NPR Music

We debate the pros and cons of small-town living through the music of Christian Lee Hutson, Youth Lagoon, Bartees Strange and more in our biweekly update of the year's best songs. Featured artists and songs: 1. Christian Lee Hutson: "Carousel Horses," from Paradise Pop. 10 2. Youth Lagoon: "My Beautiful Girl" (single) 3. Memorials: "Cut It Like A Diamond," from Memorial Waterslides 4. Bartees Stra...

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Sheldon Pearce are your guides to this week's most compelling new musical offerings. For October 18, their selections include an array of ambitious, melodic and emotional new albums spanning genres. Plus: celebrating the arrival of a new music website and considering what drives us to write and talk about music in the first place. Featured albums: • Joy Oladokun, 'Observ...

To celebrate the release of a new book from NPR Music, How Women Made Music , as well as the 50th anniversary this year of the album Celia & Johnny, Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre walk through their favorite songs by the legendary Celia Cruz, alongside the artist's niece Linda Pritchett. Songs featured in this episode: • Celia Cruz, "Bemba Colorá" • Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, "Yiri Yiri Bon" • C...

We celebrate spooky season with an unnerving mix of songs from our favorite horror movie scores, including The Shining , Under The Skin , Hereditary and more. Enjoy the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org Featured songs and films: 1. Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind: "Main...

The rapper-turned-country star Jelly Roll, who has had a major breakthrough in Nashville in the last couple of years, leads the pack of the most exciting albums out on Friday, October 11. As NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and WRTI's Nate Chinen discuss, his new album Beautifully Broken is a powerful (and sometimes overwhelming) portrait of recovery and empathy for those grappling with addiction. Al...

Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre are back with a new music show, featuring Rosalía, Helado Negro, Wyatt Flores and more. Songs featured in this episode: • Twanguero, "Rumba #2" • Twanguero, "La Leyenda de Cañaveral" • Rosalía, "Omega (feat. Ralphie Choo)" • Wyatt Flores, "Oh Susanna" • Helado Negro, pablopablo, "Lejos De Más" • Troker, "El Novio (Versión Mariachi)" • Los Sufridos, Bad Gyal, "Dur...

Reflections on regret from beabadoobee and Bon Iver, deep sonic meditations from Nala Sinephro and Jill Fraser, and more updates to our running list of the year's best songs. Featured songs and artists: 1. beabadoobee: "California," from This is How Tomorrow Moves 2. Bon Iver: "S P E Y S I D E," from SABLE 3. Mabe Fratti: "Kravitz," from Sentir que no sabe 4. Jem: "Come On Closer," from Finally Wo...

NPR Music's Lars Gotrich and Sheldon Pearce round up the most exciting albums out this Friday, and reflect on the history of instrumental music as protest. Featured albums: • The Smile, 'Cutouts' • Blood Incantation, 'Absolute Elsewhere' • Half Waif, 'See You At The Maypole' • Darius Jones, 'Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)' • Yasmin Williams, 'Acadia' • Godspeed You! Black Emperor, 'NO​ ​T...

Alt. Latino is usually all about sharing new music across Latin America, but what about the older cuts Ana and Felix are obsessed with? On this episode, Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras share the music they've been playing on repeat, from beloved classics by greats like Ella Fitzgerald to surprising new discoveries out of Mexico like Paloma Morphy. Songs featured in this episode: •Paloma Morphy,...

How Women Made Music, a new book out now from NPR, considers what the canon of popular music would look like without men. On this episode, we dig into the book and talk about the greatest albums and songs by women and other marginalized voices, with NPR Music's Ann Powers, contributor Marissa Lorusso and host Robin Hilton. Questions, comments, suggestions and feedback of any kind always welcome: a...

As NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers discuss on this week's episode, there's a thread of loss running through some of the most notable, thrilling albums out on September 27. From the self-titled, posthumous album by the Scottish electronic producer SOPHIE to the harsh, alien sounds created by Alan Sparhawk on White Roses, My God , his first solo album following the death of his wife Mim...

Wait a minute — does Alt. Latino actually agree with a lot of the Latin Recording Academy's nominations this year? Felix Contreras, Anamaria Sayre and reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento run through as many of the whopping 58 categories as they can in this episode dissecting the nominations for the upcoming ceremony. Songs featured in this episode: •Grupo Frontera, "CANSADO DE SUFRIR" •Grupo Fronter...

We update our running list of the year's best songs with a slice of pop perfection from Oso Oso, harrowing sounds from Colin Stetson, a blissful journey with composer Christopher Rountree and more. Featured songs and artists: 1. Oso Oso: "dog without its bark," from life till bones 2. Christopher Rountree: "Almanac," from 3BPM 3. Colin Stetson: "Hollowing," from The love it took to leave you 4. Em...

NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Lars Gotrich provide a guide the most exciting new releases out today. This week, the selections include some recordings that are new and some that are as much as a half-century old, verging on mythological. The producer Jamie xx began his career as a teenager making beats for the moody electronic band The xx. His solo recordings, including the new album In Waves...

This week on Alt. Latino, Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras talk about an exciting new album from Manu Chao on the way — his first in 17 years — and their favorite recent songs from artists like the Dominican indie rock band Solo Fernández, ethereal pop from Tiny Desk Contest Winner Linda Diaz and more. Songs featured in this episode: •Janiero feat. André Viamonte, "LEGO" •Manu Chao, "São Paulo M...

We look back at Arcade Fire's monumental debut album, why it was so special, the ways it changed the musical landscape, and how it sounds two decades later. Questions, comments or any feedback at all always welcome: allsongs@npr.org See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Polic...

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Hazel Cills are your guides to the best music out this Friday, Sept. 13, including the 10th studio album by Miranda Lambert. Postcards From Texas is a new chapter for the onetime Nashville Star contestant who has become one of that industry town's most reliable songwriters and stars — and also a return to her home state. There's more, including a album by Robyn Hitchcock...

'El Tiny' season at the Tiny Desk launches next week and this year it's all about love — familial and romantic, with drama fit for a telenovela. Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras preview this year's line-up, sharing a sneak peek at what 2024's 'El Tiny' has to offer. Songs featured in this episode: •Juanes, "Mala Gente" •Juanes, "A Dios Le Pido" •Ivan Cornejo, "Ya Te Perdí" •Okan, "La Reina Del N...

We update our running list of the year's best songs with the shapeshifting rock of Caleb Landry Jones, Angélica Garcia's dystopian grooves, a searing look at infidelity from Damien Jurado and more. Featured songs and artists: 1. Caleb Landry Jones: "Hey Dawn," from Hey Gary, Hey Dawn 2. Angélica Garcia: "El Que," from Gemelo 3. Damien Jurado & The Fremont Abbeye: "Sheets ('24)," from Sheets ('24)...

NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers take you on a tour of the most exciting albums out Friday, Sept. 6 Featured albums: • LL Cool J, 'The FORCE' • MJ Lenderman, 'Manning Fireworks' • Nala Sinephro, 'Endlessness' • The Dare, 'What's Wrong with New York?' • Toro Y Moi, 'Hole Erth' For the complete list of new albums out this week and to stream our New Music Friday playlist, visit https://np...

Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras play some of their favorite new songs from the last few months, featuring globe-spanning electronica from Colombian producer Sinego, border-crossing new music from La Doña, nuanced salsa from Spanish Harlem Orchestra and more. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship p...

We look ahead to the final big push of releases for 2024, with fall albums from Mount Eerie, SOPHIE, Soccer Mommy, a newly discovered Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan recording and more. Featured albums: 1. SOPHIE: SOPHIE 2. Mount Eerie: Night Palace 3. Dua Saleh: I Should Call Them 4. Kim Deal: Nobody Loves You More 5. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Chain Of Light 6. Soccer Mommy: Evergreen 7. Katie Gavin: What A R...

The best albums out this week include Wild God from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Doechii's Alligator Bites Never Heal , Jon Hopkins' Ritual and more. Featured Albums: • Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Wild God • Doechii, Alligator Bites Never Heal • Enumclaw, Home In Another Life • Ellen Reid, Big Majestic • Laurie Anderson, Amelia • Jon Hopkins, Ritual Other notable releases for Aug. 30: • Muni Long, Re...

The latest update to our running list of the year's best songs includes tips for staying engaged, being happy and letting go from Arooj Aftab, Great Grandpa, Japandroids and more. Featured artists and songs: 1. Arooj Aftab: "Raat Ki Rani," from Night Reign 2. The Smile: "Don't Get Me Started" (Single) 3. Japandroids: "D&T," from Fate & Alcohol 4. Peter Cat Recording Co.: "I Deny Me," from Beta 5....

NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Sheldon Pearce are your guides to seven anticipated albums out Aug. 23. During the second half of the episode, the two dig into the mercurial nature of the album format in 2024. Featured albums: - Sabrina Carpenter, 'Short n' Sweet' - Lainey Wilson, 'Whirlwind' - Illuminati hotties, 'POWER' - Fontaines D.C., 'Romance' - Heems, 'Veena' - Gillian Welch and David Rawl...