NPR Music

This month Alt. Latino's been looking at the music of Venezuela from a lot of different angles. For this episode, we’ve invited trumpet player and producer Ella Bric to be our guest DJ. She shared what she thinks are the most socially, culturally and politically impactful pieces of music to come out of Venezuela in the last half century. Ella Bric grew up in a migrant-rich town in Venezuela called...

This week we're obsessing over the hilarious and harrowing “Where’s My Phone?” from Mitski, a slightly softer solo cut from Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, the confounding but wondrous wordplay of Father John Misty and more. NPR Music editor Hazel Cills joins host Robin Hilton. Featured songs and artists: (00:00) Mitski: “Where’s My Phone?” from ‘Nothing’s About to Happen to Me’ (09:29) Robber Robber: “...

Lucinda Williams. Julian Lage. The debut from rising Americana star Kashus Culpepper. Stephen Thompson from NPR Music chats with Jessie Scott from WMOT in Nashville about the best new albums out Friday, Jan. 23. The Starting 5 (00:00) Intro: Cat Power, 'Redux' EP (02:14) Lucinda Williams, 'World's Gone Wrong' (07:36) Carolina Chocolate Drops, 'Genuine Negro Jig' (15th Anniversary Edition) (15:19)...

Sometimes life imitates art - or at least the two can seem eerily connected. On Jan. 1, the Venezuelan band Rawayana released a new album, '¿Dónde Es El After?,' which began with a lyric that many interpreted as a wish for their country's leadership to be gone. A few days later, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was ousted from power and seized by American forces. For this week's episode, we cha...

Reports from late last year about the demise of MTV were overstated; but it got us thinking about the network’s legacy and most memorable moments. So, on this episode, we remember the best of MTV with a list of our top 20 videos from its golden era. If you’re listening on Spotify, tell us your favorite classic music video in the episode’s comments. You can support the show by leaving a review on A...

Ya Tseen. The Sha La Das. A mesmerizing collaboration between Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore. Stephen Thompson from NPR Music is joined by Alex Newman from KMHD in Portland to chat about the best albums out Friday, January 16. The Starting 5 (00:00) Intro & A$AP Rocky, 'Don't Be Dumb' (02:36) Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore, 'Tragic Magic' (07:43) The Sha La Das, 'Your Picture' (15:33) Ya T...

Over the weekend, we lost a musician who shaped the lives of countless people: the late, great Bob Weir. He was a founding member of the Grateful Dead who played guitar, wrote and sang in the band for 30 years. After Jerry Garcia died and the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir kept the spirit of the music alive for three more decades, creating new Deadheads for generations to come — he brought...

NPR’s classical critic Tom Huizenga joins host Robin Hilton for our first spin of the best songs we’re hearing in 2026, including new ones from Big Thief’s Buck Meek, the genre-hopping artist Joji, “fragile hope” from composer Daníel Bjarnason and more. Featured artists and songs: 1. Buck Meek: “Gasoline,” from ‘The Mirror’ 2. Pekka Kuusisto & Sam Amidon: "Way Go, Lily" (Arr. by Nico Muhly / Adapt...

Dry Cleaning. Jenny on Holiday. An introspective debut from Mon Rovîa. Stephen Thompson from NPR Music is joined by Celia Gregory from WNXP in Nashville to talk about their favorite new albums out Friday, January 9. The Starting 5 (00:00) Intro (00:31) Dry Cleaning , 'Secret Love' (06:53) Jenny on Holiday , 'Quicksand Heart' (15:12) Mon Rovîa , 'Bloodline' (21:22) Home Star , 'A Binding Life' (27:...

Venezuela has a deep tradition of reflecting political change through music. This week, as the country reels from the seizure of its president by American forces, we explore the recent history of Venezuelan protest music, and from the Nineties right up until the present. First, we share an excerpt of an episode we made at another moment of political turmoil in Venezuela, in the summer of 2024. The...

We look ahead to some of the albums we’re most excited about for the new year, from sure bets like Dry Cleaning and Beverly Glenn-Copeland to rumored releases from some pretty big names. (00:00) Intro (01:26) Dry Cleaning: “Cruise Ship Designer,” from ‘Secret Love’ (05:03) Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore: “Perpetual Adoration,” from ‘Tragic Magic’ (07:48) Ásgeir: “Smoke,” from ‘Julia’ (12:27) Jo...

