All Songs Considered

The latest update to our running list of the year's best songs includes the shredded guitars of girlpuppy, solo material from from TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and more.

Featured artists and songs:

• Tunde Adebimpe: "Drop," from 'Thee Black Boltz'

• girlpuppy: "Champ," from 'Sweetness'

• Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: "Into Your Eyes" from 'GUSH'

• Lonnie Holley: "Protest With Love," from 'Tonky'

• The Weather Station: "Lonely," from 'Humanhood'

• Ólafur Arnalds & Talos: "We Didn't Know We Were Ready" (feat. Niamh Regan & Ye Vagabonds) (single)

Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

Hear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.

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Sharon Van Etten headlines this week's new releases, but she's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. On this episode, NPR Music's Stephen Thompson welcomes Robert Moore of Kansas City public radio station 90.9 The Bridge, where Robert hosts the underground rock show Sonic Spectrum.

Featured Albums:

• Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, s/t

• Adrian Crowley, 'Measure of Joy'

• Heartworms, 'Glutton for Punishment'

• Nadia Reid, 'Enter Brightness Now'

• Squid, 'Cowards'

Check out our long list of Feb. 7 releases and stream our New Music Friday playlist on npr.org.

CREDITS:

• Hosts: Stephen Thompson and Robert Moore (90.9 The Bridge)
• Producer: Simon Rentner
• Editor: Otis Hart
• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
• Vice President, Music and Visuals: Keith Jenkins


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This week, we hear from a Colombian-Venezuelan super group, a new Afro-Brazilian band, and Ana gets another jazz lesson from a Latin jazz orchestra.

Songs featured in this episode:

• XIXA, "Xolo de Galáxia"
• Meme del Real, "Princesa"
• Jessie Reyez, "GOLIATH"
• Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, "Dia de los Muertos III Mambo Cadaverous"
• Trinka, "Grego"
• Astropical, "Me Pasa (Piscis)"

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Making a playlist or mixtape for that special someone? We've got you covered this Valentine's Day with these off-the-radar love songs.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Linda Diaz: "Watching Ourselves Die (feat. Solomon Fox)" (single)
2. Gal Costa: "Baby," from 'Gal Gosta'
3. Mirah: "Engine Heart," from 'You Think It's Like This, But Really It's Like This'
4. Paloma Murphy: "me faltas tú" (single)
5. Stretch Arm Strong: "For Now," from 'Rituals of Life'
6. Tender Forever: "Then If I'm Weird, I Want To Share," from 'The Soft And The Hardcore'
7. Xavi: "Tu Casi Algo," from 'NEXT'
8. Elf Power: "Temporary Arm," from 'Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs'
9. Daniel Lanois: "I Love You," from 'Shine'

Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

Hear our expanded playlist of lesser-known love songs in Apple Music and Spotify.

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We break down the winners, surprise shutouts and more from what's billed as "music's biggest night," courtesy of our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour.

Ten take-aways from this year's Grammys
A complete list of 2025 Grammy winners


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The Weeknd may be the biggest release of the week, but is it the best? We run down five other albums you should hear, with NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and John Morrison, host of Culture Cypher Radio on partner station WXPN.

Featured albums:

• Cymande, 'Renascence'

• Ambrose Akinmusire, 'honey from a winter stone'

• Lilly Hiatt, 'Forever'

• Pink Siifu, 'BLACK'!ANTIQUE'

• Damon Locks, 'List of Demands'

See our long list of albums out Jan. 31 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at npr.org.

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Do not come on Alt.Latino if you don't have good chisme! Ana and Felix talk about their favorite songs of the week, including some psychedelic cumbia, Cuban folk music and more.

Songs featured on the episode:

•Combo Chimbita, "Dímelo"
•Cortadito, "Yemaya"
•Joaquina, "desahogo"
•Joaquina, "aeropuerto"
•The Altons, "Waiting"
•Thee Midniters, "It'll Never Be Over For Me"
•Majo Aguilar, "el beso"
•Carrie Rodriguez, "Miles Away"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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We update our list of the year's best songs with a Tamino-Mitski collaboration, Son Lux's first new music since scoring Everything Everywhere All At Once, new Circuit des Yeux and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Shura: "Recognise," from I Got Too Sad For My Friends
2. Tamino, Mitski: "Sanctuary," from Every Dawn's a Mountain
3. Julien Baker & Torres: "Sugar in the Tank" (single)
4. Flora From Kansas: "The Ghost is Me," from Homesick
5. Circuit des Yeux: "Megaloner," from Halo On The Inside
6. Son Lux: "Cocoon," from Risk of Make Believe

Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

Hear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.

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FKA twigs. Central Cee. It's a big week for new releases, and we've got you covered. Host Stephen Thompson welcomes Desiré Moses of Virginia public radio station WNRN to break it all down.

Featured albums:

• FKA twigs, 'EUSEXUA'

• Central Cee, 'Can't Rush Greatness'

• Sam Amidon, 'Salt River'

• Mogwai, 'The Bad Fire'

• Anna B. Savage, 'You & i are Earth'

Check out our long list of albums out Jan. 24 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at npr.org.

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Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras share their goals for 2025 and the new songs that reflect them.

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We highlight some of the most anticipated albums of the year, including upcoming ones from Perfume Genius, Lucy Dacus, serpentwithfeet and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Perfume Genius: "It's A Mirror," from Glory (March 28)
2. Florist: "Have Heaven," from Jellywish (April 4)
3. Lucy Dacus: "Ankles," from Forever Is A Feeling (March 28)
4. serpentwithfeet: "Writhing In The Wind," from GRIP Sequel (Feb. 28)
5. Squid: "Building 650," from Cowards (Feb. 7)
6. Jason Isbell: "Bury Me," from Foxes in the Snow (March 7)
7. Saya Gray: "Shell (Of A Man)," from SAYA (Feb. 21)
8. Marshall Allen: "African Sunset," from New Dawn (Feb. 14)
9. Samia: "Bovine Excision," from Bloodless (April 25)

See the complete list of 2025 releases we're tracking.

Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

Hear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.

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NPR Music's Stephen Thompson welcomes aboard Kara Manning of New York City public radio station WFUV to discuss the best new albums hitting streaming services on Friday, Jan. 17.

Featured Albums

• Mac Miller, 'Balloonerism'

• The Weather Station, 'Humanhood'

• jasmine.4.t, 'You are the Morning'

• Victoria Canal, 'Slowly, It Dawns'

• Blue Lake, 'Weft'

Check out our long list of albums out today and stream our New Music Friday playlist at npr.org/music.

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Los Angeles is home for me and always in my heart. Watching the fires from afar in my current city, New York, has me thinking a lot about what makes my hometown great: breathtaking mountains, stunning beaches and above all a hodgepodge, tapestry community that comes together in powerful ways during a painful moment.

The good and bad of LA's history — redlining and rebuilding, previous fires and displacement, immigration and annexation — have all been building blocks for an exchange of culture that shows up in layers in its music and art. This week on Alt.Latino, we've decided to shine a light on some of the sounds that feel most quintessentially LA, while also specifically honoring the creativity that has come from communities most affected by the fires.

We're thinking of family and friends, and the beating heart of the city as a whole. There's nothing quite like LA and we hope this episode is an intro to some and an invitation for others to celebrate what makes it so special. —Anamaria Sayre

Songs featured on this episode:

•José Feliciano, "California Dreamin"
•Ry Cooder feat. Lalo Guerrero, "Barrio Viejo"
•Banda MS feat. Becky G and Snoop Dogg, "Que Maldicion"
•Jasper Bones, "Amor de mis sueños"
•Gerardo Ortiz, "Dámaso"
•Empress Of, "For Your Consideration"

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Japanese Breakfast (Michelle Zauner) is back with her first new album since her memoir, Crying in H Mart, blew up. We've got the first single from it, plus a Sufjan Stevens-produced Denison Witmer track and more.

Enjoy the show? Share with a friend and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

Hear the songs in our Apple and Spotify playlists.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Deep Sea Diver: "Shovel," from Billboard Heart
2. SPELLLING: "Portrait of My Heart," from Portrait of My Heart
3. Japanese Breakfast: "Orlando in Love," from For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)
4. Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek, "Hop Bico" from Yarın Yoksa
5. Denison Witmer: "A House With," from Anything At All
6. DARKSIDE: "S.N.C," from Nothing


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NPR Music's Stephen Thompson is joined by KCRW's Travis Holcombe to run down their four favorite albums out today, as well as the revamped version of SZA's 'LANA' project.

Featured Albums:

• SZA, 'SOS Deluxe: LANA'
• Franz Ferdinand, 'The Human Fear'
• Ethel Cain, 'Perverts'
• zzzahara, 'Spiral Your Way Out'
• Moonchild Sanelly, 'Full Moon'

See the long list of albums out January 10 and stream our New Music Friday playlist on npr.org/music.

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Alt.Latino hosts Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras, and NPR reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento break down what exactly makes the record so Puerto Rican and why its Bad Bunny's most reflective, ambitious and ingenious album yet.

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A new year means a new running list of our favorite songs, from the transfixing voice of Anna B Savage and FKA Twigs' moody club beats to the '80s-influenced rock and pop of Sharon Van Etten and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Ela Minus: "Broken," from DIA
2. Anna B Savage: "Lighthouse," from You & i are Earth
3. Horsegirl: "2468," from Phonetics On and On
4. Miya Folick: "This Time Around," from Erotica Veronica
5. FKA Twigs: "Perfect Stranger," from EUSEXUA
6. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory: "Afterlife," from S/T

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: [email protected]

Hear the songs in our Apple and Spotify playlists.


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There's been some great music released since the last New Music Friday episode in late November. So, on this slow January release day, NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and WRTI's Nate Chinen catch you up on the best albums we heard in December in between "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

Featured Albums:
• ROSÉ, 'rosie'
• Lauren Mayberry, 'Vicious Creature'
• Brad Mehldau, Mark Turner & Peter Bernstein, 'Solid Jackson'
• The Innocence Mission, 'Midwinter Swimmers'
• SAULT, 'Acts of Faith'

Visit npr.org/music to see the long list of albums you might have missed in December, and stream our New Music Friday playlist.

CREDITS:

Host: Stephen Thompson, NPR Music
Guest: Nate Chinen, WRTI
Producer: Simon Rentner
Editor: Otis Hart
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Vice President, Music and Visuals: Keith Jenkins

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NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich turns us on to lesser known corners of music from 2024: blooming drone-folk, richly textured jazz, Somali garage-rock, medieval metal and a bittersweet farewell from a beloved Athens psych-pop band. You can find more adventurous music and mixtapes via Lars' newsletter, vikingschoice.org.

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We asked listeners to tell us about the one song they couldn't stop listening to in 2024 because of how it made them feel. On this episode we share some of their picks and the stories behind them.

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: [email protected]


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When it comes to music, December is overflowing with gifts, but we aren't quite done with the presents. This time, the NPR Music team is giving ... to each other! On this episode of All Songs Considered, our hosts, writers and editors get into a sort of chain-letter, Secret Santa-type gift exchange. The rules were simple: Pick a song from 2024 specifically for one of your colleagues, who then has to pick a song for someone else, and so on, until the gift train comes full circle.

What songs did we pick? How well do we really know each other's taste? You'll have to listen to hear the surprise, just like we did.

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'Alt.Latino' hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre do their best to keep up with new releases, but sometimes great music evades their radar. On this episode, the duo highlight some of the best songs they never got a chance to share during the year.

