Podcasts about All Songs Considered

This week's update to our running list of the year's best songs includes some scorchers from Atlanta's Upchuck, the shoegaze group Just Mustard, jazz trumpeter Brandon Woody and more.Featured artists and songs:1. Upchuck: "Plastic" (single)2. The Westerlies (with Sam Amidon): "Paradise," from 'Paradise'3. Just Mustard: "POLLYANNA" (single)4. Brandon Woody: "Beyond the Reach of Our Eyes," from 'For The Love Of It All''All Songs Considered' 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2017Weekly reset: Frogs and crickets chattering in a rice field in Okazaki, JapanEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The latest additions to our list of the year's best songs include a joyful new banger from The Beaches, a wondrous tapestry of sounds from singer Patrick Watson, twisted pop from Fever Ray and more.Featured artists and songs:1. The Beaches: "Last Girls At The Party," from 'No Hard Feelings'2. Patrick Watson: "Peter And The Wolf," from 'Uh Oh'3. Deb Talan: "A Glimmer In The Grass," from 'I Thought I Saw You'4. Fever Ray: "I'm Not Done (Therapy Session)" (single)5. Ethel Cain: "Nettles," from 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You''All Songs Considered' 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2016Weekly reset: A day at the beachEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We look at the most anticipated albums coming this summer, from Wet Leg, Big Thief, Superchunk, Lucrecia Dalt and more. WNXP's Celia Gregory joins NPR Music's Sheldon Pearce and host Robin Hilton.Featured artists and albums:1. Wet Leg: 'moisturizer' (featured song: "CPR")2. Marissa Nadler: 'New Radiations' (featured song: "New Radiations")3. Superchunk: 'Songs in the Key of Yikes' (featured song: "Everybody Dies")4. Indigo De Souza: 'Precipice' (featured song; "Crying Over Nothing")5. Lucrecia Dalt: 'A Danger to Ourselves' (featured song: "divina")6. Kokoroko: 'TUFF TIMES NEVER LAST' (featured song: "Three Piece Suit")7. Parcels: 'LOVED' (featured song: "yougotmefeeling")8. Big Thief: 'Double Infinity' (featured song: "Incomprehensible")9. Georgia Harmer: 'Eye Of The Storm' (featured song: "Can We Be Still")'All Songs Considered' 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2015Weekly reset: Summer weekend in the neighborhood with sprinkler, birds, lawnmower.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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We update our running list of the year's best songs with old-school guitar rock from Ty Segall, a playful left turn for rapper Little Simz, yeule's pop from the ether and more.Featured artists and songs:1. Little Simz: "Young," from 'Lotus'2. yeule: "Dudu," from 'Evangelic Girl Is a Gun'3. Wednesday: "Elderberry Wine" (single)4. Ty Segall: "Shining," from 'Possession'5. Nourished By Time: "Max Potential," from 'The Passionate Ones''All Songs Considered' 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2014Weekly reset: Ringing bells at a neighborhood shrine near OsakaEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In a conversation with All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton, Stevens shares a complex and conflicted view of the album he wrote about his mother in the wake of her death from cancer.