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

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...

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)" Learn...

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"...

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 &...

"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...

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'•...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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:...

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

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...

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...

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...

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 Well2. Tierra Whack, World Wide Whack3. Justin Timberlake, Everything I Thought It Was4. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis Other notable releases for March 15• Four Tet, Three• The Black Crowes,...

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 29Yaya Bey: "Chasing the Bus" from 'Ten Fold,' out May 10METZ: "Entwined (Street Light Buzz)" from 'Up On Gravity Hill,' out April 12Vampire Weekend: "Gen X Cops" from 'Only...

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 Collective2. Bleachers, Bleachers3. Norah Jones, Visions4. Moor Mother, The Great Bailout Other notable releases for March 8:• Ariana Grande,...

Alt.Latino's Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras visited Cuba and give us an audio-rich tour of Havana. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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 Consideration2. 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 Faith6. Friko: "Get Numb To It," from Where...

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 Symphony2. ScHoolboy Q, Blue Lips3. Julian Lage, Speak To Me4. Sheer Mag, Playing Favorites Other notable releases for March 1:Paula Cole, LoJacob Collier, Djesse Vol. 4Everything...

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...