Music We Missed in 2024

• Sanje, "Buen Fantasma" (from 'De Repente Otra Vez')

• David Lindes, "Te Vengo A Perdonar" (from 'Peace With A Lion')

• Yung Dupe X Kimmø X PUGSPUGSPUGS, "Nube Negra" (from 'Políticamente Correcto')

• Benjamin Walker, "Libre" (from 'LIBRE')

• Lhasa de Sela et Yves Desrosiers, "El Cosechero" (from 'First Recordings')

• Dom La Nena, "Pierre et les fleurs" (from 'LA VIE DE MA MÈRE')

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Our annual attempt to throw a holiday party for the ages continues with a tolerable mix of songs for the season and, as always, some very special guests.

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: [email protected]


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Record-breaking mainstream hits. A new generation of artists rising to seize their moment. Rappers in and out of courts. A pair of the biggest names in the game transforming their careers by taking their rivalry to sometimes bitter new heights. In 2024, hip-hop brought us wave upon wave of massive, surprising, culture-shifting moments.

NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce, Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael were watching and listening all year long, and they've gathered together to explain the most important stories of hip-hop's 51st year. There was the ascendance of new dominant voices in Southern rap, many of them female, along with the noticeable resonance, for many artists in the genre, with country music. The disconcerting trial of Young Thug left a void in Atlanta — the longtime hip-hop capital — for much of the year, before it ended suddenly and dramatically. And yes, there was the remarkable show put on by Kendrick Lamar in his sustained attack on Drake.

Plus: Rodney, Sidney and Sheldon share their favorite hip-hop albums of the year. Hip-hop may have celebrated its landmark 50th anniversary in 2023 by looking back at its own history, but in 2024, it shot forward like a cannon blast.

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Felix Contreras, Anamaria Sayre and Isabella Gomez Sarmiento run through their favorites in a crowded year for excellent songs, from innovative Spanish hip-hop to distinctive jazz.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Çantamarta, "MOTORIZADO"
•Mala Rodriguez, "Casi Nada"
•Zaccai Curtis, "Maple Leaf Rag"
•Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso, "DUMBAI"
•Melissa Aldana, "A Purpose"
•Residente, "313"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Our special coverage of the year in music continues with a look at the best songs of 2024, featuring Clairo, Tinashe, Chief Keef, Laura Marling and more.

See NPR Music's complete list of the 124 best songs of the year.

See NPR Music's list of the 50 best albums.

Enjoy the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review wherever you get podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

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Our look back at the best albums of 2024 continues, with Tyler, The Creator, Cassandra Jenkins, The Cure and more.

See NPR Music's complete list of the 50 best albums of the year.

And be sure to check out our list of the 124 best songs of 2024.

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: [email protected]


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It's that time of the year — figuring out the best Latin music of 2024. And every year, it gets harder and harder (seriously, it's difficult!) for Ana and Felix to narrow down their extensive lists. Joined by NPR culture reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, the three round up the best albums of this year.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Angélica Garcia, "El Que" from Gemelo
•Hinds, "Coffee" from Viva Hinds
•Spanish Harlem Orchestra, "Lluego El Caballero (feat. Gilberto Santa Ross)" from Swing Forever
•Latin Mafia, "tengo mucho ruido." from TODOS LOS DÍAS TODO EL DÍA
•RaiNao, "readysita" from CAPICÚ
•Orquesta Akokán, "Caracoles" from Caracoles

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Our annual look back at the year in music begins with the first of a two-part episode highlighting the year's best albums, with Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Waxahatchee and more.

Look for Part 2 on Friday, Dec. 6.

See NPR Music's complete list of the 50 best albums from 2024.

Enjoy the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review wherever you get podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

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Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre continue their discussion on the 25th anniversary of the Latin Grammys and the industry's changes, featuring insight from Nathy Peluso, Rauw Alejandro and more.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Fuerza Regida, "TQM"
•Fuerza Regida, "Que onda"
•Fuerza Regida "HARLEY QUINN"
•Latin Mafia, "y como te digo que"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Hosts Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson share stories and songs of gratitude from NPR listeners.

Featured songs and artists:
1. Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss: "Simple Gifts," from Classic Yo-Yo
2. Bill Withers: "Lean On Me," from Still Bill
3. The Mountain Goats: "This Year," from The Sunset Tree
4. Crosby, Stills & Nash: "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," from Crosby, Stills & Nash
5. Louis Armstrong: "What A Wonderful World"
6. John Williams: "End Credits," from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
7. Blackalicious: "Make You Feel That Way," from Blazing Arrow
8. Tyler Childers: "Space and Time," from Rustin' in the Rain
9. Nina Simone: "Isn't It A Pity," from Emergency Ward! (Live)
10. Bob Marley & The Wailers: "Three Little Birds," from Exodus

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: [email protected]

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NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers are your guides to the last big Friday of 2024. Plus a deep dive into an epic new Red Hot compilation titled TRAИƧA.

Featured albums:
• Kim Deal, Nobody Loves You More
• Father John Misty, Mahashmashana
• Say Lou Lou, Dust
• Michael Kiwanuka, Small Changes
• Various Artists, TRAИƧA (Red Hot)

See the long list of albums out Nov. 22 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at https://npr.org/music.

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The Latin Grammys recently marked its 25th anniversary. Alt.Latino's Anamaria Sayre was in Miami to talk to some of Latin music's most influential artists to understand some of the trends that are shaping Latin music today, shared over two episodes.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Juanes, "Fíjate Bien"
•Juanes, "Vida Cotidiana"
•Álvaro Díaz, "Quien Te Quiere"
•Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera "Bebé Dame"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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In the final update to our running list of the year's best songs, we've got the cathartic rock of Kassie Krut, a nerve-settling collaboration between the singers SOAK and Gordi, Ethel Cain and more.

Featured songs and artists:
1. Kassie Krut: "Reckless," from Kassie Krut
2. Gordi: "Reverie," from Lunch At Dune
3. Katy J Pearson: "Save Me," from Someday, Now
4. Freak Slug: "Ya Ready," from I Blow Out Big Candles
5. Hildegard: "Bach In Town," from Jour 1596
6. Ethel Cain: "Punish" (single)

Enjoy the show? Tell your friends and leave us a review wherever you listen go podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]


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NPR Music's Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen are your guides to the most compelling releases out on November 15.

Featured Albums:
• FLO, Access All Areas
• Dwight Yoakam, Brighter Days
• Ganavya, Daughter of a Temple
• Wussy, Cincinnati Ohio

Check out the longer list of albums out Nov. 15 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at https://npr.org/music.

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Alt.Latino hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre recorded their latest new music guide on the streets of Spain.

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We update our running list of the year's best songs with more calming sounds from Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi, the electronic artist Jon Hopkins, Muno singer Katie Gavin's new solo album and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Jónsi: "Flicker," from First Light
2. Katie Gavin: "Aftertaste," from What A Relief
3. Jon Hopkins: "part viii - nothing is lost," from RITUAL
4. Katie Malco: "Fatal Attraction (feat. Laura Stevenson)" (Single)
5. Clairo: "Add Up My Love," from Charm
6. Max Richter: "Movement, Before All Flowers," from In A Landscape

Enjoy the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcats.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]


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NPR Music's Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen are your guides to the most compelling albums released this Friday.

Featured albums:
• Ab-Soul, Soul Burger
• Jamey Johnson, Midnight Gasoline
• Our Girl, The Good Kind
• Various Artists, Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan

Check out the longer list of albums out Nov. 8 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at https://npr.org/music.

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Alt.Latino hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre are in Spain for a music conference. On this episode, they share their favorite discoveries from Bilbao, San Sebastián and beyond.

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In our second installment of blood-slowing songs we take a deep breath and let it out with the music of Max Richter, Hania Rani, Fleet Foxes, Yasmin Williams and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Joan Shelley: "Easy Now," from Over and Even
2. Fleet Foxes: "Helplessness Blues," from Helplessness Blues
3. Theo Alexander: "re; Waiting," from Animadversions
4. Hania Rani & Dobrawa Czocher: "There Will Be Hope," from Inner Symphonies
5. Nicholas Britell: "Eden (Harlem)," from If Beale Street Could Talk
6. Max Richter: "Dream 3 (in the midst of my life)," from From Sleep
7. Stars of the Lid: "Even If You're Never Awake," from And Their Refinement of the Decline
8. Iron & Wine: "Passing Afternoon," from Our Endless Numbered Days
9. Yasmin Williams: "Juvenescence," from Urban Driftwood
10. Gidon Kremer & Keith Jarrett: "Fratres (for violin and piano)," from Arvo Párt: Tabula Rasa

Enjoy the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Question, comments, suggestions and feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected].


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NPR Music's Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen are your guides to the most compelling new releases of the week, including the first album in 16 years by The Cure and a surprise release by Tyler, the Creator.

Featured albums:
• The Cure, 'Songs of a Lost World'
• Tyler, the Creator, 'Chromokopia'
• Willie Nelson, 'Last Leaf on the Tree'
• Haley Heynderickx, 'Seed of a Seed'

Check out the longer list of albums out November 1 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at https://npr.org/music.

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Over half a century, hip-hop has grown into a globally dominant musical and cultural force while remaining stubbornly, vitally local.

When DJ Kool Herc spun records at a small party in the Bronx in August of 1973, no one would have predicted his unique style would give birth to the most influential and dominant music in the world: hip-hop. In this special episode, NPR Music editors Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Sheldon Pearce are joined by contributor Christina Lee to look at how and why the music has managed to remain a local phenomenon, even as it's taken hold of the world.

Note: This episode original ran in Aug. 2023 for our special coverage of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

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NPR Music's Ann Powers and Hazel Cills are your guides to the week's most compelling new releases.

Featured albums:
• Amythyst Kiah, Still + Bright
• Soccer Mommy, Evergreen
• Laura Marling, Patterns in Repeat
• Elmiene, Anyway I Can
• Anna Butterss, Mighty Vertebrate

Plus: A discussion of unconventional album release strategies.

Check out the complete list of albums out Oct. 25 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at https://npr.org/music.

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Anamaria Sayre brings some exciting new sounds coming out Mexico City (while recording from Mexico City) including sweet new music from Colombian artist Elsa Y Elmar, while Felix Contreras shares new jazz-classical out of Barcelona and more.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Elsa y Elmar, "Palacio"
•Alih Jey, "Luz de Gas"
•Little Jesus, "Tierra Llamando A Sant"
•Lucia Fumero, "Folklore II"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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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 Strange: "Sober," from Horror
5. Sam Phillips: "I Wanted To Be Alone," from A Boot And A Shoe (20th anniversary edition)
6. Immanuel Wilkins: "MOTION" (feat. June McDoom) from Blues Blood

Enjoy the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggetions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

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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, 'Observations From a Crowded Room'
• CKay, 'EMOTIONS'
• Kelly Lee Owens, 'Dreamstate'
• Porridge Radio, 'Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me'
• Bon Iver, 'SABLE,'

Check out our longer list of albums out Oct. 18 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at https://npr.org/music.

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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"
• Celia Cruz, "La Negra Tiene Tumbao"
• Celia Cruz, "Quimbara"
• Celia Cruz, "Cuando Salí de Cuba"
• Celia Cruz, "La vida es un carnaval"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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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: [email protected]

Featured songs and films:
1. Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind: "Main Title" and "Clockworks (Bloody Elevators)," from The Shining
2. Mark Korven: "The Goat & The Mayhem," from The Witch
3. Goblin: "Sighs," from Suspiria
4. Hildur Guǒnadóttir: "The Door," from Chernobyl
5. John Carpenter: "Main Title," from Halloween
6. Colin Stetson: "Mothers & Daughters," from Hereditary
7. Mica Levi: "Lipstick To Void," from Under the Skin
8. Cristobal Tapia De Veer: "Laura Smile," from Smile
9. Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow: "The Alien," from Annihilation
10. Bobby Krlic: "Gassed," from Midsommar


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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.