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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We've got another update to our running list of the year's best songs with the return of Fiona Apple, Laufey, deep reflections from Lord Huron and more.Featured artists and songs:1. Fiona Apple: "Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)" (single)2. Jerskin Fendrix: "SK1" (single)3. Lord Huron: "Looking Back," from 'The Cosmic Selector, Vol. 1'4. Eph See: "Malachi The Uber Driver" (Tiny Desk Contest entry)5. Kacy Hill: "Please Don't Cry" (single)6. Laufey: "Tough Luck," from 'A Matter Of Time''All Songs Considered' 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2013Weekly reset: Neighborhood birds on a spring morningEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We update our running list of the year's best songs with a plainspoken but moving story from Chris Staples, a wildly unpredictable piece from soprano Barbara Hannigan, Natalia Lafourcade and more.Featured artists and songs:1. Third Coast Percussion: "Please Be Still," from 'Standard Stoppages'2. Chris Staples: "Two Carat Diamond," from 'Don't Worry'3. Barbara Hannigan, David Chalmin: "Che t'ho fatt'io?," from 'Electric Fields'4. Natalia Lafourcade: "Cocos en la playa," from 'Cancionera'5. Brooklyn Rider: "Tenebrae," from 'The Four Elements''All Songs Considered' 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2012Weekly reset: Airing out and beating futons on a Saturday morning in Toyohashi, JapanEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Whether you prefer solitude, get-togethers with family or friends, or steeling yourself for the week to come, we've got the perfect album to score your early Sunday hours.Featured artists and albums: 1. Miles Davis: 'Kind of Blue'2. Astrud Gilberto: 'The Astrud Gilberto Album'3. The Congos: 'Heart of the Congos'4. Madredeus: 'O Espírito da Paz'5. Laurie Spiegel: 'The Expanding Universe'6. BAD OPERATION: 'BAD OPERATION'7. Django Reinhardt: '1937'8. Tirzah: 'Devotion'9. Margo Guryan: 'Take a Picture'10. V/A: 'Worried Now, Won't Be Worried Long: Alan Lomax's "Southern Journey," 1959–1960'11. Electrelane: 'The Power Out'12. Woo: 'Into The Heart Of Love'13. St. Germain: 'Tourist'All Songs Considered 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2011Weekly reset: Bells ringing at Duomo di Firenze, Florence, ItalyEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We update our running list of the year's best songs with a staggering cut from the new 'Sinners' film, hyperpop from Jane Remover, the return of Foxwarren and more.Featured artists and songs:1. Miles Caton: "I Lied to You," from 'Sinners'2. Foxwarren: "Yvonne," from '2'3. Jane Remover: "Dancing with your eyes closed," from 'Revengeseekerz'4. Mal Blum: "I'm So Bored," from 'The Villain'5. Men I Trust: "The Landkeeper," from 'Equus Asinus'All Songs Considered 25th anniversary segment: Our number one songs from 2010Weekly reset: Dinner and dance performance, Chiang Mai, ThailandEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The 321st episode of Hangover Sessions features Scott Garred of Super XX Man fame!"Super XX Man marks 30 years with Rusted Hues, their 19th album, co-produced by Adam Selzer (Peter Buck, M. Ward). Founder Scott Garred reunited with former bandmates, blending home and studio recordings. NPR's All Songs Considered once featured the band, with host Bob Boilen saying, “If we're going to choose 10 songs every week, let it be Super XX Man,” and later inviting them for a Tiny Desk Concert. The album explores themes of decay and renewal, with standout tracks like “Rusted Hues” and “Hold On to Me,” showcasing heartfelt lyrics and lush arrangements. Rusted Hues will be released on May 22, 2025."The show also features a cheeky playlist from yours truly, DJ Webbles including some lush Brazilian bossa nova to kickstart the show by João Gilberto and a brand new track by SAULT, called R.L. from their new album 10.Follow Scott & Super XX Man via:SuperXXMan.Bandcamp.comScottGarred.Bandcamp.comAaand, enjoy the show!

