Julia Holter: Tiny Desk Concert
The most minute details suddenly become a grandiose spectacle in Julia Holter’s cosmic cabaret. Her new arrangements at the NPR Music offices unravel amid moments of both quiet and bombast.
Tag: NPR
Prince, Musician And Iconoclast, Has Died At Age 57
One reporter outside Prince’s Paisley Park compound near Minneapolis said “even the journalists are hugging each other” after learning that Prince had died.
Review: Lera Lynn, ‘Resistor’
The singer, a veteran of TV’s True Detective, uses sensual minimalism to get at emotional truths. Hers is the sort of wistful awareness that gets under your skin.
Review: Snarky Puppy, ‘Culcha Vulcha’
To the extent that Snarky Puppy has a core sonic idea, it’s an intricate melody over a multifaceted groove, as generated by multiple horn players, guitarists, keyboardists and percussionists.
Review: The Jayhawks, ‘Paging Mr. Proust’
The long-running roots-pop band’s new music nicely re-creates a honeyed, harmony-rich sound while still expanding it in subtle, appealing ways.
Review: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, ‘Nonagon Infinity’
The Melbourne psych-rock septet unleashes a thoroughly realized journey, embedded in a frenzied barrage of riff-heavy head-bangers.
Review: Wire, ‘Nocturnal Koreans’
A brilliant new album by an always unpredictable band, Nocturnal Koreans is a view of the more experimental side of Wire, mysterious and potent.
Review: Carlos Niño & Friends, ‘Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening!’
One of Los Angeles’ beloved denizens of the soul/jazz/hip-hop underground invites the likes of Madlib and Kamasi Washington to join him in creating a moving ode to spirituality.
Reclaiming The Queer Dance Floor
A new crop of parties across the U.S.A. is reconnecting dance music with a particular chapter in its own vivid history.
Palehound: Tiny Desk Concert
Ellen Kempner and her band perform three tense and evocative songs from last year’s Dry Food, set amid the pin-drop silence of a rapt crowd.
Mothers: Tiny Desk Concert
Mothers’ members chose a few of their slowest, most languid and fragile songs to perform in the NPR Music offices.
Review: Sturgill Simpson, ‘A Sailor’s Guide To Earth’
For Simpson’s first album since his 2014 breakthrough, the inventive country singer crafts a highly personal song cycle about order and insubordination.
Review: Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop, ‘Love Letter For Fire’
With the help of producer Tucker Martine and a smart, subtle band, Hoop and Beam achieve a fine balance — of songwriting sensibilities and of time in the spotlight.
Review: Brass Bed, ‘In The Yellow Leaf’
On the Louisiana band’s fourth album, its catchy and dynamic songs sound invigorated, immediate and more forceful than ever.
Review: John Carpenter, ‘Lost Themes II’
The filmmaker and musician, known for his work on movies such as Halloween, revisits the approach that defined his synth-heavy soundtrack work.
Review: Gallant, ‘Ology’
The young soul singer refuses to take sides in R&B’s generational divide, so his songs all sound familiar, even when they’re several things at once.
First Listen: Andrew Bird, ‘Are You Serious’
On his 13th album, Bird delves deeper into alternately peppy and muted ruminations on love and chemistry. Always a thoughtful songwriter, he’s found a way to sound playful while maturing with time.
Review: Charles Bradley, ‘Changes’
Hear the new album by “The Screaming Eagle of Soul,” which cleverly balances the vintage and the modern.
Review: Eric Bachmann, ‘Eric Bachmann’
The Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers frontman keeps his rough edges and wit in a charming, impressionistic meditation on America.
Review: Margo Price, ‘Midwest Farmer’s Daughter’
A debut solo record, born of both heartache and imagination, is saturated with sounds of ’60s and ’70s Nashville.