NPR Music

BTS. Alex Isley. Dubstep-infused hyperpop from underscores. NPR Music's Hazel Cills chats with  Francesca Harding of member station KCRW  in Los Angeles about their favorite albums out Friday, March 20. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction & BTS, 'ARIRANG' (02:28) Alex Isley, 'When The City Sleeps' (07:52)...

This week's new music pairs well with a glass of wine - or, at least, that's what Ana chose while taping this happy hour edition of Alt. Latino at Felix's dining room table. And the music on tap spans a huge breadth of styles. Yahritza y Su Esencia returns with a powerful sophomore album after a spell out of the limelight. Brazilian legend-in-the-making Lucas Santtana collaborates with his mentor...

We check back in with our running list of the best songs of the week, including Olivia Rodrigo’s cover of The Magnetic Fields classic “The Book of Love,” Noah Kahan’s anthemic new single “Porch Light,” one of Aldous Harding’s boldest songs to date and more.  NPR Music’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton. (00:00) Intro (01:29) Noah Kahan: “Porch Light” from ‘The Great Divide’ (09:09) Olivia Rodri...

Earlier this week, country superstar Kacey Musgraves announced her sixth album, Middle of Nowhere , which will be released on May 1. Since her Grammy-winning 2018 album Golden Hour , Musgraves has explored a space beyond country music, but the new album reflects a renewed interest in traditional country and western sounds, influenced by the time she's been spending on either side of the Texas-Mexi...

James Blake. Kim Gordon. Sturgill Simpson's country-funk alter ego. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson chats with  Amelia Mason from WBUR in Boston  about their favorite albums out Friday, March 13. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction & Oscars predictions (02:15) Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds, 'Mutiny Aft...

International Women's Day is more than a perfunctory holiday in many parts of Latin America. In Mexico City, for example, more than 120,000 people turned out on Sunday to protest femicide and celebrate the ongoing fight for basic rights for women in the country. In honor of the holiday, this week's episode debuts our female power anthems hall of fame, highlighting women in Latin music whose art ch...

Will this finally be Diane Warren’s year at the Oscars, when she goes up against “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters and “I Lied to You” from Sinners ? (Probably not.) Host Robin Hilton is joined by New Music Friday’s Stephen Thompson to cruelly rank those nominees along with “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams and “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi! . (00:00) Intro (02:37) Fifth place (08:45) Fourth...

Flying Lotus. waterbaby. The groovy affirmations of Joshua Idehen. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson chats with  Nate Chinen from WRTI in Philadelphia  about their favorite albums out Friday, March 6. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in our lightning round. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction & Harry Styles, 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.' (03:18) Flying L...

On Feb. 21, the musical world lost a legend and pioneer of salsa: Willie Colón. The trombonist, songwriter, producer and arranger was a key part of the transition of Afro-Caribbean dance music from regional traditions to worldwide popularity. For an insider’s perspective on that history, this week we speak to trombonist and bandleader Angel “Papo” Vázquez, a Philadelphia-born musician who was not...

Our third installment of calming songs includes Max Richter’s tribute to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ambient sounds from Ryuichi Sakamoto, Brazilian jazz from Wayne Shorter and more. Note: This episode originally ran in April, 2025 Artists and songs featured on this episode: (00:00) Intro (02:20) The Choir: “You Don’t Have To Smile,” from ‘Translucent’ (05:58) Orbital Patterns: “Can...

Bruno Mars. Mitski. Grief and celebration from Gorillaz. Robin Hilton welcomes  Raina Douris from WXPN  in Philadelphia to chat about their favorite albums out Friday, Feb. 27. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in the lightning round. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction & Bruno Mars, 'The Romantic' (03:54) Mitski, 'Nothing's About to Happen to Me' (09:44) Gorill...

This week on Alt. Latino, it's another new music episode with a global panorama: Canary Islands merengue, Chicano soul, Afro-Brazilian roots and more. Plus, a percussion supergroup that Felix could listen to for hours. Featured artists and albums: (00:00) Introduction (01:05) Quevedo, 'NI BORRACHO' (05:12) Joey Quiñones, 'In a Soul Situation' (12:34) Carolina Mama, 'Amina' (15:41) Elipsis, 'Elipsi...

This week on All Songs Considered: U2 surprise-dropped a new EP that opens with a scorching critique of the government crackdown on immigration; Lana Del Rey inched closer toward releasing her long-awaited album with a haunting and strange ode to love and obsession, while singer Arlo Parks takes a bold step out onto the dance floor. All that and more as host Robin Hilton and NPR Music’s Sheldon Pe...