We asked listeners to tell us about the one song they couldn't stop listening to because of how it made them feel. On this episode we share some of their picks and the stories behind them.Note: This episode originally aired in Dec. 2024Weekly reset: Mochi street vendor, JapanEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Stereolab is back with its first new music in 15 years. We give it a spin on this week's show, along with the scorched rock of feeble little horse, a relentlessly catchy earworm from Yaeji and more.Featured artists and songs:1. Stereolab: "Aerial Troubles," from 'Instant Holograms On Metal Film'2. Yaeji & E Wata: "Pondeggi" (single)3. Snuggle: "Dust" (single)4. feeble little horse: "This Is Real" (single)5. Lyra Pramuk: "Rewild," from 'Hymnal'Weekly reset: Street musicians on the Piazza del Duomo, Florence, ItalyEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A quick note about today's episode from All Songs Considered.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Wet Leg is back with another burst of wildly infectious, frenetic rock. We've got that, the original version of an Oscar-worthy Sufjan Stevens song, and some music that NPR's Tom Huizenga says is "better than Xanax."Featured artists and songs:1. Wet Leg: "Catch These Fists," from 'moisturizer'2. Ashley Jackson: "Unrest," from 'Take Me To The Water'3. Sufjan Stevens: "Mystery of Love (Demo)," from 'Carrie & Lowell (10th Anniversary Edition)'4. Alexander Knaifel: "Stanza I-VII," from 'Chapter Eight'5. George Xiaoyuan Fu: "Passacaglia on a Theme by Radiohead," from 'Colouring Book'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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We look at how and why SXSW, once the world's largest music festival, is being scaled back to a shell of itself, what was so special about it, and what the shift means for artists and the industry.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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We look ahead to the most anticipated albums due out this spring, including Rico Nasty's LETHAL, the return of Car Seat Headrest and Lucius, the existential punk rock group Pup and more.Featured artists and albums:1. HAIM: "Relationships," from a "not yet announced fourth album"2. Blondshell: "Two Times," from 'If You Asked For A Picture'3. M(h)aol: "DM:AM," from 'Something Soft'4. Car Seat Headrest: "Gethsemane," from 'The Scholars'5. PUP: "Hallways," from 'Who Will Look After The Dogs?'6. Kara-Lis Coverdale: "Daze," from 'From Where You Came'7. Lucius: "Gold Rush," from 'Lucius'8. Rico Nasty: "TEETHSUCKER (YEA3x)," from 'LETHAL'9. Jenny Hval: "To Be A Rose," from 'Iris Silver Mist'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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We've got just what you need for that stubborn case of existential dread in a looming dystopia as we update our running list of the year's best songs, with new ones from yeule, Raveena and more.Also, we continue to celebrate the 25th anniversary of All Songs Considered by looking back at our number one songs from each year. On this episode: the songs that take us back to 2005Featured artists and songs:01. Everything Is Recorded: "Never Felt Better (feat. Sampha, Florence + The Machine)," from 'Temporary'02. yeule: "Skullcrusher," from 'Evangelic Girls Is A Gun'03. Raveena: "You're So Good To Me," from 'Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain (Deluxe)'04. Gordi: "Alien Cowboy," from 'Like Plasticine'05. Whatever The Weather: "12°C," from 'Whatever The Weather II'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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As we celebrate a quarter century of music nerdom and buffoonery, we remember the songs that shaped the show and our lives, with 25 No. 1 tracks from our first 25 years (and whatever else we can manage to recall). We aren't going to ruin the fun with a tracklist — listen along as All Songs Considered host Robin Hilton and New Music Friday's Stephen Thompson try to guess each other's favorite cuts.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: allsongs@npr.org Hear new songs from past episodes in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We update our running list of the year's best songs with the cinematic pop of Oklou, Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir, the experimental hip-hop group clipping. and more.Featured artists and songs:1. Oklou: "family and friends," from 'choke enough'2. Anna Thorvaldsdottir: "Part V" and "Part VIII," from 'UBIQUE'3. clipping.: "Keep Pushing," from 'Dead Channel Sky'4. Sandbox Percussion: "Don't Look Down," from 'Cerrone: Don't Look Down'5. Lucrecia Dalt: "cosa rara (feat. David Sylvian)" (single)6. Anouar Brahem: "The Eternal Olive Tree," from 'After the Last Sky'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: allsongs@npr.org Hear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With Oscar season here, we review the nominees for Original Song and Original Score, prognosticate who will win the statues on March 2, and look at the Academy's biggest snubs.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: allsongs@npr.org Hear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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: allsongs@npr.org Hear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 Armstrong: "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'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: allsongs@npr.org Hear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 Friends2. Tamino, Mitski: "Sanctuary," from Every Dawn's a Mountain3. Julien Baker & Torres: "Sugar in the Tank" (single)4. Flora From Kansas: "The Ghost is Me," from Homesick5. Circuit des Yeux: "Megaloner," from Halo On The Inside6. Son Lux: "Cocoon," from Risk of Make BelieveEnjoy 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: allsongs@npr.org Hear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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: allsongs@npr.orgHear the songs in the All Songs Considered playlists in Apple Music and Spotify.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

