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...

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 Alive2. Erika de Casier, Still (released Wednesday, Feb. 21)3. Real Estate, Daniel4. Mary Timony, Untame The Tiger Other notable releases out Feb. 23:• Daymé Arocena, Alkemi• glaive, a bit of a mad...

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...

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....

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'•...

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...

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 Now2. Joel Ross, nublues3. Boldy James & Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership (released Jan. 12)4. Kali Malone, All Life Long5. Sonic Youth, Walls Have Ears6. Usher, Coming Home Other notable albums out Feb. 9:• Helado Negro, PHASOR• Chelsea Wolfe, She Reaches...

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...

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

Our friends at NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour break down the major winners and highlights from the 2024 Grammy Awards. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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...

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

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...

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

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

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,...

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 Winter2. Xavi: "La Diabla (Single)3. Faye Webster and Lil Yachty: "Lego Ring" from Underdressed at the Symphony4. Philip Glass: "Opening," from Philip Glass Solo5. Club del Rio: "Una Vida" (Single)6....

To ring in the new year, NPR Music's critics take over the latest episode of New Music Friday to offer predictions about the artists, genres and stories that might dominate conversations about music in 2024. Ann Powers, Rodney Carmichael and Nate Chinen join editor Jacob Ganz to discuss whether Usher's Super Bowl performance or Dua Lipa's new sound could launch these hardworking artists to new levels of ubiquity. Is it possible for either to one steal some of the spotlight that Beyoncé and...

Hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre share the latest new songs that live rent-free in their heads.Featured songs:Candeleros, "Le Quedan Dos"Cuco, "When The Day Comes To An End (DJ Sliink Remix)"Gaby Moreno, "Dance the Night Away"Ed Maverick, "Lagunas"Helado Negro, "I Just Want To Wake Up With You"Ana Tijoux, "Tania"

We take a spin through the albums we're most excited about for this year, including Sleater-Kinney, Brittany Howard, Hurray for the Riff Raff and more, plus a few rumored releases.Featured Albums:1. Sleater-Kinney — Little Rope2. The Smile — Wall of Eyes3. Brittany Howard — What Now4. Mary Timony — Untame the Tiger5. Lee Scratch Perry — King Perry6. Grandaddy — Blu Wav7. Hurray for the Riff Raff — The Past Is Still Alive8. serpentwithfeet — GRIP9. Chelsea Wolfe — She Reaches Out To She...

Our resident Viking, Lars Gotrich, connects epic Japanese storytelling, soul-sampling powerviolence, ambient rap and beautiful noise through thematic webs of history and memory. Featured Artists and Albums:• Matmos: "Music or Noise?" from Return to Archive• PoiL Ueda: "Kokô part 2" from Yoshitsune • Mayssa Jallad: "Baynana" from Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels• Ruth Anderson & Annea Lockwood: "For Ruth" from T​ê​te​-​à​-​t​ê​te• Zulu: "Lyfe Az a Shorty Shun B So Ruff" from A New Tomorrow...

We asked listeners to tell us about a song they ugly cried to or just couldn't stop playing in 2023. On this episode, we share some of their picks and the stories behind them.