Host Robin Hilton shares an update about some cosmetic changes coming to the 'All Songs Considered' podcast feed. 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 Policy

WILLOW. Altin Gün. Fugazi alumni smashing punk into jazz. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson is joined by  Evan Miller from WYSO  in Yellow Springs, Ohio to chat about their favorite albums out Friday, Feb. 20. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction & WILLOW, 'petal rock black' (03:29) Pekka Kuusisto, 'Willows' (08:59) Manu Delago & Max ZT, 'Deuce' (16:21) The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis, 'Deface The...

So, I was away for a bit and the new music just piled up during the holidays, and while we were watching Bad Bunny make headlines at the Grammys and the Super Bowl. Our first new music episode of the new year has quite a variety of styles from lots of different countries. We could say that about just about every new music show we produce. But what are we to do when the amount of creativity that co...

If you watch HBO’s The Pitt, you might have heard the gorgeous new song called “Need Someone” that Andrew Bird wrote for a recent episode. We’ve got that on this week’s show along with reflections on fitting in by letting go, from Gia Margaret and Ratboys; shoegaze from Draag, the twitchy glitchy sounds of Mandy, Indiana and more. NPR Music’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton to share the best n...

August Ponthier. Brent Faiyaz. Jill Scott's first album in more than a decade. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson is joined by Nastia Voynovskaya from KQED in San Francisco to chat about their favorite albums out Friday, Feb. 13. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction & Charli xcx, 'Wuthering Heights' (03:06) August Ponthier, 'Everywhere Isn't Texas' (09:38) Brent Faiyaz, 'Icon' (15:29) Jill Scott, 'To Who...

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show was many things: a time-traveling journey through the history of Puerto Rico, a statement of pan-American unity, and a masterpiece of cultural expression. This week, co-hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre are joined by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento — who brings on-the-ground reporting from San Juan — to unpack the symbolism embedded in Bad Bunny's performance....

With the arrival of the Geese Tiny Desk , we thought we’d try to break down what it is about this band that has made them one of the most talked about and polarizing acts of the past six months. Host Robin Hilton is joined by NPR Music's Ann Powers and host of The Ringer's Bandsplain podcast Yasi Salek to make sense of all the fuss. (Full disclosure: We all love Geese.) Support the show with a rev...

Ratboys. Beverly Glenn-Copeland. Caribou's club alter-ego. Stephen Thompson from NPR Music chats with Erin Wolf from Radio Milwaukee about their favorite new albums out Friday, Feb. 6. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction & J. Cole, 'The Fall Off' (02:11) Ratboys, 'Singin' To An Empty Chair' (08:27) Beverly Glenn-Copeland, 'Laughter In Summer' (16:27) Daphni, 'Butterfly' (21:22) Charlotte Day Wilso...

Last Sunday, Bad Bunny's DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS became the first exclusively Spanish language album to win album of the year at the Grammys. This coming Sunday, the Puerto Rican megastar will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. For this week's episode, Anamaria Sayre and Isabella Gomez Sarmiento chat about what these two moments mean for Bad Bunny, the island of Puerto Rico, and the role of Lat...

The Beck rarity “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” has officially hit streaming services and we can’t get enough of it. We’ve also got new (not-yet-announced) projects from Friko and Asher White, a witchy new cut from the duo Sibyl, the Polish composer and guitarist Szymon Wójcik and more. NPR Music’s Lars Gotrich joins host Robin Hilton. Featured songs and artists: (00:00) Intro and The Grammys (...

Enjoy Pop Culture Happy Hour's late-night recap of the 2026 Grammy Awards, featuring NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Hazel Cills, as well as pop culture journalist (and former NPR intern) Reanna Cruz. (00:00) Intro (00:46) Album of the year: Bad Bunny (05:24) Record of the year: Kendrick Lamar (08:51) Best new artist medley (13:52) Lady Gaga's three Grammys (18:44) Song of the year: Billie Eilish...

Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon. Emily Scott Robinson. Blood harmonies from Irish brothers Ye Vagabonds. Stephen Thompson from NPR Music chats with Dre Castillo from KVNF in western Colorado about the best albums out Friday, Jan. 30. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction (01:21) Emily Scott Robinson, 'Appalachia' (08:58) Ye Vagabonds, 'All Tied Together' (16:05) Jordan Ward, 'Backward' (21:48) Lord Jah-Monte O...