KAIA KATER is a brilliant and accomplished musician from Canada who plays Appalachian banjo. After learning in the mountains of West Virginia, Kater toured extensively, performing at venues and festivals throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom, including a performance at the Kennedy Center,  Grammy Museum, tributes to Pete Seeger, the Newport Folk Festival, and Carnegie Hall. STELLA PRINCE is a new generation folksinger from New York, now in Nashville. Described by Nashville Scene as the artist “carrying the banner for a new generation of folk musicians”, Stella's goal is to bring folk music to a new generation, describing her sound as “Gen Z Folk”. She recently made history as the youngest performer at this year's Tin Pan South. Stella's EP became the #2 Most Downloaded record, the only folk album, solo female performer, and one of the only independent releases to do so, charting in the Top 20 on the Alt Country Charts. It was also played on BBC and NPR's “All Songs Considered”. WoodSongs Kids: Elle Hack & Ellinor Pogue met at the Kentucky Opry and started singing harmony together. 

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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Get ready to kick your boots up as we sit down with country music legend Terri Clark. From humble beginnings in Canada to becoming the first Canadian female artist inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, Terri shares her extraordinary journey through decades of country music. Hear how a shoelace tied to her guitar led to her big break at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, her thoughts on today's music industry, and the wild story of Blake Shelton being mistaken for her!Terri opens up about life on the road, her iconic hits like “Better Things to Do” and “Girls Lie Too,” and how she's connecting with new generations through her new album Terri Clark: Take Two. Plus, find out why Cody Johnson's admiration for her music hits close to home, which 90s Western fashion she'd love to see make a comeback, and—of course—how she shapes her signature cowboy hat!With a career spanning three decades, Terri Clark proves why she's a true trailblazer in country music. Don't miss this unforgettable episode! Her latest album, Take Two, is out now.

You know that mind-expanding feeling when an album — even one that fits solidly in a familiar genre — gives you something that feels brand new? This week on New Music Friday from All Songs Considered, NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers find an abundance of brand new records that push boundaries.These ambitious albums, all out on August 30, 2024, represent a range of styles, energies and motivations, from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' sweeping rock epic Wild God to the irrepressible bounce of Doechii's shape-shifting Alligator Bites Never Heal to Laurie Anderson's Amelia, obsessed with the minutia of flight mechanics but capable of inducing swooning emotions as it puts the listener in the cockpit for the final flight of the album's namesake aviation pioneer.Plus: In the face of all these huge artistic swings, Ann and Daoud consider the state of art-rock, a musical category that has meant many different things to many different listeners over the years.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, RitualOther notable albums out August 30:• Emily D'Angelo, Freezing• Big Sean, Better Me Than You• Shemekia Copeland, Blame It on Eve• Tycho, Infinite Health• Zedd, Telos• Tank & the Bangas, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul• Caleb Caudle, Sweet Critters• Amy Rigby, Hang in There With Me• Noah Kahan, Stick Season (Live From Fenway Park)Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Elliott Childs reviews Handsome and revisits All Songs Considered.

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 OSTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For decades, Joni Mitchell's life and music have enraptured listeners. One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Mitchell has inspired countless musicians--from peers like James Taylor, to inheritors like Prince and Brandi Carlile--and authors, who have dissected her music and her life in their writing. At the same time, Mitchell has always been a force beckoning us still closer, as--with the other arm--she pushes us away. Given this, music critic Ann Powers wondered if there was another way to draw insights from the life of this singular musician who never stops moving, never stops experimenting. In Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell (Dey Street Books, 2024), Powers seeks to understand Mitchell through her myriad journeys. Through extensive interviews with Mitchell's peers and deep archival research, she takes readers to rural Canada, mapping the singer's childhood battle with polio. She charts the course of Mitchell's musical evolution, ranging from early folk to jazz fusion to experimentation with pop synthetics. She follows the winding road of Mitchell's collaborations with other greats, and the loves that emerged along the way, all the way through to the remarkable return of Mitchell to music-making after the 2015 aneurysm that nearly took her life. Along this journey, Powers' wide-ranging musings on the artist's life and career reconsider the biographer's role and the way it twines against the reality of a fan. In doing so, Traveling illustrates the shifting nature of biography, and the ultimate contradiction of celebrity: that an icon cannot truly, completely be known to a fan. Kaleidoscopic in scope, and intimate in its detail, Traveling is a fresh and fascinating addition to the Joni Mitchell canon, written by a biographer in full command of her gifts who asks as much of herself as of her subject. Ann Powers has been a music critic for more than thirty years, working for NPR, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and other publications. In the decade she has worked with NPR, she has written extensively on music and culture and appeared regularly on the All Songs Considered podcast and on news shows including All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Her books include a memoir, Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music; and Piece by Piece with Tori Amos. Powers lives in Nashville. Ann Powers on Twitter. Bradley Morgan is a media arts professional in Chicago and author of U2's The Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America. He manages partnerships on behalf of CHIRP Radio 107.1 FM, serves as a co-chair of the associate board at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and volunteers in the music archive at the Old Town School of Folk Music. His forthcoming books are Frank Zappa's America: Music, Satire, & the Battle Against the Christian Right (LSU Press, Spring 2025) and U2: Until the End of the World (Palazzo Editions, Fall 2025). Bradley Morgan on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