Also on the show this week: The second album from punk teens The Linda Lindas feels like confirmation of a promising career; Samara Joy and Immanuel Wilkins put two different approaches to the modern jazz vocal album on display; E L U C I D combines influences from Miles Davis to Public Enemy into a harrowing experience of modern indie rap and Charli XCX's remix album leads us to consider the tradition of artists reworking their own songs.

Featured albums:
• Jelly Roll, 'Beautifully Broken'
• The Linda Lindas, 'No Obligation'
• Samara Joy, 'Portrait'
• Immanuel Wilkins, 'Blues Blood'
• E L U C I D, 'REVELATOR'

Check out our long list of albums out Oct. 11 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at npr.org/music.

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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, "Duro de Verdad pt. 2"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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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 Woken (20th Anniversary Remastered Edition)
5. Nala Sinephro: "Continuum 3," from Endlessness
6. Jill Fraser: "Beautiful Summer," from Earthly Pleasures

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: [email protected]

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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​ ​TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28​,​340 DEAD'

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: [email protected]

For a longer list of new albums out Oct. 4 and to stream our New Music Friday playlist, visit https://npr.org/music.

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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, "me faltas tú"
•George Shearing Quintet, "Juana Palangana"
•Carin León and Bolela, "Aviso importante"
•Chick Corea Trio, "Spain"
•Alex Ferreira, "Un Cariñito"
•Alex Ferreira, "Un Cariñito (Versión Acústica)"
•Ella Fitzgerald, "Angel Eyes"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Taylor Haney. Editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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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: [email protected]

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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 Mimi Parker, who was also his musical partner for decades in the great band Low, tributes to loved ones lost and voices from the beyond abound.

Plus: The star-studded debut album from Toronto poet and songwriter Mustafa, an adventurous bluegrass album (emphasis on grass) by roots champ Billy Strings, reliably adventurous R&B from Bilal and another posthumous release, the final release from the beloved electronic act Broadcast.

Feedback, questions, comments or any suggestions always welcome: [email protected]

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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 Frontera and Yahritza y Su Esencia, "LAS FLORES"
•Grupo Frontera and Christian Nodal, "Ya Pedo Quién Sabe"
•Dayme Arocena, "A fuego lento"
•Hamilton de Holanda, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, "Saudade, Saudade"
•Kali Uchis and Karol G, "Labios Mordidos"
•Karol G, "MI EX TENÍA RAZÓN"
•Latin Mafia, "Julieta"
•Kevin Aguilar, "Bonita"
•Nicolle Horbath, "Carmen"
•Nicole Horts, "Bitch3"
•Ana Frango Elétrico, "Dela"
•Angélica Olivo, Juan Pablo Contreras, and Orquesta Latino Mexicana, "La Minerva - III. Himno a la Mujer"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Suraya Mohamed. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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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. Emily D'Angelo: "Freezing," from Freezing
5. Lia Kohl: "Tennis Court Light, Snow," from Normal Sounds
6. Gabriela Ortiz: Kauyumari, from Revolución Diamantina

Questions, comments, suggestions or any feedback at all always welcome: [email protected]

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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, have tapped into a higher energy and a wider range of sounds. The saxophonist Nubya Garcia's new album, Odyssey, is as adventurous as the title sounds. And the Kansas City-based Blackstarkids swing between electronic pop, hip-hop and indie rock sounds that feel like they stepped off a time machine directly from the 1990s.

Plus: A pair of releases that package previously unreleased material by Bob Dylan and Galaxie 500 sparks a conversation about bootlegs, alternate versions and other rare and unreleased favorites.

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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 Motoboy"
•Solo Fernández, "TELESCOPIO"
•Solo Fernández, "BROOKLYN"
•Solo Fernández, "TÚ NUNCA DEJARÁS DE SER POESÍA"
•Linda Diaz feat. Solomon Fox, "Watching Ourselves Die"
•Julieta Rada, "Baile del Candombe"
•Amaia Miranda, "Mientras vivas brilla"
•Nick Drake, "Pink Moon"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Suraya Mohamed. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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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: [email protected]

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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 made up mostly of covers of songs from 1967, a year he describes as "a portal between childhood and the adult world." Plus: three ambitious albums by indie faves stretching their sounds, and a consideration of the way the classic "outlaw" label applies to the careers of women who break the rules.

Featured albums:
• Miranda Lambert, Postcards from Texas
• Nilüfer Yanya, My Method Actor
• Foxing, Foxing
• Robyn Hitchcock, 1967: Vacations in the Past
• My Brightest Diamond, Fight the Real Terror

For the complete list of albums out Sept. 13 and to stream our New Music Friday playlist, visit https://npr.org/music.

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'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 Norte"
•Eladio Carrión, "Mama's Boy"
•Daniel, Me Estás Matando, "Lo Hice, Te Dejé"
•Danny Ocean, "Me Rehúso"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Taylor Haney, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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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)
4. Laura Marling: "Patterns," from Patterns In Repeat
5. Carlos Ares: "Cigarra," from Peregrino
6. Melt-Banana: "Stopgap," from 3+5

Feedback, questions, comments or suggestions always welcome: [email protected]

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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://npr.org/music.

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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.

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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 Relief
8. Oliver Coates: Throb, shiver, arrow of time
9. Nubya Garcia: Odyssey

Other most-anticipated releases for fall 2024:
Bright Eyes: Five Dice, All Threes
Porridge Radio: Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me
Jamie xx: In Waves
Thurston Moore: Flow Critical Lucidity
Alan Sparhawk: White Roses, My God
Billy Strings: Highway Prayers
Christian Lee Hutson: Paradise Pop. 10
Mickey Guyton: House On Fire
Broadcast: Distant Call - Collected Demos 2000-2006
Dawn Richard, Spencer Zahn: Quiet in a World Full of Noise
Orla Gartland: Everybody Needs a Hero
Yasmin Williams: Acadia
The Linda Lindas: No Obligation
Japandroids: Fate & Alcohol
Laura Marling: Patterns in Repeat
Pixies: The Night the Zombies Came
Charley Crockett: Visions of Dallas


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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, Revenge
• Emily D'Angelo, Freezing
• AWOLNATION, The Phantom Five
• Big Sean, Better Me Than You
• Shemekia Copeland, Blame It on Eve
• Tycho, Infinite Health
• Zedd, Telos
• Chelsea Wolfe, Undone EP
• Tank & the Bangas, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul
• The Cactus Blossoms, Every Time I Think About You
• Caleb Caudle, Sweet Critters
• Amy Rigby, Hang in There With Me
• Noah Kahan, Stick Season (Live From Fenway Park)

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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. Great Grandpa: "Kid" (Single)
6. Yasmin Williams: "Virga (feat. Darlingside)," from Acadia

Like the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review in Apple podcasts or wherever you listen.

Questions, comments or any other feedback always welcome: [email protected]

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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 Rawlings, 'Woodland'
- Magdalena Bay, 'Imaginal Disk'

See the longer list of albums out August 23 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at https://npr.org/music.

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Over the past month thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets to protest the disputed election of president Nicolás Maduro, while Venezuelan artists like Danny Ocean use music to reflect on this political moment. But Ocean's work is just one data point in a long history of music from Venezuela that embodies the political opinions and emotions of those within the country and the diaspora.

On this week's episode, Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre are joined by producer Isabella Gomez Sarmiento to walk through crucial moments in Venezuela's political history over the last 30 years, and the music that soundtracked it.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Yordano, "Por estas calles"
•Carlos Baute, "Yo me quedo en Venezuela"
•Canserbero, "Es Épico"
•Danny Ocean, "Me Rehúso"
•Apache, "Rompiendo el Hielo"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Taylor Haney, with editorial support from Hazel Cills, Zach Thompson, Tony Cavin and Didi Schanche. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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On August 30, the Australian-born rock titan Nick Cave will release Wild God, a new album with his band The Bad Seeds. It's a high point in Cave's career, and NPR Music's Ann Powers spoke with him about the struggles — personal, musical and religious — he faced on the road to making the album.

Wild God is filled with songs about encounters with the divine, which does not always take a benevolent form. And it follows a decade in which Cave, having publicly faced tragedy in his own life, has evolved from post-punk's louchest fallen angel into a revered figure among his audience in a new way: a dignified seeker whose courage and wisdom resounds beyond musical boundaries thanks to advice he has shared in interviews, writing projects and public appearances. Perhaps it's not surprising that so many of the songs reckon with the moment of revelation or transformation, or the demand for conversion from what Cave describes as "a suffering god ... a god that is embedded in the world."

As for the state of his own religious conviction, Cave says that the struggle is the point: "I would say I'm in the process of conversion," he tells Powers. Wherever he is on that road, he's found something ecstatic to share.

Click here to read a transcript of this interview and hear songs from the album Wild God.

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NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Hazel Cills give you a quick rundown of the most notable albums out Friday, Aug. 16, including Post Malone's country project, F-1 Trillion, Tinashe's seventh LP Quantum Baby, and Charly Bliss's first new record in five years.

Featured Albums:
- Tinashe, Quantum Baby
- Post Malone, F-1 Trillion
- Charly Bliss, Forever
- Morgan Wade, Obsessed
- Starflyer 59, Lust For Gold
- Palehound, Live at First Congregational Church

Visit https://npr.org/music to see the longer list of Aug. 16 releases and stream our New Music Friday playlist.

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"Weird Al" Yankovic helps curate a mix of some of the funniest songs of all time, from classics like Tom Lehrer's "The Elements," to more fringe discoveries from The Hazzards, Tonio K. and more.

Note: This episode originally ran on Apr. 9, 2024.

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NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers survey the new albums out August 9, ranging from Ravyn Lenae's focused R&B to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's scuzzed-up glam-rock and an elegant solo piano album recorded by Japanese pop star and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto just months before his death in 2023.

Plus: A new album made by 39-year-old American bassist esperanza spalding and 81-year-old Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento leads to a discussion of collaborations across generations.

Featured Albums:
• Ravyn Lenae, Bird's Eye
• Beabadoobee, This Is How Tomorrow Moves
• King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Flight b741
• Latto, Sugar Honey Iced Tea
• Ryuichi Sakamoto, Opus
• Oso Oso, Life Till Bones
• Thee Marloes, Perak
• Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding, Milton + esperanza

Links:
• Sidney Madden's interview with Latto from season 2 of Louder Than A Riot
• Ann Powers reviews Zach Bryan's Springsteen-mythologizing album The Great American Bar Scene
• Watch a Tiny Desk (Home) concert by Milton Nascimento and esperanza spalding recorded in Nascimento's living room in Rio de Janeiro

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Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre run through their favorite new music, including new work from Venezuelan artist Danny Ocean in the midst of the country's political crisis, Girl Ultra leaning into her techno side, funky, electro-cumbia from Superfónicos and more.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Superfónicos, "Renaceré"
•Girl Ultra, "lalala"
•Fuerza Regida, "TUQLO"
•Danny Ocean, "por la pequeña Venecia"
•Lisa Morales, "Hermanitas in the Rain"
•Jazz Orishas, "Deniye"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Taylor Haney, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Thirty years after the release of Beck's "Loser," we look back at its impact on the rise of slacker rock and how we still hear its influence today.

Note: This episode originally ran on Feb. 27, 2024.

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NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Sheldon Pearce dig deep into the latest release by bassist Meshell Ndegeocello, who, more than 30 years into her career, continues to melt the boundaries between genres. Her latest album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, is being released on the centennial of the birth of the author and activist, and overflows with musical, political and historical ideas.