It's a slow release day to start the new year, so this week NPR Music's Stephen Thompson brings us an abbreviated episode highlighting a few of the new albums you might have missed in December.  Artists and albums featured in this episode: - Pink Floyd, 'Wish You Were Here 50' - Fred Again.., 'USB002' - This Is Lorelei, 'Holo Boy' - HEALTH, 'CONFLICT DLC' - Juliana Hatfield, 'Lightning Might Strik...

On the last episode of All Songs Considered for 2025, NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich takes host Robin Hilton through an exceptional year in guitar music. From Gwenifer Raymond's beautiful and brash fingerstyle to Rafael Toral's stretched-out jazz standards, not to mention William Tyler's glitched hymns and Vernon Reid's ecstatic shred, there's so much diversity to be found in six strings. Feature...

In our final look back at our number one songs from the past 25 years, we visit Modesto, take an existential stroll through Petco, and find it all so confusing. Note: This is a recurring series in celebration of All Songs Considered’s 25th anniversary. A shorter version of this episode ran earlier in the year. Leave us a review on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts, and share thi...

We take a motorcycle road trip to Wisconsin in our annual search for the true spirit of the season. And, of course, we meet some special guests along the way. Thanks for another amazing year, and happy holidays! Listen to the songs featured on this episode and more in our holiday playlist in Apple Music and Spotify . Tell a friend about the show and leave us a review on Apple , Spotify , or wherev...

We get in our fast car, drive like a red wine supernova, and run into Kristine from the 7th grade.  Bad idea, right? Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of person...

We asked and you answered. Earlier this month, we opened the polls and invited All Songs Considered 's listeners to tell us their top 5 records of the year. We tabulated all of the ballots, determined the top 10, and gave the results a proper countdown in this episode of All Songs . And while we usually include the albums we discuss in our episode notes, this time you'll have to listen to find out...

The sheer volume and variety of Spanish-language music released every year is breathtaking. Even those of us with our ears to the ground are bound to miss things. So, in this episode we travel back through the year to resurface some of the remarkable albums that somehow didn't make it on the show. Catch Afro-Caribbean jazz, a history-spanning classical strings project, the return of Juana Molina a...

NPR listeners share the one song that hit them the hardest this year, and tell us why they laughed, cried, or simply couldn’t stop listening to it. Featured songs and artists: 1. Annie DiRusso: "Back In Town," from Super Pedestrian 2. Tunde Adebimpe: "Drop," from Thee Black Boltz 3. Brandi Carlile: "You Without Me," from Returning To Myself 4. Bad Bunny: "DtMF," from DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS 5. Of Mon...

We go to college and get the “big D,” hit the dance floor and do what we want, then head back to the radio. Is this a life filled with every possibility, or is it all just devastatingly mediocre? Note: This is a recurring series in celebration of All Songs Considered’s 25th anniversary. A shorter version of this episode ran earlier in the year. Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a...

If we needed any more proof that the album isn't dead, 2025 was it. On this episode, Stephen Thompson is joined by Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen to run through 12 dazzling albums that stuck with the NPR Music team this year. And for an even deeper exploration, check out the full lists of our critics' best albums of 2025 here . Artists and albums featured on this episode: - Rosalía, 'LUX' - Wedn...

This year was bookended by two major statements in Latin music. In January, Bad Bunny released  DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS , and followed that up with a 31-show residency in Puerto Rico over the summer. Then, in November, the Spanish vocalist Rosalía released her genre-defying masterpiece  LUX , which sent legions of music lovers scrambling to try to grasp the magnitude of an album performed in 13 diffe...

When the dust settles on 2025, what songs will remain in heavy rotation? We look back at a dizzying amount of music and share some of our picks for the best tracks of the year. What you'll hear in this episode is an incredibly incomplete list that obviously just scratches the surface of all the incredible music that came out this year. For a more comprehensive breakdown of what we loved in 2025, c...

We’ve got a funny feeling about the times, stay indoors (together alone), and dream about life on the other side. Note: This is a recurring series in celebration of All Songs Considered’s 25th anniversary. A shorter version of this episode ran earlier in the year. Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Questions, comme...

Dove Ellis. Melody's Echo Chamber. Editors' Tom Smith. Erin Wolf of Radio Milwaukee joins Stephen Thompson to discuss those albums and more on our last episode of New Music Friday this year. The Starting 5: Dove Ellis , Blizzard Melody's Echo Chamber , Unclouded Tom Smith , There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn’t There In The Light TEED , Always With Me Voices from the Lake , II The Lightning Roun...