For decades, Joni Mitchell's life and music have enraptured listeners. One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Mitchell has inspired countless musicians--from peers like James Taylor, to inheritors like Prince and Brandi Carlile--and authors, who have dissected her music and her life in their writing. At the same time, Mitchell has always been a force beckoning us still closer, as--with the other arm--she pushes us away. Given this, music critic Ann Powers wondered if there was another way to draw insights from the life of this singular musician who never stops moving, never stops experimenting. In Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell (Dey Street Books, 2024), Powers seeks to understand Mitchell through her myriad journeys. Through extensive interviews with Mitchell's peers and deep archival research, she takes readers to rural Canada, mapping the singer's childhood battle with polio. She charts the course of Mitchell's musical evolution, ranging from early folk to jazz fusion to experimentation with pop synthetics. She follows the winding road of Mitchell's collaborations with other greats, and the loves that emerged along the way, all the way through to the remarkable return of Mitchell to music-making after the 2015 aneurysm that nearly took her life. Along this journey, Powers' wide-ranging musings on the artist's life and career reconsider the biographer's role and the way it twines against the reality of a fan. In doing so, Traveling illustrates the shifting nature of biography, and the ultimate contradiction of celebrity: that an icon cannot truly, completely be known to a fan. Kaleidoscopic in scope, and intimate in its detail, Traveling is a fresh and fascinating addition to the Joni Mitchell canon, written by a biographer in full command of her gifts who asks as much of herself as of her subject. Ann Powers has been a music critic for more than thirty years, working for NPR, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and other publications. In the decade she has worked with NPR, she has written extensively on music and culture and appeared regularly on the All Songs Considered podcast and on news shows including All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Her books include a memoir, Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music; and Piece by Piece with Tori Amos. Powers lives in Nashville. Ann Powers on Twitter. Bradley Morgan is a media arts professional in Chicago and author of U2's The Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America. He manages partnerships on behalf of CHIRP Radio 107.1 FM, serves as a co-chair of the associate board at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and volunteers in the music archive at the Old Town School of Folk Music. His forthcoming books are Frank Zappa's America: Music, Satire, & the Battle Against the Christian Right (LSU Press, Spring 2025) and U2: Until the End of the World (Palazzo Editions, Fall 2025). Bradley Morgan on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

For decades, Joni Mitchell's life and music have enraptured listeners. One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Mitchell has inspired countless musicians--from peers like James Taylor, to inheritors like Prince and Brandi Carlile--and authors, who have dissected her music and her life in their writing. At the same time, Mitchell has always been a force beckoning us still closer, as--with the other arm--she pushes us away. Given this, music critic Ann Powers wondered if there was another way to draw insights from the life of this singular musician who never stops moving, never stops experimenting. In Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell (Dey Street Books, 2024), Powers seeks to understand Mitchell through her myriad journeys. Through extensive interviews with Mitchell's peers and deep archival research, she takes readers to rural Canada, mapping the singer's childhood battle with polio. She charts the course of Mitchell's musical evolution, ranging from early folk to jazz fusion to experimentation with pop synthetics. She follows the winding road of Mitchell's collaborations with other greats, and the loves that emerged along the way, all the way through to the remarkable return of Mitchell to music-making after the 2015 aneurysm that nearly took her life. Along this journey, Powers' wide-ranging musings on the artist's life and career reconsider the biographer's role and the way it twines against the reality of a fan. In doing so, Traveling illustrates the shifting nature of biography, and the ultimate contradiction of celebrity: that an icon cannot truly, completely be known to a fan. Kaleidoscopic in scope, and intimate in its detail, Traveling is a fresh and fascinating addition to the Joni Mitchell canon, written by a biographer in full command of her gifts who asks as much of herself as of her subject. Ann Powers has been a music critic for more than thirty years, working for NPR, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and other publications. In the decade she has worked with NPR, she has written extensively on music and culture and appeared regularly on the All Songs Considered podcast and on news shows including All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Her books include a memoir, Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music; and Piece by Piece with Tori Amos. Powers lives in Nashville. Ann Powers on Twitter. Bradley Morgan is a media arts professional in Chicago and author of U2's The Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America. He manages partnerships on behalf of CHIRP Radio 107.1 FM, serves as a co-chair of the associate board at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and volunteers in the music archive at the Old Town School of Folk Music. His forthcoming books are Frank Zappa's America: Music, Satire, & the Battle Against the Christian Right (LSU Press, Spring 2025) and U2: Until the End of the World (Palazzo Editions, Fall 2025). Bradley Morgan on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