Daoud and Sheldon also share new albums and EPs by Khalid, Orville Peck, Moses Sumney, Maren Morris, Smashing Pumpkins, Killer Mike and more.

Featured Albums:
• Meshell Ndegeocello, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
• Khalid, Sincere
• Orville Peck, Stampede
• Moses Sumney, Sophcore
• Maren Morris, Intermission
• Killer Mike, Songs for Saints and Sinners

Other notable albums out August 2:
• Smashing Pumpkins, Aghori Mhori Mei
• Chrystabelle and David Lynch, Cellophane Memories
• JPEGMAFIA, I Lay Down My Life For You
• Brigitte Calls Me Baby, The Future Is Our Way Out
• Los Lonely Boys, Resurrection
• Tones and I, Beautifully Ordinary
• X, Smoke & Fiction
• WHY?, The Well I Fell Into

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These aren't the big bangers and Top 40 hits designed to capitalize on the typical summer vibes. We instead play the songs that feel like summer or say summer to us.

Featured artists and songs:

1. Kaytranada and Rochelle Jordan: "Lover/Friend," from 'Timeless'
2. HUGEL: "Patadas de Ahogado / LATIN MAFIA (Rework)" (single)
3. Keaton Henson: "Sandwalking," from 'Somnambulant Cycles'
4. Tems: "Love Me Je Je," from 'Born in the Wild'
5. Karol G: "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido" (single)
6. Mary Lattimore: "I Spent the Day Inside" (single)

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Questions, comments, suggestions and any other feedback always welcome: [email protected]

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The genre commonly referred to as "Chicano soul" has that "you know it if you hear it" kind of sound.

It's a bicultural interpretation of late 1950s and early '60s African American R&B ballads by Mexican American youth, influenced by the operatic style of Mexican rancheras. Broken hearts, unrequited love and loving the wrong person are often the main themes.

Real talk: it's the smooth, bilingual vocals of Malo's 1972 hit "Suavecito" expressing the thrill of a new love that is still heard at lowrider car shows or the pleas of "You're Still A Young Man' by Tower of Power, to name a few examples.

This week Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre unpack the genre and how the tradition is being reborn by a crew of young artists making it sparkle anew.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Malo, "Suavecito"
•Joe Bataan, "I Wish You Love, P1. 1"
•Tower of Power, "You're Still A Young Man"
•Thee Sacred Souls, "Can I Call You Rose?"
•The Altons, "Soon Enough"
•Thee Sinceers feat. Joey Quinones, "Seems Like"
•Mikey Jimenez, "Takin' All My Lovin'"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Suraya Mohamed, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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We update our running tally of the year's best songs with a return from Moses Sumney, 2022 Tiny Desk Contest winner Alisa Amador, Orville Peck's collaboration with Beck and more.

Featured songs and artists:
1. Orville Peck and Beck: "Death Valley High," from Stampede
2. Nilüfer Yanya: "Call It Love," from My Method Actor
3. Alisa Amador: "Woke Up Today," from Multitudes
4. Moses Sumney: "Gold Coast," from Sophcore
5. Neil Young and Crazy Horse: "Helpless," from Early Daze
6. Rema: "YAYO," from HEIS

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This week on New Music Friday from All Songs Considered, NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Stephen Thompson listen to a grab bag of new releases out on July 19, including what's being called the last Childish Gambino album ever, returns by public radio faves Los Campesinos and Dr. Dog and a vibe-heavy follow-up made by the creators of one of the longest-running Billboard singles of all time, just in time to greet the the heat waves of summer 2024 (sorry).

Then, one of the week's biggest albums sends Daoud and Stephen down a rabbit hole in which they attempt to figure out what happened to the blockbuster soundtrack and why, in the aftermath of an exceptional example from 2023, there might be an opportunity to revive the form.

Featured albums
• Childish Gambino, 'Bando Stone & the New World'
• Los Campesinos, 'All Hell'
• Denzel Curry, 'King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2'
• Glass Animals, 'I Love You So F****** Much'
• Dr. Dog, 'Dr. Dog'
• Jimin, 'Muse'
• Various Artists, 'Twisters: The Album' OST

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We pause to take a deep breath this week and chill out with a mix designed to slow the blood and calm the nerves, including the one song scientists say can reduce anxiety by up to 65%.

Note: This episode originally ran on March 26, 2024.

Featured songs and artists:
• Marconi Union: "Weightless"
• Mary Lattimore: "Wawa by the Ocean" from 'Collected Pieces'
• Van-Anh Nguyen and Noshika Masuda: "Spiegel im Spiegel" by Arvo Pärt
• Brian McBride: "Girl Nap" from 'The Effective Disconnect'
• Laraaji: "Meditation No. 1" from 'Day of Radiance'
• Arooj Aftab: "Saans Lo" from 'Vulture Prince'
• Eluvium: "One" from 'Talk Amongst The Trees'
• Enya: "Watermark" from 'Watermark'
• Adele: "Somoene Like You" from '21'
• Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, John Pritchard & London • Philharmonic Orchestra: "O Mio babbino caro" from 'Kiri Te Kanawa Sings Puccini and Verdi'
• Yo La Tengo: "Our Way To Fall" from 'And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out'
• Cassandra Jenkins: "Hard Drive" from 'An Overview of Phenomenal Nature'
• Ruth Laredo: "Clair de Lune" from 'My First Recital'
• Rachika Nayar: "Our Wretched Fantasy" from 'Heaven Come Crashing'
• Radiohead: "Everything in its Right Place" from 'Kid A'
• Clem Snide: "Nick Drake Tape" from 'A Beautiful EP'

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NPR Music's Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen present the noteworthy albums out July 12, including new releases by Nashville iconoclast Sturgill Simpson, poignant lyricist Cassandra Jenkins, pop rebel Remi Wolf and more.

Visit npr.org for the long list of albums out July 12 and playlists of their top songs.

Read Ann Powers' review of Zach Bryan's The Great American Bar Scene here.

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Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre round up their favorite new tracks, including heartbroken music from Omar Apollo, a mix of jazz and Afro-Puerto Rican sounds from Papo Vazquez and a controversial new merengue electrónico track from Karol G.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Omar Apollo, "Empty"
•Los Cenzontles, "Different Drum"
•Mabe Fratti, "Oidos" and "Intento fallido"
•Karol G, "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido"
•Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Hamilton de Holanda, "Mandalagh"
•Papo Vazquez and Mighty Pirates Troubadours, "Plena Pa'Los Apache"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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The latest update to our running list of the year's best songs includes new ones from Wilco and Omar Apollo, an ode to friendship from Charli XCX and Lorde and more.

Featured songs and artists:

1. Wilco: "Hot Sun," from 'Hot Sun Cool Shroud'
2. Charli XCX and Lorde: "The girl, so confusing version with lorde" (single)
3. Sondre Lerche: "You Are Impossible," from 'Two Way Monologue (20th Anniversary Edition)'
4. Omar Apollo: "Plane Trees" (feat. Mustafa), from 'God Said No'
5. Remy Bond: "Summer Song" (feat. Air) (single)
6. Cassandra Jenkins: "Petco," from 'My Light, My Destroyer'

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With the Fourth of July week here, we look at an album all about the messy, complicated and wonderful culture of America: Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., which recently turned 40 years old.

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NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Anamaria Sayre give you the lowdown on Omar Apollo's new LP, Lil Yachty's collaboration with James Blake, and the fourth album by Hiatus Kaiyote.

Featured albums:
- Omar Apollo, 'God Said No'
- Lil Yachty & James Blake, 'Bad Cameo'
- Hiatus Kaiyote, 'Love Heart Cheat Code'

Visit npr.org/music to see the entire list of albums out June 28 and stream our New Music Friday playlist.

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Alt.Latino's Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras visit the Miami studio of the Latin pop super-producer.

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Our updated list of the year's best songs includes a sweet reflection from beabadoobee, Nathy Peluso's wildly infectious "Aprender A Amar," the mind-blowing virtuosity of pianist Yuja Wang and more.

Featured songs and artists:
1. Nathy Peluso: "APRENDER A AMAR," from 'GRASA'
2. Jakob Lindberg: "Musette" and "Tombeau" from 'Robert de Visée: Theorbo Solos'
3. Brijean: "Workin' On It," from 'Macro'
4. Yuja Wang: "Danzón No. 2 (Marquez)," from 'The Vienna Recital'
5. beabadoobee: "Coming Home," from 'This Is How Tomorrow Moves'
6. Grupo Frontera & NICKI NICOLE: "DESQUITE," from JUGANDO A QUE NO PASA NADA'

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The first half of 2024 has been stuffed with blockbuster albums, and as we reach the midpoint of the year, we've got one more to add to the list. On this week's episode of New Music Friday from All Songs Considered, Hazel Cills and Anamaria Sayre discuss the new album from the breakout star of the Mexican Regional movement. Peso Pluma's new Éxodo sees the singer branching out with new sounds and new collaborators.

Also out this week: the always captivating Kehlani gets adventurous on Crash and the Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini fashions an album of songs out of letters written to a friend's mother.

Featured Albums:
• Peso Pluma, 'Éxodo'
• Kehlani, 'Crash'
• Emiliana Torrini, 'Miss Flower'

Other notable albums out June 21:
• Wild Up, 'Julius Eastman Vol. 4: The Holy Presence'
• Gracie Abrams, 'The Secret of Us'
• Lake Street Dive, 'Good Together'
• Linda Thompson, 'Proxy Music'
• Various Artists, 'Miles Away: One'
• Been Stellar, 'Scream from New York, NY'
• Daryl Hall, 'D'
• Jim Lauderdale, 'My Favorite Place'
• Kate Nash, '9 Sad Symphonies'
• Sumac, 'The Healer'
• Various Artists, 'Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty'

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With the first half of the year almost behind us, we hit pause to reflect on some of the best tracks we've gotten so far, from Chappell Roan, Brittany Howard, Pedro The Lion and more.

Featured songs:
• Chappell Roan: "Good Luck, Babe!" (single)
• Pedro the Lion: "Modesto," from 'Santa Cruz'
• Tyla: "Safer," from 'TYLA'
• Blondshell: "Docket (feat. Bully)" (single)
• Helado Negro: "Colores Del Mar," from 'Phasor'
• Jessica Pratt: "World on a String," from 'Here In The Pitch'
• Mk.gee: "I Want," from 'Two Star & The Dream Police'
• Madi Diaz: "God Person," from 'Weird Faith'
• Brittany Howard: "Power to Undo," from 'What Now'

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This week, NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers steer the New Music Friday podcast straight into the oncoming Father's Day weekend, following the lead of country superstar Luke Combs, whose new album Fathers & Sons is a heartfelt meditation on what it means to fill both of those roles. It's Combs' first album since his cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" landed him on the pop charts last year.

Also this week: Raveena, whose won over many fans at NPR Music with her 2022 album Asha's Awakening, excavates the sounds of millennial pop and R&B on Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain and a long-celebrated 1974 bootleg of Paul McCartney and Wings playing live in the studio gets an official release.

