500 through Luna and on to his newly formed solo career. Sprinkle in forays into film composition, writing and even acting, and it's clear that the New Zealand native never lacks ...

Jungle has been a bit of a mystery. Without any real press photos, only a few songs, and a video featuring just two men roller-skate dancing, it was difficult to determine who was making the music. But for the group's first visit to KCRW, we were able to lift ...

The Swedish folk-pop duo First Aid Kit has been a KCRW mainstay since "Hard Believer," the first single from the band's debut record Big Black & The Blue a few years ago. Fast-forward two full-length albums later, and the Söderberg sisters have reenlisted the help of producer Mike Mogis ...

Nick Murphy, a.k.a. Chet Faker, is a self-described Twitter addict whose career took off after his cover of Blackstreet's mega-smash "No Diggity" hit the airwaves. Now, with the release of his first full-length album, Built on Glass — and a slew of tour dates and festivals before him — Murphy ...

Norway's Thomas Dybdahl had spent the better part of his career in New York City, but for his latest release, What's Left Is Forever, he found himself spending more time in Los Angeles. In addition to the new surroundings, Dybdahl also experimented with different ways of recording, opting for a ...

Tycho started as a solo musical project from graphic designer and photographer Scott Hansen, but has since evolved into a full band. The exhilarating music triggers strong emotions, which is unusual for instrumental music; the band was built around its live shows and the "arcs of energy" that define its ...

Flanked by a six-piece choir dubbed "The Chromettes," the Canadian electro-funk duo Chromeo recently unleashed a set of dance music on a small audience at Apogee Studios in Santa Monica. With David "Dave 1" Macklovitch on guitar and lead vocals and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel on synths and Talk Box, Chromeo ...

After a 23-year gap in between album releases, Pixies recently returned with a batch of new songs called Indie Cindy; it nicely complements the classics which made the band an icon of alternative rock for decades. During a recent visit to KCRW during Coachella, the group ...

Beck kept busy during his six-year hiatus between studio albums. Earlier this year, he returned with the gorgeously melancholy Morning Phase, a highlight of his already impressive catalog. With only a handful of live shows under his belt this year, the L.A. native recently played in his hometown ...

For her sixth album Food, R&B singer Kelis once again explores a new style with the help of a talented producer. This time, it's TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, who eased her transition from dance diva to a sound more rooted in funk, soul and ...

For their self-titled sophomore effort, the L.A. band Warpaint spent a few weeks writing and recording in a decked out house with a geodesic dome in the high desert of Joshua Tree. With driving bass lines, beautifully harmonized vocals and confident but yearning lyrics, the quartet has crafted ...

Born in France to Chilean parents, Ana Tijoux discovered music at an early age. Her influences came from all over the world, which informed both her hip-hop style and her thoughtful lyrics. Hear it in songs like "Vengo," from her new album of the same name.

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On a day when Americans and others celebrate Irish heritage, KCRW welcomed falsetto-voiced Irishman James Vincent McMorrow to the studio. Post Tropical is his new album, and you can immediately feel the influence of soul records written by the likes of Donny Hathaway and D'Angelo — although as McMorrow told ...

When Mayer Hawthorne showed up at Village Studios for his live session on Morning Becomes Eclectic, he was still wearing his pajamas. In fact, his whole crew (which he dubbed the "Brunch Bunch") were adorned in their PJs — but that didn't stop them from bringing down the ...

The members of KINS come from different parts of Australia and the U.K., but now call Brighton home. They each bring different influences to the table, and clearly relish the idea of crafting a unique sound that defies categorization, much like their fellow Brits in Alt-J. KINS' members ...

Lo-Fang's Matthew Hemerlein writes poignant lyrics embedded in layers of acoustic and electronic elements. He's also surrounded himself with a trio of talented musicians including Paul Taylor, who crafts percussive sounds using everything from skateboard wheels to plastic frogs. It's a unique sound and an equally impressive sight. Check it ...

On the day its second full-length album (Voices) came out, Phantogram was on Morning Becomes Eclectic, performing in L.A.'s Village studios. The New York duo combines trip-hop beats, spaced-out keyboards and Sarah Barthel's airy vocals to create a sound big enough to fill some of L.A.'s largest venues. Only a ...

The Baltimore trio Future Islands recently returned to KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic with an extra member in tow. By adding Mike Lowry on drums, the synth-heavy band brings a new dynamic to its live performances of songs from the forthcoming album Singles. We love the new track "Seasons (Waiting ...

The Crystal Method has been instrumental in the evolution of dance music for more than 20 years now — and, on the occasion of its return to Morning Becomes Eclectic, the duo took another step by bringing along a full band. Having only played with this setup one other time ...

Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance met when they were 14 in Magnolia, Texas, but started out as solo musicians. For their U.S. radio debut on Morning Becomes Eclectic, Jamestown Revival — the duo plus a talented supporting cast — played songs from its first EP, like the destined-to-be-a-hit "California (Cast ...