For decades, Joni Mitchell's life and music have enraptured listeners. One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Mitchell has inspired countless musicians--from peers like James Taylor, to inheritors like Prince and Brandi Carlile--and authors, who have dissected her music and her life in their writing. At the same time, Mitchell has always been a force beckoning us still closer, as--with the other arm--she pushes us away. Given this, music critic Ann Powers wondered if there was another way to draw insights from the life of this singular musician who never stops moving, never stops experimenting. In Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell (Dey Street Books, 2024), Powers seeks to understand Mitchell through her myriad journeys. Through extensive interviews with Mitchell's peers and deep archival research, she takes readers to rural Canada, mapping the singer's childhood battle with polio. She charts the course of Mitchell's musical evolution, ranging from early folk to jazz fusion to experimentation with pop synthetics. She follows the winding road of Mitchell's collaborations with other greats, and the loves that emerged along the way, all the way through to the remarkable return of Mitchell to music-making after the 2015 aneurysm that nearly took her life. Along this journey, Powers' wide-ranging musings on the artist's life and career reconsider the biographer's role and the way it twines against the reality of a fan. In doing so, Traveling illustrates the shifting nature of biography, and the ultimate contradiction of celebrity: that an icon cannot truly, completely be known to a fan. Kaleidoscopic in scope, and intimate in its detail, Traveling is a fresh and fascinating addition to the Joni Mitchell canon, written by a biographer in full command of her gifts who asks as much of herself as of her subject. Ann Powers has been a music critic for more than thirty years, working for NPR, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and other publications. In the decade she has worked with NPR, she has written extensively on music and culture and appeared regularly on the All Songs Considered podcast and on news shows including All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Her books include a memoir, Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music; and Piece by Piece with Tori Amos. Powers lives in Nashville. Ann Powers on Twitter. Bradley Morgan is a media arts professional in Chicago and author of U2's The Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America. He manages partnerships on behalf of CHIRP Radio 107.1 FM, serves as a co-chair of the associate board at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and volunteers in the music archive at the Old Town School of Folk Music. His forthcoming books are Frank Zappa's America: Music, Satire, & the Battle Against the Christian Right (LSU Press, Spring 2025) and U2: Until the End of the World (Palazzo Editions, Fall 2025). Bradley Morgan on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