Featured Albums:
• Luke Combs, 'Fathers & Sons'
• Raveena, 'Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain'
• Paul McCartney & Wings, 'One Hand Clapping'

Other notable albums out June 14:
• The Decemberists, 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again'
• Normani, 'Dopamine'
• PJ Morton, 'Cape Town to Cairo'
• This is Lorelei, 'Box for Buddy, Box for Star'
• Jess Cornelius, 'Care/Taking'
• Sadler Vaden, 'Dad Rock'
• Don Tolliver, 'Hardstone Psycho'
• Hermanos Gutiérrez, 'Sonido Cósmico'
• Sam Morton, 'Daffodils & Dirt'
• John Cale, 'POPtical Illusion'
• Isobel Campbell, 'Bow to Love'
• John Grant, 'The Art of the Lie'
• Lalah Hathaway, 'VANTABLACK'
• Moby, 'always centered at night'
• Zsela, 'Big For You'

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To mark the halfway point of 2024, Felix Contreras, Anamaria Sayre and NPR Culture Desk producer Isabella Gomez Sarmiento run down their favorite releases of the year so far, from a career-defining release from Nathy Peluso, a leveling up from Argentina rapper Trueno, introspective jazz from Melissa Aldana and so much more.
Songs featured in this episode:

•Trueno, "Tranky Funky"
•Kali Uchis, "Dame Beso //Muévete"
•Lau Noah ft. Gaby Moreno, "Aunque Suene Bonito"
•Carlos Ares, "Amigo"
•Angelica Garcia, "Gemini"
•Melissa Aldana, "I Know You Know"
•Nathy Peluso, "Legendario"
•Reyna Tropical, "Cartagena"
•Daymé Arocena (feat. Vicente García), "A Fuego Lento"
•Akapellah (feat. Al2 El Aldeano, Faker), "Ni Con Money"
•The Marias, "Run Your Mouth"
•Grupo Frontera, "Me Hizo Un Favor"
•Alvaro Diaz, Feid, "Gatitas Sandungueras Vol. 1"

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Actor, comedian and music superfan Jason Mantzoukas joins us to update our running list of the year's best songs, with lots of crate-digging curiosities. With host Robin Hilton and NPR Music's Lars Gotrich.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Dancer: "Bluetooth Hell," from '10 Songs I Hate About You'
2. The Superwomen: "Lowlands," from 'Someone Like Me'
3. Oluko Imo: "Glory of Om," from 'Glory of Om'
4. Mekit Dolan Muqam Group: "Jula Muqam" from 'Bayawan'
5. The Short Dark Strangers & The Shady M************: "We're Not Animals," from The Short Dark Strangers & The Shady M************
6. Morgul Blade: "Heavy Metal Wraiths," from 'Heavy Metal Wraiths'

Also Noted:
- Mary Lattimore * Walt McClements: "Nest of Earrings," from 'Rain on the Road'
- Somesurprises: "Be Reasonable," from 'Perseids'
- Mohammad Syfkhan: "Do You Have a Lover or Not?" from 'I Am Kurdish'

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NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Hazel Cills shepherd you through the many huge albums out today, including new records by Kaytranada, Charli XCX and so much more.

Featured albums:
- Kaytranada, 'Timeless'
- Charli XCX, 'brat'
- Pedro the Lion, 'Santa Cruz'

Other notable albums:
- Tems, Born in the Wild
- Angelica Garcia, 'Gemelo'
- Alisa Amador, 'Multitudes'
- Peggy Gou, 'I Hear You'
- Marina Allen, 'Eight Pointed Star'

To see the entire list of June 7 releases and stream our New Music Friday playlists, visit nprmusic.org.

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Listeners share songs that take them back to the final days of high school, and the lessons they impart.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Baz Luhrmann: "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)"
2. Feist: "I Feel It All," from 'The Reminder'
3. Brad Paisley: "Letter to Me," from '5th Gear'
4. Green Day: "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," from 'Nimrod'
5. Wiz Khalifa: "See You Again (feat. Charlie Puth)," from 'Furious 7'
6. Rickie Lee Jones: "We Belong Together," from 'Pirates'
7. Cloud Cult: "You'll Be Bright (Invocation Part 1)," from 'Light Chasers'
8. Ke$ha: "TiK ToK," from 'Animals'
9. The Head and the Heart: "Rivers and Roads," from 'The Head and the Heart'
10. Simple Minds: "Don't You (Forget About Me)," from 'The Breakfast Club'

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The producer, singer and songwriter talks with Rachel Martin, host of NPR's new podcast Wild Card, about some of life's biggest questions.

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NPR Music's Ann Powers and Lars Gotrich are your guides to this week's new releases.

Featured albums:
• Arooj Aftab, 'Night Reign'
• Shaboozey, 'Where I've Been, isn't Where I'm Going'
• Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Nathan Salsburg & Tyler Trotter, 'Hear the Children Sing The Evidence'

Other notable albums out May 31:
• Richard Thompson, 'Ship To Shore'
• Dos Monos, 'Dos Atomos'
• Anna Tivel, 'Living Thing'
• Beak>, '>>>>'
• Swamp Dogg, 'Blackgrass'
• Thou, 'Umbilical'
• Chris Housman, 'Blueneck'
• Psychic Temple, 'Doggie Paddlin' Thru the Cosmic Consciousness'
• John Muq, 'Flying Away'
• Robin Holcomb, 'One Way or Another, Vol. 2'

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The Library of Congress' National Recording Registry is more than just a collection of music and sound — it's a reflection of who we are as a country. In April, two new Spanish language songs were added to the registry: Juan Gabriel's "Amor Eterno" and Héctor Lavoe's "El Cantante."

This week on Alt.Latino, Felix and Ana take the opportunity to dive into the Spanish language songs that have made it into the historic collection, as well as share their dream picks for what should be chosen next.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Héctor Lavoe, "El Cantante"
•Juan Gabriel, "Amor Eterno (En Vivo [En el Palacio de Bellas Artes])"
•Buena Vista Social Club, "Chan Chan"
•Buena Vista Social Club, "Orgullecida"
•Buena Vista Social Club, "El Carretero"
•Santana, "Oye Como Va"
•Lydia Mendoza, "Mal Hombre (Cold-Hearted Man)"
•Dizzy Gillespie feat. Chano Pozo, "Manteca"
•Ivy Queen, "Quiero Bailar"
•Jose Feliciano, "El Reloj"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Our biweekly update of the year's best tracks is a mix full of "the hurries and the worries" from Alkaline Trio, wistful reflections from Lake Street Dive, Cindy Lee's sprawling double album and more.

Like the show? Tell your friends and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Feedback always welcome: [email protected]

Featured artists and songs:
1. Alkaline Trio: "Teenage Heart," from 'Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs'
2. Lake Street Dive: "Twenty-Five," from 'Good Together'
3. Les Savy Fav: "Void Moon," from 'OUI, LSF'
4. La Luz: "Poppies," from 'News of the Universe'
5. Cindy Lee: "Wild Rose," from 'Diamond Jubilee'
6. Four Tet: "Loved" from 'Three'

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On our survey of the week's most exciting new albums, WRTI's Nate Chinen and NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce get all wrapped up in the amniotic embrace of a new album by a guru of the L.A. ambient-jazz scene.

The new album by Carlos Niño & Friends is called Placenta. If you know anything about Niño, you'll probably be able to guess that the subject that title suggests — pregancy and childbirth — are taken very seriously. Those "Friends" are crucial too: Niño has become a central figure in a scene whose reverberations are starting to be felt well beyond the community itself, and are drawing more artists in. You can hear Niño on André 3000's flute album New Blue Sun, and André returns the favor here.

Also this week: The fourth album by DIIV sees the indie rock group leaning into shoegaze-inspired sounds, and Andrew Bird creates an album in tribute to the "Golden Era" jazz tunes of the 1930s and '40s he heard on Sunday morning radio shows as a young adult in Chicago.

Featured Albums:
• Carlos Niño & Friends, Placenta
• DIIV, Frog in Boiling Water
• Andrew Bird Trio, Sunday Morning Put-On

Other notable albums out May 24:
• Tiny Habits, All For Something
• Vince Staples, Dark Times
• Alex Sipiagin, Horizons
• Machinedrum, 3FOR82
• Joshua Moshier, semipermanence
• Nathy Peluso, Grasa

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We asked listeners to tell us about a song they ugly cried to or just couldn't stop playing. On this episode, we share some of their picks and the stories behind them.

Note: This episode originally ran on Dec. 26, 2023

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NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Hazel Cills discuss new releases by Billie Eilish, Portishead's Beth Gibbons and Rapsody.

Featured albums:
- Billie Eilish, 'Hit Me Hard and Soft'
- Rapsody, 'Please Don't Cry'
- Beth Gibbons, 'Lives Outgrown'

Other notable albums out May 17:
- Shellac, 'To All Trains'
- The Avett Brothers, 'The Avett Brothers'
- V/A, 'Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense'
- Mach-Hommy, '#RICHAXXHAITIAN'
- Cage the Elephant, 'Neon Pill'
- of Montreal, 'Lady on the Cusp'
- Wu-Lu, 'Learning To Swim On Empty'
- Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band, 'Loophole'
- The Lovely Eggs, 'Eggistentialism'
- Kaia Kater, 'Strange Medicine'
- Álvaro Díaz, 'SAYONARA'
- ZAYN, 'Room Under the Stairs'
- One Step Closer, 'All You Embrace'
- A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, 'Better Off Alone'
- Crumb, 'AMAMA'
- Lightheaded, 'Combustible Gems'
- Pallbearer, 'Mind Burns Alive'
- Joywave, 'Permanent Pleasure'
- Blitzen Trapper, '100's of 1000's, Millions of Billions'
- Payroll Giovanni, 'Have Money, Have Heart' EP
- UFOmammut, 'Hidden'
- SQÜRL, 'Music for Man Ray'
- pub, 'process the wise'


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Ana and Felix collect their favorite recent releases from the past few months, including new material from the breakout regional band Grupo Frontera, a country/Latin cross-over in the music of Wyatt Flores, a new song from groundbreaking rapper Mala Rodriguez and more.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, "Mas Que Nada"
•Luis Muñoz, "Crescent Moon"
•Mala Rodriguez, "Casi Nada [Explicit]"
•Alih Jay, "Bang Bang (Mi Baby Me Mató)"
•Cher, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)"
•Grupo Frontera, "Me Hizo Un Favor"
•Wyatt Flores, "Half Life"
•Danny Ocean, "Cero Condiciones [Explicit]"
•Fabiola Méndez, "Lamento en Celinés"
•Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, "EL ÚNICO"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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We update our running list of the year's best songs with new ones from Dominic Fike, WILLOW, Kamasi Washington, Illuminati Hotties and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. WILLOW: "run!" from 'empathogen'
2. Dominic Fike: "hi grace" from '14 minutes'
3. Kamasi Washington, George Clinton & D Smoke: "Get Lit," from 'Fearless Movement'
4. Illuminati Hotties: "Can't Be Still" (single)
5. Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion: "To Music," from 'Rectangles and Circumstance'
6. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: "L'ouef" from 'Challengers' OST

Like the show? Tell your friends and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!

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This week's episode of New Music Friday from All Songs Considered showcases artists stretching limits across a wide spectrum of genres. NPR Music editor Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Alt.Latino host Anamaria Sayre dig into the most exciting albums out May 10, 2024, from a juggernaut of the Mexican regional scene experimenting with song forms and sounds from across Latin America to an R&B singer getting loose after portraying a jazz icon to a blockbuster collection of contemporary indie artists pulled together for the soundtrack of a discombobulating movie rooted in the 1990s.

Featured Albums:
• Grupo Frontera, Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada
• Andra Day, Cassandra (cherith)
• Various Artists, I Saw the TV Glow Original Soundtrack

Other notable albums out May 10:
• Yaya Bey, Ten Fold
• Les Savy Fav, OUI LSF
• I. Jordan, I Am Jordan
• Ryan Castro, El Cantante del Ghetto
• Amen Dunes, Death Jokes
• Arab Strap, I'm totally fine with it don't give a f*** anymore
• Brad Mehldau, After Bach II
• Brad Mehldau, Après Fauré
• Chick Corea & Béla Fleck, Remembrance
• Chief Keef, Almighty So 2
• Conway the Machine, Slant Face Killah
• Dehd, Poetry
• Gunna, One of Wun
• How To Dress Well, I Am Toward You
• Jim White and Marisa Anderson, Swallowtail
• Kelsey Waldon, There's Always a Song
• Kings of Leon, Can We Please Have Fun
• Mick Harvey, Five Ways to Say Goodbye
• Morgan Guerin, Tales of the Facade
• Myriam Gendron, Mayday
• Orville Peck, Stampede, Vol. 1
• Shannon & the Clams, The Moon Is In The Wrong Place

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Get your hanky out. With Mother's Day nearing, listeners share the songs that remind them of their moms and the deeply moving stories behind them.

