Foxygen.

Foxygen On World Cafe

While we anxiously wait for Foxygen’s upcoming double album release, here are four songs from the band’s album, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic.

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Sweetheart 2014 comes out Feb. 4.

First Listen: ‘Sweetheart 2014’

The Sweetheart compilations adhere to a simple concept in which well-liked contemporary artists cover well-liked classic love songs just in time for Valentine’s Day. This year’s participants include Fiona Apple, Vampire Weekend, Sharon Jones, Ben Harper, Jim James, Beck, Valerie June and more.

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Marissa Nadler's new album, July, comes out Feb. 4.

First Listen: Marissa Nadler, ‘July’

On her sixth album, the Bostonian singer-songwriter gets darker and more sinister than ever before. Its title must refer to a cold, polarizing kind of July, with the frigid climes that accompany an early-February release.

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CEO's new album, Wonderland, comes out Feb. 4.

First Listen: CEO, ‘Wonderland’

Wonderland is, at times, superficially soothing and fun, an almost hedonistic paean. But not far beneath the surface lies something more unsettling and challenging: a statement about isolation and loneliness and a delicate search for meaning.

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Bill Callahan.

Bob Boilen’s Favorite Lyrics Of 2013

Often, great words are the secret ingredient in great songs: the emotion, the insight, the connection hidden beneath the surface. All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares the lyrics that caught his ear this year.

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Bard Ylvisaker (L) and Vegard Ylvisaker of Ylvis perform "The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)" in September.

Top 10 Top 40 Of 2013

At the end of a year in which pop songs were a constant, provocative part of the national conversation, NPR Music critic Ann Powers sifts through the 100 most popular songs of the year to highlight 10 pure pop pleasures worth remembering.

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The gospel/folk singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe was accompanied by a jazz orchestra on her debut recording.

Wade In The Water: 5 Jazz Takes On Spirituals

The songs were a byproduct of slavery in the U.S. But after being passed along by generations of African-American musicians, they were later embraced by a variety of improvisers, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Grant Green and John Coltrane.

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Keith Jarrett circa 1986.

27 Years Ago, Keith Jarrett Was A One-Man Band

In 1986, the iconic jazz pianist experimented with drums, bass and electric guitar in his home studio. Decades later, he’s finally released the tapes. Reviewer Banning Eyre says that on No End, Jarrett seems to cherish rediscovering a side of his younger self.

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