For decades, Joni Mitchell's life and music have enraptured listeners. One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Mitchell has inspired countless musicians--from peers like James Taylor, to inheritors like Prince and Brandi Carlile--and authors, who have dissected her music and her life in their writing. At the same time, Mitchell has always been a force beckoning us still closer, as--with the other arm--she pushes us away. Given this, music critic Ann Powers wondered if there was another way to draw insights from the life of this singular musician who never stops moving, never stops experimenting. In Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell (Dey Street Books, 2024), Powers seeks to understand Mitchell through her myriad journeys. Through extensive interviews with Mitchell's peers and deep archival research, she takes readers to rural Canada, mapping the singer's childhood battle with polio. She charts the course of Mitchell's musical evolution, ranging from early folk to jazz fusion to experimentation with pop synthetics. She follows the winding road of Mitchell's collaborations with other greats, and the loves that emerged along the way, all the way through to the remarkable return of Mitchell to music-making after the 2015 aneurysm that nearly took her life. Along this journey, Powers' wide-ranging musings on the artist's life and career reconsider the biographer's role and the way it twines against the reality of a fan. In doing so, Traveling illustrates the shifting nature of biography, and the ultimate contradiction of celebrity: that an icon cannot truly, completely be known to a fan. Kaleidoscopic in scope, and intimate in its detail, Traveling is a fresh and fascinating addition to the Joni Mitchell canon, written by a biographer in full command of her gifts who asks as much of herself as of her subject. Ann Powers has been a music critic for more than thirty years, working for NPR, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and other publications. In the decade she has worked with NPR, she has written extensively on music and culture and appeared regularly on the All Songs Considered podcast and on news shows including All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Her books include a memoir, Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music; and Piece by Piece with Tori Amos. Powers lives in Nashville. Ann Powers on Twitter. Bradley Morgan is a media arts professional in Chicago and author of U2's The Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America. He manages partnerships on behalf of CHIRP Radio 107.1 FM, serves as a co-chair of the associate board at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and volunteers in the music archive at the Old Town School of Folk Music. His forthcoming books are Frank Zappa's America: Music, Satire, & the Battle Against the Christian Right (LSU Press, Spring 2025) and U2: Until the End of the World (Palazzo Editions, Fall 2025). Bradley Morgan on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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'Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Palmyra - Do You Like Lush Harmony & Brilliant Song Writing? Then this is your band!Get inspired by Palmyra's Sasha Landon, who shares the incredible stories by their songs and what fuels their music mission.It's high-energy Americana at it's finest1A trio that also includes Teddy Chipouras and Mānoa Bell, all hailing from Virginia.=One things for sure...Palmyra's star is rising!They've supported Watchhouse, Mipso, and Illiterate Light, and received honors and recognition from the historic Newport Folk Festival, American Songwriter, The Boston Globe, NPR, Under The Radar Magazine, Americanafest, and Merlefest.Robin Hilton at All Songs Considered says, “This is a band you know would be killer live”...and we've seen them twice, it's 100% correct!You'll also discover:Their Unique Experience Performing Twice at the Newport Folk Festival (And Why They'll be Performing There this Year Again on an Even Bigger Stage)The Secrets of A Music Stage Completely Powered by Bikes.The Reaction They Get Singing, "We aren't dead yet, but we're not far from it!"The Moment Ben (our co-host) met Sasha in a Newport Food Line.The Colorful Stories Behind "Happy Pills", "Bella Donna", and "Shape I'm In"Behind the Scenes of the NPR Tiny-Desk CompetitionMental Health and Song WritingAdvice for Under-represented Groups in MusicAND an INCREDIBLE TUNE recorded for the show at the end of this EPISODE!!!Listen now on the Americana Curious Podcast!Discover more about Palmyra here:https://www.palmyratheband.com/

With graduation season here, our friends at NPR's All Songs Considered asked listeners to tell them about songs that bring back memories of the final days of high school, when they said goodbye to old friends, left home and struck out on their own. Join NPR's Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson as they reflect on graduation through song.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 SoundtrackOther 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• Pokey LaFarge, Rhumba Country• Shannon & the Clams, The Moon Is In The Wrong Place• Villagers, That Golden TimeLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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'Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 percent.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.Feedback? Write us: allsongs@npr.orgGet the NPR Music newsletter.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Pop Culture Happy Hour team is off today. So we're bringing you a very special holiday extravaganza from NPR Music's All Songs Considered podcast. In this festive episode, All Songs' annual celebration of the season returns with a trip to a snowy cabin in the woods – as they attempt to throw a party for the ages. Eggnog will be had, plenty of delightful holiday music will be played – and some special guests might just drop by, including Carly Rae Jepsen, Robert Glasper, and Olivia Rodrigo.