Featured songs and artists:
1. Hoagy Carmichael: "Stardust"
2. Christina Aguilera: "Beautiful"
3. Jeannie C. Riley: "Harper Valley PTA"
4. Stevie Wonder: "Isn't She Lovely"
5. Kermit the Frog: "Rainbow Connection"
6. Phyllis Hyman: "You Know How to Love Me"
7. MILCK: "Oh, Mother"
8. Christina Perri: "You Are My Sunshine"
9. The Tokens: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
10. Four Tops: "Reach Out I'll Be There"
11. Sweet Honey in the Rock: "Wanting Memories"

Enjoy the show? Tell your friends and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!

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On the May 3 episode of New Music Friday, NPR Music's Hazel Cills and WRTI's Nate Chinen discuss the week's essential new albums, including Radical Optimism, from the dance-pop superstar Dua Lipa.

The songs on Radical Optimism are mostly in the vein of Dua Lipa's earlier work, but that itself might be reason to keep a militantly sunny attitude: A parade of hits from her last album, Future Nostalgia, proved to have incredible staying power — "Levitating" hung around in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart for nearly a year — and she contributed to last year's cultural juggernaut Barbie with "Dance the Night." Still, Hazel and Nate say the new album offers hints of a few surprising artistic developments in her sound.

Radical Optimism isn't the only album out this week that demands attention. New records by the inimitable folk songwriter Jessica Pratt and the always ambitious jazz maestro and saxophonist Kamasi Washington focus their own sounds in new and highly rewarding ways.

Featured Albums:
• Dua Lipa, 'Radical Optimism'
• Jessica Pratt, 'Here in the Pitch'
• Kamasi Washington, 'Fearless Movement'

Other notable albums out May 3:
• Willow, 'empathogen'
• Mdou Moctar, 'Funeral for Justice'
• Steph Richards, 'Power Vibe'
• Charlotte Day Wilson, 'Cyan Blue'
• Luke Stewart's Silt Trio, 'Unknown Rivers'
• 4batz, 'u made me a st4r'

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It's the 10th annual Tiny Desk contest and there's been a strong showing of Latin artists behind desks across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Felix and Ana sifted through all the entries and pulled their favorites from artists with roots all across the Americas. And if one of them ends up winning, you can thank us for the introduction.

Songs featured in this episode:

•Cathia, "Taza de Café"
•Manu Manzo, "Celos"
•Mireya Ramos and the Poor Choices, "Quiero Volver"
•Flaco el Jandro, "Lluvia Pesada"
•Los Quinceañeros, "Guero"
•La Doña, "Loser Girl"
•Alejandro Aranda, "Pieces"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with editorial support from Hazel Cills. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Brittany Luse, host of NPR's It's Been A Minute, joins All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton to update our running list of the year's best songs.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Ekko Astral: "Baethoven," from 'pink balloons'
2. Nubiyan Twist: "Carry Me (feat. Seun Kuti)," from 'Find Your Flame'
3. T-Bone Burnett: "He Came Down," from 'The Other Side'
4. Bien et Toi: "So Long (feat. Paris Texas)," from 'London Safari II'
5. Bnny: "Missing," from 'One Million Love Songs'
6. Chanel Beads: "Unifying Thought," from 'Your Day Will Come'


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NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Sheldon Pearce discuss new albums from St. Vincent, Charley Crockett, Iron & Wine and more.

Feature Albums:
• St. Vincent, 'All Born Screaming'
• Charley Crockett, '$10 Cowboy'
• Iron & Wine, 'Light Verse'
• Maria Chiara Argirò, 'Closer'

Other notable albums out April 26:
• Neil Young and Crazy Horse, 'FU##IN' UP'
• PartyNextDoor, 'PartyNextDoor 4'
• Justice, 'Hyperdrama'
• Anitta, 'Funk Generation'

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Is April, as T.S. Eliot put it, the cruelest month? We reflect on the question with a mix that's both cringe-inducing and hilarious, from the cruelest takedowns to the most insidious earworms.

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NPR Music's Ann Powers and Hazel Cills dig into Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' which hit streaming services last night, and share a handful of other new albums out Friday, April 19.

Featured Albums:
• Taylor Swift, 'The Tortured Poets Department'
• Bbymutha, 'Sleep Paralysis'
• claire rousay, 'sentiment'
• Pearl Jam, 'Dark Matter'

Other notable albums out April 19:
• Stephanie Lambring, 'Hypocrite'
• Cadence Weapon, 'ROLLERCOASTER'
• Tei Shi, 'Valerie'
• Ekko Astral, 'pink balloons'
• Bill Frisell, 'Orchestras'
• BIG|BRAVE, 'A Chaos of Flowers'
• Blue Lab Beats, 'Blue Eclipse'
• Chanel Beads, 'Your Day Will Come'
• Local Natives, 'But I'll Wait For You'
• Gangrene (The Alchemist & Oh No), 'Heads I Win, Tails You Lose'
• Brian Eno, 'Eno'
• Cloud Nothings, 'Final Summer'
• Melvins, 'Tarantula Heart'
• Mozzy, 'CHILDREN OF THE SLUMS'
• Lucy Rose, 'This Ain't The Way You Go Out'
• Pillow Queens, 'Name Your Sorrow'
• A Certain Ratio, 'It All Comes Down To This'
• Cavalier, 'Different Type Time'
• Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, 'That Delicious Vice'
• T Bone Burnett, 'The Other Side'

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Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras round up their favorite new music, from Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko's boundary-pushing new music, to Alejandro Escovedo's genre-bending rock and Angelica Garcia's electro-cumbia.

Songs featured in this episode:
• Young Miko, "Tamagotchi"
• The Mavericks, "Moon & Stars (with Sierra Ferrell)"
• Angelica Garcia, "Juanita"
• Alejandro Escovedo, "Castañuelas"
• Nella, Yendry, "Veinte Años"
• Sheila E., "Bemba Colorá (ft. Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar)"

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This week's update to our list of the year's best songs includes thunderous shoegaze from Wisp, a classic Cuban piano piece from Dánae Olano, a deeply moving story from Pedro The Lion and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Pedro The Lion: "Modesto," from 'Santa Cruz'
2. Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly: "Destejer," from 'Mestizx'
3. Sheila E.: "Bemba Colorá (feat. Gloria Estefan)," from 'Bailar'
4. Lizzy McAlpine: "I Guess," from 'Older'
5. Dánae Olano: "Danzón para la abuela" from 'Children's Corner'
6. Wisp: "Pandora" from 'Pandora' EP

Questions, comments, feedback, suggestions? Emaill us: [email protected]

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NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce and WRTI's Nate Chinen take you through the biggest new releases of the week, including Maggie Rogers, Shabaka Hutchings and more.

Featured albums:
- Shabaka, 'Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace'
- Maggie Rogers, 'Don't Forget Me'
- Lizz Wright, 'Shadow'
- Leyla McCalla, 'Sun Without the Heat'

Other notable albums out April 5:
- METZ, 'Up On Gravity Hill'
- Caroline Davis & Wendy Eisenberg, 'Accept When'
- girl in red, 'I'M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!'
- Future & Metro Boomin, 'We Still Don't Trust You'
- Nia Archives, 'Silence is Loud'
- V/A, 'My Black Country - The Songs of Alice Randall'
- Still House Plants, 'If I don​'​t make it, I love u'
- Clarissa Connelly, 'World of Work'
- Meshell Ndegeocello, 'Red Hot and Ra: The Magic City'
- Bad Bad Hats, 'Bad Bad Hats'
- Dave Douglas, 'GIFTS'
- BODEGA, 'Our Brand Could Be Yr Life'
- English Teacher, 'This Could Be Texas'
- James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg, 'All Gist'
- Mark Knopfler, 'One Deep River'
- The Ophelias, 'Ribbon' EP
- Tusks, 'Gold'
- Raphael Schön, 'Heart Times'
- Sunburned Hand of the Man, 'Nimbus'
- Rejoicer, 'This Is Reasonable'
- Aaron Lee Tasjan, 'Stellar Evolution'
- Dolo Percussion, 'DOLO 6'
- Baby Blue, 'Of My Window'
- The Reds, Pinks & Purples, 'Unwishing Well'
- Water Damage, 'In E'
- Will Hoge, 'Tenderhearted Boys'
- Jess Ribeiro, 'Summer of Love'
- Sunbeam Sound Machine, 'Soft Signal' EP

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"Weird Al" Yankovic helps curate a mix of some of the funniest songs of all time, from classics like Tom Lehrer's "The Elements," to more fringe discoveries from The Hazzards, Tonio K. and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Tonio K: "H-A-T-R-E-D"
2. Robbie Fulks: "Fountains of Wayne Hotline"
3. Tenacious D: "Tribute"
4. Spike Jones: "Der Fuehrer's Face"
5. Bill Oddie: "BLIMPHT"
6. The Hazzards: "Just A Temp"
7. Garfunkel and Oates: "Google"
8. Tom Lehrer: "The Elements"
9. Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Erika Henningsen, Ashley Park & Busy Philipps: "Famous 5eva"
10. Flight of the Conchords: "Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenocerous (featuring Rhymenocerous And The Hiphopapoatumus)"
11. Shel Silverstein: "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out"
12. Weird Al: "One More Minute"
13. Weird Al: "The Saga Continues"
14. Bad Lip Reading: "Seagulls! (Stop It Now)"
15. Fun With Animals: "Goin' To Pasadena"
16. Spinal Tap: "Big Bottom"
17. The Lonely Island: "Lazy Sunday"

Feedback, questions, comments, suggestions? Email us: [email protected]

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It's a big week for fans of early aughts rock bands, with new releases from The Black Keys and Vampire Weekend hitting streaming services. Kick back with NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and World Cafe host Raina Douris as they run through the new albums you need to know about.

Featured albums:
1. The Black Keys, 'Ohio Players'
2. Vampire Weekend, 'Only God Was Above Us'
3. Katie Pruitt, 'Mantras'
4. Khruangbin, 'A La Sala'

Other notable releases for April 5, 2024:
• Phosphorescent, 'Revelator'
• Grace Cummings, 'Ramona'
• Young Miko, 'att.'
• Adam Wiltzie, 'Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal'
• Fabiana Palladino, s/t
• Vegyn, 'The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions'
• Benson Boone, 'Fireworks and Rollerblades'
• Jane Weaver, 'Love in Constant Spectacle'
• José James, '1978'
• Lizzy McAlpine, 'Older'
• Melissa Aldana, 'Echoes of the Inner Prophet'
• Mount Kimbie, 'The Sunset Violent'
• Pernice Brothers, 'Who Will You Believe'
• Sheila E., 'Bailar'
• Sinkane, 'We Belong'
• TisaKorean, 'MUMU 8818'


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The release of Beyoncés Cowboy Carter has sparked a national conversation about who gets to sing country music and the complex roots of the genre. Which got Alt.Latino thinking — what about the Latinos in country?

This week, Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras travel to Austin, Texas to speak with AmeriChicana musician Carrie Rodriguez about the difference between violin and fiddle, strings and "strangs," and who gets to play country music.

Songs featured:
•Carin Leon, Leon Bridges: "It Was Always You (Siempre Fuiste Tu)"
•Cuco Sanchez: "La Cama de Piedra"
•Merle Haggard: "Big City"
•Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys: "San Antonio Rose"
•Robert Earl Keen: "Feelin' Good Again"
•Chip Taylor, Carrie Rodriguez: "Dirty Little Texas Story"
•Eva Garza: "Quiero Verte Una Vez Mas"
•Rick Trevino: "Doctor Time"
•Ruben Ramos: "Crying Time"
•Sammy Arriaga: "Tennessee Whiskey - Spanglish"
•The Mavericks: "There Goes My Heart"
•Louie TheSinger: "Come and Take It"
•Carrie Rodriguez: "I Dreamed I Was Lola Beltran"
•
Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino, and our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour dig into the highly anticipated Cowboy Carter and consider whether Beyoncé is knocking down the doors of the country establishment, or looking for validation.

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We update our running list of the year's best songs with Charlotte Day Wilson's beguiling "Canopy," wry punk from Gustaf, a breathtaking new solo work from Adrianne Lenker and more.

Featured artists and songs:

1. Gustaf: "Starting and Staring," from 'Package, Pt. 2'
2. Mustafa: "Imaan" (Single)
3. Adrianne Lenker: "No Machine," from 'Bright Future'
4. Charlotte Day Wilson: "Canopy," from 'Cyan Blue'
5. Gary Clark Jr.: "Maktub," from 'JPEG RAW'
6. Nourished by Time: "Hell of a Ride," from 'Catching Chickens'

Questions, comments, suggestions, general feedback? Email us: [email protected]

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Shakira just released her first album in seven years, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, and most listeners and critics have high praise. But this episode of Alt.Latino puts the record to the test.

Felix Contreras, Anamaria Sayre and NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento talk about what makes a Shakira record a Shakira record, how pop artists reinvent themselves and loving your favorite artists even if you don't always love their music.

Songs featured in this episode:
•Shakira: "Puntería"
•Shakira: "La Fuerte"
•Shakira: "Obtener un Si"
•Shakira: "El Jefe"
•Paul Simon: "You Can Call me Al"
•Shakira: "Cómo Dónde y Cuándo"
•Santana: "Smooth"
•Shakira: "Cohete"
•Karol G, Shakira: "TQG"
•Miles Davis: "Bitches Brew"
•Shakira: "Monotonía"
•Shakira: "Escondite Ingles"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino, and our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Beyoncé's breathlessly-anticipated Act II: Cowboy Carter is finally here, and NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce shares his initial reactions after staying up late to listen to the album as soon as it hit streaming services.

But Queen Bey isn't the only artist with a new album worthy of discovery and dissection this week, and Sheldon is joined by Ann Powers to talk about a handful of other albums that deserve celebration. Those include a pair of albums — by Reyna Tropical and Kelly Moran — shaped by tragedy and its aftermath.

Featured albums:
1. Beyoncé, Act II: Cowboy Carter
2. Reyna Tropical: Malegría
3. Kelly Moran: Moves in the Field
4. Chastity Belt: Live, Laugh, Love

Other notable releases for March 29, 2024:
• Alejandro Escovedo, Echo Dancing
• Chicano Batman, Notebook Fantasy
• Dawn Landes, The Liberated Woman's Songbook
• Jim White, All Hits: Memories
• Kenny Chesney, BORN
• Rico Nasty & Boys Noize, HVRDC0RE DR3MZ EP
• Ride, Interplay
• Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Revelations
• Shabazz Palaces, Exotic Birds of Prey
• Sheryl Crow, Evolution

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It's music to the rescue on this week's All Songs Considered, with a mix of songs to slow the blood, including the one track scientists believe can reduce anxiety by up to 65%.

Featured songs and artists:
• Marconi Union: "Weightless"
• Mary Lattimore: "Wawa by the Ocean" from 'Collected Pieces'
• Van-Anh Nguyen and Noshika Masuda: "Spiegel im Spiegel" by Arvo Pärt
• Brian McBride: "Girl Nap" from 'The Effective Disconnect'
• Laraaji: "Meditation No. 1" from 'Day of Radiance'
• Arooj Aftab: "Saans Lo" from 'Vulture Prince'
• Eluvium: "One" from 'Talk Amongst The Trees'
• Enya: "Watermark" from 'Watermark'
• Adele: "Somoene Like You" from '21'
• Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, John Pritchard & London • Philharmonic Orchestra: "O Mio babbino caro" from 'Kiri Te Kanawa Sings Puccini and Verdi'
• Yo La Tengo: "Our Way To Fall" from 'And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out'
• Cassandra Jenkins: "Hard Drive" from 'An Overview of Phenomenal Nature'
• Ruth Laredo: "Clair de Lune" from 'My First Recital'
• Rachika Nayar: "Our Wretched Fantasy" from 'Heaven Come Crashing'
• Radiohead: "Everything in its Right Place" from 'Kid A'
• Clem Snide: "Nick Drake Tape" from 'A Beautiful EP'

Visit our site to see the Top 10 songs scientists say are the most relaxing.

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NPR Music's Rodney Carmichael interviews the rap visionary about her new album, faking it until you make it and why success can breed suicidal thoughts.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 9-8-8, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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Though it isn't quite as packed with huge names as last week, we're digging through another robust assortment of terrific albums. Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Stephen Thompson open by hailing Tigers Blood, the latest album from a singer-songwriter — Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee — who sounds more assured and potent than ever.

Plus: inescapably catchy global pop from South African singer Tyla, genre-straddling roots music from Sierra Ferrell, indescribable electronic compositions from Jlin and more.

Featured albums:
1. Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood
2. Tyla, Tyla
3. Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers
4. Jlin, Akoma

Other notable releases for March 22:
• Rosie Tucker, 'Utopia Now!'
• Empress Of, 'For Your Consideration'
• Adrianne Lenker, 'Bright Future'
• The Jesus and Mary Chain, 'Glasgow Eyes'
• Future & Metro Boomin, 'We Don't Trust You'
• SiR, 'HEAVY'
• Good Morning, 'Seven'
• Tatyana, 'It's Over'
• Aoife O'Donovan, 'All My Friends'
• Brothers Osborne, 'Break Mine'
• Cakes da Killa, 'Black Sheep'
• Matt Champion (of Brockhampton), 'Mika's Laundry'
• Gary Clark Jr., 'JPEG RAW'
• Glass Beams, 'Mahal'
• Gossip, 'Real Power'
• Julia Holter, 'Something in the Room She Moves'
• Nourished by Time, 'Catching Chickens' EP
• Rosali, 'Bite Down'
• Shakira, 'Las Mujeres La No Lloran'

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The weather's heating up and so are the music releases. The hosts of Alt.Latino share their most quintessentially them picks, with Latin jazz across the board from Felix and indie pop-rock bops from Ana.

The two sit down to ping-pong favorite picks back and forth from different parts of the country — plus, Felix puts Ana's picks to an impromptu test.

Featured tracks:

Lara Project, "Extraños"
Julieta Eugenio, "Breath I"
Esteman, Villano Antillano, "Noches de Verano"
Rodrigo Recabarren, Pablo Menares, Yago Vazquez, "Santiago"
Elsa y Elmar, "Entre Las Piernas"
Hurray For The Riff Raff, "Hawkmoon"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino and our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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We update our tally of the year's best contenders with the effervescent Bombay Bicycle Club, Residente's epic and profound "313," cellist Maya Beiser's take on Terry Riley's In C and more.

Alt.Latino's Anamaria Sayre and NPR Music's Tom Huizenga join host Robin Hilton

Featured Artists And Songs:
1. Bombay Bicycle Club: "Willow (feat. Lucy Rose)," from 'Fantasies'
2. Ela Taubert: "Como Paso" (single)
3. Jlin: "Sodalite (feat. Kronos Quartet)," from 'Akoma'
4. Maya Hawke: "Missing Out," from 'Chaos Angel'
5. Residente: "313" from 'LAS LETRAS YA NO IMPORTAN'
6. Maya Beiser: "In C," from 'Maya Beiser x Terry Riley: In C'

Questions, comments, feedback? Email us: [email protected]

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It feels like the first major springtime release week of 2024. Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen discuss the hotly awaited album by Kacey Musgraves and the full-length debut by Tierra Whack, plus more.

Featured albums:
1. Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well
2. Tierra Whack, World Wide Whack
3. Justin Timberlake, Everything I Thought It Was
4. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis

Other notable releases for March 15
• Four Tet, Three
• The Black Crowes, Happiness Bastards
• Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow
• The Dandy Warhols, Rockmaker
• Holly Humberstone, work in progress EP
• Flo Milli, Fine Ho, Stay
• Elcamino, The Game Is The Game

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World Cafe's Raina Douris joins NPR's Sheldon Pearce and host Robin Hilton to talk about the most anticipated albums out this spring, including new ones from Vampire Weekend, Waxahatchee, Portishead's Beth Gibbons and more.

Featured artists, albums and songs:
Reyna Tropical: "Conexión Ancestral" from 'Malegría,' out March 29
Yaya Bey: "Chasing the Bus" from 'Ten Fold,' out May 10
METZ: "Entwined (Street Light Buzz)" from 'Up On Gravity Hill,' out April 12
Vampire Weekend: "Gen X Cops" from 'Only God Was Above Us,' out April 5
Shabaka: "End of Innocence" from 'Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace,' out April 12
Beth Gibbons: "Floating on a Moment" from 'Lives Outgrown,' out May 17
Waxahatchee: "365" from 'Tigers Blood,' out March 22
Amen Dunes: "Boys" from 'Death Jokes,' out May 10
girl in red: "Doing It Again" from 'I'm Doing It Again Baby!' out April 12

See a list of more of NPR Music's most anticipated albums for spring 2024.

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A wave of springtime releases might be just around the corner, but the biggest albums out this week are keeping things cool in an enticing variety of ways. Ann Powers and Hazel Cills discuss what Jack Antonoff, Norah Jones, Moor Mother's Camae Ayewa and Kim Gordon have in common, besides a common release date.

Featured albums:
1. Kim Gordon, The Collective
2. Bleachers, Bleachers
3. Norah Jones, Visions
4. Moor Mother, The Great Bailout

Other notable releases for March 8:
• Ariana Grande, Eternal Sunshine
• Bolis Pupul, Letter to Yu
• Judas Priest, Invincible Shield
• YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Compliments of Gravedigger Mountain
• Oisin Leech, Cold Sea
• Cyrille Aimée, à Fleur de Peau
• Dion, Girl Friends
• Chris Potter, Eagle's Point
• Torrey, Torrey
• Daniel Carter and Stefan Christoff, In the wind now
• homeshake, CD Wallet
• Pixies, At the BBC
• Meatbodies, Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom
• Ronnie Lion, Spanish Town
• Vanessa Bedoret, Eyes
• Charles Moothart, Black Holes Don't Choke
• Anja Huwe, Codes
• Erika Angell, The Obsession With Her Voice
• The Rhythm Method, Peachy
• The Hanging Stars, On A Golden Shore
• astrel k, The Foreign Department
• Observers, The Age of the Machine Entities

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Alt.Latino's Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras visited Cuba and give us an audio-rich tour of Havana.

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Brittany Luse, host of NPR's It's Been A Minute, joins NPR's Stephen Thompson and host Robin Hilton to update our running tally of songs that could end up on NPR Music's best-of-the-year lists.