It's that time of year again. Over the next few weeks at NPR.org and here on the All Songs Considered podcast, we'll be sharing lists of and conversations about the best music of 2023. We're kicking things off with the standout albums of the year. Gathered on the show are NPR Music's three main critics: Rodney Carmichael, who writes about hip-hop and R&B; Nate Chinen of WRTI, who covers jazz and classical and Ann Powers, maven of pop, rock, folk, country and a little of everything else. Speaking with editor Daoud Tyler-Ameen, the trio dives into a heavy and heady year to discuss the releases that inspired the most vivid feelings, and together make a case — in an era when singles and playlists drive the industry numbers — for the album as a still-indispensable art form.The fun won't stop there. Stay tuned for more conversations about the songs that made us drop everything and the tours that turned into vessels for community. There will be lists of our favorite releases on NPR.org and conversations about the sounds and stars that defined the year, enough to keep you listening well into 2024.

Twenty three years after creating and hosting All Songs Considered, Bob Boilen is retiring. But before he goes, we've got a special send-off, featuring a surprise guest list of his favorite artists.You'll hear from Brian Eno, Sharon Van Etten, Jeff Tweedy, Mitski and a whole lot more.

Bob Boilen will retire from NPR on Oct. 2, and he decided to spend one of his final episodes hosting All Songs Considered with NPR Music's resident Viking, Lars Gotrich, for a mix of pop punk, meticulously cut-up banjo drone, worlds-collapsing free jazz and fingerstyle guitar. Featured Songs And Artists: 1. MxPx: "What I Tell Myself" from Find a Way Home 2. Slant: "Criminal" from Demo 2023 3. Daniel Bachman: "Summer's fingers sweetly linger (Everywhere on every side)" from When the Roses Come Again 4. Matana Roberts: "shake my bones" from Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the garden... 5. Svitlana Nianio: "Episode III" from Transilvania Smile, 1994 6. Liam Grant: "Androscogging River Ragg" from Amoskeag

Singer Paul Simon surprised fans earlier this year by releasing Seven Psalms, his first album since 2018. It was surprising not because so much time had passed, but because he had originally said his previous album, In the Blue Light, would be his last. In an interview with All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen, Simon said he was ready to retire from music and pursue other creative projects, like painting. This week, we go back to that 2018 conversation when Simon first announced he was done making new music. He talks about his dreams, the creative process and life's biggest questions. "We don't have the capacity to understand the great mysteries of life and God or no God or infinity," Simon says. "We just can't get it. It's beyond us, but that's fine."

Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and songwriter for The Band, died Aug. 9 at the age of 80. For this remembrance, we're sharing an encore presentation of a conversation Robertson had with All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen in 2018, on the 50th anniversary of The Band's seminal album Music From Big Pink.Note: This interview originally published Aug. 8, 2018.

NPR Music's Lars Gotrich joins All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen to share their favorite new tracks of the week.Featured Songs And Artists:1. Meurtrières: "Ronde De Nuit," from Ronde De Nuit2. Sally Anne Morgan: "Awake," from Carrying3. Mitski: "Bug Like an Angel," from The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We4. GUJI: "I Like to Hang Out in China," from GUJI5. Irreversible Entanglements: "Free Love," from Protect Your Light6. Activity: "Careful Let's Sleepwalk," from Spirit in the Room

NPR Music's Hazel Cills and critic Marissa Lorusso join All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen to share their favorite new tracks of the week.Featured Artists And Songs:1. Mary Jane Dunphe: "Stage of Love," from Stage of Love2. Squirrel Flower: "When A Plant Is Dying," from Tomorrow's Fire3. Saya Gray: "DIZZY PPL BECOME BLURRY," from QWERTY4. SPELLLING: "Under the Sun," from SPELLLING & the Mystery School5. Josaleigh Pollett: "Empty Things," from In the Garden, by the Weeds6. Sivan Levy: "Jacaranda," from side:s EP7. Big Thief: "Vampire Empire" (Single)

All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen shares his favorite discoveries of the week.Featured Artists And Songs:1. Grandaddy: "The Town where I'm Livin Now," from Sumday: Excess Baggage2. Liza Anne: "Rainbow Sweater," from (Single)3. Courtney Barnett & Stella Mozgawa: "Life Balance," from End Of The Day (music from the film Anonymous Club)4. Lowland Hum: "Together (In That Way)," from From Self, With Love5. Raia Was: "If You're Asking (I'm Offering)," from Captain Obvious6. Yard Act: "The Trench Coat Museum," from (Single)