Featured Tracks:

1. Empress Of: "Feminine," from For Your Consideration
2. Rosie Tucker: "All My Exes Live In Vortexes," from UTOPIA NOW!
3. Patrick Watson: "Perfect Day" (Single)
4. Summer Banton: "Boyfriend" (Single)
5. Madi Diaz: "God Person," from Weird Faith
6. Friko: "Get Numb To It," from Where we've been, Where we go from here


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Ann Powers and Sheldon Pearce discuss Faye Webster's Underdressed at the Symphony and a handful of the week's other brand new albums on which a musician's personality seems to be embodied by their voice — even when the music is completely instrumental.

Featured albums:
1. Faye Webster, Underdressed at the Symphony
2. ScHoolboy Q, Blue Lips
3. Julian Lage, Speak To Me
4. Sheer Mag, Playing Favorites

Other notable releases for March 1:
Paula Cole, Lo
Jacob Collier, Djesse Vol. 4
Everything Everything, Mountainhead
Nils Frahm, Day
Hannah Frances, Keeper of the Shepherd
Ben Frost, Scope Neglect
Liam Gallagher & John Squire, Liam Gallagher & John Squire
Albert Hammond, Body of Work
Jahari Massamba Unit, Karriem Riggins & Madlib, YHWH is LOVE
Kaiser Chiefs, Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album
Lang Lang, Saint-Saëns
Mannequin Pussy, I Got Heaven
Ministry, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
Pissed Jeans, Half Divorced
That Mexican OT, Texas Technician
Uranium Club, Infants Under the Bulb
Yard Act, Where's My Utopia?
De La Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising (35th Anniversary Edition)
Linda Smith, Nothing Else Matters and So I Liked Spring (reissues)


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Nothing on mainstream radio sounded like Beck's "Loser" when it dropped in 1994. Thirty years later, we explain why, look at its impact on the rise of slacker rock and how we still hear it today.

With KEXP's Cheryl Waters, NPR's Stephen Thompson and host Robin Hilton.

Beck tracks featured in this episode:
From 'Mellow Gold':
"Loser"
"Truck Driving Neighbor Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)"
"Beercan"
"Black Hole"
From 'Stereopathetic Soulmanure':
"Satan Gave Me A Taco"
"Rowboat"
From 'One Foot in the Grave':
"One Foot in the Grave"
Also featured:
Basehead: "Brand New Day" from 'Play with Toys'
Ween: "Push Th' Little Daisies" from 'Pure Guava'
King Missile: "Detachable Penis" from 'Happy Hour'
Pussy Galore: "Brick" from 'Sugars*** Sharp'
The Lemonheads: "Half The Time" from 'Lovey'
Guided By Voices: "#2 in the Model Home Series" from 'Vampire on Titus'
Sebadoh: "Soul and Fire" from 'Bubble & Scrape'
Pavement: "Cut Your Hair" from 'Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain'
Alex G: "Runner" from 'God Save the Animals'
Courtney Barnett: "History Eraser" from 'The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas'
Frankie Cosmos: "Apathy" from 'Vessel'
Beck: "F**** With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)" from 'Mellow Gold'

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Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen discuss Hurray for the Riff Raff's career-defining new album The Past Is Still Alive, along with a trio of other thrilling new releases that reveal the distinct strengths of the musicians behind them.

Featured albums:
1. Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Past Is Still Alive
2. Erika de Casier, Still (released Wednesday, Feb. 21)
3. Real Estate, Daniel
4. Mary Timony, Untame The Tiger

Other notable releases out Feb. 23:
• Daymé Arocena, Alkemi
• glaive, a bit of a mad one
• Glitterer, Rationale
• Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, Souvenirs
• Corb Lund, El Viejo
• Mama Zu, Quilt Floor
• MGMT, Loss of Life
• Laetitia Sadier, Rooting for Love
• Nadine Shah, Filthy Underneath
• Rafael Toral, Spectral Evolution
• TWICE, With YOU-th

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Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre round up their favorite new music, including Southern Cone rock and cumbia, atmospheric vocals from the U.S. and even some delicate yet emotionally powerful music from the Catalan region of Spain.

Featured songs:
El Cuarteto de Nos: "Chivo Expiatorio (En Vivo)"
Helado Negro: "Best For You and Me"
La Yegros: "Bodas de Plumas"
Lau Noah: "If a tree falls in love with a river"
Daymé Arocena: "A Fuego Lento" (feat. Vicente García)
Residente: "Ron En El Piso"

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino and our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Host Robin Hilton hangs with composer and artist Julia Holter and NPR's Lars Gotrich to gab about their favorite new music, including the calming sounds of Helado Negro, Daisy Rickman and more.

Featured artists and songs:
1. Jessica Pratt: "Life Is" from 'Here In The Pitch'
2. Deerlady: "Masterpieces" from 'Greatest Hits'
3. Helado Negro: "Colores Del Mar" from 'Phasor'
4. Julia Holter: "Spinning" from 'Something in the Room She Moves'
5. Daisy Rickman: "Signpost to the Stars" from 'Howl'
6. Frances Chang: "Spiral in Houston" from 'Psychedelic Anxiety'
7. Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang: "Ocean" from 'Azure'

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NPR Music's Felix Contreras and WRTI's Nate Chinen run down new albums by Gaby Mareno, Les Amazones d'Afrique and more. Then, Nate Chinen is joined by NPR Music's Tom Huizenga to discuss the legacy and controversy around George Gershwin's masterpiece, "Rhapsody in Blue," which celebrated its centennial this week.

Featured albums out Feb. 16:
• Gaby Moreno, 'Dusk'
• Mike McGinnis +9, 'Outing: Road Trip II'
• Mike LeDonne and the Groover Quartet, 'Wonderful!'
• Nathalie Joachim, 'Ki moun ou ye'
• Les Amazones d'Afrique, 'Musow Danse'


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We asked listeners to tell us about a time they put a song on a mixtape or playlist to woo a crush. On this week's show, we share some of those songs ... and find out if they worked.

Featured Songs:

1. Peter Gabriel: "In Your Eyes"
2. Depeche Mode: "Somebody"
3. Erykah Badu: "Kiss Me On My Neck"
4. Madness: "It Must Be Love"
5. Mirah: "Dreamboat"
6. Q-Tip: "Vivrant Thing"
7. The Kinks: "Tired of Waiting for You"
8. The Magnetic Fields: "I Don't Want To Get Over You"
9. The Modern Lovers: "I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms"
10. Mazzy Star: "Fade Into You"

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Ann Powers and Sheldon Pearce listen to the new albums out on Feb. 9 — including Brittany Howard's What Now — and find themselves wondering about the cultural value of virtuosity in 2024.

Featured albums:
1. Brittany Howard, What Now
2. Joel Ross, nublues
3. Boldy James & Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership (released Jan. 12)
4. Kali Malone, All Life Long
5. Sonic Youth, Walls Have Ears
6. Usher, Coming Home

Other notable albums out Feb. 9:
• Helado Negro, PHASOR
• Chelsea Wolfe, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
• Madi Diaz, Weird Faith
• Declan McKenna, What Happened To The Beach?
• Little Simz, Drop 7 EP
• Shygirl, Club Shy EP
• Kelela, RAVE:N, The Remixes
• Mk.gee, Two Star & The Dream Police
• Ducks Ltd., Harm's Way
• David Nance & Mowed Sound, David Nance & Mowed Sound
• Split System, Vol. 2
• The Telescopes, Growing Eyes Become String

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Nothing captures the agony of love, loss, hope and redemption like the song form known across all of Latin America: the bolero.

Last December, UNESCO declared the bolero "an intangible cultural heritage of humanity" and "an indispensable part of the Latin American sentimental song." And given that Valentine's Day is coming up, Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre did something special this week, in honor of this news: they asked some of their favorite artists and show listeners to share their most-loved boleros, and break down exactly what makes them so special. Join Felix and Ana as they laugh, cry and sing a little to the love songs of the ages.

And be sure to check out the playlists we made for this episode, feature Ana and Felix's picks, as well as the selections from featured artists and listeners, on Spotify and Apple Music.

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino and our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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Host Robin Hilton hangs with NPR's Hazel Cills and Sheldon Pearce to geek out about the new Billy Joel, Kim Gordon, Shygirl, Nia Archives and more.

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Our friends at NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour break down the major winners and highlights from the 2024 Grammy Awards.

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Ann Powers, Sidney Madden and Stephen Thompson make predictions ahead of Sunday night's 66th annual Grammy Awards.

Notable albums out Feb. 2:
• The Last Dinner Party, Prelude to Ecstasy
• J Mascis, What Do We Do Now
• Kirin J Callinan, If I Could Sing
• Lee Scratch Perry, King Perry
• Paul McCartney & Wings, Band on the Run (Underdubbed Mixes)
• The Paranoid Style, The Interrogator
• Liquid Mike, Paul Bunyan's Slingshot
• Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey, Compassion
• Jenny Sturgeon & Boo Hewerdine, Outliers


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With Green Day's stellar new album, Saviors, the 20th anniversary of American Idiot and 30th anniversary of Dookie, NPR's Daoud Tyler-Ameen, Stephen Thompson and Robin Hilton look at the band's legacy.

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There's plenty about Wall of Eyes, the new album by the British rock trio The Smile, to remind you of Radiohead, the band with which The Smile shares Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. But there's something about The Smile that resists feeling like Radiohead redux, and on this week's episode Ann Powers, Tom Huizenga and Sheldon Pearce get to the bottom of what makes Wall of Eyes so satisfying on its own terms.

Plus: Discussion of a week's worth of great albums leads to a conversation about the state of music criticism, which took a blow last week when the long-standing, much-beloved, occasionally-hated website Pitchfork was folded into the men's magazine GQ and much of its staff laid off.

Featured Albums for January 26, 2024:
1. Patricia Kopatchinksaja, Reto Bieri, Polina Leschenko — Take 3
2. Benny the Butcher — Everybody Can't Go
3. Katy Kirby — Blue Raspberry
4. The Smile — Wall of Eyes

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In this week's Alt.Latino episode, Chilean rapper and singer Ana Tijoux talks to hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre about her new album, Vida, and why it took so long to return to the studio.

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With the announcement of the 96th annual Oscar nominees, we're revisiting our conversation with Volker Bertelmann, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Score last year for All Quiet On The Western Front.

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NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce, Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden dig into hip-hop superstar 21 Savage's new album, his notorious ICE arrest and what it means to capture the American dream.

Noteworthy albums out January 19:
- Sleater-Kinney, Little Rope
- Green Day, Saviors
- Eladio Carrión, Sol María
- Ana Tijoux, Vida
- Brittney Spencer, My Stupid Life
- Mary Halvorson, Cloudward
- Ethan Iverson, Technically Acceptable
- glass beach, plastic death
- ericdoa, DOA
- Neck Deep, Neck Deep
- Fredo Bang, Yes, I'm Sad
- Keyon Harrold, Foreverland
- Jozef Van Wissem, The Night Dwells In The Day
- Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke & Keiji Haino, With pats on the head, just one too few evil one too many is good that's all it is
- Mali Obomsawin and Magdalena Abrego, Greatest Hits


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Host Robin Hilton hangs with NPR Music's Anamaria Sayre and Tom Huizenga to share their current musical obsessions, from the solo piano of Philip Glass to the garage punk of Sprints, Spain's super chill Club del Rio and more.

Featured Artists And Songs:
1. Lavinia Meijer: "The Departure" from Winter
2. Xavi: "La Diabla (Single)
3. Faye Webster and Lil Yachty: "Lego Ring" from Underdressed at the Symphony
4. Philip Glass: "Opening," from Philip Glass Solo
5. Club del Rio: "Una Vida" (Single)
6. Sprints: "Literary Mind" from Letter to Self

Enjoying the show? Tell your friends and leave a review for us wherever you listen to podcasts. Feedback welcome at [email protected]


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